SONGSPEAK

Yusta!

matt — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:44:47 +0000

You know how you can be listening to a song for years and years and never hear things that someone else hears? That’s what’s so great about popular music, really. There’s a little something for everyone.

My bandmate Steve has brought something to my attention that I hadn’t ever realized/heard in the opening lines of one of my favorite songs, Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey: Steve Perry does not sing “just a small town girl”, he actually sings “yusta small town girl”. IT’S A MOTHERFLIPPIN’ _Y_ SOUND, NOT A _J_ SOUND!

So Steve’s theory about this is that Steve Perry did this on purpose to soften the J sound. I haven’t decided yet whether I agree with him on that, but I definitely hear the Y sound he’s talking about. S sounds, T sounds, P sounds ARE common problems for mics. I suppose it makes sense that sounds like CH and J would also cause problems too.

But then again, we could all just be nuts. But now that I’ve heard “yusta”, I will never listen to that song the same again.

Do you hear it?

matt wrote this on 08/10/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: don't stop believin', journey, just a, south detroit, steve perry, yusta

Barenaked Ladies Are Me…and my friend

jamie — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:12:13 +0000

Last Friday, I met a friend at Mohegan Sun to see Barenaked Ladies, for which I had complimentary tickets. The show, in a nutshell, was great.

I left work promptly at 5pm and made it to Mohegan Sun in an hour and 40 minutes. Not too shabby. My friend arrived shortly thereafter and we went to the ticket window to get the tickets about a half hour before the start of the show. No offense to the first opener, Angel Taylor, but our first priority was getting dinner rather than catching the opening act. Luckily, we were able to get an immediate seat at Big Bubba’s BBQ and had a nice meal (I opted for the chicken and ribs combo, and she had meatloaf. Because two out of three ain’t bad.).

After dinner, we headed into the arena in the middle of Ben Kweller’s set. He was pretty darn good. I especially enjoyed Sawdust Man. After Ben Kweller, though, it was the moment of truth. Barenaked Ladies were going to take the stage and this was my first time seeing them without Steven Page.

And you know what? I didn’t miss him at all. They opened their set with Who Needs Sleep? (an always odd choice, in my opinion), and then broke into The Old Apartment. It was as it always is with them. They rocked the house. It wasn’t long before Ed Robertson was freestyle-rapping about playing at Mohegan Sun, and then him and the band started talking about how he’d gotten schooled at poker that day. It appears he played a $200 buy-in tournament and learned a couple lessons along the way. Lesson 1: Trip 9’s aren’t worth a damn (“I was outkicked!”), and lesson 2: Queens full of 10’s? Fold ‘em! (“He slowplayed me!”). All was right with the world. I’m not familiar with much of the new stuff, but Angel Taylor did come out to sing with Ed on one of the songs I DO know, Every Subway Car, and it sounded really good. They even played a song called Eraser from their kid’s CD Snack Time, which was great fun. The other band members (mainly Kevin Hearn) took over a lot of Steven Page’s vocals, and his absence was barely felt. In fact, the only time I really thought about him was when they played You Run Away, off their new All in Good Time album, which is clearly about him.

And as always, as I was hoping, they did their famous medley finale. It started with Kevin Hearn playing the piano and singing Magic by Pilot. This led into the band doing a song and dance routine that included Empire State of Mind by Jay Z, I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas (who were coincidentally playing the XL Center in Hartford the very same night), Baby by Justin Bieber, and California Gurls by Katy Perry, topped off by “Mohegan Sun, won’t you come” at the very end to the tune of Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden (which they’ve done at their previous Mohegan Sun shows). The crowd, of course, clamored for an encore, and BNL gladly obliged. They played 3 songs for their encore, and for the first, Ed Robertson played drums while Tyler Stewart stumbled across the stage belting out Alcohol (that song was made for him to perform), and they finished the night with Brian Wilson (the song, not the Beach Boys singer).

We left thoroughly satisfied with the show, and continued to do a little gambling on the penny slots. And even though it only took me an hour and twenty minutes to get home, it was still 2:15am. But who needs sleep, right?

jamie wrote this on 08/09/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 10s music, 70s music, 80s music, 90s music, alcohol, all in good time, angel taylor, baby, barenaked ladies, beach boys, ben kweller, big bubba's bbq, black eyed peas, black hole sun, bnl, brian wilson, california gurls, ed robertson, empire state of mind, eraser, every subway car, hartford, i gotta feeling, jay z, jim creegan, justin bieber, katy perry, kevin hearn, life in a nutshell, meat loaf, mohegan sun, pilot, poker, sawdust man, snack time, soundgarden, steven page, the old apartment, two out of three ain't bad, tyler stewart, who needs sleep, xl center, you run away

This time, baby, I’ll be here, burnin’ through

jamie — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:39:32 +0000

So I’ve been hearing a new song on mix 93.1 that I kinda like. Apparently, it’s sung by La Roux, and I always thought it was called “Burnin’ Through” because that’s what it sounds like she says. Apparently I’m horribly mistaken and it’s called “Bulletproof“. Man, is my face red.

On a side note, my co-worker described her as the girl who looks like Clay Aiken with a mohawk. You be the judge:

La Roux – Bullet Proof from serkan söğüt on Vimeo.

jamie wrote this on 08/06/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 10s music, bulletproof, burnin through, clay aiken, la roux, mix 93.1, mohawk

Bring it on down to Basketville

jamie — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:28:23 +0000

This morning on the way to work, I passed a billboard that I’ve probably passed countless times before. For some reason, I never really noticed it like I did today. It was for Basketville in Putney, Vermont. And all I could think of is that right out front, Justin Timberlake is dressed up in a giant ridiculous basket costume, pressing play on a boombox, singing basket-related lyrics to some kind of current pop hit like Ke$ha’s Tik Tok, and then shouting, “Bring it on down to Basketville!” All thanks to the Omeletteville skit from years ago, and then the follow-up, Homelessville:

Yes, these are the things that go through my head on the drive to work…

jamie wrote this on 07/15/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, 00s tv, basketville, billboard, boombox, homelessville, justin timberlake, ke$ha, omeletteville, putney, saturday night live, snl, tik tok, vermont

Everybody Wants Something

jamie — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:32:33 +0000

Over the past few days, my wife has been re-watching her all-time favorite TV show on DVD, thanks to Netflix. Degrassi High. I watched the series with her once years ago (I had bought it for her on VHS tapes in the dark ages before DVD’s were all the rage), and it’s really something else. Let’s start with the opening theme:

You have to admire any TV show that has the gall to open the show with a gratuitous shot of a jeans-clad teenager’s asscrack. You don’t see that very often. As I watched some of it with her, I’m reminded of all the old (horrible) characters (some of which appear as adults in the next generation series). However, I had forgotten about the 3 dorky main characters (Joey, Snake, and Wheels) and their band, The Zits. And their terrible song. Which I’ve had stuck in my head for the past couple days:

What a sweet, sweet tune. And after watching the video, it reminds me of Matt’s high school band, Gemini (or was it Detour? Or Poppo Smiley?). This video seems totally like something they would have done back then. Only instead of Everybody Wants Something, it would be Future Shock.

jamie wrote this on 07/02/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 1 comment so far | TAGS: 80s tv, 90s tv, degrassi high, detour, DVD, everybody wants something, gemini, joey, netflix, next generation, poppo smiley, snake, the zits, wheels

Michael Scott is leaving The Office

matt — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:50:37 +0000

Oh no! According to E!, Steve Carell confirmed that he’s leaving NBC’s The Office for greener pastures. My guess is that Michael Scott will get transferred to Nashua so he can be near Holly, but I’m just pulling that out of my butt.

Can The Office survive without Michael Scott? Maybe not the fake tv office, but certainly any normal office without its Michael Scott could.

matt wrote this on 06/28/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: leaving, michael scott, nbc, steve carell, steve carrell, the office

Summer taking vacations. Summer not.

matt — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:48:56 +0000

Mind us. We’ve been busy doing things outside instead of posting much on Songspeak.

We don’t love you any less. Promise.

matt wrote this on 06/22/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n in the summertime

Why $#!+ So Crazy, Reggie Watts?

matt — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:43:52 +0000

Reggie Watts is an awesome beatboxer looper rapper theater actor dancer comedian whose album, Why $#!+ So Crazy is hilarious. Get it.

As evidence, I present to you the profanity-generous Fuck Shit Stack

matt wrote this on 06/08/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: a capella, beatbox, fuck shit stack, loop, reggie watts, why $#!+ so crazy, why shit so crazy

Everybody Loves The Sopranos: LOST inspires a series finale roundup

matt — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:38:11 +0000

So as we all know, LOST has its series finale this past Sunday. Like all series finales, a lot of people pissed and moaned that it was horrible and that the final few minutes really sucked, blah blah blah. But you know what other iconic show series finale people complained this much about? The Sopranos.

Even if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, you probably already know how it ends because someone told you (Basically no-one knows how it ends and they play “Don’t Stop Believin’” on a jukebox in a diner while they’re eating onion rings or something).

Here’s the original:

As much as people didn’t like the finale at the time, I think naysayers have come around a bit, realizing that in the context of the whole show, the writers did a respectable job. It’s certainly quite a memorable finale, which is why when Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse put together the “3 alternate endings for LOST” shown on Jimmy Kimmel, they of course spoofed The Sopranos finale.

(video will jump to the scene in question)

This isn’t the first time that The Sopranos series finale has been spoofed, though. Check out the final scene from Season 4 of the terribly terribly underrated “Everybody Hates Chris“.

My favorite part is when they all get really into Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” and they start singing along with gusto. With gusto! (At least Terry Crews, who played the dad on Everybody Hates Chris is doing Old Spice deodorant commercials now.)

But you know who else did a Sopranos finale spoof?(...)
Read the rest of Everybody Loves The Sopranos: LOST inspires a series finale roundup at SONGSPEAK (88 words)

matt wrote this on 05/27/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: bon jovi, carlton cuse, damon lindelof, espn, everybody hates chris, finale, focus on the good times, hillary clinton, jimmy kimmel, Kenny Mayne, living on a prayer, lost, old spice, onion rings, pittsburgh pirates, series finale, sportscenter, terry crews, the sopranos

More like Lee Dedumb, if you ask me

jamie — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:31:25 +0000

Let’s get this straight. I don’t watch American Idol. I only found out the winner because I googled it today. Great job America. You did it again. Pick the most bland, soundalike contestant of the season as the winner. Seriously…is anyone going to be able to tell the difference between Lee Dewyze, David Cook, and Kris Allen 10 years from now? Can they even tell the difference now? As Bob from Bob’s Furniture would say…I doubt it! Crystal Bowersox may be a rotten-toothed, dirty dreadlock-wearing hippy, but at least she had a unique look and sound. The good news for her is that much of the time, runners-up tend to be more successful in the long run. Oh, and apparently it was Simon Cowell’s last night or something. Who cares. Maybe with his departure, the show will fade into obscurity where it belongs.

jamie wrote this on 05/27/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 1 comment so far | TAGS: 10s tv, american idol, bob's furniture, crystal bowersox, david cook, kris allen, lee dewyze, season 9 winner, simon cowell

George is gettin’ naked!

jamie — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:21:56 +0000

Awhile back, Jason Alexander joined Valerie Bertinelli as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig. This was all well and good. I mean, I’m all for losing weight and getting healthier. And then, this happened:

I saw this on TV the other day, and, well, my jaw just dropped. Did I really just see what I thought I just saw? As if the singing wasn’t bad enough, did he really have to get naked? And then throw his crotchsweat stained shorts on Valerie Bertinelli’s face? What does getting thinner have to do with exposing your genitals to the world? And was anyone really clamoring to see Jason Alexander naked? This commercial raised more questions that the entire series of Lost, as far as I’m concerned. And I think we can all agree, this isn’t even Jason Alexander’s most compelling musical number for a commercial. That little gem can be found here.

If Jenny Craig’s goal is to make us lose our appetite so we don’t want to eat and therefore lose weight, well, then, mission accomplished.

jamie wrote this on 05/26/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 2 comments | TAGS: 10s commercials, baring it all, george costanza, jason alexander, jenny craig, lost, valerie bertinelli

Dr. Knicker Bocker Knicker Bocker Number 9

jamie — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:58:12 +0000

Last night was L O S T finale night at Matt’s. I won’t bore you all with the details of the show, as that’s been covered fairly extensively on the interwebs. This story takes place before the recap show even aired. Matt had grand plans to order takeout from El Guanaco. We all looked over the menu, made our decisions, and everything was coming together. Then, the unthinkable happened. When Matt called to order the food, there was no answer. He tried for 15 minutes, 5 or 6 times. Nothing. Even though their website said they would be open for business, we were being ignored. A plan B had to be made. That plan B was D’Angelo’s. So we started looking over that menu, and I caught site of their sandwich simply entitled “Number 9“. When I saw this, I started singing the Wiggles tune, “Dr. Knicker Bocker, Knicker Bocker, number 9…” (having a 5 year old makes one do strange things). Matt had no idea what was happening. I tried to explain, but he doesn’t even know who the Wiggles are. It was one of my favorite numbers from the Wiggles show that we saw many times at Six Flags last year. So, without any further ado:

Oh, and for those who just can’t handle a story ending without answers (you know who you are)…I got the roast beef cheddar melt (with a free cup of extreme broccoli and cheddar soup; coupons rule!) and Matt and Kristen opted for the Number 9. It must have been my singing.

jamie wrote this on 05/24/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: d'angelo's, dr. knicker bocker, el guanaco, extreme broccoli and cheddar soup, lost, lost finale, number 9, roast beef cheddar melt, six flags, the wiggles

Highlarious Target Commercials aired during LOST finale

matt — Mon, 24 May 2010 12:37:48 +0000

Depending on which one of us you ask, the LOST finale was either awesome or not awesome, but one thing I think both Jamie and I agree on is that the LOST-ified Target commercials that aired during the 7,000 commercial breaks were awesome and amusing.

If selling barbecue sauce, smoke detectors, and replacement computer keyboards to LOST dorks was your goal, then Target– you have replaced the rock in the rock hole to get that light to shine again.

Target + LOST: Numbers:

Target + LOST: Ribs

Target + LOST: Smokey

And, not surprisingly, spoofs are already popping up on the YouTubes.

matt wrote this on 05/24/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 2 comments | TAGS: ABC, barbecue sauce, bbq sauce, commercials, computer keyboard, dorks, finale, lost, numbers, ribs, smoke monster, smokey, target, TV

Sarah Silverman interviews “huge fucking nerds”, LOST producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse

matt — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:42:26 +0000

Becker and Tobias Funke… I mean Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, produce a little show called LOST, which comes to its nerdgastic series finale this Sunday, May 23rd, from 7-11pm. That’s right folks, 4 hours of just absolutely riveting worthless nonsense that will make you feel empty inside after you’ve realized you spent the past 5ish years watching a show that answers a question by asking five questions.

Sizzle Alert with Sarah Silverman was on the case, opening the no holds barred interview by asking: “I couldn’t help but notice that you’re both huge fucking nerds. Do you think that that informed the writing of the show?”

Sizzle Alert: LOST with Sarah Silverman! from Sarah Silverman

This was directed by Scott Aukerman of Comedy Death Ray fame, who tweetererred about it earlier today.

matt wrote this on 05/19/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: carlton cuse, comedy death ray, damon lindelof, final episode, finale, funny or die, huge fucking nerds, lost, sarah silverman, scott aukerman, sizzle alert

Big Tire Chunk

jamie — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:33:32 +0000

A couple weeks ago I was driving my wife, daughter, and mother-in-law down the highway. Every time we passed a tractor trailer truck on the left, my daughter diligently pumped her arm up and down, trying to get the driver to honk the horn. One of the truckers actually did it, much to her delight. There must have been a lot of trucks on the road that day, because we soon came upon a big ol’ piece of truck tire sitting in the middle of the two lanes. As I swerved a bit to avoid it, I mumbled, “Big tire chunk”. After a brief pause, my wife quietly said, “I love that show”. It took me a second to realize what she was talking about, but she was of course referring to Nickelodeon’s recent show, Big Time Rush, about a group of small-town guys in a boy band trying to make the big time. At the time, I kind of shook my head, but thinking back, I realize I must applaud the effort. I mean, after all, if you want it all, lay it on the line. It’s the only life you’ve got, so you’ve gotta live it big time.

jamie wrote this on 05/13/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 2 comments | TAGS: 10s music, 10s tv, big time rush, nick, nickelodeon, tractor trailer truck