August 12

Today's the birthday of the mindbending Del the Funky Homosapien, an undercelebrated artist if ever there was. His rapping demonstrates that hip-hop as an art form has not yet reached its potential (no matter how much radio music sounds like the same old...)
Here's an example which you're familiar with, if you played a lot of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3:


He got in the game as a lyricist, writing for his cousin's group Da Lench Mob (his cousin, being Ice Cube.) In 1991, even as Dr Dre's "The Chronic" was setting the standard for hip-hop production for the next 20 years, Del's debut album "I Wish My Brother George Was Here" was charting an alternate course for hip-hop. Throughout the 90's, his audience was finding him, even as he was distancing himself from the hip-hop industry that came to be. He would eventually help start an artistic collective, the Hieroglyphs, that would be home for his music.

In 2000, he co-created Deltron 3030, a sci-fi rap opera collaboration with producer Dan the Automator.


The album featured many other artists, including British singer Damon Albarn for one track. Albarn was so inspired by the experience, he invited Del onboard to help shape the sound of his next project, the Gorillaz:

To date, it's still Del's most high-profile gig.

In 2010, he's very much the Internet-friendly independent artist; his latest album is available, among other formats, for free download off his site (for a while, anyway.)
Meanwhile, here's the song I'll be singing all day, an Arsenio Hall performance of a song he did for the Judgement Night with alt-rockers Dinosaur Jr. Here's "Missing Link":

August 5

I'm shining a light on Adam Yauch today, who you know as MCA of the Beastie Boys. You might think of him as a rapper, or a bass player. But I want to talk about him as a filmmaker.

Beastie Boys - Shadrach (Abstract Impressionist Version)
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See, as Nathaniel Hornblower, Adam has also directed some of the Beastie's most memorable videos, as well as their experimental concert film, "Awesome; I... Shot That!" In fact, since 1998, he's been the exclusive videographer for the Beasties.

Beastie Boys - Body Movin'
Uploaded by EMI_Music. - Explore more music videos.
(I apologize; DailyMotion's kinda in your face, but they're record label owned.)

Besides his efforts as Nathaniel Hornblower, he also started Oscilloscope Laboratories, with its own film distribution arm - but it's not just for Beastie Boys movies. Oscilloscope's garnering a reputation as a tastemaker studio, with its collection of critically-embraced documentaries (Dear Zachary, The Garden, A Film Unfinished) and dramas (Wendy and Lucy, The Messenger, Howl...)



Adam was laid low a few years back with a cancer diagnosis, which derailed plans for the Beasties' next tour and album, a two-part release currently called "Hot Sauce Committee". Although I'm satisfied with him making videos and sharing movies he loves with the world, I certainly wouldn't mind hearing more from the Beasties (especially if it convinces the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...)

June 5

I've got family in town this weekend, so here's a quickie (and that's no innuendo):
Happy Birthday to Aesop Rock, an alt-rapper in a scene that sorely needs re-invention. Eminem and Kanye are the only distinct artists in commercial hip-hop at the moment; practically everyone else sounds the same, even before they're auto-tuned. But out in the frontiers of music, there are folks like Atmosphere and Aesop Rock, who are making the sounds that are coming up next, hopefully. This is what tomorrow sounds like:

May 15

It's amazing what one song can do. Melle Mel was recruited by Grandmaster Flash, a prominent DJ adept at the up-and-coming artform of turntablism, to join his Furious Five in 1978. Their job was to provide entertaining distractions (call and responses, poetic witticisms) to back up the deejay while he spun the records that got the crowds dancing. Shortly after "Rapper's Delight" made the radio charts, Grandmaster Flash's crew began recording tracks themselves.
In 1982, their label released the debut album's title track "The Message" as a single. It slowed the beat down, and put the lyrics front and center. The lyrics, instead of typical "get on the floor" rhymes, dealt with heady subject matter: the crime, poverty, and ills of modern life. Neither Grandmaster Flash nor the rest of the Furious Five were interested in recording the track; it's basically Melle Mel and a studio musician from their label.
The single went platinum in a month. "The Message" signaled rap music's transformation from the next sound on the dance floor into the voice of all disenfranchised, or what one artist would call "the CNN of Black America." "The Message" also shifted the balance of power toward the rapper, and began the deejay's relegation to the rhythm section, the background.
As for Melle Mel, he started his own group a few years later, then solo for another decade. His first Grammy, for his appearance on Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You", would be the first awarded to a rap artist (he would win two more in his career.)
He and Flash would reunite to accept the band's induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. He even released a children's book, with a CD featuring two songs by Lady Gaga - back in 2006.
"The Message" has become one of the most celebrated and emulated songs in hip hop. The song was inducted in the National Archives in 2002. Not bad for a song that missed the Top 40 in its initial release (#62, 1982).
I'd have also liked to have posted their pre-album recording "Birthday Party", but no luck finding a vid of it. Instead, let's enjoy a national treasure:

April 28

This one's not so much undercelebrated as under-respected. Joseph Bruce, a.k.a Violent J, has been masterminding the world of the Insane Clown Posse for decades. (Fer crying out loud, they'll be eligible for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.) Like a true wrestling fan, he relishes the role of the bad guy, even as he uses the role to uplift the values of the good guys. He may notH have always accepted the heckles with grace, (I lived in St Louis; tell you how ICP goes down there some other time...) but by now, he's learned the value of laughing all the way to the bank.
Case in point: "Miracles", the single off the ICP's latest album. They re-released the single earlier this month with a music video, to hype the "Nuclear Edition" of their 2009 album. Two weeks later, the video got lampooned on Saturday Night Live. Bruce's response? He's honored (one step from a Weird Al parody, in his book) and asked to be on the show.
Anyway, the video's become something of a meme, and I can't miss a chance to jump on a trending train, so... Here's the notorious video for "Miracles":


And here's what SNL did with it:

April 8

Yesterday was a great day for me: day off from work, got back on the commonwealth's good side, hung with the kids, did some spring cleaning, got something off the ice cream van, and discovered an old, awesome movie ("Following" by Christopher Nolan, if you'll accept a suggestion).
Even my messups were blessings; I couldn't run videoclips for my original choice for today (let me save it for another year), but discovered two birthdays that made me change my mind. Today's Buddha's birthday, a big deal in several Asian countries. Today also happens to be an old friend's birthday, whose family I haven't seen in a long time. Given that this may be the first time in a while they'll hear from me, I found a better artist to feature...

The Biz Markiealbum I Need a Haircut is a collector's item, for historical reasons. The album itself is so-so by Markie standards, but its significance stems from the track Alone Again, which sampled Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)". Nobody asked Gilbert O'Sullivan, and he took Biz to court. The court found in favor of Sullivan, and all copies were pulled from shelves. Now, music with samples (75% of today's music, it seems) pay the original artist a share of the proceeds. Unless it's leaked to the internet for free. Like that ever happens...
We still love this Buddha-built MC, anyway. In the interest of karma, let's feature a special version of his biggest hit, "Just a Friend." Have you seen those 'literal video' versions? Somebody resings the lyrics of a music video classic to serve as commentary on said video? Here's a 'literal' version of the "Just a Friend" video:

February 11

Trying to get back on the horse with the blog, so I'm popping in the deck some Fort Minor, featuring birthday boy Mike Shinoda. More than the guy who gives Chester time to breathe, he plays a dozen instruments and handles the artwork for Linkin Park, masterminds the Fort Minor project, produces for a fistful of other bands and artists... A multi-tasker after my own heart.

The AMV's decent, and I'm in the mood for swords. 'Kay?

December 9

Today's Imogen Heap day, but today's column is really all about "Hide and Seek". So, in the interest of giving credit where credit's due, a little info on Imogen Heap: she's a British-born singer-songwriter who's not afraid of using electronics or making music into art. In other words, she's the 21st century Laurie Anderson. She has four Grammy nominations to her credit, and she's auditioning cello players for an upcoming tour... okay, at this point, she would still be one of those hipster playlist artists that you don't really know but everybody who's anybody says you should, like Har Mar Superstar and My Morning Jacket. The thing is, you DO know one of her songs...

For the record, the name of the song is "Hide and Seek", from her second solo album Speak For Yourself. She released it on her own label in 2005 (she'd had bad experiences with record labels) and sold it on vinyl and as digital downloads.


She also released the song for use on the Fox TV show "The O.C." A sample of the song, about 3 minutes in, was used in the second season finale:


This scene was catnip to the comedy team The Lonely Island, whose online comedy series, "The 'Bu", a parody of "The O.C.," had made them internet stars, and helped gain them jobs on Saturday Night Live. SNL produced this digital short:


This short became an insane Internet meme; even though SNL couldn't post it themselves (they hadn't secured the music rights,) fans began posting and re-enacting and offering tribute re-edits...


This year, Jason DeRulo, an R & B singer, added his Auto-Tune to Imogene's, and used it as the base for his pop melange "Whatcha Say?" Last month, "Say" hit #1. (Meanwhile, in 2005, "Hide and Seek" reached #91 on the Billboard 100.)


Whatcha say to that? I'm wrapping this up before I get shot...

October 17

Couldn't decide which one to feature today, so here's a twofer:

Aqua's Rene Dif is blowing out candles today. The band took a hiatus so that they could each pursue solo careers and Rene could get over the fact that the female lead singer decided to marry the keyboard player instead. But everybody's friends again, and they're making new music.
Here's the new single they put on the greatest hits album: "Back to the 80's"


Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, is also celebrating his birthday today. (No idea when Slim Shady's birthday is.) Yeah, he unretired this year, too. In fact, the sequel to his Relapse album, which dropped in March, is supposed to be out this November. Among the most interesting projects he was in this year was his comic book with the Punisher. (That's right: Eminem, Punisher, and a chainsaw...)
Unofficially, it's not his first appearance in a comic book. The creators of the graphic novel Wanted, which became the Angelina Jolie movie, modeled the hitman-in-training character after Eminem. (And Jolie's character was modeled after Halle Berry. Imagine that movie...)
Since I'm in a comic book mood, here's a track from the Encore album, 2004's "Mosh"

september 27

Debbie Barnhouse is a actress/director/legend in the Cape Girardeau, MO arts scene. 2009 marks a decade with the local River City Players, where her talents have shone brightest, on either side of the curtain. Last week finished the run of Sam Bobrick's "Getting Sara Married," her latest directorial effort.
Usually, I have a video clip for you readers, to illustrate a reason that our birthday subject deserves some attention. But I don't have one for Debbie, and I kind of feel responsible. In 2003, she was cast and served as costumer in a film based on one of my scripts, Dark Garden. She let our makeup team turn her beautiful face into a murder victim's, only to have all of herself off-camera except her legs (oh, those legs...) She got the same deal Kevin Costner did in "The Big Chill," but she helped plant a seed that's still growing in the Cape. So I owe her a better movie....

In a TV interview, Meat Loaf said that he never considered himself a good singer, but he learned how to act like one after being cast to play a rock star. Man, do I wish it was that simple. The man's voice has its highs (Bat Out of Hell) and lows (his American Idol appearance) but it's still one of the best in the buisness. He's got plenty of signature roles, too; his five minutes in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" take the movie to a whole other level.

If you want to understand what the big deal is about Lil Wayne, start at Vibe Magazine's "The 77 Best Lil' Wayne Songs of 2007." That's 77 songs that he spit flow on before his juggernaut "Tha Carter III" album came out. Once III came out, then he was all over the place. Enjoy it now, because he may be jumping the shark next year; that's when his rock album comes out.

Avril Lavigne tried a different type of media saturation, with her last big single, "Girlfriend." You remember this song, right? Inescapable! Did you know its the 2nd most watched video on Youtube - of all time? OF ALL TIME?!? (Take that, Beyonce!) She re-recorded the song in seven different languages (even tried in Hindi,) and did a remix with a hip-hop artist. All that work, just so she can have a number 1 hit in the US...

And it's the only song anybody knows from the album (and she received too much flak about plaguarism...) News like this makes me wonder if she's running out of steam; she's working on her album for next year, and her publicity is proud to announce that's she using at least four songs she wrote before she was famous - songs that are almost ten years old. Hopefully, she's got enough going on in the here and now to write something besides the 'look at how rich I am' album...

september 25

Since it's been suggested that I occasionally write about artists the average person may have heard of, I'm sending out a "Happy Birthday" to Clifford Harris, Jr, also known as T.I. Today, the Rubber Band Man's either celebrating his 29th birthday, or six months until his release from federal prison. I'd write more, but do I really know Clifford Harris? Does anyone?



Mary Doyle Kennedy will always be Natalie from the Commitments, one of my favorite fictional bands of all time. It's cool to know that in real life, she's one of the actors that made good: besides her own self-released albums (I wonder what her version of "Video Killed the Radio Star" sounds like,) she just completed her run as Catherine of Aragon on "The Tudors" (for those of you with cable television.) She recently recorded some songs with John Prine; no word on when those'll be released. And I wonder if she ever jams with the other Commitments?



Okay, we've had hip-hop and soul; it's time for some rock n' roll!

Kiyoshi Ijichi plays drums for Asian Kung-Fu Generation, a Japanese rock band that would sound great opening for Weezer. In fact, Ajikan (that's the quick way to say their name) aren't just playing better alt-rock than I'm hearing in America; they're keeping it alive with their own festival. This year's Nano-MugenFes was a two-day showcase of Japanese rockers alongside acts like Ben Folds and Nada Surf; if you're as interested as me, the live DVD comes out next month...


This song, "Loop & Loop," was on their 2004 album, 'Sol-fa.' It was one of my first discoveries when I started blog-trolling a few years ago, one of the reasons I started this blog. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the lyrics, or even what the song's about. The song transcends for me, but I'm open to explanations; comment me if you've got the song's about...


Finally, happy birthday to Santigold. She made it on a few 'best of 2008' lists, but I finally learned about her this week. I guess today's critics really miss 1982, because she sounds a lot like The Motels.

Yeah, I'm digging this. For real evidence of her sonic powers, check out the effects of her set at the 2009 Sasquatch Festival.

Seen this clip before? That's her track, "Unstoppable," that the short shorts pied piper's dancing to. Can't really tell if it inspired the Black Eyed Peas and Oprah, but I feel like dancing, too...

september 24

The story of Donald Earl DeGrate, Jr, a.k.a. Devante Swing, is a mystery. Devante was the producer, primary songwriter, and defacto leader of Jodeci (he and his brother Dalvin were the “De” in “Jodeci,”) which were something of an R & B powerhouse starting in 1991. DeVante parlayed the band’s success into forming his own record label, signing and/or discovering such talent as Missy Elliott, Timberland, Ginuwine, Tweet, Flo Rida, and much more. But by 1997, the label was folded, the band was on “indefinite hiatus,” and DeVante was off the grid.
Ten years later, and I can’t believe how much trouble I’m having finding news about this guy. He’s got another brother who’s keeping himself – and his music – strictly on the side of the angels; Devante worked on a track of his 2004 album… I’m also reading some buzz about “Nodeci”, which is a Jodeci-sounding group definitely without a K-Ci or JoJo. But is it the DeGrate brothers? Or a bunch of Jodeci-worshipping wanna-bes? Will the real Donald DeGrate please stand up? For a man who contributed as much to the R & B architecture of the last 15-odd years, he’s startlingly quiet.
Here’s an example of Jodeci at the height of their powers: their performance on the 1993 “Uptown MTV Unplugged” special. Their rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Lately” became their biggest pop hit. (By the way, Donald’s on the piano…)



His mama named him Michael Shawn Crahan on this day long ago, but most people today know him as “Clown” or “#6”. That’s right; Shawn’s one of the drummers of Slipknot. But he’s been ready to be much more; without the mask, he runs his own record label and plays with another band, Dirty Little Rabbits. As soon as the current world tour is over, he’ll host a few gallery showings of his photographs and paintings, and complete the book “The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey,” chronicling his time in Slipknot.
While researching, I found out about To My Surprise, one of Crahan’s bands that got lost in the “Slipknot side project” shuffle. The band folded as soon as Slipknot was ready to resume, which is a shame. It wasn’t as big a deal as Stone Sour or the Murderdolls, but it should have been.



Happy Birthday, Janet Weiss, virtuoso drummer. She was the primary drummer of Sleater-Kinney, as well as anchoring Quasi, The Go-Betweens, Junior High, and drumming for Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes, Stephen Malkmus… The girl can’t keep still.

This week, she’s in Canada, playing with the Jinks, before Malkmus reunites with Pavement for a 2010 tour. It would seem to be a good time to take a break, but Janet probably won’t, dammit…
Here’s the album version of the song that got Janet the Sleater-Kinney gig: “Dig Me Out”.



Finally, it’s Jim Henson’s birthday. There’s so much that’s been said about his life’s work, and the joy we still feel from the love and laughter his stories gave to us. But I’m going to spotlight a subversive tribute – and by subversive, I’m referring to that simultaneous expression of sentiment and blasphemy. So I want to take a moment to talk to you about Sad Kermit.
Quoth the website: “Soon after the death of Jim Henson, Sad Kermit spiraled downward into a life full of addiction, romance and pain.” From there, Kermit discovers the acoustic guitar and Elliot Smith… and the rest is Internet history.
The saga of Sad Kermit started with the green doppelganger singing the Johnny Cash treatment of “Hurt”, along with a video of the most depressing scenes featuring a muppet ever. (Imagine Aranofsky's 'Requiem for a Muppet') But the songs themselves – Nine Inch Nails, Elliot Smith, and Leonard Cohen songs, performed with the heartbreaking vocals of Sad Kermit - can be really affecting, once you get past the joke.

Several covers are still available on the Sad Kermit website; I recommend the down-tuned version of “Rainbow Disconnection”.

September 12

Turns out my fellow lab rats check out the blog, so let me send some recommendations their way.

Brian, today’s birthday girl for you is Petra Marklund, or as she’s known on dance floors around the world, September. I say, ‘around the world’, as opposed to ‘in the U.S.’ But she’s perfect for you; she looks like Jamie Pressley, sounds like Lady Gaga, and she’s from the Land Where Disco Never Died, Sweden.

We’re past due for another Swedish pop infusion…

Martee, you’re the Man. And I’m not just saying that because the last guy that upset you enough, you had words and he was never seen again… Nah, it’s because you’ve expanded my musical horizons.
So, let’s see if we can get some attention for Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. If you’re into country music these days, there’s no need for introductions. They’ve been on the country charts for the last four and a half years But here’s a chance to set things straight about “Stay,” the band’s first platinum single.

She didn’t write it about herself. Her story is, she was inspired by a Reba McEntire song, another song from the perspective of the cheated-on wife, and wondered what the point of view of ‘the other woman’ was...

CJ, it’s my turn to school you about a rapper, and I’ll try to avoid embarrassing myself by mangling urban grammer. Bizzy Bone’s 33 today, and back in the Bone Thugz fold, trying to get their reunion album, The worlds enemy, released. For now, they're touring, playing clubs and restaurant openings...

Did you know he was on America’s Most Wanted? As a child, he and his sisters were abducted by an ex-stepfather, and went missing for two years. In 1983, a TV-movie about the abduction of Adam Walsh was broadcast, followed by pictures of children abducted, including young Bizzy. A neighbor called the police, and Bizzy was reunited with his mother.
This month, Bizzy Bone and friends have released a mixtape (or two) You can get it at his website, BizzyBone.Us.

Val, your mixtapes prove how musically adventurous you are (not to mention, you actually read this blog; kudos!) Let me tune you in to Larry LaLonde, who is not just celebrating his birthday, but 20 years as the guitarist for Primus, which are still together – just taking things reeeeeelly easy. Having acknowledged your voluminous musical tastes, it’s not easy to pick a tune for your perusal. I mean, from modern country to Rasputina to the Gorillaz…
Wait! That’s it!

Finally, Heather, you’ve been open minded to everyone’s musical temperaments. But at heart, I know you’re a sentimentalist, and you’re celebrating your wedding anniversary this weekend, so let me offer to you one of the most romantic songs that birthday boy Ben Folds ever put to tape.

Makes you want to get married all over again, doesn’t it?

That’s my shout-out to my co-workers at the lab. Tomorrow: the age old battle between Disco and Metal continues...

September 11

Having September 11 for your birthday is like having anti-Christmas Day for your birthday. Don’t worry; all those kids born on December 7th got the day back eventually, too. And if you’re having trouble getting people in a party mood today, take comfort that there are other birthday kids today…

But I have to admit, my mind’s wandered to 9/11. That day, I alternated between watching the news like everyone else and retreating into myself, listening over and over to “Don’t Panic,” the first track of Coldplay’s “Parachutes.”

Well, the world’s gotten better, and Coldplay is, of course, much bigger. Bassist Johnny Buckland’s celebrating his birthday today, and it looks like the band’s taking the day off, before they resume their England dates with Jay-Z, which still blows my mind. .

Jay-Z opening for Coldplay; that’s just…

Ludacris is sitting pretty on his birthday, too. I mean, he's got three oriental restaurants in Atlanta, so you know he's getting a free cake with his birthday dinner, at least. The dude just gave away twenty cars to strangers; what do you get the man for his birthday? I mean, besides better movie scripts:

I mean, seriously, man; stay away from any movie involving video games. I know, you don’t want to play Skinny Black too many times, but… Do some cop procedural show; we’re due another CSI any season now….
Or, better yet, stick to comedy.


Let’s finish this with a birthday shoutout to Richard Ashcroft of the Verve. He wrote “Bittersweet Sympony” – unless you ask the Rolling Stones’ lawyers, who say that a sampled riff of an orchestral cover of “The Last Time” constitutes composition of the song. The rest of “Urban Hymns” was a great listen, but the Verve was always eclipsed by that song – and Richard Ashcroft’s ambitions. This August, the Verve broke up for the third time again, supposedly because of Ashcroft’s wish for a solo career.

At any rate, “Bittersweet Symphony” still hits the spot when I need to scrape myself off the pavement and keep trudging through the day. A song like that is a great gift to the world, so thanks for that , Mr Ashcroft….

September 8

This is not a rebel blog. But today seems to be full of rebellious sorts. If it’s your birthday, make sure you’re not part of the machine! Follow the examples of your brethren – I mean, DON’T follow- that is… You know what I mean, right?

Pink’s got plenty to celebrate besides her birthday today: her blockbuster world tour hits stateside next week. Also, she may be reconciling with her muse/ sort-of-ex-husband, after all. Also, I just discovered that she goes by “P!nk”, which makes her easier to google, so thanks for that, Alecia…
I’ve had a bear of a time trying to find Pink’s latest video to share, what with her being a Universal Music artist. Since I started this column, I’ve been sampling all the YouTubes-to-come (Hulu, Joost, Dailymotion, Fliiby, etc.) in search of videos to share. It seems like the bigger the act, the harder a lockdown from the record label. If they were trying to sell the music video, I’d understand, but why block a four-minute commercial for your own product?
Anyway, this is yet another videosite I discovered, just to share P!nk’s latest. It was either this one, or I learn Russian, so enjoy…


Brendan Kelly is the bassist for the Lawrence Arms, a band that’s more punk than you. In fact, they’re the only band I’ve ever heard of that’s permanently banned from the Warped Tour, for saying that Warped was siphoning bands from the underground venue system to fuel their shopping-mall concerts. True or not, outing Warped on a Warped stage is like calling the bride’s gown ugly when she’s standing at the altar. These days, neither Warped nor the Lawrence Arms have anything to do with the other, and everyone’s fine with that.


Fad Gadget (born Frank Tovey) was the Bering Strait between New Wave and industrial, straddling the line between the aggressive performance art music of the 70’s and the 80’s synthpop to come. He became most renowned for his on-stage prescence (tarring and feathering himself and stage diving into an audience, playing electric razors and power tools as musical instruments,) but when you set aside the antics, the sound keeps up with contemporaries Gary Numan and Depeche Mode.
“Ricky’s Hand” is my favorite, but this German TV performance of “Collapsing New People” is just bizarre enough to stick in your retinas…


Finally, today’s Slim Thug day in Houston. This compatriot of Mike Jones got the same affinity for that Robitussin rap-style coming out of Texas. He doesn’t just sling the words; he started his own label (Boss Hogg Outlawz) once he realized how successful his mixtapes could be. He can say, with all authority, “I’m the Boss….”

Come to think of it, I like The Lonely Island’s version better…

august 29

Right out the box, I find A+, born Andre Levins, and his biggest hit, “Enjoy Yourself.”

I’m convinced that anything sounds good with a Fifth of Beethoven. I think the reason nobody’s heard of him is he hasn’t found the right name. He’s not to be confused with the rapper A Plus, from the Hieroglyphs. But his birth name’s too close to Andres Levin, the music producer. So (for now) he’s trying to release a new album under the name Young Plus. None of this speaks well for the imaginativeness of his lyrics, I’m sure….

Elizabeth Frasier gave the Cocteau Twins their ethereal voice in the 80’s and 90’s. Imagine if Enya had the hankering to start a pop band, and you’ve got the Twins. They’re like those instant summer rainstorms, the kind that fall while the sun keeps shining, a slightly miraculous feeling.

Since the Twins broke up in ’97, fans have been waiting for their return. Heck, fans have been waiting for Fraser’s solo album since 2007, but it was pulled, without explanation. The band was scheduled to reunite for Coachella 2005, but they cancelled, without explanation. The fan site Elizabethfraser.com was taken over by her management team in ’07, and currently only has a “coming soon” type notice (don’t know if the music on the page is new or not…)

Anton Newcombe is the chief mastermind of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, another college radio staple of days gone by. If you liked Pink Floyd before Syd Barrett ‘left’ the band, definitely give the BJM a try. Otherwise, the rock documentary “Dig!” can give you a better idea of his reputation, deserved or not. I picked a song from their 2008 release, which sounds and looks like something that would have run on Night Flight in my childhood…


And it’s David Desrosiers’ birthday, too! The secret weapon of pop-punkers Simple Plan! He’s, uh… a bassist! Yeah, so…

Aw, heck, I’m trying to dole out some attention to others before I write about Michael Jackson. How can I not? And yet, what hasn’t been written about him since he passed? About his homicide, his kids, his mystery son, his legacy? I mean, I was blasting his greatest hits when my friends were still throwing around babysitting jokes; now, everybody's finally saying nice things about him, while I still need a break.
No matter what happened, you’d be reading about Michael Jackson, just so I could post his 'appearance' on the Simpsons:


Happy Birthday, Michael. We miss ya…