Picture this: In the build up to Halloween I went down to a plush Hollywood bar/club to meet up with some friends. As I was wiggling through a sea of burlesque girls, casual zombies and mystical unicorns I overheard a sweet sweet sound emanating from the stage.
For the duration of their show I was transfixed as this Girl/Boy, dressed in massive animal suits, went about their business offering their wonderful brand of dreamy pop.
After a little investigation I discovered the duo were Californian band Tashaki Miyaki . What I appreciate about their sound is that the lo-fi aesthetic does not compromise melodies allowing Rocky‘s guitar licks and Lucy‘s vocals to to shine in the mix over her laid back drumming.
Tune into Cougar Microbes this weekend where we will be featuring their video for the track ‘Somethin’ Is Better Than Nothin‘. Until then here is a gem of a cover of the Everly Brothers‘ classic ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream‘ plus a live song demonstrating the band’s vast potential. Definitely a pair I will be keeping my eyes on.
When I discovered I was going to be spending some time in Los Angeles this summer one of the things that excited me the most was to take in some sports matches live. With there being no American Football team in LA (at present) and the Lakers managing to get knocked out before I even arrived those two sports were off the radar. Instead I focused on trying to get LAKings tickets as well as some for the Dodgers.
A couple of weeks ago I was able to get tickets for the Dodgers, no doubt aided by the fact they are having a poor-ish season, and see them beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in a surprisingly good encounter. It was everything I ever expected and so much more. The atmosphere was electrifying and the fans were great. Believe me, there is a big difference between seeing a home run on TV and seeing one live.
September 13th was a difficult day for me. I was trying to recover from my weekend at Bestival when I opened my laptop to be confronted with the horrible news that Dj Mehdi had died during the night. He was actually performing at Bestival two earlier but I decided not to go see him this time because, being part French, I was sure ‘I could see him whenever‘. The circumstances of his death where also dismaying if not entirely clear; all we know is that he fell to his death whilst celebrating the birthday of his close friend Riton.
I highly respect Mehdi for his contribution to music and especially for his ability to successfully bridge over between hip-hop and electronic music where most would have easily failed. His influence over the French scene is undeniable, be it during his hip hop era where he collaborated with leading French rappers such as Booba or McSolar or when entering the Ed Banger clan which led to some of the most amazing electronic tunes such as ‘Signatune‘ or ‘ I Am Somebody‘.
Ed Banger, arguably the best electronic label at the moment, has lost one of its stars and all my thoughts go to his family and friends. I hope that his devotion and love for music will be remembered and inspire a new generation of talented DJs both in France and worldwide who are able to bridge the gap between genres in the way that he did.
The other day we featured our LA interview with Little People and he referenced a Joey Fehrenbach remix he has been working. We are happy to announce we have an exclusive for the download version of the track ‘Underwander‘ available now on Cougar Microbes.
Click HEREfor the download and don’t forget to check out the interview.
Quite some time has passed since I first mentioned Santigold as part of the Cougar Microbes 2008 end of year breakdown. Those were the early days of this blog (judging by my writing) and while the songstress has drifted in and out of the public eye, wetting our appetite with a hundred amazing collaboration, I think it’s about time to hear a new album.
Having recently dropped the track ‘Go‘, featuring none other than Karen O, my interest has peaked and while she keeps hinting through her twitter account I’m curious to hear what she has come up with.
In the meantime here are some recent and not so recent tracks with N.A.S.A and Cougar idols Beastie Boys as well as her the aforementioned Karen O collaboration.
I woke up this morning to messages from friends back in London and a busy twitter stream referencing the passing of AmyWinehouse from a suspected drug overdose. Whilst I can not say I’m entirely surprised by the news it is saddening to lose such a talented vocalist at such a young age.
Love her or hate her Amy came to symbolize a fresh new British sound that exploded all over the world a few years back and was adored by both music aficionados and fairweather fans alike. Paradoxically it was also this meteoric rise to fame that brought a bunch of hangers on and guaranteed she was constantly in the limelight (courtesy of the nice people at News International amongst others).
Winehouse joins “The 27 Club“, or in the words of Cobain‘s mother ‘The Stupid Club“, with the likes of Joplin, Hendrix, Cobain and Morrison. Her musical legacy will be the often played tracks from ‘Back To Black‘ as well as a bunch of stellar guest performances for the likes of MarkRonson.
The sad thing being that if you cancelled out external influences we had every right to expect her to be ever present in our lives offering fresh cuts and collaborations over the years with that gorgeous voice.
We chose to remember her looking young and fresh eyed like in the video above, fresh and somewhat naive, before the fame tornado hit her life.
Rest in Peace Miss Amy Winehouse, hope the after party is great.
As part of my continued exploration of California we set out at 8pm last night towards Echo Mountain, just outside LosAngeles, for a hike up the incredible Sam Merrill Trail.
Between the nine of us we had 30 litres of water, 8 flashlights, a canon camera, a seemingly endless supply of cookies, beef jerky, trail nuts and pretzels… making the journey up very entertaining, and filling.
Once we reached the summit we caught the incredible ruins of the White City as well as coming across the fabled Echo phone where everyone took turns at shouting (something I’m clearly not able to do properly).
I have to confess that I brought my headphones with me listening to Neil Young on the way down and getting lost in the moment; total bliss. If you are ever in the area I could not recommend this trip any more than these guys.
In the words of the great HB: “We avoided falling off ledges, learned the real history of smokey the bear, saw ethereal glowing Christmas trees, discovered we all had night vision, wished on shooting stars, took very complex and time consuming photographs that were well worth it, frolicked through ruins!, and arrived safely home…seven hours later, exhausted, and extremely fulfilled“.
Thank you to the other 8 warriors and especially Kyle for organizing this epic journey.
You could argue that catching CAKE live has been the most overdue live show of my life. Ever since a friend bought me ‘Fashion Nugget’ for my birthday many many years ago I have followed the Sacramento band’s every move and enjoyed their musical endeavours.
Somehow events have conspired against me so that I have always missed out when the band were touring near me. I thought this would surely change given my recent re-location to Los Angeles but with no dates in my vicinity for their this could well have been the review that never was. Instead I spotted a scheduled date in Las Vegas and made sure nothing in the world would stop me from being there.
For those who don’t know the Cosmpolitan Hotel is situated in the middle of the Vegas Strip and boasts a glamorous pool that overlooks several of the key sites the gambling Mecca has on offer. Not knowing what to expect I was relieved to see a sizeable crowd lining up at the entrance; despite the 15 dollar beer and overpriced hotdog/burger combo this was starting to look like a real rock n roll show.
To see CAKE in such extravagant surroundings has got to be one of the most surreal musical experiences you can imagine. Here is a band that has made it’s name as the sarcastic outsider to the traditional music business trappings performing within sight of a replica Eiffel Tower. Indeed, the irony is not missed by singer John McCrea who, before the band has even played a single note, warms up dishing out a trademark jab at the luxurious surroundings and the distance the stage is from the VIP section.
The band kick off proceedings with their cover of Willie Nelson‘s ‘Sad Songs And Waltzes‘ before shifting up a gear with ‘Opera Singer‘, ‘Wheels‘ and a glorious rendition of ‘Rock N Roll Lifestyle‘, which McCrea delivers with added venom. It is also around this time that he begins what is an on going, and largely amusing, tirade about the barbecue smoke being purposefully situated to blow towards the stage to specifically make him hungry.
Next up is ‘Sheep Go To Heaven‘ which somehow sounds even catchier than it does on record. What is most impressive about this initial salvo is how tight the band sound live. What follows is a pick and mix of old and new favorites blended together with the audience greeting each trumpet/guitar solo with enthusiastic cheer and shouting back every memorable lyric. In particular the classic track ‘Mexico‘ and ’Sick Of You‘, from their latest album, seem to blow the metaphorical roof off of the pool.
After over 20 years in existence these guys (perhaps unsurprisingly) all prove extremely skilled at their individual craft. The rhythm section consisting of Gabe Nelson and Paulo Baldi is ridiculously talented whilst Vince DiFiore provides some flair with his trumpet, one of the unique aspects that differentiates CAKE from other bands. Whilst the focus may often fall on frontman McCrae guitarist Xan McCurdy gives him a run for his money delivering impressive licks and posing like a rock god.
After a slightly over-extended tree giveaway which sees the band hand out a tree to one fan who then promises to plant it and take care of it (incidentally, CAKE have said they will not be returning to London until the winner of the tree there sends proof that it is fine) the band launch into their first encore. I would be hard pressed to name a track in the band’s repertoire as demonstrated by this encore with ‘Satan Is My Motor‘ and ‘Never There‘, plus new song ‘Federal Funding‘ played as good, if not better than, on record.
Whilst their cover of ‘I Will Survive‘ is left out the band seem to cover all their bases with this excellent setlist pretty much hitting all the right spots. However, no CAKE show would be complete without arguably their biggest two tracks and the band are savy enough to leave these to last. After yet another tirade about the, now admittingly irritating, barbeque smoke the 5 piece show how it’s done with ‘Short Skirt/Long Jacket‘ before upping the stakes with a wicked rendition of ‘The Distance‘.
Longtime and new fans would have been delighted with the as CAKE dropped more memorable hooks and lines than old ladies dropping quarters at the slot machines. As for me, I will hopefully catch the band again in a “normal” venue but as a first time experience I couldn’t have asked for much more.
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