Lullaby Version of Beck's "Where It's At"

This is an eerie yet interesting rendition of Beck's "Where It's At." Twinkle Twinkle Little Star World Records have released their 113th album — Lullaby Versions of Beck. I'm not quite sure it's for me, but check it out if you have a newborn or are just looking for something to potentially fall asleep to.

The Great Gatsby

I cannot stop thinking about this movie. I've read the book numerous times and it's one of my favorites, so naturally, I want to go to the midnight premiere of this film. I think Leo DiCaprio will play a perfect Jay Gatsby, and I really think the soundtrack will give the story an interestingly modern twist. Artists like Florence Welch, Jack White and The xx are featured on the soundtrack, which will definitely provide eerie undertones to the film.

The film is directed by Baz Luhrmann, who also directed Moulin Rouge. I'm excited to see his take on The Great Gatsby, considering how extravagant Moulin Rogue was. I feel The Great Gatsby deserves to be extravagant. 

Boston Bombers

The first Boston Marathon bomber has been killed, while the second bomber has been on the loose all day. This caused the entire city of Boston to shut down in order to find him, and it has just now been confirmed by a number of sources that the second bomber is in custody.

This Mother Jones article provides tweets that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — the second bomber — made before and after the bombings occurred. Wouldn't you think he'd want to stay as low-profile as possible after committing such a crime? Eerie. 

Corporatocracy

Here's another example of how corporations manipulate media outlets. It's about time something was done to assure freedom of the press, but it doesn't look like our country is headed in that direction. this article was written back in November of 2001, and now in April 2013, things still aren't exactly looking up.

Public Voice

According to this article on the FAIR website, the voices of the public aren't being heard when it comes to mainstream television broadcasting. I couldn't agree more.

Media consumers get lost in the vast sea of government officials efficiently evading questions and biased corporate representatives. As the article suggests, we need to improve public broadcasting instead of defunding it, which will just add to the problem.

Now Texas?

I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I woke up to this. It's difficult to tell if this was done with intent, but hopefully it was only an accident. It's hard to feel safe anymore.

Angry Mom Records' Celebration of Record Store Day

Record Store is this Saturday, and to celebrate, ten prominent local bands will be playing in Angry Mom Records on the Commons, including Go Ogres — the winner of the recent Finger Lakes Girl Battle of the Bands. The store will open at 10 a.m., there will be a Flaming Lips listening at 12:30, the live music will start around 1:20 p.m. and will go on until 8 p.m. 

The Flaming Lips' "Zaireeka" will be played at 12:30. The listening should be interesting, considering "Zaireeka" consistes for four separate LPs that are meant to be played on four different turntables all at once. Sounds like a Record Store Day celebration to me. 

Other Record Store Day releases that will be available at Angry Mom Records on Saturday include records by Miles Davis, Phoenix, Phish and Bob Dylan.

Make Up Your Mind, CNN

I have the CNN app on my iPhone and I get news updates sent straight to my phone as they are happening. It's a decent way of staying up-to-date on recent events until something like this happens:

Above is a screenshot of my phone, showing how CNN updated me about an arrest that was made concerning the Boston Marathon bombings. When I saw this pop up on my phone, I was in the middle of a meeting so I was squirming in my chair and waiting impatiently until I could read the full story. However, I received another update about twenty minutes later that completely contradicted the first update I got. 

Here's the story CNN finally decided on. CNN is not helping the situation by spreading unconfirmed information out to their followers. I've been considering deleting the app more and more recently, and this incident made my decision for me. 

New Sound (?)

Check out my recent blog post to see what my idea for an independent media outlet is. Below is a checklist from Adam Westbrook's blog.

News start-up checklist

1. Is it a new idea?

   As far as I know, yes.

2. Does it have a defined target audience?

   Yes, I'm aiming it toward people who are interested in supporting underground and local music. 

3. Does it provide niche (i.e. hyperlocal) content?

   Yes.

4. Does it satisfy a desire that is not being fulfilled by someone else?

   Other sites might be covering local bands in a specific area, but there isn't a site that provides local bands from various areas in one place.

5. Or does it do something better (faster, cheaper, more effectively) than someone else?

   I want the design to be more modern than other independent music sites. Most of those sites look amateurish, like Indie Music Works.

6. Does it actually have income potential, or will it rely on funding?

   I don't think that it will have income potential right away, but if it gets big it might. In the beginning, the site will rely on donors.

7. Does it use the power of crowd-sourcing/community?

   It definitely uses the power of community because of how hyperlocal I want it to be.

8. Would it be fulfilling for journalists to work for?

   It clearly wouldn't cover all areas of the news, so it would only be fulfilling for music journalists.

9. Does it publish/exist on more than one platform?

   No.

10. If it has content, is it sharable?

    Yes, most definitely.

11. Does it require a lot of money to run?

    No, it can simply start out as a blog and work its way up from there.

12. Does it have boot-strapping potential?

    I don't really know what this means, but I'm assuming it will?

13. Does it scale?

    Yes.

14. Does it fulfill a public service?

    Yes, it makes people more aware of 

15. Is it a legally sound idea? What about copyright?

    Yes, it is legally sound as long as the bands are okay with their music being on the site.

16. Would it appeal to venture capitalists, angel investors?

    Hopefully, because it's a new idea

17. And…does it have a cool name?

    New Sound — I haven't yet officially decided on that name, but that's what I'm thinking. 

The Truest Rendition of the Star Spangled Banner

I listened to Jimi Hendrix's iconic interpretation of the Star Spangled Banner this morning, and considering the tragedy at the Boston Marathon yesterday, it only seems fitting. No singer or band could ever come close to conveying that kind of truth and emotion while performing our country's anthem.

Though the song is meant to represent freedom and liberty, Hendrix represented it in a more melancholy and frustrated way. Somehow, through the sounds of his guitar mocking bombs, sirens and screams, there seems to be a sliver of hope that exists in the song.

Again, my thoughts are with those affected by yesterday's bombings.

  

Wise Words

I found that this blog post on Forward Progressiveness says nearly everything I want to say on the Boston Marathon Bombing.

Today, no one is democratic or republican. Today, we are all American.

Storify

For a group project in my Journalism Ethics course, we have to research the new social media site, Storify. I can't exactly figure out if I like it or not yet.

The site takes updates from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and even Instagram and puts them all together in one place. If you search a trending topic, you'll find endless posts from various social media sites covering that specific news event. 

A couple of issues I have with Storify are credibility and redundancy. Of course, the average Internet surfer will trust something they see that CNN posted, but how can someone with the username iHateFeds be trustworthy? Also, many of the posts that appear under the same news event are incredibly repetitive. I find myself getting annoyed at the site because it's hard to find new information on a certain topic.

Boston Marathon

Two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon earlier today, killing two people and leaving several others badly injured. According to CNN, at least 10 people had to have limbs amputated. 

President Obama spoke to the nation, promising to get to the bottom of the situation and that the people who are responsible will "feel the full weight of justice."

According to The Chief, one runner from Squamish, Canada was warned before the race that if he were to run it, he would die. Mike Heiliger, 59, claimed he heard this from a woman directing marathon participants toward their pre-race packages on Sunday. "I heard her say to this runner two feet away from me that, 'If you run tomorrow you're going to die,'" Heiliger said.

There's no telling whether or not Heiliger misheard the woman, but the story is chilling nonetheless. What is even more chilling is the footage of the actual explosion. The screams of those innocent citizens  made me feel the same way I felt upon finding out about the Newtown shooting.

My heart goes out to those who were affected by the bombings today. #PrayForBoston

Entrepreneur in Training

For our final project, I know that I want my pitch to be music-related. That being said, I can go in many different directions. I have the option of focusing on local music, mainstream music, a particular genre of music, vocalists, guitarists, art music, you name it.

So where do I even begin?

This was a good place for me to start. One of the secrets is seduction. Yes, seduction. I need my pitch to stand out from all other pitches. I need something about it to exude innovation and creativity. When pitching my idea, I need to also remember to keep it clear and concise. There isn't time for getting off-track when pitching a tentative media outlet.

One of the ideas I had was to create a site where you would be able to type in the zip code of any city in New York in order to discover local bands. I would need to find representatives from each city that are trustworthy enough to report on their city's best bands. On the site, bands would be separated by genre and there would be samples of the bands' best music. 

It's a big idea, but all big ideas need to start somewhere.

Ithacappella's Block 4

Ithaca's only all-male a cappella group, Ithacappella, put on their last concert of the year last night in Emerson Suites. The group performed songs by O.A.R., Ben Folds, Mumford and Sons and even an original piece written by senior Jason Wilber.

The entire show pulled the audience in various emotional directions while the group went from performing songs with high energy to choral arrangements to the four seniors' send-off songs. They attracted a huge crowd — as they normally do — and it was clear that each member put everything he had into the performance (as shows below).

Streetlight Manifesto in Ithaca

This evening, Emerson Suites transformed into a punk/ska venue when Streetlight Manifesto took the stage. Before the band went on, IC's very own ska band Gypsy Gets Shotgun had the chance to open for them.

The lead singer of GGS was in complete bliss when telling the audience that Streetlight Manifesto is the reason they started a band, and they couldn't believe they were opening for them. 

Once Streetlight stepped out, the crowd pushed forward, pits opened up and crowd surfing had begun. Their fast-paced melodies kept the show's energy extremely high, not leaving a moment to catch your breath. Fans were jumping on top of one another, punching the air, losing their shoes and screaming the lyrics.

Streetlight started playing at 8 p.m. and the show only lasted about an hour. I didn't get to hear them play my favorite song by them, Linoleum, but the show was definitely worth going to.

Do You Realize?? ...

...that Oklahoma claimed The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize" as the state's "official rock song" four years ago? Not a bad choice, in my opinion. The people of Oklahoma voted on the song back in March of 2009 on oklahomarocksong.org, and "Do You Realize??" won over songs by Elvis Presley, Wanda Jackson and The Call. The Senate then passed it as the official rock song of Oklahoma.

However, this year the Lips' jam wasn't approved for renewal. Governor Mary Fallin denied the song this year because the band's bassist, Michael Ivins sported a t-shirt with the hammer and sickle symbol of communism on it.

This picture makes me feel weird for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Ivins is wearing sunglasses indoors while proudly showing off his communist shirt at the Capitol. This causes for a bit of an awkward photo op. Secondly, a seemingly random woman is in the background of the photo screaming/crying inexplicably, furthering the uncomfortable situation. Interesting.

I digress. According to Pitchfork, the official rock song of Oklahoma was not something Governor Fallin wanted to be bothered with, and she decided to "go against the will of the people."

Second Dam's "Rant"

Ithaca's very own Second Dam released another single off their new album, "Swimming" yesterday. It's entitled "Rant," and it's just as fantastic as —if not better than — everything on their EP, "This Guy." Check it out for yourself!

Mother Jones' Kate Sheppard

...visited our class yesterday. She was, for lack of a better term, way cool. I loved how down to earth she was and how she didn't put herself above us.

One thing that stuck out to me in particular that she mentioned was how important it is for journalists to read fiction. It's a great way to pick up story-telling techniques.

I'm a Journalism major, minoring in English, and many people see that as redundant. However, I am constantly reading fiction and picking up beautiful linguistic techniques that will help me to be a writer for magazines. Her enthusiasm truly reaffirmed my love for English and, of course, Journalism.

Check out her article on emergency contraception availability here!

Jack White named 2013's Record Store Day Ambassador

Record Store Day lands on April 20th this year, celebrating the beauty of independent record stores throughout the world. 

This is only the sixth incarnation of Record Store Day. The first time I was really aware of the holiday was last year, but I'm ecstatic that it's becoming more popular and that it is catching on a little more.

Its popularity has increased especially this year because Jack White of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather has officially been named as this year's "Record Store Ambassador." A fine choice, in my opinion. 

White's record label, Third Man Records' famous slogan is "Your turntable's not dead!" (I've just purchased this sticker.) White believes in the art of listening to records. He believes that there is a certain romantic factor to listening to music via turntable, while there isn't as much of an artist-fan connection when clicking around on iTunes. 

"We need to re-educate ourselves about human interaction and the difference between downloading a track on a computer and talking to other people in person and getting turned onto music that you can hold in your hands and share with others," White told Pitckfork.

Amen, Jack White. Amen.

Check out White's "I'm Shakin'" — one of my favorite tracks from White's debut solo album, "Blunderbuss" (2012).

"Voicestream Takes a Bow"

The Ithacan put together a really nice little montage of IC Voicestream's Block Three Concert.

Sorry for promoting my own a cappella group...but I am also not sorry. Enjoy!

Surprising NBC Statistics

I used to be completely addicted to NBC Thursday nights — Community, The Office, Parks & Recreation and 30 Rock. However, once 30 Rock ended, Community got weirdly cancelled (and then weirdly returned?) and The Office lost its best character, my interest was lost as well. I've talked to other fans of The Office that have been with the show since the beginning, and they agree with me in that the show has gone way downhill and the plot is completely disheveled. What I didn't know was that The Office is currently the highest rated comedy on NBC. 

Also, did you know that reruns of The Big Bang Theory have higher ratings than the average number of viewers for first runs of NBC's Thursday night sitcoms? Because I find that hard to believe, especially after watching this YouTube clip of The Big Bang Theory with the laugh track taken out. In my opinion, this 30-second clip from The Office is funnier than anything I've seen on The Big Bang Theory. But that's just me. 

Want more weird NBC facts that will confuse you, enrage you, and/or surprise you? Go here.

The Rise of Citizen Journalism

I love a good underdog story.

Many people are very against citizen journalism because of the journalistic values that it diminishes, such as objectivity and credibility. However, citizen journalists have the power to break stories, such as Mayhill Fowler. Despite the Huffington Post being liberal, she blogged on the site about Obama's comment on how job losses cause small-town Americans to become "bitter" or "cling to guns and religion."

According to the LA Times article, she got a lot of hate mail for doing that, but she spoke her mind nonetheless.

Arrested Development Returns

Loyal Arrested Development fans have stayed strong through seven years of constant rumors, uncertainty and exaggerations about the series returning to television. I cannot even begin to express my excitement for May 26th — the day Lucille Bluth returns with new insults and judgements, Tobias Fünke returns with countless double entendres and Gob Bluth returns with magic tricks and overwhelming selfishness. 

15 brand new episodes are to be released all at once, exclusively on Netflix. Jessica Walter, who plays Lucille Bluth (arguably my favorite female character of all-time), appeared as a guest on Anderson Live to confirm that the entire season is a prelude to the Arrested Development movie.

I can't wait for some more of this, this and this.

Independent Music: The Way Music Should Be

I highly respect artists that promote themselves via Facebook or Bandcamp in order to get their names recognized. One local band from Ithaca that does this is Second Dam. All of Second Dam's members are students at IC, and their popularity is growing very quickly. They released their first EP in September of 2012, and their first full album, "Swimming," is coming out on May 5th — the day of the band's release show at The Haunt. 

The band started small about a year ago, just promoting their music via Facebook and Twitter, but now they're professionally recording albums, playing the Westcott Theater in Syracuse, and booking tour dates. Their following (referred to as the band's "Damily") is small, but powerful and helps the band become more well known throughout Ithaca and the state. 

My review of their October show at The Nines can be found here!

#StayStrongSmithtown Update: #Jeselprick

The Jeselnik Offensive, a show on Comedy Central featuring Anthony Jeselnik, made a joke about Liam Armstrong's death (check out this post for more on who Liam was). The day after Jeselnick made this comment, Twitter was overflowing with the hashtag #Jeselprick. 

Friends of Liam's from Smithtown High School East — the high school I attended — were outraged. An English teacher from the high school, James Kelly, took initiative and spoke with corporate sponsors of The Jeselnik Offensive. 

"I am happy to report that the Merck Corporation (who make Claritin) have withdrawn their sponsorship of the show. Target and Nestle/Purina are still deliberating," Kelly said. "Score one for the good guys."

It's easy for Jeselnik to make that joke, considering how disconnected he is from the situation. What he didn't take into consideration was the amount of people that would be deeply affected by that comment. The joke blatantly mocked the emotions of people close to Liam, and as a result, Smithtown banded together to become a force to be reckoned with. I'd be nervous about my career if I were him. 

#StayStrongSmithtown

About a week ago, my hometown — Smithtown, Long Island —tragically lost 18-year-old Liam Armstrong. He was crossing subway tracks on his 18th birthday and was hit by a northbound 2 train around 6:30 p.m. From all the stories I've seen on the incident, the only one I found with a personal profile on Liam was on the Huffington Post. Other news outlets simply referred to him as a "teen," disconnecting readers from the situation entirely. 

Liam went to my high school and I didn't know him personally, but I did recognize his face. I remember seeing him around the halls of my high school, and knowing how brutally he died made me feel helpless. 

I found out about the incident via Twitter because I follow many people from my high school that were close to him. I instantly had a pit in my stomach just thinking about how they must have been feeling.

When we hear stories like Liam's over the news, we think about it for a bit and then carry on with our lives. However, when it happens to close to home, the effect is much stronger. Smithtown came together through Twitter, using hashtags like #StayStrongSmithtown and #StayArmstrong.

I only wish the best for Liam's friends and family during this hard time.

Transparency vs. Objectivity

Times, they are a changin'. When I was first being educated in Journalism, I remember objectivity being drilled into my skull. However, with many noteworthy bloggers on the rise, transparency is becoming more appealing. According to blogger David Weinberger, the only way we can trust bloggers is if they do work their opinions into their posts. Check out this post by Weinberger to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Bloggers Being Recognized

In 2008, blogger Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo was rightfully awarded a George Polk Award. After reading this article, my guess is that bloggers will only be recognized more from that point on. Bloggers have the guts to do what mainstream outlets can't. They ask questions, delve into unsafe territory and are always sure to regularly report their findings.

Radiohead lets YOU decide what you want to pay

I really enjoyed reading this article from the New York Times. I've recently become a fan of Radiohead — their music, although mostly strange and complex, grew on me and I really appreciate their style. I thought it was really cool that they allowed their fans to decide what they wanted to pay for their album, "In Rainbows." Of course, there were some people that only payed 90 cents, but other fans payed a true and honest amount, according to what they believed the album was worth.

This is my favorite song on "In Rainbows." It's so beautifully crafted, as many of their songs are. No other bands can be compared to them.

Construction on the Commons

I had the opportunity to meet our city's mayor, Svante Myrick, today with my Topics in Sustainability class. We asked him questions about the construction on the Commons that is supposed to take place very soon, and he gave very clear and concise answers. None of us realized that the Commons will still be open while construction is going on. According to Myrick, each store in the Commons will only have its doors closed for one day. Although the construction will be inconvenient, the city is doing everything it can to make the construction go as smoothly as possible.

For further information on the construction, check this article out.

Little Kids' Views on Hip-Hop

I really enjoyed reading this article from Vice because I've never read any like it. Considering I want to review music as my career, it was fun to read kids' reviews of hip-hop artists like Egg Yolk Jubilee and LuckyLou.