BT – Emotional Technology

I’ve been a huge fan of Brian Transeau since his first album back in 1996. I don’t remember how, or where I heard it, but the first time I heard Blue Skies I was hooked. Since then, I’ve eagerly awaited each new release from BT.

It’s been over 3 years since BT released an original work (read all about it here), but it was definitely worth the wait. There isn’t a weak track to be found anywhere and in my book, this is his best work yet. From the first track to the last, BT takes you on a journey through an incredible landscape of sound. Along the way he drops some kickin’ hooks that you just can’t get out of your head.

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My God, It’s Full Of Stars

I was sitting in a cafe late this afternoon in between West End and Vanderbilt University called Bean Central. I was waiting for Holly to get off work and I was catching up on some work with my AlphaSmart Dana. I was sipping on a Bass pale ale looking out the window when I saw Matraca Berg and her husband Jeff Hanna.

For those of you that may not be familiar with the Country Music market, Matraca Berg has a solo career, but is most noted for her songwriting. She’s penned such hits as Back In The Saddle, Wrong Side Of Memphis (Trisha Yearwood), and Strawberry Wine (Dena Carter). Her husband, Jeff is in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, which is where Jackson Browne launched his solo career from. Not quite on the level of Garth Brooks, or Faith Hill, but definitely big stars in the own right. They were leaving the Essential Therapy Store and Spa and drove away in their gold Volvo station wagon.

Just goes to show you what living in Nashville is like. You never know who you’re going to run into when you just stand still for a few moments.

Oh, and since we’re on the subject of country music stars, Holly will be performing on June 26th at the Gibson Bluegrass Showcase. She’s performing in the Nashville Country Show talent contest. This is the first of many performances that we’re lining up in promotion of her new demo CD. If you’re in the area, we look forward to seeing you there.

Oh My Virgin Ears!

Last night I was watching TV and a commercial for Hechts department store came on and to my horror the song used for the ad was ‘Always Something There To Remind Me‘ by Naked Eyes. :O They had changed the lyrics of the hook to ‘Always something there to excite me,’ but there was no mistaking the original song.

This isn’t the first time that a company has bastardized a popular song to peddle their products. I remember back in 1987 when Nike used a single version of “Revolution” as part of a $7 million campaign to sell Nike shoes. I remember thinking at the time that it was no big deal. It was a good song, but it wasn’t part of my cultural history, so I didn’t see the harm in it.

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There’s Gold In Them Thar Low Hung Jeans

Nothing Quite Like Alienating Your Target Demographic. When I see articles like this one, I just can’t help but get pissed off . First off, let me explain that I don’t think Napster is necessarily the greatest thing to happen to the music industry and that all music should be free. However, I do think that the music industry is the first entertainment industry to feel the brunt of the digital age. The fact that they have responded to this change so poorly is their own fault and not the fault of 3 college kids with access to a few computers.

Back in 1996 I read a book by Nicholas Negroponte entitled “Being Digital.” The basic tenant of the book was that for all the talk of the world entering the “Information Age,” the reality was that the information age was over and that we were actually entering the “digital age.” The difference being that anything that could be delivered digitally would be and that any industry that was not aware of the change and prepared for this change would face severe hardships.

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Nine Inch Nails In Church

I went to church yesterday. They played a Johnny Cash video. It’s a Nine Inch Nails cover called ‘Hurt.’ It blew me away and I cry everytime I see it. My words simply don’t do it justice. [the video] [about the video]