For the many people who purchased music from the now-defunct MSN Music store, this summer would be a good time to clean out your files. You didn’t really want to keep all those songs you bought, did you?
After the launch of the company’s Zune Marketplace in late 2006, Microsoft decided to ditch the old store and as of August 31, 2008, they will be shutting off the MSN Music licence servers.
So what exactly does this mean for all those music files that were legally downloaded and paid for?
Well, if you FOREVER COMMIT to a computer by the aforementioned date, NEVER buy a new computer and NEVER upgrade your OS then you can keep all that music.
If you do decide to upgrade? Tough shit, the files wont transfer properly.
“...this technicality is not rooted in reality — the authorizations will now expire when the computer does, for whatever reason.
Of course, MSN Music customers do have one other option: burning all of their music to audio CD and then re-ripping them back to the computer as MP3s, sans DRM. But that’s a lossy, lousy solution.”
Klaus Dinger—the drummer who generated the motorik rhythm for Kraftwerk (first album only), Neu!, La Düsseldorf and La! Neu?—died of heart failure March 21, although news of his passing only hit the media yesterday. He was 61.
Dinger had a reputation as a wild character and a punk before the term took on its most popular meaning in 1976, but his drumming was marked by a machine-like precision and fluid power. The German percussionist's style was emulated by many drummers, including those with the groups Stereolab, Broadcast, Fujiya & Miyagi, the Lilys, 120 Days, Th' Faith Healers and scores more—plus David Bowie. You could fill Coachella's lineup with all the bands that have used the motorik beat at some point in their existences. (Note that Dinger himself dubbed the beat “Apache,” and that Mo Tucker's metronomic style on the Velvet Underground's “Foggy Notion” kinda sorta foreshadows motorik.)
Neu!'s immortal first three albums—Neu!, Neu! 2 and Neu! '75—received the reissue treatment in 2001 by Grönland (Astralwerks in the US) and are crucial components in any savvy listener's collection. On these works' most archetypal songs (“Für Immer,” “Hallogallo,” "E-Musik,” “Isi”), Dinger's propulsive rhythms locked in with Michael Rother's pastoral, trance-inducing guitar motifs to create the feeling of blissful perpetual motion, the illusion of aerodynamic velocity that could inspire Olympian feats. By contrast, tracks like “Lila Engel,” “Hero,” "After Eight" and “Negativland” possess a foreboding heaviness that hinted at later avant-rockers like Pere Ubu, Chrome, Sonic Youth and Black Dice.
No less a personage than Brian Eno praised Dinger for conceiving one of the three greatest rhythms of the 1970s (a particularly strong decade for rhythm), along with Fela Kuti's Afrobeat and James Brown's funk. That's illustrious company, and for as long as people have legs and wheels, Dinger's motorik beat will continue to move humans onward and upward with utmost efficiency and grace.
Neu!- “Hero” (Klaus sings and plays guitar on this track)
This is a sad day for the Laguna Beach gay community. Any hopes of re-opening historical gay club Boom Boom Room have pretty much been smushed.
The Register explains in this article plans to renovate the club, which closed its fabulous doors last September. The Boom was the oldest gay bar in the Western United States.
What will take its place? A '40s-style hotel (just what Laguna needs, right?).
According to the article, there had been a chance to save it, though:
In the face of strong opposition from the gay community, Emerald Financial had put the land and two nearby parcels for sale after its April 2005 purchase with an asking price of more than $20 million.
Emerald Financial had entertained offers to sell the properties, but August’s subprime real estate crisis became a roadblock for interested buyers who couldn’t get loans or afford the down payment. When no good offers had surfaced by January, (owner Steven Udvar-Hazy) decided to move ahead preserving the inn.
What, nobody’s got 20 million laying around?
Although the situation looks bleak, Save The Boom activist Fred Karger isn’t giving up, he’s working to flood Hazy’s Los Angeles office with yellow “Save the Boom” protest cards. Click here if you want to help fight the losing battle...
So sad. I'll always have the memories of falling in love with that go-go dancer...
(Hey, he told me has was straight.)
Just one of Teo Macero's indispensable contributions to musical awesomeness.
Teo Macero, the cunning producer/composer/saxophonist who helped to shape Miles Davis' recordings of the '50s through the '70s into some of the most important and sonically advanced albums ever, passed away Feb. 19 at age 82. For his production and editing work on Kind of Blue, Bitches Brew and On the Corner alone, Macero is assured immortality among people who value innovative jazz and fusion music. He also worked with Herbie Hancock, Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Lounge Lizards and DJ Logic, among many others.
Macero was a master at finding the most compelling passages of music derived from hours and hours of studio sessions and splicing them into coherent pieces—a painstaking process of cutting tape with razor blades in the pre-digital era. Ambient-music pioneer Brian Eno, producer of Talking Heads and U2, cited Macero as a key influence on his working methods in the studio.
Macero's NY Times obit is here and an interview with the online zine Perfect Sound Forever is here. My take on what I think is both Miles and Macero's crowning achievement is here.
Below is a clip of Macero talking about his creative process with Miles Davis.
The Dec. 4 death of UGK rapperPimp C (Chad Butler, 33) in Los Angeles' Mondrian Hotel has prompted much mourning and reminiscing. Our sister paper Houston Press has a substantial coverage of the much-respected H-town MC on its blog. Along with UGK partner Bun B, Pimp C helped to bring Southern rap to prominence and paved the way for several Houston hip-hop artists who've gone on to stardom. Butler's death is currently being investigated.
On Saturday November 24, Hawthorne Heights guitarist Casey Calvert was found dead inside the band's tour bus just hours before a show in Washington D.C.
The cause of death has yet to be determined.
This message was posted on the band's website:
“Today is probably the worst day ever. Its with our deepest regrets that we have to write this. Casey Calvert passed away in his sleep last night. We found out this afternoon before sound-check. We’ve spent the entire day trying to come to grips with this and figure out as much as possible. At this time we’re not sure what exactly happened. Just last night he was joking around with everyone before he went to bed. We can say with absolute certainty that he was not doing anything illegal. Please, out of respect to Casey and his family, don’t contribute or succumb to any gossip you may hear. We don’t want his memory to be tainted in the least. Casey was our best friend. He was quirky and awesome and there will truly be no others like him! His loss is unexplainable. As soon as we know more we will let you know.
One of the world's greatest songwriters passed away Aug. 4 after losing a battle with renal cancer. Lee Hazlewood was 78.
Possessing a deadpan baritone voice and a laconic wit, Hazlewood is best known for his kitsch-pop and country-esque collaborations with Nancy Sinatra, including "These Boots Are Made For Walking," "Sundown, Sundown," "Jackson," "Sand," and the gothadelic "Some Velvet Morning," one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever. Although it was covered often, the original was never surpassed.
But Hazlewood also cut several solo albums that have become cult classics, changing hands among collectors for large sums. My favorite is Hazlewoodism: Its Cause And Cure (1967). Since that one's very hard to track down, you might want to search for the intelligently curated compilation CD Polydor issued in 2001 titled Lee Hazlewood: Twenty Classic Recordings (it's part of the label's Lounge Legends series). "The Girls In Paris," "After Six," and "In Our Time" especially resonate with their sly lyrics and sprightly, timeless melodies.
One senses that Hazlewood was a calculating pop craftsman, yet also a true poet and natural-born storyteller—a rare combination, for sure. You can practically hear him winking during many of his best tunes, and he would sometimes comment on songs while they were in progress (e.g., “This is the part the producer says we should cut if we want it to get on the radio.”). He seemed to view making the charts with skepticism and a healthy sense of humor; he knew he had a gift, but he didn't appear to take himself too seriously and was genuinely bemused when he discovered late in his life that he had a rabid cult following among many hip musicians. And though he penned numerous hits (and produced some for guitarist Duane Eddy and others), he never came off as a hack. His clever, instantly accessible songs have a durability that belies their supposed ephemeral status as radio fodder. Hazlewood was also a deft arranger and he stands as one of the finest practitioners of orchestral pop.
You can join music geeks in mourning on the I Love Music discussion board and read one of the last interviews Hazlewood granted in this Sydney Morning Herald piece. And Nancy Sinatra pays her respects here.
This video of Lee and Donnie Owens performing “After Six” provides a glimpse into Hazlewood's winning charm and songwriting skill.
