Freq plays Folk

This morning's Picnic will feature 3 hours of folk, folk-rock and dreamy pop. All kinds of stuff I don't normally get to play, which was the original idea behind the Sat. AM. show. Wander on by 9am-12pm today.

<3 freq!

Your Apropos of Nothing Video du Jour:

George Clinton, PhD

Last month George Clinton was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Berklee College of Music in Boston. It’s always been clear to me that Clinton is one of the musical giants of our time, and I am delighted to see him getting this kind of recognition. Berklee even has a P-Funk Ensemble, so Clinton spent some time there mentoring.

I thought of writing about 1977, and bussing, and culture shock to a soundtrack of Parliament. That’s all the kid on my bus were playing in 1977. Flashlight. Aqua Boogie. My little white self was baffled. Thanks, guys, I get it now.

So a large part of my set will be a celebration of Clinton and glimpses of some of his roots and some of the music that was possible because he came first.

I couldn’t help but think of Clinton’s award, and his music, in the context of the seething racism going on around us in the USA. I read about that award about half an hour after leaving a Trayvon Martin rally. The context deserves a lot of mention. And Clinton’s musical leadership makes me think about how the arts evolve ahead of the rest of the culture, which comes shuffling along behind, grumbling and throwing spitballs. Which makes me even happier to be a dj.

Before I get deeply into the Clinton theme, we’ll have some Latin stuff, and South Asian stuff, including a track from Anoushka Shankar’s new album, Traveller, and Mati Zundel’s new release, Amazonico Gravitante. (If you click on Mati's name there, you will not get a Wiki article, but an awesome video.)

When I was putting together a third hour I realized that my set was absolutely drowning in testosterone, so at least the last 45 minutes is almost all women (of color).

This week I’m partial-subbing for Ginger, so 12-3 SLT. Come listen! It will be better with you there.

P.S. For those who are interested, here is the link to the free Jasiri X download of "Trayvon". http://jasirix.bandcamp.com/track/trayvon

My New career

My reason to be in SL is all about the art, I was created as a generic avatar for machinima production. My subsequent adventures have to be seen in this context, as an escapee, on the run, for as long as I can until they bring me in.

Happy birthday (March 30, 1940) to Astrud Gilberto, one of our favorite people. 

The reason for which I'll not be making my set on Friday night (and for which the awesome Koi will be stepping in to{more than} replace me): The Joy Formidable. In my town.

If you're curious,check the NPR video of them from last year's SXSW:  http://www.npr.org/event/music/134532390/sxsw-2011-the-joy-formidable-live-in-concert

Might not be your cuppa tea, but I think you'll get the picture.

Apropos of Absolutely Nothing

In lieu of my usual song of the week from my set, which this week is going to be almost entirely Japanese girl bands, I give you this by Seattle-area singer/songwriter Joshua Baez. With its slow guitar figure and an ethereal call and response, it puts me in mind of Labradford or perhaps portions of Asche & Spencer's outstanding soundtrack for Monster's Ball. So anyway, this is fine floating-away music, and when you're ready for some uplifting rock, rockabilly, surf, and punk from the distaff side of the land of the rising sun, you know where to find it. The lovely and talented Koi takes over Moby's slot tomorrow night. Hope to see you then.

Anger and Bile

A few weeks ago a friend and I were discussing, while driving, what songs we think are the angriest ever written. This was precipitated by a car cutting me off in which I yelled obscenities out the window.  So, after throwing out some ditties of spit and bile from our music memory (mine is miniscule) the conversation turned then to who could spew forth anger better in music…guys or girls.  “Guys.” he said, “Girls,” I said.

After an hour or two of trading songs on our IPods as the miles rolled away, and me arguing the merits of “a woman scorned” and the movement of “angry chick music,” we actually came to a decision that: anger in music, as in most things, is a perfectly balanced display of gender free angst. 

We did agree on another thing however, that a girl’s anger might linger a bit longer.  They never forget! Which is why I find that “angry chick” songs are longer than “angry dude” songs.  And, they tend to chart better.

Well, you know what this leads to.  My set today will explore the give and give of anger in song balanced exactly between male and female.  That way, you can decide for yourselves.  By the end of the two hours in which we listen to songs about everything from a mean shop owner to consumerism to love (mostly it’s about love – or jilted lovers that is) we will be so ready to have Ntropy lift us up a bit.

Don’t worry; sometimes the anger is so amazingly rabid that we will laugh at it.  And yes, expect a rather uncensored and explicit rating.  We should count how often the F-bomb is uttered.   

You used to call me Exotica!!

Spring has a lot of side effects. Sneezes, excessive heartbeats,unlimited nostalgic phenomena,bees,escape crazyness etc.
What the first Spring days caused me, except from making me smile and feel warmth everywhere,was a tremendous urge to listen again an old Japanese collection of songs from artists who ,using the Stereolab approach,discovered the '60's and place them in an exotic future era.Well as you will hear,this was really something. Japanese artists gave color ,fun and a sense of high class in a pop culture that suddenly adopted by the Japanese way of making things.
So tunes from that compilatiion,Stereolab,Can,strange electronica,lounge sounds,psychedelic Spring clouds and other light hearted music for you.At THE VELVET 3-5 slt.
Hit it or miss it forever!

What am I playing tomorrow night? (Tuesday 5-7 SLT)

Good question.

Here's a hint:

Wham!

When I think about tonight's set, I think Wham! - but not George Michael. Instead, I plan to begin tonight with the irrepressible song, Wham! from Lonnie Mack and then take it from there.

Where: The Velvet
When: 5 to 7 pm SLT
Who: Cajsa Lilliehook
What: Wild & Wooly Guitars

Monday Musical Office

Another Monday, and once again there's eager anticipation for a night of music and fun at The Velvet! My set starts at 7, SLT - - sandwiched between stellar sets from fabulous DJ's Cajsa and Vivienne. I have lots of eclectic music lined up for you as usual, some recent acquisitions and old favorites...

... and as I likely won't get around to playing any vintage Esquivel exotica, here's the sequence from the old Ernie Kovacs TV show where I first heard his music... 

(well, that makes sense to me, anyway) 

Enjoy!

Come again?

Something we don't consider often on SL is the presence of the deaf. This always surprises me to some extent, considering all of out communication is via chat. As a kid, I used to go to the "theater for the deaf" productions and they always scared the crap out of me. Seeing a video like this warms me in some weird way. It makes everything more inclusive. An odd thing for a music blog, I know. I just really dig this video.

Donkeyboy - "Darkest Night"

Here's a song from the Norwegian band Donkeyboy that I've been in love with lately.

Enjoy.

You're now tuned in to the mutha f***in' greatest! (or at least the not so half-badest)

Hey Velveteens!

Just a quick little blog post to say hi, hello, and how are you!

I'm Ginger and I'm one of your newest DJ's. I will be taking the Saturday 11slt slot after the wonderful Frequency Picnic. I do hope you'll come and join me as we set sail on a musical journey...ok that's all a bunch of wishy washy crap. I don't sail...I have but that's besides the point.

The point IS...I'm playing music, music you might want to hear! Music you may know, music you may love, kinda like, or wish I'd stop playing. Or maybe I play something you've never heard of and really want to hear more of. Who knows. All I know is that we will NOT know if you don't come to my set.

For a brief example of what you may hear, a list of some of my top listened to bands:

Sleigh Bells
Miike Snow
Cut Copy
Passion Pit
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Kanye West
Jay Z
Adele
Die Antwoord
LCD Soundsystem
Random Rab
The Heavy
Fitz and the Tantrums
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Youth Lagoon
White Rabbits
Of Montreal

Ok I could go on...but that's a good start.

So...Today (Saturday March 24, 2012) is my OFFICIAL debut at the Velvet at 11:00 am SLT and I do hope you can join me. I'll do whatever I can to make your stay at my set as enjoyable as possible. Suggestions always welcome, requests occasionally considered.

See y'all soon!!

Shake Some Action

This Saturday from 1-3 SLT I will spin for the first time at the Velvet. And I want to thank Maht for talking me into doing it, because for ages I didn’t think I had time, but ever since I said I’d do a weekly set, I’ve been ridiculously excited about it.

Expect eclectic from me, in general. This week (after my theme song) I’ll start with a little ancient reggae and wend my way towards some ska, funk, a band combing two nomadic tribes of Niger, another Saharan band from northern Mali, and some bhangra (and curiously, some South Asian bhangraXreggae). But as I was putting my set together, the (roughly) second hour became an unabashed celebration of the musical gods who brought me here. For some of you it will be nostalgia and for others, the best kind of history: artists and bands like Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Devo. And specifically out of gratitude for my warm welcome at the Velvet, “Pinhead” by the Ramones. But the set has more ins and outs than that, more mini-sets, more twists and turns, so do come along and join me on this two-hour, multi-continent whatever-it-is.

Oh boy. This is going to be SO MUCH FUN! 

photo by Klaus Hiltscher - click here for info

This Modern World

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of hearing people say that the quality of pop music today is inferior to that of … well … pick a decade. When I hear this, I do try to understand that these are busy people who really don’t pay much attention to the music world and who are easily brainwashed by (a) major-label propaganda bemoaning the state of affairs in music today and (b) the fact that commercial radio sucks.

But I do try, quietly and politely, to inform them that the world of pop music has changed significantly in the last few years and that in fact (deep breath) we now live in a true Golden Age of popular music. Whereupon, of course, they look at me as though I’ve just sprouted a second head.

I mention that to mention this: No matter what you think of Bruce Springsteen, his keynote address at SXSW last weekend (http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/03/15/148693171/bruce-springsteen-on-the-meaning-of-music?ps=cprs ) is worth checking out, in part because part of his speech was devoted to the very same point I’ve been making with misguided friends and acquaintances: There’s never been a time like now.

In the early part of his talk, Bruce waxed nostalgic about his formative years as the teenaged member of a rock band in New Jersey and taking part in a battle of the bands: “So many styles were overlapping at that time that you’d have a doo-wop singing group with full pompadours and matching suits sitting next to our band playing a garage version of Them’s  ‘Mystic Eyes,’ set up next to a full, 13-piece soul show band.”

Then, he continued the thought: “And still, that’s nothing minutely compared to what’s going on in the streets of Austin right now.”

Pop music’s cultural influence has not waned by any means, Springsteen said. It’s only changed. It’s become more disparate and, yes, more Balkanized.

How disparate and Balkanized? According to Springsteen, this much: “Two-tone, acid rock, alternative rock, alternative dance, alternative metal, art punk, art rock, avant-garde metal, black metal, death metal, Christian metal, heavy metal, funk metal, glam metal, medieval metal, indie metal, melodic black metal, melodic death metal, metalcore, hardcore, electronic hardcore, folk rock, folk punk, Britpop, grunge, sadcore, surf music, psychedelic rock, punk rock, hip hop, rap rock, Nintendo core, rock noir, shock rock, skatepunk, noisecore, noisepop, noiserock, pagan rock, paisley underground, indie pop, indie rock, heartland rock, roots rock, samba rock, scream, emo, shoegaze, stoner rock, swamp pop, synth pop, rock against Communism, garage rock, blues rock, death and roll, lo-fi, jangle pop, folk music.”

Will there ever be a time when one group or one individual will ever again have the same impact as Elvis, or the Beatles, or Nirvana?

I doubt it.

Thanks to the Internet, we’re all captains of our own musical universes now if we choose. If you’re a music fan, what could be better than that?

(Moby Tenenbaum spins 7-9 Fridays at The Velvet)

Miscellany, Cherry Blossoms, and Pop Will Eat Itself

This is my first foray into randomness with a set.  Thus far I have stuck to the safety net of hiding behind a theme.  Themes are easier - well - for me at least.  But today I give it the ultimate tell-all of miscellany.

Not to say I didn’t cheat.  I poached one band from the greatness of Lux.  And, Ginger laid a whammy (whammie?) on me last night with a new band that I am stoked on and gonna throw them in as well.

Oh, and I did sort of sneak in a mini-theme - if you will.  Music is seasonal for me and my mood does change. Here in D.C. the cherry blossoms are blooming and I feel the layers of winter skin start to loosen.  So, a little respect is paid to Japan in giving us the gift of Cherry Blossoms exactly 100 years ago.  It is, for us in D.C., the greatest reminder of hope in that everything is reborn again - that, if nature is a cycle, why not us?

And for some odd reason, still to be discovered, I opened up my old PWEI albums.  Nostalgia is blooming as well!

At The Velvet today from 3:00PM-5:00PM – kicking off a full evening of Velvet fun with Ntropy and Obs to follow.

There Will Be Dancing

I generally have three to five playlists in development as I listen to music and when I hear a song that makes me think "oh yes, I want to play that one for folks" I will drop it in the list where it seems most l likely to get along with its neighbors. Tonight's playlist is one that's been percolating for weeks as I have dropped in a song here and there. It's full of rhythms from South America - tangos, mambos and sambas with a bit of other music stirred into the pot for some seasoning. From Zucchero and Ismael Lo to Sergio Mendes and YoYo Ma, the only certain thing is there will be dancing. My set is from 5 to 7 P<.M. SLT - hope you can be there.



p.s. Congratulations to Maht for his 4 year engagement at The Velvet. Surely he as tenure by now and it will be a lifetime appointment, I hope.

Happy returns!

Guitars like thunder,groovy as heaven,bold beat and yeeeeeessss,the return of Jack White the III,is welcomed like spring day after a deadbeat winter. Chrisodd will be happy to play this and some older power tunes from almost all projects, Mr.White was storming this power blues rock from, over the years with some more electric tunes from around the space and time zones of this planet.
Oh, we also celebrating the return of ORBITAL and HOT CHIP.
So, guitars and synths,beats and grooves,darkness and light,thunder and sun.
All together in a musical Oddyssey full of energy and bliss...
Cruising from 3-5 slt  at THE VELVET....
P.S. : I'd like to wish MAHT   another 40 years in the decks of THE VELVET CLUB !

Listening to Monday

As I write these words it's Monday morning. I'm waking up slowly before having to trudge out the door into RL. 

Just at this moment, I haven't much of a clue what I'll be spinning at my DJ set this evening (7-9pm, SLT).

I'm thinking that I'll listen closely to what my Monday morning has to tell me, and hopefully by Monday evening it will have turned into something fun to share with you all at 

The Velvet - - and I hope to see you there!

I predict a mix of genres, a mix of new stuff with old stuff and older stuff. 

It sounds like a safe bet!

PS: Big Congrahts to Maht on 4 Velvety years!

Four Years

Four years in Second Life has a way of seeming like a lot longer than four years of real time. Things change more quickly in our digital realm. People arrive, splash around in our lives, and vanish with a greater frequency than anywhere outside of live theater.

So for me, it means a lot to have been playing at Velvet for four years today. I took the gig without ever having been inside the place before, because Jasper mentioned in an IM that he was playing the dB's, and I was still trying to play hugely eclectic sets for apathetic crowds at mainstream venues. I had no idea there was a place like this in SL, where new releases might be celebrated, where weird bands from anyplace—who never managed to click into the mainstream—might have a home. And where I might as well.

I started out on Saturday nights, in roughly the same timeslot Mallory has now. I was still mainly a photographer in SL, and there was a bit of friction as to how much time I was suddenly siphoning into this new profession, but I knew from the moment I got Nicecast running on my machine, that this was what I wanted to do. It's what I had always done, from the days when I would stay up late at night making mix tapes for friends, or planning out a special playlist for a car trip to maximize the amount of songs I was eager to play for someone I could get into a limited time.

Within about a month, Jasper asked me if I would move to Sundays. I thought he was demoting me, so I said I would do it if I could take up four hours on the deadest day of the week, to stretch out, goof off and dig a little deeper into my collection. I've been there ever since. Three times now, I have hosted my 26.2-hour charity fundraiser at the club. It's where I log in nearly always.

My main goal as a dj is to play music I love for people who might love it, too. The highest order of compliment you can give me as a dj is telling me that you bought something you heard at one of my sets. Well, and huge sums of cash, of course, but mainly that you liked something I shared at a set enough to embrace it as a part of your own collection.

My relationship with Velvet is a long, complicated one. In that way, it is much like the relationship people might have with a hometown. There have been times when I wanted nothing more than to flee from it into the night, but by the time I ever felt like that, Velvet had become too much a part of my SL-DNA for me to ever truly cut the cord and remain in SL for long. This is the place where I met so many of my cherished friends, played so many sets (at least 400, and counting).

Now I also function as the club's manager, where my goal has expanded into finding djs who also get a rush from playing a song they genuinely love for someone else, who light up when that someone grows to love it, too.

Four years is a long time in SL. Here's to four more.

Song of the Week

Morten Harket "Lightning"

Enjoy.

Stay sober, ye Protestants!

Three-and-a-half-minutes into this, I got motion sickness.

 Check it. He's gettin' all Nusrat at 6:00.

Gods, but they look they're having fun. Listen to them sing.

BTW: "OPAH!" translates to "My cheese is on fire!"

Erin Go Bragh

Music is great, isn't it?
I will be playing some more music on saturday with a couple of songs for Ireland, and a few more for the cause. It will be a continuation of the punky, progressive, garage, reggae, electronic, folk mix and I will also play this classic Irish song.

What we really need to do is remember all the things we forgot, instead of thinking we know it all and being clever about it, keep the ideas to a minimum and remember a couple of things, like the right melody to whistle on the magic flute, to open the spacetime door, the one you walk through to get anywhere, anytime. The second thing to remember is this: you know it all already, just stop thinking about yourselves, and your elves, for as long as it takes to remember who you are!

Here’s Looking at Ya!

We’re entering a weekend that's probably going to be the drinkin’est one of the year with St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Saturday—which got me to thinking.

I’ve done sets about food, about monkeys, about cars, about Groundhog Day. Why not a set expressly devoted to booze?

So that’s what I’m going to do for my slot, 7-9 on St. Patrick’s Day Eve. Two hours of songs about liquor and all the joy and pain and laughter and sorrow connected with this time-honored human activity.

You’ll be hearing from such Usual Suspects as Tom Waits, Mojo Nixon, the Dropkick Murphys, and the Dead Kennedys (you know the one), but I’ve also gone back and found some great old gems with titles like “I Ain’t Drunk,” “Beer Drinking Daddy,” “Booze Party,” “Beer Ain’t Drinkin’,” “Whiskey Heaven,” and “Lookin’ Better Every Beer.”

In honor of the occasion, I intend to break my personal rule of “no drinking while DJ’ing,” and tipple just a wee bit meself. After all, to abstain while playing two hours of tunes about booze on the eve of St. Pattie’s Day would be wrong. Just plain wrong.

--Moby Tenenbaum

Power Pop!

Grunge tried to kill the Power Pop – but Power Pop slayed it with it’s mighty beat! 

Of all genres – sub genres – or whatever we wish to call them, nothing has endured more than Power Pop.  Armed with a jingle jangle goodness that makes our feet tap and hearts soar we cannot escape it.  It’s the good girl next door, the happy co-worker, or the courteous driver who lets everyone in front as you tailgate him; one way or another they are all going to make people smile.

Of course, much of the enduring aspect of Power Pop has been its unique ability to adapt to any movement in music.  A little tweak here, a tiny alteration there and, voilà: Power Pop for the new masses.  

Alt-Country tried to murder the Power Pop, but Power Pop rose up and forced the twang to fall to its knees.

So, what is Power Pop?  How does one define it?  This question reminds me of the Italian bartender in Milan who taught me one night how to tell a good Grappa from a bad one; “take a dab between your fingers, smell it, if it reeks of dirty socks it is a good one.”  That lesson has taught me well over the years - breaking down the complex to simplify the choice.  Thus, how do I test Power Pop for its purity?  Simple: If the song makes me feel like skipping down the street than it’s Power Pop for me.  Try it yourself; a good Power Pop song will always put a skip in your walk.  (Note: I do not skip. This is for imagery only!)

Later today, at 3:00PM SLT, I will do a two-hour set of my favorite Power Pop ditties from the early 60’s to today.  A retrospective, if you will.  Don’t expect some unearthed oddities of vague artists who had one song that charted in Bulgaria in 1984.  Expect the best of the best: chart toppers and trend makers, artists and songs that shaped Power Pop in every decade over the past 40+ years.

Now This:

Tad’s Top Ten Power Pop Songs Through The Ages That Have Been Tested for Purity Of The Highest Standards Using The Now Patented “Skipping Technique.”

10. Flamin’ Groovies -  Shake Some Action

9.   The Records – Teenarama

8.   Cheap Trick – So Good to See You

7.   Rockpile – Teacher Teacher

6.   The Soft Boys – Queen of Eyes

5.   The Plimsouls – A Million Miles Away

4.   Big Star - September Gurls –

3.   The Rubinoos - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

2.   Sugar – If I Can’t Change Your Mind

1.   The La’s – There She Goes

Previously at the Velvet...

So, if you weren't at the Velvet last night for my set (and if you weren't, shame on you), here's the new music you missed ((ed. note: New meaning released within the last 12 months and to my knowledge never played at the Velvet)):

The Delta Spirit - California

Little Barrie - How Come

Trailer Trash Tracys - Candy Girl

Tammar - Heavy Tonight

The Big Sleep - Ace

The Twilight Sad - Another Bed

Teddybears - Crystal Meth Christian

As well as The Night by School of Seven Bells, which is quickly becoming a Velvet favorite. If you've never heard it, it's even more powerful live:

The Big Switcheroo Part 1

Koi and I are switching time slots this week so look for me Wednesday 5-7, just before Maht turns us back to some year in my adolescence. You'll find Koi showing off her musical acumen Friday night 5-7. As you can see from this week's song o' the week, I have some surprises in store. Also please note, should you ever have the urge to lure me into some kind of cage or whatever, a cute Japanese girl with a Rick 360 gets you about 3/4 of the way there. No shit.

Ladies and germs, I give you The Milkees.

Sunday March 25th: Kamera Klub "Cramps vs Beatles"