Tag Archives: music

Music and television pioneer Mitch Miller died in NYC this weekend at the age of 99. Miller’s Sing Along With Mitch album series and television show essentially created the concept of karaoke. Mr. Miller, a Rochester native who was born on the Fourth of July, had been an accomplished oboist and was still a force in the recording industry when …

Danny Fong, a 21 year-old from Saskatchewan, makes acappella tracks using his voice to create the instruments as well. Very cool stuff.

Michael Jackson died a year ago today, but his empire rolls on. In the final years of his life, Jackson’s finances were widely reported to be in chaos, with the singer facing foreclosure on his famed Neverland Ranch and struggling with debts of roughly $US500 million. However in the 12 months since Jackson’s death on June 25 last year, the …

Last fall 86 year old WWII veteran Phillip Spooner delivered the below stirring speech against the ultimately successful campaign to repeal marriage equality in Maine. His inspiring speech was posted on this and many other blogs. Today Jeremy Hooper at Good As You tips us to a choral version of Spooner’s testimony. Melissa Dunphy’s new composition “What do you think …

$150 with a USB port for analog to digital recording. Get one here (when they become available.)

Here’s the trailer for the upcoming DVD release of the documentary about the demise of music retail, I Need That Record. Featuring discussion and commentary by THURSTON MOORE of Sonic Youth, IAN MACKAYE of Dischord Records Fugazi/Minor Threat, activist/author NOAM CHOMSKY, MIKE WATT of the Minutemen, LENNY KAYEguitarist of the Patti Smith Group, CHRIS FRANTZ of the Talking Heads/Tom Tom …

Here’s the new single from Bitch, from her upcoming album Blasted! I think she used be described as “queercore” back when the act was Bitch & Animal, but I don’t what this is. Catchy, though. NSFW due to naughty words.

Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack, died of cancer yesterday in Los Angeles at the age of 57. Fieger had toured continuously in The Knack for the last 32 years. Their hit My Sharona was the #1 best selling song for 1979, a year almost completely dominated by disco.

From the new album Realism, which came out last week. I had a hard time choosing between this and You Must Be Out Of Your Mind, which seems to be the cut being promoted. The Magnetic Fields’ ten date U.S. tour begins later this month. In NYC they play Town Hall on March 10th-12th.

Former Mazzy Star vocalist Hope Sandoval guests on this track from Heligoland, Massive Attack’s first full-length studio album in seven years. Lovely, spooky, and classic Massive Attack. Incidentally, if you don’t own 1991’s Blue Lines, you are missing out on one of the best albums of the 90s. Unfinished Sympathy still gives me shivers. Heligoland is available online and at …

Coachella just released their list of performers for this year’s festival. Artists of note include Grace Jones, La Roux, Deadmau5, Public Image Limited, LCD Soundsystem, The Specials, Echo & The Bunnymen, Devo, Hot Chip, John Waters, Kaskade, MGMT, The Specials, Orbital, Yo La Tengo, Little Boots, Gary Numan, Tiesto, and Benny Benassi. (My “performers of note” may differ from yours, …

Former Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes lead singer and R&B/disco icon Teddy Pendergrass died in Philadelphia tonight at the age of 59. The singer’s son, Teddy Pendergrass II, says his father died Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Pendergrass’ son says his father underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery.” The elder Pendergrass was injured …

Courtesy of Rhino.com, today’s Swag Tuesday booty is a special package of four fantastic items specially selected by Rhino.com for JMG readers: 1) Total Pop! – A four-disc box set from Erasure, 2) Break-Up, a musical collaboration between Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson, 3) $50 in Hi-Def Digital Downloads, and 4) Four classic New Order albums reissued on deluxe vinyl. …

From Buzzfeed’s 10 Most Depressing Christmas Songs, my favorite is Dolly Parton’s Hard Candy Christmas. The below clip they chose is from Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Dolly’s far superior original solo version is here. Others on the list include Wham’s Last Christmas and Christmastime Is Here from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

This month the Village Voice is counting down the worst songs of the Aughties. Some acts to make the list so far: Simple Plan, Weezer, Santana, and Crazy Frog, whose evil spawn from 2007 is below. The reviewer notes: “Every generation gets the Barbie Girl it deserves. As horrible as we’ve acted this decade, we should actually consider ourselves lucky …

Billboard Magazine has named Daniel Powter the one-hit wonder of the decade for his 2006 song Bad Day, which took Powter to #1 on the pop chart for five weeks in 2006. I had never heard this song until now.

Klymaxx, The Men All Pause, 1984. It wasn’t until their fourth album that the all-female Klymaxx scored their first hit single, taking the hilarious The Men All Pause to the Top Ten of the R&B and dance charts and into the repertoire and hairstyles of drag queens worldwide. The ladies saw similar success with the equally amusing follow-up, Meeting In …

Here are the top categories. The rest are here. Album Of The Year:I Am…Sasha Fierce (Beyoncé)The E.N.D. (the Black Eyed Peas)The Fame (Lady Gaga)Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King (Dave Matthews Band)Fearless (Taylor Swift) Record Of The Year:“Halo” (Beyoncé)“I Gotta Feeling” (the Black Eyed Peas)“Use Somebody” (Kings Of Leon)“Poker Face” (Lady Gaga)“You Belong With Me” (Taylor Swift) Song Of The …

How about a sweet gay love song from Philadelphia’s woofy Aiden James as a nice palate cleanser from yesterday? (Tipped by JMG reader George)

Courtesy of Fly Life Inc, today’s Swag Tuesday booty is a two-fer – All In One, the new CD from bossa nova chanteuse Bebel Gilberto, and Normal As Blueberry Pie: A Tribute To Doris Day, the new CD from Nellie McKay. Both releases are available today nationwide. Bebel Gilberto – All In One: Known worldwide for her ability to connect …