Messages from beyond the grave

Greetings whiteboydancefloor faithful,

It certainly has been a long time between drinks for myself with other commitments literally ruining my time to sit on the net and listen to ooddles of music. However I am here to make amends with a whole bucket load of new tracks that have grabbed me of late.

Nick Norton - Where is the soul

Frontman of whiteboydancefloor favourites Gang Awry, Nick Norton's solo music was the antidote that awoke my sleeping blogger heart. "Where is the soul" is an archetype on how to bring the funk. Nothing has set my funky soul on fire like this since "Needing a new high" which coincidently is another straight out of the Nick Norton top draw. Top shelf stuff this is.

Delorentos – Basis of Everything

For me this one is an absolute cracker. Radio feeds you filth like “Pictures of you” & anything new from Nickleback a good alternative rock song is hard to come by these days if you don’t look in the hidden pockets. Without losing its edge it keeps the melody up to par and delivers a big chorus. It’s difficult not to like something as inoffensive as this.

Sir Salvatore – Townies

A great little cracker of a track that really sweep me along for the ride after a few listens. I suppose you'd say it's a tad rough around the edges but it awakens an enjoyment in raw music I don't think I've had since I left high school. They do the simple things right, a rare little treat.

And a big one for me this past week or two has been the arrival of the Yves Klein Blue ep into my sweaty little hands. When I first came accross these lads via the mercurial Sandwich Clubbers I was neither here nor there on them really but upon a live meeting with them I became even more taken with their swagger. While it is undeniable they are channelling the style and vibe of many other bands that have come before them, the blend Yves Klein Blue put on it all sits very nicely with me. They've got a sound which will serve as good currency at other places around the world and a trendy frontman. They don't set my world on fire but they are certainly one to watch if this ep serving is anything to go by.

Here's what they're packing... the track Polka is most probably their most solid.

Finally I thought I'd throw in something a bit fun. This is a piss poor smash hits top 40 track from back in the day which I cannot seem to shake a fondness for.

If you perfect the words, find a large mirror and pretend you're not ugly... the fun this song can deliver is endless



Random?

No you are...

Gib Me Money!

It was Saturday night in the lounge room and I was shredding Sunshine of Your Love to a 10 thousand plus screaming crowd on my new Gibson guitar. Unfortunately the guitar was plastic, it didn’t have any strings and the 10 thousand strong crowd was screaming at me from two speakers affixed to the sides of the TV.

If you’ve been living under several large impenetrable rocks for the last 3 years, or you were unfortunate enough to be born without eyes and ears, you may not be aware that I’m actually referring to the hugely popular gaming series Guitar Hero, where you are given the opportunity to play the world’s greatest rock songs by pressing buttons on your ‘guitar’ (AKA controller) in time with notes on the screen.

It’s a fair bit more difficult than you may think, and the fast moving notes running down the screen start playing nasty tricks with the eyes that would make any respectable person think that someone must have slipped a magic mushroom into their drink when they weren’t looking.

To make the whole gaming experience more realistic, the game’s developers, Activision teamed up with respected guitar company, Gibson to model the controllers on Gibson guitars and also use their likeness in the game. Clearly this was a good idea for Gibson as the game, now up to its third series, has raked in over US $1 billion and sold over 14 million copies in the US alone.


Gibson, whose guitars have been used by many famous musicians including Eric Clapton and BB King, gets more than its fair share of product placement with the name appearing across the top of the Gibson-shaped guitar controller and regularly throughout the game.

Ok, so what is the point of my Guitar Hero ramblings? Well, last week Gibson sent a letter to Activision advising them that the Guitar Hero series violates its 1999 patent for technology that simulates a musical performance. The company has a patent for a method of simulating a live performance using a musical instrument, a 3D headset with stereo sound and a pre-recorded concert.

Now, first of all who in their right mind, as Gibson clearly isn’t, would class the plastic, stringless controller as a musical instrument? You can get some mean clicking noises out of it, but any attempt to entertain an audience without the aid of the game itself and a TV would probably be met with some hostility. Then again, there are the English, and if they can turn a horrendous Crazy Frog ringtone into a chart topper, who am I to say some clicking noises won’t lead to the same fate.

The biggest problem with this lawsuit that Gibson seem to be going for, is that they’ve waited THREE YEARS since the first Guitar Hero was released before notifying Activision of their patent. After giving Activision full company support to base their designs on Gibson guitars, they have suddenly turned around and said, “Aah. Hi. Yeah, yeah I’m great. Thanks for all that publicity and boost in sales you’ve given us for selling so many Guitar Hero games. Oh ah, by the way, you’ve violated this broad sweeping patent we’ve had for a while, so, you need to give us a fair bit of money for that. Whenever you can. Ok, well, bye.”

Clearly Activision disagrees with Gibson’s stance and has filed a lawsuit to clarify the matter and stop any damages from being paid.
Could it be that now, after realising the enormous success the game has had, Gibson are a bit perturbed that they didn’t demand a higher licensing fee from Activision?





Whatever the reason, it’s sad to see such a respected company take such measures simply for more money, especially after working with Activision for so long. With hundreds of millions of games sold worldwide, the advertising Gibson received has been astronomical and helped to secure it as a household name; if it isn’t already.

Everyone’s aware of the money hungry major record labels, but it did not seem to be so prevalent within the respected guitar manufacturers. Maybe I’m just naive. Everything’s for money these days no doubt, but this rampant grab for some more profit makes you wonder how much they’ll reduce their quality to cut costs and increase the bottom line, while charging top dollar for endless extra bits.

Could Gibson be the new Sony of the music world?
Hmm, interesting.

I'm Still In Love!

'Do you know what? This morning I woke up and I sore your angry face and now I’m just wondering, are you in love?'

The Teenagers from France need little to no introduction. All I'm going to say is that these boys have been sleeping with American Cheerleaders since before I was even born. 'Love No' is the latest single from the trio and I'm certainly in love! Their debut album 'Reality Check' will be released on the 18th of March and I recommend you buy a copy.



MySpace

The Teenagers - Love No(Dolorean Remix)

The Teenagers - Love No(Poney Poney Emotion Remix)

The Teenagers - Love No(Tepr Remix)

Bonus Track
The Teenagers - Sunset Beach(CFCF Remix)

Electric Circus

In my time travel back to the late 1970's, I have seen and heard two beasts that are dominating the music scene. I hear the slick and sexually charged sound that is disco and the DIY, anti-status-quo-car-crash of punk. They are similar in that exemplar demonstrations of each were borne out of this era, and that both styles had venues that symbolise the emergence and renaissance of each.

Disco had Studio 54, and punk had CBGB's. However there was one venue that many a punk act showed of their wares that may not instantly come to mind, and that was the Electric Circus in Manchester. The Buzzcocks, Joy Division, Iggy Pop, The Stranglers and The Jam all played gigs here, some of which were captured on film. Here are some gems I found recorded at this venue which I managed to sneak through the space-time continuum. Of particular brilliance is the Jam's performance, which sums up why punk music was and is so fantastic.




The Jam - Various Tracks



The Buzzcocks - What Do I Get




Penetration - Don't Dicate

Coming To A Town Near You

For those of you who arent in the loop there are an absolute shitload of artists making the trans-continental trip to Australia in the next few months. Ozzy Osbourne continues the grand metal fest in the footsteps of the already departed likes of Dream Theater and Iron Maiden (APPARENTLY best gig of the year so far - and it doesnt surprise me), and despite the fact his mind is more confusing than a rubix cube you know it will be a good show. Glam rockers KISS continue their Farnsey-esque refusal to die despite announcing constantly that 'this tour will be our last'.

The band that I incorrectly stated would be out last year - The Smashing Pumpkins - are coming out for the V festival for what will no doubt be shows not to miss, and also riding the Richard Branson money train acts of interest include Queens Of The Stone Age and Modest Mouse.

On the local front there are two bands hitting the road harder than I'd hit the Veronicas (in the face.. not in the you know what). First cab off the ranks, with a highly-anticipated second album due out in the next few months is Bondi's own COG. While the first album 'The New Normal' flew under the mainstream radar these guys have developed a strong following based on amazing live performances that provide an absolutely sonic experience. Next on the list and requiring little introduction are PNAU. Taking the world by storm currently on the back of an amazing record and some even better live performances they're taking another lap of the country so be sure to check them out.

Last but not least I leave you with the news that WBDF favourites Rodrigo Y Gabriela are one of the many acts coming out for the East Coast Blues and Roots festival (along with other acts like the John Butler Trio, Cat Empire, Gotye, John Fogerty and more) and are taking the time to play some shows down the coast. Blending Flamenco guitar, classical elements mixed with contemporary and an amazing sound, they will certainly be an act you'd kick yourself for missing. I'll leave you with a small sampling of what these Irish Mexicans are capable of. Buy tickets here.

This year looks like its going to be an absolutely fantastic one for live music, and if you disagree then you just suck. With economies falling globally and the aussie dollar being so 'strong' bands with elaborate shows will find it more affordable to come and please us all. If you're wondering 'why the hell is Javid posting two days in a row' I've taken it upon myself to keep the momentum of the newly-returned blog going whilst some of us sort out technical difficulties.

None of these gigs sound good to you? Maroon 5 are coming out too you know. Maybe you should as well..

Digital Debauchery

News from overseas now, and a recent US study has supposedly found a link between increases in personal crime (ie. theft and muggings - an experience some of us here at WBDF are familiar with [on the wrong end i mean, we dont go out rolling people]) with the increase in sales of the iPod.

The studies have found that robberies of a personal nature, whilst gradually decreasing since the 90's have started to rise again since 2005, the year that the iPod garnered commercial success and have since risen exponentially with sales. You only need to walk down a crowded street to see people with white earphones in, completely oblivious to their surroundings, entirely succeptible to the risk of being mugged. iPods are worth alot of money, have a high resale value and are not locked to a subsciption service that can be cancelled by the owner to prevent usage. The perfect tool for those wankers in collared shirts, white hats and trackpants walking around shopping centres and train stations just looking for something to take.

At the same time, one can't help but notice the irony in the fact that the majority of users are listening to stolen music in the first place. Or is that just me? And with the fact that all labels big and small are shifting their catalogues online for digital sale iPods can only become more and more commonplace. At this rate everyone without an iPod in 5 years will be a thief.

Speaking of digital music the rumours wont die that online service Facebook will soon be targeting their massive network of people 'too cool for myspace' with their own online download service. They've been putting through the paperwork with the major labels and it wont be long before all the kids can start downloading songs with mum and dads credit card, unaware that you can get it for free all over the world wide web. Whilst Apple have done it with tact and grace (well, not really, but more than anyone else) - an industry standard in a still sketchy area, many are doing it unprofessionally, incorrectly and marketing it to people too stupid to know that:

1. The artists are not getting money for a song you pay 99c for. Recoupment costs are harder to cover and unless you do it yourself you arent going to see a cent for a long while. When you buy a CD you need to realise that sure, a 12-track CD WOULD probably be worth about $12-$15 but you pay extra for the packaging, the booklet, and sure a bit for shipping but at least you walk away with something solid. Albums are constructed, albums have a feel and if you love a band you dont have a problem paying for it.

2. The argument that digital audio is of a higher quality is flawed. Most of these labels are pandering low-quality files, which people without an ear for it wont realise. Alot of the market and costs involved is determined by geographic location and the songs are normally available at one bitrate and in one file format. It would suck to pay money for a song only to find out you dont have the application to play the file, no? Refunds are a bit harder to come by..

So if Facebook go through with it all, the target demographic and level of accessibility shifts from people with enough insight to make a conscious decision, to any kid who wants to book someones face or whatever it is people do on there. Hence the need for iPods increases. Hence easy targets for theft increase. Hence crime increases (apparently).

Are people not connecting the dots here?

Think about it.