Without a Yard

Lots of interesting & somewhat related web-postables to report today. Wednesday’s b-ball game was tons of fun, we ended it in a tie & hopefully we can merge as a team & develop a better chemistry after a few more games….Speaking of MERGE (amazing segue way by my Friday standards…) they are expanding their prestigious roster with a re-named Canuck act – Caribou & the Son-of-the-Cure act Shout Out Louds (not to be confused w/ Edmonton’s Son-of-!!! Shout Out Out Out Out)
Further research into the Over The Top Fest yielded disappointing news – no Explorers Club appearance. Brutal. So I dunno what’s up for future OTT ticket purchases, any tips on good acts to catch on Thursday or Saturday’d be great appreciated. Friday is reserved for Robyn’s b-day – vital & cannot be compromised.

Despite the migration to Facebook, MySpace offered up this brilliant gem today & IMHO a damn rarity considering all the crap music that lies behind most unsolicited friend requests. War Against Sleep is a band from Bristol that’re psychedelically kickass. Check out their MySpace page here to discover some of their luscious trippy tunes. Doesn’t look like they’re on their way over here anytime soon….but hopefully if they build enough of a buzz in North America, some ‘fest will help them make the trek. I do make an effort to listen to a bit of everything that is sent my way….& this is one of the very few times that it’s paid off.

Two articles caught my eye on the reader this a.m…..first the Chicken Little usual from CRIA, the Canadian Recording Industry Assn, after releasing their sales stats for the first quarter of 2007 – which are down 35% in retail. Boo hoo. And what would remedy this trend? Improved & additional multi-media features on CDs? Promotions tied to festivals, shows, television spots, soundtracks, video games, SMS campaigns, ringtones, viral videos??? Nah, let’s just blame it on downloading! CRIA is putting their Chicken Little eggs into the lobbying basket labeled: new copyright legislation to curtail Internet file-swapping and counterfeit CDs and DVDs. Bummer.

Because as you can tell from Nettwerk’s PROGRESSIVE business plan – there are alternatives that can grow your market & make loyal fans into multi-platform customers. DER.

Couldn’t resist adding some links from the weekend & week past.

Very interesting NY Times article on the upsurge in reunited bands/acts - timely for my enthusiastic Pumpkins fan bud, Amanda: Link Here

Can’t resist also plugging this new song discovery engine…by Joey Anuff of Suck and Will and Will Kreth of Wired - called Critical Metrics. The pop-up player is very cool. Featured on/discovered through BoingBoing article & interview here.

& it wouldn’t be a regular week a WOAY w/out some over-the-top praise for my girl Bjork. Check out this amazing interview on Pitchfork.

I’m booked w/ random extra-curricular workish events all week - so forgive me with lax email response rate (& my failure to finish Martin’s freelancin’ assignment…)..

Peace
Meegs
signing off for real this time…

Finally added an RSS feed from CBC’s Radio 3 Podcasting site - & so should you! This monday’s song of the day was the indefatiguable Hayden who writes beautiful songs about everyting from being bludgeoned to death in a studio to his cat running away from home. I’m profiling THIS one because it offers a chance to shout out the hometown, Parry Hoot. Hayden’s tune on the Monday podcast was ‘Killbear’ - which reminded me to put more Hayden on my workplace iTunes library…it’ll calm me down, riiiight?

Peace
Meegs

Totally forgot to post some great links accumulated over the past coupla days…

First - check out the great + brief blurb on Roky Erickson in the New
York Timesa here:

It has some interesting insights on the new RE output + its roots in
real-old-school rock.

Also! The BBC ran a great story about the link between a thriving
online music community + a flourishing live music scene. Definitely
worth checking out to keep up your sleeve for future ROI-talks about
time'n'money spent on websites, youtubes, et alhere:+ this post wouldn't be complete without the obligatory reference to
feist - this time by Jon Pareles in the Sunday NYTimes
here:

Anywhoo - tings have been busy! Great tail feathered night on Saturday!

Peace
Meegs

Some snarly cheeckiness to get you through this Thursday into the Friday blissfullness that you oh-so-deserve.

Check out the Village Voice expose on USA’s #1 single…’This Is Why I’m Hot’

Also - great playlist & holy-shiat-forget-they-were-this-young photo from Tokyo Police Club on today’s Pitchfork…

ALSO - Had the pleasure of accompanying my lame half-hearted after-work-&-event-workout at the Y last night w/ Sasha Frere-Jones’ perfectly sized (read: shorter than average New Yorker article…I’m an 80s baby raised on Sesame Street skits w/ a brutally small attention span, I can’t help it!)review of the new Feist record.

Enjoy the links.

Peace
meegs