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12.07.2009

artist spotlight: scott dunbar's one man band


Scott Dunbar is not you're average musician. While most cats are clamoring for studio time, Scott would rather sit at the park and kick his suitcase.

Writing, singing and playing. That's what he believes musicians should be concerned with. Not finding the perfect pitch, recording the best take, or organizing your upcoming show schedule. Just focus on your craft.

As a dude that's moderately creative, I can appreciate that approach. Hit the jump for a few of my favorite tracks, some dope live performances and some exclusive MP3s.

click to read full entry

I saw a few videos of this cat a few months back. It was nothing too crazy, or overly impressive. Looking to keep pace with the ever-moving internets, I simply disregarded Mr. Dunbar as nothing more than a random street performer. Shame on me.

Now... my hetero love affair with all things MJ has never been a secret. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Dunbar doing an impromptu rendition of "Billie Jean" on the streets of Montreal.

Below you will find his most recent performances, which also happen to be my favorite. As always, captured by the all-mighty Flip Cam.







Pretty awesome, right? I believe the emotion and energy behind a performance often tells the true character of an artist. This dude unquestionably puts everything he has into these ballads. You have to love that.

After some detective work, I was able to cook up an exclusive brew of audio. Below you'll find some audio dope that you won't find anywhere else.

live street performances:


Scott Dunbar - Tin Foil Hat (Live)
Scott Dunbar - Wood Wheel (Live Cover)
Scott Dunbar - Billie Jean (Live Cover)

early recordings:


Scott Dunbar - Tin Foil Hat
Scott Dunbar - Dance Like a Devil
Scott Dunbar - Rocking Chair

He may not be the next big thing, but homie has talent. Be sure to hit him up on myspace (whatever that is), and leave a kind word.

-uno

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7.20.2009

michael jackson: the life of a king


This entry needs no lead-in. We've lost an icon. We all cope with loss differently... this entry is my therapy.

In addition to some of my favorite rare tracks, I want to offer you all a photographic look back at the life of a King. From his first Motown photo shoot to his last press conference. Let us celebrate the life of Michael Jackson.

click to read full entry

I won't front, MJ's passing has taken a toll on me. Over the past week I have found myself getting pretty emotional while editing these photos and listening to his music. For whatever reason... call me a simp, I don't give a shit.

Maybe it's because of the affect Michael obviously had on all of us. I'm no different than every other 80's baby. Everyone has their own memories, but I feel his music has a personal resonance with me due to my father.

While divorce is (unfortunately) commonplace in today's world, the effect on youth is still intense and unique to the individual. In my case it helped me to forget the bad and focus on the good.



Being 6 at the time, most of my memories with the fam involve birthdays and Saturday morning cartoons. All except one. To this day, I always look back to when my sister and I used to dance around the house while my dad played the "Thriller" and "Bad" vinyl.

Mesh shirts and shutter shades... we went in. Hipsters before the hipsters.

I thank MJ for all he's done for us. Outside of his music, I'd like to think he was a good man who loved his family and worked tirelessly for the betterment of others. Anything outside of that is just here-say in my book.

I've been collecting images of MJ for years now and felt there was no better time than now to share them with the world. Let's all take a look back and celebrate the life of one of the greats.

Be sure to click the images to view the enlarged version.





































































































































The King. May he rest in peace.

I originally wasn't going to include music in this post, but I felt compelled to when I stumbled upon gem after gem.

This is by no means his entire catalog. Simply a collection of my favorite tracks in high quality. I've been accruing MJ tracks for damn near a decade and it shows.

Whether it be an unreleased remix or an ill live performance, every single one of these joints is ill.

Download these tracks, enjoy them. Celebrate the music and the life of a great.

Click here to download all tracks at once. Or click the song title to download the individual tracks.

early years:


Michael Jackson - Ain't No Sunshine (Cover)
Michael Jackson - Ben
Michael Jackson - Everybody's Somebody's Fool
Michael Jackson - I Wanna Be Where You Are
Michael Jackson - Maria

bonus:
Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine (Original)
Connie Talbot - Ben (Cover)
Michael Jackson - Ben (Live)
The Roots and Erykah Badu - I Wanna Be Where You Are (Cover)

the jackson 5:


Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine
Jackson 5 - I'll Be There
Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye
Jackson 5 - Ready or Not
Jackson 5 - Who's Lovin You

bonus:
Fugees - Ready or Not
Jackson 5 - I'll Be There (Acapella)
Jackson 5 - I'll Be There (Live)
Jackson 5 - Killing Me Softly and Danny Boy Medley (Live)

80's michael:


Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana
Michael Jackson - Human Nature
Michael Jackson - Leave Me Alone
Michael Jackson - Man in the Mirror

bonus:
Chris Cornell - Billie Jean (cover)
Michael Jackson - Beat It (Live with Slash)
Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana (Live with Slash)
Michael Jackson - Man in the Mirror (Live at the Grammy's)

90's michael:


Michael Jackson - Give In To Me
Michael Jackson - Keep the Faith
Michael Jackson - This Time Around ft Notorious BIG
Michael Jackson - Why You Wanna Trip On Me
Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone

bonus:
Michael Jackson - Come Together (Extended Beatles Cover)
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me featuring YoungBloodz (Unreleased Remix)
Michael Jackson - Scream Louder featuring Janet Jackson (Flyte Tyme Remix)
SWV - Right Here featuring Michael Jackson (Human Nature Remix)

the final years:


Michael Jackson - Butterflies
Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us
Michael Jackson - Unbreakable featuring Notorious BIG
Michael Jackson - Who Is It
Michael Jackson - You Rock My World

bonus:
Michael Jackson and Glenn Lewis - Fall Again (Unreleased)
Michael Jackson - For All Time (Unreleased)
Michael Jackson - Who Is It (Live Acapella/Beatbox)
Michael Jackson - You Rock My World Remix featuring Jay-Z

collaborations:


Michael Jackson and Friends - We Are the World (USA for Africa Tribute)
Michael Jackson and Friends - What More Can I Give (9/11 Tribute)
Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney - Say, Say, Say
Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney - The Girl is Mine
Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder - Just Good Friends

bonus:
Diana Ross and Michael Jackson - Eaten Alive
Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson - State of Shock (Unreleased)
Michael Jackson and Kanye West - Billie Jean 2008
Michael Jackson - We Are the World (Solo Version)


I hope you guys enjoy this post. It took some time to put together, but it helped me remember some of the reasons I love music.

Rest in peace MJ, you will be missed.

-uno

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7.13.2009

put you on game: the kickdrums


Matt Penttila and Alex Fitts have been doing this music thing for a while.

While America's youth is out buying skinny jeans and sending tweets, these dudes have been on their grizzly producing tracks for hip-hop's elite and composing joints for their own indie project.

Unfortunately most folks have never even heard of them. Let me take this opportunity to formally introduce you all. Meet The Kickdrums.

click to read the full entry



Not hating, but I've never considered Cleveland to have much of a hip-hop scene. When someone mentions Cleveland I think of Major League II and Drew Carrey. Not 808s and MCs.

Outside of Bone Thugs, Ohio has never really offered much to the hip-hop community. Gauging the recent success of their collabs with fellow locals like Ray Cash, Kid Cudi and Chip tha Ripper... I think these boys from the midwest might be well on their way to changing that.

I won't do much to sell you on these cats, I'll let the product speak for itself. But you'll be hard-pressed to find another duo that can match the versatility of these cats. Their live instruments give the beats some knock and some soul, while their knack for song writing draws you in and gets you singing along.

I'm not gonna front, you can catch me on 121 getting my Tony Bennett on while "Things Work Out" plays. Hell, I might just swag surf.



As I stated above, what I appreciate most about The Kickdrums is their versatility. I've taken the liberty to upload an assortment of tracks that I feel deserve a listen from everyone.

Give these tracks a spin, you won't be disappointed. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

Shout to Matt and Alex for lacing me with the (exclusive) acoustic version of "Things Work Out" .. joint is nice.

for the club:


The Kickdrums - Love is a Drug (Left/Right Remix)
Bone - Thuggish Ruggish Drums (Kickdrums Remix)
Kanye West vs MGMT vs Justice (Kickdrums Mashup)

bonus:
The Kickdrums - Fading in and Out ft Kid Cudi (DJ Class Refix)

for the crib:


The Kickdrums - Things Work Out
The Kickdrums - Fading in and Out
The Kickdrums - Just a Game

bonus:
The Kickdrums - Things Work Out (Live Acoustic)

for the whip:


Chamillionaire - Pop the Trunk ft Yung Joc (produced by The Kickdrums)
Kid Cudi - TGIF ft Chip tha Ripper (produced by The Kickdrums)
Kanye West - Good Morning ft Big Sean (Kickdrums Remix)

bonus:
Slaughterhouse - Move On

mixtapes:


The Kickdrums - Smash the System
The Kickdrums & The League - Things Don't Change


As you can see, their work spans genres in a way that you don't see often enough nowadays. Good music deserves recognition and The Kickdrums have been blessing us with some great material.

Peep the video for "When I Come Down" below.



In addition to their mixtape projects, The Kickdrums have recently released their "Just a Game EP" available now via onSmash or iTunes.

Peep the trailer for the "Just a Game EP" below.



Not much else for me to say. I'm a fan.

You might not like 100% of their catalog... but I guarantee this post has something for you. Spend some time with The Kickdrums and let me know what you think in the comments.

-uno

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