The Ear Hole

help

I am in (not-so-) hot pursuit of the original recording of this track from RJD2's Your Face Or Your Kneecaps.

I've spent hours sifting through the messy bowels of countless DJ message boards, music blogs and RJD2 fan sites; a method which actually yielded a positive return on investment in a past quest for this joint, sampled on the very same RJ album (and also trumpeted in this previous "cats suck" post). I usually am pretty good at unearthing these things.

But alas, here I sit: Frustrated, constipated and without any fruits -- dried or otherwise -- to show for my labor.

So consider this a cry for help. If anyone knows the origins of this tune -- artist, song title...whatever -- please let it be known with a comment below or shoot me an email.

Speaking of mixtapes, I'm a bit frustrated with the Breakestra's apparent refusal to announce a US tour. Their latest record, Hit The Floor, continues to garner street cred, and one would think a supporting US tour would ensue. What's more, the band just played a few European dates; and yet their site shows no signs of a NYC gig. Not fair.

If you're not hip to these guys, these three tracks from their standout Live Mixtape, pt. 2 album will wet your whistle. Best digested in succession.

Space

Cramp Your Style

Champ

Click here to hear more

And finally: Bauer.

Unable to intimidate this hotel-lobby perp with his venomous whisper, Jack Bauer is again forced to break protocol in lieu of more extreme measures. See for yourself:

Bauer vs. Perp

Click here for a written account of this tomfoolery.

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Track of the day: "Nellie Jean" by The Slip, from Angels Come On Time.

a licky boom boom yeah

I believe I heard this song at a party this weekend. Or maybe I dreamt it; my dreams of late have been sprinkled with mediocre white hip-hop (and also with pigeons). Here's "Informer" by Snow, from his hit record 12 Inches Of Snow (sadly, it seriously did sell enough copies to be considered a "hit record"). Best album title of the 90s?

And speaking of Snow, it appears he's poised to release a masterpiece this year. This according to his official Web site, which kindly cautions, "Get ready rude boys and girls cuz there is a blizzard on the way."

And finally, here's another notable Snow quote from the Web:

Snow has never understood the "white rapper" label he's worn all these years.

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David Byrne's new journal entry on the changing role of packaging in the music industry is a good read.

what a tool

I accidentally caught Larry The Cable Guy on Leno last night while flipping through the late-night circuit, and I must admit that he actually held my attention...but it sure as hell wasn't with his wit or personality. It was one of those situations where the stupidity and embarrassment is so intriguing that you can't turn away. It's sort of like watching Saved By The Bell (click here for a perfectly exemplary SBTB clip. This is a must-see).

So there I was, watching in paralyzed awe as Larry, promoting his role in the new Pixar (or is it the other one?) flick, Cars, sat down beside Jay and proceeded to, gasp, speak.

It was immediately apparent that he had scripted his own interview; and spineless Jay was with him every step of the way (no surprise there). Back and forth they went as Larry turned the segment into his own mini stand-up routine, with Jay fueling the fire by lobbing joke lay-ups disguised as actual questions. Who shows up for a television interview with a rehearsed routine? Embarrassingly dull conversationalists, that's who. Sadly, it probably happens more often than we realize.

Anyway, I clearly am quite comfortable with my disdain for Larry and the rest of the Blue Collar degenerates. In fact, to me, the idea of watching their program transcends even the aforementioned Saved By The Bell effect. Sure, it probably would be fascinating to observe an episode of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and try to draw conclusions as to what, exactly, the half-wit assholes in the audience find amusing (just as it is fascinating to stew over what went through a Saved By The Bell writer's brain while penning, say, this scene). But as entertaining as it may be to ponder that phenomenon, I'm afraid my profound hatred for these fellows trumps that curiosity, and will not permit me to help their ratings. What a bunch of tools.

In support of this random rant, here's some redneck kryptonite (soulful music):

Stand! by The Clinton Administration (Sly & The Family Stone cover). This song gets nasty at about the 1:37 mark.

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Disclaimer: Though this is my second TV-related post in the last week, I do not watch very much television.

glad

David Byrne is a peculiar bird; and an ingeniously peculiar bird at that. I've long paid close attention to his musical adventures, and more recently have become an avid reader of his online journal (though he does not seem to be an avid poster). Click here to view it. Tons of interesting content, but for some reason I can't always take him seriously (and I don't think he wants me to). What, you ask aloud, about a man in a foliage blazer is not to be taken seriously?

And of course, there are to be no arguments over the ingenuity of his musical mind. Here are some fragments of it:

Glad

The Other Side Of This Life

Finite = Alright

Smile

Twistin' In The Wind

Animals

johnny cakes

I'm having a tough time making sense of this Sopranos season. Not that I'm confused by any of the plotlines or anything; I just can't figure out whether it's entertaining me as much as I had hoped.

It certainly keeps my undivided attention, without fail, every Sunday night...but where the hell is David Chase going with this particular season? With just two episodes left, there doesn't seem to be enough built-up tension to make for an eventful finale. I suppose things could change with the next episode, but for now the only potentially climactic storyline appears to be that of estranged Vito "Johnny Cakes" Spatafore and his impending return to "the life" (and by "climactic" I mean "resolved by murder or gruesome manslaughter").

Tony can't seem to get pissed off anymore. The Johnny Sack plot is dry. Christopher's getting married with a kid on the way (but at least he's off the wagon). The prostate cancer news has all but deflated Paulie Walnuts. There was something interesting going on with A.J. and his clubbing bullshit, but that seems to have dried up, as well. Am I forgetting anyone?

I'm certainly not one of those people who is easily disappointed by a Sopranos episode lacking violence (I have 24 for that fix); I watch the show first and foremost for its superb writing, acting and cinematography, and tend to view each episode as a short film, in and of itself.

But there's also something to be said for a well-packaged season, and, to me, this one has been pretty jumpy and inconsistent. At this point, I am bracing myself for a disappointing culmination to Season Six.* I'm almost more excited about the Big Love finale. Almost.

* I guess the season technically ends with another eight-episode stint in early 2007, the show's last hurrah. HBO is calling that "part two" of Season Six; but since the two "parts" are nearly a year apart, I say they're separate seasons.

By the way, I'm selling these t-shirts for $12 a pop. Email me if you want one.

More designs:

Red

Impact

Baseball Cakes - (back)

The Brat

Pedestrian

Human

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Today's track of the day is "Egg Radio" by Bill Frisell. Instrumental guit-jazz with a sort of 50s rock vibe.

...and why not another tune of the same ilk? Here's "End Of The Road" (not the Boyz II Men song).

ninja stink

I hereby proclaim May 12, 2006 the inaugural National Day of the Ninja.

After patiently withstanding generations of human strife, famine and outright social ridicule, the American Ninja community has re-emerged from its cavernous dwellings to once again assert itself as an authority in the realm of combat...and also as a cultural fixture in the United States.

It is high time we acknowledge these masked salamanders. Their many, oft-overlooked contributions to modern-day street warfare -- and to the strength of the social fabric as a whole -- can no longer go unnoticed. After all, were it not for the American ninja, several of our most reliable tools and tactics of the battlefield -- such as the throwing star, the Samurai Squat and the Spicy Carrot Chop -- would today still lie exclusively in the hands of the enemy.

So let us take a few moments on this special day to further educate ourselves on the ways our slinky-legged comrades. Click the below links, in succession, for a quick ninja tutorial.

Ninja Strategy

Ninja Technique

Ninja Song and Dance

Ninja Sustenance

Ninja

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And now for something completely different. Today's track of the day is "Where The Devil Don't Stay" by the Drive-By Truckers...just because.

run, warren, run

Somebody's got a case of the Mondays. First off, I'm sick, and my morning was thus spent in a crowded, smelly doctor's office. Second, for the first time in over a week, the NYC weather is shitty. And finally, Fidel, the regular sandwich wizard at my neighborhood deli, decided to let some washed-up, moustached hack try to do his job today. The result: a disappointing, lazily-crafted turkey & swiss on a (stale) roll.

Suffice it to say I was having a lousy day.

Then, Dan Abrams (don't like him) and MSNBC made my day with this. Yes, Warren Jeffs, everyone's favorite Mormon and leader of the polygamy-practicing Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, just got him a shiny new FBI bulls-eye on his back (to match his shiny new pre-pubescent sex toy...er, wife). Mormon insiders say the shifty pervert will be "nearly impossible" to catch, citing his numerous support networks and his reputation as a meticulous master of mormon disguise. Here's to hoping he's dressed like this when they catch him; wherever he is.

According to this Waylon Jennings joint, the Feds needn't bother searching for him south of the border.

Funny, he doesn't look like a mormon/pedophile/egomaniac/geek.

Speaking of MSNBC, if you haven't seen the cable newsies' new mid-afternoon installment, The Most... don't do it. Unless you like that Cold Pizza show on espn2.

Wednesday

Happy hump day. I don't feel compelled to write/think about much in particular, as I am having a shitty week at work. Perhaps that will change tomorrow -- the end of the week tends to find me in a better mood, and the weather is supposed to be ridiculous -- but for the time being, I will default to lazily posting the two songs that almost brought me out of a funk this morning.

"Good Life" by Richard Julian (Good Life)
I think this one's already been posted here, but since it managed to resonate with me today, here it is again. I'm still on a Richard Julian kick; this and his new album, Slow New York, remain on heavy ipod rotation.

"The Flower Song" by The Meters (Cabbage Alley)
A hidden gem of sorts from the Nawlins funksters. This is 1971 instrumental soul/funk, with the proverbial "/" falling at about the 1:16 mark. Give a listen and you'll understand.

One of the most ridiculous album covers of all time?

Finally, our friend Stephen Colbert was the keynote speaker at the White House Press Dinner on Saturday. Yesterday I could have sworn I heard/read that Colbert "bombed it," but upon viewing this clip I realize I must have been watching Fox or reading The Post.

*Wait, while we're on Colbert, I just stumbled upon another clip; this one from his show. Click here to watch him genuinely piss off a tool-box guest who clearly doesn't get it. Hilarious.

Om Trio, Mason

This ditty helped me wake up on my walk to work today. I share with you: Bulbous by Om Trio.

Om Trio is a San Fran-based instrumental jazz/funk outfit with a heavy backbeat. Just bass, drums and keys; what more do you need?

Also, from the opposite side of the ear's taste spectrum, Mason Jennings has posted a music video for the first single off his forthcoming album, Boneclouds (May 16).

Click here now to view/hear "Be Here Now".

Jennings will be in NYC to play Webster Hall in June. See show listings on left for details.

And finally, what says "Happy Tuesday" better than a balls-out cat fight?

DUO!

Here's "Big Whopper" from Sam Kininger's solo record.

This is actually a Benevento-Russo Duo tune; one which, by the way, was conspicuously absent from their Friday night Bowery set.

As expected, they sold the place out, as the Duo continues to improve and impress.

Check out these links and give them a listen:

Benevento-Russo Duo Official Home Page

The fan site, organanddrums.net

Duo on MySpace

And finally, Steve Cassens.