Inflamed Temperament

Contest Winner

2010-09-21T23:53:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Heidi for winning the contest! Contact me with your details and I will ship the DVD out to you asap.

Everyone else, sorry the blog has been so bland of late. I promise to spice it up soon. Thanks for entering everyone!

Brandon Flowers's First Solo Album Hits Stores Today

2010-09-14T18:12:00.000-04:00

Go buy it.

Rich Cronin of LFO Loses Battle with Leukemia

2010-09-09T13:06:00.000-04:00

Sad news yesterday about the passing of Rich Cronin from LFO after a lengthy battle with leukemia.

Don't kid yourself, you know you used to rock this song out.

Live Video Clip of the Day: T.I. "What You Know About That"

2010-09-03T18:40:00.000-04:00

Well, T.I. is probably in some serious trouble after the events of this week and what a damn shame. I don't love rap music, but I have to say that I love T.I. Amazing raps mixed with killer beats. Aside from Jay-Z, he has to be the best rapper out there right now. Yep. He's better than Lil Wayne. I said it.

Let's hope he learns from his mistakes, because the dude should be releasing more songs, not sitting behind bars.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Brandon Flowers "Bette Davis Eyes"

2010-08-30T19:33:00.001-04:00

So you might have heard me talk about my minor obsession with all things The Killers(like here, here, and here), specifically one Brandon Flowers, who is embarking on his own solo career for a while. Well, the dude has some small concerts going on and today's clip is from one of them.

Something so awesome when one of your favorite acts covers one of your all time favorite songs. Ladies and gents...I give you Brandon Flowers doing a cover of Bette Davis Eyes.

Yeah, you're welcome.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Tonic "If You Could Only See"

2010-08-26T10:31:00.000-04:00

What a great song.

PS-I love that the drummer is wearing soccer shorts. So reminiscent of Freaks and Geeks.

Songs That Should Be (or Should Have Been) More Famous: Natalie Imbruglia "Smoke"

2010-08-24T09:17:00.000-04:00

"What's up with that?"

Haha. I love that she asks the above question several times in this tune. Just a nice, little song with a haunting melody. Natalie Imbruglia should have been more famous than the song "Torn." This is one of the reasons why.

Here is the video:

Movie Music Mondays: Singles and Giveaway Info

2010-08-23T16:46:00.001-04:00

One Sentence Review: A decent flick about being a 20 something in the early 90s with a lot of flannel and such, set against the backdrop of the Seattle grunge music scene.

Full Review: I tried to write one, but this one is much better.

Soundtrack: The soundtrack is a must for anyone who loves the grunge tunes of the early 90s. The best part is that a lot of these guys actually have cameos in the flick. And look at this scene...Chris Cornell still has long hair. Amazing.

You Could Fast Forward Through: I love this movie. Don't fast forward through any of it.

You Have To Watch: I love the drunk phone call that Campbell Scott's character does from the bar. So hilarious. And, well, you have to watch it all to see all the cameos by the guys from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, etc. Here are a couple of scenes for you.

So there it is. Onto the giveaway details. Here are the rules:

The contest will run until September 15th at midnight...eastern style. I'm from NY, I can't wait for you west coasters. A girl has to sleep. It is open to residents of the United States, only.

There are three ways to enter:

1. Become a follower of this blog. It has been around a while and still has less than twenty people who want to admit to reading it. Come on, people, we see the stats and know that more than 12 people read this guy every day. We don't bite. Follow us with pride. If you already do follow us, then hey, you're golden. We will automatically enter all followers.

2. Comment below with your favorite line of the movie, your favorite scene of the movie, your favorite song on the soundtrack, why you want to see the movie for the first time, whatever. You can comment as often as you'd like, but only one entry will be counted per day. So bookmark this and come back often.

3. Spread the word. You will be entered one time for your help in spreading the word about this contest. Post it to your blog, tweet it, put it on the book (cool kid talk for Facebook), do whatever, but make sure you let us know via a comment below. Again this will count as one entry, but feel free to preach about it as often as you'd like.

Good luck!

Live Video Clip of the Day: Third Eye Blind "Losing a Whole Year"

2010-08-22T12:04:00.000-04:00

Do you know what an earworm is?

It's not a creepy bug that crawls in your ear, but rather "a portion of a song or other music that repeats compulsively within one's mind." I'm not making this up. It is a legit term.

Studies show that everyone has been affected by earworms, however some people are more susceptible. Count me as one of those people.

Here is a classic earworm of a tune for me. I previously talked of my friends' odd obsessions with Third Eye Blind and this is a classic example of Third Eye Blind's pop/alternative vibe.

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Vintage Tune of the Day: Gene Kelly "Singing in the Rain"

2010-08-20T13:48:00.000-04:00

A bit of a different take on today's vintage tune.

Probably the best scene from any movie. EVER.

Fun fact: Gene Kelly was sick with 103 degree fever on the day he filmed this scene and refused to go home at the request of the director. Oh, and the rain, yeah that was a mix of water and milk to make it show up on camera more than just water. Probably smelled really good after a few hours.

You're welcome.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Counting Crows "Anna Begins"

2010-08-20T13:12:00.000-04:00

This song gives me serious goosebumps.

Every time she sneezes I think it's love.

Gosh those are some sweet lyrics. What nice vintage performance by these guys, as well.

First Giveaway Rules!

2010-08-18T19:52:00.000-04:00

So, you heard about that whole giveaway thing, we are rocking at Inflamed Temperament, right?

If not, here it is: you can score a brand new copy of Singles on DVD. This particular DVD comes in a package with the flicks Home Fries and Mickey Blue Eyes. I am sorry for that.

So, I have decided that this flick will be the subject of next week's Move Music Monday's post, but for now, I will tell you the rules, so you can start entering right away. The contest will run until September 15th at midnight...eastern style. I'm from NY, I can't wait for you west coasters. A girl has to sleep. It is open to residents of the United States, only.

There are three ways to enter:

1. Become a follower of this blog. It has been around a while and still has less than twenty people who want to admit to reading it. Come on, people, we see the stats and know that more than 12 people read this guy every day. We don't bite. Follow us with pride. If you already do follow us, then hey, you're golden. We will automatically enter all followers.

2. Comment on next Monday's post with your favorite line of the movie, your favorite scene of the movie, your favorite song on the soundtrack, why you want to see the movie for the first time, whatever. You can comment as often as you'd like, but only one entry will be counted.

3. Spread the word. You will be entered one time for your help in spreading the word about this contest. Post it to your blog, tweet it, put it on the book (cool kid talk for Facebook), do whatever, but make sure you let us know via a comment, either on this page or next Monday's. Again this will count as one entry, but feel free to preach about it as often as you'd like.

So that's it. These rules will be posted again next Monday, so don't fret if you should forget them.

Best of luck!

The First Blog Giveaway!

2010-08-16T15:59:00.000-04:00

Well, I have been wanting to do this for some time, but here it is, the big first blog giveaway.

Drumrolllllllllll.

Inflamed Temperament's first blog giveaway will be a DVD copy of the amazing early 90s flick, Singles.

Why Singles you ask? Isn't this a music blog? Well, tomorrow I will delve deeper into the contest rules and such, but for now I will just say that Singles has an amazing 90s soundtrack and we all know of my love for 90s music. It also has surprise appearances by various rock gods such as Eddie Vedder.

Here's the trailer and as I said, details on how to enter tomorrow:

Vintage Tune of the Day: The Animals "The House of the Rising Sun"

2010-08-16T15:04:00.000-04:00

What a nice little tune about...a brothel, no bigs.

The most surprising thing you might learn today is that this song is claimed to have been made all the way back in the 16th Century and over time adopted in the late 19th/early 20th Century by Americans who changed the location to New Orleans.

In any event here is the most famous of all the different renditions this song has offered.

Songs That Should Be (or Should Have Been) More Famous: Nine Days "Wanna Be"

2010-08-16T10:54:00.000-04:00

Welcome to a new column that will appear randomly on the blog, bringing songs that you may have forgotten or never heard. These tunes deserved more airplay (or just airplay in general).

Today's tune is by a bit of a one hit wonder of a band, Nine Days. Yeah, the dudes that sing this song.

This song could have appeared in my ten really good breakup songs, but much to the chagrin of this post, I forgot it existed until just yesterday. I was revisiting some old albums and thought I would listen to Nine Days.

Pretty great song right here and my apologies for the lame video, but this song is so forgotten that it was the best I could find.

Ten REALLY Good Breakup Songs

2010-08-12T09:02:00.003-04:00

I've been rocking a lot of break up songs these days. Ha, don't ask.

Even when you aren't going through one, sometimes these tunes can bring you back to those ultra dramatic moments in your life and I mean that in both bad and good ways.

For some reason, when we go through these times, breakup songs are all we want to listen to. Our friends get mad at us, our family gets concerned, but we don't care. We want our daily dose of sad song medicine.

Perhaps we want to hear about a situation we can relate to or a chance to point out that at least we aren't as messed up as the couple in that song, but whatever it is, these little nuggets can be quite cathartic. So you can call me Dr. Phil for the day. Wait, please don't do that. I hate that guy.

Here is a list of ten great break up tunes:

The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight

General Message: Man sees his ex leave a party with someone new...then goes bananas.
This is the song that put these guys on the map as the real deal. I've said before that I saw them at my favorite concert venue (the 9:30 Club) down in DC last autumn. Amazing feeling to all of their songs, but this one is bound to give ya goosebumps. I love the crescendo in this piece with such a quiet intro until by the end he's practically shouting, "You just have to see her." You can completely feel his despair when he belts out that she makes sure he saw her leave with someone else. "Your friends say what is it, you look like you've seen a ghost." Gahh those are nice lyrics.

Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up

General Message: Dude can't decide where he stands with chick who is toxic to his health, mind, general well-being.
Just a beautiful song. Breakup or no breakup. I love how he first says "Screw all my friends, they're all full of sh*t" like he wants to see her despite the protests of his buddies, but then later it becomes, "Screw all my friends, behind my back," and you're all, hmmm? God, this is an amazing song.

Alanis Morisette - You Oughta Know

General Message: Chick is all "hey, guy, you said you'd be all these things with me and now you're those things with her."
The queen of angst in the mid 90s, Alanis supposedly wrote this little ditty about Dave Coulier. Yes. The guy who played Uncle Joey on Full House. Yup, this guy. Makes that part about what she did to him in the theater pretty damn disturbing.

Dierks Bentley - Every Mile a Memory

General Message: He remembers his relationship by seeing things in his everyday life that remind him of his lady.
I LOVE this song. Probably one of the best "modern country" tunes out there filled with beautiful imagery for such a sad little number. Sappy without being gross. My kinda stuff.

The Gin Blossoms - Found Out About You

General Message: Dude is all about his lady...but she's all about other dude(s).
Gosh, this is one of those tunes that always gets me. "Did you love me only in my head?" Whenever I hear that line it punches me in the gut, but in a good way. Don't judge. Pretty damn good song and perfectly describes the feeling you get when you realize someone isn't at all the person you thought you were with.

The Killers - Smile Like You Mean It

General Message: About coming to terms with growing up and moving on...in all areas of life.
You're going to tell me that I just wanted to pick my all time favorite song for this list and that it's a weak choice for a breakup tune, right? I know this is a stretch, because it's not an explicitly clear breakup song, but even if it is the breakup of childhood ideals ("dreams aren't what they used to be") or something of that nature, it still deals with a separation. He does sing that "someone will drive her around, down the same streets that I did," so there must be some breakup issues involved.

Paolo Nutini - Rewind

General Message: This guy can't sleep and gets hammered every night to forget about his relationship, but longs for a way back to when things were going well.
I can't believe he was only a teenie bopper when he wrote and recorded this song. Simple, but beautiful.

Jack Johnson - Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

General Message: He loves her, but she's not having it.
Sounds peppy and upbeat, but it is actually a sad little breakup tune.

Damien Rice - Rootless Tree

General Message: Dude is in a dead end relationship that is weighing on him and he gets mad and swears.
I have always thought that Damien Rice has the most real lyrics of any modern singer out there and this song only solidifies it. From the giant f-bomb usage to the lyrics that condense to "then hate me so good that you can let me out, cause it's hell when you're around," it's so depressingly beautiful. Warning: this song has some serious potty language, so don't play it on full volume at work, mmmk?

Lindy - Beautifully Undone

General Message - He tries to say he never thinks about her anymore, but he repeats it so often that it seems like it's all he thinks about.
Probably the least famous of the tunes on this list, the little gem is a keeper. You get the vibe when he says "the only reason I kept coming back to you, was cause I thought I was in love," that this is an on again/off again type of relationship. And who hasn't had one of those? Siiiigh.

So there's my list of ten really good breakup tunes. Notice how I didn't say the best ever breakup tunes, just my top choices for right now. I didn't really delve into any classics, pretty much just the mid 90s-now.

Anyways, what are your top breakup songs? Let the world know!

Of course by world, I mean the handful of people who might read this list.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Cranberries "Zombie"

2010-08-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

This is not a strictly 90s music blog, but man, so much of the music I love was rocked during that decade.

Here's a tune I just can't get out of my head. This has been a three day issue. I'm passing it on to you now. So much better than passing you the flu or something.

Vintage Tune of the Day: The Drifters 'Under the Boardwalk'

2010-08-09T15:26:00.000-04:00

I apologize to loyal readers (all three of you) for the slacking lately. It's summertime. In fact today's song is quite summer inspired.

On with the show.

Today's vintage song is a tune that I adore. It brings a smile to my face every time I hear it.

The Drifters, man, now that was a band. So many great songs.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Alanis Morissette "Uninvited"

2010-08-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

This tune was on the City of Angels soundtrack. Alanis just rocks.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Wallflowers "6th Avenue Heartache"

2010-07-27T15:20:00.000-04:00

This song just never gets old.

Vintage Tune of the Day: The Beatles 'Revolution'

2010-07-27T11:36:00.000-04:00

The best Beatles song of all time? Perhaps.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Killers 'Jenny was a Friend of Mine'

2010-07-22T23:08:00.000-04:00

People are always shocked when they ask me my favorite band of all time and I respond with The Killers. Not sure why. Amazing band with a sound that incorporates so many influences, they're like a cornucopia of music goodness. That mixed with lyrics that are another nice blend of honesty and fantasy, makes them amazing.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that Brandon Flowers is the most gorgeous person...ever. Siiiigh. (*Dreamy*)

They are on hiatus for a while while Brandon Flowers does his solo stuff, but I can't wait until these guys are coming out with more music. The bass on this clip is bananas.

Damn, they're so good. Give them the respect they deserve...because I say so.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Arctic Monkeys 'Fluorescent Adolescent'

2010-07-16T15:26:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite modern bands. Amazingly catchy tune. Awesomeness.

You might be interested in an earlier post featuring these guys, as well.

Vintage Tune Of the Day: The Platters "Only You"

2010-07-16T15:15:00.000-04:00

This song has to be one of the best love songs...ever. That might make a good blog post. Ten best love songs. Watch for it.

11 Questions With...Jennifer Haase

2010-07-15T20:19:00.002-04:00

Here is another new series we will be having on the blog. It is a chance for us to bring to you some great talent that we feel is on the cusp of big things. Have an act you think we should know about? You can let us know via comments below. Also, a simple email sent to inflamedtemperament@gmail.com would work as well. Please don't spam us. It hurts our feelings.

This week we tackle 11 Questions with singer-songwriter, Jennifer Haase.

After you finish reading the questions below, how about you go check out her website? You can help with the completion of her new album by donating some cash (as low as $15, which gets you a copy of her album when it drops). I strongly suggest it. This chick rocks and you can always tell people you knew about her way back when.

Now, drum roll please...

11 Questions with Jennifer Haase

1. 5 words that describe your sound:

countrified folk pop with lemon

2. 5 words that describe your life:

leap before looking, wings spread

3. When did you know that you wanted to be a singer?

My parents have reel-to-reel and cassette tape recordings of my sister and I singing at a really young age. I always enjoyed singing. It was in my 20's when I decided to try my hand at songwriting, too. That transformation to songwriter (and then later from a really bad one to a decent one) was deeply poignant for me. I think I was 22.

4. I see mentions of Alison Kraus and Emmylou Harris in a review on your website. Pretty amazing company. Who would you count as an influence on your music, both in contemporary and more classic artists?

When I first started writing songs, my biggest influences were what I called The Three C's: Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Rosanne Cash. I still listen to these three amazing songwriters faithfully, but I've added so many new influences since then. Patty Griffin, Sheryl Crow, and Aimee Mann are among the top of the list.

5. I love the quote by Stephen Kellogg that mentions the sincerity in your voice. With today's music scene it seems so many people are products of an industry rather than true musicians. What do you think it is about your music that lets your sincere emotion grab people's attention?

You know, my record producer Mike Leslie (www.mikelesliemusic.com) and my recording engineer Robert L. Smith (www.defyrecordings.com) both say I'm a bit of a "straight from the journal" writer and maybe my somewhat confessional writing style is part of my draw. I also like to work with unique imagery when I can, making the same old theme sound more personal. I don't know why this is, but sometimes deeply personal songs are even more universal, too. Does that make sense? Well, anyway...you might ask those boys why they think my songs work. I'm a bit too close to the songs to know sometimes.

6. Speaking of Stephen Kellogg (whose Sun Studio Session was featured on the blog in a live video clip of the day a few months back), you have appeared on/co-wrote the track “Another Midas Story” from his album South of Stephen. Tell us how you formed that friendship?

Stephen and I met in 1997 at "The Essence of Songwriting" workshop taught by Rosanne Cash at The Omega Institute. It was a 5-day thing and truly changed my life. Stephen and I were paired up as co-writers for a song that week. "Another Midas Story" is that song, which we later recorded for Stephen's album "South of Stephen." I'm from Nebraska and was living there at the time of the workshop. Stephen was the first person to say to me that I should move to the East Coast and take my songwriting seriously. When I did move to NYC, he was offering to help me book shows and offered to do some touring with me, but I wasn't ready. I didn't have the confidence. That was before he had a record label. As you could imagine, I'm kicking myself about that lost opportunity now. But there are amazing opportunities yet to come, I can feel that. Stephen said recently that he'd like to produce some of my songs someday. I would love that.

7. Two of my dude friends have gigantic man crushes on him and one has seen his band over a dozen times, because he thinks they put on a great live show. How important are live shows to your music?

Everybody has a crush on Stephen Kellogg! And Stephen has always been so wonderful on stage. Really energetic and fun. Live shows are extremely important to me, too, though I don't do them enough yet. My success and happiness as a singer/songwriter is a balancing act between writing, networking and performing. I'm still figuring that balance out. Stephen has a support team, his band and his label. I am all of those things for my own career right now, so it's harder to make it all happen at once.

8. What can fans expect from a live set of yours?

Lots of chit-chat and smiling self-deprication between soulfully sung tunes. And I've been known to wear a pretty rockin' cool hat a time or two. I usually perform alone with my 6-string, but look forward to some full band sets to support the album.

9. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Definitely churning out albums with record label support, with some great licensing deals and album cuts for other artists. I do enjoy performing, but it's being a songwriter that I love the most. I hope to do a lot more co-writing over the years, too.

10. Your next album, No More Invitations, is due out in the fall. How does it differ from your previous recordings?

'No More Invitations' is both a bit darker and more flirtatious than my first release (Listening Chair). And it's quite a bit more pop sounding, too, on certain tracks. Mike and I have been joyfully throwing down our best Beach Boys b-vox on a few of these songs, but others are so beautifully bare. We allowed ourselves to experiment more on this one, definitely.

11. Anything else about the new album that you want readers to know?

Rosanne Cash added a very special guest vocal to my song called "Oneonta" and I really look forward to sharing how lovely it turned out, when the album releases.

Here's her new single (which is available for purchase right here):

We would like to thank Jennifer for being our first 11 Questions guest. She's an awesome musician and a genuine person that we wish nothing but success for in her future musical endeavors. Check back with us as we check in on the progress of Jennifer's album and hopefully bring you future news on release dates, etc.

Also, check back soon for our next edition of 11 Questions.

Furthermore, you should really just check back every day. Why? Because Inflamed Temperament is where it's at.

Like you even needed to ask.