Imagine you could turn the musical notes on a page into sound and interact with them. Jurgen Graef and Jonas Heuer have done just that by building an interactive music table that helps students learn the notation of music. Pretty cool.
Category Archives: Discoveries
The OCMD Cribs: Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips covering Pink Floyd’s “On the Run” (feat Henry Rollins) –
Welcome to the first edition of The OCMD Cribs – an inside look at the weird and eccentric lives of our favorite indie rock stars. And who better to fit that bill than Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. He’s been in good form lately, caught on Google Street Maps in a bathtub in his front lawn recently. And now the unveiling of his renovated Gaudi-esque, psychedelic compound in Oklahoma, as reported by Gizmodo (via @epicureanzealot). I can just picture Wayne lounging in his signature white three piece suit here, can’t you? For more pics of the project, visit Fitzsimmons Architects.
Most rock stars fall into the ‘eccentric’ category and all seem to get more so with age. The great thing about Wayne is he get crazier in an endearing and playful way. The rest of them just get weirder and creepier. Prince? Weird. Michael Jackson? Creepy. You get my drift. Anyway, I’m kinda liking this thread. Look for more in the future.
Phoenix – “1901” [BbopNRokstedy Remix]
Phoenix – “1901” (BbopNRokstedy Remix)
Normally I don’t pay much mind to the ‘remix’ emails in my inbox. So I got curious as to what made me open this particular one from the Virginia-based duo calling themselves BbopNRokstedy. I think part of it was this photo, because this guy looks a bit like my eccentric friend, BH. The other was their MySpace tagline “Be Afraid”, which made me laugh. And then there was the song, Phoenix’s “1901”. I mean, c’mon. That was one of the best tunes of ’09, hands down. So I gave it a spin. And liked it. Hey, at least they’re not remixing Animal Collective (so cliche).
King Khan & BBQ Arrested, Miss Shows
King Khan & BBQ Show- “Invisible Girl”
Pitchfork reported today that The King Khan & BBQ Show (not to be confused with King Khan & The Shrines) have been arrested while in Kentucky, causing them to cancel some Mid-West shows. The band is out on bail but their tour manager is still behind bars for driving with a suspended license and in possession of controlled substances. Whoopsy. The band is scheduled to play The Independent in San Francisco this Wednesday, November 18 with Those Darlins’. Let’s hope they get back on track for their West Coast appearances. The band is touring in support of their new album, Invisible Girl.
Guilty Pleasure: Tigercity – “Fake Gold”
I like to indulge in a little indie pop now and then and Brooklyn’s Tigercity has been my latest guilty pleasure. Something about their sound, which is a little like Eye of the Tiger meets Hall & Oates, feels kinda good in way that’s so familiar and original all at the same time. Their latest album, Ancient Lover, is out now.
Pixies “Doolittle” Live EP [Free Download]
Pixies – “Dancing The Manta Ray (Live from Paris)”
For those of you not getting enough live Pixies this week while the band takes residence at The Fox Theater in Oakland, you can now download a live EP from the tour too. The band is offering a live digital EP sampler of 4 DRM-free tracks from their Doolittle 20th Anniversary tour recorded while they were in Paris last month. Download the EP now. Then someone tell me how the show was last night.
Flaming Lips to Reinterpret Dark Side of the Moon
Fast on the heels of The Flaming Lips acclaimed “Embryonic” album, the band have already recorded a follow-up; a track-by-track interpretation of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” which it recorded with Stardeath and the White Dwarfs, a band that features Coyne’s nephew Dennis. The Guardian UK also reported that Henry Rollins and Peaches will make guest appearances on the cover album too. No release date has been announced yet.
Starfucker Changes Name to Pyramid
Pyramid (formally known as Starfucker): “Medicine”
Fans of Starfucker take note; the band has formally changed their name to Pyramid. Big bummer, I know. I had a hard time with this one too. But the name change came about for some good reasons. (See the interview excerpt below with the Portland Mercury). A fan contest was created to select the new name. While general consensus has been disappointment, the deed is done. Go have yourself a cry over the loss of a great name and let’s move on to acceptance and more hot dance moves from Ryan!
Q: Why are you changing your name, and why are you doing so at this particular juncture?
A: We’re changing our name because it just doesn’t make sense anymore. We never thought starfucker would make it as far as it has, and never had any expectations of success. At this point we need to be able to either put more into music, or just stop doing it so we can get 9-5 jobs to pay our rent. Right now we’re in this bardo where we don’t quite make a living off music but we put so much energy into it that we can’t put any time into a real job either. We just need to get serious about one or the other. The name has been a problem for us in a lot of ways. We’ve missed out on opening slots with bands we really like, and we hope to tour europe soon where there is already a Starfucker. Someone booked us once thinking we were the European Starfucker. The list goes on and on…
Q: Is this just a name change, or is it meant to reflect some stylistic or structural change in the group or its music?
A: It’s definitely just a name change. We will still be the same band with the same philosophy. The music of course, like anything else, will always be evolving.
Q: Are you at all concerned that you might alienate or confuse people who are already fans of your music?
A: Of course that is an issue we’re concerned with, but hopefully the music can transcend the controversy surrounding the name change. That is also why had the contest with our fans, so as not to alienate anyone, and let them be part of the process. We do realize we’ll have to be the band formally know as Starfucker for awhile, which is fine.
Thom Yorke Starts A New Band….With Flea
This hot off Dead Air Space, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has formed a new band – yet to be named – that features Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck/R.E.M. drummer Joey Waronker, percussionist/multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco, and Flea. They have two shows scheduled already, October 4 and 5, at The Orpheum Theater in LA. Interesting news indeed.
New Thom Yorke: “Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses”
Thom Yorke – “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses”
Thom Yorke has just released a new 12″ this week featuring two tracks, “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses” and “The Hollow Earth”. I was particularly drawn to this track and it’s back story of apparently being the predecessor to one of my favorite Radiohead tracks, “Reckoner”. You can definitely hear it. Enjoy.
the OCMD 