The above picture is a computer rendering of the proposed Museum of Musical Instruments, scheduled to open in 2010. The museum will be the only one in the country that is devoted solely to instruments of world culture. Robert J. Ulrich, the CEO of the Target Corporation, is giving millions of dollars to the project, which is estimated to cost about $125 million, according to the NY Times. There will be about 5,000 instruments, occasional musical performances, and the opportunity to play some of the rare instruments. Sounds pretty great - too bad it’s going to be in the outskirts of Phoenix.
This weekend I was fortunate enough to see Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor and Carly Simon) perform live at The Cutting Room with his mom and David Saw. While musically a modern-day clone of his dad, Ben’s hilariously honest songwriting sets him apart from others in his guys-with-acoustic-guitars genre. His song “Wicked Way” had people cracking up.
Carly’s performance was her first in 2 years. Although she’s known for suffering from stage fright, this was not apparent at all during her Saturday performance where she really let loose and sang her heart out (or “had a few emo moments” as some said). Despite not playing her popular hit “You’re So Vain” her performance was great - also, she looked ridiculously phenomenal for being 62.
David Saw was also awesome. His subtly named song “Buy My Record” was a crowd favorite and is definitely worth checking out.
Catch Ben Taylor and David Saw play again at the Cutting Room on Valentines Day at 10pm. I leave you with some Ben Taylor goodness:
In the last year Mexico has seen an unprecedented 2,544 drug-related murders (these numbers are according to the press, since the government doesn’t keep tabs). Unfortunately, this violence has affected the music scene. Last week two of Mexico’s biggest pop stars, Sergio Gomez of K-Paz de la Sierra and Zayda Pena of Zayda y Los Culpables were brutally murdered - Zayda in her hospital bed after a failed murder attempt left her injured.
The reason these pop stars are getting murdered is that their songs are being adopted as anthems for various cartels. The artists then become a symbols of whichever cartels adopt them, and murdering these artists is just another way for these groups to battle one another.
The cartels don’t care about how they are seen by the public, they are worried about showing their absolute control of their territory, and they will impose their control at all costs,” González said. “(Killing a singer) is like planting the flag of their cartel in the ground.
- Samuel González Ruiz, former head of a federal organized crime task force
I LOVE THIS BAND. These four nerdy rock guys from Columbia University have an upbeat, quirky sound that blends punk rock with South African traditional music. Their self-titled debut album comes out this Tuesday, 1/29. Check out their video for “A-Punk”! Seriously, DO IT.
Read what NPR has to say about Vampire Weekend.
Vampire Weekend’s myspace.
As of today Last.fm will allow you to play full-length tracks and entire albums for free! It is supposedly the largest music collection available online for free. To get the full scoop on how they’ve managed to do everything legally, click here
A NY Times article reports that 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Timbaland, Mary J. Blige, and other rappers have been implicated in a steroids investigation. Shocking!
The spectacle of hip-hop now is so much greater than it’s ever been,” said Jeff Chang, the author of the hip-hop history “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.” “There’s always the battle aesthetic at work, this idea that you’re going to go up there and show that you’re badder than everybody else. It’s part of the swagger that hip-hop carries.
Loudness is measured in decibels (named after Alexander Graham Bell and abbreviated dB)
0 dB Mosquito flying in a quiet room, ten feet away from your ears
20 dB A recording studio or a very quiet executive office
35 dB A typical quiet office with the door closed and computers off
50 dB Typical conversation in a room
75 dB Typical comfortable music listening level in headphones
100-105 dB Classical music or opera concert during loud passages
110 dB A jackhammer three feet away
120 dB A jet engine heard on the runway from three hundred feet away
126-130 dB Threshold of pain and damage; a rock concert by the Who (note that 126 dB is four times as loud as 120 dB)
180 dB Space shuttle launch
250-275 dB Center of a tornado; volcanic eruption
Sony BMG dumped legendary singer Annie Lennox by not answering or returning her calls. OUCH.
“They totally ignored me. It was bizarre. It was a kick in the teeth. They didn’t return my phone calls or emails for three weeks. I’m trying to find out what’s behind it.”
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