Lack of time is really a poor excuse because I did the podcast fairly steadily for around 8 years and it only started slipping the past couple years. Doing the podcast was important for me. It was my way of sharing the entertainment I was enjoying with others. Every week I’d put my thoughts together on a few topics, maybe record an interview, select a few songs I’d just come across and put it out as a 30-40 minute podcast that I hoped people had fun listening to.

The past couple of years a number of things have come about that I think in some ways now make the idea I had for my podcast become obsolete. The first was the popularity of streaming music. Today it is very easy to find and stream any music via the internet. Why should I play a track when you can just as easily stream it for yourself? There are blogs that are far better in reach and have quicker access to new music than I ever will. Social media and the sharing of ideas, likes and dislikes have also exploded in so many different forms, from Twitter to Facebook, Tumblr and so many other things, it also seems to have chipped away at anything unique I would want to say in a podcast. The past few months I have put together three to four different outlines for podcasts, only to find the content already feeling stale and outdated before I start recording.

To be honest, I have also had trouble focusing lately on any subject for more than a few minutes. I’m too easily distracted and the proliferation of digital media has turned me into a bit of a monster, lurking from one thing to another without paying any attention to the places I’ve been. I probably view more than a few dozen news and entertainment related items a day. I have always had a veracious appetite for media but on self-examination, over the past year, I am finding that I am not really satisfied with much but I am continuing to devour everything. I need to shut down some doors, block out some of those flashy headlines and stop getting trapped by “10 things that blah, blah, blah” rabbit holes.

I feel like I need to go on an identity quest where I identify the things I truly enjoy again and force myself to discard all the frivolous junk that just wastes my time. I have long envied niche podcasts that have a narrow focus on a subject and really explore it. That is what people tell me being a true nerd is all about. But, for the most part I am not anything like that. I shy away from going deep into an interest because I am afraid after investing some my time on something, I will grow tired of it and won’t follow through on the commitment. Right now, I’m challenging myself to stick to something longer than I normally would. I am watching Season 3 of the X-Files and following along with Kamail Nanjiani’s excellent The X-File Files podcast.

One obsession I have been consistent with has been my photography. Yes, I take lots of pictures at events. You can find most of them at the Metro Times Detroit slide show page and on the Framed page in most week’s print editions. I get real, emotional fulfillment capturing moments that I know people are going to like to see. It’s also the closest I come to creating my version of art for others. You can follow my photo work by visiting my Flickr and MPAD Media Facebook page.

So where does that leave the Most People Are DJs podcast? Right where it has been the last few months, on hiatus until I can sort my mind out on the direction I want to take it. I’m certainly not abandoning it, I love the podcast medium too much. But I definitely want to tweak some things and work on making MPAD compelling enough for me to do again and for you to listen to. For now this website will continue and stay tuned to my MPAD Media Facebook page because that’s where I post updates on what I’m working on. Most of all try not to give up on me because I definitely haven’t given up on you.

Australian singer-songwriter Lenka is gracing us with her wonderful songs and unique performance this Saturday at the Ark. She is supporting her recently released 4th album, The Bright Side. Having seen Lenka a couple of times over the past few years, I can guarantee that her shows are filled with humor and an intimate playfulness on stage that many other artists are sorely lacking.

Lenka recently explained her music like this,"My aim with music is to create mood enhancers for people, That gives me the most joy, when people say my music makes them feel better.” Lenka’s gift for sharing her bliss has served her well. Whether or not you realize it, her buoyant, wistful songs—most notably “The Show” (off her self-titled debut) and “Everything at Once” (from Two, her follow-up)—have been soundtracking your life for almost seven years now. She’s lent a light mood to several commercials including spots from Windows 8, Old Navy, and Coke, and charm to dramedies like "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Ugly Betty," and imbued films such as :Moneyball" with graceful poignancy.

In a music culture that leans heavily on branding, Lenka has stood out for willfully being herself—occupying a spot between the upbeatness of Top 40 singles and the thoughtfulness of indie albums. “Music is a wonderfully direct way to enter people’s psyches,” she explains. “Mine is about keeping a sense of wonder about the world.”

I have seen David Allie emcee a couple different events and I think he even handed me a CD that he did a couple of years with Eddie Logix. The problem was whenever a gig came up to see Cold English, the band he fronts, I always had something else standing my way. This last Saturday for their show at B One Ballroom I was determined I’d see them play. The fact that David’s sister, Mayaeni, a terrific rock and blues artist along with hip hop artist, Benjamin Miles, were playing, made the show even more enticing.

I took pics throughout each set which is always interesting for me a small bar setting. The lighting at B One Ballroom rotates from a dark red light, to a kaleidoscope of lights and occasional bright strobes. If you’re in the crowd it looks great for a small stage, but if you’re taking pictures it’s a real pain. You never know what to expect from one second to the next. My photos as taken, are usually a mess of heavy, red hues and out of focus backgrounds. My technique is to heavily edit each photo, cropping the sides and reducing the red hue, then playing with the brightness and contrast. After editing, the pictures lack a bit of color but the subject is more distinct and the tones left actually give it some unexpected artistic flare. You can see all the pics at my flickr page.

I’ve been going to Motor City Comic Con for quite a few years and the past few have been very exciting watching it grow so much. This year’s show had to be the biggest in MCCC’s history. They used more floor space in Suburban Collection Showplace than past years, yet, I still think they could have used more. They might need to consider looking for a new venue. The only downfall I experienced over the weekend was parking on Saturday. There is just not enough parking to accommodate the thousands that attend the show on Saturday. Despite that inconvenience, this was my best MCCC ever and I think I share that thought with most of the other attendees. Here’s a rundown on my MCCC experience and photos I took at the show. If you want to see all the photos, go to my MPAD Media page on Facebook.

Friday is friends and cosplay day

If you go back to my Megacon review, I gave the impression there was good and bad about Friday’s at a comic con. The good is the open walkways and opening excitement, the bad is the empty booths and low participation from celebs. However, with MCCC, I’m going to switch my opinion to Friday’s are the best day for a con experience for me. I go in knowing I won’t see all I want to see, but I will get time to spend with artists and friends and get a good preview to what I might end up buying. Friday at MCCC was a good mix of a nice size crowd with a sizable amount of cosplayers. I got a late start due to traffic getting but I managed to have a very enjoyable couple hours at the show. MCCC closed at 7pm, but I could have definitely spent a couple more hours on the floor.

Saturday is chaos and panel day

Saturday is the day that everybody goes to the con. It would be interesting to see a chart on MCCC con attendance over the past 10 years because I am sure it would look something like a hockey stick with a sharp increase 2012-2015. This year the staff had the crowd situation worked out pretty well, people got in quickly and the extra space helped with the traffic flow, but there were still so many people there! I almost had a panic attack and had to escape to the panels for some chill time. I was glad I did because I sat in some great panels and even managed to get a few celebrity shots I couldn’t have taken on the floor. Andrew McCarthy, from Pretty in Pink and Weekend at Bernies, was great to listen to as he has had a very interesting career in movies and now directs shows like Orange is the New Black and Blacklist. Chloe Bennett from Agents of Shield was also a pleasure to meet as I found her much more likable in person than the character she plays on AoS. She had great stories from the set and which is tempting me to give AoS another chance. The last panel I sat in on had Emma Caulfield from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ksenia Solo from Lost Girl and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe from the Vampire Diaries. Three strong and lovely ladies having fun on the panel sharing stories from their TV shows.

Sunday is time to buy day

Unless I am really tempted, I save most my buying at cons for Sunday. The deals are usually better and I come prepared to spend. This year I found a booth selling trades for $6 or 5 for $25. I also do any interviews on Sunday. I talked to the Sun Bros. who have work in anthologies and their own books. On Friday I spent some time talking with them so Sunday I came with some background and a few questions. I’ll have their interview on an upcoming episode of my Most People Are DJs podcast. I also found my friend, Jordan Trovillion from Comics Continuum and managed to get a few pictures of her.

Here are some quick notes for this episode. The interview with Erin Brown also known as Misty Mundane is short, about 5 minutes, but I think anymore would have been overkill. The interview we done while at Motor City Nightmares, you can see my pics from the show at MPAD Media on Facebook. The song is "Blowtorch" by the Go! Team from their new album "The Scene Between".  I talk about music subscription services and why I like Slacker best. I did see Avengers Age of Ultron and liked it. It's not as good as some other Marvel movies, but I didn't expect it to be. This weekend I will be at Motor City Comic Con and at Movement the week after. 

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In its 26th year, Motor City Comic Con is Michigan's number one pop culture and comic book event. I've been going there since the 90's and enjoying it each and every year. This year will be MCCC's biggest show ever with more floor space, vendors and panels. The con takes place Friday, May 15 (12:30pm to 7:00pm), Saturday May 16 (10:30am to 7:00pm) and Sunday, May 17 (10:30am to 5:00pm) at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. You can still buy your tickets for the next couple days at the Motor City Comic Con website.

This year's show features over 40 pop culture  and comic book guests, including:

Dean Cain: Born in Mount Clemens, Mich., Cain flew into the spotlight with his portrayal of Superman and Clark Kent in ABC’s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1993, alongside Terri Hatcher. Cain helped pave the way for the mainstream acceptance of comic book superheroes. 

Robert Englund: Best known for his role as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street and spin-off movies, Englund attended the Cranbrook Theatre School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. and later Oakland University, where he trained at the Meadow Brook Theater. 

Steven Yeun: Rasied in Troy, Mich., Yeun studied at Kalamazoo College before starring in AMC’s The Walking Dead as Glenn Rhee. He has also played roles in NBC’s Law & Order: Los Angeles, and Syfy’s Warehouse 13.

John Schneider: Schneider is best known for his role as Bo Duke in the CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard and the original General Lee Charger will joining him in hot pursuit at the event. Schneider is also known for his role as Clark Kent’s father in the WB/CW series Smallville. 

Robert Patrick: Patrick’s breakthrough role came when he starred in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and proceeded to act in Striptease and the FOX TV series The X-Files. Patrick was also the voice of Piandao in Avatar, Alcide Herveaux’s father in HBO’s True Blood and most currently as Les Packer in FX’s Sons of Anarchy.

Ryan Hurst: Hurst is known for his roles in Disney’s Remember the Titans as Gerry Bertier, and Opie on FX’s Sons of Anarchy.

Emily Kinney: Kinney currently plays the role of Beth on AMC’s The Walking Dead. She also can be seen in episodes of Showtime’s The Big C, CBS’s The Good Wife, NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, and USA’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent. 25

E. Roger Mitchell: Mitchell is best known for his roles in AMC’s The Walking Dead, CW’s One Tree Hill, Selma, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Equalizer, Flight, Anchor Man: The Legend Continues, The Shield, The Legend of Bagger Vance and The Spectacular Now.

Jodi Lyn O’Keefe: O’Keefe portrayed Cassidy Bridges on CBS’ Nash Bridges and Gretchen Morgan on FOX’s Prison Break as well as appeared in TNT’s Charmed, CBS’ Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. She has also starred in the movies, She’s All That and Whatever It Takes. Currently, she plays Dr. Jo Laughlin in the CW’s The Vampire Diaries.

Michael Welch: Known for his role as the popular Mike Newton in The Twilight film series, Welch is currently on the hit Syfy Channel original series Z Nation as Mack Thompson.

Neal Adams: Adams is an award-winning comic book artist known for his imagery of Marvel characters and his most popular DC Comics’ characters and stories, such as Batman, Brave and the Bold, Detective Comics, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Strange Adventures (Deadman), Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, and X-Men. Adams is credited for changing the past “Batman persona” to the “Avenger of the night” persona that he is today, portrayed in The Dark Knight series. He is highly-regarded in the comic world, described as a “genius” by the editor in chief of Marvel Comics.

Matt Wagner: Writing comics for over twenty years, Wagner is most known for creating Mage and Grendel. Wagner has also worked on a variety of notable characters, including Two-Face, the Batman villain in the graphic novel Faces and titles, such as Sandman Mystery Theatre and Trinity, a DC Comics series featuring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. He has also produced numerous comic covers, including Green Arrow, and is writing a Green Hornet spin-off for Dynamite Entertainment.

Simon Bisley: Bisley is a British comic artist best known for his work on ABC Warriors, Lobo and Sláine. He has a distinctive style using acrylics on Bristol board and does not commonly use airbrushes but household items to achieve his creative results. Simon has also worked on such titles as Judge Dredd, Hellblazer, Deathstroke, The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, Fear Itself: Deadpool/Fearsome Four, Batman/Judge Dredd, and numerous Heavy Metal covers.

For more information regarding Motor City Comic Con guests and events, visit www.motorcitycomiccon.com.

I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it on this episode of Most People Are DJs. I’m excited about new podcasts I’ve discovered, a new song and upcoming shows that I plan on attending. The three podcasts, all with duo hosts, that you should check into are: Buzzfeed Internet Explorer Podcast, Do you Like Prince Movies and Modern Horrors. After that, I go into a couple of the new comic book related TV shows that I have been enjoying, Daredevil on Netflix and I Zombie on CW. Both are well worth watching and I Zombie is on the bubble of renewal so if you haven’t watched it yet please give it a view. I play the song "Everthing New" song by the duo No Joy on the latest CMJ mixtape. Before the episode ends I talk about all the upcoming shows and festivals I am attending over the next month, including Motor City Nightmare Apr. 24-26, Metro Times Blowout April 29-May 2, Free Comic Book Day May 2, Motor City Comic Con May 15-17, The Smiths United May 17 and Movement May 23-25. I will definitely need some rest in June!

My podcast affiliate for this spisode is BlueHost where you can get a starter website with domain for only $3.49 a month using my special promo link.

Held annually in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center, Megacon is one of North America’s largest comic conventions. Each year I take a vacation to Lakeland, Florida to visit family around the same time as Megacon but usually missing it by a week before or after. This year I saw a window open where I could actually do both the family trip and Megacon and booked it. Given the large list of comic artists and pop culture celebrities, Megacon is one of the better independent comic conventions to attend and it’s still very affordable. I purchased my 3-day ticket in advance for only $70.

I arrived to the show on Friday afternoon around 3pm. While the show opened at noon, 3pm seemed like a reasonable time to get there to get the maximum Friday comic convention experience. The Friday con experience is a mixed bag of blessings, there are not as many people or young kids running around but there are also empty booths and celebs that don’t show up until Saturday. Even given those drawbacks, I still like Friday quite a bit, I get a good preview of the con and I can usually spend time talking to artists.

 However, I wish I had arrived a little earlier at Megacon because the sheer immensity of Orange County Convention Center is an overwhelming and confusing experience. There are about 6 different places to park but none of them are close and the lots fill up fast. The parking charge of $10 is fair but I heard there were other lots charging $20-$25 for parking as well. My parking lot was by the South Hall which is quite a long walk to get to West Hall where Megacon was held this year. There are shuttle buses but I didn’t want to wait for one. The good news is much of the walk is inside and air conditioned.

Megacon is a very cosplay friendly show, since I take cosplay photos I think it’s a great bonus. There are some comic fans that find cosplayers annoying and an obstruction to enjoying the con experience, but cosplayers are here to stay and I’m all for it. For cosplayers, Megacon offers two big areas for people to congregate and mill about in their costumes and have their picture taken. Taking photos in these areas was much easier and better than trying to take them in the exhibit area.

The exhibit area was smaller than I expected. It was divided in sections of retailers, artists and celebrities. I didn’t buy much at the show so I can’t comment much on the retailers, there did seem to be both a good amount of DIY dealers selling their own comic-inspired crafts as well as retailers of comic books and t-shirts. Artist alley was represented by mostly independent artists with the trend toward selling more pinups and posters than actual comic books. I am disappointed by this trend as I like to see unique comic books creations instead of booth after booth selling their version of a Joker or Wolverine pinup. The guest celebrity area was a major disappointment as most of the celebrities are curtained off so you can’t even get a glimpse of them, they also do not allow any personal photography in this area. I skipped this area but would have at least liked a quick glance at Summer Glau.

I attended the expo again on Saturday although my game plan did not work very well. Just getting to the con was a chore. The Saturday traffic to Orlando was horrendous and it is by far the busiest day at the con. Parking was also extremely difficult. I parked a mile and a half from West Hall, with temps near 90, it long hot walk. The con itself was packed so it was very difficult to maneuver around to see any of the exhibit hall. I mostly stayed in the open cosplay areas taking photos. I only had a couple hours to spend at the con then had to make my way back to my car. In retrospect, I might have been better served avoiding Saturday and coming back on Sunday which has less of a crowd to contend with.

Overall, despite the parking and overcrowding I did enjoy the experience and people at Megacon. I’ll definitely go back but I’ll study the convention maps and have a better plan for parking.

Here's another MPAD comic-oriented episode with a review of the new teen angsty, thriller "We Can Never Go Home" by Matthew Rosenberg, Patrick Kindlon and Josh Hood. It's a fantastic comic about a misft that sees a girl display some superpowers and the relationship between that ensues. A large part of the comic is centered on a mixtape which was one of my favorite pastimes, you can rean Matthew Rosenberg's thoughts on the mixtape at Paste Magazine.

I also feature a short interview with Matthew that I did back at C2E2 2013.The little interstitial music before the interview I created using Magix Music Maker. I play the song "Entropy" by Nigel and the Dropout, a terrific local band that I saw play recently. I think their sound is a great combination of everything that is exciting about current music. I en the show with some talk about going to Megacon next week, I'm very excited to go, take photos and share stories of the con in a future episode.

My podcast affiliate for this spiode is BlueHost where you can get a starter website with domain for only $3.49 a month using my special promo link.

The opener of the night was Marcus Alan Ward who drove up from Cleveland for the show. He started his set with an amplified version of Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets.” MAW then followed it up with a short set of R&B and funk all with a gritty rock edge. With his talents on full display, playing synth, guitar and singing, I could hear Prince, Hendrix and a more current R&B influence in his songs.

Nigel & the Dropout were on next and honestly I hadn’t heard much about them before the show but one guy told me they were his favorite local band. From their first song I was immediately blown away with their sound and visuals. They play a mix of indie electronic with soaring guitars. I would say they sound like MGMT, if they never ended up self indulgent and sucking, so that’s not really a good comparison. On most the songs they share vocals with the guitarist doing most the vocal chores. For only two guys they effectively make a lot of wonderfully, blissed out noise. Towards the end of the set one song had an epic intro that transformed into a punky, electric track. They have plenty of potential to get places and I could imagine their songs used in movies for indie club scenes. 

Last up was Gosh Pith. A band I have heard a lot about but never seen play. Again just 2 guys, but the sound is a complete left turn from Nigel & the Dropout. They play an original mix of dub, psychedelic and indie dance that comes across as hazy, mysterious and kind of sexy. Under dark lighting, they both sing different parts in each song but the guitarist probably sings the most with his distinctive voice. When I met him he was kind of a low spoken guy but on stage his voice takes on this strange quality, a sort of a reggae chanting, very rhythmical and hypnotic.

My only disappointment with the entire night was there weren’t more people to make the trek out to B One because they missed a high quality show. Who knows how many more we’ll get in the suburbs of my OC?

Finally a comic centric episode of Most People Are DJs! On this episode I play music and feature some live commentary by hip hop, nerdcore artist Adam WarRock. I saw Adam WarRock and Mikal KHill recently at Green Brain comics and was so awe-struck by what I saw it is still playing out in my mind. I made a video from the show you can watch over at Youtube. If you want more with Adam WarRock and comic talk check out Slack Jaw Punks Podcast. I'll be at Rudy's March Comic and Toy Show selling comics and other things and I'll also be at Megacon as well just taking in the sights.

I review "Then It Was Dark" a comics anthology of true weird encounters by comic book writers and artists. I also talk about 2000 AD an awesome UK anthology that has Judge Dredd in it. I mention all the cool indempendent comic book suff going on at Comixology and their podcast.

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It's hard to believe but we are already 3 months into 2015. This is my 3rd MPAD episode and I really thought I'd be able to get more of these out by now, by time keeps flying by. But, I am bringing the goods one this one. I have an interview with Alex B., also known as, Paper Diamond, an innovative electronic musician that has geinded and polished his craft to create a sound and show that is a stand out among so many other DJ/EDM acts. His new ep "Rain Drops" will be out soon. If you want to read the full interview go to Motorcityblog where I posted it last week.The track I play from Paper Diamond is "Just Like Clockwork" with Cherub. 

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Last Monday night, Leighton Meester played the Magic Bag, a local venue for me, and being a fan of Gossip Girl with an interest in catching celebrities in a different light I decided to check it out. I went into the show without much knowledge of the music Leighton would be performing but I did know that she had transitioned from dance pop to a more Americana/country vibe.

Walking in just before the opening act, Cassandra, a local singer/songwriter, I found the place packed beyond full, just navigating myself to a spot where I could photograph from was a chore. For a local singer I wasn’t aware of before tonight, Cassandra, was quite good. She had a bassist and guitar player with her and her songs were mostly acoustic but I wouldn’t call her a folk singer. She brought a lot of soul and R&B to her songs, a couple of them even had a bit of a hip hop feel to them as she rapped some of the lyrics. I’ve got a feeling she will be playing out more in town as the crowd really dug her set.

Ah, the crowd for the show… I thought Gossip Girl lost popularity in its later years but it must have kept its rabid fan base because this show was filled with hundreds of GG fans. The majority of the crowd were fashionable females, between 18 and 25 and in groups of three to four. You could say it was a house full of a few hundred “queen bees”. They all seemed familiar with Leighton’s songs and in between them would call out in admiration of Leighton.

Leighton and her band took the stage, around 9:15pm, which is pretty early compared to most the shows I go to but for a Monday night this was more than welcome. Her songs did have a big Americana feel to them with acoustic guitar and themes of heartbreak and heartache. What impressed me with Leighton’s performance was she had evidently really put work and effort into the songs. Her backing band were experienced musicians that played their parts with a high proficiency. Leighton’s got a nice voice that suits her sound, it’s not the strongest but she can more than carry a song. Most of her set came from her latest release “Heartstrings” but also included covers of the Cardigans “Lovefool” and an encore of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” that brought the biggest cheers from the crowd.

My favorite LCS is Green Brain, I don't make it out there nearly enough, but when I do it always reminds me why the comic shop is a great place to hang out. With Dan and Katie, Green Brain have a couple of the nicest comic shop owners who are always willing to chat and suggest comics worth your time.

Best of all they put on awesome events at their shop and they have a great one coming up on Sunday, March 1st. Nerdy comic hip hop stars, Adam WarROCK with Mikal kHill will be rocking the comic shop floor at 7pm. This is part of their Grumpy Old Men and it's a free show.

Adam WarROCK and Mikal kHill rap about your favorite comic super heroes and life in general, I'm very impressed with their backing music as well as the quality of their raps. Each of them have a ton of free music at their websites and you can find them on Spotify, so check them out, then come on out and join the nerd herd.

Back to shoegaze and noise for a minute wthe band Heart Beach. Band members Jonathon McCarthy (guitar / vocals), Claire Jansen (bass / vocals) and Christopher Wessing (drums / guitar / drum machine) formed Heart Beach in their hometown of Hobart, Tasmania in 2013. Since then the trio has released a number of singles and have been featured on compilations put out by local record labels, Rough Skies Records and Wrong Place (Right Time) Records. “Away” was recorded at Head Gap Studios in Melbourne in December 2014. Recently Everett True (Collapse Board, Plan B) had this to say about Heart Beach:

My press release didn't credit this quote describing them, but I would say it's a perfect description....“this music, this Heart Beach, is anything but difficult to get into: scintillating shimmering shivering girl-pop pop harmonies, slightly abrasive but only cos they refuse to add the fifth spoon, slightly sparse just so you can recall what a glorious moment in time that first Breeders album was, slightly sexy because all great music is slightly sexy. Melodies and songs and words to immediately love and immediately forget.” 

Heart Beach is set to release their debut self-titled full length on March 20, 2015. Let's hope a US tour including Detroit follows.

Valentines Day will soon be upon us and whether you're the most romantic person in the world or the opposite, more than likely you have a special someone that will be expecting something. If you are like me, you probably haven't bought anything yet. After all, we still have a few days left, right? Well, Fleurop.com can make it easy for you by just using their website to order flowers or anything else they have and it will arrive right at your door via your local affiliated florist.

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Which is why it doesn't surprise that music with the similar melodic and disharmonious chords is still being made today. Just this last week 3 songs in the shoegaze vein arrived in my inbox, and the best part is all of them are brilliant.

Swervedriver is back and still raving down.  

Whirr from San Francisco and Philadelphia released this thick load of achingly beautiful noise.

and, lastly, Them Are Us Too, a duo from California release the more subdued and equally wonderful, "Us Now."

It's hard to believe it is February already! Here's episode 2 of the year for Most People Are DJs where I give you a rundown on my time at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. You can read about the trip on my post a few weeks ago. I also play music by Diet Cig a new band from New Paltz, New York, who have recently released their debut Over Easy EP.

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I saw Zola Jesus last week at the Loving Touch and was completely captivated by her performance. To be honest, since I am more of a pop music fan, I found her past material, while interesting, a bit off-putting to listen to on a regular basis. Which is why I am a huge fan of her latest release Taiga, an album that is both accessible and an artistic expression of emotion. From the driving rhythms to her songs that are front by her brilliant and distinctive vocals,Tiaga is an album I listened to the past couple weeks non-stop. However, it is Zola’s live performance that really capture her unbridled vocal talents and devastating power of her songs.

The nice thing about the Loving Touch is it is a small intimate venue that puts the crowd in close, nearly claustrophobic proximity to the artist. As big as her voice is, Zola is actually small in stature, maybe just over 5 feet, which was shocking as most of the crowd just assumed Zola to be taller, more of a runway model’s height. The entire crowd on this night embraced Zola’s performance with a knowing that they were getting something truly special.

Zola’s latest video for “The Hunger” displays a good deal of what I experienced in her live performance. It is also my favorite song from Tiaga so it’s nice to see it getting more exposure. The “Hunger” video is explained by Director Allie Avital Tsypin / BANGS “... is essentially a sculpture project...an exploration of a life form: both raw and refined. A negotiation between form and inner life, movement and stillness, desire and satiation. Working with Nika is always an honest and satisfying collaboration…it was really fun to interpret the song and Nika's (Zola's) aesthetic sensibilities through film.”

The first short is from Thump, a place with EDM music videos and short documentaries. Whether you are into the EDM scene or not, their documentaries are quite interesting, especially Blackout: Sex, Hugs & EDM!!!” The video is a 30 minute film shot last New Years Eve in different places around the world. Each of the different settings reveal how the revelers spend their night hanging with friends, some drinking, some drugs and maybe some fun along the way. The places they film at include Paris, Tokyo, New York and even Detroit. The Detroit material is cool because I know a couple of the people they film. In fact, one of them, Erno the Inferno, has been on a previous MPAD episode. The film has crazy, funny, and some serious moments as they flash from city to city playing out the long and debaucherous night.

The other video came my way via the Short of the Week website. Short of the Week is a great site to check for short films that are well shot and always interesting. The one they featured yesterday is a nice and twisted film called “I’m Not Sorry.” The film is about lonely, disturbed man that is using a dating site incognito. The lead in the film reminds is a slimy guy and reminds me of Joe Spenell from the original slasher classic, Maniac. At one point in the movie he’s shown in a painter coverall with blood spattered all over him, it makes me wonder what his day job is. I won’t share too much about about the short because I don’t want to give anything away, but it does share a couple things in common with “Blackout” including a great soundtrack and a drunk girl. You may want to have something lined up to watch directly after this as it will shake you up.

"I'm Not Sorry" - SXSW 2014 from Russell Costanzo on Vimeo.

I have a short episode this time around for you explaining my direction for MPAD for 2015. For those that listen to the show, it’s nothing new but I am going in a direction with an emphasis on music and art that is created digitally. Mashups, webcomics, Youtube videos, photography etc. my shows will revolve around people digitally jamming. I’ve been using that phrase, digitally jamming (or digital jammer) the past few months but never really explained what it means. I’m taking the opportunity to explain it this episode and we’ll cover it together throughout 2015. The track I play this episode is a mashup from Jzatsy “Sea of Cough” using tracks from Porter Robinson and Young the Giant, you can find and download it over at Soundcloud. You can find tons of mashups over at the mashup reddit page.

The music you heard underneath my voice is a loop I created in Music Maker. I’m going to try and do this more often as I think it makes my speaking parts a little more interesting, but hopefully not too distracting.

My podcast affiliate for this episode are GoDaddy where youcan get a .com domain for $1.49 when you use code DJ149. I have several more coupon codes that will save you money on domiains, hosting and more. See all my coupon offers at my coupon codes page.

Through some hard work and luck I was given the opportunity to go to this year’s CES, (that’s the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas. As one of the world’s largest conventions, 2015 CES had over 170,000 attendees and 3,600 exhibitors. It’s a truly astounding show that left me excited and exhausted at the end of each day. While there are hundreds of ways I could cover CES, I am just going to run through some of the overall product trends and cool booths that I came across.

Two products that made a big impression on me were smartwatches and headphones. I’m thinking about getting a smartwatch this year and CES had several to choose from. The Health and Biotech category had several smartwatches that could track your exercise and sleep but also had apps that could open your garage or start your car. I didn’t buy a smartwatch at CES but I could see that this isn’t just a fad that is going away. Headphones have been around for a long and while you might not think much more could be done with headphones, CES would prove you wrong. Special headphones for exercising, headphones for the musician and wireless headphones of all sorts were on display. One curious set of headphones didn’t go over your ears, but are instead just in front of your ears, so you could hear the music but also the environment around you. I bought a pair of sleep headphones that are flat and fitted inside a comfortable headband.

Besides the latest gadgets, celebrities also come out to the show as spokespeople for new technologies or just on hand to bring people to a booth for autographs. When I was visiting the Audi booth, Nick Cannon stopped by and was standing just a couple of feet away from me. Hip hop star, French Montana was there with him, but, not many people there recognized him. Will.I.Am was interviewed at the WSJ booth talking about his technology/fashion company. I stood in a line with other BSG fans to my picture with Tricia Helfer at the Ford booth.

The booths at CES are the best, most have swag to give away, fun things to see and demos that are mind blowing. Several booths even featured DJs spinning and small shows featuring music and models. At the BMW booth I was actually able to take their electric I3 out for spin. I learned some more camera tips and techniques at the Nikon booth and got a nice set of earphones at the Creative booth. Of all the booths I spent time at my favorite was the Skullcandy booth. Located outside of the convention, the Skullcandy booth had a fulltime DJ, free beer after 3pm and a different band playing on stage each afternoon. At the Skullcandy booth, there was a party atmosphere there that few booths could match.

By the end of the last day of CES I had my fill of all I could take in at the show and found I had gathered so much swag I couldn’t fit it all in my suitcase! A couple my favorite freebies included an Engadget t-shirt and a cellphone charger from BLU. It may take me another few years to get back to CES but it will remain high on my list of conventions to visit.

On this Most People Are DJs episode I close out 2014 with a rundown on things I did and saw. I think the audio is a little dicey on this one due to the way my mic was connected. 2014 was a really good year, both personally and what was coming out in podcasts, movies and TV. I attended around 30 different concerts/shows and 5 comic conventions. While 2013 may have been the year of superhero movies, 2014 was the year of superheroes on TV, yet, I found myself enjoying shows like Sleepy Hollow and Supernatural more. A lot of good movies came out from budgets both big and small. My favorite of the year was Guardians of the Galaxy but I spend more time on the episode discussing more obscure movies such as Blue Ruin and Palo Alto. I round out the podcast mentioning how much revenue I made in 2014 for all my extracurricular activities. I think you will be surprised to hear what that number is. My positive message is anyone can do it, you just need to make an effort. Then comes my plug where I suggest an easy way to start is by making sure you have your own domain and reserve it on GoDaddy for only $1.49 using my coupon code DJ149. There are 2 songs featured, “Archie, Marry Me” by ALVVAYS and “Where Does The Disco” by Yacht.

My podcast affiliates for this episode are GoDaddy where I have several coupon codes that will save you money on domiains, hosting and more. And Audioboooks.com where you can get 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a free membership and use my code Tech2. See all my coupon offers at my coupon codes page.

I saw The Birthday Massacre last week at the Crofoot Ballroom. TBM is a mainstay with my MPAD podcast, they were one of my earliest bands to interview and I’ve continued to see them each time they play in town. This year they were touring with their new album “Superstition” along with New Years Day and The Red Painting. The Red Painting were interesting as they put on a performance that includes painting on live a live model and costumes. The Birthday Massacre put on their usual great show but I was able to notice growth both in stage presence and sound. Lead singer, Chibi, is still a knockout, commanding the stage with her voice and inspired antics. I took photos of the bands and crowd with some appearing in the Detroit Metro Times. I was using my brand new Nikon D700 but I should have spent more time learning the controls. I ended up with several pics that were blurry and under- or over-exposed.

This week I am going to a "Paint vs. Foam” show which is a crazy, electronic music show that involves massive amounts of paint and foam sprayed out at the audience. DJ’s and twin brothers, Milk’n’Cookies are playing, they are another act that I have featured on MPAD. They always come at me with stories and smiles and are a general blast to hang out with. Stay tuned for some pictures that should be both wild and hot.

I finished watching the last season of “The Newsroom” on HBO, while it was the weakest season, it was still very engaging. The thrust of the season was spent on spelling out the dangers of internet news overtaking what real news should be. At times I think they were overly harsh on internet entertainment and news websites, which I’ve never taken very seriously, yet, I suppose some people do. I’m trying to get the rest of my family to go back to episode one and watch the entire show all over again.

I’m trying to figure out if I want to go out and do photos on New Years Eve or just stay in with the family.On January 2nd it looks like I’m checking out the Grand Opening of the B One Ballroom and hip hop artist, Passalaqua. It’s great to see another place just down the road from me promoting local alternative music.

My biggest upcoming news is that I am going to CES! That’s the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 6-9. It’s been a bucket list item of mine to get back out to CES and see all the great new electronic toys and events around them. I’m covering it from work but I will be sure to cover it for MPAD as well.

If you have visited my site the last few months I am sure you’ve noticed an emphasis on my podcast affiliates such as GoDaddy and Audiobooks.com. The reason for doing this is twofold, obviously, each time one of my coupon codes are used I get a percentage of the sale which goes into supporting my website and podcast. The other reason being I really think my affiliate offers are good deals to take advantage of. A recent example is my coupon code DJ149, with GoDaddy to get a domain name for only $1.49. That’s a big savings over anything I have been able to offer in the past. So, be sure to continue to jump over to my coupon code page to keep up on my offers.

With this episode I announce a new deal with my podcast affiliate GoDaddy, you can get a .com domain for only a $1.49 with my promo code DJ149.  On this 15 minute episode I talk about the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals I encountered. I also mention how was able to get a post price match deal from Amazon which I bet most people do not know they can do. There’s also some other gift suggestions I give that are inexpensive ways to make your friends and family happy this Christmas. The music playing underneath my talking is a loop track I created on Music Maker. I'm thinking about doing this on a regular basis. Btw, I checked into it and you actually can get a Spotify gift card, so I just added that to my Christmas List.

The song I play is from Danish band, Blau Blume, “In Disco Days.” It’s a nice indie pop track with sweeping guitar and dramatic vocals. You can see there video on vimeo with this link.

Electronic artist and DJ, MANIK is one of the East Coast's most established underground dance acts. MANIK can be heard on releases from seminal labels like Black Butter, Culprit, Nurvous Records, and Josh Wink's Ovum Recordings. Having played in over 40 different countries worldwide, MANIK has championed a unique production style, working to bridge his home town NY house’s grit with LA’s deep raw summer vibe. Currently on tour with a soon to be released EP “Far Away,” MANIK will be at the Grasshopper in Ferndale this Saturday providing his innovative spin on dance and musical expression.

MPAD: Which came first creating music or DJing??
MANIK: Creating music. I started making stuff for a while and then I turned to mixing tracks for fun and basically had to keep that going to make a living- aka be on tour. I love both equally but in different ways.

MPAD: How do you categorize the music you play/create as MANIK?
MANIK: I think what I do is my own definition of good music. What I DJ or make if what I think is dope. It's pretty simple.

MPAD: Tell me about your upcoming release “Far Away”...
MANIK: It’s my first EP on Anjunadeep. They have really been into my music and have had my back. I am proud to be a part of the label and family. I am excited to keep the vibes alive.

MPAD: The perception is DJs come in 2 camps - Personality DJs that make a show as much about their onstage antics as their music and Faceless DJs that hide behind their music. Do you fit in either camp?
MANIK: I would say I am bit more of a faceless chill DJ. My natural energy is to be thorough with my music selection and take my job serious- but not too seriously. I love what I do and I love to connect with the fans. I am just not one to jump up and down on stage.

MPAD: Preferred DJ performance gear?
MANIK: I love the NI (Native Instruments) stuff with Traktor- like using the decks to control but the X1 to rock the loops and effects.

MPAD: I really enjoy what I have heard from the Shadow Lanes project, how did that come about? Is there more to come?
MANIK: Thanks. Yeah me and my best friend hammer got together on music 2 summers ago in out Bushwick, BK studio and we basically had a load of amazing ideas and vibes and kept it going. Sea And Back is something we are really happy about.

MPAD: Your tour has you playing in some of the biggest cities across the US, where does Detroit fit in with these?
MANIK: I love Detroit. It’s the home of techno and deep classic techy house vibes. Golf Clap runs their underground now and I am proud to be homies with Bryan and Hugh.

MPAD: What makes being a musician/DJ worth it for you?
MANIK: What makes it worth it for me is the connection with the fans. I love to go on the road, play some jams, and vibe with my audience. It makes me feel at home. What’s even better is when they come up to you and talk to you about your music and how your original material helped them in some way. It’s crazy, and very surreal.

My podcast affiliates this episode are GoDaddy and Audiobooks.com.

At GoDaddy, the best place to go to for all of your website and url needs, use promo code DJOFF30 for 30% off new product purchases. Or, use promo code DJ12 to get economy hosting for a $1 per month over 12 months. I have even more GoDaddy promo codes at my coupon offers page.

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Watch the enhanced video version with pictures:

For today’s news of the obvious, female pop stars are taking over mainstream music as we know it. From Taylor Swift to Katy Perry to Ariana Grande, a look at the singles charts and a flip of the dial will provide more than enough evidence of this fact. Beyond the charts, there are also several more female performers trying to breakthrough to be heard and join in on the music domination party. One of them is Neon Hitch an artist I saw perform recently that added her unique touches as a female pop artist.

Most people are not familiar with Neon Hitch but the fact is they are and just don’t realize it. She’s the female singer you hear on Gym Class Heroes “Ass Back Home.” Actually, her past is a long list of working with and associating with most of the power players in the pop world today. The names range from Sia to Bruno Mars but a couple years ago Neon Hitch walked away from all that to stake out her own career in music. These days her slogans are “independence” and “freedom,” her new song “Yard Sale” is symbolic to letting go of her past and embracing her independent future.

On stage, with her huge, white wig filled with trinkets and her torn fishnet stockings, Neon Hitch’s presence can be compared to Lady Gaga’s outlandish sense of style. Her band centers around slide trombone and keyboards producing a fun and energetic sound. She’s very playful on stage, dancing across it and interacting with crowd members. All her songs, sound like they could and should be hits, but unlike radio’s over-produced, glossy singles, Neon Hitch’s songs are packed with grit and spunk. She’s an artist that has been around the block and is sneaking back through the alley to re-stake her claim. 

A little over a year ago Peter Hook, the revered bassist from New Order, put together a live band and treated fans to early New Order material. While there may have been some concern on how he could pull this off without key members from New Order, Hook and his band surpassed expectations with their own raw and rousing renditions that left the crowd exhilarated. When it was announced Peter Hook and the Light were touring again, this time to perform two of New Order’s finest albums, “Low Life” and “Brotherhood,” expectations were re-calibrated and tickets for the show went fast.

In front of a sold out crowd at the Magic Bag, Peter opened the show with some Joy Division, this time selecting some of the older, more obscure songs. Then the band went into the New Order material with a couple unexpected tracks, including “Thieve Like Us,” which was nice to hear since it’s one of my favorites. Moving into “Brotherhood,” actually released after “Low Life,” Peter and his band breathed new life into the tracks and again brought a raw authenticity to them. The obvious difference with a Peter Hook show is the absence of Bernard’s vocals but I think Hook has an adequate vocal and his guitarist very effectively adds his vocal to compensate. With the amazing bass playing from both Peter Hook and his son, Jack, combined with euphoric interplay of the entire band it’s easy to overlook and differences and focus on the brilliance of the performance.

That brilliance was put into full effect when the band move into the “Low Life” album and did an absolutely stunning version of “The Perfect Kiss.” I always thought about these New Order songs as complicated studio productions but Hook and his band manage to re-work them into effective live tracks with dazzling instrument breaks and go-for-it-all endings. For “Elegia” the instrumental track, Peter took a seat and his bass became the centerpiece of the song which washed over the audience with intensity and beauty. The set ended with lively versions of “Subculture” and Face Up.” The encore included the up to this point conspicuously absent, “True Faith,” everybody’s favorite New Order song, “Temptation,” and no New Order set would be complete without “Blue Monday” as the closer. By the end of the show, Peter Hook and the Light had played for over 2 ½ hours with the crowd enjoying every minute of it.

I’m experiencing “Con-itus” today having spent the past weekend at Youmacon. Youmacon was a unique experience for me as I have not been to many “anime” themed conventions, I usually stick closer to comic book conventions. One of the first things I noticed about Youmacon is how the experience is much more about being there to hang out than it is for the actual activities. Of course the activities are well attended but I saw much more interaction among the attendees in the hallways and gathering areas than I see at other cons.

Cosplay, in the multitudes was also a big difference. Sure there are people wearing costumes at comic conventions but at Youmacon, cosplaying is the norm. If you are not in a costume you are one of the few. The costumes are mostly anime characters and there’s such a wide variety of anime I couldn’t even tell you who most people came as. There were also superhero, steam punk and mash-up costumes that combined all genres. As a photographer, this is a great event for photos. Everyone is more than happy to have their picture taken and most have signature poses to go along with their character.

Youmacon had many guests at the show with most being voice actors in anime. I find this a little perplexing because most anime fans, myself included, will tell you that subtitled is the best way to watch anime. Other guests were comic book artists and even music artists, like Steam Powered Giraffe who have managed to make a career out of their own brand of steam punk humor and pop music.

The con was held at 2 locations, Renaissance Center and Cobo Hall. I am sure some may have seen this as too ambitious. But, Youmacon had no problem at all packing fans in both locations and traveling between them. It was interesting to see the cosplayers mixing in with local sport fans on Detroit’s People Mover. Sure there were some strange looks from some passengers but most were intrigued and friendly. As a fan of cons, the Youmacon experience ranks as one of the best and will be a priority of mine to make it back out next year. You can see even more pics at my MPAD Media facebook page.

On this short MPAD episode I’m staying with the October theme of scary stuff and asking the question “Have you ever been in a really scary situation.” Lauren, the drummer from the Punk Rock Band, Hunter Valentine, tells me her scary Detroit story and comic book writer Dirk Manning recounts his ghastly DragonCon story.

I didn’t share mine on the episode so I thought I would share it here with you. I have actually have had more than a couple scary incidents but this one is still pretty vivid in my memory. Back in the early 90’s real underground raves were being held at abandon places in Detroit. There would be flyers with phone numbers to call where a location would be given. It was always in a sketchy neighborhood and things didn’t get going until well after 1am. I didn’t go to many but at the insistence of a friend, I did decide to go out to one with him on a cloudy, dark night in September. We drove around lost for an hour and didn’t find the rave until well after midnight. There was a crowd of people outside the building and some shouting. We headed toward them only to find out the rave was a “no go” for the night but the bystanders were pissed because they had nothing else to do and had come out all this way for nothing. As we left the crowd we saw one of the bystanders pull a gun from his belt and start to fire it in the air exclaiming he was really angry about what was going on. We were probably 20 feet away from him, but it was the closest I’ve been to a gun going off in a crowd on a dark street on the bad side of town. We did our best to move quickly without looking like we were scared, located our car and took off quickly not really paying attention to what direction we were leaving but to just get the hell away from there. I look back at the situation now and think I was probably never in any danger as the gun was fired in the air, however, I can still remember the real fear that ran through me.  

The track on this episode is “Vampires” by S., you can find it here.

GoDaddy where you can save 30% off any hosting package by using my coupon code DJOFF30. Visit my GoDaddy webpage for more savings.  

Here’s a re-cap of last week’s Great Lakes Comic Con and a rundown of upcoming cons over the next few weeks:

Great Lakes Comic Con was held last Friday and Saturday at Macomb Community College in Warren. GLCC is one of the smaller shows I attend but there are a lot of advantages to a smaller show that for me make them just as worthwhile as a large show. The aisles are a breeze to walk through and I can easily leaf through the sale bins without getting bumped from either side. It’s also easier to talk to the artists and this year GLCC brought in a legend with Jim Streranko. Jim Steranko is the Harlan Ellison of comic book artists. His layouts and artwork changed the face of comics, but his actual output into the comics world is actually quite small. He’s a storyteller and will fascinate his autograph line the entire day as he recounts the stories behind his art and all the people he’s encountered over the years. The only bad thing I can say about him is he doesn’t like his picture taken. So, I’ll do you one better, here’s a picture of the lovely and always hardworking Jordan Trovillion, host for Comics Continuum and actor in several movies, her latest film is A Matter of Faith.

You can see more of my pics from Great Lakes Comic Con over at the Metro Times and my Flickr page.

Next Saturday, Oct. 25 is the Flint Horror Convention which is in its 4th year. While only one day, Flint Horror Con is packing in a full day starting at noon and running until 9pm. Guests include Daniel Roebuck of The Devil’s Rejects, Chuck Williams and several more. There are costume contests, panels, movie screenings and more. 

From Oct 30th to Nov. 2nd it’s time for Youmacon! One of the largest Anime conventions in the US, Youmacon is celebrating its 10th year and this is promising to be their biggest show yet. Festivities will take place 24-hours-a-day beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday evening through 6 p.m. on Sunday at Cobo Center and the Renaissance Center. Highlights of the event, include: video game and table top gaming rooms, a Live Action Mario and Donkey Kong Parties,  a Charity Masquerade Ball and a massive 100,000+ sq. foot dealer’s room for shopping anime and other collectibles. More than 30 anime industry celebrities and special guests are expected, including actors, producers, musicians, artists and more.  

Closing out my local con tour on Nov. 8th is Fantasticon. Another one day only event held at Gibraltar Trade Center, Fantasticon is more than a comic convention, they call their show a pop culture convention with all kinds of art and entertainment. Special guests include Wolfman Mac, KISS Tribute band War Machine and more.  

Over the next few weeks I will be posting pics and words about the conventions here, my MPAD Media Facebook page and the websites I do work for like the Metro Times and Motorcityblog. So if you want to see some cosplay pictures and experience some con goodness keep checking in with me or come on out to the con’s and experience them in person.

Let’s start with the written work first. With my Kindle I have discovered there’s a lot great e-book anthologies and magazines out there you can get for far cheaper than the printed price. Horror Factory is a magazine style e-publication you can get on the kindle for as low as .99 cents an issue. While the price is low and you may not recognize many of the author’s names, the editor’s at Horror Factory know how pick out quality horror. If you want something a little more bizarre, try Midnight Echo, from Australia, each issue is usually themed and they can be on the edgier side.

I can’t do an article on forms of media without mentioning my favorite media source, podcasts. The NoSleep Podcast has continued to improve upon their format of retelling stories from the Creepy Pasta Reddit forums. They have added more narrators for their stories and the music behind the stories is always incredible. I usually download their free podcasts when I get the chance, but if you really like what they are doing they have a pay subscription that will get you more content and sooner.

I have talked about Black Box TV on YouTube before but I haven’t mentioned them in a while and they are still putting together great scary shorts. Most of the episodes run 4 to 6 minutes, which is just enought time to introduce you to a couple characters and throw you into a hellishly good situation. Here's one of their latest films:

To find even more scares, click on over to the Spoiler Free Movie Sleuth blog this month where they are featuring a horror movie review each and every day this month. 

October goes by too fast and before you know it you are left scrambling for a costume for Halloween. Sure, there’s the alternative you’ve done in the past of cutting holes in a white sheet but you are not going to get any props for that again. The best and easiest way to get a costume for Halloween is to check out BuyCostumes.com and the thousands of costumes they have in stock. While they have great prices on their costumes already, you can save an extra 20% at BuyCostumes.com by using the coupon code AfcDJ. There is no minimum on your discount so whether you are spending $20 or $200 you are still saving 20%.

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year for Most People Are DJs, I get to watch scary movies and tell you about them and play music with spooky themes. The other activity I do at Halloween is take photos of people in their Halloween costumes you can see several of them at my MPAD Media Facebook page. I’m proud to have BuyCostumes.com as a new paid affiliate to help my listeners and blog readers save money on costumes. Be sure to use the discount code AfcDJ and share it with your friends and family so they can save too.

BuyCostumes.com has been around since 1999 and has grown to be the #1 Halloween costume and accessory retailer in the country. They have over 15,000 costumes to choose from and have always been committed to having the widest selection of costumes and Halloween products that you will come across. BuyCostumes.com isn’t just for Halloween either, they are have costumes all year-round.

Watch my video for more info on how to save:

We make the trip to EDC through the eyes and thoughts of a few different groups of people that are traveling from different parts of the US to the festival. I liked all the different perspectives the move gives us because they show people we can relate to, but did include some of the more typical attendees. There’s the douchey guys from Boston that really are a lot like the “bro’s” I see at the shows wearing tank tops, drinking, partying and carrying like there’s no tomorrow. There’s also an even crazier bunch of friends that have a free loving lifestyle that a lot of people might not even understand. The filmmakers offset these groups with 2 couples that live fairly normal lives and a handicapped attendee that shows the generosity of the crowd as he’s consistently helped around the show. It’s an honest and interesting approach that makes this a good film to see whether you are interested in the EDM scene or not.

However, it’s the visuals and sounds that really make this documentary stand out. The size of the crowd is breathtaking, along with all the lights and fireworks. The film gives you a sense of the amount of work and energy that goes into putting a festival of this size together. At one point there’s a request for more lighting and the reply is something “we can’t get more, there are no LED lights left. We’re bought them all.” And it looks like the truth as everything is brightly lit and glowing. The DJs also provide some good commentary about the festival but are all eager to point out EDC is not about them, it’s about the people attending. Under the Electric Sky – EDC 2013, provided such a fascinating and positive view of the event I have added to my bucket list of things to do in the next 5 years while I still have the energy!

For this episode of Most People Are DJs I am reviewing 2 recent movies, Kevin Smith's Tusk and Ti West's The Sacrament. These thrillers would make a great double feature as they are both first person accounts of terror and use new media to drive part of the storyline. Looking up both movies up on IMDB, Tusk actually has a higher score than The Sacrament, but as i state in the reviews, The Sacrament is the better movie. The music I play this episode is by female fronted bands, Electric Youth and Ashrae Fax. You can find both songs on the latest sampler from Under the Radar, a great new music magazine. 

Upcoming Cons I will be taking pics at:

Great Lakes Comic Con Oct 17 & 18
Flint Horror Con Oct 25
Youmacon Oct 30 - Nov 2
Fantasticon Nov 8  

My podcast affiliates for this episode are 4inkjets and Audiobooks.com

At 4inkjets you can get printer ink and other printer accessories at great prices. You can save 10% and get free shipping for orders over $50 when you use my coupon code MUSIC14.

You can get 2 free audiobooks and 1 free month at Audiobooks.com when you use my coupon code TECH2. Audiobooks.com has a huge selection of audiobooks to choose from and you can quit at any time.

The easiest way to keep up with all my MPAD activities is to like my MPAD Media facebook page.

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If you are unfamiliar with Youmacon, it is similar in theme to most major Comic Cons. Youmacon (named for the Japanese word youma, meaning demon or ghost) is an all-ages mix of interactive games and events, celebrity guest panels, live musical performances, exhibitors, artists and more. I did an early episode of MPAD from Youmacon and still remember it as one of my favorite cons.

This year Youmacon is celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary and is promising a show that will knock your cosplay socks off! Festivities will take place 24-hours-a-day beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday evening through 6 p.m. on Sunday at Cobo Center and the Renaissance Center. Highlights of the event, include: video game and table top gaming rooms, a Live Action Mario and Donkey Kong Parties,  a Charity Masquerade Ball and a massive 100,000+ sq. foot dealer’s room for shopping anime and other collectibles. As part of this year’s special 10th anniversary, more than 30 anime industry celebrities and special guests are expected, including actors, producers, musicians, artists and more. 

Youmacon is not only Michigan’s largest Anime Convention, it’s known internationally as one of the best. Last year, Youmacon drew more than 14,000 attendees only about 20 percent of those were from Michigan,  which is a great statistic, but let’s show some local pride and get on down there. I'll be there taking cosplayer pics and maybe even a couple interviews for MPAD.

Registration will only be available at-the-door.  Pricing options include a three-day pass ($60) or Friday only ($30), Saturday only ($40) or Sunday only ($20) passes.  Thursday evening’s activities are free and open to the public.  Attendees should note that tickets sales are cash only.

What I discovered on the show is that Steve Aoki is actually the son of the founder of Benihana Restaurants. While this may seem like a privileged life, Aoki claims he never got any financial help from his father. Forging his own way gave Aoki his work ethic and appreciation for his accomplishments. 

Larry tries to lead Aoki down some dark paths about drug use in the EDM scene but Aoki answers back that drugs are a part of most music scenes. Aoki adds “Oh yeah, if everyone’s doing it, then it should be fine, but they don’t realize that people do die, people do overdose, people—I mean, it’s more dangerous than what people think.”

You can watch the entire below and you will want to stick around for the end as Larry rapid fires questions to Aoki about his favorite song, place to live, superpower, etc. It’s a fascinating conversation that is enough to keep me coming back to Larry and Steve.

On this episode I mention that the TV show Gotham is starting this week. I was able to watch the pilot last night and found it both entertaining and engaging. There’s even more Batman characters and references than I expected. From the pilot it looks compelling enough to keep me watching week to week, rather than marathoning it every few weeks.

The features on this episode are 2 bands I’ve been enjoying lately, The Superhumanoids and GroupLove. The bands go well together because there are many similarities they share. They are both from LA, have male and female singers and have a bit of hip hop seeping in their sound. I blogged about the Superhumanoids last week. The track I play from the Superhumanoids is “Feel Good Hit of Summer” which is a Queens of the Stone Age cover.

I saw GroupLove earlier this summer at 89X’s Chill on the Hill, I was blown away with the energy and charisma of GroupLove. I expected them to be good as I like most of their songs, but they were really spectacular. They have a great presence, mostly due to the female singer, Hannah Hooper, who dances around the stage while whipping her hair. Their latest album is “Spreading Rumors” and shows a good progression, further defining their sound. Their Captain Cutz remix to “Colours” is the featured track.

You can download the 2 tracks from this episode on Soundcloud and both artists have their music available on Spotify.

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They come from Los Angeles but don’t really come across as a West Coast band. There’s a chill in their music and some distance between their words and what they are trying to communicate. On the flip side there’s also some whimsy in their sound with short tracks that bounce along and are over in less than 3 minutes.

The Superhumanoids are also feature both male and female vocals which adds versatility to the mix. The male vocal is on the flat side but their female vocalist, Sarah  shines with a soft voice that occasionally bursts with emotion. They do unique covers of songs from Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age. Their latest album “Expressionists” is their first full length, after a string of eps. Currently on tour with Erasure, their new song “Flipping Out” is track that is a good example of their hauntingly mellow approach to a jarringly good song.

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I saw Run the Jewels at last year's Laneway Festival as the lone hip hop act. They drank and joked through most of their set but somewhere inbetween there was some brilliant hip hop.

In keeping with their tradition of not following tradition, Run The Jewels are sharing a stream of their contribution to Adult Swim Singles concurrent with it being available for download. "Oh My Darling Don't Cry" picks up right where first RTJ2 single "Blockbuster Night Pt. 1" left off -- with El-P and Killer Mike, two of the best rappers currently doing it, ferociously proving they can out-rap anyone else in their field. Additionally, the track features a guest robot voice from Michael Winslow of Police Academy fame. Honestly, the beats and samples are the most awesome part of the track but the rapping certainly does not slouch any. Check out the track streaming via Soundcloud and available for free download now at adultswim.com/singles. I'll be playing a track from RTJ2 on an upcoming MPAD episode.

The duo's hotly anticipated sophomore album RTJ2 is set to arrive as a free download (via www.runthejewels.net), as well as CD, LP, and digital via Mass Appeal Records on October 27, and has been revealed to include guest spots from Zack de la Rocha, Travis Barker, BOOTS, and Diane Coffee. The album will be accompanied by extensive world touring; tickets for many of the shows on sale now. Check their website out for more details on their tour. They will be playing Detroit on Nov. 25 at St. Andrews Hall.

One of the best times I had last year was the first Forever Festival at Freedom Hill. It was the first time I saw a set chart topping DJ Clavin Harris. The festival was sprawled out over 2 stages and there were rope climbers and GoGo dancers galore. It was the perfect end to a great summer.

To be totally honest this summer has not been as good as last year. There has been more rain and fewer good shows to attend. So I'm hoping to at least end this summer with great memories of this year's new and expanded Forever Festival! Taking place over 2 days, this year's Forever Festival will feature headliners like Krewella and Adventure Club along side other trailblazers like Nervo, Flux Pavilion and Caked Up. I've seen 6 of the main stage acts headline their own brilliant shows so I have already had a small taste of the good times that are coming.On the 2nd stage are even more local acts than last year and a couple of them, Drew32 and K@Dog are friends I've seen perform over the past few years.

One more of the interest thing about this festival is Day 2 is actually a festival within a festival. To explain, in other cities Day 2 of Forever Festival is being dubbed as the Safe in Sound Festival. The Safe In Sound tour stops are boasting a blend of massive bass-heavy featuring some of the biggest names to emerge from the bass scene.

There are also sure to be more side stage sights and colorfully dressed folks to share the experience with. Let's forget this bummer of a summer and get set for a summer's worth of memories packed into 2 days.

Some people spent their labor day with family, others spent it doing yardwork. I spent a lot of mine watching the new Amazon Prime Pilots. On this episode I review all 5 of the new pilots. I'll let you know which ones I liked best and which ones I liked least. I do think you should give them a shot for yourself, as each one has good production and compelling elements. Overall, this is a much better attempt by Amazon compared to last year's pilots. I referred to two posts for info on the shows that you should check out as well, one from IGN and the other from Entertainment Weekly. 

The track featured on this episode is "Colours" from the band Wild Cub. Wild Cub is from Nashville and are one of the best new indie pop bands I have come accross. I saw them play recently at a festival and even with an early timeslot they attracted quite a lote of enthusiasm from the crowd. The photo for the episode is a pic I took of the lead singer, Keegan Dewitt. You can download this track from the latest CMJ compilation.

My podcast affiliate for this episode is Audiobooks.com, where you can get 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a membership and use my special promo code Tech2. With limited time to actually read a book, I've been getting back into audiobooks and really enjoying them. Using the Audiobooks.com app on my cellphone to listen to the audiobooks in my car and on walks has made keeping my place in the audiobook hasslefree. 

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Is it me, or, do we seem to have fewer hours in a day these last few months? I could swear that’s the case because I seem to get less and less accomplished as time progresses. However, I was able to squeeze in this podcast episode just to let you know that I still speak into a mic and record it to share with the world. On this episode I play a couple of synthy tracks, a danceable one from Teeel, “Disk Go” from his recently released album “Hydrostatic”. The other song is by Kwamie Liv on a free ep she released a couple weeks ago. Her track “5am” is less dance and more moody as her voice recalls a cabaret singer from the 50’s.

On another part of the show is a conversation I had with Nik Havert talking about his time at Flashback Weekend. Nik Havert is a comic writer, scary movie host, music critic and a whole lot more, you can check all of his ongoing activities at Pickle Press. Nik had a booth at Flashback Weekend for his just released Candi 2089 comic featuring Samantha the Muscle Goddess. We talk about the festival and his Victor Von Psychotron alias that he uses in YouTube clips and Cable TV hosting classic sci-fi and horror movies. This is just a small part of a conversation that we’ll be hearing more from in future episodes.

As far as things that I am working on you can see my set of photos from the Mad Decent Block Party Detroit show on the MetroTimes slideshows page and more of my pics are featured at my MPAD Media facebook page.

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Ready for some tracks that are primed with deep beats and silky smooth vocals? Well look no further than Kwamie Liv who recently dropped her debut EP Lost in the Girl today for free download. She's travelled the world over and this first ep is already bursting with maturity and originality.

While Kwamie's down-tempo and intimate trip-hop/R&B early offerings "Follow You" and 5AM" set her out as one to watch Lost in the Girl further proves her flair for experimentation and determination to exceed expectations. 

However, from David Byrne to Pink Floyd, I have seen much of the artists negative response to Spotify and other streaming services.  Their complaint is they make very little from these services and it would take a monumental amount of effort to get the millions of listens they need to make a decent size paycheck . I guess I look at it a little differently. I’ve reviewed music on and off for the past 20 years, so I have never paid for much of my music. With Spotify the artists get some funding from me which they never got in the past. However, that is my special circumstance. It’s different for the regular Joe that is used to paying for music. They are used to buying music in one format or another as property they keep on a physical CD or digital file. 

Product by stream changes things, it makes physical space less cluttered but makes real life more complicated for the creators of entertainment. Which leaves me in a quandary because I have been trying to shift to a clutter free life. Over 25-years I’ve accumulated loads of CDs, cassettes and vinyl. I no longer have a record player and while I can admire vinyl making a comeback, I’m not about to go back to it. My car does not even have a CD player so I’m listening to those less and less and cassettes haven’t entered any conversation of mine for a couple decades. I want to stream with a good conscious. I want to sleep in my king size bed at night and rest easy knowing the artists in my headphones aren't sleeping in the streets. My compromise is to stream away and buy artist merchandise when I see them perform live. They usually get a bigger cut from their merchandise and for the smaller artists a lot of the time my cash is going straight from my pocket into theirs. 

While this takes care of my dilemma, what about the bigger picture? How does having streaming services like Spotify and Google Play impact the way you buy and think about music? 

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They started out as Lost Boys playing raw, punky music but with an occasional stroke of tender beauty. Soon they found themselves and refined who they are. They are the Prude Boys and they are coming to your town with a soaring guittar, a throbbing bass and a snappy snare. 

MPAD:Who is in the band?

Sadie Sam, the drummer

Quennton Thornbury, guitar & vocals

Caroline Myrick, bass & vocals

 MPAD: When did you form and why?

PB: We formed in the Spring of 2013 (as the Lost Boys), playing music in our buddy's attic to deal with being broke and bored. After playing and realizing we could all write songs together, and were addicted to playing, we got a name and a Facebook.

MPAD: Describe your sound in ten words or less and what band would not offend you to be compared to?
PB: We are: garage-punk-pop-surfy-noisy-rock n' roll kids. We've been compared to The Pixies and we thought that was right nice.

MPAD: What’s your latest release and how can people get it?
MB: Our latest release is a one-take live demo we recorded in our practice garage. It's named "Lost Boys Demo 2014" and is available at lostboysmichigan.bandcamp.com. Our first EP is also there. It's more polished.

MPAD: Favorite local venue and why?
PB: We adore Woodruff's of Ypsilanti. We've played there 6 million times because we love the people who work there, the people who come there, and the cheap drinks. It's like a second home, next to our garage.

MPAD: What’s one another local band you think people should see?
PB: One? We could hardly pick one, so how about two. del Brutto & Double Weirdo. They are raucous, rowdy, crazy dudes and their shows are not to be missed. They're also our best friends.

MPAD: What do you like most and least about Detroit?
PB: Most of all, we love the music here. The scene is diverse and weird and people are pretty damn nice, which is refreshing. We do not so much like the unpredictable and incomplete public transportation system. Bikes work though.

MPAD: Where’s the best place on the internet for people to go hear more from you?
PB: Prudeboys.tumblr.com is the place to go. It has all of our links, plugs, gadgets, trinkets, knick knacks and more. We also have a few videos up on youtube if you search hard enough, like our first music video for "Care Package".

MPAD: What makes being in a band worth it for you?
PB: The money, cars, clothes, and women. But actually, it's because we love playing shows. There's such an exciting energy that comes from playing live. It's exhilarating. It's incredible playing for a crowd. Also, we love the chance shows give us to hear what other bands are doing. We're planning a short tour down south and it'll basically be a vacation where we get to have a good time playing shows with different bands every night. We couldn't think of anything better.

MPAD: You will know the band is successful when…..
PB: When we're not eating Jet's pizza every day. But we'd probably do that anyway.

MPAD: Most embarrassing moment so far….
PB: We genuinely have no shame, but there have been a few shows where maybe we played a little too late in the night, if you catch my drift, and we weren't exactly "on point" or "coherent". I'm sure people have been embarrassed for us.

In their press release it says for the album the were musically inspired by the more experimental pockets of Prince's back catalogue, club culture and the vintage Janet Jackson slow jams Yukimi used to listen to wandering around Gothenburg during the unrelenting winter, Nabuma Rubberband has a different feel to previous Little Dragon albums. "When you put some of Janet's really slow stuff on you feel like you're floating," Yukimi explains. "That feeling really influenced me and maybe that's why there are quite a lot of slow jams on the record. In the past we've been a bit self-conscious about making slow jams after 'Twice'. Then we wanted to make dance music which we did with Machine Dreams and then Ritual Union still had a dance vibe, but with this album it wasn't about that. The intention was about whatever we felt strongly about."

On the episode I preview C2E2, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, a convention that brings the best of pop culture to downtown Chicago. A convention that is packed with so many cool things and people this will make the 3rd year I will travel from Detroit to experience the show.

On the the podcast I'll cover the panels and others things I am checking out at the show. You can read my full blog post preview for C2E2 over at The Movie Slueth, a great movie review site I am conributing to. Also on this episode I am playing music from Tunde Olaniran, an electro hip hop artist that I've played before and interviewed. The song "The Internet" features James Linck and is one of the highlights of Tunde's amazing live show. 

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Roman Romains played in my hometown opening for Gary Numan with an electric set that started the night off just right. The band is comprised of 2 members from The Duke Spirit, Liela Moss and Toby Butler. They recently released their first album Zeal with music that is a combination of dance with industrial and goth touches. The centerpiece being Liela’s vocals that could be compared to Bjork coupled with the menace of the Knife. Their set was a rousing experience with Leila dancing around at times striking boxer poses, looking fierce and beautiful in the same moment. Before the show Liela filled me in on the forming of Roman Remains and how the tour has been going thus far.

MPAD: Were either of you involved in synth-oriented projects before Duke Spirit?
Liela: Toby remixed some songs for friends and labels we are buddies with - you can find them if you look up Bad For Lazarus from Brighton, UK. He also did stuff for a fave UK label Heavenly so the last Mark Lanegan project called Black Pudding! Then the Gary Numan mix, which led to the tour...

MPAD:I hear a lot of post punk/industrial elements with Roman Remains, tell me about some bands you love that may have some impact on Roman Romains sound?
Liela: SUNNS, NIN, The Knife, Major Lazer, Bjork, Depeche Mode, FuckButtons, Caribou

MPAD: When you were first developing Roman Romains songs did you think you would tour with it?
Liela: We had zero expectations! We weren't sure how it would work logistically! Toby spent a long time thinking out how to make it viable and actually keep lots of live elements truly live and organic despite the programmed foundation to it.

MPAD: What do you like most about touring in America compared to other countries?
Liela: Big Horizons, crossing Desert then mountains then woodland - basically the geography keeps changing and startling us with its beauty...the food can be pretty delicious too, when you drive off the beaten track...

MPAD What’s been surprising for you so far on the Gary Numan tour?
Liela:How hilarious and humble he and his band are. How articulate he is when discussing music. Very interesting and inspiring - he works so hard he literally doesn't stop. He's very generous with his energy to fans.

MPAD: With social media and an ongoing internet presence, do you think fashion is becoming a more important aspect to the visual representation of music?
Liela:I'm not sure. It's always had an importance for people that connect costume and style with performance.

MPAD: Do you spend a lot of time on the internet while on tour?
Liela: Not as much as my band mates! I am addicted to looking at property on an app as I go in and out of cities. Last week I wanted to move to Austin. Now maybe Nashville or New Hampshire where I had a good breakfast in an idyllic little town. If people but the album maybe I can live in all of them, haha!

MPAD:There’s a lot of nice balance with the elements of Roman Romains – it’s all noisy, sensual, fun and dark. Was there a lot of intentional thought about the balance of sound or was it more organic?
Liela:There was lots of attention to detail and to keeping things evocative all the way through.

MPAD: I love your song titles, but my focus leans towards the musical and vocal textures of your songs, so much so, I really have no idea what you songs are about! Can you explain a couple for me like “Tachycardia” and “Thirsty As A Truck”?
Liela: “Tachycardia” is really a mantra for myself to remind me to move through life spontaneously in the spirit of non-attachment or concern with who stands beside you in life.  “Thirsty as a Truck” is a collage of lyrics about trying to satisfy desires by misusing alcohol or misusing people's generosity. It's some observations on craving, greed and how isolating that can be...

MPAD: Does this time away from Duke Spirit re-invigorate you for what lies ahead for Duke Spirit?
Liela: Yes definitely! I have Duke spirit ideas on these journeys.

MPAD: Do you think any of Roman Romains sound will creep its way into future Duke Spirit?
Liela: No idea!

More pics can be see at the Most People Are DJs Flickr pageInterview and pics from the show by Mikel O.D.

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MPAD:Have you had other members in the band?
Maya: We started as a 4 piece, but it didn’t really work out. We split off and started playing as a 2 piece and never added anyone since. We’ve had thoughts of hiring a bass player.

Maya: Our hotel was guarded by dudes with machine guns. It was pretty intense. At the airport I’ve never been security checked so many times. I kept thinking about “Brokedown Palace” which is why I’ll never go to Thailand.

MPAD: Becky, how long have you been playing guitar?

Becky: Yes, it’s just not as common because it’s okay for little boys to grow up to be rock star idols and women don’t really get that. I started playing guitar as a hobby and didn’t really think of it going anywhere. But it’s gone well so far. We’re making a living at it, which is more than anyone could really ask for.

(this article also appeared on motorcityblog.com)

On this episode I play music from 2 DJs and talk some TV. Heavygrinder is a DJ that plays a mix of metal and electro. Her sets are some of the most energetic that I have experienced. The song I feature from her is a recently released remix she did of NIN's "Into the Void." If you want to keep up with Heavygrinder you should like her facebook page. Tokimosta is a DJ that mixes soul, hip hop and even some jazz into her music. She has remixed artists like Hundred Waters and release her last record on Skrillex's record label.

This past year and into 2014 has been a very good year for TV shows. The two shows that I've been most into are HBO's True Detective and Netflix's House of Cards. Both of these shows feature well constructed characters and plots that keep you guessing what is going to happen next. The shows are so good that I want more of an experience than just watching the shows so I am checking out show related podcast. Bald Move does a great job covering House of Cards and for True Detective I am listening to True Detective Truth Squad. Both of these shows can be found on iTunes podcasts.

For even more TV talk I feature a few comic book friends of mine talking about their favorite TV shows. My comic book friends include: Dirk Manning, Jordon Trovillion, Ryan Stegman and Jim Towe.

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For this episode I have developed a way of giving you the excellant things I've come across using as many forms of media as I can get my hands into. First there is the video that you see above which is a quick 5 minute youtbe video using my pictures and graphics about the topics I cover. Then, there's the podcast where I spend a bit more time on each subject giving more details. My first topic is the short film ABE which I found on the short of the week website. Then I move into music with 12th Planet a DJ that continues to expand and redefine dubstep. His latest smogcity mixtape gives you a good tatse of his music along with others on his Smog label. The Mast is a duo from Brooklyn that play etherael pop music. The track I play is "Nuclear Dragon" from the January CMJ mixtape. Lastly, Comixology has their site for indie comic people to submit their comics, which is a great way to publish comics independently. If you have the time try watching the youtube video and listening to the podcast. If you want to keep up with all things I am working on "like" the MPAD Media page on facebook.

My podcast affiliate for this episode is GoDaddy where you can save some money by using these coupon codes:

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I’m in the middle of diving into Macland while one of feet still remains firmly planted in PCville so please bear with me a little as I work my through of getting to a podcast format I’m truly happy with. This episode I am primarily trying to use my Macbook and IMovie, however, most of the material was produced on my HP laptop. Many of the photos you see in this 6 minute episode are pictures I’ve taken with my camera or images that I’ve edited for the show. On this episode I profile the electronic music duo Odesza. Be sure to check their website out where you can download their music for free. Next I cover the film short, The Flying Man, an astonishing little movie that stands on its own but also makes a great first chapter of what could be (and hopefully will be) a longer movie. The short looks great and is absolutely, devastatingly shocking even on the small screen.Featuring a short film will be continue to be a part of MPAD whenever I can fit it in.

My last topic, ISSUU , is a subject I’ve covered before, but I want to make sure people check the ISSUU website and app out because there is so much great content to get at ISSUU. Each MPAD episode I am going to feature a picture I’ve taken and give you the story behind it. This photo was taken at the same show I saw Odesza play and it’s 2 of the more interesting people I saw in the crowd. I like to think of them as “Hipster Heroes.” As always you can email your questions or comments to mostpeopelaredjs@gmail.com.

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Back when I was reviewing magazine reading apps I mentioned how much I liked Issuu and wished it had an app. Well it looks like sometimes wishes do come true because Issuu just released their app for Andriod available at Google Play. Like the Issuu website the app houses thousands of digital magazines in an easy to use, appealing interface. I've used it on my Nook and I really like what I am seeing. You can read more aout the app here.

My first article for Real Detroit Weekly was printed on paper and online this week. I profiled hip hop artist Charlie Beans who is hosting an album release show for his new album How Dare You. The album is available for free download at bandcamp, you should check it out. 

One of my favorite new bands, I Break Horses, from Sweden announced their first headlining tour of North America. With a stellar, synth pop sound and captivating vocals, their track "Faith" has quickly become an avid listen for me. 

I BREAK HORSES tour dates:

04/14 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
04/15 Washington DC DC9 04/17 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
04/18 Brooklyn, NY Rough Trade
04/19 Allston, MA Great Scott
04/21 Montreal, QC Il Motore
04/22 Toronto, ON Underground at the Drake
04/24 Pontiac, MI Crofoot Ballroom - Pike Room
04/25 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
04/26 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
04/29 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
04/30 Portland, OR Holocene
05/02 San Francisco, CA The Independent
05/03 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater

On this “enhanced” podcast I am going to give you the lowdown on some bands I took in at a show a week ago.

Here’s the Soundcloud soundtrack for the episode which includes songs by Wolf Sega featuring Lemon, Painted Palms, ASTR and more.

The first band I cover is the Front Bottoms who are from New Jersey and play a sort of friendly punk with acoustic guitar and horns. Their songs have witty lyrics about surreal moments in life that we can all relate to, (who hasn’t been stoned and put into the front seat of a car?) They have a very energetic live show that includes stage diving and shouting along with the chorus. The pictures and video of the Front Bottoms was taken from the balcony at the Crofoot. I didn’t used my DSLR for most of the shots as I was leaning over the balcony and was afraid I might drop it.
The next band covered is Gates, also from New Jersey, but different because they play, loud-quiet-loud music. Gates was a great band to watch as they all jumped around as they played and were very emotional. In the pictures you can see a couple of really good action shots I took of the guitarist. The final band profiled is City Lights and I make the distinction between them and City Light which is another band I really like. City Lights is a pop punk band from Ohio that sing inspired, rowdy anthems that make me young and ready to do something important, that is, until the song is over. My last topic is the ICE T Final Level podcast which just had its first episode a couple weeks ago. Ice T talks about whatever is on his mind is his “in your face” way which makes for an amusing listen. Throughout the episode, if you listen real closely you can hear music relating to each of the bands I talk about. I hope you enjoy this episode and all the different parts to it as it takes a lot more time to put together besides the 10 minutes of audio that I recorded. If you have feedback on the episode you can email me at mostpeoplearedjs@gmail.com.

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Click here to Download the Video!

Yes, as you can see I am still podcasting, as Mr. Young once put it, “Rust Never Sleeps.” Podcasting for me at this point is like using treadmill. It’s something I like doing and it’s good for me but it’s also easy for me to find a dozen others things to keep me away from doing it. Despite the distractions I am going to podcast more often this year, starting with this episodes recap of 2013 and look ahead to 2014. I’ve got 3 great songs smashed in the episode, 2 electronic songs and one hip hop cover of a Lykki Li track. If you have any feedback for me you can email me at mostpeoplearedjs@gmail.com. . You can keep up with me by liking my MPAD Media page on facebook.

Music:
Cazzette – “Heroes” from Spark Sountrack
Eddie Logix – Left of Center w/Charlie Beans and S. Kaiser
Germany, Germany – Run w/Brother Tiger

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You can download this episode by saving this link.

It was last Spring at the Why? show when two girls told me the band I need to check out is Front Bottoms who write "the best songs ever." I chalk it up to naive youthful enthusiasm and tuck Front Bottoms to the back of my mind to look into someday. Time passes, I think I may have read a little on FB, enough to make ill-formed comparisons to Black Keys, a band I don't like. Months go by and a good friend of mine slips Front Bottoms name in an email so I decide to do them real justice. Listening to their latest "Talon of the Hawk." with songs that are immediately relatable and encouragingly easy to sing along with, I discover Front Bottoms are an amazing band that really do write the best songs ever.

This Friday, I get to experience Front Bottoms live as they are part of e Fusion's 6th birthday of bringing great shows to our area. Front Bottoms are playing  the Crofoot with a slew of other great bands. City Lights with their indie electronic pop will be there along with pop punk star, Kevin Devine.  Other bands include You Blew it, The Wild, Shapes and Colors and many more. If you want to join in on the fun check out the FB event link and the Crofoot events page for more info.

The calendar can be viewed at Issuu using this link.

You can download a PDF of the Calendar here: 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/87xje2oohvojztg/MPAD%202014%20Calendar.pdf

Here's my top ten songs of 2013 and you can find them on spotify:

Set in the 1950s during the golden age of television, SATELLITE SAM, is steeped in traditional noir and punctuated by sex, violence, and intrigue. When the star of a hit TV series turns up dead, his son must sober up and piece together a chain of dirty secrets to uncover why.

MPAD: How has the tour been going this year?
TD: It’s going very well. There are 3 parts to the show. The first part is the film portion, the middle part is a Q & A with special guests and the last part is made up of songs. It’s quite a well-rounded program and while people don’t know quite to expect from this kind of show it seems to be working rather well.

MPAD: I read that you really like playing the Detroit area, what do you like about it?
TD: I am very fond of Detroit. I like the people and I think it’s a good city. The sadness I have about my lighthouse, there’s a similarity to Detroit. And despite the best efforts, I see the city struggling. I see a sort of kindred spirit there.

MPAD: When I’ve seen you play in the past you told anecdotes about your life, but this time it seems you’re getting more personal with the audience this tour, why and what has the response been?
TD: Well, with the film is more of a collective comment. It’s very impressionistic, with 6 songs drawn from my entire catalog during it. It really kind of explains how I am very strongly influenced by geography, history and the environment of where I live and the atmosphere. I don’t try to explain it documentary style, it’s more poetic. I think I make it loose enough for people to impose their own memories in with it. It’s an exploration of my childhood memories of the lighthouse but with other interesting stories linked in. For example, the lighthouse crops up in the case of a most famous UFO sighting.

MPAD: You’ve always been a tinkerer where does that come from?
TD: Yes, well I have a short attention span. I’m not a scientist I just like flashes of creative exploration like when I play around with devices. I love messing around with new things. I think the fact that I chose film this time around as the medium of this piece is a reflection me toying with technology that has become very accessible. Equipment that used to be very expensive has now come down to street level and that’s a great opportunity for me to plunge in and fool around and see what I can do with it. It’s the same case with music, suddenly you can make a record without a music label and a budget.

MPAD: Is there a downside to getting tools and technology freely into the hands of everybody?
TD: With the arrival of an affordable technology it may not fill in the fundamentals. With Garageband in 10 minutes you can feel like you’re making some sophisticated music. The problem is there are 10,000 other people in the world making that same exact combination of loops and thinking they are making brilliant music as well. So it does unleash a lot of mediocrity, but you have to believe it’s going reveal a diamond in the rough. To find it you have to go underneath it. Kids have an amazing ability to drill down into a world like this and come up with a new way of using it that has never been done. They are making amazing sounds I’ve never heard before.

MPAD: I see 2 sides to you one very social and the other a more desolate person…
TD: Desolate is may be too strong a word but I do like my solitude and my own company. When I am up on stage I’m a bit of an exhibitionist but ‘m actually quite introverted.

MPAD: You have had chart topping hits, successful business ventures, and more. What do you tell young people today about what defines a satisfying life?
TD: Getting yourself into a position where you can pursue your art and your creativity without being at the whim of a label or an individual is the idea of success for me. So many people, in order to pay for the privilege of being an artist sort have to bite the bullet and make compromises that fit somebody else’s definitions. I’ve been working the last 5 -6 years on what I want to without paying heed from others. That to me is success and I wouldn’t trade it off for being one’s errand boy while having a lot of commercial success and making a ton of money. I always set off to emulate my heroes growing up, people like Captain Beefhart, Dan Hicks and Joni Mitchell. These were people that were not at the top of the charts but were still highly acclaimed. I feel I’m at the point in my life where I’m doing exactly the work I want to do while also doing some of the best work of my career.

MPAD: What’s next for you?

TD: I really don’t have a clue yet. I feel I’ve been very self-centered the past years, my album, my tour. I think I’m due for some collaboration, maybe work with some contemporary artists. In the old days I did this with Prefab Sprout and others. I feel it really enriched me as an artist in the 80’s and 90’s.

Thomas Dolby’s show in Detroit reflected both his affection for Detroit and towards his fans. The film portion of the show was very moving with Thomas narrating the film with his partner for the tour Blake Leyh providing music and live sound effects. The second part of the show was an interview with local graphic artist Paul Sizer who is actually a friend of mine. Paul has been doing artwork and graphic design for Thomas over the past couple years, including designing CD art, poster art and art/animation for his interactive computer game. The last part of the show was a few of his songs, which had some technical difficulties with his laptop crashing. However, the bonus was seeing Thomas build the track “Hyperactive” from the bottom up displaying his innovatively funky prowess for software and electronics.

Industrial and Electro music pioneer (and my favorite artist of all time) Gary Numan has announced a full tour of North America for 2014, including his first-ever appearance at SXSW, in support of his latest critically acclaimed album, 'Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)'. Numan will be giving the tour a carnival atmosphere by taking out special guests Big Black Delta and Romain Remains, the much anticipated new project from The Duke Spirit's Liela Moss and Toby Butler, for his month long tour around the US and Canada in what promises to be an alternative Electro lovers dream bill.

The good news is Gary will be in my area at the Crofoot on Friday, March 28. Other key stops include the historic Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, New York's Webster Hall, the Metro in Chicago and the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco, a venue which Numan has sold out on two previous occasions and will be a fitting venue to end what promises to be one of the must-see tours of 2014. T

Numan's latest full-length album Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind) was released on his own label, Machine Music, in October 2013 and marked the artist's return to the Billboard 200 for the first time in over 31 years. Numan co-produced his 20th studio album with long-time collaborator and producer Ade Fenton and also features sublime guitar work from Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck. The album was recorded in England and completed at Numan's home studio in Los Angeles, California, following his permanent move to the US at the end of 2012. Mojo called the album "Numan's finest hour."

Upcoming North America Tour Dates:
North America Tour

5 March 2014
Belly Up, Solana Beach, CA

6 March 2014
Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

7 March 2014
Hard Rock Cafe, Las Vegas, NV

8 March 2014
Marquee, Phoenix, AZ

11 March 2014
Granada Theater, Dallas, TX

12-14 March 2014
SXSW, Austin TX

17 March 2014
Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN

19 March 2014
Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH

20 March 2014
Altar Bar, Pittsburgh, PA

22 March 2014
Webster Hall, New York, NY

23 March 2014
Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA

24 March 2014
Paradise, Boston, MA

25 March 2014
Corona, Montreal, QC, Canada

27 March 2014
Phoenix Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada

28 March 2014
Crofoot Ballroom, Detroit, MI

29 March 2014
Metro, Chicago, IL

30 March 2014
Mill City Nights, Minneapolis, MN

1 April 2014
Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI

2 April 2014
Firebird, St Louis, MO

4 April 2014
Gothic, Denver, CO

6 April 2014
The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA


Check garynuman.com for a full list of tour dates and additional details

I avoided reading his latest novel “Imperial Bedrooms” for a while because I had convinced myself Ellis wasn’t the author he was 10-15 years ago. I think I tried his earlier novel Lunar Park and something about it wasn’t clicking for me. Imperial Bedrooms has both things working for it and working against. The book centers around his characters from Less than Zero, his first novel and my first foray into Ellis’s vapid world. However, Imperial Bedrooms catches up 25 years later with Clay, Julian and Blair reminding me how much time has passed for me as well. The title doesn’t draw me in because I know Imperial Bedrooms is taken from an Elvis Costello record, an artist I never cared for. But as Clay draws closer to paranoia and madness, Julian goes AWOL and Blair is still the center of attention, I flew through the book, ending it all too quickly thinking more Ellis please!

My request for more Bret Easton Ellis was granted but in a way I wouldn’t have expected. He has a podcast! The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast is a weekly conversation show that started in November and since then he’s put out four very good episodes. The first two are a conversation with Kayne West and the next two episodes feature Marilyn Manson. In addition to his conversation, he answers questions posed on twitter. It’s a fascinating show with Bret being very forthcoming with his opinions on films, music and himself. You can find the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast at Podcast One.

Soul Glimpse - In the Dawn of Day from Soul Glimpse on Vimeo.

Soul Glimpse is an experimental/atmospheric moniker of Austyn Sullivan hailing from Louisiana. Soul Glimpse creates dense textures and atmospheres to further the understanding of oneself and the melodies that lie within. It's a musical process of understanding ones true feelings and emotions. Soul Glimpse outlines and embraces the battle of justifying ones existence, the quest for truth & self, heartbreak, joy and that 'we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we're the imagination of ourselves. Hear more from Soul Glimps at his bandcamp page.

Save 15% on your next purchase of $75 or more when you shop online at ChampsSports.com with this Champs Sports link. It’s easy to use my Champs Sports coupon. You don’t have to write down or copy a code. Simply click on the link, and you’ll be directed to ChampsSports.com for shopping. When you’re ready to check out, the discount code will already be placed in your cart. Once you enter your zip code and click “calculate” your 15% discount will automatically be applied.

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Adrian also sent a personal message with the mix:

Some Highlights from my show at Story Miami!! Previewed my next single "Sooner or Later" featuring Kaelyn Behr and a new song with the amazing Lune. Had an amazing time at Story, unbelievable vibe! Love / Adrian

The 27-year-old Swedish artist Adrian Lux is currently on the road supporting his upcoming 2014 sophomore LP release on Ultra Music. The Wild Child Tour kicked off in Miami last month with dates in major cities across the U.S. including Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more through the end of December. The young producer just moved from his hometown of Stockholm, Sweden to the palm tree-lined streets of L.A., and he's excited to take the U.S. by storm in 2014. We should expect no less from Adrian Lux - leave it to Swedish artists to make the smoothest jams out there.

His videos are pretty spectacular too.

Best known for his annual "United State of Pop" (USOP), a mashup of the year's top 25 tracks, DJ Earworm has partnered with Legitmix to release the 2013 version. A wildly popular mashup that's seen an annual release seven years in the running attracting some 120 million YouTube views and charting on national radio, United State of Pop has sewn itself into American Pop Culture. Prior to partnering with Legitmix, DJ Earworm was unable to sell these mashups due to the complex and prohibitively expensive music licensing process. "Then Legitmix comes along and says we have a system where not only can you get paid but we guarantee that everyone involved gets paid,' which is pointing towards the future," Earworm explains.

Using Legitmix, DJ Earworm sells a "Legitmix file" which works like digital instructions fans can use to seamlessly recreate "USOP 2013" using their copy of the tracks DJ Earworm sampled. If fans are missing any of sampled tracks, Legitmix makes it easy to buy them from iTunes - getting the sampled artists credited and paid. Fans can now support DJ Earworm and complete their collection of the year's top songs. USOP 2013 costs $3 plus the price of any sampled tracks that the consumer doesn't already own.

Preview, share and buy "USOP 2013" on Legitmix: http://lgt.mx/+3IO

Browse DJ Earworm's catalog on Legitmix: http://lgt.mx/*1Qg

Here's some information on the book:

The Fifth Beatle is the untold true story of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who discovered and guided The Beatles—from their gigs in a tiny cellar in Liverpool to unprecedented international stardom. Yet more than merely the story of "The Man Who Made The Beatles," The Fifth Beatle is an uplifting, tragic, and ultimately inspirational human story about the struggle to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Brian himself died painfully lonely at the young age of thirty-two, having helped The Beatles prove through "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" that pop music could be an inspirational art form. He was homosexual when it was a felony to be so in the United Kingdom, Jewish at a time of anti-Semitism, and from Liverpool when it was considered just a dingy port town.

I have to admit the first time I listened to Drake's “Nothing Was the Same” I was left a little less than satisfied. I was looking for the next chapter to “Marvins Room” from his stellar previous album “Take Care.” A real opus of an album that would be both dense and epic, instead “Nothing Was the Same” comes across stark, backed with only threadbare beats. Drake openly admits as much on the opener “Tuscan Leather” when he says “this is nothin’ for the radio.” However, Drake pulled a fast one on me because that illusive first listen prompted a second listen, which turned into a third listen, and, well, you get the picture. At this point I can’t leave the album alone. It has this hypnotic effect where you feel you’re the on the other side of the confessional booth and Drake is there spilling his guts. He admits to spending too much money, being a lousy friend and an even worse guy in relationships. He laments that he spends all his time alone on “Furthest Thing” then, on a soulful reprise says it’s all worth it because he’s making something special. Yes, the music is sparse with only the backing beat, a few piano lines or strings and all of it smothered trough a smoky haze of samples and low throbbing bass. Most of the songs run well over 4 minutes and the songs that don’t like “Started From the Bottom” with its sturdy, industrial backbeat makes you wish was it a couple minutes longer. Sticking out like a sore thumb is “Hold On , We’re Going Home” an accessible R&B track that proves Drake could have easily made a remarkable pop album but chose to head down a murkier avenue. Unlike most hip hop out today filled with guest spots, Drake keeps it to a minimum with a couple unknowns, Detail on “305 To My City” and Sampha who provides gorgeous vocals on “Too Much, ” saving the one big spot for Jay-Z who does trademark Jay-Z on “Pound Cake.” With “Nothing Was the Same” Drake continues along his singular path of getting to the true soul of hip hop through honest, if not troubled, compassion.

Bonzie  photo credit: Xi Sinsong

Some people are born stars while others have had to claw and climb their way just to get the skyline. Bonzie, an alternative pop artist is one of the latter, as she started playing local cafes at age 12 and has played countless coffeehouses between now and then. Still young enough to have the “teen” attached to her age, Bonzie is Nina Ferraro’s moniker for her take on expressive and unique indie rock. She’s released a slew of songs on her Soundcloud page along with an ep that has recently captured the ears of bloggers and national magazine outlets. Her debut album Rift into the Secret of Things, was recently released and Bonzie has been opening shows for Ivan and Alysoha . In my Q&A exchange with Bonzie, she comes across as an intelligent and self-assured songwriter that is putting her talent to the forefront without compromising her integrity.

MCB:  Let’s start off with the most obvious of questions – how did you come upon the name Bonzie?
Bonzie: Bonzie is a word I came up with devoid of a conventional definition.  It's linguistic clay.  It's been interesting to see how, when something is not clearly defined, people try and relate it to something similar.  I've heard some different interpretations of where people think it came from.  The thing I liked about it, is that it isn't influenced by anything, and doesn't relate itself to anything, unless someone else's imagination makes it so.  It's my pseudonym.

MCB: I read that you don’t come from a family of musicians. Do you think that has helped or hindered you?
Bonzie: There was never any expectation; that was freeing.  They didn't correct me when I was wrong or critique my performances, whether it be out of ignorance or apathy, I started to get a sense for "nothing is wrong" in music.  That's stayed with me.  I prefer writing in privacy, in seclusion, so my family's unawareness made it all the more fulfilling for me in that aspect as well.  I've been able to figure out what I like, and how I like doing it, and I feel lucky to have had it derive in that way.

MCB: A lot of other young singers chose to go the route of doing covers on Youtube or trying out for Americal Idol.  Why have you chosen a much more independent route?
Bonzie: I was invited to be on The Voice, actually.  I turned it down.  I just know what kind of music I want to create and how I want to create it.  I like to be in control of that.  I think the audience deserves that.  There is this ridiculous assumption that artists, particularly young ones, are only in music for the proverbial spotlight, divorced from the actual thing itself.  I want to put out something that reflects an individual thought or vision.
MCB: Where did you fit in at school? Were you part of a clique? (the goths, the drama scene, etc.)
Bonzie: Being a part of a group is so limiting!  If you stay for too long, you'll start regulating yourself.  I went to a large school, so it was interesting to see how people do end up clustering.  It's some kind of survival tactic— something instinctive.  Personally, I liked getting in and getting out of groups, like an anthropologist or something.

MCB: Do you like the experience of touring?
Bonzie: Yeah.  Traveling is great.
MCB: Is performing live fun for you or nerve-wracking?
Bonzie: It's a combination of the two.  If there's ever any anxiety beforehand, it all kind of manifests itself into what I'm doing— the strumming of the guitar, or the overall connection to the performance.  It's a different experience depending on where we are and what the room feels like.  That's the fun thing about touring.
MCB: Any surprising incidents that have happened while touring?
Bonzie: I've brought my dog on a few short tours.  She's a West Highland White Terrier, so fairly small, and I can sneak her into places.  I took her into my session at Daytrotter.  She's used to hearing me play a lot at home, so she seemed pleased at hearing the session.

MCB: When you write a song do you start with the lyrics or the melody?
Bonzie: It depends on the song.  Usually it all comes at once, and I sort of follow it until it forms itself.
MCB: Who are the singers/bands you look to as influences?
Bonzie: I like what the Dirty Projectors do.  Dave (of Dirty Projectors) is really talented.  Deerhoof's records are awesome.  Their songs are great.  Slint has been an influence of mine, I can listen to those albums on rotation and never get tired of it.  Charles Mingus is so on point, almost pop-y— I like his live albums.

MCB: Not too long ago you were more on the outside looking in on the music industry.
Bonzie: Now, over the past few months you’ve been thrown into the middle of  it. Is it what you expected?It's been amazing.  I'm not sure how it's happened, but I've been totally independent this whole time, on my own label.  All I know, is what I put into it, and the rest is beyond me.
MCB: Where do you hope to see yourself five years from now?
Bonzie: I want to continue making records with the same incentive as I make them now.  I hope I will be playing with musicians that I can connect with, and respect… I would love to work out a live arrangement with a full string section, at some point.  That might be cool.  I would love to tour internationally.  There are so many important, passionate music fans outside of the U.S.




This post by Mikel OD of MPAD Media

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After another lengthy hiatus I'm back with an episode recorded from a hotel room in Kalamazoo, MI. This episode has a lot stuff I've been meaning to get to and I've finally found the time to record it. I've got music from three great indie pop bands including the Dismemberment Plan and Bear Mountain who I also interviewed last month. I also play a track from Los Campesinos! who have a new album out. I've been reading magazines on my tablet and I let you know what I think about that, (you can read my blog post here). My last section is an interview with Dubstep/Electronic music DJ Nit Grit.

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With the demise of Wizard and Spin I saw my magazine subscriptions dwindle. I tried to supplement my appetite for magazines through blogs and online entertainment websites. While these remain enjoyable digressions they don’t replace the magazine format which is more subject focused and not so deliberately distracting with all those banners and links. I don’t often read complete posts from blogs or articles on a website because something else on the screen pulls my attention away.

Having recently bought a 9” tablet, the Nook HD+, I have begun to journey back into magazines in their digital format and found my passion for periodical printed words and images reinvigorated. Over the past few weeks I’ve experimented with a number of different magazine apps and magazines to inform my views on what I like about digital magazines and what I hope can get better.

The benefits of digital magazines were readily apparent to my wife as my clutter of magazines is now all tidied up in a small black box. I don’t have to go searching around the house to find a magazine I stopped reading a month ago, I can easily locate it on my tablet. I always know where I left off reading with a digital magazine because my apps bookmark them for me. There are also additional extras in digital magazines that can easily take me to a movie trailer or song by the band I’m reading about through hyperlinks. Another big plus, online magazines cost less. Magazine prices over the past few years skyrocketed to the $5 to $7 price range, whereas my digital copies range from .99 cents to $3 for the same title.

There are a few drawbacks to online magazines. I can’t flip through them as quickly and even a 9” screen is not quite big enough to display a page I can easily read. In fact, the digital magazine experience with the smaller 7inch tablet and tiny iPad Touch size doesn’t work for me at all. I’ve also noticed that some of my digital magazines come out later than the print version.

One magazine I subscribe to with both a print and digital subscription (which is free) is Entertainment Weekly. The digital subscription is packed with links and extra content which has left my print copies of EW collecting dust while I get a much richer experience with the digital edition.

For the newbie to digital magazines, one of the most confusing aspects to digital magazines is the many apps you can buy them on with some of them having different prices and displays than others. Here’s a short list of magazine apps I am currently using:

Amazon Kindle Store – Seems to have the widest selection of magazines at the best prices. I don’t think the magazines here display or operate as good as on Google Play or B&N but I still end up buying here more than anywhere else.

Barnes&Noble – The best app to display and read through a magazine. Really gives a magazine-like experience. There are some magazines I would even consider paying more for to use this app.

Google Play – Good coverage of magazines, but not as much choice as on Amazon or B&N. The app automatically downloads the mags to my reader as soon as I buy them.

Zinio – A third party app available on Google Play and iTunes, Zineo has a great selection of magazines and often sales on subscriptions. They also have a monthly $5 price for 4 magazines deal that is worth considering. iTunes Bookstore – Since all I have is the iPod Touch and iPhone for magazines through iTunes, this is the last choice place I go to for that magazine I can’t find anywhere else.

Issuu – While not an app, but a website with thousands of magazines, Issuu is a great place to spend lots of time on looking at magazines from around the world. You can easily publish your own mag on Issuu and even order very expensive print copies. So far, the interface on Issuu is a bit clunky, with some magazines that display well and others that are more of a chore to flip though. I am hoping they create an app for Issuu that captures the website’s potential.

I’ll leave you with this, reading a digital magazine is a different experience then flipping through a printed one. For most digital magazines, I am looking at the full magazine page then pressing on a link that will bring me the text of the article to read separately. The text isn’t next to the pictures so it’s more sequential than an all at once experience. Rather than a negative, I like this experience better because it allows me to focus more on the words then I get to look at all those pretty pictures.

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Music:

Dark Colour – Reach for the Night
George Morris – Call Girls
Washed Out – It Feels All Right
The Stepkids – Get Lucky (cover)

Backgound Insturmentals –
No One Died This Time - Elliot Lipp Remix
Shigeto – Ringleader

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New Order’s music is easily some of the most distinguishable from the New Wave/Electronic era. From the synth-driven melodies to those catchy. yet impenetrable lyrics, but more than anything else it was those deeply etched bass lines that separated New Order as one of the most distinctive and seminal bands of the 80’s, 90’s and even into the 2000’s. Peter Hook played the bass for New Order, a bass that resonated through each New Order track and influenced several other bass players, so much so, you could say they were “Hook inspired.”
 They say the more things change, the more they stay the same, which is exactly what can be said for this tour of Peter Hook and his band the Light who are making their way to the Magic Bag on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and playing the first 2 New Order albums, Movement and Power, Corruption and Lies. Both of these records hold a special place for me as they were early and prized additions to my 80’s vinyl collection. I interviewed Peter Hook through an email correspondence, which Peter was a real gentleman about, providing thoughtful answers on his past visits to Detroit, playing New Order tracks in contrast to Joy Division and more questions relating to each of those legendary records.

Mikel OD: When is the last time you played Detroit?
P Hook: Wow... Now that's got me thinking! I know we played there as New Order in 1987 and 1989... I remember the one in '89 because we had to postpone it by a couple of weeks because Barney lost his voice! And I remember the show in '87 being a great crowd, probably one of my highlights of that tour. I think that one was the Pine Knob amphitheatre? But I could be wrong...(ed. nope he's right)
Mikel OD:   (Detroit) Good memories or bad?
P Hook: Always good! It's actually one of my favourite places in America, it has an edge to it which I really like, and as I said I remember two great New Order gigs there in the 80s, so it will be nice to go back again. We couldn't make it to Detroit on either of our last two American tours so I am happy to finally make it back this time round. I think it's the smallest show on the tour as well, so should be really great in terms of getting up, close and personal with the audience. They are always the best gigs.

Mikel OD:  What made you decide to write a book about Joy Division?
P Hook: Well I guess the short answer to that question would just be that I was getting a bit sick and tired of reading books about Joy Division by other people who simply were not there at the time and so whose books were not entirely accurate. After the success of my Hacienda book I felt spurred on to write the Joy Division book as I also felt that it was the right time for someone in the band to give their side of the story. There is a lot of myth and conjecture about Joy Division, especially surrounding Ian, and I think in a way I wanted to show that we were all human and that essentially the band was just a normal group of lads.
Mikel OD:  Do you consider “Movement” a proper New Order record or just an extension of what Joy Division was doing?
P Hook: I definitely consider Movement to be a New Order record. How could I not? It's our debut album!
I know what you mean in terms of it possibly just feeling like an extension to Joy Division as it is still pretty similar musically to Joy Division, the Closer album in particular, but for me, no, it stands alone as the first New Order record. We had made a conscious decision that Joy Division was over once we had lost Ian - so when we regrouped it was under a new name, a new identity, and with new ideas. I remember writing the bass line to Dreams Never End on my 6 string bass just a few days after Ian had died. To me, Movement is a great album which is often overlooked so it will be fantastic to play it live again - there's songs on there that haven't seen the light of day for over 30 years.

Mikel OD: Being influenced by Italian Disco, Power, Corruption and Lies marked a different direction for New Order – what if New Order hadn’t found Italian Disco? Was it inevitable?
P Hook: To be honest, I think it was inevitable that New Order would have gone in that direction. We were all becoming more and more interested in electronica all the time and Barney in particular was always becoming more and more interested in working with sequencers and synthesisers. So it was just a natural thing that New Order veered towards that style of music. Finding influences like Italian disco and seeing the clubs in New York was certainly an influence, but I think the shift to that style of music would still have happened without them, it just would maybe have taken a bit longer.
Mikel OD:  How do you compare performing the New Order set to the Joy Division set you did previously?
P Hook: It's completely different. Different in terms of sound, obviously, but also different in terms of the way we play it and what we have to do to bring the different songs across in the live format. The best thing about the New Order set that we will be touring now is that I can play more bass - there are a lot of really great instrumental sections where I can let loose on the bass which is obviously my first love. Another difference is that with some of these New Order songs you have to incorporate backing tracks which we had never done before as this group, everything in the Joy Division sets was completely live but with this new set you can't get away without using backing tracks. But I think we have adapted well to that. Our backing tracks sound absolutely fantastic, we had a guy back in England rework them and he did a truly fantastic job with that, they sound so powerful at the gigs when they are at full volume. Another difference would be the vocals. Obviously, the Joy Division sets demanded a lot more shouting! As that is a lot more rocky or punky, whereas with the New Order songs I am really having to adapt to different singing styles.
Mikel OD: What is your favorite New Order song to play live?
P Hook: I would say Leave Me Alone, without a doubt - the last track on Power, Corruption & Lies. That has always been my favourite New Order song, and when I was in New Order the rest of the band would not play it, so it is absolutely wonderful to be able to play that one live again - I love the mood and the vibe of that song, Barney's guitar line is perfect and flirts around the bass so well, the instrumental breaks are amazing, and Steve's drums are him at his best. I love that song! But there are some others in this set that I love playing too - Cries & Whispers is a lot of fun, Denial is super intense, and then there's songs like Chosen Time which haven't seen the light of day for over 30 years! I am just really enjoying playing this set in general.
Mikel OD:  I’ve read that you are giving the New Order songs a bit of a raw, punk edge for the tour…Is that the way you would have liked to have seen them when they were released? Or is just two different animals, live and studio?
P Hook: Well, we're not intentionally trying to change anything to do with the sound or composition of the songs - it just sometimes happens that when you bring a song from the studio format to the live format then that's what happens, or the songs just demand that little bit more of an edge to come across well live than they do in the studio. It's the Movement songs I guess that we can bring this extra edge to, as they are completely acoustic (i.e no backing tracks) so we can really take them up a level, and I must say they sound absolutely fantastic being played at full pelt. We do try as much as we can to stick to the originals as we are playing the record after all. It's just that some of them do benefit from a little bit of added power and intensity.

Mikel OD: A friend of mine told me that Barney became the singer of New Order because you found it difficult to play bass and sing, any truth to that?
P Hook: Sort of... The truth would be that all three of us had difficulties playing & singing together. When New Order first started out we all had a go at singing and we were all pretty terrible. But over time it got a bit easier. I mean look at Barney now, he has mastered the art of singing & playing, which is something I was never able to do. On Movement though, Barney found it difficult too and you could hear this in the music - the verses would have no guitar because he was singing, then there would be a lot of instrumental chorus sections where the guitar would come in full pelt as he wasn't singing. But as time went on and it was decided that he would become the full time singer, he got a lot more adept at singing & playing.
Mikel OD:  I’m not sure most people know that’s you singing on Dreams Never End….
P Hook: Yes, I sing on Dreams Never End and also on Doubts Even Here, both great songs and both songs which I'm really pleased to be playing again as part of this new tour. Dreams Never End actually has two vocals running together at the same time - both from me but one is high and one is low. When I sing it live, whether it was in 1981 or 2013, I always sing the high line.

Mikel OD:  Besides playing the live shows, how do you pass the time in between shows?
P Hook: At the moment I am spending a lot of time writing - I'm currently writing my third book which will be all about New Order. The writing process is very time consuming of course but then when you get there in the end it is all very rewarding - people seemed to really enjoy hearing a band member's perspective of the Joy Division era so hopefully they will enjoy the New Order book in the same way.
Mikel OD: With this tour are you closing the book on Joy Division and New Order and moving back to your own material?
P Hook: Well this tour is mainly composed of the first two New Order albums so in a way it is sort of re-opening the book on those two records. I am really looking forward to playing all of these songs again. I guess that does sort of close the book on Joy Division but we have tried to counter this by planning a special surprise early on in the set - if people want to hear Joy Division songs too then they should arrive early!

And with those last words, I am definitely arriving at Magic Bag early, with Slaves of Venus warming up the show.

(This interview also appears on Motorcityblog)

I’m going back to an audio format for this episode because I had the itch to say a few words. Those words included some of the things I have been up to like seeing Elephant Stone, I even thrown in a track from them, and going to Zombie Con. I talk to Alex Winter about his documentary Downloaded which you can see now on iTunes and Amazon. I haven’t caught it yet but I plan to watch it very soon and let you know what I think. I also talk with SP Burke about his webcomic “Oh Goodie”. In between I fill the space with a new artist Parentz from Berkeley, CA. My good friend, indie hip hop fiend, Matt Schwartz has a new album coming out soon called “UppersDowners” and I play his new track “Pink Lighters and Red Cups.” I finish the show by talking about Peter Hook from New Order and his new tour with the Light where he covers the first 2 New Order albums. I hope to find some time to do this more often again as I had a lot of fun putting this episode together. You can follow all my MPAD activities by liking my MPAD MEDIA page on Facebook and see more of my photos at my flickr page..

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Moreover, with Seth Cohen, the O.C.did something original and brilliant by introducing a character that was socially awkward, innocent and wholly consumed by geek culture. The first time we saw Seth he was hunched over a game controller so consumed by the game he could only offer newcomer, Ryan, a few mumbled words of welcome. While we live in a world today where geekdom is embraced, 10 years ago it was still shunned. There were scenes where Seth and Ryan were lounging on couches reading comic books! I don’t think comic books existed on any other teen show. Seth was also really funny. He had a quip for everything, liked indie bands and got the girl of his dreams, Summer, IN THE FIRST SEASON!

I won’t pretend the O.C. was a perfect show because it definitely had its flaws. As early in the second season the show began to lose its way. It seemed like the first season explored so many character arcs with the central characters they were already stretching to find new places to go. Ryan had quickly lost his rough edge and Seth was no longer as shy about girls as he was juggling them. However, season 2 still stacks up as my favorite O.C. season as the actors were more comfortable with their roles, the humor the show wanted really hit its stride and the parents on the show actually had interesting story lines. br/> Season 3 is where the show really unraveled. Marissa, Ryan’s love interest, was taken down the rich preppy girl gone bad path and maybe tread too low into depths of teen disillusionment. Forced to go to a public school on the “poor” side of town, Marissa got entangled with surfers, a lesbian relationship and lived with a homeless dope dealer with a Russian name. The same season also featured the reviled saga of “Johnny.” Even the most ardent O.C. fans will agree the “Johnny” story line as some of the most unfortunate (read unwatchable) episodes of a TV series. Johnny, Marissa’s “kind of” boyfriend after Ryan, embodied everything apathetic and complacent, as he dwindled away from surfer star to injured loser ending in an eventual suicide that was applauded by most watching. Season 3 capped off a very uneven season with a couple of the show’s deepest episodes centered around (spoiler) the death of Marissa.

While there was certainly no need or want for a season 4, the O.C. went ahead with an abbreviated 4th season that featured some of its most adventurous and fun episodes. Some of the guest stars from the OC that went on to fame include Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt and, unfortunately, Chris Brown. I still get to watch some of my OC faves regularly with Willa Holland (the older Caitlin, Marissa’s sister) on Arrow and Ben McKenzie (Ryan) on recently cancelled Southland. I enjoyed Adam Brody (Seth) as the evil lead singer on Jennifer’s Body but I’d really like to him on TV again. I also tried my best but just couldn’t stomach Hart of Dixie with Rachel Bilson (Summer) beyond the first few episodes. But to really cure an O.C. thirst, at least a couple times a year I’ll break out my OC DVD’s and watch a few episodes and bask in the teenage wastelands.

If you want to read more abot the O.C. check out why Jim Tankersley thought it was the definitive show of the 2000's

This hasn’t stopped me from trying hard to make it function like I imagine an iPad would but I just get frustrated, as there’s just no faking it when it comes to Netflix or Pandora. So I spend my days thinking how much better my life would be with a new tablet. There’s so many to choose from now, the Galaxy 2, the Kindle Fire, and, of course, the tablet I really should own, the iPad.

The one tablet I never considered buying is now at the top of my list – the Barnes & Noble Nook. It all goes back to what I started with, I’m a sucker for a deal and right now, with the announcement that Barnes & Noble is no longer making them at $149 they are a steal. The Nook HD+ with its 9 inch screen has all the specs of the best tablets and access to Google Play all for about ½ the price.

Even better it has a miniSD slot for extra storage. Not too many tablets have this. I keep thinking this will be extra useful for me as I could edit photos directly on the Nook from a miniSD card. I’m even thinking I could use an app on it to make a podcast on the tablet. The problem is, in theory this all sounds great, but in reality, does the Nook really have what it takes to accomplish these tasks. Will editing photos be a very tedious process? Can I save them at a high quality size? Does a good app for podcasting even exist on Google Play?

I’m trying my best to restrain myself from the deal because I have the fear that I will end up a few months down the road wishing I just went ahead and spent more on an iPad. Somebody that isn’t so motivated by price please talk some sense into me!

Last month I took in this tremendous little festival called Electro Future Fest which featured bands I’ve had on MPAD in the past like Flashclash and Deastro. There were a few other bands playing, one of them being Sugar Baron. I actually heard a song by Sugar Baron a few days before that on Flashclash Radio, only I didn’t knw it was Sugar Baron, I just knew I liked the song and needed to look into who it was by. Well, flash forward a few days later and there they are on stage at St. Andrews as one of the early bands on for the festival. I really dug their sound with fun, dancing rhythms fronted by strong vocals that made it pretty original stuff. I watched them unload their equipment then approached their lead singer Jan to let them know I enjoyed their set. We got talking a bit and I figured this would make a good video and set about talking with him further outside. Since the festival I’ve listened to their entire album “Sharon is Karen” which besides being a clever as hell album title is an excellent listen. On the video Jan talks about the formation of the band, their album, touring and a small surprise explanation at the end about his amazing dreadlocks.

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Back at the end of May I went to Movement – Detroit’s mega electronic music festival with a press pass. I took pics of great DJs and the crowd. One of the more interesting people I took a picture of was Ghetto Vader. Dressed as if a graffiti artist used Darth Vader as his canvas, Ghetto Vader was strolling around the VIP area passing out his latest CD. I pulled him over to a chair and started talking with him about his motivation behind his outfit and got some intriguing details. This video is a few snippets of Ghetto Vader on his dress, philosophy and music. You can find out more about Ghetto Vader here.

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