Benjamin Clementine-Cornerstone

Cornerstone, the debut single of Benjamin Clementine, is raw. It's pure emotion. Cornerstone is one of my favorite songs of 2013 for this very reason. In an era of factory produced artists, bands, and singles, today's jamandahalf shines because it comes straight from the heart. Born from the life and story of a young Ghanaian immigrant who was discovered singing in the metro of Paris, Cornerstone is a bold statement and a fearless yet poignant"hello world". Showing that there is incredible musical talent all around us, Benjamin reminds us that sometimes true greatness is often easy to miss in a rush to your next destination. Luckily Benjamin was discovered and his face and the tears in his eyes at the end of his live performance in the video below seem to be a sweet, sweet combination of relief and joy. I feel like we're going to be hearing a lot of Benjamin in the next year. Keep an ear out and don't forget to throw a eurodollar or two in the bucket of the next busker you see singing his/her heart out.

alt-J -Breezeblocks (Live in Glastonbury)

I had another post all ready to go but it'll wait till tomorrow. alt-J just posted this video on their Facebook account and it put a big smile on my face. Performing at last week's Glastonbury festival, this show really seems to be the capstone on a tumultuous 18 months that has seen the band go from being virtual unknowns to attracting a crowd of tens of thousands at the biggest festival in Europe. I love seeing videos like these: although they have toured extensively you can tell that this is still special for them and their lead singer slips a "we made it" smile in at about the 1:40 mark. I wish nothing but the best for them and only hope that their taking time amongst the nonstop touring to work on their sophomore album (and it seems as though they are!).

Ben Harper-Suzie Blue (Live Acoustic Ukulele)

Though I often proclaim my love for music on this blog, my personal attempts at music creation have seemed to crash and burn. Apart from a brief stint playing the trumpet, and later as a member of a virtuouso extremely underground rap crew, my most recent foray into the world of music making has been with my ukulele. The always optimistic instrument has challenged me the last few years, and although I succeeded in my original goal of being able to decently play IZ's version of "Over the Rainbow," I hit a plateau fairly quickly. Ben Harper is a wizard of instruments (growing up in his grandparents' music store in Claremont didn't hurt) and never seems to be afraid of cutting everything away from his songs until only the bare bones remains. In his recent acoustic tour which went through New Zealand, Harper brought his uke along and plays a minimalist version of "Suzie Blue" that I love. Giving a completely different feel to the song which was originally featured on his 1999 album Burn To Shine, Harper also helps out the beleaguered instrument gain some clout in its eternal quest to do so. Check out the .mp3 of the live version, the video of the live version, and an .mp3 of the album version all below.

Download Ben Harper Suzie Blue (Live Acoustic Ukulele)



Download Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals Suzie Blue

Creedence Clearwater.......Revisited?

I am one of the luckiest cats you will ever come across, but rarely has destiny smiled so radiantly upon my young shoulders.  Free backstage passes to see C...C...R?  While there was no Fogerty out in front of the Revisited crew, I was thoroughly stoked to see some of the most recognizable and beloved songs from American music history rocked out appropriately.  And thats not to mention, the chance to kick it with legends Stu Cook and Doug Clifford (the other two dudes that are still alive from the original band) backstage.

And so Tom and Amy (I love you forever for inviting me, not that I didnt already) and I descended from our alpine paradise down to the agricultural wasteland of the Sacramento Valley, a subtle plain thats been manipulated into vast enterprise of massive cattle productions and dotted with casinos.  It was there, at the Thunder Valley Casino, that I was introduced to the cultural phenomena that is the CCR crowd.  A potent blend of heartland cowboys, forgotten hippies, and gold diggin cougars all gathered together to enjoy the indelible sounds of a band that is nearly synonymous with the counterculture of 1960s America.

Armed with only a thick whiskey buzz and the bonds of friendship we dissented against the culture of assigned seating and a slow starting older crowd to rally one of the funkier concert gangs I've ever been a part of.  And we sang, and we danced, and Tom and I played a lot of air guitar.  And soon enough we were rockin out with bald dudes and fending off fake tittied 50 year old women the way LT throws stiff arms at safeties.  Needless to say some of us were fending them off harder than others.  And soon we realized that it didn't matter with or without Fogerty.  Those songs are forever to be recognized as part of the intrinsic soul of American music and good times. And so I ask you all to enjoy these timeless folk songs that will continued to be played and sung for as long as I am alive, and certainly long after.

Click here to download "Have You Ever Seen the Rain"


Download Creedence Clearwater Revival Have You Ever Seen The Rain

Yea thats me and Stu drinkin a beer.

Afrojack Live!

Even though I really enjoyed living in the small town of Don Benito, Spain last year, I definitely missed the bright lights of the big city. One of the main reasons is live music. Though my town did have some relatively decent places to see some good bands, it was just that the good bands were few and far between, the draw of playing in Don Benito somehow lost upon them. I did see this guy perform for all about two seconds though.

Now that I'm in Madrid, I'm going to be posting many more concert reviews. And I'm starting this year of reviews off with a bang. Afrojack came into town on Saturday and absolutely killed it. Over the past few years I've gotten the chance to see a lot of the heavyweights of electronic music: Diplo, Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Boyz Noize, David Guetta, 2manydjs, Pretty Lights...Afrojack puts on a better show than any of them. Coming on at about 2:30am on a Madrid night just starting to show the first teasings of fall, the Dutchman put on a show that few of us will forget for a long time. I went with a great international crew, and each time I started to fade I just had to look over at another person in the group who was clearly in the moment to get another crucial boost of energy. Obviously pumped to be playing in Madrid for the first time (a big WTF! moment for me when he told the crowd that fact), he brought a fierce energy to the club, not letting the crowd's energy drop below boiling point for even a few seconds. Although the crowd was smaller than I thought, they were clearly loving it. Afrojack played a great mix of some of his bigger hits, newer stuff, and, surprisingly, some bangers by Avicii, Alesso, etc. Completely in his element in a v-neck tee, Afrojack hit every drop with the force of a Terry Tate tackle. If he's anywhere need you anytime soon, do yourself a favor and check him out. Keep coming back for a wide range of reviews from all genres in these coming months.

Click here to download Bangduck


Download Afrojack Bangduck