Vital Signs (Isolated Rhythm Section)

And speaking of amazing prog bands, we have the band "Rush". Neil Peart and Geddy Lee's instrumentation go along well, with Peart's iconic drumming, and Geddy's iconic bass sound, the two go very well aside together, as this in studio video, along with the multitracks (That aren't exactly fully isolated, due to the way it was recorded, with the band together in the same room, with mics all over the place. It's only fair there'd be a fair amount of bleed, sadly.) from the Rock Band games.

Roundabout (Isolated Bass)

Now, I'm not really much of a big bass man myself, despite taking lessons for it at one point, but I gotta admit that this is probably one of the best bass tracks to learn as a bassist, in my opinion. From the band "Yes", bassist Chris Squire recorded this bass track for the song "Roundabout" off the album "Fragile." Besides a few other songs, I haven't heard much of Yes's catalog, but I do know that there are more of their multitracks somewhere around the internet through the "Jammit" app. While you can't download it without the app itself, it is worth it just to hear some of the isolated instruments on their own.

All Apologies - Nirvana (Isolated Drums)

Yesterday I had blogged about the mixing process of "Nevermind" and "In Utero", two of Nirvana's albums. Well, I have the isolated drum track to "All Apologies", one of Nirvana's well known singles from "In Utero", and it features Dave Grohl on the drums. Now, I really like the sound of the drums on this album due to how lo-fi it sounds. The kick mic seems to be mixed to get a boomy, yet decent sound that I love. But it seems to overpower the other mics, giving the drums sort of an interesting sound to them. Something powerful, yet lo-fi.

What if the Nirvana albums were switched around?

Nirvana was a very huge grunge band in the 90s, and you could even debate that they were the Grunge band of the 90s. Now, I'm not usually one to debate that, but what I will say that Kurt Cobain was a great songwriter and musician. Somebody on Youtube had found multitracks for their song "Very Ape" and got an idea. What if he had mixed a song from their last album (In Utero.) in the style of the album before (Nevermind.) The answer? This. Granted, it's only a minute long, but it gives a good idea of what we could've expected if "In Utero" came before the famous "Nevermind".

A trailer is here....but is it what we hoped?

Well, we finally have an official trailer for the 50th Anniversary special of Doctor Who...but is it what we hoped? Not exactly. Many Whovians were hoping for something akin to the trailer shown at Comic-Con, but that sadly is not what we got. Instead, we got something that actually celebrates the show's 50th in a creative way. Using photos of past Doctors and companions, the trailer glides past moments from each Doctor's episodes, or serials, showing each Doctor, and plenty of easter eggs for each and every Whovian to pick apart. (If I listed them, we'd be here all day.) While it's not the trailer we were expecting, all I have seen from the Whovians were positive reactions, and honestly, I can't blame them. I think it was a creative, and genius attempt at a tribute to the show's 50 years.

"You've Got To Laugh" - Nik Kershaw

A while back, I had posted about Nik Kershaw's most recent album, "Ei8ht" and I had said I had planned to check out more of his material, and while I've kept my promise, I would have to say the results have totally blown me away. This isn't something you would usually hear from a fan of an 80s pop artist, but I honestly prefer Nik's later albums compared to his earlier work. Songs like "All About You" and "Promises, Promises" (The latter features a barely audible Imogen Heap on backing vocals, who later became famous through her song "Hide and Seek". Go ahead. Look it up and you'll have an "Oh, that song!" moment.) have some of the best melodies I have heard, and "All About You" has a chorus that can be repetitive, but I actually like how dynamic it sounds. Other highlights from the album include "Oh, You Beautiful Thing", "Old House", and "Loud, Confident & Wrong" (Which honestly wouldn't sound out of place in a mid/late-90s radio station. Just add some turntable scratches, and a lo-fi drum loop, and you'd have a hit. But why mess with something that already is perfect the way it is?)

"395" - Sonja Van Hamel

Sonja Van Hamel is a singer-songwriter from Amsterdam, and it feels to me that the unknow talent always seems to be the best talent. Her song 395, from her album "Transcendental Man" is the song (Besides the next song, "The Roman Empire") that got me interested into checking out her other work, and I totally was not dissapointed. Her sound has sort of a "happy-go-lucky" feel, and in this video, her "Draw Clips", seem to have a story to tell in each of her songs performed at her concerts.

Well, it's not a trailer, but it's still something....

Ok, sorry for the lack of excitement in that title, but still, I am pretty happy to announce that promo pics for the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who, entitled "Day of the Doctor" have been released. The one posted above me shows Matt Smith (11th Doctor), David Tennant (10th Doctor), and John Hurt (An unknown incarnation of the Doctor) together in the 11th Doctor's TARDIS. The pictures were first released in a copy of SFX magazine revealing details about the special itself. It wasn't until yesterday until the BBC had officially released better quality photos of the ones leaked. There are more below.

The rhythm of Dream Theater

Now, I'm not really much of a metal fan, but I do feel like this had to be shared. Now, Dream Theater are a really good band, and a lot of their fans love to hear their isolated instruments. I have found a video of the isolated bass and drums of their song "Panic Attack". It's nice how bassist John Myung and drummer Mike Portnoy's instrumentation play together flawlessly.

Another companion announced for Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary

"OK Magazine" has accidentally let word out that another Doctor Who companion will be returning for the 50th Anniversary Special "Day of the Doctor". Comedian/Actress Catherine Tate has been said to make an appearance as her character "Donna Noble", who appeared in a Christmas special in 2006, and returned as as a companion in 2008. Her and David Tennant, who is returning to the special as the 10th Doctor, are also on good terms, remaining friends and even starring in a stage play version of "Much Ado about Nothing". My only concern is how they will bring Donna Noble back to the show. Considering her tragic exit, (I'm not gonna give it away.) it'd probably have to be a past version of her, instead of the Donna Noble in the present day.

"Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" - Sunshine Superman

Now, I'm all for local talent, but I've recently stumbled onto a band that has really blown me away. The name of the band is called "Sunshine Superman" (I'm not really sure if they've gotten the name from the Donovan song, but it wouldn't surprise me.) and they are a 3-piece band from Philadelphia, PA. The video I have linked is of their newest song "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand", and from the looks of their Twitter, (I've contacted them a couple times.) they plan on releasing a song at least every month. Needless to say, I'm hooked.

Something Old, Yet Something New...

Now it's a rare occasion when artists can still keep their sound that have made fans love them, (But that doesn't mean they're not good! Change is good!) but that's not the case for former Beatle Paul McCartney, and he does it very well. A song from his upcoming album, has been released recently, entitled "New", and it only just now has come to my attention. If it weren't for the drums, (Maybe have them sound a little less modern, probably giving it a sound similar to the ones on his "Wings" records.) I really would've thought a song like this would've come out around his time with the band "Wings". It really makes me feel that no matter what, even after the loss of Lennon and Harrison, the sound of the Beatles is still alive, and will always be.

A coffee shop tantrum gone too far?

No...not really. But what we did get was, in my opinion, a very hilarious, and crazy publicity stunt. The video I have linked shows a publicity stunt for the upcoming remake of the 70s horror film "Carrie". This video involves a very elaborate prank involving actors, special effects, and some very unsuspecting (And terrified) customers. The outcome? Very satisfying.

How about a little (shameless) self promotion?

So, by now, many of you (Well, the people who read this blog. So we'll scale that down to my classmates in my Media Class, and my teacher.) who read this blog know that I'm a musician. I'm a drummer and I've also taken up the keyboard just recently. I've taken keyboard lessons at the School of Rock in Fort Washington over this past year (*insert Jack Black joke here*. Go ahead, I've heard plenty of them this weekend.) and also, while doing that, I've also participated in concerts. My second concert, the one I've performed in on the video I have linked, was the 80s College Radio show. In this video, I perform "Begin the Begin" by REM with a couple of my friends. (Besides this, I've played keys and drums on a couple others.) I also plan on performing in the next show, one for the winter season, with music from The Doors. Hopefully, this time around, I get to show some more of my skills on keys. :)

In My Life - The Beatles (Acapella Version)

On one of my last few blog posts, I shared the 4 track recording for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", and that had a bit of Beatles vocals in it, but I want to share, at the moment, one of my all time favorite Beatles tracks. From their Rubber Soul album, (A very underrated one, I would say.) this song is written by John Lennon and Paul McCarteney. Vocals are performed by the duo, with John Lennon providing lead vocals (That were also double tracked.) and Paul performing backup. Now, I'd have to say this would have to be on of my recently overplayed Beatles tracks, if not for the amazing melody and lyrics. I think it's a very underrated track, to say the least.

Doctor Who....around the world!

So, I'd say it's a pretty amazing year to be a "Whovian", if you ask me. First, it's the 50th anniversary of the show itself, and it's announced a former Doctor and his companion are returning for the special, and now, word has been announced that the special will be shown around the planet! TV stations in 75 countries have agreed to air the 50th Anniversary special, entitled "Day of the Doctor" simultaneously. In addition to this, the special will also be shown in cinemas in the UK in 3D, and 2D.

My thoughts? This is a genius idea! Now, I feel that Doctor Who is not really that well of a known show, but it's starting to get in the peak of it's popularity with audiences in the teenage and adult demographic. I've even seen plenty of Doctor Who merchandise, and I really think that broadcasting this at the same time in many of countries is a brilliant idea, but may be a little confusing, since here in America, it may be broadcast in the daytime, or in Australia, in the early morning for example. I think that while it's a brilliant idea, it could be a little hectic.

Rare concert footage from the Posies...dating all the way back to 90s!

Now, if you asked anybody who grew up listening to bands like Nirvana who the Posies were, they probably wouldn't know. But if you asked that same question to somebody who lived in Seattle, they'd probably know. The Posies were a semi-big power pop group from the 90s (Well, they're still making music, their most recent album released in 2010.) consisting of singer-songwriters and guitarists Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer. They went through many line-up changes, and different sounds thorughout the years, but they still happen to be one of my all-time favorite bands ever.

This video was posted by former band member Arthur "Rick" Roberts. This video is from the release party of their second album, and their major label debut "Dear 23". Now, for a band like this, who doesn't have that much rare footage from their early days, (And in my opinion, their prime moments.) this is actually very interesting to see older footage, and compare how young the band is, and how much their sound has changed. In my opinion, I feel this band should've gotten more recognition, and I really think their music still holds up great after over 25 years of thwe band being together.