Easy Music Guides

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Bay Area rapper Kreayshawn pays her haters no mind. The 22-year-old rose to prominence last May when the video for her swagged-out ode to anti-materialism, “Gucci Gucci,” went viral, logging almost 35 million YouTube views – and more than 33,000 “dislikes” – to date. With her Columbia Records debut Somethin‘ Bout Kreay now slated for a summer release, Kreayshawn says she couldn’t care less if people dismiss it.

“I think there are people who are just waiting to hate. This could be the best album in the world and they’ll hate it anyway,” Kreayshawn, born Natassia Gail Zolot, tells Rolling Stone. “I’m not really concerned with trying to turn haters into believers. I just think it’s going to be a fun-ass album for my fans that I have now, and for people who have only heard one song.”

Kreayshawn enlisted producers Diplo, Boys Noize, DJ Two Stacks and Jean Baptiste to broaden her hyphy-leaning sound. “One song will be like, super hip-hop, and one song will be like Bay Area hyphy music, and another will be like Chicago house juke music and one will be New Orleans crazy booty-bounce music. And one will be a crazy, witch-house-sounding track,” says Kreayshawn. The LP also features guest appearances from 2 Chainz, Kid Cudi, Sissy Nobby, DB tha General, Chippy Nonstop and V-Nasty.

Album cut “Twerkin’” features a hook from the track’s producer Diplo, who Kreayshawn says inspired her to pursue her film career (she’s directed videos for Soulja Boy Tell’em and Lil B). “When I grow up, I want to be like Diplo, for sure,” she says. For the Kid Cudi-assisted “Like It or Love It,” she says the pair drew from punk’s influence. “We were in the studio and we kind of made a new song with a whole new genre … [Cudi] actually played some guitar on the song and we made a break there with instruments,” Kreayshawn says. “The song is just like, punk. If you like it, then do it. Do whatever you want if it makes you happy.”

Since inking a rumored $1 million deal with Columbia in June 2011, Kreayshawn has laid relatively low, appearing as a featured guest on tracks by 2 Chainz and Juicy J and building up her performance chops with a headlining slot on last year’s Noisey college tour. In the meantime, other white female rappers have penetrated the game like Iggy Azalea and Kitty Pryde, whose “Okay Cupid” video has drawn comparisons to Kreayshawn for her aloof delivery and teen appeal.

“I saw her stuff. She’s cute. I love kitties,” Kreayshawn giggles. “I wouldn’t say [her flow is] similar at all. Her style is super poetic and well-written. My style is more like freestyle, crazy, whatever I’m thinking of. Ponies and blah blah blah. But her shit is tight, for sure.”

With her self-described “super upbeat” and “uptempo” debut arriving in a few months, Kreayshawn says she’s also cooking up duets with Insane Clown Posse, Sissy Nobby and pop-rap duo Millionaires. The former Berkeley Digital Film Institute student is also itching to pick back up the camera soon, and she hopes to record a new mixtape while promoting Somethin‘ Bout Kreay, which will be released as a special-edition cassette tape for 100 fans. As for those haters? “I hope that this makes them think that they should shut up and listen to my album every day of their lives.”

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kreayshawn-to-brush-off-critics-on-fun-a-debut-album-20120517

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Mark Ronson has told the Village Voice that Amy Winehouse was “freaked out” by the success of Adele in their final meeting before her death last year. “We spent a little time together and talked about [working together on a new album],” Ronson recalls of his late collaborator. “But, what little time we had, well, it was tense. She was in a bad state, God knows why.

“I think that the Adele thing had Amy freaked out. She liked her, but Adele’s success was making Amy feel upset, competitive, restless,” says Ronson. “Anyway, we lost touch briefly. And before she and I could really start the process of beginning a new album, it was too late.”

Winehouse died at her London home on July 23rd, 2011. Late last year a coroner ruled that the singer died from excessive drinking.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mark-ronson-amy-winehouse-was-freaked-out-by-adeles-success-20120517

California pop rockers Best Coast returned to the Late Show With David Letterman last night to play the title track from their second album, The Only Place. The new record, which was produced by Jon Brion, is a more polished affair than their fairly lo-fi debut, but the band does not forego their trademark haze of guitar fuzz in this performance.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/best-coast-return-to-letterman-20120517

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Click to listen to Public Image Ltd’s ‘Deeper Water’

Storied post-punk band Public Image Ltd are readying their release of THIS IS PiL, the group’s first new record in 20 years. Recorded in the U.K. last year at Steve Winwood’s studio, “Deeper Water” is a forceful track featuring frontman John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten)’s quivering yells and tortured pleas.

“It was an improv, done in one take. We made it up as we went. But there is a great deal of thought that goes in before you do that,” Lydon tells Rolling Stone. “It’s about bad influences, bad information, bad leadership. There’s ‘bristled bastards that will lead you to the shore, dash you on the rocks.’ Don’t follow the liars. It’s a very difficult thing for me to trust people.”

THIS IS PiL is set for a May 28th release date through PiL’s own label, PiL Official.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/song-premiere-public-image-ltd-deeper-water-20120517

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WINNER OF THE WEEK: Mother’s Day. We’re not comfortable generalizing about mothers’ musical tastes – this writer’s wife, who is a mother, favors George Jones, Parliament and the Sex Pistols – but stereotypical mom-oriented albums got a boost on the Billboard charts this week. Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away sticks to Number One for a second straight week, selling 120,000 copies; Adele’s 21 jumps from Number Four to Number Two, with 101,000 copies sold; and Lionel Richie’s easy-like-Sunday-morning Tuskegee jumps from Number Six to Number Three, selling 71,000 copies. The surge is largely old-school and CD-focused. On iTunes, Underwood is Number One, but Adele is at Number Three and Richie isn’t even in the Top 10. Similarly, while Norah Jones’ Little Broken Hearts is at Number Five on Billboard (a three-slot drop), she’s at Number 10 on iTunes.

LOSER OF THE WEEK: Albums. Last year, record executives expressed optimism that album sales were finally starting to inch back upwards, after plummeting for more than a decade in the post-Napster era. “Maybe we’ve reached bottom!” some suggested, in so many words, in interviews throughout the year. Or maybe Adele’s 21 was an anomaly, and now that it’s run its course, sales are dropping again. So far in 2012, record labels have sold 112.32 million albums compared to 113.79 million in 2011, a 1 percent drop. It’s still early in the year, but we think it’s safe to say that the post-Napster plummeting continues.

SEVEN DAYS OF RIHANNA VIRALITY: Rihanna isn’t at the top of the charts at the moment, at least in the traditional Billboard sort of way, but her publicity blitz of the past week is paying off in serious viral action. In addition to doing prominent interviews for her upcoming movie Battleship, her racy video for “Where Have You Been” came out on April 30th and has logged more than 29.5 million views – enough for an 88-spot surge on the Ultimate Chart, which measures Internet criteria. The new single lands at Number Eight, and “We Found Love” climbs 15 slots to Number 32.

LAST WEEK: The Beastie Boys Return to the Charts

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/on-the-charts-rihannas-ship-sails-20120516

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Chuck Brown, a pioneer of Washington, D.C.’s Go-Go music scene, died today at the age of 75, reports WJLA. Brown had been sick for some time, and was hospitalized with pneumonia last week.

Brown, a guitarist and singer, was known to fans as the Godfather of Go-Go.  He played in bands since the Sixties, but broke through in the late Seventies as Go-Go, a subgenre of funk, blew up in the D.C. music scene.

He was best known for his hits “I Need Some Money,” “Ashley’s Roachclip” and “Bustin’ Loose,” which was sampled prominently on Nelly’s 2002 hit “Hot in Herre.” Brown’s song “L.O.V.E.” was nominated for a Grammy in the best RB performance by a duo or group category in 2011.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/chuck-brown-godfather-of-go-go-dead-at-75-20120516

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In the song “Castles Made of Sand,” Jimi Hendrix sang about a “little Indian brave” who dreamed of growing up to be a fearless warrior. “I was surprised to find myself the main character in the second verse,” recalls Leon Hendrix, the late guitarist’s kid brother, who is now 64.

The younger Hendrix has just published a book, Jimi Hendrix: A Brother’s Story, which recounts a childhood with the lanky daydreamer who would go on to revolutionize the electric guitar. Shut out of the Hendrix estate in a dispute with his half-sister, Leon Hendrix won rights to his brother’s name and likeness in a 2011 ruling, and lately he has found an audience in Europe with his own familiar-sounding music.  

How long have you had this kind of reception in Europe?
It’s unbelievable. All our concerts sell out, and we broke the record in Krakow, Poland, with 7800 guitars [playing at once for a Guiness Book of World Records attempt]. I was the main host. There were, like, 20,000 people there. This whole country has set up a Jimi Hendrix thank-you tour. I mostly play in Italy and Germany. It’s awesome, because we never got any money from the Jimi Hendrix estate, which is run by my Japanese sister. Jimi’s looking out for me, buddy. ‘Cause I can’t get a job at McDonald’s [laughs].

You’ve got stories about Jimi that nobody else has.
Exactly, and I’ve still got more. But I have to be coaxed into remembering them.

Tell me about the nickname “Buster.” That’s all you called him, right?
Yeah, because he was born Johnny Allen Hendrix. Everyone called him Little Johnny – “Hey, Johnny. Come, Johnny.” He bonded with Johnny. Then our father came home [from the military] five years later – he’d never seen the kid – and he picked him up and said, “I’m gonna change your name.” Daddy, why? “Because that’s the name of your mother’s boyfriend.”

Jimi would never answer to James. When we lived in the projects, there was a field house where every Saturday, if you brought a nickel, you could watch 15 minutes of Buster Crabbe in Flash Gordon. So one day he came home, put a cape on and said, “My name is Buster.” We’ve been calling him Buster all our lives.

All that stuff about him loving Flash Gordon and flying saucers – it seems obvious where his personality came from. He definitely had that kind of innocence and gentle, inquisitive spirit as an adult.
You know Ancient Aliens? They should read some of Jimi’s lyrics if they want real proof of the intervention of aliens. He used to tell me these stories when I was a little kid. They’re real. I saw an unidentified flying object myself. There’s definitely a connection somewhere.

In the book you recall the time when Jimi took apart your father’s radio and said, “I’m looking for the music.” That’s a great story.
We lost the screwdriver behind the bed and he couldn’t put the radio back together. Otherwise my dad would have never known. We got a whuppin’ for that.

And the story about when you were cleaning out a woman’s garage and found a ukulele, his first instrument.
True. Also the story where he didn’t have an amp? He was a genius. He took an old Decca record player and rewired it so the speakers would produce sound. He said, “Leon, hold these wires together!” He was so active playing the guitar – “Hold those wires together!”

You write about your travels with him from Seattle to L.A. after he began recording. That seems like a compressed period – maybe a month or so?
I actually don’t remember, but I remember all the shows. Before that we went to Canada and Spokane. We drove. And then Jimi said, “Here’s some money. Come to L.A.” He wanted me to work with him. He was starting a record company, and he wanted his old management out. He wanted me to be his personal assistant, to watch for people stealing from him. He could catch a guy redhanded and he couldn’t say nothing. But me, as a street kid, I’d say, “Dude, get out – you’re fired!” It was crazy – they’d go to the box office with a gun and collect the money. The guy would give us each 50 bucks and I’d go, “Dude, I just saw you collect $90,000. And we’re on a budget?”

Where did Jimi’s voice come from? It was so unique, so mellow.
That’s because he was always told to shut up when he was a kid. My dad always said “children should be seen and not heard.” Jimi was always introverted. My dad didn’t like him playing music, and that hurt his feelings. He went inside with his art and music. But when he got onstage, that was his time to say “Fuck you, motherfuckers.” That was his escape.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/leon-hendrix-jimi-was-always-told-to-shut-up-when-he-was-a-kid-20120516

Welcome to the May 16, 2012 posting of Events Horizon, our weekly guitar Noise blog post where you can get news and pertinent information concerning upcoming shows featuring members and friends of the guitar Noise community, taking place all over the world. Or at least wherever and whenever people let us know they’re happening!

In the guitar Noise community, we believe that the true power, wonder and beauty of music comes when it gets shared with the world. So whenever you’re out playing, we’d really like to do is to help promote your shows, whether it’s in a stadium or at a ten-seat coffee house. Not only is it a great way to help support each other, it’s also a terrific way to meet more musicians!

So (usually!) every Wednesday we (try to) post a blog about the gigs we know are coming up in the following ten days or so. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to attend a show should they happen to be in your corner of the world! So here are some places you might check out (and be sure to write in to let us know of and post some more!):

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Singer / songwriter Marilyn Miller hosts the weekly open mic at The Parlor, located at 734 Warren Street in Hudson, New York. This incredibly friendly event runs from 7 to 9 PM and all ages are welcome.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Southern Roots, with GN community member Doug James on guitar, have an 8 PM show at the Tuckahoe Moose Lodge, located at 4366 Springfield Road in Glen Allen, Virginia. The music runs until 11 PM.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

The Wishing Well is back on the Continent with a show at See La Vie, Alte Landstrasse 26 in Horgen, Switzerland. That’s pretty close to Zurich, in case you’re in the area. Shw starts at 8:00 PM.

The Parlor Saturday Concert Series, held at The Parlor, 734 Warren Street in Hudson, New York is back up and running! This week you can catch Kirsten and Dave. Show runs from 7 to 9 PM.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Yes, it’s Thursday again so come on by The Parlor’s weekly open mic, located at 734 Warren Street in Hudson, New York. Singer / songwriter, Marilyn Miller hosts the evening in this incredibly friendly little coffee house. Runs from 7 to 9 PM and all ages are welcome.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Tom Hess and Rhapsody of Fire hit the United States at last! They’ll be playing tonight at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and you definitely want to be there if you can!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Longtime guitar Noise contibutor, guitar teacher and all-around good guy Tom Hess is currently touring the world with Rhapsody of Fire. And, from now through June, you can catch them here in the United States! Tonight they’re playing at Soundstage in Baltimore, Maryland. Be sure to say “hi” to Tom from us!

There’s a full house of  artists this week at The Parlor Saturday Concert Series, held at The Parlor, 734 Warren Street in Hudson, New York. Tonight features Jenny O., Chris Garneau, Osei Essed and Gregory the Hawk. Show runs from 7 to 9 PM.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Rhapsody of Fire, with longtime GN contributor Tom Hess on guitar, visits Massachusetts! The band has a show tonight at The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Please feel free to email about whatever gigs you’ve got coming up. Send your gig dates to dhodgeguitar@aol.com and try to put ‘gig alert’ in the subject header. As mentioned, we’ll be posting the latest schedule every Wednesday. We’d love to include you in our listing.

Also feel free to add upcoming dates in the “Comments” section of this thread. That way we’ll be able to add your next performance to our future updates.

We wish you the best with your shows as well as a great time at any show you can attend. Maybe you’ll get to meet some of your guitar Noise friends in person at long last!

Peace

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/guitarNoiseBlog/~3/NVpI6_vz2bc/

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On May 22nd, guitar virtuoso Slash will release his second solo record, Apocalyptic Love. Recorded with backing group Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, the album is filled with head bangers and plenty of fancy fretwork, most notably on standout tracks like “Hard and Fast” and “Standing in the Sun.” Stream the deluxe version of Apocalyptic Love exclusively below, and pre-order the album on iTunes here.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/album-premiere-slash-apocalyptic-love-deluxe-20120515

El-P dropped by the Late Show With David Letterman last night to perform “Stay Down,” a cut from his latest album, Cancer for Cure. The New York rapper and producer was joined by Nick Diamonds for the performance, which amped up the intensity of a track that was already quite heavy and powerful on record.

Article source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/el-p-performs-stay-down-on-letterman-20120516