Thursday, December 15, 2011

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The Grind

So this week is full of last minute projects, studying and take home finals for many of my college brethren. I for one have a lot on my plate, but musica is helping me get through it all. Not the thick lyrical stuff this week though. This week is the week of instrumentals. So for those who need something to stimulate their ears in order to wake up that organ between them, I'll pump out some study jams for you all week.

So for those studious ones, here ya go. For the rest of ya, you're getting free music, stop complaining. B EZ keds...


Monday, December 5, 2011

Oneday Cover

Gettin into the thick of it here in Beantown. Finals are coming up (for me it's mostly this week) and the crunch is on. I found a little bit of time to hit you with a sweet little cover, and in the process discovered a new artist that's definitely going to appear again on this blogadinho.

For now I'm keeping it short and sweet, so here's Ellie Goulding reworked by Blackmill with an Elton John banger "Your Song". Enjoy and thanks for hanging in you faithful few. I have writing on tap for as soon as I can breathe again..I promise.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Woohoo!

Quick! I don't know how long I'll have access so...ITS MONDAY and I've had this cover burning a hole in my pocket. SHIZAM! Check out his dope cover of the Dream's "Walking on the Moon" by the uber-talented Bad Rabbits clan. This vid also features an amazing Boston rapper by the name of Moe Pope. Jump on the Moe Pope train, it'll be worth it, mark my words beezys. Be easy Bostonia...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Shafted

So I don't know why, but my email has been blocking me from accessing the Blogger account for a couple of weeks now. A lot has happened in that little span, but worry not, I'm still alive and kickin it old school. Can't nobody break my stride, remember that Gmail.

Exhausted right now, but I figure I'll throw this guys at ya to hold you over. A song by M83 that's really, really grown on me. I heard it on Hypemachine about a month ago, but it's been blowing up and I just saw it on "How to Make it in America" and that sealed the deal. Dope ending scene with a perfect musical accompaniment. Enjoy beezys, eazy duz it...

Monday, October 10, 2011

Cover Me Monday!

Columbus Day almost tripped me up, but I refuse to be stopped! A beautiful weekend in Boston, but man am I itching to get out of the city. I think the mountains are starting to call me home.

This cover is kind of a fun one, as Hawa does a unique rendition of Justice's electro-banger "D.A.N.C.E.". Big-time switchup, but it works. Do the dance, do the dance, the way you move is a mystery...

Monday, October 3, 2011

Monday: The Year Mark



Ok so I jumped the gun last week. I guess I missed a week somewhere in there so here it is: Cover #52!

After a year of digging around for these covers, I finally completed my mission and brought you a year's worth of pretty decent songs. I went through them last night and they ain't half bad, definitely impressed myself.

For those of you that have been following, it's been great to get some feedback every once in awhile, even though it's usually reminding me that I'm a day late.

This week's cover is a little jam by Lissie who does a pretty brilliant rendition of Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness". I've heard this one a bunch and thought I'd already put it up, but hey turns out it was still up for grabs, lucky me.

Hope you've gotten something out of this whole venture and are ready for the next. It's crazy to look back on these and see where you've come in a year, it's been an interesting trip. In summation, I think Dre said it best, "My life's like a soundtrack, I roll to the beat." EZ DUZ IT bostonia...

Brasil: Skin Deep 8/4

Ok so there's one more after this, then that's it for Brasil posts. Reading over these a little while later is kind of fun though, brings it back. Enjoy.

* * *

I had read about it previously, but didn't really believe it until I heard it again in one of our lectures.

Back in the States I read that Pelourinho and much of Cidade Alta had been rough area just a decade before (drugs, prostitution, crime, etc). Upon arriving though I was shocked to see a very clean-cut (almost cookie-cutter) neighborhood with the same old style architecture and colors used by early Portuguese settlers. How could this be an area like the books had described? Something didn't add up.

I was disheartened when my suspicions were confirmed. The area hadn't been improved, it had been gentrified. Instead of helping the people in need, Salvador had swept them away to the favelas to create something that they could show off to tourists. In my opinion this is always a temporary and very unstable solution, but Salvador is a city built on tourism and they needed a tourism center, so they took action. Worse still however, was the reconstruction of the area was only skin deep. Many of the buildings, were just made to look nice from the street, while their insides sat vacant and rotting. After I heard that I couldn't help walking through Pelourinho and feel like I was in Disney World with cardboard cut-out buildings surrounding me and a subtle "It's a small world" ringing in my ears. I felt a little cheated. I felt hoodwinked. I loved Pelourinho, but was it really Brasil?

A little of this bitterness started to carry over to my stay in Brasil. How much of my experience was simply a tourist facade? Admittedly, it started to bum me out.

But then I took a deeper look, a look beyond the plastic-y surface of Pelo. I was staying with a family that would bend over backwards to help me see what they see. They had taken me to their family house on Itapirica, to their favorite samba club, to play in a soccer tournament with their friends. They didn't stop at the surface, they opened their hearts and their home to a couple of gringos that for all they know could have been there because their parents in the U.S. wanted them out of the house.

My family helped me see the real beauty of Brasil, not just the picture-happy tourist trap. They helped me appreciate that short 15-minute walk down to Porto da Barra, helped me appreciate that R$5 acaraje that became R$3 after bartering away the "gringo turista tax" and the R$2 tallboy of ice-cold (and I mean ice-cold) Skol. They helped me appreciate sitting in the sand, watching futevoli (soccer volleyball) while the sun lit the sky on fire over Itapirica across the bay. No matter how many street vendor's were there hocking useless trinkets and how many plastic facades dot Salvadorian storefronts, that's a moment you can't fake. That's something I'll never forget. That's Brasil. That's real.

Obrigado Familia.



Sunday, October 2, 2011

Brasil: Move Your Feet

Woah, sorry I should have finished this a long time ago, whoops..

***

This post is a little dated, but essential nonetheless. Two weeks ago our mae asked Alec and I if we wanted to go to a concert put on by her friend's husband. Knowing little else beyond that Salvador is home to many different musical influences, we begrudgingly said yes despite wanting to spend Thursday night out with the group. What a pleasant and welcome surprise that gametime decision ended up being.

Our mae, Carla, swept us up and drove to Pelourinho, the Old City portion of Salvador. Through a convoluted maze of cobblestone streets we tried to follow our mae, not an easy task. After a couple of double-takes we caught up with her in front of a wrought-iron gate that seemed unassuming enough. We nodded at a bouncer and walked up some stone steps to where this small concert should have been.

And then we entered another world. A wave of music and motion crashed over us. I've tried a thousand times to think of a quick way to describe the scene and all I can come up with is that we were in a scene out of "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights" (yeahh, they made a sequel). Bodies upon bodies all moving to intoxicating guitars and drums, as a singer belted out crowd favorites. We were quickly swept up in the mass and didn't stop dancing for over two hours.

When the dust finally settled we couldn't believe it. The band nailed it as everyone vibed to the funky Bahian fusion. Alec and I surprised ourselves really getting after it (even though our mae said we moved like "robos", robots). Our mae was even more surprising, looking at home on the dance floor. It sounds weird describing a mae like this, but she just seemed so happy and fluid out on the floor, it was really something to be seen, and contagious.

I really don't know how to express my appreciation to her for taking us into her world voluntarily and showing us something so authentically Bahian. She went out of her way to open our eyes and give us a broader perspective of a diverse (both societally and culturally) people and saved us from falling into the all-too-easy tourist trap of the bar scene down by the water. It was really something that I'll never forget.

Thanks Mamy.




Friday, September 30, 2011

DOORMAN!

This school year has already signaled a lot of changes in my life, but one that's been a real altering experience has been my move to a new apartment in Boston.

Gone are the days of our 6 person "Brotel", gone are the endless cleanups after parties and gone are those pesky mice that made themselves at home in Hemenway 114.

Replace that with a quiet two bedroom place with no room for parties, a trash chute, laundry room and a doorman. Yeah, a doorman. It's a little different.

The idea of a doorman still irks me, it's just not my style. People calling me 'sir' in general just makes me uncomfortable. I like relating to people and the doorman just reminds me of some weird underground caste system I want no part of.

That's why my roommate Nick and I have decided to make it our personal mission to get to know them. There are 4. So far we have met Steve, Henry and Gavin, and though we know the 4th, a lady, we can't seem to remember her name (we think its Regina). Though the latter part of that sentence kind of makes my arguement sound dumb, we talk to the lady a lot and even gave her a nice loaf of bread to bring back home the other day.

The whole process has been slow-going, they seem kind of reluctant to acknowledge our efforts, but it's coming. If you smile and say hello enough in a day, people are bound to reciprocate it eventually, it just happens. Today out of nowhere I had Steve stop me and ask how classes were going and what I had on tap for the weekend. It was pretty cool. He doesn't remember my name but he remembers the face and I know now that he appreciates that hello in the morning.

It's really easy to walk past people, I know, I've done it all my life, but I'm glad we've taken on the challenge of cracking the doormen. It sounds stupid in the general scheme of things, but it's cool to connect with people we take for granted so much of the time.

Plus, it'll help further down the road when they start putting up with our antics, figure some positive repoire to start things off can't hurt.

But maybe I'm just musing...

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Just a thought

I hope mortality isn't a running theme in my musings, but it certainly has cropped up a few times on the blog over the past year. Yet, as I say each time, mortality has never adhered to timing or any rules for that matter, so its appearance shouldn't come as a total shocker.

This weekend I attended the memorial service of a close friend's mother, who passed on after a courageous battle with cancer. Beyond the sadness of the passing and the other emotions associated with a final goodbye, I couldn't get past the amazing turnout for the event, not only in numbers but in diversity. This lady had touched far more people than I think she ever realized, and touched them deeply enough to have them converge from around the world to say goodbye one last time.

For some reason that left a huge impression on me, and, naturally, the wheels began turning in my head. Who would be at my memorial service? What type of legacy would I leave? Wouldn't it be weird and a little bit amazing to see this as a fly on the wall, return to life and apply what you've learned to improving your life?

Maybe one of the most fascinating things I've picked up from college classes is the story of Alfred Nobel. Alfred was afforded this "second chance" at life. Nobel was a renowned chemist, who, along with his contributions to steel manufacturing, developed dynamite. Dynamite was initially intended for construction purposes but quickly became a lethal weapon during the time period of the late 1800s.

When Alfred's brother passed away, many mistook the news and reported Alfred's death, including several newspapers. One newspaper denoted Alfred as the "merchant of death" because of his creation of dynamite. It stated that it was inconceivabale for a man to make so much money off of other people's deaths.

This news deeply hurt Nobel, as he had invented dynamite as a tool, not a weapon. However, after reporting that he was indeed still alive, Nobel took this information and made a change. Nobel dedicated his remaining years to reversing the legacy he had unintentionally earned, and on his deathbed donated a great amount of his fortune to creating the Nobel Peace Prize. Today, Nobel is most famously remembered for his prize, not for his time as the "Merchant of Death".

Now flash-forward. If your life ended today (hypothetical!!) what would your legacy be? Would you be remembered for the good things you've done or the mistakes you've made?

I like to think people would remember me as someone who listened and learned, who tried to be there for people when they needed him and who wanted to appreciate as much of life as he could. But I have to wonder...is that what other people see?

One thing I am sure of however is that my memorial service would be pretty funny. I have been fortunate to meet some amazing people throughout my life, whether it be in school, at home, travelling or just in random places along my road of life. I feel like half of the time would be spent wondering, "How did this guy know him? That's kind of random." I think it would open up an entertaining forum of meet and greet that I hope people would enjoy as much as I would enjoy watching. Hmm but maybe that's just me musing... stay classy planet Earth

Monday, September 26, 2011

The Year of Coverage

Monday rolls around, and what do you know.. it's been one full year of covers. 52 in fact, pretty cool. Thanks to everyone that's checked in on this periodically to see what I've been up to, and I hope you gained a little out of it.

I'd love to keep this experiment going a little longer at least. I still have a lot to write down, and I'm sorry about the slacking but it will get done. Sometimes I have a tough time saying stuff, but for whatever reason writing it not only comes easy, it's incredibly therapeutic. So, in that vein, thanks again guys and gals for reading, it means a lot, your awesome.

In other news today's cover extends to the Chris Isaak song "Wicked Game". Washed Out takes a stab at it and the product is very similar to their namesake, basically a washed out version of the original. But in a good way. Like "I washed out a stain from my favorite t-shirt" -kinda good. Enjoy beezys..


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Monday, September 19, 2011

Mundane Covers

Ok, again..apologies. My head has been all over the place the last few weeks, but I (tentatively) think I'm back. Hey maybe I'll even write about it, since that's why I started this thing in the first place?

Anywho, time for today's coverage, and what better way to get us back on track than with a classic cover. Van Halen (ever heard of them?) broke on the scene in the late 70s with this Kinks cover. The Kinks have been published a few times on this blog for covers, so they must be doing something right. Here's Van Halen with the Kinks' "You Really Got Me Now". Enjoy beezys..

Friday, September 9, 2011

What day is it? covers

How disappointed are you guys in me? I almost make it a full year and then I fumble the ball on the one yard line. That's such a Leon Lett move...


But I haven't forgotten. Without Internet and having moved to a completely new place in Boston has been hard, but you guys are worth it. Here's a cover to hold you over, I promise I'll be back in force to make it through the rest of the year. With Bloc Party's "Like Eating Glass" here is (Tempera)mental.. enjoy playas..

Monday, August 22, 2011

Monday Covers (Consistency)

To all the killas and the hundred dolla billas, it's Monday again, and the week is looking chock-ful of the not-funs but the all-too-necessaries. I won't bore you with details, but a lot of moving has to happen this week in order to get into my new place on time.

But hey let's start this week right, shall we? Found this cover by accident (what else is new), but damn, I'm loving it. This song is a jam in its own right but the cover takes it in a whole new and equally awesome direction. With Blackstreet's "No Diggity" here's Australia's Chet Faker.



PS I remember dancing to this Blackstreet jam at the end of "dunston checks in"? If anyone can relate to this reference I'll award a yet to be named prize. gitit.

shirley

Your promised chill-music followup. I would kill to throw on some noise-cancelling headphones and walk down the street to this song because I just envision everything moving to the beat. The song is actually a remix of Caribou's "Sun" but Pyramid does a great job with it (lots of nouns in the names today). Caribou released their album and asked and said they'd award a prize to whoever remixed their songs the best, and thank jah because Pyramid emerged with this beauty, enjoy...happy beat-hopping

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Brasil: Musings July 30


Brasil post 3:

A short interim post to keep you hungry for more..

I've made a couple of small observations in Brasil that have particularly struck me. The first is pedestrian traffic patterns in Salvador. Coming from a relatively aggressive pedestrian zone in Boston (we made the J-walk cool) I thought that I would be prepared for reading walkers and runners as I try and make my way down the streets on my morning jogs. Wrong. Instead of the unwritten "pass on the right" rule that many runners and walkers adhere to, Salvadorians go wherever they feel like, which in most cases is as far from the treacherous roads as possible. Runners hold no right of way here and are usually pushed towards the road no matter how much room there is on the sidewalk. It's almost as if someone is saying, "Hey if you're trying to move that fast, then you can take that chance - on the inside lane". It's pretty amusing stuff actually and makes running in Salvador that much more of an adventure every (other) morning.

Another small observation is the use of the polite horn. Cars use their horns frequently down here, something that is commonplace for most cities. However, instead of laying on the horn like they do in the states, Brasilians give a polite horn tap to let people know where they're at on the road. The taps are so subtle to my Americano ears, that I don't usually hear them until the third go-around, which in some cases is a little too late ha. The polite horn usually only makes appearances in the States when someone is trying to get ahold of a friend on the sidewalk, so when I hear that beep here I spin around looking for a familiar face! Oh well, can't win them all, maybe some day I'll turn around to a familiar face, but for now I'll take just not getting hit by traffic.

Tchau for now.

brasil grandma and grandpa on grandpa's bday


the kool kid krew


alec and avo (grandpa)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

cheel

Installment dos of chillin music inbetween these brasil updates. Here's a song I discovered (with help) this winter out in Utah. Great combo of styles here. Whenever I hear it I feel myself back in those aspen forest ripping through fresh powder in slow motion (yea in my mind I move in slow motion) with the sun hitting it just right, ahhh i miss it! And I digress....song's sweet take a listen..

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Brasil: Favelas n Futebol

(If these read a little dry, remember this was being submitted to my teachers)
Post Number Dois:

Well, well life in Brazil has continued to impress me as I reach the end of my second week here.

A week ago we were afforded a unique opportunity to spend time with children from a poorer neighborhood in Salvador. These poorer areas, known as favelas, rarely offer an opportunity for children to develop and prosper. (Picture a neighborhood built on a steep hillside with no running water or sewage, with apartments built three stories high by amateur (at best) carpenters using only cinderblock and clay.) We visited a community center that gave these children an alternative to life on the street and helped us understand how these kids get along from day to day. For two days we were showed around the center, dancing and playing drums with the kids.

Per usual, I found the most lasting impressions came from outside the planned events. I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the hospitality we were shown by the center, but I was very happy to steal some chances to interact with the kids outside of the arranged events. The center has two horses (cavalos) on the premises that eat the grass around the yard and wander around. One of the meninos pulled me aside and informed me that the white horse was very skinny because the brown horse ate all of the "good" grass. He then explained that I shouldn't pull the white horses tail because he'll kick me up into the sky, wise advice from the surprisingly vocal young sage. He then offered to teach me how to play foosball on the center's aging foosball table. Noticing that there was no ball, the little boy told me not to worry and grabbed an empty spool to serve as our makeshift ball. With ball in hand, the boy proceeded to "teach" me by beating my soundly. We high-fived and I thanked him for letting me play. It was a very simple exchange, but that's what I will take away from my favela visit, very cool.

My one regret is that we weren't able to play futebol with the ball we got the kids. I could tell they wanted to play as bad as we did, but I guess the opportunity just wasn't there. For me and Alec this whole trip has been a reconnection with the grassroots of soccer. Everyone here plays, and it would have been really amazing to have played with little ones who literally only have a ball and some imagination.

We did get our chance a day later when we traveled to Itapirica with our host mae and irmao for a weekend at their family's house. Around dinner time we were getting ready to head back from the beach and grab janta when some kids spotted our bola. We exchanged the customary "joga?" "sim eu jogo" with the guys and set up a small-sided game on the beach. They were impressed they had met some Americanos that could play, and we knew enough Portuguese to talk with the kids. With Salvador and the Atlantic as our backdrop we played for over 45 minutes, and it was an experience I'll never forget. There was no language barrier, only a common game, the power of sport connecting two very different cultures. After the game our opponents offered us coconuts, climbing a 45 foot tree and kicking down coconuts, catching them in towels and cracking them on the rocks. We sat with our friends and watched the sunset on the beach as we sipped fresh coco verde. Que legal. It really was something I'll never forget.

Soccer has really been our saving grace here. We bring our bola everywhere, and whenever the opportunity arises we whip the ball out to juggle. It's amazing how many people have joined in with us. I wish it was like this in the States. There is definitely a communal aspect to this game that is incredibly strong in Brazil.

This is kind of a one-sided article, but I hope to fill in more as the week continues, including many more picture updates!! Thanks for checking in.

Graf with favela in the background, notice how huge they are..take up 70% of land area in Salvador

Welcome flags to Itapirica

Our ride to Itapirica

My host family and Alec and I (Alec, Carla, Maya, Paulo, Kade)

Nighttime chilllin

Our friend and his horse on the beach at Itapirica, stoic pose

Moonlit, long exposure with Salvador across the bay (midnight)

Itapirica group

Moonshine

slide in there

In between Brasil posts I'll throw some music at you, just to keep you in the loop. This Enigma remix of Sigur Ros' "Saeglopur" (which translated means 'Grocery Store Checkout Line" I'm told) is a bit more uptempo than the original, but hits that perfect chill chord in my book. It's a relaxed song with a heavy enough beat and even some soft dub that'll keep you moving in the morning... we'll call it downtempo. Either way, stuff's legit, add it to the playlist. L8r sk8rs..

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Brasil: Branching Out

So I've been keeping a (sort of) blog for my recent trip to Brasil on posterous, and I couldn't stand the site, so I'm switching it over here so people can see what I've been up to.

I had to take summer classes this year to fulfill credit requirements and was lucky enough to go to Brasil to fulfill them. I stayed with my good friend Alec and a Brasilian host family in an immersion setting. I went in with no Portuguese training at all, and it was an adventure to say the least. Here's some stories and pics from the trip. Enjoy!

* * * * *
Oi amigos! Welcome to my Brasil blog!
I have tried to hit the ground running here, experiencing as much of the city of Salvador as possible. Within hours of landing (a day late) in Salvador, some of us made our way down to the famous Porto da Barra - oft considered one of the best public beaches in Brasil and the world - to see what the hype was about. We were quickly blown away by the incredibly active culture that surrounds beach and city life in the region. Endless amounts of people, young and old, could be found running, playing soccer, swimming and enjoying the beach.
The beach itself was stunning, with clear and mild water and soft sand, a far cry from the beaches we have come accustomed to in the Northern Atlantic. It really was the perfect way to spend our first day in a new place.
For me personally the experience has been something out of a dream. Brasil has always loomed somewhere off in my distant imagination, always out of reach. Now however, I'm living it, and it really is something special. After just five days of language immersion, I'm beginning to grasp not only the spoken language but the body language that so regularly goes with it. My host family has been unbelievably accommodating and is dedicated to helping me learn the language and enjoy their beautiful country.
Trips to Ribeira, Barra, Rio Vermelho, Pelourhino, Cidade Alta and Cidade Baixa helped us gain a lay of the land in our new and sprawling city. I took some awesome photos and am excited to continue adding to my collection.
What has really blown me away during the first week of the trip though, has been the love for futebol (soccer). The Brasileiros really bring to light how beautiful and simple the game is, and as a soccer player, I'm smitten. Two posts and a ball, something the Brasilian people have taken to heart. I have seen creativity blossom in each of the different fields we encounter with goals made from the traditional metal, to wood, to plastic piping, to sticks on the beach. We are also fortunate to be down here during the Copa America, the biggest tournament in futebol outside of the Copa Mundial. For the last Brasil game Alec and I went out to a small bar with our host broder Paolo and his friends, a very real and very Brasil experience. I am looking forward to exploring the city's love of the game further in future blogs.
I had many more experiences this week (bartering at the market for jerseys, going for acaraje with our host mother, shopping at the mall and visiting a favela), but I think I should end my rambling before it goes too long. Ate mais tarde...
-Kade (Ca-Ji)


One of the endless beaches in Salvador, most just a walk away


Futebol on the beach in Itapirica..Salvador across the bay


Knockoff jerseys for the Copa game..yes please

Monday, August 15, 2011

Back on Track Monday Covers

So over the next few days I'll be transferring over my Brasil blog to here, hopefully it'll give you a better peek into what i've been up to the past month-ish, sorry for the delay on that. In that same spirit and in the spirit of Monday Covers, I thought I'd upload a random little video of some covers in action. Brasil had covers everywhere. Almost every band I saw down there would throw in a Bob Marley or MJ. So anyways a couple of times I had my Flip cam on me and decided it'd be fun to record some covers "in the wild". Here's a mundane attempt at "Walking on Sunshine" that I recorded..in the Salvador airport...at 3am, haha.



For those aching for a little more, let me start of with a PARENTAL ADVISORY. If you're still here, I've got a little Theophilus London cover of Tweet's "Oops..Oh My" (don't pretend like you don't remember this one). Definitely digging the song, the video kind of comes out of left field though. I guess it was some artistic venture Lindsay Lohan took before heading to jail? I'm really confused. Either way, the song is chill, the vid...it is what it is. Aight playas, headin back to CT today, B EZ killllas.


Thursday, August 11, 2011

Throne

The new Jay-Z/Kanye colab "Watch the Throne" is straight fiyerrrr. Get on board kiddos, this is one boat you don't want to miss. They leaked it online before it goes on sale so click this link and listen in.

My two favs are "Ni**as in Paris" and "Why I Love You". The sampling is out of this world, click the link snitches....... Dankity dank


...and don't say I never gave you anything nice.

**UPDATE**
So i guess they shut it off. Anywho, buy it, it's that good. Crazy, I know.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Whoaaa

So you're saying I can't walk to the beach from my city apartment and drink an ice-cold 1.50 beer right next to the cops while staring at scantily-clad beautiful women anymore?

...reverse culture-shock is depressing.


In other news...I'm back in Boston and giving you your cover on a Tuesday...EZ DUZ IT






The video is pretty cheeky, name all the MJ references in the vid and win a free pair of plastic vampire teeth

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Segunda-Feira Covers



Blah gettin bogged down here, but not forgetting about ya. I'm a day late, and within hours of heading off on a jungle adventure in Lencois, and figured it was now or never (e agora ou nunca)! So here ya go Avalange...Carlos Santana covering Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman". WHAT?!? That's a cover? Well folks you learn a new thing everyday when you kick it with Killa Kade. B EZ ninjas...

Monday, July 25, 2011

Shmonday Shmovers


Wow my Brasilian adventure is half over, I can't believe it. My only consolation at this point is that I still have another half to go, hoping for more of the same!


I've been to the beach more in these few weeks than my previous four summers combined, definitely a perk of my Brasil studies. My Portuguese is definitely getting better, but after a week of exponential improvement I think I may have hit a bit of a plateau. Hopefully I'll bust through that soon and continue onward and upward!


Spent a beautiful weekend on Morro do Sao Paolo (Look it up!!) and am now getting ready for school eating some fresh rolls, cheese and fried plantains.


This week's cover combines the Brasilian bossanova musical style (an upbeat acoustic-y guitar and smooth vocals) with another Brasilian love...Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson actually filmed one of his music videos in Pelhourino- one of the older neighborhoods in Salvador- and people haven't forgotten it. The King of Pop lives on in the land of samba. Today's cover is a bossanova cover of "Rock With You", one of my fav MJ tracks. Enjoy gatinhas.



Monday, July 18, 2011

It's Monday in Brasil too

Oi amigos!


It's my second week in Brasil and I think I can officially say that I'm smitten. Beaches, Music, Architecture, People, Food, Culture, it's all here. Definitely feeling lucky to have been afforded this opportunity and trying to make the most of it.


This weekend while BA chillin I was sitting with my amigos from Northeastern and my host family at their beach compound in Itaparica (look it up) and listening to music. Out of nowhere, our host cousin Rodrigo (truly the life of any party) whips out a Lauryn Hill CD. Just a classic. No matter where you are, it just couldn't be denied. This week's cover had no choice but to come from the lovely Ms. Hill. Here's here take on Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You". Yuppp it's a cover.


I'll have more pictures and updates for you later, but I leave you with some from our weekend beach trip to Itaparica. That's the city of Salvador in the background..

Ps this is without flash at 10pm in the dark...yea buddy


The gringos de Salvador






Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Hola meninos e meninas, I've landed safely in Salvador, Brasil and am trying my hardest to immerse myself in Brazilian culture. Part of the Brazilian culture is being a good hour or two late for appointments. In honor of this tradition, I give you your Monday cover two days late.

The cover straight from the depths is the Flaming Lips' rendition of Black Sabbath's famous and oft-covered "War Pigs". This is a pretty solid venture by the quirky Lips boys and I hope you enjoy! Muito (many) updates soon! Fica de boa gringos! (Be cool).

Tchau!


Monday, July 4, 2011

Let Freedom Ring

Hot-Pea-Chew-Lie-Thief-Oath everybody!

Hope everyone is finding place to cool off in this awful mugginess! As our nation celebrates its independence we all get a chance to celebrate friends and family with BBQ, parties, swimming and everything else that makes life good. I'm at home in Ridgefield, CT for the last time before I embark on my Brazil excursion and personally can't think of a better holiday to celebrate beforehand.

Shifting gears, I came across this cover whilst creeping the Interwebz. A song that everyone knows, but an artist many have likely heard of. However the artist recreating the song may hold a little more sway, having burst on the scene over the past few years..Mr. Bon Iver. Covering the iconic 'sometimes you just can't force the issue' song, here is Bon Iver with Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me"..Enjoy America

Sunday, July 3, 2011

summmer tunez

Went to a sweet outdoor concert on the historic Landsdowne Street (think the street directly behind the Green Monster at Fenway) with Lange and decided to film a little montage instead of using my words this time. Featured Dom, Young the Giant, Foster the People, Naked and Famous and Cold War Kids for only 20bux. Hoped to capture the summer heat along with the huge crowds and great music! Finally got some film burn transitions for you guys and tried to make the footage look a little 35mm-esque...see what you think! PS the pixels and twitches only came about via my YOUTUBE upload so it may be time to make the shift to Vimeo, I think I might finally be worthy..

Song: Strings by Young the Giant




BALLERDASH

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wanderings



"The desert is for poets, prophets and madmen" -Matthew Sincell (until I can find the proper source)

I will write on this later, as it rings incredibly true for many of us.

For now, some pictures from a Utah journey to the southern desert in April of 2011 will have to hold you over...























Monday, June 27, 2011

Muntay


Ugh bummer, two Monday covers back to back...which of course means I was lazy and didn't give you kiddos anything else to nibble on during the past week, sorry for that. I've been trying to catch up on my Brazil preparations before I ship off and am definitely starting to feel overwhelmed. On top of document/book gathering for my classes down there, I've been trying to get a grasp for the language so I don't head off completely in the dark. Headway is being made, but that's about it.


Interestingly enough though, over the past week I've added a number of songs to my covers cache, and actually found myself with options this Monday. The one that stuck out for me today was actually a recommendation by my friend Lange. Originally I hadn't even heard the song being covered, "The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire, but after listening to it and then comparing it with the cover...the compilation is pretty awesome. Take a listen for yourselves and see if you can get behind it! Mr. Little Jeans covering Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs"...enjoy beezys.

Monday, June 20, 2011

mndy cvr


Anotha Monday, Anotha Dolla...or in my case anotha attempt at stretching that dolla so it lasts another week, though that's ERRONEOUS to the task at hand.

Today's cover pushes the definition of 'cover' to the brink. I've chosen to highlight Tupac's "Do for Love" which samples the beat and the chorus from Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't do for Love" (pictured at right). While it can be argued that this is merely a sampling of beat and chorus with different verses, it was his birthday.. give him a break! And ladies and gentleman, less we forget, it is TUPAC we are talking about.. 'rules' don't apply.

I remember convincing my freshman-year English teacher (Ms. Freeman) to let me do my end-of-year project on a famous poet on Tupac, arguing quite admirably that he was a poet for an extreme minority that previously had very little representation. Using this song, "Dear Mama" and "Brenda's Got a Baby" I was able to establish Mr. Shakur as a legitimate street poet that shed light on the shortcomings of our economical, political and social systems' reach in South Central LA.. Pretty genius way to get an A I thought. My research consisted of listening to music outside while everyone else poured over pages of Emily Dickinson in the library.

Tangent's aside, here's today's cover AND original, as some may not be familiar. Enjoy beezys.



Original


For those of you who just can't get past my bending of the rules....Here ya go. Yeah that's Boyz II Men AND MC Lyte covering the exact same song...it doesn't get more legit than that



ballerdash

Sunday, June 19, 2011

If you're not from Boston... you're not from Boston. Welcome to Titletown U.S.A. Go Bruins, jump on the bandwagon...it's fun

(The only picture that exists from this night)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

I'm Sorry Ms. Jackson

Whoaaa finally. Just two months later that's all. After enough procrastination to put my usual self to shame I've finally compiled a little amateur video of my first trip to Jackson Hole in late March (the week before closing?!).


I was fortunate to live with another adventurous heart in Park City by the name of Matt and we both decided to make the 4.5 hour trek north to some of the hallowed ground of steep freeskiing, Jackson Hole...at the ungodly hour of 5am. We spent 3 days skiing some pretty amazing terrain and snow, and soaking up a local atmosphere that only Jackson, Wyoming can provide, chock-ful of music, hearty meals and people who are as crazy, if not crazier, about skiing as us.

The video isn't the highest quality, but I definitely think my editing is getting a little better. The overall goal of throwing this together though is to give you guys a peak at the journey I wish you could have joined us for!

Cheers Matt.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Covers on Mondays

Not much to say about today's Monday Cover. Somewhere floating around the vast blogosphere sat this brilliant number, just waiting to be plucked up by yours truly. By means I can only describe as divine intervention it ended up in my lap, ready to go, ready for your ears. I guess that's the way it works sometimes. I give you the Trinity Orchestra (from Ireland) and their coverage of some of the Daft Punk album "Discovery". Enjoy.


Friday, June 10, 2011

Sunglass Effect Eh

Here's one for the bros. I know I promised I wouldn't generate anymore fashion posts after my 'hipster glasses' tirade, but this is an epidemic that extends beyond fashion.

With the warm weather comes a drastic change in city attire, the most appreciated being the switch from baggy sweatshirt to sundress, thank you June temps and humidity. The least appreciated however, is the return of the sunglasses. And no, I'm not talking about regular eyewear to keep the sun's rays at bay for days (see what I did there?), I'm talking about the goggles taking up half of your face that have somehow been deemed 'high fashion'. Besides taking over most of the face, they have created a condition in males everywhere: The Sunglass Effect.

I first discovered that I suffered from this in high school, but it has become more malignant as time has gone on, and I figured something should be said. It's not as much a condition as a victimization by optical illusion really, but it needs to be curbed. Sunglasses these days hide key portions of the face and leave the rest up to imagination, a dangerous tool. Let me explain.

Someone can approach you wearing glasses and, with your mind filling in the blanks, you paint a picture of what this person looks like. After spending hours with said 'imagined' person she removes her glasses and instead of Heidi Klum you have Heidi Watson, the girl with the crazy eyes and the bad breath that sat behind you in third grade. Game Changer. You have just been bit by the Sunglass Effect.

Sadly we've all done it, and will likely do it again. It's the way we're wired and the evil sunglass wearers are banking on it. To everyone who insists on rocking these half face masks: Have mercy. Until then I'll be wearing a beanie and ski goggles just to return the favor.

Cheers.



Sunglasses can make this...


...out of this. Yikes spikes.


Even Urban Dictionary knows what's up: SUNGLASS EFFECT

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Phishin'

Another hot mugtastic week in Bostonia and I'm slowly settling into a routine. The only problem with routines is, well, it's predictable. Wake up, eat, run, clean (highly optional), work, eat, Bruins, sleep. I don't like it, it's too comfortable. So comfortable in fact, that I nearly passed up a chance to go to my first Phish show.

Luckily, my friend El Derr cut through my monotony cocoon and yanked me out, saying that Phish was "something you have to experience". And damn, I guess he had a point.

Just rolling into the Comcast Center parking lot you could tell you were in a foreign, but fantastic scenario. Tents upon pop-up campers upon more tents that would put a Moroccan bazaar to shame. People walking around shirtless, painted, glittered (I was in the latter bunch thanks to the discovery of glitter cream?) and most importantly everyone smiling. Not a single unhappy soul in the place, a true microcosm of jubilation. Some people had dreamed for years about seeing this show, had probably sold countless family heirlooms to purchase tickets, and here I was, a ticket-holder by fortune.

Though I felt a little guilty, I definitely made the most of my Phish experience (no not the illicit drug use part), trying to soak up every minute detail, even bringing my camera along. Me, El Derr, and some of his friends from home met up with some school friends and got to bask in the Phish lot weirdness/greatness for a couple hours before the show, easily some of the best people-watching I've done, and that's saying a lot. I'm a pretty habitual people-watcher, observing is my game.

After an awesome show, (Derr's right you have to experience it for yourself), the school of Phish fans migrated to the parking lots where we were able to watch the Nitrous Mafia battle the cops for an hour or so while enjoying the launching of 20 or so floating lanterns, a very cool, peaceful and surreal end to our night.

Moral of the story and something I've preached all along, though sometimes I need a friend to help me remember once and a while: Don't settle, take chances, life is too short for routine. So your gamble didn't pay off this time? So what. You went for it. More than most of us can say at any one time or another.

Good looks Phish.

Selling beer from a scooter-propelled wagon in the parking lot..


Artists doing what they do...hocking their art


Stayin cool in the parking lot


The freshest trio in the history of trios... high octane high-5s on the right


Every ship needs a masthead..

Workin on my base tan




flashing. lights. great light show to accompany great music


part of the motley phish crew


A phone's attempt to capture the throng of phish-heads, instead I got a creepy beard portrait


MORE FROM PICS COMING!!