Friday, December 19, 2008

Friday Jams (PUTS Love Edition)

I've been practicing a new set for this Saturday. For those not in the know, I'm DJing at the Suite Sole Holiday party tomorrow from 6 to 9 pm. Gonna play lots of good shit, even a couple of People Under The Stairs joints. Coincidentally, I've been listening to PUTS pretty much exclusively (outside of when I'm practicing). I've always dug Thes One and Double K; but Cam has been bumping their The Om Years best of compilation, and it reminded me how much I dig the P. The Next Step is a killer album. Extra classic.

If you aren't familiar with PUTS, San Francisco Knights (The Next Step LP) is a great place to start. You get an illy laid back beat, fresh rhymes, and a somehow catchy cut folk hook. Peep:

Also off The Next Step, my favorite PUTS jam, Time To Rock Our Shit. I love how Thes rides from verse to hook to verse back to hook seamlessly. You almost don't even notice the chorus until he repeats it after his second verse over that ambient horn when the drums come back in. One of the best back-and-forth MC tag team tracks. "it's none other than the brothers from another mothership" is so clever and fits the feel of the groove perfectly. Check:

And Cam put me on to this one: The Bomb Combo (The Om Years). I hadn't heard this ever until Cam was playing The Om Years comp in his whip last week. I guess this cut is a previously unreleased B-side, cause I never even heard of it. PUTS somehow find a way to meld Gang Starr, Ugly Duckling, Mobb Deep, and the Likwit Crew on this. Crazy beat. Peep:

And here's a bonus joint (not PUTS)... East Flatbush Project ft. DeS - Tried By Twelve. Not much to say about this one except you might need a neck brace when it's over. One of the alltime best boom bap tracks. Check:

Enjoy the jams, come out to Suite Sole (Spring between Coming and St. Phillip) on Saturday, and thug out with the homie. weekendsrealbig.

Imallcitylikethemayor... yousemynameonmorefreshshitthancreedtaylor

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

If You Couldn't Tell

I'm all about Pop Champagne. Peep:

iwannaseeyoudance

Monday Make Up Wake Up Joint

I had this past Monday off from work and forgot to post a wake up joint. This one will more than make up for it, though. Check out Kool G. Rap ft. Nas Fast Life (Vinyl Reanimator Remix). No other song could better capture pulling a hoody up to ride a bike to work in the fog/cold while knowing it'll be humid and gross all day once the sun comes out. Peep:

yeahsoheresatoasttothefundsandthings.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Obligatory Bettie Page Post

Ever since I saw my first photo of Bettie Page (prolly 7th or 8th grade), I've had a serious crush. That crush began to effect me in ways I can't understand/explain myself. Since I was introduced to her beauty, I always went after brunettes with bangs; girls that carry themselves with class and good posture; women with huge, sparkling eyes; and ladies with good taste in high-heeled shoes. I fell in love with Gretchen Moll after seeing The Notorious Bettie Page (watch it if you haven't), I've always dug girls with pin-up tattoos (always wanted to get this photo of Bettie if I ever got a tattoo), and even told a girl I used to see for a bit that I thought she was gorgeous because she reminded me of Gretchen/Bettie.

Bettie died yesterday at the age of 85. Take a moment at some point after reading this to do a google image search of Bettie and appreciate how such a smart, polite, down-home girl from Tennessee could become empowered, appreciate her body and not be ashamed to show it (very tabboo in the 1950s), rise to prominence, make countless men fall in love with her through simple photos, and be a symbol simultaneouly for misogyny/ female sexuality/ women's (womyn's) liberation/ pornography/ sexual deviancy/ and female beauty.

Friday Jams (Super Swagger Edition)

Got the super steez today, mostly cause I got the new dunks on and the teddy bear jacket. Feelin good after getting some good sleep last night. Also feelin good cause this is my last day of work until my night shift on Tuesday. As a result, I'll be mean muggin (haters off the block, I see you, Cam) all day. Jake One and MF DOOM's Trap Door (Jake's White Van Music LP) is some menacing mean mug music. Peep:

Speaking of menacing, here's KRS-One and DJ Revolution's The DJ. Gotta love when KRS lays out the 10 commandments of DJing. He's always respected the DJ as the backbone of hip-hop. Real recognize real. He brings up a good point: if you're gonna use Serato or any other MP3 program, you gotta use it as a tool and not a crutch (Hunter's words) to make your mix better. Personally, it'll always be vinyl for me unless I gotta tour on a plane (never gonna happen). Anyway, peep the song. Kris says it better than I could/want to:

Atmosphere's Crewed Up (Strictly Leakage LP) ft. Stage One, St. Paul Slim, Muja Messiah, YZ, Brother Ali, Toki Wright & Blueprint is one of the only Atmos songs I've dug since the You Can't Imagine LP. I love when Toki says "walk like a pimp, think like a macintosh" so steezy:

And here's the best song I've heard all year: Brother Ali's Mr. President (You're The Man). It hasn't been released on wax or anything yet, so I'm a little sad I can't play it out. Ali supposedly recorded this the night Obama got elected. In fact, if I were Obama, I'd listen to this all day and mean mug haters off Pennsylyania Ave. Peep the illy Marvin Gaye sample:

twoyearsofsayinyeswecanandtodaybarakobamastheman

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Steez Update

Last night was great. Not as big a crowd as the last time we opened for Forth and Back, and we had some trouble hearing ourselves on stage (when the music is really loud on the house monitors, it can be hard to hear what you're cueing up in your headphones), but we rocked it with two sets of breaks, an uptempo set, and a recycled set from the first Forth and Back show. Lots of people came out; including Ben, Brittany, TJ, Mel, Tyner, Leah, Kindra, and Tara. I did a good bit of dancing once our set was over, smoked too many cigarettes, talked to a couple of girls, got comliments on our set, and got to bed far too late.

I should have posted this before, but I dropped off some old copies of the Tell A Friend mix at Suite Sole (sneaker boutique on Spring between Coming and St. Phillip) for them to give out. I've been talking to Gus and Walter from Suite Sole (check their blog for new releases/news) about spinning in the store or maybe even making a custom mix CD for them as promos for a big release or just to give out with purchases. Speaking of purchases, check out these dunks (the brown ones on the top) I bought cortesy of Walter, Gus, and the best place for sneakers in Charleston. Prolly gonna debut them on Friday.

Other than that, extremely happy to have the ex-girlfriend off my back, excited for going back to Florida for Christmas (and Jacksonville for Clemson's bowl game), happy with my new records, already wanting to buy more records, needing to go Christmas shopping, reading yet another Bukowski book (South of No North... short stories), and having no trouble at all sleeping.

itsallcomingupmillhouse.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Monday Wake Up Joint

Really looking forward to spinnin records tonight (10 pm at Johnson's if you're down with the Street Prince Clique). It's making it really hard to concentrate on anything else. To keep me at ease today, I'm listening to Menahan Street Band's Make the Road by Walking LP. Wake up this morning to the funky sounds of Home Again. Schmoove.

seeyoutonight

Friday, December 5, 2008

Friday Jams (new records edition)

I'm pretty excited for the Pacquiao vs. De la Hoya fight tomorrow (get at me if you want to watch it, Hunter is getting the PPV). I'm also excited for Monday night. For those not in the know, Hunter and I are DJing again as Street Prince Clique. We're opening for Forth and Back (live instrument hip-hop band) at Johnson's starting at 10. Try and make it out if you're trying to dance/drink/have a damn good time. Until then, here's some records I just bought to play on Monday.

Here's De La Soul's Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) from De La Soul is Dead. So steezy... I'm sure this will get heads dancing on Monday.

Keeping on the De La tip, check out Pass The Plugs (also on De La Soul is Dead).

Finally, here's Uptown's Dope On Plastic. Prolly gonna play The Ledge by Eric B and Rakim after this jam on Monday. '89 was a great year for hip-hop if you didn't know. Peep:

If you dug that, check out Rob Swift - Dope On Plastic (Large Professor Remix). I don't have it on vinyl, but it's extra steezy... had to post. Peep:

makesureyouretheremondaynight

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

It's Too Damn Gorgeous Out Today

Just went outside for a cigarette break, and shit is it nice out. Clear sky, just the right temp, sunny as hell... I'm eagerly awaiting getting off work (but sunset is at 5:15 today, so I won't get much time to enjoy it). If I had to soundtrack the moment I looked up, sighed, and thought how good my life is and how lucky I am; I'd pick the Ticklah dub remix of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' How Long Do I Have to Wait. Listen here, go outside for a second (if you're in Charleston), and do the same. I appologize for the sound quality, it's a brand new song only available on 7" through Daptone. Just be happy that someone is steezy enough to have already posted it to youtube. Peep:

iwishtheywoulddothisatreggaenight

Monday, December 1, 2008

Monday Wake Up Joint

Great weekend... extra tired today. Gettin awake quick with Jake One ft. Freeway and Brother Ali's The Truth. Shit is super hard. Peep:

thefewthatdozoominrespectmeasalegend

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Some Links Fo Dat Ass

I know most of the people that read this blog aren't into reading a whole bunch of blogs, but most of you are into the same music as me if you've stuck around this long watching all the youtube videos I post. Since I'm not going to post a Friday Jams edition this week, I figured I'd hit you readers up with some great links to find your own damn Friday jams (and perhaps post in the comments of this post). Big ups and happy hunting.

Here's a link to my favorite DJ's blog. His name is J. Rocc (The Funky President), and his blog is called Stoney Jackson. The blog is relatively new, but still a great source for mixes and news/history on J. Rocc, The Beat Junkies, and Stones Throw artists. Peep.

This right cheah is a link to a blog I check religiously for new mixtapes and videos of my favorite DJ's getting loose. Lots of great J. Rocc/Beat Junkies material. Be sure to download the DJ Day Credit is Due mix from here. For real tho, this site is such a great source of music and information. Check it.

Fuck it, here's a Friday Jam for you (in case you need that fix). You can look at it now... it's not a reflection of my mood today or my future mood on Friday (I got that Doctor Manhattan clairvoyance, pimpin); but it is a great jam. Peep out Atmosphere and El-P's Homecoming. El's verse is on another level of storytelling.

thugwannabesandhippiechicksonsomeescapistshit

Monday, November 24, 2008

Monday Wake Up Joint

It was rough getting up this morning. So cold out I didn't even want to get out from under the covers, plus mad tired from the weekend still. The drumbreak from the Honeydrippers Impeach the President always makes for a great hip-hop song. Just Blaze and Ghostface know this. That's why Ghostface's The Champ is such a ridiculous high energy tune. Peep:

myswaggerismickjagger.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Friday Jams

Whoa... way tired today. But feeling great after having so much fun last night. I got the permanent cheese grill (and the teddy bear jacket) on today. Feeling steezy but in need of a serious nap, plus my neck is killing me. If I had to express my swagger right now, or at least come up with a soundtrack for my bike ride into work, I would play The Death of Chris Palko by Cage. I could listen to that opening break in a constant loop all day. Peep:

Menahan Street Band's Make The Road By Walking (more Daptone love) is so damn steezy. This here is a live version. Hold onto something at around 2 minutes into this video... you may experience what is commonly referred to as "wigflip" or "scrunchface":

My favorite moment of the set last night was when Hunter dropped KRS-One's Step Into a World (Rapture's Delight). I had Ben, Bochet, Mel, and Palmer standing at the front of the stage; and as soon as the bass hit, I started wildin (so did they). Just one of the many highlights from last night. I had a great time. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make the party a huge success. Peep KRS tho:

imnotsayingimnumberoneuhimsorryilied... imnumberonetwothreefourandfive

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Come To The Black Cart Tonight

Tonight only, The Street Prince Clique (me and Hunter) are DJing from 10 till 11:30 at the Black Cart (above Joe Pasta on King St). You heard it right, Lil Snubnose (Hunter) and Dapper Dade (yours truly) will be spinning all sorts of 90's boom bap for your neck to snap to. So if you ain't got plans, come out... if you do have plans, break them. We're gonna do it godzilla big and crush shit. We're expecting all the local B-Boys to come out and get down to the funky sound, so at least you'll have some visual entertainment other than Hunter and I hunched over our turntables bobbing our heads and looking like mad scientists. For those of you that haven't seen us before, it's 2 DJs on 4 turntables at the same time collaborating to rock the party on a level of thoroughness that you've never witnessed. In other words, I'm the biggest boss that you seen thus far. See you there.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Funniest Thing I've Seen All Week


I found this via the turntable lab blog. So funny to see that stepping in doodoo can happen to anyone anywhere. Also nice to see Diddy still gets his every once in a while.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Monday Wake Up Joint

Tryina get going when it's cold outside and you don't want to get out of bed? Listen to Big Brother Beat by De La Soul ft. Mos Def.

thedelagonnadothebodygoodlikewheatbread

Friday, November 14, 2008

Friday Jams (Daptone Love Edition)

You can track my progression in music appreciation by what record label I am listening to most over the years. At the end of high school and the beginning of my freshmen year at Clemson, I listened mostly to stuff released on Rawkus Records (Mos Def, Kweli, Pharoah, Company Flow). From the second semester of my freshmen year until my junior year, it was all Def Jux (El-P, Aesop Rock, RJD2, Cannibal Ox). Then on to Stones Throw (Madlib, Dilla, PB Wolf, J.Rocc) until I graduated. Since then, it's kind of hard to explain since Parliament, Funkadelic, Booty's Rubber Band, and the rest of the splintering of the Parliafunkadelicmentthang was spread out over 5 different labels. 

I've been listening to a lot of stuff from Daptone Records (Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Budos Band) lately. Mark Ronson is always gettin down with the Dap Kings for his productions (Amy Winehouse, Wale) because game recognize game. Peep Game...

This is the actual take that made the album. Recorded live without overdubbing on an analog 8-track recorder. Check Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings recording Answer Me for the 100 Days 100 Nights LP. So steezy:

Here's Sharon and dems doing Let Them Knock on that same french TV show from the last Monday Wake Up Joint edition. Peep:
How bout Wale's Chicago Falcon Remix. Don't know if your into afrobeat getting remixed to some 808 gogo disco rap, but if you are, this is for you. It even dips into B-More during the breaks. Peep:

And in case you wanted to see where that came from, here's Chicago Falcon by the Budos Band from their self-titled LP:

weekendsrealbig... oysterroastgonnagetruddy

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I Wish I Had Posted This Before The Election

Here's a video of Daptone Records' Obama Fundraiser. So steezy.

A Change Is Gonna Come has a completely new shared social contruct (I so rarely dip back into the communications studies terminology on the blog) from the previous generation.

obamarealbig

Monday, November 10, 2008

Monday Wake Up Joint

Crazy weekend. Really threw me for a loop. Whenever I feel a little down, I listen to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I missed their performance from Austin City Limits on PBS this weekend, but I'll find it somehow on the interweb. If you are also interested in seeing the performance, check this link... it's got info on the band, the set list, and even 2 videos from the episode to peep out.

Hopefully you're feeling as good as me right now, but in case you're not... here's one of my favorite youtube videos. It's sure to get you going on a cold Monday morning. Anyway, here's Sharon Jones singing Amazing Grace followed by her fantastic performance of How Long Do I Have To Wait with the Dap Kings on some French TV show similair to Austin City Limits. Peep out how Homer starts the drum break at 1:27 in... so steezy:

classic...imbetterthaniveeverbeen

Friday, November 7, 2008

Friday Jams

Not much to report on my end... still reveling in the Obama victory. Here's some feel-good jams to nod your head to now that it's okay to be positive about damn near anything in your life. For serious, enjoy yourselves this weekend. It'd be hard not to if you keep listening to De La Soul's Breakadawn (I'm getting close to have posted the entire Buhloone Mindstate LP). Peep:

How bout Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's Balicky Bon... so uplifting, makes me bounce pretty hard. Peep:

And Madlib's Parklight will break whatever chair your sitting in while listening. One of those rare bounce from the first hit beats. Check:

Here's Joel Ortiz with a live freestyle... you'll have to fast-forward through MIMS (unless you're into that sort of thing), but when Joel gets on, it's over. Peep:

mythroatislikecokeispitnothinbutrawlines... weekendsrealbig

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Oh Nine Is Gonna Be So Fuckin Huge

Obama real big. We were out celebrating the overwhelming victory last night. Started at YoBo with Ben, Brittany, Bochet, and Emily. We went back to Ben's after a while and heard the results there with Mel. After watching Obama's speech, we met up with Eddie, Eric, and Bernard at Recovery Room to celebrate, and I jumped on the jukebox. Here are the songs I picked:

Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (I wish Sam were alive to see this)

Band of Gypsys - Power to Love

Bob Dylan - Ballad of a Thin Man

James Brown - Funky President (I wish James were also alive to see this)

Curtis Mayfield - Kung Fu

Oh eight just got a lot bigger... stillbegettinmineinohnine

Monday, November 3, 2008

Monday Wake Up Joint

This morning, I had to ride my bike in the rain. It was miserable once I got to work, but I didn't really care during the ride because I was listening to Introduckling by Ugly Duckling off the Journey to Anywhere LP. I couldn't find the actual track on Youtube; but here's Dizzy Dustin, Andy Cooper, and Young Einstein performing the track live (plus a bonus of Smack from the Bang For the Buck LP). Peep game and wake up:

idomorelegworkthanacentipede

Friday, October 31, 2008

Friday Jams (Hungover Halloween Edition)

Wow... I am not looking forward to working at both jobs today and then going out for Halloween. I'm way tired today, but I'm trying to get over that in my usual way (extra hard hip-hop). My Halloween costume still isn't finished, but I'ma get that done at the library and go flip pizzas from 5 to 10 tonight. Before that tho, I'll be listening to Madlib's Blow The Horns ft. Guilty Simpson. Peep:

And how bout Termanology and DJ Premier's How It Go Down. One of the best "gun for hire" beats that Primo has done since MOP days. Check:

Crumblin Erb is one of the most underratted Outkast songs. If you're not already with it, go buy Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Peep game:

And finally, Big L and Jay-Z freestyling on the Stretch and Bobbito show in '95. So many great quotes, and both of those cats rocking crazy Das-EFX sing-song syllable slice style. I can see where Pharoahe Monch got his style from. Check it:

I'msoaheadofmytimemyparentshaventmetyet... halloweenweekendrealbig

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The NBA Season is Starting, Time to Resume My Dwyane Wade Man Crush

Alright, so the title of the post is a little extreme (and long winded), but I need those who read this to know that Dwyane Wade is my absolute favorite athlete ever. Oscar Robertson and Barry Sanders are close, but Dwyane is everything a pro athlete should be, and he's got serious skills.

I remember seeing D.Wade get drafted by the Heat and thinking "wish we could have gotten LeBron or Carmello (at least we didn't get Darko), but I'm sure a dude who shows up to the draft with his wife and kid won't have a problem living in the party capital of America." You always have to take how crazy the city is Miami into consideration when looking at new additions to south Florida franchises (yes, that includes The U). Case in point: all that yang the media is spitting over whether or not Michael Beasley will spend all his time partying on South Beach.

Getting back to Dwyane tho, I'm ultra excited for the Heat to finish somewhere in the middle of the Eastern Conference. I'll be optimistic and say 8th (that way I can hope for a playoff run), but most experts are predicting 9th to 11th in the East. It's whatever. As long as they're not last again this year, it's an improvement.

The thing that got me so excited this morning is that ESPN.com's Bill Simmons picked D.Wade as his number 2 fantasy option behind only King James. Peep:

Dwyane Wade
Loved him in the Olympics, loved him in the preseason, love him for a monster comeback season that will be the athletic equivalent of "Still D.R.E." I'm thinking something like 29.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 5.8 apg and a slew of "D-Wade is back and better than ever!" stories starting in late November. You watch.

Since reading that article, I've been replaying the intro from Still DRE in my head over and over. I can't stop visualising Dwayne's dunk in the USA vs. Canada game from this summer:

nine five plus four pennies... add that shit up

Monday, October 27, 2008

Monday's Wake Up Joint

Hopefully I'll make this a new weekly addition to the blog, but no guarantees on me following through with a monday morning series.

I listened to this song on the way to work this morning; and although I have always dug this cut, I never really listened to it very closely. Jam packed with one-liners and great punchlines. Check out Pretty Little Sexy Mama by Consequence:

Friday, October 24, 2008

Friday Jams (feelin good on a rainy day edition)

My favorite songs of the week this week are pretty diverse, but all of them are super positive, will make you dance, and have for sure helped me get up on tired mornings.

Check out De La Soul's Eye Know:

And how bout Be Easy by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings? Too steezy:

Try to not bounce when listening to J-Live's School's In.

Finally, Big Juss kills it on Company Flow's Silence. Extra illy.

weekendsrealbig

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I Never Thought It Would Happen, But...

Someone made a note chart and custom guitar hero song for Funkadelic's Cosmic Slop. My favorite song? And I can pretend to be on Eddie Hazel's sub-level? I was too excited when I saw this. The bass part isn't anthing to sneeze at, but Eddie vamps out for real on the guitar. Check it out:

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Been A Long Time

I shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to (shouts to Rakim).

Check out Slum Village's We Be Dem (Jay Dee's Atomic Dog Mix):

More to come on Friday. Until then, sorry it's been so long since I posted anything.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Friday Jams (wake up edition)

For those who know me pretty well, it's common knowledge that I barely sleep (except all day on Sundays). Those that know me also are aware that I've been caffeine free for five years now, so I have to find my own way to wake up and get my mind active enough to ride my bike to work in the mornings without killing myself.

The best way I've found to wake up instantly (I get up about ten minutes before I have to be at work) is to listen to one of my favorite songs. Usually, I like to listen to How Long Do I Have to Wait For You by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. It gets me dancing from the first bar. Peep:

I sometimes listen to Nas' Memory Lane (Sittin in da Park) if the weather is nice. Makes me think of South Florida, and it's a great song to have stuck in your head during the bike ride to work (iPods are dangerous on a bike, playa). Peep:

But on really special days (like today) where I wake up with my ego on swole and my swagger in full effect (that usually doesn't happen until after lunch), I like to listen to Kanye's Gone ft. Consequence from the Late Orchestration LP. Get down with the get down:

big shouts to Kris from Miami for putting me on to that Late Orchestration shit last Christmas. weekendsrealbig.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

For Those Eagerly Awaiting 808's and Heartbreak

If you're like me, you can't wait to get your hands on the new Kanye West album. I finally got a copy of the Freshmen Adjustment mixtape recently. I'd recommend it to anyone. Best song would be real hard to pick out (lots of the lyrics got recycled on each Kanye album, plus some of the beats), but I really like Home a lot. I can't explain how some beats just make your head nod from the first hit, but Home is a great example. Peep it out, then pick up your jaw:
Plus, you get the original cut of All Falls Down with the sample from Lauryn Hill's Unplugged performance that didn't get cleared for the release of College Dropout. It's so raw and choppy, but got such smoothness due to Lauryn's superior guitar style. Peep:

You should prolly find a copy of Freshmen Adjustment.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Weekendsrealbig... like, 7XL big.

Wow, where to begin. Best weekend I've had since I can remember. Friday, I got home from work and this sweater had arrived via UPS along with this 7" record and this EP. I put the sweater on (tryina start the weekend off on the steezy tip) and went out to Hunter's to rehearse for the Block Party. After a great rehearsal, I went back downtown to Ben's house (he was having the MUSC post-test party, which was winding down by the time I got there.) I just chilled there with Ben, Will, Brittany, Brittany, Molly, Leah, Panda, RoBo, Mel, TJ, and Faisal. That was lots of fun, plus... it was nice to get a relaxing evening in after all the frantic preparation Hunter and I had been going through to get our routines ready for the D'Allesandro's Block Party. I ended up riding my bike over to Katie and Palmer's late night to chill, and I fell asleep on their fouton almost immediately after getting there (I was extra tired.)

I woke up in their living room on Saturday with Hunter calling me so we could start rehearsing. We practiced from 10 till 2, then packed up and got to D'Als around 3:30. After getting set up and warming up, we chilled out with our friends that had gotten their early (big shouts to Rebecca) and I tried to stay calm and not get nervous. Our sets went over really well (especially the last one, where we concentrated on breaks and hip-hop classics... really got the dance floor moving.) All the bands were cool, Dave killed it on the deep house tip on my turntables, and a bunch of us went to the Recovery Room to unwind after. R.O.B was in town from Clemson, and it was great to see him (and some PB Crew members.) Ended up at Blind Tiger with Lindsey somehow, but she was nice enough to give me a ride home, and I definetly needed it after all the exhaustion/drinking/sweating/dancing/dehydration/lack of food in the belly.

Sunday started with brunch at AC's with Tyner, Panda, Schrader, and Palmer (sorry I forgot to call you, Mel). I hadn't had chicken and waffles for breakfast in a while, and it hit the spot. Later on, I met Mel and Ben at the Recovery Room to watch the AC Milan vs. Inter Milan game. AC won on a ridiculous cross from Kaka to Ronaldinho, who scored on an insane header in the upper 90. Then Ben, Mel, Brittany and I bike mobbed our way to the Green Fest on Marion Square. After that, Brittany, Ben and I went to the Battery game with Bochet. After getting back downtown, I met up with Lindsey for drinks, and rode my bike back home.

Monday, all that activity and exhaustion finally caught up with me, and I was feeling extra sick in the stomach. I stayed home and ate soup all day while trying to get hydrated. I feel kinda shitty for calling in sick on a Monday when I have the 9 am desk shift, but I don't regret doing it so big this weekend that I couldn't work. I haven't stopped smiling in two days. It's starting to strain my face muscles.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Friday Jams (Eventually, I'll post the whole De La Catalog Edition)

As the title of this post suggests, I'm still jamming De La Soul almost exclusively (with the exception of the Def Jux marathon this past weekend). My favorite song from Stakes Is High would be very hard to pick out, but I'm wide opin over Betta Listen. No youtube video, so you'll have to peep for yourself. I love when Dave says "Tried to enter in her shit, she had locks on the session. Tellin me how her last man taught her ass a lesson. Damn, well, not the mayor. I take care of my dimes, but I excluded I had nickels addin' up to her kind." So damn fly, but not as fly as when Posdnous says "Man, the flag was lowered, so my wood was raised. Followed a shielding of my building to protect me from the blaze. This granted access to southern parts of her borders. Did you have her comin?Like the new world order."

Enough quoting, here's some stuff to jam to. Peep out Jay-Z's Heart of the City from the Unplugged album. Jaguar Wright kills the "take em to church" breakdown. Peep:

Here's a pre-pubescent Michael Jackson singing the Bill Withers classic Ain't No Sunshine. Extra fly drums. Like, 7xl fly. Peep it out:

Finally, a song that should be the very definition of weekendsrealbig... De La Soul's Stone Age:

Big Ups to Bochet... check out how famous I am!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Some Of My Favorites From The Weekend

Every weekend seems to have a musical theme for me. This past weekend, I listened to Def Jux artists almost exclusively. First, I finally bought Aesop Rock's None Shall Pass on vinyl this weekend. Can't wait to play Citronella out. It's gonna kill the backpack headnod crowd. Peep:

My favorite song from the record is Catacomb Kids. Such a killer beat, lyrics are on point, the hook always brings it back to somewhat catchy (at least for Aes), and the ride out will break your neck... or at least put a dent in your car's headrest:

I also rediscovered Company Flow's dis track aimed at Sole from Anticon records. Check how El-P samples Sole trying to squash their beef over the phone and uses it against him for the aptly titled Linda Trip (snitchin on yourself over the phone, not knowing you're being taped... I see you, Monica Lewinsky):

Be sure to read the lyrics to Linda Trip while listening. El's flow is crazy dense, and his hundred bars a minute style is SO suited for battle rap. El's always so pissed, but rarely has a specific outlet to aim his anger at. I feel bad for Sole. Shouldn't ever have released Dear Elpee. Bad move. Also, it's a bad move to sound like a bitch-made dick rider when trying to squash beef that you started with an underground king/auteur/indelible MC. At least when Esoteric battled El, he truly battled, not just released a record to get his name out and then backpeddle when he realized he would get a response from a superior talent.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Friday Jams (De La Soul Is Dead Edition)

Since my De La SB Dunks are making their first appearance on my feet today; I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone reading this to purchase De La Soul's sophomore album, De La Soul Is Dead. All I'll say is, best hip-hop group ever. It shouldn't matter after that. Every album is classic in its own right. De La Soul Is Dead will flip your brain over tho.

Peep Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa:

The beat samples an ill guitar lick by Eddie Hazel from Funkadelic's I'll Stay (Standing on the Verge of Getting It On), and the opening vocal snippet from George Clinton comes from Funkadelic's Mommy, What's a Funkadelic (self-titled album). Also, if you dig I'll Stay, check out D'Angelo and Roy Hargrove's cover.

If anyone ever fronts like Pease Porridge isn't one of the funkiest, catchiest, neck-snapping beats ever produced; we'll have problems. Big ups to Prince Paul for this one... top 10 beats of all time. It's not even debateable. Peep:

And since no one has uploaded Afro Connections at a Hi-5 (In the Eyes of the Hoodlum) to youtube yet, I'll hit you off with a jam from AOI: Bionix... Trying People. Peep:

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Stuff I Dig On TV Right Now

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia starts back up tonight. I'm looking forward to that despite the fact that I don't have cable. If you're like me (you have high-speed internet but not cable), you might be interested to check out hulu.com. It's a great site where you can watch just about any show on basic cable (or network TV) for free with very limited commercial and underwriting advertisements. You have to sign up for an account if you want to watch things that are rated TV-MA, but it only takes a minute. Plus, you get all the free cable TV shows you want. Check out this link to peep full episodes for free, and/or check out a cool clip of Charlie from It's Always Sunny singing his original song Night Man:

Also, my favorite new show of the season so far is called Sons of Anarchy. It's from the creator of The Shield, and it's just as edgy and cool as that show. It's about a motorcycle club (commonly mistaken as a biker gang) and has a great cast. Definitely worth checking out. Peep the hulu link here to watch full episodes online for free.

big ups.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Friday Jams (Gettin over a Bad Mood Edition)

Here are some jams that can get you out of any bad mood... pull you out of any funk. I can't be touched when this first one comes on. Can't nothin bother me when I hear De La Soul's Sunshine:

Speaking of Sunshine, RAMP's Everybody Loves the Sunshine will smooth out any mood you could find yourself in. Peep:

And finally, check out Big L's Day One Live from Amsterdam. Now that's being hard. No acting there. Peep:

weekendsrealbig... housepartieswithdjsrealbig

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Kanye Rumors Abound

Big ups to Eddie (always on that new shit, once again).

Rumors of a new Kanye West album are poppin off. The alleged title is "808's and Heartbreak." And already, speculation is bubbling about how much the Louis Vuitton Don is gonna use the auto tune/vocoder effect to do that robot croon he's been using lately on all these hard ass 808 beats. Don't know what I'm talkin bout?

Peep Jeezy's I Put On For My City:

Sidenote: big ups to Jeezy for "inside fish sticks outside tarter sauce," but Kanye's "Lemme see what we have tonight, I'm high as a satellite" has gotten every dance floor in the country wide opin. I haven't seen more dudes singin off key with their eyes closed since Jay's I Just Wanna Love You.

Also, on the 808 and auto tune steez, how bout the Lollipop Remix?

I'm not worried about it. I know most people hate on the vocoder singing, but I see why everybody's doing it. Lemme tell you, in hip-hop, it's a good idea to make a club banger that sounds like another club banger. That may seem counterintuitive for these creative producers and MCs, but for lazy DJ's (as in, most of the cats you hear live on the radio here in Charleston or see sippin vodka drinks with a sweater on while everyone else is dancing) it's easy to play I Put On For My City followed by Lil Wayne's You Ain't Got Nothin because of the similarities in the use of the vocoder and the hard drums.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Blueprint III Update

You may remember from this post that Jay-Z is working on The Blueprint III to be released in the near future (let's hope it's still the winter's turn). Since we already know about Jockin Jay-Z/Dope Boy Fresh, I figured I would follow the story and post the newest jam to get leaked from the album; Swagger Like Us. The beat is by Kanye (who also has the lead verse) and samples M.I.A.'s Paper Planes. After Kanye, you get Hov, Wayne, and T.I. Every verse is better than the previous, but I especially like when Wayne says "I got stripes, A-Di-Das." Also, this is the best fan-made video I've seen for a song this commercial in a long time. Peep:

Seriously, these four cats on one song? And everyone on-upping each other's verse? It's crazy. Apparently, this song will be on T.I.'s Paper Trail album, but there are reports that it will also be on Blueprint III. I'm opin either way.

I found out about this song via a conversation with Eddie (always up on that new new shit), Mel, and Will. Eddie said that it was a good look for T.I., who had admitted to slacking off and freestyling on album cuts lately. That may be true, but I think he was dumbing down to hit that wide audience. Really, listen to his vocab on that last verse. Also, check the lyrics out via the direct link. Lots of four and five syllable words, which you don't hear to much in hip-hop. Also, I dig Wayne's line "my jew-els, blue and yellow. Type a shit that make em call you Carmelo." Clever, sir.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

(Early) Friday Jams: De La Hurricane Edition

The library is closed tomorrow due to the impending storm, so I figured I'd hit you off with the usual steezy Friday jams post a day earlier than usual (I only write blog posts while at work to pass the time).

I'm all about De La Soul right now. So much so, that I just purchased some very rare De La Dunks online. They should be on my feet in time for next Friday. Peep:

Also, peep out a great intro to the De La mentality... the press kit for their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising where they were being pigeon-holed into being "hippie-hop":
And check out some of my favorite jams... such as In the Woods:
And The Bizness ft. Common:
And finally, the War sampling Potholes in My Lawn:
weekendsrealruddy... do it big

Friday, August 29, 2008

Friday Jams (Atlanta Road Trip Edition)

It's Friday... and I'm going to Atlanta to see Clemson play with Ben, Will, Bochet, and maybe RoBo this weekend. I made a mix CD for the drive. Lots of Ugly Duckling on it. Here's one of my favorite UD songs. It's called I Did It Like This. It is not on the new mix, but damn good nonetheless. Peep:

And here's Pharcyde and Jay Dee's She Said Remix:

Lastly, here's Big L's MVP:

weekendsrealbig... clemsonrealbig

Friday, August 22, 2008

Friday Jam(e)s Part 2

It's Friday, and I am extra hungover. I was hanging out with Josef during/after work at D'Allensandro's last night, and it inspired me to post more James Brown videos. Josef is all about Michael Jackson, and I'm trying to put him onto some real James shit. Here's James live on the Midnight Special in '74. Check the dance move into the drop split when The Payback hits after the intro. Hillarious. I thought he was gonna fall down, and he turned it into a dance.

And here's James on Sammy Davis, Jr.'s show. Check the Camel Walk. I'm tryin to learn that dance so I can be hilarious too.

weekendsrealbig

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My New Hobby... Watching old Soul Train videos

And that's real talk.

Back in the day, live Soul Train performances weren't lip synched. James and the JB's showcasing on stage live and direct shows how great the show once was. Especially after they kill the crowd in the breakdown between Soul Power and Make It Funky. I dig:

And even just the dancing footage to a DJ is supreme. Don Cornelius' interviews were always a little awkward, but his smoothness made up for any stiff interview subjects. Here's some kids getting down to the LP version of make it funky. Make sure to peep out the keyboard from 1:57 to 2:32. Grant and I used to always throw two fingers up high and mime the repeating notes for the whole lead back in the day. I still do, and I imagine he does the same whenever he hears this song.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Friday Jams (Jay-Z Edition)

BIG UPS TO BOCHET FOR PUTTING ME ON TO THIS!

Apparently, Jay-Z is releasing The Blueprint III sometime in the near future. On August 6th, Kanye was performing at Madison Square Garden on the Glow in the Dark tour. He brought Hov out to perform the first single off the album, "Jockin Jay-Z/Dope Boy Fresh" and announced that the song would be on the forthcoming Blueprint III (Carter trilogies real big in oh eight). The song is already getting lots of comparisons to A Milli. Peep the performance:

If you dig, and you want to hear the whole song, peep:

Direct link with lyrics here.

Weekends real big. Don't front.

Monday, August 11, 2008

New Job, Same Shit

I started working at D'Allesandro's Pizza this week. The food is good, the people I work with (those that I've met so far) are really nice, and the bosses are pretty laid back. So far, I really like it. I worked the lunch shift on Saturday and Sunday with Josef and David. Both of them are nice and helped me get the hang of things. I'm working there during the dinner shift on Wednesday if you want to come in and get a pizza tossed by a pro.

During both weekend shifts, we listened to a lot of Michael Jackson (Josef's favorite), so I'm going to make some James Brown and JB's mixes to bring in to listen to this coming weekend. I'll prolly include this on there:

I'm pretty busy this week between working both jobs and getting up with Hunter to cut. It's a welcome change since I've been taking it easy most of the summer and enjoying my free time. Hopefully I can get my paper stacks right and get a PA so Hunter and I can start doing more shows in the in the future. At least that's the goal.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Friday Jam(e)s

It's Friday. You know what that means. This week, I'm hitting you off with some of my favorite James Brown selections to peep. First up, James and the JB's doing "Ain't it Funky Now". The first solo is by guitarist Catfish Collins (Bootsy's brother), then Fred Wesley gets down on trombone, Bootsy rips a crazy bass solo, and James kills the organ in his signature style. I don't know if you know this or not, but when James says "s'morgin", he is essentially asking if you would mind if he played a little organ for your mind.

And here's one my favorites, "Papa Don't Take No Mess". Lot's of personal significance with this song; but mostly, I dig the horns building up and then peeling off that slick horn line every time James says "hit me". Peep:

Weekendsrealbig

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

A Forgotten Classic

Every once in a while, I get surprised by a song I love but have forgotten about for one reason or another. Such an occassion happened this weekend. While hanging out in the James Bond-inspired bar at Palmer's family's house in Myrtle Beach, I was perusing Mr. Stowe's iPod only to find Rock Steady by Aretha Franklin.

The break (you'll know it when you hear it) has always been one of my favorites, mostly because it already sounds like a DJ is cutting and looping the break to get that cool "Rock... Steady" synchopated break with those killer drums breathing through. At the inception of hip-hop, Grandmaster Flash used to loop that little 4 bar break forever to give the B-Boy's time to get wide opin and get busy.

Anyway, here's a live version of Aretha doing Rock Steady in 1971. The break happens 1:46 in. Peep:

Big ups to Palmer's dad for being the most unlikely source for break digging I've ever encountered.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Friday Jams for a Road Trip

It's Friday, which is usually the day I post songs to drive home from work to. This week, I'm going to Myrtle Beach with Palmer after work, so this week's installment is for road trippin. I made a new mix cd last night (all mp3's, no mixing or anything) called Wherever I Go, She Go for the drive. Bonus points for knowing what song the title came from. Anyway, there's lots of jams on the disc (it barely fits on a CDR at 79:20). Mostly Dilla productions, Ghostface jams, songs featuring Ne-Yo (Palmer's celebrity crush... I'll stick with Rihanna), a couple of Wayne songs, and some D'Angleo joints.

Us Placers by Child Rebel Soldier (Lupe, Kanye, and Pharrell) is on there:

The Good, The Bad, the Ugly by Consequence and Kanye is on there:

But I'm sure Palmer is most excited that Bust It Baby (Part 2) by Plies and Ne-Yo is on there:

Weekendsrealbig

Friday, July 25, 2008

Best of Boxing (Episode 3)

I was watching When We Were Kings last night; and if you haven't seen it, it's a must-peep. The film won an Academy Award for best documentary in 1996, but it's an in-depth look at my favorite fight ever: Ali vs. Forman's "Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire (1974).

The fight was incredible, but it was so much more than a boxing match. Every important sports journalist in the world was there, from Hunter S. Thompson to George Plimpton to Norman Mailer. Mailer's memoir of his experience in Zaire, The Fight, is fantastic and available at your local library (the Dewey decimal is 796.83 MAILER if you want to check it out). Don King--this was his first go-around as a boxing promoter--got both Ali and Forman to sign conditional contracts stating that they would fight each other if both of them were guaranteed $5 million each. King got President Mobutu of Zaire to put up the skrilla, and King even signed B.B. King, The Spinners, and James Brown (RIP) to come and have a concert before the fight. Here's some footage of James and the JB's from When We Were Kings:

The build-up to the fight had been enormous. Forman had gained the Heavyweight Title by basically killing Joe Frazier. And I mean killing. Like, knocked him down 6 times in two rounds. And I don't know how he got up from the 2nd knockdown. It's almost sad to watch, but worth seeing just to see how much heart and pride Frazier had. He wouldn't quit. Either the ref was going to have to stop the fight, or Joe would keep going until he got knocked unconscious. Reminds me of the end of the Thrilla in Manila, but that's a story for another time. Peep:

Ali had been stripped of his title in 1967 for famously refusing to enter into the Army after being drafted during the Vietnam War. He was quoted as saying "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong. Ain't no Viet Cong ever called me N*****." In 1971, the Supreme Court reversed his conviction for draft dodging, and Ali was given back his licence to box but not his Heavyweight Championship that had been wrongfully taken from him. He would get his chance to re-gain the title in Zaire, but he would have to beat Foreman, who had destroyed everyone he had faced. Foreman was an unstoppable force. He was younger than Ali, stronger than Ali, and had knocked out his previous 11 opponents in 4 rounds or less. That fact may have contributed to Ali's plan for the fight, as Muhammad suspected George of not having the stamina to go the full 15 rounds.

Ali had been telling anyone that would listen that he intended to dance once he was in the ring with Foreman, but that was not actually his plan. Early in the first round, Ali started throwing right hand leads. This is almost never done in boxing, and here's Norman Mailer to explain why:

Now that Foreman was going crazy after being insulted with right hand leads from Ali, Muhammad realized he could get George to punch himself out. That's when Ali went into the now famous "rope-a-dope". It really was a fantastic thing to watch. Ali would lay against the ropes for almost the whole round absorbing punishment with his arms only to spring off the ropes for the last ten seconds of the round with a flurry that would score and steal the round in most cases. From the 2nd to the 7th round, Ali lay against those ropes and let Foreman get tired.

Then came the 8th round. Ali had Foreman where he wanted him. George was tired. He was breathing through his mouth (a tell-tale sign of fatigue in a fighter) and was pawing with his punches. Ali lay against the ropes for almost the whole round, and then it happened:

The impossible became possible. Foreman had been beaten. Ali had been redeemed and was Heavyweight Champion again. The Establishment had been proven wrong. Ali's refusal to fight an unjust war was affirmed. The true Champion had the belt again, and Ali proved himself a true hero worthy of admiration and respect from everyone.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Hunter Put Me On To These

Durring a break in our practice session Monday night, Hunter showed me a few videos on youtube. The first is simply hilarious. You may remember from this post that I'm all about MOP's Ante Up (best song about robbery ever). Here's the best video for the best song about robbery... it even showed up on the turntablelab blog today:

Man, Ernie as Lil Fame and Bert as Billy Danze is too funny. Also, here's James Brown giving some free dance lessons (listen to his feet shuffle when he starts doing the robot):

Monday, July 21, 2008

Weekends Real Big

After work on Friday, I chilled with Trey and watched some DVD's. Then I went out to Sullivan's Island for Rob's birthday party. We chilled at Poe's Tavern for a while and drank some good beer. Lots of people were there: Ben, Mel, Diddy, Charlie, Ryan, E-Bar, Erin, Leah, Schrader, Panda, Eddie, Bochet, Emily, and two of her friends. After Poe's, we went to Off the Hook to hear a pretty bunk DJ get me all excited with a couple bangers in a row only to drop into some techno club garbage or a dirty mash-up set. Seriously, he did this all night... even after 1 am. Somewhere along the way I lost track of Rob. Maybe it had to do with all the dancing (Emily's friends were in town from St. Louis and were excited to get a chance to dance... apparently they don't bust moves in The Lou), or the hundred photos that Bochet shot and the subsequent damage to my eyes; but we eventually caught up with Rob in Dunleavey's. He used to work there and was hanging out in the less-crowded bar getting free booze. After last call, we went down to the beach to hang out. We all decided to go swimming, which made the end of the night hilarious for all of us. Not a single bathing suit was brought, so there were a lot of wet kids finding there way home at the end of the night.

On Sunday, I met up with Bochet, Emily, and her friends Meghan and Alex over at TJ and Ben's. Hangovers real big. We went over to Diana's and got extra late breakfast. Then we went to see The Dark Knight in Mt. P. I thought it was very good, but a little long. After that, Ben and I met up with Schrader, Panda, Leah, and RoBo at Schrader's, and then we all went to the Battery game. We met Charlie and Molly there, and since the Battery defense got a shut-out, we all got BoGo coupons for Cold Stone in Mt. P. Cam was working at the game, and he got us all wrist bands to go up into the bar at Blackbaud stadium after the game. Big ups for that. Then we got some food and went back to Schrader's to watch Saturday Night Live (Walken was hosting), and I went home to sleep and try to recover from the previous night and a full day of steez.

I woke up still pretty tired on Sunday, but I packed up my turntables and most of my records to go over to Hunter's to practice this 2 DJ/4 turntable thing we are planning. We just jammed (didn't work out any sets or anything) and had fun trying to collaborate. It all worked out pretty well. I made it back downtown at 5 after a few hours of practice over at Hunter's. Then Palmer, Ben and I went to Juanita's for dinner, and I watched Funny Games back at my house in the evening. I didn't really like it too much, but it was interesting. Tim Roth's character and performance were both great. Maybe the only saving grace of the movie.

Now I'm at work, and I'm going back out to Hunter's to practice more after I get off.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Still Haven't Slept

Alex's going-away party left me crazy tired this morning, but yesterday was fantastic. After I got off work at 5, I went over to LP's with Ben, Will, Betras, and Alex. We played kickball in the park next to LP's place with that crew plus Brian. The game was lots of fun, even when it rained for the 3rd inning.

After everyone went home to shower and change; Ben, Will, Alex, Bochet and myself went to Mellow Mushroom to eat and watch soccer. The process of and benefits to HGH and blood doping were discussed (Bochet is a fan of both), and afterwards, it was time to go back to LP's to pre-party.

By the time we got there, things were already poppin off huge. Everybody was there: Tyner, Schrader, Barber, Molly, the Macs, Panda, Leah, Charlie and his roomate, Diddy, Trey, TJ, Austin, Mel, Fowler, and RoBo (happy birthday, pimp). After a very heated game of quarters, it was off to Wasabi for drinks/dancing.

The ever-ellusive rhombus step popped off big, Sarah and Anne met up with us, Palmer and her friends Deep and Lorena came through, Captain Morgan made an appearance, Eddie came out, and things got crazy. The DJ was pretty bad, but he did play lots of Wayne. In fact, Will and I each heard A Milli 5 times yesterday between the radio and the DJ at Wasabi. After the bar, we all went back to LP's for the afterparty/mario cart on the wii. Then I drove Palmer and her car back to her house and went home.

Thursdaysrealbig...

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Sleep Deprivation is Starting to Get to Me

I haven't been sleeping much lately. There's not really a reason, there's just always something to do. Tonight is Alex's last night in town, so I have a feeling I'll only be getting a couple of winks tonight. I've been working on new mixes (kind of abandoned the Sunny Sunday mix). Hunter and I are trying to get dates to spin around town, so I've been stacking killer dance floor mixes as well as midtempo underground hip-hop/funk warmup mixes. I'll need these planned mixes in case I run out of ideas at a bar/party and need to keep it moving. It's always good to have a back-up for when the creative juices get too diluted by the alcohol.

Hunter and I are trying to play out at bars/parties with 4 turntables and all vinyl. We want to go back and forth between us rather than have me do a set and then him do a set. We were invited to play at the Black Cart (a bar I've always wanted to spin at), but the new management was not exactly welcoming to us. After telling Hunter how much they hate having DJ's, they let us know that we would be getting a portion of the door instead of a flat rate (they wanted to charge a cover... Hunter and I weren't about that). They also let us know that we would be paying for our drinks, and that they were trying to throw themed scene parties. Needless to say, we let them know that we weren't down.

So, we're both practicing as often as we can separately, and we are getting together to jam/work out a set on Friday afternoon. Hopefully soon, we'll be prepared to take Charleston over (Hunter is talking to people from Chai's) and get this money, son. In the meantime, if you are having a party, or know someone that is, that would like to have 2 DJ's killing it all night, holla. All we ask is free drinks and a little paper... or maybe just some drinks to take home. I'll always remember the time E-Bar paid me to play her boyfriend's birthday party with a bottle of Patron. Just as good as money in my opinion.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Once Again, It's Been A While

I still haven't been able to keep up with the blog as much as I would like. I've been crazy busy lately between moving into my new place, practicing on the turntables so Hunter and I can start getting spots to spin around town, and playing a lot of Rock Band.

This past weekend, Will came into town; and so did Emily, Maggie, Meredith, Lynsey, and Alana. I spent Friday with Will, Alex, LP, Brian, Panda, Leah, and Betras. We chilled at LP's and then went to Juanita's. I walked Linzy home and watched some of Boondock Saints, then went home to bed. On Saturday, I chilled with Ben, Will, Charley, Bochet, Diddy (briefly), Maggie, Meredith, Emily, Lynsey, Crosswell, Bonam, JP, and Alana at Ben's. Then over to Bonam and JP's for a great dinner, and back to Juanita's with that crew in the evening. Long walk home from Ben's at 4:30 in the morning. On Sunday, I slept until 4 and went to meet up with a homie in West Ashley, then over to Palmer's for Rock Band with Andy and Linzy.

Seriously, lots of Rock Band lately. Mostly, I've been watching this youtube video of the bass part from Muse's Hystweria on Expert. Trying to learn it with muscle memory first before I try it in front of the "bandmates". The politics of Rock Band are hilarious. Who plays what instrument at what level seems to be a much bigger topic than it should be. Anyway, peep the Muse chart and try to play along (lots of hammer-ons):

Do It Big... hopefully I'll write a new post before next week, but no promises.