Click the link below to check out an AWESOME promo video by yours truly.
And if you're a DJ and you need help making your own promo video, let me know! I can shoot it, edit it, etc!.
http://www.youtube.com/v/szk90X8LiN0
But I can't help you embed it into the blog. 
(If someone does change the above link into an ebedded file, boy, this will be confusing.)
Recently on the Crumbly Biscuit Hour, David Liebe Hart and Adam Papagan, along with a bevy of talented musician friends, arrived at the studio to record the demos for their second album (due to be released in November). Unlike their first album, "Public Access", during these recording sessions David Liebe Hart, Perpetual Artist and Creator, had no knowledge of the song topics prior to the recordings. They were written up on pieces of paper and stuffed into a bag before he arrived, thus all the lyrics you hear are completely, gloriously improvised.
Enjoy.
DJ Octoon Interviews Jonathan Coulton - Listen To It
July 15th, 2008
Not sure if I posted a link to this already; hell, here it is again if you missed it:
It's the first hour of "I'm in a Band.." on June 1st, 2008. DJ Octoon plays a recently recorded interview with Jonathan Coulton and talks about it, with Guest DJ Dunks and Intern DJ Michael Cera.
It's rad.
-DJ Octoon
"I'm in a Band.." - The BEST in Unsigned Music
UCLAradio.com - Sundays 8-10pm
MySpace.com/iminabandandsoami
Arthur St Vincent
July 7th, 2008
Check out this basic introduction to one of the characters known to frequent Bertrude Parsleypants' Crumbly Biscuit Hour, Uclaradio.com's only narrative show. Written, produced, and starred in by UCLAradio.com's own Steve Kaye. I hope you enjoy!!!
The Fall of the Music Magazine
June 24th, 2008
Since Blender magazine reinvented itself with a drab new look (and — let's be honest — less content) earlier this year, tongues have been wagging about their choices in article fodder, from interviewing Lil Wayne more times than he probably conducts an interview with his sizzurp cup (with his nutty ass) to sizing up tween stars usually reserved for Tiger Beat like barely-legal country singer Taylor Swift (who?). Nothing got readers and critics alike talking more, though, than the June cover featuring Tila Tequila, known for her reality show on MTV, MySpace stardom, rumored faux bisexuality and not much else. The closest Tila has ever come to a widespread music career is this hot mess, which was prestigiously offered as a cell phone download. Supa-staaaah!
But Blender — which I used to be able to read from cover to cover and is now in danger of being shut down by its parent company due to waning interest — isn't the only music-geared bible looking more like a Hari Krishna handout published on two-ply these days. The once relevant and cutting edge Rolling Stone alternates weekly between covering pop stars three months past their prime, blowhard politicians and aging rockers, none of which it covers convincingly or with passion anymore. Hip-hop rags like The Source and XXL have hit rock bottom with their eds-in-chief being replaced in recent years and cover story potential going by the wayside (check out who XXL thinks the new generation of hip-hop is — yeah, the new generation of ringtones, maybe). And Spin… well, I won't go there. I didn't even know they still published that until I picked up a copy of Reader's Digest instead at the airport a few weeks ago.
Vibe has recently tried to reinvent itself as an "urban" take on People with dreary results while lifestyle mags like Giant and Complex move in on their former audience. Both of the latter mags are quality and entertaining, but neither caters directly to the music fan.
So, are music mags on their way out? It may be true that the blogosphere killed the print star much the same way all forms of print entertainment — like newspapers — are struggling to stay afloat with so much new media out there for the masses to choose from. Nearly everything becomes obsolete at some point, so this may have been inevitable. But for the magazines that once presented quality instead of gimmicks or A.D.D. attention-grabbers, this is a depressing time. I'd rather see a massive au revior issue from a magazine like Blender than have it go out with a whimper and The Jonas Brothers on the cover. Oh shit, I just gave them an idea. Someone keep them away from our blog.
–J
Do you blame them?
June 4th, 2008
It has been a while since Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, and Luc Richard Mbah a Muta declared for the NBA draft. But since the Draft Lottery results came out a couple of weeks ago, the topic has been on my mind. At the end of the NCAA basketball season there is always a discussion between sports analyst on why college basketball players should not leave college early for the NBA draft. They recognize the lure of the all mighty buck, and who can blame these guys for wanting to take care of themselves and their families. However, the main argument that these experts use against young athletes leaving early for the NBA is that they "need to enjoy the college life" also known as "the best years of their lives’". What these writers fail to remember from their recollections of college life is the late night/early morning study sessions, the twenty page papers, and all the stress that comes with getting good grades.
Don't get me wrong, I love college and I'm having a good time; at least from Thursday night to Sunday morning. The rest of the week can be somewhat of a grind. If I had an opportunity to make millions of dollars to do something I enjoy right now, I would take it. I’m even going to go as far as to say that those writers probably would too at this age. So, when these older commentators say that college athletes are making a mistake by forgoing their youth for a big payday, I say when is the last time they took a final?
-Eddie (DJ name pending)
Intern on I’m in a Band…
Cabaret.
May 29th, 2008
Hello, all.
Last Thursday, I saw the Dresden Dolls at the Wiltern. I missed the first acts cuz my friend and I were more interested in …
pre-gaming, if you will.
The fans were very rowdy, which I thought was surprising. Now, they're the dresden dolls so they were awesome, but they didn't play a lot of their biggest hits. Also, instead of playing dresden dolls, half of their 90 minute set was covers/amanda palmer's own pieces. I was a little disappointed. But the music and the energy was still amazing. This show, they brought on a cello player to accompany them. That was interesting, to say the least. They came back for an encore of half jack. That was really good.
After the show we were chilling in the lobby, and Brian comes out for a meet and greet!! So, I took a picture with him and he signed the mask i was wearing. it was nice.
Outside of the show, being in downtown la, we were accosted by a drunk old man threatening to pour his soup on us. good times!
Love,
Andrea
Weenies
May 21st, 2008
This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of going to the KROQ Weenie Roast (for free).
First of all, I have to do a shout-out to all the bands dedicated to wearing black, even in 90+ degrees. Dude from Scars on Broadway, even wore a leather jacket. gold star for dedication, thumbs down for sucking.
Okay, so thanks to the lovely John Wilson, I missed mgmt on the smaller stage, but I expect that they were nothing short than amaaaaazing!
Anyway, the first band I saw was Scars on Broadway (I caught the end as I came in to see Pennywise). Pennywise was good. They're old, but it was nice to sing all their hits. Then, it was Bad Religion. I really wanted to like them, cuz he's from UCLA and all, but they suck. Their best asset was the guitarist … in a kilt. :p
Rise Against was okay. I didn't mind them too much. The Raconteurs were great! I love them, but they weren't the type of music the crowd was pumped for. Also, they have great music, but not a huge stage presence. Jack White. :p The Offspring were next. They were the offspring; they were whatever.
THEN, METALLICA.
I want to point out to ya'll that Lars admitted that his two favorite records right now are by The Arctic Monkeys. I interpreted that as an offcial apology for being such a douchebag over the years. Thanks Lars!
Love,
Andrea
The Legitimacy of Unsigned Artists
May 15th, 2008
Every week on I’m in a Band.. - hosted by the one and only DJ Octoon - we play a little game called "signed or unsigned." The game is as follows: a listener or one of the interns - either DJ Michael Cera or I - must pick which song out of two is a signed artist. No matter which strategy I use I have yet to pick the right answer.
I do not credit this to my overall lack of knowledge of contemporary music, which I’m sure helps, but rather to the skill of some of these unsigned artists. Since I started interning for "I’m in a Band.." I’ve discovered numerous artist and songs that I’ve begun listening to regularly. These bands don’t have the name recognition or the sex appeal that mainstream music has; but the music is good nonetheless.
So like the little kid that refuses to try meatloaf for the first time, only to find out later that they love it, quit fidgeting and try something new for once.
-Eddie (DJ name still a work in progress -ed. note: we call him DJ Six Dollar Burger)
Intern: I’m in a Band.. The BEST in Unsigned Music
Sunday 8-10 pm
UCLAradio.com (duh)
Dark Meat at the Echo
May 13th, 2008
I recently attended a jam session with the stage-filling, tribal-love machine Dark Meat live at The Echo in downtown LA. First off, I love The Echo as a space. No matter where you are, the small, black space is taken over by the performance on stage (not to mention giant pictures of owls that may be hanging). Dark Meat ruled the world for that hour. Orgy woman, leaf blowers, water guns, face paint, simulated lesbian love and simulated beastial love abound. Yes, a new word "beastial" is what a band like Dark Meat asks for. If you are not familiar with this and, it is composed of about 16 people that all play instruments in unison with each other: 4 people on trumpets, 2 on drums, 3 guitars, and random other people doing random other things. The show was great. The music was great. The songs seem like they would go over fine with a four piece band but its more about filling a vibe and creating chaos that the band is going for than a good song (which they all are, especially "Well, Fuck You Then.")
You get the feeling watching the show that it will all collapse at any moment, but somehow it stays intact. My favorite aspect of the performance was how the band broke the fourth wall so many times. Various instruments were played by a man or woman walking around the audience, playing into your face, ear, nose, ect. He eventually blasted people with a leaf blower while banging a drum. I think he made sweet love to another man at one point, but my recollection is a bit fuzzy navel about it.
All said and done, Dark Meat comes highly recommended for a good show and some great melodies to stick to your head. You will leave deaf, blind, and border line retarded with tribal feast muck love.
Much thanks,
sheehan
Stop Motion - Roboshiiiet
May 12th, 2008
Aside from interning on the show I'm in a Band every Sunday night, I like to do something fun every once and a while on the weekends. This weekend my roommate (Max Chang) and I had the brilliant idea of making a stop motion video. After many hours of turmoil we ended up with the following.
Alright, hopefully that works.
-Tim (a.k.a. DJ Michael Cera)
Dreadlocked
May 8th, 2008
Pour some patchouli oil on the ground for your fallen homie: American Idol hopeful Jason Castro and his braided mane of unwashed hair became an Idol castoff last night, damned to walk in the wimpy footsteps of Sanjaya as contestants whose novel hairstyles could only take them so far. Many Idol pundits (if those exist) attribute his relative success on the show to his distinctive hairstyle that endeared him to viewers and made him recognizable amongst the more hygienically inclined contestants. Surely, he owes the dirt, oil, and miscellaneous gunk (not including shampoo) floating through the air into his locks for his placement on America's favorite singing competition.
However, pop music has proven unkind to our brothers with a distinct aversion to washing or maintaining their hair. Sure, KoRn (yes, it hurts me to not be able to reverse that 'R' in Wordpress) is a band that at one point was considered the biggest band in the world while boasting an impressive four heads of dreadlocked hair which was reduced to three after the departure of newborn Christian guitarist Munky. But their popularity and influence quickly faded once the apparent KoRn faithful realized that they (both the dreads and the band and the entire nu-metal scene) stink. Similarly but not really, Counting Crows, led by Adam Duritz, a guy who would look like someone's creepy uncle who lives in a van behind Safeway without the dreads (instead he looks like a dude that sells airbrushed art on Venice Beach), enjoyed only limited success and a reputation not only as a one hit wonder but the epitome of one hit wonders. What was initially a refreshing look for Mr. Jones and me (and the rest of the music listening public) eventually became visual pollution so bad that even Starbucks refuses to stock Counting Crows albums any longer, for fear of making their customers lose their appetites. Zach de la Rocha has had a fine and successful career, but I'm sure that his bandmates went running to Cornell when they couldn't take the foul stench of his head anymore. And okay, Bob Marley is a legend, and he sports the dreaded dreads. But even look at him. It's not like he's working anymore.
Moral of the story is that you should invest in haircare products if you plan on being an artist of any significance. No, I don't have any affiliation with a major haircare product company.
Side Projects of DJ Octoon and others…
April 18th, 2008
We DJs have a lot going on beyond radio, music, and oh yeah, school. Here are but a few of the projects that keep us from graduation.
A Hot Mess Blog - A hella popular celeb site.
The Short-a-Week Project - Semi-professional writers and actors post a short every Friday.
Charle.LA - Electronic music…and more.
Cordellpace.com - Not sure who's site this is, but I think it's down right now.
The Literary Brothel - Creative writing website (now blog) with the tagline: "Where Great Minds are Coming.."
And… man, I should be reading. Well, if any DJs have websites they'd like to promote, just hit me up on my MySpace page www.MySpace.com/iminabandandsoami
To be continued…
Seriously.
The Original Largo: Not Long For This World
April 16th, 2008
Over the past dozen years, the barely noticeable yet renowned club, its storefront painted a stark, mysterious black, has developed an impressive list of musical guests, including the likes of Elliott Smith, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, Flight of the Conchords, and of course, Jon Brion. Musicians were drawn to the venue not only by the irresistible charm of Irish owner Mark Flanagan but by its artist-friendly attitude. All proceeds from the door would go to the artist performing, and the staff would enforce a strict no-chatter, no-cell phone policy during the show. Largo itself would only profit from food and liquor sales, overpriced commodities at the venue of which audiences are forced to by a minimum. However, watching an artist perform in the tiny red room with its impeccable attention to sonic detail is an incomparable musical experience. For the last five years since I discovered Largo as a wee lad, I gladly paid my fifteen bucks for what was practically a glorified Hungry Man dinner served on a ceramic plate in order to watch and listen to some of my favorite musicians perform on what was my favorite stage.
I vividly remember the first time I stepped inside Largo. I was sixteen-years-old and had recently discovered the wonder that is Jon Brion after buying the Punch Drunk Love soundtrack. "Here We Go," the lone JB pop song featured on the soundtrack, was in constant rotation, and I eventually bought his brilliant self-released LP Meaningless after returning some terrible David Lynch album for credit at Amoeba. I refused to believe that one man could simultaneously be an incredible score composer, pop songwriter, producer, guitarist, bassist, pianist, and drummer (yes, I left out vocalist). I even more vehemently refused to believe that all of these aspects of his musicianship could be represented in one show. My obsession with Brion had reached a boiling point by that summer, and I was counting down the days until I would get my driver's license so I could finally venture down to this mysterious hole-in-the-wall on Fairfax.
I brought along twenty bucks, my dad's pickup truck, and a good friend that fateful Friday night, the first in which I had my driver's license. We parked a ridiculous distance from the club and wore out our feet walking to the club at around 6 P.M. Little did we know that we would have to conserve what stamina we had in our teenaged feet, as Jon Brion didn't hit the stage until 10:30. After being swindled out of ten bucks for bottled water from the waitress who demanded that we buy something, anything, this exhausting and costly little expedition seemed to have no chance of being remotely worth the trouble we'd gone through. But once JB sat at the piano, unleashing his virtuosity on the keys and working in bits of calypso, ragtime, and neo-classical seamlessly into his improvised piece, we knew we'd be back, time and time again.
So let us both mourn and celebrate the loss of this great place for music. Hotel Café will never be anything more than a pale shadow (directed towards middle-aged people who buy their music at Starbucks and take musical recommendations from Zach Braff seriously, no less) of this trendsetting venue, no less; the original Largo is truly irreplaceable. As heartbreaking as it is that Largo will irreversibly changed when it moves to the Coronet Theatre, its intimacy threatened by the (still small but comparably huge) 280-seat theatre, we must remember how remarkable it is that such a place was able to survive more than a decade by selling frozen dinners and beer for only four hours on each of the six days of the week it hosted events. As we bid farewell to Largo, we can be proud that we took part in something that was incredibly special, arguably the only venue in Los Angeles that was truly all about the music.