Remember the 80’s? Headbanging? Righteous metal?
Break out the devil horns. Unlocking the Truth has revived my love of metal.
Metal is alive and well. In the form of two 6th graders from Flatbush, Brooklyn with a guitar, drums, an afro, and a bow tie.
How could these little dudes have this much cool? Awesome.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/68177758#[/vimeo]
Hat tip CoolMaterial.
B-52’s-Love Shack
Mrs. Dude: “I DO NOT like Love Shack.”
Dude: I’m glad you said that. I don’t think I could be with someone who likes that song…I probably should have asked that earlier in our relationship.”
Worst song ever? It just may be.
Thankfully Mrs. Dude agrees.
A match made in heaven.
It pains me to share this link, but just so you can be reminded how bad it really is; Love Shack…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leohcvmf8kM[/youtube]
I’ve mentioned Mister Rogers a couple times on DKB. I never knew the kind-hearted soul had such a pull on the Dude’s nostalgia.
This video is making the rounds today, and I’m loving it. Mister Rogers remixed and autotuned.
Autotune is awesome in a mostly hilarious, but kinda cool, kind of way. It turns average speech into a musical masterpiece. Check your nearest ITunes store for some handy apps to work this magic yourself.
Mister Rogers remixed and autotuned is perfect. But it does make me wonder all of the other great candidates for some remixing…
The list is endless.
Enjoy everyone’s favorite neighbor getting jiggy with it…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFzXaFbxDcM[/youtube]
Tip o’ the hat to Kottke.org for sharing.
Ryan Montbleau
A few weeks ago I commented on the inverse relationship between getting older – and being a parent – and enjoying live music – i.e. the older we get, the more parenting we do, the less live music we get out to see.
I mentioned that…
Concerts take on an entirely new perspective as a parent. I love music, and live music is amazing, but these days the Dude is happy to trade a great Pandora station for a live show. That just seems like a lot of work. 
I admit that I miss live music, but the trade off of time spent with the family is a swap I’m happy to make.
But now, thanks to one of the Dude’s favorite under-the-radar musicians – Ryan Montbleu – the old fogies among us no longer have to make this trade.
Ryan is a singer/songwriter from Boston that I’ve been listening to for many moons. He has a great bluesy, soulful rock/folk style that is hard to pin down, but very impressive.
He’s been pumping out great tunes and touring for years. Ryan, and his band, put on a great live show. I’m amazed that he is not more well-known.
It’s been years since I’ve seen them live, but I’d love to see more of them.
Wish granted. Thanks Ryan.
This is the first I’ve heard of a band embracing the interwebs like this, and not only am I a huge fan of the idea, but I can only assume that it is a great marketing idea for the music – in fact, I heard about this on Mashable.com, so the word is spreading. Nice work Ryan.
So what am I carrying on about?
Free live streaming of every show. Awesome.
You can watch every live show that The Ryan Montbleau Band performs at www.RMBLive.com.
I am super jazzed to be able to see live music on a regular basis…and from one of my fav bands. Thanks for being so rad Ryan.
Here’s a quick taste of what Ryan has to offer – a great jam about the joy of getting older…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM8fHHvsLpw[/youtube]
As we all probably know by now, one of the trifecta that make up the Beastie Boys passed away last week. I was tempted to scribble out a post memorializing MCA, but the interwebs were bursting at the seams with MCA-related posts; so I held off.
I mourned in my own way – I added a Beasties station to my Pandora (how did I not have a Beasties station?!) and cranked up the car stereo while cruising. I’m sure MCA can respect this.
Born in the late 70’s, the Dude is a product of the 80’s, and as a result, a product of the Beastie Boys. I can still recall sitting in my 4th grade class and seeing the Beasties cassette for the first time as a friend passed it around like illegal contraband.
Music was still rebellious at that point, and it doesn’t get much more rebellious than early Beastie Boys.
The Beasties will forever hold a special place in my musical heart. So, it’s sad to see a founding member move on – especially at the young age of 49. To be honest, it seemed like the Beasties would fade away a number of times, but they always found a way to stay relevant. With MCA gone, there is no way to make a full recovery, and with that, it feels like a piece of childhood for many gen x/y’ers is passing on as well. Hence all of the online memorializing.
I stayed out of the online memorializing for a week or so, but now I’ve been pulled back in. A great new video has brought the MCA memorial to the level of kids, and the Dude can relate to kids. So, I had to jump in.
Here’s a tribute to Adam Yauch – aka MCA – by James Winters and his family. James, the Dude digs. Nice work.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/42106181[/vimeo]
Hats off to Kottke.org for sharing the link.
The other day I knocked out a post about the Power of Music, showing how much listening to music can have positive effects on Alzheimer patients. It’s a amazing to see the immediate reaction in the video.
But the power of music goes beyond listening. Playing music may have an even more profound effect. Perhaps staving off degenerative mental disorders like Alzheimers?
A bold assertion, but there is now scientific evidence that “lifelong musical experience has an impact on the aging process.” And “older musicians [have] a distinct neural timing advantage.”
Pretty cool article from ScienceDaily.com.
I’ve always dug great music, but I regret not learning how to play earlier in life. But the great news is that it’s never too late.
I’ve been trying to teach myself the harmonica for quite a while. It’s been a long road, but I’m making progress, and hopefully my efforts rub off on the kiddos.
Let’s start the love of music – listening and playing – early and often. It sure is powerful.
PS – To all you grandparents out there, get to playing. We want you around as long as we can have you.
This video is worth 6 minutes of your time.
Watch how much music effects an Alzheimer patient.
His expression when he first hears the music explains it all.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKDXuCE7LeQ[/youtube]
Hats off to swissmiss & Kottke for sharing the video.
Check out Mrs. Dude’s Alzheimer portrait of her Grandfather, Poppy. Great story and amazing pictures.
Have I mentioned that Mrs. Dude is fantastic photographer?
Two staples of the Dude’s yester years; the Beastie Boys and Sesame Street. A marriage made in heaven. What took so long for this to happen?
The perfect intro to the Beasties for Princess and Little Dude.