See what you missed at nine!

Next weekend is the new year
So, I'm going back a week
To my longest winter night set
With cigar box guitars to hear
(Tying loose ends, so to speak
Because I hadn't played it yet.)

(Some of) The Music of Frank Zappa

Friday the 20th, 7-9pm SL time - While he insisted his music not be remembered (as it was intended only for the time it was released), it's my pleasure to grate against the artist's postmortem druthers and present a two hour set of the music of Frank Zappa at The Velvet.

December might as well be declared an official Frank Zappa month; Wednesday the 4th was the 20th anniversary of the musician's death, and Saturday the 21st would have been his 71st birthday. What better time to construct a set of music showcasing this man's contributions? Frank Zappa's stances on social engineering, politics or pop culture, his genius in musical arrangement, his standing as guitar virtuoso and musical composer, and his willingness to say what he thought - often as sarcastically as possible and regardless of popular opinion - created, I suspect to Frank's chagrin, a legend.

For this evening, I have selected a fairly even mix of standard songs-with-vocals and straight-up instrumentals from the 1970-1985 period. Of course, there's a bonus here and there for the folks who enjoy the really early releases, but this is when Frank produced his best work, IMHO. In other words, tonight will feature a fairly approachable set of Frank's music, including a lion's share of live material, perfect for those not familiar with the artist's body of work. I hope you will attend tonight's set and experience the music of Frank Zappa for yourself.

A Very Ugly Holiday!

Happy holidays everyone!

Give yourself the gift of feeling better (and good music)

What are you doing?
Oh, nothing? That's good
There's a thing you should really not miss
Wait, but you can't?
Oh, but really you should
You don't want to be left out of this.

"But he'd done it for years!
That's insane," you might say
Dedication that might give you pause
It's a marathon set
That he's willing to play
All in the name of a good cause

This weekend, for twenty-six hours or more
Maht's going to raise money for heifer.org

Mash-ups at nine!

Tomorrow's a marathon, Bring lots of cash.
Tonight, it's playlist that's all full of mash.

Ugly's Community Celebration!

A while ago I did a last minute set about and inspired by a show with great music, Community.  Since then I've wanted to rework it and make it a proper set.  Today I'm celebrating Community, both the show and the concept.  Here's the theme to the show by The 88.  Enjoy!

Mahrathon at the Velvet: December 14th and 15th

Mahrathon at the Velvet: December 14th 3:48PM--December 15th 6PM:

Join DJ Maht Wuyts at Velvet for the fifth annual Mahrathon, 26.2 hours of music, dancing and fun to benefit Heifer International. The DJ will get tired, but the tunes never will. What a silly name for such a great cause! It's the most fun you can have raising money to help someone you may never meet. Grab some coffee, slip on some pajamas and your headphones, and strap in for a non-stop set of fantastic, eclectic music and help us help people in need.

Click here for in-world location.

Bring the thermals at nine

People are slipping and sliding
No cars can get any traction
The weather is quickly dividing
The spectators from all the action.
The weathermen predicted freezing
The weathermen predicted ice
The children must find it all pleasing
The schools are closed. Oh, how nice!

The Name Game

7-9pm Friday, Dec. 6th :: A few weeks ago I did a "What's in a Name" set at another venue, and it went over so well that I've polished it up for you good folks at The Velvet for this evening. I've gone through my library for those songs that have the same name, but aren't covers of each other. There were a lot more of these than I first suspected; in fact, there's only one time in this two-hour set that the same song gets played twice (by separate artists, natch). Surprisingly, there remains some sort of musical congruence to the whole thing. Deadmau5 to Neil Young, Rush to Norah Jones, Flogging Molly to Yes ... yet it all makes sense, somehow. Hope to see you all tonight!

Throwing a Tantrum!

Here's a song by the great Fitz & The Tantrums.  It's impossible not to feel like dancing to their music!  Press play and see for yourself.