Please, Plies, come out in support of Sarah Palin

Young Jeezy's brief flirtation with John McCain on the set of Saturday Night Live aside, it's clear rappers favor Barack Obama by a wide margin in this election. (Check out this survey, for starters.) Though emcee after emcee has supported Obama with endorsement tracks, the big-ups at this point are likely doing more harm than good. Witness the negative media reaction to Ludacris's Hillary/McCain/Bush-bashing "Politics as Usual" cut, which caused the Obama campaign to distance itself from the overzealous rapper. Really, isn't there something to be said for keeping the particularly trigger-happy faction of the party under wraps, much like the right does with their lock-and-load lunatics? Those 50 Cent posters advocating John Kerry's election in 2004 certainly didn't work, and one suspects Scarface's endorsement this time around will only hurt matters. (Perhaps it's advantageous that M-1 from Dead Prez is campaigning for Cynthia McKinney, although it seems strange for members of a group advocating assassination to give an endorsement at all.)
In any case, we've selected a handful of rapper endorsements—along with some other remarkable Obama tributes—and graded them on a scale of one to five McCain heads. The more McCain mugs, the worse the damage. —Ben Westhoff

Ludacris, “Politics as Usual”

In this now-infamous track, Luda calls Hillary a bitch (or a “beh-zup” in the edited version), asks for a pardon if he's ever in prison, calls Bush mentally handicapped and says, oddly, "McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he's paralyzed." Right out of the Ben Affleck and Barbra Streisand "How to Lose Votes for Your Candidate" playbook. Damage: 5 McCain heads

Kidz In The Hall, “Work To Do”

"Work To Do" is vaguely soulful and non-threatening in a Sunday BBQ/Fuddruckers-soundtrack sort of way. While the track may not be particularly memorable, it's certainly non-offensive. (Interesting side note: a YouTube version of the "Work To Do" remix features Bun B temporarily withholding his support for Obama. "And believe me," he adds. "I got the power to move things. I can swing the vote in any state." Send that man to New Mexico!) Damage: 1 McCain head

East Coast Avengers, “Kill Bill O’Reilly”

While this track isn't technically in support of Barack Obama, it is a fairly obnoxious piece of Red-State-baiting, even taking knuckleheaded swipes at O'Reilly like "I wanna hurt you/ Immerse you in torture," whatever that means. This song—along with HYPERLINK "http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2008/09/hippie_double_dutch.php" "_blank" those hippie double dutchers protesting the RNC—is exactly the kind of stuff that rallies the right in an election year. Damage: 5 McCain heads

Nas, “Black President”

In a bit of reverse psychology, Nas samples Tupac saying, "Although it seems heaven sent/ We ain't ready to have a black president." Pretty nifty! This may have the effect of causing bigots in West Virginia to vote for Obama simply to spite Nas. Damage: 1 McCain head

Barack Obama and Rick Astley, “Barack Rolled”

This viral video has surely done more for Obama's campaign than all those other songs combined. If Rick Astley would just get it over with and endorse Barack, this thing would be over. Damage: 1 McCain head

John Rich, “Raisin’ McCain”

McCain would seem to have the country redneck vote sewn up, but this lil' ditty, performed by Big & Rich's John Rich at the Republican National Convention, could actually hurt the campaign. After all, drawing parallels among the septuagenarian candidate and a fruit laxative is probably not a good idea. Damage: 1 McCain head

(Lede)
I don't care what kind of music you came to see, thirty four bands, in thirty two acres of space turned a hot weekend in Chinatown into a non stop sonic binge.

Last saturday, thousands of fans from all over So Cal trucked into the dust bowl parking lot across from L.A. Historic Park for the ___annual We The People Festival. In case you didn't catch that little reference to the Constitution, the event was designed to do two things: entertain and inform. In addition to rocking your socks with legendary acts like Sen Dog of Cyprus Hill, EPMD, Suicidal Tendencies and the maniacal stylings of Les Claypool, the hope was that some of you festival goers would be snared by one of the grass roots political action booths lining the walk way between the two main stages. I guess if Tom Morello rocking out next to a huge video monitor flashing violent war footage and churning oil rigs can't get you to give a crap about voting in the upcoming election than nothing can.

Besides Morello, lending his folky, semi-awkward solo project The Night Watchman, other major acts to grace the the stage included RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, Dilated Peoples; Barrington Levy; Eek-a-Mouse; DJ Premier; Z Trip and Bass Nectar. With the sonic diversity of a mini Coachella, WTP did a great job of wrangling up a notable headlining roster.

However, the festival's aim for rock'n'roll unity was nearly dashed before the gates even opened due to a delay that lasted over an hour for reasons that no one seemed to be able to share with the people in line. Nothing pisses off a crowd of concert goers like waiting in L.A. heat. At one point, security was even passing out ice cream to quell the rebellion outside, which made me cringe since I knew it would buy the festival organizers about five minutes at best.

When the crowd swell finally got inside the gates all was forgotten, swept away by the curiosity of captivating opening acts from the local area.

One of the best sets belonged to L.A. psychedelic howlers West Indian Girl. Fronted by vocalist Mariqueen Maandig and guitarist/ vocalist Robert James, the bands slow crashing wave of soul echoed past the festival back drop of graffiti tagged free ways, heavy traffic and Chinese restaurants.

Last Night: Jose Gonzalez at the Orange County Performing Art Center's Samueli Theater on September 25, 2008.

Better Than: Shopping at IKEA.

Download: "Killing For Love" video from the Jose Gonzalez website

The "Off-Center" concert series at the Samueli Theater closed out their concert season with the quiet ballads of Swedish born Jose Gonzalez. It was a fitting choice as the first show of the year was Peter, Bjorn & John who also hail from Sweden.

Richard Swift kicked off the evening with his sunny California inspired pop tunes infused with a dose of soul. The highly prolific songwriter was impressive as he alternated between piano and guitar. "Lady Luck" had Richard digging deep for his falsetto vocals. Richard would switch gears for "The Bully" which bordered on doo-wop. A stirring piano riff of "The Atlantic Ocean" gave the audience a sneak peak at his next album. Richard will be embarking on a few dates opening for Stereolab in October.

A troubadour in the true sense of the word, Jose Gonzalez was impressive. No fancy guitar pedals or drum machines. It was just Jose and his nylon stringed guitar for a good portion of the show. The silence in the crowd throughout the night was only broken by the rapturous applause from the loyal Jose Gonzalez fans in between the songs.

Jose is supporting his new album "In Our Nature" which is fingerpicking good. Jose was furiously tapping his foot as he plucked out bass notes with his thumb to carry the rhythm while his other four fingers climbed up and down the rest of his strings. "Fold" quickly entranced the audience with its lullaby appeal.

A few musicians would later join Jose on stage for the title track off the new album as they added vocal harmonies and some light bongo percussion. Jose explained "The Nest" as a children's story for grown ups that garnered some laughs from the appreciative audience. "Bloodstain" was the crowd participation moment of the set as everyone clapped along. "Down The Line" was markedly sped up in tempo as the bongos provoked some dancing in the back of the audience. Jose ventured back to his first album "Veneer" for a solid solo rendition of "Deadweight On The Velveteen".

A slew of requests from the audience were shouted out when Jose came back for an encore. "Heartbeats" was the most vocal request and Jose was happy to oblige. Originally a song by the Swedish electronic duo The Knife, Jose transformed pulsating dance song into a beautiful love ballad that sends shivers down your spine.

Critic's Notebook:

Personal Bias: I like a lot of Swedish bands such as The Hives, Meshuggah and The Knife.

Random Detail: The Hives were on Jay Leno when I got home.

By The Way: I was dying to hear Jose's cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" but still was happy to hear "Heartbeats".

Rude boys and girls looking to get wild this weekend will definitely see something special in the Chris Murray Combo at Downtown Fullerton's Continental Room. Despite being Canadian, Murray has more than enough chops to pacify one of OC's most soulful culture coves. This well traveled musician has spent years crafting his authentic ska sound on stages from his hometown of Toronto to the shores of Japan. He's shared bills with a respectable roster of reggae wise men, including Jamaican music legend Prince Buster. A frequent guest at Hollywood's Knitting Factory, Murray and his combo of talented hepcats (Ben Farrar on drums and Eddie "Chiquis" Lozoya on bass) definitely know how to get a party going. He'll be jammin' all night so feel free to stumble in and get your skank on...maybe even take one home.

The Raconteurs at the Greek Theatre September 22, 2008.

Better Than: winning your football pool at work.

Download: "The Switch and The Spur" from The Raconteurs website

The sudden cancellation of the White Stripes tour led me to believe it would be awhile until Jack White (Vocals/Guitars) would resurface. I was shocked when a new Raconteurs album "Consolers of The Lonely" landed on the shelves just a few weeks after it was completed in March. The Raconteurs stopped by the Greek Theatre for a two night stand that quickly explained why they were able to record an album together so rapidly.

The Kills ripped through a solid set that solely consisted of vocals,guitars and a drum machine. Alison Mosshart seductively slithered across the stage wildly whipping her hair about as her sultry voice contrasted well with the scratchy guitars of Jamie Hince. "Last Day of Magic" from their new album Midnight Boom had both Jamie and Alison blending their voices together that played like a soundtrack to a noir film.

The Raconteurs didn't need time to warm up as they came out swinging in the form of the noisy guitar fueled "Consoler of The Lonely" that stunned the audience as Brendan Benson (Guitars/Vocals) led the charge on vocals. It didn't take long for Jack White to station himself behind the keyboards for a delicious bluesy rendition of "Blue Veins" as the stage was ironically lit with a blue cast. I knew Jack was a whiz on guitar, but keyboards too?

The crowd's collective face melted when Jack kicked on his octave pedal for the squealing solo notes during "Intimate Secretary". The band was firing on all cylinders and it seemed as if Brendan's guitar was having a dialogue with Jack's guitar throughout the night as if they were interlocked with ESP. "Level" was searing as the guitar squeals mimicked dualing violins.

Jack took another turn at the keyboards as they slowed things down with the vocal harmonies of "You Don't Understand Me". A real violin made an appearance for the country flavored "Old Enough" as Brendan and Jack shared the vocals duties. Jack sarcastically requested that the audience not make too much noise or they would violating the 95 decibel limit at the Greek.

Another quip from Jack came in the form of introducing "Steady as She Goes" as a hit from 1974. "Salute Your Solution" was the highlight of the night as it was played with reckless abandon and augmented by a earth shaking bass line by Jack Lawrence. At the end of the show, I wasn't surprised that they recorded an album so quickly because it seems like the Raconteurs have been playing together for years.

Critic's Notebook:

Personal Bias: Can you tell I envy Jack White's musical abilities?

Random Detail: Jack White's belt buckle was emblazoned the "R" from the Raconteurs logo.

By The Way: The roadies for the Raconteurs were stylishly dressed in matching shirts and ties with bowler hats.

Attention Bay area beat junkies, club rats and weekend freaks! Friday is definitely your night to shine under the strobe lights of Sutra. Platinum rapper Too $hort will be unleashing a club bumping set in honor of turntable wizard DJ Scene's birthday bash. Since arriving on the hip hop scene in 1983, no other rapper has pioneered the art of the braggadocios gangster anthems quite like Too $hort. His masterful use of true life tales, racy rhymes and gangster flow has earned him a basket of platinum and gold records and the respect of hip hop fans all over the country.

Normally a $20 cover charge would cause most people eyes to bugle out of their skull. However, in this case, a back to back grind fest by Too $hort and DJ Scene is every club hoppin' playa's dream.

Last Night: Vampire Weekend at the Glass House September 16, 2008

Better Than: taking your garlic pills.

Download: "Oxford Comma" from the Vampire Weekend homepage.

Buzz and critical acclaim can be a double-edged sword. Vampire Weekend wielded the sharper side last night by performing a biting set that silenced critics and delighted fans.

The city of Chino was well represented in the form of Abe Vigoda. They mentioned they used to get dropped off to see shows at the Glass House and also informed the crowd it was Mexican Independence Day. Abe Vigoda mixed equal portions of Joy Division, Talking Heads with a dash of Fugazi for a no holds barred tattered post punk romp. "Bear Face" had scratchy guitars and a weird time signature that might confuse average listeners, but achieves the goal of perking up your ears.

White Williams is actually the brainchild of Joe Williams (Vocals/Synthesizers). An opening stint for Nine Inch Nails followed by jumping on a short tour with Vampire Weekend should help increase his profile. White Williams splices together broken synthesizer samples and delayed guitars to form a soundtrack to a daydream. "Sometime Around Midnight" would be the included in a John Hughes movie from the '80s in an alternate universe. Joe was manipulating the modulation wheel on his Dave Smith Evolver keyboard for swirls of sound as his guitarist triggered other samples to layer the song. No drugs are required to listen to White Williams.

A shuffling beat of the snare drum near the thirty-second mark of "Mansard Roof" ignited the Glass House audience to break out their dance moves. Ezra Koenig (Vocals,Guitars) rapidly tremolo picked his Epiphone hollowbody guitar with a wide grin on his face as he danced along with the crowd. Rostam Batmanglij (Keyboards) was deftly operating two keyboard controllers as he dialed up an assortment of sounds ranging from harpsichord to the mellotron.

Ezra kept the crowd moving with bubbly rendition of "Boston" with its ska influenced guitar riff. Rostam equipped himself with a guitar for the cold pina colada tropical song "White Sky". A rambling bass line from Chris Baio was conjoined with the sweet tones of a mellotron for a delicious version of "A-Punk". "One (Blake's Got A New Face) was the sing along moment of the evening as Ezra instructed the crowd to perform a call and response when he screamed "Blake's Got A New Face!".

The ladies in the room really started to swoon during "Oxford Comma" as Ezra's vocal delivery was eerily similar to that of Paul Simon but I hear just as much musical influence from The Police and Peter Gabriel. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" was the final stake in the heart as Vampire Weekend had successfully slayed the audience.

Critic's Notebook:

Personal Bias: Any band that judiciously incorporates the mellotron into their songs immediately gets my attention.

Random Detail: The guitarist from Abe Vigoda had an awesome vintage Jesus & The Mary Chain shirt.

By The Way: Vampire Weekend is playing San Diego Street Scene this Friday.

Last Night: The Airborne Toxic Event and The Fratellis at the House of Blues Anaheim September 15, 2008.

Better Than: crying over all the money you lost in the stock market.

Download: The Airborne Toxic Event live at KCRW

The three pronged attack of Electric Touch, The Airborne Toxic Event and The Fratellis dropped by the House of Blues Anaheim for an intoxicating night of music.

A musical hybrid of the pop sensibilities of Weezer mixed with the dance inciting vibe of the Killers appeared in the form of the band, Electric Touch. "Breakdown" from their debut self-titled album incited a small collective of girls to freely dance to the slinky bass lines. An a relatively new band, they mixed in a bouncy piano cover of the Beatles "Come Together" to get the crowd involved. A generous amount of applause was received by the band as they sufficiently warmed up the crowd.

The Airborne Toxic Event first popped up on my radar almost a year ago when they were in the midst of a Monday night residency at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. After touring non-stop, things started to progress for The Airborne Toxic Event. A spot on Conan O'Brien, a beyond packed in-store at Fingerprints Records in Long Beach, major airplay on KROQ and Indie 103.1, and a sparkling self-titled debut album. A surge of fans bustled up to the front of the stage as The Airborne Toxic Event was due to take the stage.

"Gasoline" ignited the audience as Mikel Jollett (Vocals/Guitars) energetically strummed his Fender Telecaster with his trucker hat pulled tightly close to his eyes. Anna Bulbrook (Violin) was sawing away on her violin backed by the propulsive rhythm section of Noah Harmon (Bass) and Daren Taylor (Drums). "Happiness Is Overrated" starts as a fifties love song turned awfully wrong as it morphs into a full-fledged dance tilted rock song. A lighter quickly lit up in the audience as the violin started to waft out the opening notes of "Sometime After Midnight". Steve Chen (Guitars) was fingerpicking out the cascading delayed notes as the song started to build in way that is reminiscent of a classic U2 song. Anna would later switch from violin to tambourine for the shaking good time of "Missy". A sizable amount of the audience headed for the doors at the conclusion of their set.

The Fratellis by the way of Scotland put together a raucous set of rock and roll that could be the soundtrack to a boisterous soccer team. Originally a power trio, The Fratellis had added a touring guitar/piano player to round out their sound. "Here We Stand" is the sophomore album from the Fratellis that translates much better in the live format.

"Look Out Sunshine" teetered on a punk song as Jon bashed out the chords. "Henrietta" harkened back to the 1960's with its groovy phaser soaked guitar solo. A bra was delicately tossed on stage after a blazing version of "Chelsea Dagger". Jon's Scottish accent is so thick that I couldn't understand one word in between the songs. But I think he said "Thank You". "Baby Fratelli" ended the evening with the crowd singing along "It's alright!". I would have to agree.

Critic's Notebook:

Personal Bias: I have read Don Delillo's Novel "White Noise" which is where The Airborne Toxic Event got the idea for their name.

Random Detail: Tre Cool from Green Day was in the balcony section rocking out to the Fratellis.

By The Way: I am willing to bet that The Airborne Toxic Event will play KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas show in December.

Since the beginning, Que Sera's monthly Good Foot dance party promised three things: Good times, strong drinks and a five-star musical feast. These might sound like simple promises, but after a successful 10 years of soulful celebration, swagger and sweat it's obvious that the best parties thrive on the basics.

Walking into the Good Foot party was bit like stepping through a time warp before the age crunk, clear heels and iPods . Silver streamers covered the ceiling above the checkered floor and the sounds of the 60's flow from every cramped corner of this Long Beach hangout. Across from the bar, a shower of laser lights rained on the dance floor in front of a rotating backdrop of classic album covers. Manning the DJ booth was a lengthy roster of old-school enthusiasts like Bobby Soul, Scott Weaver and of course Good Foot co-creator Dennis Owens.

By 10 p.m. the club seemed to reach it's full claustrophobic capacity. It was almost impossible to avoid brushing up on a stranger while the full-throated soul of James Brown, Eddie Kendricks and Otis Redding weaved around in a sea of grinding hips. Even though upbeat vinyl tunes were the night's main attraction, the fun would have fallen flat without the steady flow of GF die-hards taking the dance floor with abandon . From a seasoned soul steppers to the rhythmically challenged, everyone seemed to find a place in the hot mesh of beats and bodies.

Even in the grips of sauna-like heat, Owens and a few others managed to rock sharp suits and smiles, for which I give them major credit.

Critic's Notebook

Random Detail: Props to Owens' parents for working the door and passing out mix CD's.

Personal Bias: I always make sure to lace up my Wing Tips before cutting a rug.

By The Way: Happy Birthday Good Foot, we look forward to your awkward teenage years.

Better Than: Playing a game of Guitar Hero while blind folded.

It was a strange thing trudging up the steps of Disney's House of Blues to find an empty bar on the second floor. It's typically the first crowd you see before disappearing down the stairs to find a spot at ground level. But just minutes before Tricky (producer,trip icon and co-founder of Massive Attack) strolled on stage, you could practically run and slide across the floor on your knees and not hit a single person.

Maybe it's just me, but most concerts in the trip hop genre tend to be disappointments in my book. It's the kind of music that doesn't quite translate in a live setting in front of a crowd. The raw, artsy energy I expected at last night's show didn't really materialize. Tricky himself seemed to be a bit of a no-show during his performance of "West Knowle Boy" track's like "Past Mistake" and even the blues-inspired "Puppy Toy". But maybe I just haven't been to enough trip hop shows. Am I supposed to be fighting to stay awake half way into the set?

To be fair, the House of Mouse isn't exactly prime territory for experimental, slow-beat, drugged out sounds from across the pond. I'm surprised Tricky and gang even bothered to stop the bus on their way to L.A. tonight. But that being said, it wasn't totally a loss. The crowd that filled up most of the pit seemed very appreciate as the patch work curtains finally opened around 9 p.m.

Accompanying him on stage was a live band with bass, guitar, drums and synth keys. On guest vocals last night was a stick-skinny nymph dressed in leather pants and white shirt with tassels that looked like it came out of Tina Turner's closet.

As the band warmed up with the first few tracks, Tricky seemed more occupied with his with beer and cigarettes on stage than actually getting to the microphone. One thing that kind of threw me off was his intense, karate kid-style flexing that made me feel like he was about to blow up with intensity. I was disappointed failed to deliver anything more than in a flat whisper for most of the set. I couldn't even hear him most of the time.

However, by the time I reached the bottom of my second or third drink, things picked up as Tricky began showing praise on the crowd and delving into earlier work from albums like "Blow back" and "Maxinquaye". Another highlight towards the end of the show was the complete black out on stage as the band rocked out in a final encore. It wasn't a huge improvement, but we did get to see a little more of Tricky shaking his dreads crunk style. Overall, the set was short which I didn't really mind.

Of course, I realize the man has been a huge contributor for the trip hop genre, but I just couldn't bring myself to get into the live show.

Critics Notebook
Random Detail: Before the band started playing, the house speakers were blaring Phil Collins... not exactly a precursor of great things to come.

Personal Bias: When I get into a karate stance, it usually means I'm getting ready to do something intense.

By the Way: Tricky's album West Knowle Boy is now in stores. My advice: stay home and listen to the album.