36 posts tagged “videos”

It's confirmed New Kids on the Block are indeed in my hood October 10; me thinks this is gonna be the best birthday concert season EVER (what, with Radiohead and Journey and Wallpaper, and then maybe Hall & Oates or Ratatat - the possibilities are endless...)

Now, reports are comin' in that the NKOTB has recorded a track with another one of my one true loves: New Edition. Uh, WHAT?? Apparently it's gonna be on the New Kids' new album to be released laster this year, and apparently I'ma change my underwear four times when I hear it. Also, Ralph Tresvant says "mad love" in the article, which is both hilarious and adorable, mostly because I think he still looks like this (in the black vest). Oh, melt my heart.

However, Bobby Brown is still M.I.A. from the picture, what with trying to get with his baby momma or something, and did not join in for the studio sessions. Dang. But in his honor, I am posting this clip because we all know how much I freaking LOVE this jam:

That shit is hard. There are so many things going against you: trying to get people to dance while they are interested in hitting the bottle; using someone else's iPod and records, and therefore someone else's music tastes; and, if you have no idea who your fellow party-goers are, it makes playing stuff like Twisted Sister, which you looooooove, either the best or worst idea ever.

Danielle and I went to an alter ego-themed party Saturday, and in between taking huge sips from our Slurpee and vodka jug, dancing to Notorious B.I.G. in the middle of a carpeted room, and pretending to be lesbian, we helmed control of the house iPod on loan, hooked up to the big DJ speakers. This was a party at her co-worker's abode, so I definitely was out of the loop in terms of being connected to people at the shindig, but that didn't stop me from playing some Hall & Oates...

"HOLY SHIT, I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!"

People literally poured in from all other areas of that house to groove in the living room. Initially, I didn't know if "I Can't Go For That" was going to generate any response; I really fucking love that song, but that doesn't mean people will dance. Danielle and I high-fived and continued to bust out the greatness, even playing "I Can't Go For That" a second time, much to the delight of our drunk crowd, and we jumped up and down. Secret weapon was discovered!

In cute news, yesterday I got to spend some quality time playing DVD 'The Price Is Right' with my family, including my dad, for Father's Day, and nothing beat seeing his face when he opened his card and found Journey tickets inside. I temporarily because the favorite child. September 27, greatness will be had!

Lastly, my BFD review went live earlier last week, and finally, my Wallpaper feature went live today...I will save WP for its own entry tomorrow, but know that I still laugh myself when I read it. That crazy Ricky Reed...

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Live - Live 105's BFD 2008 @ Shoreline Amphitheatre | SF

Oh, BFD...you always beat me up, sunburn me, and make me pay $13 for a "margarita yard stick," but listen, where else would I be on a June Saturday? Music and me, we're in a long-term relationship. Support is no question.

Admittedly, I had my reservations about the Live 105 event, which boasted to be "the summer's premiere music festival" on PSAs and promo around the Bay Area. I absolutely hate the large-stadium feel of the venue BFD was going to be in and prefer intimate ones, and the line-up seemed schizo, with artists ranging from Cypress Hill to MGMT to DJ AM, but hey - that's more or less my own record collection, so I was one to talk. Plus, given the insanity of last year's extravaganza, I was curious to know if the station could top even itself.

The BFD madness began the night before with a free pre-party at 330 Ritch hosting The Whigs, who have also been one of our On The Cover artists. A cool garage rock trio who sound like they borrowed The Vines' Craig Nichols, transplanted him into the Black Keys temporarily, and then renamed themselves while picking the axe simultaneously, The Whigs played hard and faithfully despite a thin turnout. "Right Hand On My Heart" is a example of the classic rock vehicle these guys can maneuver, but it's also tracks like "Sleep Sunshine," a beautiful slow tempo with drowsy lyrics and slider guitar that provides the band to branch out, and ultimately glow. I really look forward to seeing what else these Georgia boys can deliver.

After grabbing late-night donuts post-show and watching Designing Women at the shop with my friend Danielle, I passed out to wake up early the next morning and caravan down to Mountain View's Shoreline Amphitheatre with friends Kristin, Mario, and Mars' friend Jesse, all of us excited for different reasons: MSTRKRFT, Alkaline Trio, the local stage. We arrived right past The Whigs set time and promptly split up to explore, so I settled into Atreyu's set before realizing that even when I was 14, I didn't like this shit, but I appreciated the shredding they were doing on stage. I wandered a bit to soak up the adjustments to this year's festival in comparison to 2007's: there was no main stage area anymore, but rather a split stage set-up in the parking lot where when one band finished, the other could start up almost instantaneously. The new creation of the Subsonic tent, dedicated to electronic and dance music, was tucked neatly in the back and hosted both DJ and live acts. The main festival stage that faced seats and lawn areas was now turned into a meet-and-greet area.

After deciding against and then caving into $8 plastic bottled beer (you read that right), Kristin and I stopped in on San Francisco hot DJ Omar of popscene and Leisure fame, who got the crowd moving at 3:30 in anticipation of the acts scheduled later on. I then moseyed over to see MGMT, who I was definitely not prepared to take in. "Weekend Wars" sort of sounds like if David Bowie decided to reincarnate himself with a folk twist but couldn't let go of his synth roots, and then his music had a bunch of sex with the New York post-punk music. Topped off with these ridiculous outfits composed of one-pieces and straw hats, the Brooklyn band ripped through "Electric Feel," "Time To Pretend," and ended with "Kids," which found Oakland bad Hottub crashing the stage and having an orgy with the MGMT kids while the band tried to play. It was definitely one of the highlights of the day.

A short pretzel break later, and we were back in the Subsonic tent, after acquiring my friend Maria at the gates and Nick in the tent, and a margarita deemed 'the yard stick' at the booze tables. Lyrics Born thrust out a funk-inspired set full of speedy rhymes and a sassy back-up singer, and I got in the mood to dance as DJ Steve Aoki prepped his turntables. If you've ever peeked at Aoki's itinerary, this guy is all over the place, literally - one day in Japan, the next in L.A., the next at a private party. Maybe all the jetlag got to him, or the heat that day, but he reminded me of a 14 year-old who got left alone with his dad's record collection for two hours for the first time. He headbanged-danced like a cross between an angry three year-old and a slam dancer (thank you, Nick); he zipped right across the stage, left, right, and then up and down, touching every amp in between; he climbed up on the speakers and tousled his hair like he was out of his mind. Needless to say, I was more impressed he could still mix properly lest suffer from a brain hemorrhage. Plus, I knew he was doing something right when I spotted The Kooks' lead singer Luke Pritchard dancing on one of the speakers midway through!

Aoki picked up his stuff to let friend DJ AM helm the tables after him; I wrote in January about the sheer propensity the L.A.-based DJ had to innately know what the crowd wanted, and it seems like the guy is just like wine, it only gets better with age. Jay Z to Daft Punk, Weezer to The Presets, mid-90s dance anthems and current singles, AM knows what he's doing, and I decided if I ever had a half million dollars to blow, I will hire this guy to DJ my wedding. We squeezed amongst a throng of a now-packed tent to dance to his set, which didn't disappoint in any capacity. Breathless, we simmered down to watch Santogold as she took front and center after AM. Her two backup dancers, dressed to perfection in pressed white collared shirts and tailored black pants, provided the most entertainment. Prerecorded backing tracking backed Santogold, and from there the mediocrity hit plateau. I really wanted to like her, considering the hype surrounding her M.I.A. meets Gwen Stefani sound, but maybe the half hour set she was limited to didn't allow her true potential to follow, she just couldn't own the stage.

I ended up sitting with Maria talking about my love life outside of the tent for MSTRKRFT's set, but knowing I would see them at the Mezzanine after party later in the night justified my tales of woe taking precedence. It did amuse me that Usher's "Love In This Club" made an appearance during the duo's set, and ashamed me to realize that I knew the lyrics as well. I serenaded Maria with "I'll be like your medicine, you'll take every dose of me!" much to her bemusement.

After an In'N'Out stop, we trekked back to the City to catch Motor live at Mezzanine in San Francisco before MSTRKRFT took stage. The London pair has songs about not being human and gays in America and have a decidedly industrial feel to them I didn't anticipate, but appreciated. It seemed like the packed house at Mezzanine also appreciated them, because I was getting pushed left and right; as MSTRKRFT came on we decided to push our way through to the middle of the floor and dance like no tomorrow. Sadly, my comrades could not take the stuffy air around us four songs in, so we relocated to the back to watch. Hunger and fatigue began to settle in, and a quick drop in to indie club Leisure and a late-night diner ended my BFD experience. And while I can't say if this year tops last, I can say with certainty that sunscreen indeed never washes off.

By JENZ Jun 12, 2008 in NEWS

Not really. I'm too fidgety to be in front of the camera, and I like to be behind one, anywho.

I was in a cranky mood when I got to the office, so I knew this song could totally cheer me up:

The problem is, this song kept getting stuck in my head simultaneously:

I don't know why.

But really, Ginuwine? "You know I'm a sexaholic?" Dang. Whatever happened to that guy? Anyone know?

My immediate thoughts:
- Donnie obviously misses being able to grope girls legitimately. HE IS SO CREEPY
- Joey Mac, still #1 in my heart
- How many girls ARE there in their bikinis? Do they even know who these guys are? And that some of them weren't even born when New Kids was popular? Can you even imagine?
- Again, Donnie, obviously enjoying this too much
- They talk about "getting wet" and then Jordan winks at the camera! Well, I guess to be fair, he did talk about it once before
- Poor Jon and Danny, they disappear 1:20 in and reappear for...
- ULTIMATE FAIL OF A DANCE ROUTINE AT THE END: they totally look like BSB from the get-go with the white suits, but in the end...
- The song is in my head, and therefore I get pwned

My very, very first concert was when I was in third grade. Eight years old, 1993, and somehow I convinced my parents to take me to the Hot 97.7 Summer Jam concert series at the Redwood Ampitheatre in Great America. Oh yeah, that Great America. That decision I think was later regretted by my mom, who I remembered being hellishly horrified that  one of the opening acts did a dance move that was reminscent of this. On repeat. Continously.

The bill included Soul IV Real, Mint Condition, and Keith Sweat, the latter who canceled that morning. I remember standing line near the bumper cars and feeling crushed. I would later go on to wear the concert tee to bed and inwardly curse the show gods from taking away my opportunity to see Keith Sweat. Fifteen years have passed, and I am still bitter I never got to see the man in person. How much would "I Want Her" ruled live?

I mention this because I'm going over some notes I took during the Wallpaper. interview from Friday, and Eric mentioned "I Want Her" and how aesthetically pleasing it is despite the ridiculousness of the lyrics. I couldn't agree more. I wonder if we both listened to the late night love jams on KMEL with Chuy Gomez considering we both grew up in the Bay Area...it is a little funny the night I went to see them at Rickshaw in March was the same one as Keith Sweat and BelBivDeVoe in Oakland. Who knew?

1 - I am sort of ridiculously obsessed about the new Kanye video for "Flashing Lights" - I already think he's innovative as it is, but for this video he went David Lynch on our asses:

Holy shit. This would have been something I would loved to do in my Noir class if I had $800,000 to blow that semester. (And for the record, "Lost Highway" still gives me the shivers. Every time.). The Kanye video has everything I love in photo shoots: lingerie, fire, bondage, shovels, a beautifully color-saturated landscape in the desert. On the Universal YouTube page (which wouldn't let me link directly to the video, sadly), it even has a disclaimer for how graphic the video is. I can't wait for part two...

2 - I had to take the day off work on Friday not only for my brother's WVC graduation, but to travel to the Amazon for a very rare and very special Ricky Reed from Wallpaper photoshoot. My trusty machete that I always carry in my camera bag definitely came in handy. When I came back, I was able to track down Eric Frederic and try to absolve all the noise about Ricky being missing...it will be covered in a feature I am doing for the Tripwire next week, so stay put. But for now, here is first proof that Ricky is okay:

Thank the lord the man is alright. I don't know what I would have done without my fingersnappin' booty jam crooner.

Also, I need to make sure I get tested for malaria on Monday, too - just to be positive I didn't contract anything. Those jungles are a beast.

3 - The Langhorne Slim review and photo gallery I did went live on Wednesday; what is it about guys in suspenders? Swoon swoon swoon...article link is here and C&P'ed below.

4 - Next week is busy: trying to crash the Beirut and Flight of the Conchords show, bowling with Ladytron, "getting hot" with Jaguar Love (as Kristin would say), hugging my friendies on Memorial Day...I feel this is the start of a beautiful summer!

Now, to call Kaiser...

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Live - Langhorne Slim @ The Independent | SF

It's true the Tripwire is sort of unhealthily in love right now with Langhorne Slim, who is our On The Cover artist, and now we have stalkerrazzi proof of the man in action at his San Francisco show. He rocks a mean pair of suspenders in addition to having such a sweet name...

The Independent was full of kids doing various jigs by the time I arrived, and I got a few elbows in the ribs while trying to snap around. It was easy to see why the running man was in full effect, though. Tracks like "In The Midnight" and standout "Rebel Side Of Heaven" encompass rooted melody surrounded by a great guitar and rhythm line, with Slim's voice sounding like he's carrying a smile the whole time: "No, we ain't going to hell, we're going to the rebel side of heaven," he sang with such conviction and airiness, it was hard not to believe him. In tow with backing band the War Eagles, the threesome employed the use of a guitar, stand-up bass, and drum kit alone to belt out alterna-folk-indietastic tunes without being pretentious. "Diamonds and Gold" has the old-time, dusty folk I have come to be so fond of from Slim, a sleeper of a ballad that is both dainty and dirty with encouraging lyrics like "It's alright to smile, it's alright to get a little happy along the way." Slim also delivered some well-humored commentary in between songs; when a chair was pulled out for a quieter track, someone yelled from the audience "Lazy!" to which he responded, "This is not lazy. It's acoustic."

The encore found Slim and co. personally pulling up people from the audience onto the stage for a full-on dance party, the front man himself running around kicking up his legs, too. I am only bummed I didn't find myself in these guys' presence sooner.

P.S. Dear Ferraby Lionheart: I am very sad I missed your set before Langhorne's. I was too busy stuffing dinner sushi down my throat. Next time. XOXO

Photos by JENZ

Langhorne Slim
MySpace

By JENZ May 21, 2008 in NEWS

It's kind of tragic. Let's begin.

I was first introduced into the cluster fuck of Eric Frederic/Ricky Reed during this year's Noise Pop - Becca and I got sassed by the whole get-up: 90s shades, faux fur coat, fake gold chain, fedora, satin gloves, velvet cloth over chairs. And once he did a cover of Bel Biv Devoe's "Poison," let me tell you, it was all over. I was instantly in love. I wrote a bit about how this used to be my main jam growing up. I actually was listening to some of these mixtapes last night: Blackstreet, New Edition, Keith Sweat. I have such great memories of growing up on this music, since the popular radio stations in my hometown played a lot of New Jack swing (which I just found out was a term!) and R&B/hip-hop/rap-infused tracks.

After Noise Pop, I got borderline obsessive and began to try and catch as many shows as I could; Danielle and I got absolutely hammered and booty-shook the night away when he played Blow Up in March, drinking God knows how much during the set, getting our pictures snapped that ended up on MySpace, and ending the night in an epic cab episode. Then I trekked out to Oakland in April to catch him at the Stork Club with Jerry, where we danced at the front nearly on the stage with the man himself and then played drunk pool until I had to catch BART back into the city, wherein we got Taco Bell and I peed on a bank. wallpaper. gets me into trouble, for sure.

So I've been doing a little bit of comparative analysis in preparation for the wallpaper. show on Thursday (ahem, coughanalysisyeahrightmorelikeswooningcough), which is a record release party for their T-Rex EP. I've noticed as I've been YouTubing wallpaper. videos that there is a great distinction in Eric's showsmanship over the past year:

Video #1: look at his babyface. It seems like he's like a little kid performing, really having fun with the persona, and very relaxed. In video #2, which is only six months later, it's like he's actually now owning the character. Maybe it's the acquisition of the beard scruff, who knows, but man. That air of maturity, swank, confidence, "Yes I know I'm a badass motherfucker" attitude eminating from that seriously amazing blazer? Sex is just oozing out of him. The times I've seen him he's been the person in video #2, and let me tell you, it is pure hotness.

And believe you me also, I have no fucking idea if this thing he's created is "for real" or serious or an homage or a side project for laughs. Wendy and I were talking about why I love this guy so much; I think he not only encompasses what I miss/liked about my childhood, but it also putting a new spin on what I loved so much about that era in music. It also really doesn't hurt he's supremely attractive. Anyway, I am so stoked to see him on Thursday and hopefully get a better picture than this one from February.

Sexy times for sure! I mean, how can you not love this catchy gem, with a video featuring a cameo by your favorite funky dinosaur? "Now let's wait for this alcohol to settle into my veiny vein veins..."

But I totally have a New Kids On The Block sleeping bag, similair to this picture below. Imagine the background bright pink and the guys in mega contrast black:

Yeah. I'm never selling this shit on eBay.

Thus, this news of a reunion of the originators of said boy band infamy makes me a pretty happy girl. I came in at the very tail end of the craze (I was still relatively young, around 4 or 5), but I have such fond memories of listening to NKTOB when I was elementary school and just dancing around, and summers when my brother and I used to hang out at my mom's old work breakroom. I made her listen to "Please Don't Go Girl" in the car on the way home all the time. I also still have the "Hangin' Tough" video on VHS cassette tape with all their greatest hits, and my mom and I used to perform the "Right Stuff" rountine at the house I grew up in:

And it was epic, per usual. I know reality shows don't really give me the full scope of a person, but fuck dude, I was in love with petite and sweet Ambre from the get-go, especially when she told Daisy to go fuck herself when the girls were in Vegas...priceless...

Anyway, I love bad reality shows, especially ones that concern old 80s cockrock stars who never take off their bandanas. HOWEVER, I have learned not to ever eat dinner while watching this stuff, because I almost puked during the makeout sessions - seriously Bret Michaels, tongue in every girl?

The reunion special is next week, and my favorite blog Dlisted posted the video that is sure to look even better on the small screen...

FUCK YES. OH. MAN. 

First of all, George Michael in June?? Seriously?????????

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Apparently, it's for the first time in 17 years (which is no too shy of my age, yikes), and is shaping up to be a farewell tour of sorts. Let's just hope I can hear some fucking "All She Wants" uninterrupted and that the GM doesn't pull a Babs and goes on like 17 farewell tours. Phew.

Speaking of:

Anyway, it's been attack of the 80s recently, which makes me grateful to have the chance to be able to see the bands I got into while growing up and in college, but is also bummed; I was so born in the wrong decade. In more concert news, The Police are playing in July with Elvis Costello and the Imposters (!!) opening, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are headling the Outside Lands Festival in August. How cool would it have been to see these bands in their element when they were popular?

Speaking of the OLF (my new acronym for the Outside Lands Festival), Beck has also been confirmed to play, and I almost fell off my chair Monday when I found out. Radiohead and the love of my fake Scientology life? I'm into it.