I'm very particular when it comes to writing implements. I need smooth ink flow and a vividly dark yet thin line. I also require a point that isn't so narrow that it will bend under my writing pressure, nor so sharp that it will tear the newspaper when I'm doing the crossword. For the longest time, my pen of choice was the Uniball Deluxe micro. It had its flaws (primarily the tendency to spring a nasty leak at the most inconvenient times) but its writing characteristics were superb, and they were hella cheap when buying them by the dozen. Some years ago, however, my local Office Depot stopped selling them in boxes of 12. They're still available in small quantities, but I like to buy lots of pens at a time. Now you may ask why I need to buy pens in bulk, but I found that whenever I would carry one pen around, it would get lost or permanently "borrowed" so I started carrying them in pairs and buying lots of them so I wouldn't care if I misplaced one.

So I embarked on a process of picking up a couple of different pens here and there, trying the Pilot G2, the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, a couple of other Sanford pens (the Vision, Vision Elite, V5 Precise...), and more. I finally settled on some Foray pens that were close, but not quite perfect. My two boxes of pens ran out some time ago, but I found a hidden stash of the Uniball Deluxe micros while cleaning my apartment. Those weren't going to last me long, so on my last trip to Office Depot to pick up some other supplies, I surreptitiously opened several packages to test out various new models of pens that I hadn't seen before.

Lo and behold, I found the Uniball Signo 207 micro. I'm not a huge fan of retractables, but in every other respect this pen is perfect. No boxes of 12, but the price per pen in the blister pack of 4 is comparable to the price I paid for the Uniball Deluxe micros. If you're looking for a new writing implement, give this one a whirl.

Posted by Dennis at 18:15 (Central) | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I finally got around to reading "Moneyball" by Michael Lewis. If you're a sports fan in general, you should read this book, but if you're a baseball fan, this is a must read. Even non-sports fans who have an analytical mind should consider reading this book; the principles Billy Beane brought to Major League Baseball are applicable in many fields, and Lewis has a breezy writing style that makes for an easy, engaging read. He shows us an insider's look into the workings of a major league ballclub.

"The Cheater's Guide To Baseball" by Derek Zumsteg (one of the proprietors of the U.S.S. Mariner website, and a contributor to Baseball Prospectus) is an in-depth look at the vast history of cheating in the game of baseball. Brawling, gambling, steroids, corking bats, the spitball, and other methods of cheating, both tacitly approved and patently illegal are examined. Zumsteg writes with an irreverent and humorous voice, and does a great job of illustrating where the line is drawn for most hardcore baseball fans with respect to cheating. All in all, a fun read, though probably less so for someone completely uninterested in baseball.

And one last thing - the Cubs are going to give me a coronary by the end of September:

Posted by Dennis at 20:48 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cribbed from an email discussion some of my friends and I were having regarding the new Clipse album¹ - my rating scale for albums:

0. no redeeming qualities whatsoever
1. so bad, that it might even be good²
2. terrible, actively badmouth the album every time music is discussed
3. disdainful, bag on the band at the bar
4. not worth the trouble to rip the CD
5. perfectly average
6. I might buy this in the bargain bin
7. pretty catchy, recommend to your friends
8. really good, evangelize to strangers
9. pop culture phenomenon
10. will go down as a legendary work of art

On the basis of this scale, it should be nearly impossible for any album to get a 0 or a 10. Perfection can never be achieved, in either direction. Albums that come close to a 10, at least for me, include Donny Hathaway's "Everything Is Everything" and The Beatles' "Abbey Road." The majority of all albums should clock in between 4 and 6, and the majority of albums you actually own should clock in somewhere between 6 and 8.

¹ I can't give the Clipse album much more than a 6. Probably more like a 5.5.

² The KTRU circle of quality/DJ Trainwreck³ phenomenon

³ There's no reason you should know who DJ Trainwreck is.

Posted by Dennis at 17:52 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Snakes on a Plane is quite possibly the greatest movie of all time. If at all possible, see the movie while drunk in a crowded theater full of people who are also under the influence of various substances.

That is all.

Posted by Dennis at 14:11 (Central) | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Saturday saw my friend Dan turn 30 and 6,000+ people from all walks of life descend on the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to see Grandmaster Flash spin a set for the closing event of the Beats of Basquiat music series. I had a great time, and so did most of my friends, but for a countering point of view, read this.

Personally, I feel that both Flash and DJ Jester illustrated exactly what a DJ needs to be able to do - rock the party. Unbelievably (to me), GMF was able to get 90 percent or better of the crowd dancing, even when the crowd was as diverse as this one. The seamless blend from Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" into Deee-Lite's "Groove Is In The Heart" was brilliant, and his use of call and response tactics were also very good. Certainly I would have liked to hear some of his early hits, but his selection of music certainly reflected an innate understanding of the crowd that was present.

DJ Jester is what people now would nominally term a mash-up DJ; most of his pop selections were carefully integrated with heavy hip-hop breakbeats, adding a certain note of humor and danceability to some tracks that would otherwise have been sorely out of place. Every DJ has his or her own style, but ultimately the goal is to make people dance. Flash used a careful selection of hits, with some skillful blends, cuts, and juggles to tie the disparate pieces together without taking the crowd out of the groove. Jester used rarities, b-sides, and one-hit wonders blended together with identifiable breaks to do the same thing. A lot of people think that DJs "just play records," but only bad DJs "just play records." Good DJs can add something of their own to the proceedings, and manipulate the crowd's mood to their whim. On Saturday, I got a chance to see some masters do exactly that.

Posted by Dennis at 14:36 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not that anyone really gives a rat's ass about what I think, but here are my top albums of 2005. Feel free to contribute yours in the comments - I've been compiling the top 10 albums from people on the Reputation's Yahoo discussion group, and there's very little consensus...

Albums in relative order of hotness:

Continue reading "top albums of 2005" »

Posted by Dennis at 22:30 (Central) | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

This was one hell of a party. Peanut Butter Wolf came through and dropped a two-hour DJ set at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston as part of the Beats of Basquiat series. My best guess is that probably about 1000 people showed up. For those of you who are familiar with the MFAH, they cleared the main lobby area of the Caroline Wiess Law building just past the admission booths and stairs for a dance area/bar area. The DJ booth overlooked the dance floor, sharing the second floor with the works of Basquiat. Patrick of Microcinema was also up in the booth, projecting visuals on the far wall.

PB Wolf killed it; he rocked a great set of funk, soul, and latin music for most of the evening, throwing in the odd early 80's rock and dance tracks, and he finished with a straight up hip-hop set for the last 30 minutes. Not too much in the way of flash, although he did throw in some juggles and scratches at the end. I didn't expect him to bust out the turntablism anyway - it's tough to rock a party vibe when you're juggling beats.

Also present in support were Cee Plus (I missed his set) and The Digging Deep Quartet (Prince Klassen and JJ Lopez; I'm not sure if there are actually two other people who weren't present). DDQ also rocked a very tight party set.

I believe there are two more parties left in this series; one in January (featuring Shepherd Fairey) and one in February (featuring Grandmaster Flash). I highly recommend going - it's a pretty good chance to take a look at some great artwork, and party down at the same time.

Posted by Dennis at 17:56 (Central) | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This is probably the best album I've heard all year. Not a single bad track on here, although I might consider reordering some of the tracks. Pretty much straight ahead funk and soul, this L.A. based band is the brainchild of Miles Tackett. The general formula: super-tight band + sweet male soul vocals = delicious goodness.

Continue reading "Breakestra, "Hit The Floor", Ubiquity Records" »

Posted by Dennis at 15:52 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On Saturday night, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings came back to Houston and lit the room at the Continental Club on fire. The house was packed, people were dancing, and drinks were flowing. Plus there was a guy selling BBQ sandwiches in the back room. The band was super-tight, with the addition of three new (to me) members on tenor sax, baritone sax, and drums. The drums and bass were absolutely locked in, allowing plenty of room for the other instrumentalists to riff, but the real star of the show was Sharon Jones. She came out with such energy and fervor that you couldn't help but have a good time. They played for approximately two hours, never letting up with the funk, although they did slow down the pace occasionally to let people catch their breath. If you've never seen Sharon Jones (or The Dap-Kings in any of their various incarnations - the Sugarman 3, the Mighty Imperials, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra...) you owe it to yourself to go and get funked. It's absolutely one of the best possible uses for your money and time - you'll be entertained, and probably get some exercise - hell, I danced for most of the time, even on my busted knee.

Posted by Dennis at 16:37 (Central) | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is a quick review of a compilation CD that I did for KTRU. Our internal rating scale goes from /- (really, really bad) to //+ (really, really good). Artist: Various artists Title: _Impeach the Precedent_ Label: Kajmere Sound Genre: hip-hop/funk/soul/R&B This compilation is supposed to benefit some cause or another - I don't remember which (I think it's the Rainforest Action Network), but that's not really relevant. It's a solid collection of tracks from a lot of artists that are flying _just_ under the radar, running the gamut from R&B to hip-hop to funk, although the emphasis tends to be on hip-hop. None of the tracks on here is really tremendously outstanding, but they are all solid songs with positive elements. It's a quality cd, and if you're not familiar with most of these artists, it would be a good starting point to find out if you like them or not. If you already know most of these artists, use your own discretion.

Continue reading "review: Impeach the Precedent" »

Posted by Dennis at 13:29 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

That right there was pretty much the high point of my week. I had been fighting for months to get onto the high score list of the local Bride of Pinbot machine, and there I am, #3. I've actually scored higher than that, but for some reason the two times that I have, the machine failed to record the score after I entered my initials. There were some other good moments from last week, though. On Monday I went to the Southmore House to catch Del Cielo play. I got lucky that I showed up early - although they were nominally the headliners, they ended up performing third of five bands. They literally struck their first note as I walked into the venue. They played a good set, although almost all of the songs came from their new album, Us Vs Them (no period at the end of vs is exactly how it is on the album; I would have chosen otherwise, but I'm a member of the grammar police) and only one song was from their first album. That was a little disappointing, as I had really wanted to hear _"Three Months Down"_ but I enjoyed the set anyway and bought the new album. As a bonus, they were touring with a band I had never heard of, Des Ark from the Durham area of North Carolina. This duo (guitar/vocals and drums) kicked all sorts of ass; they had just this unbelievable sound, something of a cross between the early, growly, seductive Björk and a tidal wave. I bought their album _Loose Lips Sink Ships_ (Bifocal Media. When I mentioned I worked for KTRU, it turned out that they knew Rick Sawyer! They tossed me an extra copy for the station. So far my impressions of the album are wholly positive, although it's less intense than their live show. On Wednesday, I had my rock show. We got totally hosed. When Scott, Bobby, and I set out two months ago to try to get this show booked, there was literally no competition, so we thought we'd be OK, especially if we flyered and got the word out to the press. Unfortunately, we ended up battling against Hot Hot Heat at the Engine Room, Bobby Conn at the Proletariat, Futureheads at the Rhythm Room, and Death From Above 1979 at Mary Jane's. And those were just the big shows. It's a shame that no one came out to see these bands - all three totally rocked. Taylor was just unbelievable on his guitar - his demo EP simply doesn't do him any justice. The Heavenly States were catchy and poppy and funny, and The Oranges Band kicked ass. But no one was there to see it... On Thursday, my indoor soccer team got brutally beaten 8-3 after going up 2-0. Later, I got the pictured pinball score while I was out having a few drinks to celebrate the Irish. On Friday, I went to go see the Reputation play at Mary Jane's. Elizabeth was kind enough to guestlist me, and I got there in time to see most of the first band's set. Rescue was good at what they did, I guess, but they constantly sounded like they were out of tune, right up until the very last song when all of a sudden all of the harmonies came together. So I was unable to determine whether they were intentionally anharmonic, or just out of tune. Then the Reputation went on. They played a great set; E was wearing the famous Compound Red t-shirt. I've got some pictures that I'll post later after cleaning them up. I tried to remember most of the set list: # _Let This Rest_ # can't remember # new rock song, as yet untitled # new piano song, as yet untitled # _Bottle Rocket Battles_ # _Face It_ # can't remember I stayed for part of Koufax's set, but I was fading quickly so I didn't bother staying for the French Kicks. Koufax was pretty good; they reminded me of The Arcade Fire. Said my goodbyes to the band, and went home to crash. Saturday I went to go see the legendary Guitar Wolf (caution, the link will resize your browser window) play at Rudyard's. What a huge change from Wednesday. The place was more full than I had ever seen it, and it was a veritable pompadour convention - I counted at least 8 variants on the pompadour among spectators, not to mention the guys from Guitar Wolf. The Priests (from Rochester, NY) opened, and they rocked pretty damn hard. They were followed by some other band (The Kings?) who were good, but not nearly as hard as the Priests or Guitar Wolf. Their lead singer kept screaming "In your face!" between songs in a slightly British accent. He was kind of annoying, to tell you the truth. But I had beer to keep me occupied. Guitar Wolf, on the other hand, are a spectacle not to be missed. I actually don't own any of their albums, but I would never miss a show, because that's exactly what it is - _a show_. Seiji at one point wandered into the crowd with his guitar, climbed onto a table, struck a few poses, and kept playing all the while. The crowd was very accommodating, holding up his guitar cable so it wouldn't get tangled. And the price of admission was completely redeemed by their cover of the Clash's _"Should I Stay Or Should I Go."_ And yesterday, my outdoor soccer team got demolished 9-1. I thought I was going to have an interview with Doujah Raze, but apparently that fell through. Anyway, I'm glad that SXSW week is over - there are only a couple more shows this week that I'm going to go see - Lederhosen Lucil and DJ Jester on Saturday; possibly The Mountain Goats on Thursday. Now I can return my focus to the ever-growing pile of work that is on my plate, and also my taxes.

Posted by Dennis at 15:04 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Check out Matthew Baldwin's bad review revue of the new Christian Slater/Tara Reid vehicle. In other news, I will eventually be posting some long overdue music reviews, but in the mean time, consider this: Dennis' (probable) Top 5 songs of 2004 (hey this is off the dome; there are others that could probably be here) # The Reputation, _"Face It"_ from _to force a fate._ on Lookout! Records # Danger Mouse and Jemini, _"What U Sittin' On? [DM's 26" remix] feat. Cee-Lo & tha Liks"_ on Lex Records # Pete Miser, _"Scent of a Robot"_ from _Camouflage Is Relative_ on Ho-Made/Coup de Grace # Chops, _"Git Dat Mutha [extended/outro]"_ from _Virtuosity_ on GoodVibe/Vocab # Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, _"Me and Mia"_ from _Shake The Sheets_ on Lookout! Records

Posted by Dennis at 14:16 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night, I got to see one of the greatest musicians in the world play his chosen instruments: two turntables, a mixer and some effects. DJ Krush made an appearance at the Meridian here in Houston. I was surprised at first that he would play such a large space, but they had him in a smaller room at the venue than the main stage. When I arrived at the venue, Bavu Blakes and D-Madness of Austin were on the stage doing a little improvisation. Bavu is an up-and-coming MC from Texas; he has an album out on Bomb Hip-Hop and another dropping sometime next year. Definitely worth keeping your eye on him if you're a head. D-Madness, however, is a phenomenon in his own right. He plays the drums (usually a kick and a snare, and maybe a cymbal), bass, keys, and sings all at the same time. And he's blind. Unreal. Anyway, Krush went on reasonably late but pretty much owned the crowd of about 200. He crafted a beautiful set, getting bodies moving and really just showing what you can do with prerecorded music. He played a some recognizable cuts (the Quasimoto track was my fave) and a ton of stuff I didn't recognize. His finale was doing a little on-the-fly remixing of DJ Nu-Mark and Pomo's cover of "Imagine" and the crowd loved it. Definitely check out Krush if you get a chance...

Posted by Dennis at 19:52 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Physical proof that there is a god.

Continue reading "atheism is obviously wrong" »

Posted by Dennis at 21:17 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night I got to hear a DJ set by Alexander Barck (one of six members of Jazzanova) out at a club. There were _maybe_ a hundred people there. Which is either surprising, because hey, Jazzanova, they've produced and remixed a ton of great tracks over the last 15 years and have drastically influenced electronic and dancefloor music; *or* hey, it's par for the course for Houston (especially on a Wednesday night). Anyway, his set spanned a variety of genres (as I would have expected) although the majority of the set was focused on house/nu-jazz/latin house. Truthfully, he wasn't a stellar DJ, just above average. But the selections - almost every song he dropped was a burner. There was some crazy remix of some Prince song (I think) and he threw down some old school hip-hop (Spoonie Gee, I think) and he hit us with the Brazilian sambas - the list could go on. Like Cosmo once said, "If you have that kind of ammunition, all you have to do is pull the trigger." It looked like everyone there was having a good time; it's only too bad there weren't more people.

Posted by Dennis at 14:06 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Anybody who knows me reasonably well also knows that I hardly ever go see movies. However, I've seen two movies in the last two weeks, and both were pretty good. The first, _Coffee and Cigarettes_ by Jim Jarmusch, is a collection of short vignettes starring pretty much everyone under the sun. Each vignette is hit or miss, but when they hit, they fly out of the park. It's worth sitting through the entire movie just for the segment with the RZA, the GZA/Genius, and Bill Murray. The other movie I saw was _Robot Stories_. This was a collection of four shorts, each examining an aspect of humanity or relations between people. I think the strongest shorts were the ones without actual robots. All of them had their moments, though, and the introductory cartoon was hilarious as well (especially if you're a geek like me). The other bonus, which I mentioned before, was the prominent placement of actors of Asian descent.

Posted by Dennis at 13:18 (Central) | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This album is a little bit disappointing, to be honest. With MF Doom (aka Zev Love X, Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah) and Madlib (aka Yesterday's New Quintet, Quasimodo, Lord Quas, Beat Conductor), one might expect some amazing shit to come off this album, but instead the whole thing sounds like they smoked a couple of big fat sacks of chronic while making this album. Most of the beats are on the extremely blunted end of Madlib's repertoire, while his other styles only shine through for a couple of seconds at a time in various spots. Doom is consistent on the mic, dropping some ill rhymes (he's the pioneer of supervillain rap!) but doesn't wow me. And unfortunately, he does none of the beats. It's a solid album, but most of the songs are short - as if they got bored and decided to move on to something else.

Continue reading "Madvillain - "Madvillainy" - Stones Throw" »

Posted by Dennis at 14:13 (Central) | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

The Etymotic ER-4S are amazing. They are, without a doubt, the finest pair of sound reproduction devices I own, at least in terms of sonic quality. Obviously I own far louder devices, but that's not the point. My Infinity towers can't hold a candle to them, not even when paired with my Harmon Kardon amp. Right now I'm listening to the Etys powered by a first-generation iPod - no amplifier - and the sound quality is outstanding. First things first, though. I admit, it's taking me a little bit of time to get used to the idea of sticking things into my ear canal. These are not your typical earbuds that sit right in the outer part of your ear. No, these puppies go right into the ear canal. You can see from the picture how big these are - the right angle mini-plug is shown as a comparison. It's a little bit uncomfortable putting them in, but once they're in, you can _almost_ forget that they're there. They tend to remind you whenever you move your head, so I can only really recommend these for use in a stable listening environment - at your desk, in your favorite chair, or in bed. Very little environmental sound gets through these - with the white flange tips, you could probably stand right next to a loudspeaker at a club and not be uncomfortable. Supposedly the foam tips have even better noise reduction, but I haven't tried those yet.

Continue reading "Etymotic ER-4S review, part 1: impressions" »

Posted by Dennis at 00:45 (Central) | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Hydroponic Sound System is a collective of musicians from Dallas, although the primary producers in the group are Skinny Fresh and Rube. I'm finally getting around to reviewing this album formally, although I've had it for a while. The instrumental tracks on this album are funky as all hell and very danceable. In general, the production is characterized by funky basslines, horn stabs, and soulful keys and guitars. However, the group clearly shows that they can cover multiple styles ranging from funk to acid jazz to hardcore underground hip-hop. The group currently has a couple of 12" eps out as well, and they would be useful in any DJ's arsenal.

The MCs featured here are all up and coming, with several hailing from Texas. Bavu Blakes (Austin/Dallas) has an album out (review coming soon!), Headkrack (Dallas) has released some stuff with local artists K-Otix (Houston), and Azeem (SF) has released on Bomb Hip-Hop and was part of Spearhead with Michael Franti. The MCs have been selected well, each with their own unique style that blends well with the beats they are rhyming over. For example, on _Hydro Soundclash_, Grand Supreem supplies the ragga vocal stylings in the chorus, and Benisanna's vocals bounce up and down in synchrony with the opening beat of _Open Mic @ The Soular Roller Rink_.

Continue reading "Hydroponic Sound System "grids/loops/intersections" Alternate Take Records" »

Posted by Dennis at 21:44 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Onion just published their article about the least essential albums of 2003. I don't think that there can be much argument about their list. Next week I imagine that they will put out their top albums list, so definitely check back. They tend to have a definite slant towards indie rock in their lists, but it's not as bad as Pitchfork's slant.

The Reputation listserve asked for a top 10 albums of 2003 (released in 2003, no re-issues or re-releases). Here was my 10, in arbitrary order:

• Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - Blue Note Records
• Akrobatik - Balance - Coup d'Etat
• Lyrics Born - Later That Day... - Quannum Projects
• Hydroponic Sound System - grids/loops/intersections - Alternate Take Records
• Micatone - Is You Is - Sonar Kollektiv
• Various artists - Mic Planet Sessions - Insomniac
• Sleep Walker - Sleep Walker - Especial
• the Minimal Effort - As Sequenced By Humans - Bank of India
• Trüby Trio - Elevator Music - Compost
• Cat Power - You Are Free - Matador

To be honest, this is a pretty arbitrary top 10. Most of the best stuff I got this year was either released as a 12" single or was a re-issue of old material. Full albums were something I didn't really buy a whole lot of this year. Other notable albums that probably deserve to be on this list just as much include:

• Atmosphere - Seven's Travels - Rhymesayers
• Ugly Duckling - Taste the Secret - Emperor Norton
• McKay - McKay - Go Beat
• Push Button Objects - Ghetto Blaster - Chocolate Industries
• Jaylib - Champion Sound - Stones Throw

I really paid pretty much no attention to indie rock this year. So many ridiculous electroclash bands, so many bands that just seemed bland, so much crap. The only indie rock I really listened to this year was local stuff at shows - The Jonx especially. Speaking of ridiculous electroclash bands, I saw Single Frame the other night at Rudyard's. Pitchfork has given them a review of 8.5, and of 7.4. Figures. They were good, but they sounded (and looked!) like they were airdropped right out of Manchester, 1983. Give them a couple more years, and they'll have the Flock of Seagulls hairdo perfected. They have a lot of energy, though, and the live set is fun to listen to. I guess I just feel like the whole retro-new wave thing is boring now. Fuck, if I really wanted to listen to New Order or A Certain Ratio or Information Society, I'd just fucking stay home and put on a record.

Nikki Texas (or NTX and Electric Set), on the other hand, were really pretty interesting. If for nothing else, because everyone in the band is really hot. But they're actually working the whole focused noise aspect of electronics-based bands into something at least marginally novel. Their sound has a lot of texture. Not much else, including structure, but hell, when you're going experimental, go all out.

Frox Noxon opened, and well, they were just sort of bland. My friend Danny has been sitting in as their drummer for a while (his term is ending this week; he has a much better band in The Jonx) and though I could see him pounding on the drums, I could rarely actually hear him. The guitarist was just way too loud. Anyway, they have a couple of decent songs, but they weren't terribly spectacular.

My conclusion of the night was that I need to go to shows more often. Rudyard's is a great venue for seeing small shows. Plus they have reasonable prices on beer. Always a plus.

Posted by Dennis at 18:43 (Central) | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Here a few albums that have been in heavy rotation with me lately. More info and possibly in-depth reviews to follow later.

• Hydroponic Sound System, grids/loops/intersections, on Alternate Take Records. Dope ass beats coming from Texas (Dallas) with MCs from all over, including Bavu Blakes, Azeem, Headkrack, the Burn Unit and more...
• Haley Bonar, The Size of Planets, on Chairkicker's Union. This young singer-songwriter is on Low's label. She will be the next indie phenom.
• Lyrics Born, later that day..., on Quannum Projects. Lyrics Born is one of the dopest MCs around, and this is one of the strongest albums to be released in 2003.

Posted by Dennis at 21:05 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm probably going to initiate radio silence until I get my thesis done. (Not that I've been terribly communicative with people lately.) I think I may even clear out my bedroom, pad the walls, and just drop a power tap in and lock myself into a completely austere environment for 10 hours a day to get this done. I'll probably continue to post my playlists, but email and phone are going to go dead for a while.

But before I go, there are some random things I'd like to tell you about. My old flatmate and some other friends who are now in the Bay Area made a CD this summer - As Sequenced By Humans by the Minimal Effort. It's pretty fucking good. I'm not sure if it's available for distribution, but it damn well ought to be, so I'm going to find out for you. The breakout single is clearly "Carpool Lane," but all seven songs are solid. Laura has a disarmingly sweet voice which fits the music perfectly, although clearly she's not a pro. Post-production is pretty good; there are some nice effects thrown in on the instrumentals, along with some slight crispy distortion on the vocals on a couple of songs.

Cory Doctorow has a new book out; it's a collection of some of his short stories, including 0wnz0red which initially appeared at Salon.com and was my first introduction to Doctorow's brand of sci-fi. He's also very cutting edge; you can download a lot of his stories for free; he's experimenting to see how the Internet might actually help his sales. His entire first novel is available for free, and it's pretty good. I'm planning on going out and buying his books and then possibly donating them to the library.

I'd comment on politics and other news events, but that would probably just make me angry. Let me leave you with this: take a look at the first definition of fascism to appear. Except for the dictator part, it sounds like the U.S.A. under Dubya right now, doesn't it? Replace terror with intimidation, and racism with racial profiling and it's exactly where we are...

Posted by Dennis at 11:11 (Central) | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Shit, I shouldn't have had that Coca-Cola.

Anyway, lots of stuff to report on in the last week or so. Many thanks to those people who came out and supported the crew last Friday at Firestation #3. Not as many people showed up as we would have liked, but it seemed like everyone was having a good time. One guy who just moved to Houston from New York asked me why there weren't more people at the event, as something like this in NY would be jammed with people. I just looked at him and told him this was Houston...

Still trying to rehab my ankle. No game this weekend, so it'll get almost a full week of rest. Hopefully that will help.

In other news, the Supreme Court ended its most recent session with some amazing rulings. I'm glad to see them rule on affirmative action with a majority opinion that recognizes that the strength of the union depends on having a diverse leadership, and that we don't currently have that now. They also ruled in Lawrence vs. Texas that the state has no right to legislate rules governing private adult consensual activity. I'm glad they did this, and I'm rather surprised to see that there are people out there who still believe that gays shouldn't have the same level of rights. Senator Frist (R-Tennessee, current Senate majority leader) has come out saying that he would back an amendment barring gay marriage. That's ridiculous. The religious right should remember that the U.S. is supposed to stand for equal rights for all, and that marriage is no longer solely a religious pact between a man and a woman. Hell, you can get married down at the courthouse by a JP, so it clearly doesn't have to be based in religion. Marriage is no more than a social contract between two people - there is no logical reason that I can find that suggests that the two people have to be of the same gender. In fact, I would argue that allowing gay marriage is to the advantage of corporations. Right now, corporations are pressured to extend benefits to partners in same-sex relationships. One of the arguments against extending benefits has been that is prone to abuse by fraud. Who's to say that those two people are really dependent on each other? If same-sex marriages were legalized, there would be no reason to extend benefits to domestic partners. It would be, to put it bluntly, a situation where the corporation could say 'put up or shut up.' It would force gay partners to get married in order to get those benefits. A possible side effect of this would be the subtle social engineering of the gay relationship. Another complaint by the religious right has been the promiscuous behaviour exhibited by many gay people. If you force gay people to get married to get benefits, well, that also opens them up to divorce and the whole load of other crap that comes along with marriage. It may actually encourage monogamy in the gay community, which then might lead to a decrease in diseases spread by sexual contact. Win-win for everyone!

OK, enough about politics and sociology. Last night I went to see a local Houston vibraphonist (Roman Skakun) with Jason Marsalis on drums. I spent a lot more money that I expected to (the show was moved from Cezanne's to Sierra Grill, causing an estimated 30% increase in my bar tab) but it was worth it. The quartet started off a little rough, but progressively got tighter. Jason Marsalis is an amazing musician - he even brought along a pair of finger cymbals that he busted out near the end of the night. Roman Skakun had some nice four-mallet work, although I felt he wasn't playing loud enough. The guitarist was talented, as was the bassist, but I felt neither of them really stood out. I am, however, slightly biased as a fellow percussionist, having played both vibraphone and drums in my earlier years...

Posted by Dennis at 03:16 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a quick adaptation of a review that I did for KTRU. The rating system is something like this:

• /- go back to the drawing board. This song blows.
• / it's barely passable as music goes.
• /+ or //- solid effort. decent track, but doesn't stand out.
• // this shit is pretty good.
• //+ permanently blaze this into your head.

Artist: Akrobatik
Title: Balance
Label: Coup d'Etat
Genre: hip-hop

1. -- (2:01) Prelude to Balance - short intro speech and rhymes; tight chill beat
2. // (3:49) Balance - club banger with underground vibe; positive message
3. //- (2:48) Hypocrite - fat bass, pretty standard battle rhymes
4. //- (2:35) The Hand That Rocks The Cradle - staccato trumpet line; feels disjointed because happy trumpet feels weird with aggressive battle rhymes
5. //+ (4:00) Remind My Soul - latin-esque guitar line, very introspective and thoughtful song.
6. //- (4:00) Front Steps - sparse vibraphone line over an intricate drum line. pretty decent rhymes.
7. // (3:25) Feedback feat. Diamond - produced by and guest rhymes by Diamond D (of D.I.T.C), solid, chunky beat.
8. //- (3:55) Cooler Headz - rubber band bass line. battle rhymes, but also a guide to life. cooler heads will prevail.
9. //- (3:13) Wreck Dem feat. Mr. Lif - solid track, solid battle rhymes
10. /+ (3:34) The Bonecrusher - mediocre beat, decent battle rhymes.
11. // (4:35) Woman Pt. II - chilled out beat, funny story about maturing (slightly)
12. //- (3:17) Always Bet On Ak - pretty standard battle rhymes
13. //- (4:02) Limelight - a little faster, still chill, an interesting urban tragedy
14. // (4:00) Time - very nice beat, nice rhymes
15. // (10:07 - 6:10) Here and Now - the thank you track; very nice jazz influenced beat with piano and trumpet lines.
16. //- (4:08) bonus hidden battle track. it's ok.

Akrobatik is one of the better MCs to come out of the new Boston movement (Mr. Lif, 7L & Esoteric, REKS, and more) and he's enlisted some top notch help on the beats (Illmind, Fakts One, D-Tension, Edan, and more). While a lot of the songs are the standard battle rhymes that bore after a while, he's also got a couple of nice stories to tell on this album.

Solid beats and solid rhymes on hip-hop's newest up and coming label. This is going to be a classic of 2003.

Posted by Dennis at 16:24 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Artist: El da Sensei
Title: Relax Relate Release
Label: Sevenheads
Genre: hip-hop

1. -- (1:54) WSVN Radio Jump Off - a quick two minute survey of the album
2. // (3:42) Relax - the intro to the album, sets the agenda for the rest
3. //- (4:18) Speakin' - driving beat with intrigue.
4. //- (3:50) So Easily - very chilled out groove
5. // (4:10) On And On feat. Sadat X - guest MC from Brand Nubian, nice jazzy beat
6. //- (4:05) Eternally - syncopated kick drum, nice rhymes.
7. /+ (2:12) Word On The Street - nice beat, but it's just an interlude
8. //- (4:27) So Think Again - talkin' about Artifacts history and the rest of the business
9. /+ (3:41) Focus - darker beat
10. //- (3:55) Bang It Out - the most clubby of the tracks, it's all about sex.
11. // (4:44) Summer Time Blues feat. Twizz - very chill, shit you could play in your drop-top hoopty if you had one, or at the neighborhood BBQ w/ a forty in hand
12. //- (3:35) In the Lab - deliberate beat, nice cuts by DJ Kaos
13. /+ (2:59) We Bouncin' - very round bass line, nothing special
14. -- (0:44) Be Original - interlude
15. // (3:30) Questions and Answers - a little classical influence, with some synthesized strings. This is a little lesson in hip-hop, dropping names of the classics
16. //- (3:59) Fall Back feat. A-Drift - solid, bumping beat with some nice battle rhymes, plus a female MC
17. //- (4:08) Whatyouwando? feat. J-Live and Asheru - another track with a slightly international flavor and two top-notch guest MCs
18. -- (0:52) Kaos Outro

El da Sensei was one half of the Artifacts out of New Jersey (along with Tame One, who has been releasing a few singles on Def Jux). They parted amicably a few years ago. da Sen has come correct with a good hip-hop album with some great guest MCs. He's also lined up a nice roster of producers, both established (J. Rawls, Joe Money), relative unknowns (Malito, P Original), and some international faces (DJ Sebb, Koolade). He uses this album to look back on what hip-hop was, and to look at where he hopes to take it.

Posted by Dennis at 16:18 (Central) | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a quick adaptation of a review that I did for KTRU. The rating system is something like this:

• /- go back to the drawing board. This song blows.
• / it's barely passable as music goes.
• /+ or //- solid effort. decent track, but doesn't stand out.
• // this shit is pretty good.
• //+ permanently blaze this into your head.

Artist: Push Button Objects
Title: Ghetto Blaster
Label: Chocolate Industries
Genre: hip-hop/electronica

1. //- (2:43) Hustlin - crispy metallic breakbeat. dark. the machines are gettin' down.
2. // (3:41) 360 Degrees feat. Del, Mr. Lif, and DJ Craze - the first single. some fine rhymin' from Del and Mr. Lif; wicked cuts by Craze.
3. //- (4:45) Fly feat. Vast Aire, Akrobatik, and Maintain - funky, sparse beat. some nice battle rhymes here.
4. // (3:43) Interlude - Arabic sounds with a crispy breakbeat underneath
5. // (4:37) 3 Doctors (feat. Philco, Illustrate, and Verb, I think) - futuristic sound, crispy synthetic hi-hat, abstract rhymes reminiscent of work from the Anticon crew
6. /+ (5:00) Breakers Delight - pretty mediocre breakbeat.
7. //- (6:01) Air feat. Dose One - long gradual buildup, ethereal feel, classic abstract Dose
8. /+ (4:18) Sleep - slow, plodding instrumental
9. // (4:43) Shut Down feat. Aesop Rock - slow, jazzy beat, nice rhymes
10. /+ (1:13) Interlude - short beat
11. // (6:58) Washington Ave. - beautiful chilled out groove

Push Button Objects (Edgar Farinas) is part of the new breed of hip-hop producers, along with Rjd2 and Prefuse 73, bringing in a lot more synthetic sounds with a vastly more electronic, cut-up slant toward the sound. It's not better or worse, it's just different. It's interesting to see the same MCs work with both sides of the spectrum of producers. Just goes to show that the sound of underground hip-hop is expanding, I guess.

Anyway, this is a solid album on an up and coming label (seems like all the best hip-hop is on brand new labels these days...). PBO has been in the game for a little while, with some releases on Skam and Schematic as well as this label; his core sound is hip-hop but has ventured into jungle and electro. Rumor has it that this might be his only album on Chocolate; supposedly there's some beef between him and the label boss, Seven. He's definitely someone to watch, though.

Posted by Dennis at 16:09 (Central) | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Last Saturday Dan and I went to go check out Ugly Duckling, Prince Paul, and Aceyalone at the Engine Room.

The one sentence summary: The sound at the Engine Room blows.

JV told me that someone once said that the Engine Room 'makes everybody sound like Def Leppard.'

I had a good time, though. Up until my ears started to hurt from all the distortion. Ugly Duckling opened, and they were pretty fun. They were funny, self-deprecating, and straight to the point. I think the one dude had a mullet, though. Aceyalone headlined, and he was tight. I honestly think he's one of the best MCs alive - his delivery is versatile and his breath control is amazing. He brought DJ Drez (I saw the two of them at S.O.B.'s in New York last year) and this time Drez's needles didn't skip when he juggled and looped "Billie Jean" while Aceyalone did "Makeba" on top. And as a little surprise, Abstract Rude was along for the ride as well. It's just too bad that it was so hard to understand any of the lyrics due to the poor sound quality.

The real entertainment was Prince Paul's set. It was like vaudeville on crack and LSD combined. Prince Paul brought along Mr. Dead from the BK. Paul was really working the whole "Politics of the Business" angle for a bit, but then things got crazy. Mr. Dead played two different characters during the evening, a 'choreographer' named 'Cricco Valencio' and a singer named 'Johnny Massengill.' You can imagine the craziness. He told us up front that things might get bugged out, and they did... that was the livest show I'd seen in a while. Just completely freaky. Still, it was amazing to see the man behind some of the greatest hip-hop of all time - Stetsasonic, De La Soul and Gravediggaz, plus "A Prince Among Thieves" and "Handsome Boy Modeling School." He's crazy, but genius usually is...

Posted by Dennis at 21:12 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I finally got up off my ass the other day and went to go see a movie. I haven't been to the theater in a long, long time. Anyway, I went and saw X2: X-Men United. It pretty much kicked ass. I'm glad I saw it in the theater; the effect would have been lost on a TV screen. The movie kind of blew its wad early, though; the Nightcrawler fight scene was probably the best action sequence and that was over in the first five minutes. They're definitely setting up the franchise to go into the Dark Phoenix saga, though, what with Jean Gray's eyes and hands lighting on fire occasionally. Not a classic attribute of a telepath/telekinetic, but certainly suggestive of Phoenix. I also like Beast's cameo as Dr. Hank McCoy and at least they included a mention of Gambit. I would have liked to have seen the Fastball Special, though...

I also recently found two trailers for a Hong Kong movie of 2001 that is finally being released in the US. Yes indeed, it's Shaolin Soccer. I'm kind of amped about it; I might just go ahead and order the foreign DVD instead of waiting for the English dub to be released in August. Part of that is because of the ridiculously high cost of seeing a movie in the theater. I paid $6 for a matinee, and that doesn't even include the price I paid to park my car. If I see three movies, that's the cost of buying one DVD. That's ridiculous.

Posted by Dennis at 13:42 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last night I was the sound engineer for the Prefuse 73 show. It was held down at SMOM in the Second Ward. All things considered, it went pretty well; slightly over two hundred people turned out, which is a pretty good turnout for hip-hop events in Houston. On my end, however, things got slightly insane.

I went out there Thursday night to get the sound system set up. Things went really smoothly until I discovered that the amplifier that was going to drive the mains was only outputting on one channel. OK, we can work around that. We'll just get another amp. Oh, and by the way, Mackie mixers suck. Did you know that if you run a signal into the tape output, it will crossbleed into the tape input? Clearly, the two circuits should be isolated from each other, but they're not...

Before the show, one of the subs decided to stop working. Great. Isolated the problem to a wonky cable. Then we ended up with a hum in the mains. Turns out that one of the amps is either not grounded, or the cables are bad. (Seems to be a common theme). I get rid of it in one speaker by using yet another amp. It's low enough to not be super noticeable, though, so I let it slide in the other speaker. There's not really anything I can do anyway.

But the real kicker is the tech rider. The tech rider that we were sent asked for one microphone, eight DI boxes, 31-band stereo EQ for the house, and four (4!) 31-band EQs for the monitors. What the hell?!? Well, we wired that shit up for them. Then they showed up, and Scott (Prefuse 73) had no idea that the EQ was on their rider. John Herndon of Tortoise (A Grape Dope) brought along a drum set. Umm, one mic isn't enough for that. And in the end, we only really needed four of the DI boxes, and probably could have gotten away with less. The guys were really cool, though, and very easy to work with. They were laid back, and very understanding of the situation. In the end, they all told me that the sound for this show was way better than what they had had the night before in New Orleans. Anyway, their tour manager is going to make the appropriate changes to the tech rider for future dates, so at least no one else is going to have to deal with that...

Posted by Dennis at 13:35 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

That was definitely the best show I've seen in a long, long time.

Last night, the Sugarman 3 & Co. came to Houston and played at the Continental Club. So, so funky. They're at the Austin branch of the Continental Club tonight, so if you live in Austin, you should go. They did two sets - the first was instrumental, and then during the second, they brought out legendary soul singer Lee Fields.

I was somewhat surprised by the crowd - the diversity was high. I know the Continental Club draws a diverse crowd, but last night the indie rock establishment was in full force, one of the hip-hop crews was there, and then the yuppie contingent also made an appearance. What also surprised me is that when I turned around to look at the back of the crowd (I was in the front getting down), the back of the crowd looked like a bunch of statues. How can you not at least bob your head to that kind of funk?!? It taps into a deeper part of your nervous system. I think you'd have to be dead not to move, but apparently some people can just sit there...

Posted by Dennis at 13:45 (Central) | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It was fun opening for the Triple Threat DJs (Apollo, Shortkut, and Vin Roc) on Saturday. We had some technical difficulties early on, so we didn't really get a whole lot of time to spin, but I got some nice pics. Here you can see the ridiculous quantity of gear on stage - three Technics 1200s, two Pioneer CD decks, one Akai sampler, a laptop, two Rane mixers, and two Vestax mixers. I'll post some more pictures later, but I thought you'd all like to see this one...

Apollo was working the Final Scratch, and apparently he's been designated the official spokesman of the trio because he did most of the talking. I was surprised to see the CD decks, but they made the absolute most out of the decks by compiling all of their scratch samples and drum breaks in order on the CDs, which allowed them to be unbelievably tight in the transitions. After about 45 minutes of fun, they each stepped up and did solo routines. Apollo first, then Shortkut, and then Vin Roc. Vin Roc absolutely killed it during his solo routine. I guess he's a back to back champion for a reason. You could see that he was having fun; and he pulled off some tight body tricks. I'm absolutely going to have to work on my juggling now...

Posted by Dennis at 15:32 (Central) | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Woo. Fun but completely unproductive weekend. Friday night, I went to go see the Reputation at the Axiom. Also playing were We Ragazzi and 90 Day Men. Both were pretty good; I had never heard them before. It was a big Chicago lovefest. Anyway, the sound was pretty terrible at the venue, but the show was fun. Got a chance to hang out with some of the members of the band, and also got to hear the new song, "Cartography."

Saturday night, the crew went out to see DJ Krush. That man is amazing. He played to a full house (~250 people?). It was very cool. Actually, when I got there, I wandered through the crowd to see who was there, and as I passed through the back of the crowd, I realized that DJ Krush was standing there. No one else had seemed to notice him, so I turned to a friend and asked him under my breath, "isn't that Krush?" We both freaked out. His translator tried to communicate our gratitude and awe to him. Yes, the headliner was just back there, hanging out, checking out the opening DJ.

Krush came out, dropped an ill experimental set for about an hour or so, and then brought out a local Texas musician and a Texan MC (Bavu Blakes). Bavu freestyled, the musician riffed (bass guitar, snare drum, hi-hat, keyboard), and DJ Krush tied it together with beats, samples, and scratches. After all that, he spun for a little while longer, took a photo with the crowd, and actually got called back to do not one, but two encores. The second encore was a DJ Shadow tribute set, apparently, with two or three songs from "Endtroducing..." cut and recut. All in all, one of the best shows I've seen in a long, long time...

Posted by Dennis at 22:17 (Central) | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just came back from the Proletariat. DJ Vadim and company rocked the house tonight. DJ First Rate of the Scratch Perverts fucked shit up - he did some unbelievable shit on the turntables tonight. At one point he balanced a turntable on his head and did some scratching and juggling. Vadim dropped some of his tunes, and then rocked a dutty dancehall set for the last fifteen minutes of the night. Together on four turntables the two of them killed it. The crowd was live - far more hype than I've seen in a long time in Houston - and everyone was there to have a good time. If Vadim is coming through your town, you damn well better go...

Posted by Dennis at 02:45 (Central) | Comments (5)

Two quick reviews of hip-hop cds that I did for KTRU:

E Da Boss, Catchin' A Buzz, Slept On Records

This is a nice little EP of breakbeats; it's a good showcase of where sample-based music in hip-hop is heading, while still keeping some old school flavor. All tracks are clean, all tracks are good.

1. (3:15) Intro + Nt#2 - short intro rap by Gift of Gab on the telephone, beautiful, ethereal, syncopated instrumental breakbeat
2. (4:30) Bop T Bop (DJ Platurn remix) - chunky beat with a far eastern tinge, some spoken samples, lots of scratches.
3. (3:57) Sucka DJs - female MC (Dimple D?) kicks it over an old school breakbeat with a lot of reverb
4. (2:50) E's House Party - soulful, slow, sad instrumental. crispy hi-hat in the breakbeat. some female background vox.
5. (3:05) 50¢ Breaks - conjures up the old school R&B jam. some scratches and juggling.
6. (6:00) Sooth Your Soul (Montags Dust Remix) - shuffling triplet pattern on top of the 4/4, laid back groove driven by the walking bass line. some minor harmonies woven in...

Various artists, Plug Tunes vol. 1, Metatronix

I like the vibe here; it's pretty good progressive hip-hop. However, these are mostly instrumentals, and I know for a fact that some of these songs have vocal parts. As a result, a lot of these tunes drag on way too long. It's one thing to have a five minute song composed of 16-bar loops if people are rhyming over them, but to just have the loops can be a bit repetitive and dull. It's a nice look into a particularly underrepresented aesthetic in hip-hop, though.

1. (4:46) Supersoul - Almighty Dub (feat. Juliet) - dubby breakbeat, lots of reverb. some chopped up/distorted female vox
2. (5:30) Calamalka - Ten-9 Volts - synthesized flute-like intro. fuzzed out bass with crispy top end. this beat goes nowhere.
3. (2:42) Eternal Golden Void - Witch Finder - slow spooky feel
4. (5:40) Digital K - Coming Dub - nice breakbeat with a dubby feel - almost feels like it's going to break doubletime but it doesn't. short vocal samples embedded.
5. (3:52) Brimstone127 - Espionage - tense beat with building samples leads into that dark unknown corner...
6. (4:47) Mike Pre-Amp - Calaloo - heh. clever name for the artist. erratic, circus on downers sort of feel to this instrumental break.
7. (3:48) Supersoul - Sound Clash [Fat Jon remix inst.] - this is a beautiful track. Nice piano line. Fat Jon is the man.
8. (4:20) Jake Mandell - Die Kleine Hexe [Supersoul remix] - spaced out, soundtracky. sweeping synth resembles wind blowing
9. (4:58) Supersoul - Klinga [Push Button Objects remix] - plodding pace, but has a very nice progression to the loops.
10. (4:41) Stratagy - Splinters In The Mind's Eye - some scratching over an orchestral beat in some minor tonality
11. (4:41) Supersoul - Feel The Cold [illicit version] - bleepy intro, picks up the pace with spaced out sounds throughout; some vocal samples.
12. (5:59) Supersoul - Sleepwalker [DJ Vadim remix] - vocal intro. Vadim flips this one into a spectacular exploration of texture and mood. Breakbeat feels almost extraneous, though.

Posted by Dennis at 00:41 (Central) | Comments (0)

Just got back from the "Creative Differences" tour featuring Living Legends, Eyedea & Abilities, 2Mex, Busdriver, and Xololanxinxo. Also appearing was Bavu Blakes from Austin. Anyway, it was one of the better hip-hop shows I've been to in a while. I always like seeing Living Legends (even though they're really not my preferred style of hip-hop) but Eyedea & Abilities stole the show. Abilities (who looks a little bit like one of the bartenders at the Gingerman) did a bit of wanking on the turntables, but he's definitely got skills. Eyedea did a freestyle about celibacy and war. Pretty impressive.

I also finally got to see and meet Bavu Blakes. He did a track with Hydroponic Sound System that I've been spinning a lot. He had a solid set, with pretty good energy. He told me the show in December was better, but I thought this was pretty good. He's got the crowd interaction thing down, which is key for underground hip-hop shows.

Anyway, it looks like underground hip-hop might actually be making some headway in Houston - there was a pretty good turnout tonight; probably around 200, which is a good number for the Rhythm Room. We'll see how well the trend keeps up...

Posted by Dennis at 02:11 (Central)

Here are some random links that I find amusing:

• LSSU's list of words/phrases that should be banished from use
• Battleground God
• TVM's flash greeting card game

Posted by Dennis at 21:49 (Central)

In no particular order, here are the top 5 albums that I got that were published in 2002.

Continue reading "top 5 albums of 2002" »

Posted by Dennis at 15:10 (Central)

I really like The Morning News. In particular, this story is both topical and amusing. And probably how a lot of people's New Year's Eve is going to end up. Check out past articles by Rosecrans Baldwin, Margaret Berry, and Dennis Mahoney in particular, but read them all. Writings by sarcastic, educated people. It makes my life that much better...

Posted by Dennis at 14:32 (Central)