Well, theres not much to say other than you need to watch this whole video. Basically, a man who appears to be under the influence is arrested in Canada and then proceeds to sing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in its entirety in the back of the squad car on his way to the station. Hilarious!
Barack Obama is sexy and he knows it!
This is amazing! It must have taken someone a long time to pull these clips together on beat, but the result are well worth it. Check out our President “singing” “Im Sexy And I Know It” made popular by LMFAO. You can click here to see the LMFAO version which is one of the funniest videos of recent times in itself.
My first favorite song was a country song!
Its true. The first song I ever remember listening to
and learning the words to was a country song…”The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers. I also remember being about 4 and standing up in the front seat of the car while we were driving singing it, but we will save the discussion of the evolution of child safety awareness in cars for another time… 
Anyhow, this song is a classic, definitely on my All Time Favorites list. There isnt much that needs to be said about it so I wont, other than no matter what music you listen to everyone has at least heard the song once and most likely can sing along to the chorus. Heck, even Coolio did a remix to it (which could be one of the most awful samples Ive ever heard unfortunately…judge for yourself here).
One of the musical highlights for me last year was going to the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra gala where Kenny Rogers (or a man who closely resembled Kenny Rogers post plastic surgery) performed all of his greatest hits with the orchestra playing backup. Truly and unforgettable night and an honor to see a country and songwriting legend perform. Now, enjoy “The Gambler”!
MUSICACTIVISM: Garth Brooks “Standing Outside The Fire” and “Thunder Rolls”
Make no mistake about it, Garth Brooks is one of the best musicians in music history in any genre.
If you dont believe me, chew on this: Garth Brooks has sold 128 million records worldwide in his career, which is 3rd in all time music history only behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley. That is just insane and makes me wonder why I haven’t gone and seen him play in Vegas yet!
His success is not only remarkable in the overall 
music picture, but for country music he really put that genre on the map globally. Yes, country music was big in the US for decades, but it was Garth that crossed over and brought his country music to other countries and other music outlets (rock, pop, contemporary).
Whats respectable about Garth is that with this success, he also worked to elevate issues in his song lyrics and videos. The two examples Im sharing today are “Standing Outside the Fire” and “Thunder Rolls”.
With “Standing Outside the Fire” he visually displays the common stereotypes that people with disabilities face and then shows a story of courage and redemption as the protagonist overcomes these obstacles. In doing so he also somewhat comedically highlights classic early 90′s video making including over the top pyrotechnics, bad outfits and exaggerated visuals (ie. the boy who trips on the track then gets up with so much blood on his face it seems like he must have gotten shot).
“Thunder Rolls” on the other hand is less uplifting and also Garth’s most controversial video, and one of the most controversial in music video history. In this story he depicts a cheating husband and a vengeful wife who ultimately invokes her own penalty for his indiscretions. While the video was initially applauded for highlighting the issue of domestic violence, it was ultimately pulled from CMT (Country Music Television) and TNN (The Nashville Network) within 24 hours of its premiere because they thought the violence shown was unnecessary and they didnt feel their networks should be a platform for pushing social awareness agendas. Thankfully times have changed.
Check out these video and share your thoughts. Unfortunately due to what I assume is copyright restrictions none of Garths videos are on YouTube or legitimate websites, so you will have to click on the links below to see the videos because I couldnt embed them. Sorry!
In honor of the Country Music Awards this weekend…
1This weekend Im lucky enough to head to
Vegas with Team Salkin (best technology marketing company in the country!) for the Academy of Country Music Awards which will air on CBS Sunday night. In honor of this event, Im go’in country with my blog posts the next couple days and maybe I can break some of you into country music a bit like I was.
It seems like in the states when you ask some people what music they listen to they commonly say, “I like pretty much everything except country and techno.” I probably was the same way until I moved to the Midwest (Kansas City and St. Louis) for middle school and got turned on to Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Deana Carter and others. While I dont necessarily listen to country music on a daily basis, I do appreciate it and love songs that give me that vintage, wholesome Americana feeling that so many do, those that creatively tell a story or those that push the limits of what country is.
Today I wanted to share one of my favorite recent country songs and that is “My Kinda Party” by Jason Aldean. I feel like this song has it all…the classic pick up truck, down-South vibe, tells a free spirited story of living life, but also includes a great rock guitar solo towards the end that gives everyone something to take away from the track. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Best import from Australia since Crocodile Dundee
So the hardest part about Missy Higgins 
is figuring out which of her melancholy songs I like more. For this I chose “The Special Two” but could have easily gone with “Where I Stand”, “Ten Days” or “Nightminds”. I first saw her in LA back in 2004 when she opened for Ray LaMontagne and was blown away. Great piano player, sweet voice and loved that you could hear her Australian accent through her lyrics.
I think her strongest songs are the ones about love, love lost, heartbreak and angst which pretty much would eliminate any hopes you had of hearing her on a workout mix. For a rainy day or lounging around your apartment theres none better. Check out this video below but be sure to also listen to the songs I mentioned above.
Add this to your St. Pattys party mix…
St. Pattys Day falling on a Saturday 
seems to be many peoples dream come true
I know there are a lot of people starting the festivities tonight and restarting them again bright and early in the morning, so I figured folks may need some uptempo music to keep the energy levels high!
This is a great track from Scottish DJ Calvin Harris off his forthcoming album and the song is called “Feel So Close.” Already a staple in many club DJ’s set lists, this is a great pop-dance track that is a feel good song and will give you your second wind if needed. Enjoy!
Who has the fastest selling debut album in British history?
The Beatles? Oasis? 
Wrong. Wrong.
Arctic Monkeys.
This post punk rock band blew up on the internets in 2004/2005 but not from their own doing, rather because of their fans use of MySpace. Fans created MySpace pages for the band to share and promote their music which led to the meteoric rise of this group of teenagers from Sheffield, England. I saw them play in 2007 at Roseland Ballroom in midtown Manhattan and they put together a fantastic live set, sounding much like their recorded album which many people enjoy. Check out this video below of them playing one of my favorites tracks of their debut album called “Mardy Bum” at the Glastonbury Festival in 2007.
Sweden + Amy Winehouse + Snooki + Jet = Miss Li
That equation is gonna 
sound weird at first but bear with me…
They are a band from Sweden (It seems like Im becoming a bigger fan of Swedish music by the day)
The lead singer’s voice, Linda Carlsson, definitely has a touch of Winehouse although Linda is definitely an octave or two higher.
She kinda looks like Snooki to a degree…
And the song has a bit of a Jet “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” vibe
Add those all up and you have Miss Li!
Without further delay, check out “You Could Have It (So Much Better Without Me}” and let me know if you think my math is right!
*All Time Favorite Alert* TV on the Radio “DLZ”
Love this song! This is one
of the songs that would make the cut if I had to make a single CD of my favorite songs to take to a deserted island with me (assuming the island also had a CD player and electricity). This is definitely a song that you either love or it does nothing for you. I love the creativity of the Brooklyn based band TV on the Radio and think this song exemplifies their art.
I was first introduced to these guys in 2004 after their first full album was released and they were recognized by making the Shortlist Music Prize which was an award given out to the best albums that sold less than 500,000 albums at the time. By the way, check out the Shortlist link above and check out the nominees and winners from years past…its basically a whos who of all the best artists. Unfortunately the award only lasted from 2001-2007. The good part for me is that for the 2 years I was living in LA, MTV2 aired the Shortlist Music Prize as a show so I got to attend and see the nominees perform in 2003 and 2004 which was pretty cool.
Anyway, check out the song below and I included the lyrics below the video so you can sing along at home. Enjoy
Congratulations on the mess you made of things;
On trying to reconstruct the air and all that brings.
And oxidation is the compromise you own
But this is beginning to feel like the dog wants her bones
saved
You force your fire then you falsify your deeds
Your methods dot the disconnect from all your creeds
And fortune strives to fill the vacuum that it feeds
But this is beginning to feel like the dog’s lost her lead
This is beginning to feel like the long
winded blues of the never
This is beginning to feel like it’s curling up slowly
and finding a throat to choke
This is beginning to feel like the long
winded blues of the never
Barely controlled locomotive consuming the picture
and blowing the crows, the smoke
This is beginning to feel like the long
winded blues of the never
Static eplosion devoted to crushing the broken
and shoving their souls to ghost
Eternalised. Objectified.
You set your sights so high.
But this is beginning to feel like
the bolt busted loose from the lever
Never you mind
Death professor
Your structure’s fine
My dust is better
Your victim flies so high
All to catch a bird’s eye view of who’s next
Never you mind
Death professor.
Love is life,
My love is better.
Eyes could be the diamonds
Confused with who’s next
Never you mind
Death professor.
Your shocks are fine,
My struts are better.
Your fiction flies so high,
Y’all could use a doctor
Who’s sick, who’s next?
Never you mind
Death professor.
Electrified, my love is better
It’s crystallized, so’m I.
All could be the diamond
Fused with who’s next
This is beginning to feel like the dawn of a loser forever
This is beginning to feel like the dawn of a loser forever
This is beginning to feel like the dawn of a loser forever
