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MSBands exclusive: Julian Casablancas Interview

Michael — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:22:35 +0000

Julian Casablancas strides into the Hilton Hotel in downtown Seattle on the 6th of November.

He’s slightly soaked from the downpour of rain & hail along with his classic hair being murdered from the combination of the wet/windy storm. He is wearing some type of Tee that you would see on Threadless.com which features dozens of candy-red balloons on a faded blue Tee… But it works for him.

I, of course, did not have any interview scheduled with him but knew he would be here around this time (Around 6 PM) . I acted cool, calm & casual (even though I was aware I was thinking “HOLY SHIT JULIAN CASABLANCAS!!!”) when I went up to him & asked him if I could borrow his time for a few minutes for my Seattle Music Blog. He said “Yeah kid, no problem. What can I do?”

Me: Pretty much your solo debut is fantastic. It’s ranked one of the top 10 most blogged about artists on HypeM.com . Your album is the top 10 in every local record store in Seattle I have been inside within the past week & the best part is your voice hasn’t changed. I just wanted to say ‘congrats’ & am wondering how it feels? To know you can make it on your own.

Julian has a small, keen smile & his eyebrows seemed to have up gained some personality.

Julian: Thanks, first off. Its nice knowing people care. I don’t like being some sellout who just changes his voice to -make- money. The other members tried out their own thing & did a nice job of it & I figured “what am I doing & why am I not doing my own project too”. It started out last year more as just a couple weeks in the studio to make one song -Ludlow St.- & everyone liked it. I realized “What am I waiting for. I am going to make an album”. A few months later I really had something & …here I am.

Ludlow St., New York City.

Julian looks like he has plenty of time & makes it very easy to talk to him without worrying about his celebrity status or him losing interest.

Me: Haha that’s one of my favorite songs. My favorite artist is Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) & I read somewhere you worked with Mike Mogis (producer & artist for many Bright Eyes albums) on this last album?

Julian: Yeah Mike is extremely good at what he does. His style was used for lots of the loops which are featured on most of the songs for ‘Phrazes For The Young’. I actually was listening to some Bright Eyes earlier today… I think it was something like… ‘Woke up this morning”…

Being the Bright Eyes fanatic I am I am quick to finish his sentence.

Me: “Woke Up With a Song In My Head This Morning.”?

Julian: Haha yeah. Definitely like his lyrics & melodies. Conor is a talented guy as well.

Me: Well I am not a professional but this should be enough to give a few readers some nice virtual time with you Julian. No more questions but thanks a ton for your time. I’ll see you on the 22nd (When he comes back to Seattle to play at the Showbox).

Julian: Yeah kid. No problem. Make sure to say ‘hey’ when you are there.

I shook his hand & walked out of the hotel… Looked down at my notepad, smiled & got on the bus. The bus drove past as I saw this guy checking into the hotel… Like some normal guy that was simply caught in the storm.

Here’s a few free MP3s by Julian Casablancas.

I Wish It Was Christmas Today (Christmas Single)

Ludlow St.

4 Chords of the Apocalypse

My girlfriend’s mix tape.

Michael — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:25:02 +0000

So my girlfriend & I got into this little tiff & somehow it all got put on her… All her fault… It wasn’t but I have no complaints. I got an exotic back massage, organic Mac N’ Cheese & this lovely mix cd.
Ida Maria, As Tall As Lions, Julian Casablancas, & Minus The Bear.

Ida Maria:Stella

Ida Maria- So Much Better When You Are Naked.

As Tall As Lions - Ghost of York

Julian Casablancas - Out Of The Blue
(NEW ALBUM RELEASE!! [NOVEMBER 3RD])

Minus The Bear released a new EP on the 27th of October!. Definitely worth checking out.
Kind of horrible that their only Seattle show was at a brewery with very little publicity. They end the tour on the 28th of November at The Knitting Factory in Boise… Hope they give us one more Seattle show… Otherwise I’ll be taking a drive. Currently they are on tour with As Tall As Lions.
Minus The Bear- Broken China

Kanye Isn’t Really Sorry

Michael — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:04:44 +0000

Kanye West is shown here speaking with Taylor Swift regarding how “Beyonce has the best music video of all time.” (Nothing like some hot ladies dancing. We definitely have never seen that on a music video before.) & he prances off stage after ruining her acceptance speech.

I am sure MTV didn’t rig this at all. I mean why would they want publicity for Kanye’s new music video with Beyonce or Taylor Swift’s new music video.

Here is the MP3 of Taylor Swift’s Speech getting Interrupted by Kanye West

VMA Speech - Taylor Swift

This stunt/publicity went as far as getting The President of The United States to go on television & announce that Kanye West is, indeed, a ‘Jackass’.

I don’t see how people aren’t aware this is all the media. But oh well. It’s hilarious. Kanye apologized.

& best of all… He isn’t sorry!

Here are a couple free Kanye West MP3s

Welcome To Heartbreak - Kanye West ft. Kid Cudi

Paranoid - LMFAO Remix

Police take stress out on Baseball Fan

Michael — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:50:46 +0000

Last week, August 5th, 2009. A fan may have been sitting in the wrong section during the Oakland A’s baseball game.
The fan was not too keen on leaving & ended up getting TASED by the police.
This video shows you how horribly rude cops can be & makes you wonder what they do when thousands of people AREN’T watching them.

A few free MP3s from the web’s hippest artists.

Michael — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:41:44 +0000

Decided I would go on Hypem.com & look at the top 10 most blogged about artists… Sure enough we are going to spread the love of some of the web’s newest & hottest musical groups!

Au Revoir Simone is one of the web’s hippest new group full of three lovely girls. Heavenly voices, heavenly looks & a sound that is sure to impress! Check ‘em out!

Au Revoir Simone - All or Nothing ( Au Revior Simone - All or Nothing)

Passion Pit - Moth Wings ( Passion Pit - Moth Wings)

Major Lazer (feat Andy Milonakis)- Zumbi ( Major Lazer - Zumbi)

The Dead Weather : Super group?
Jack White (White Stripes), Allison Mosshart (The Kills), Dean Fertita (Queens of The Stone Age), & Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs)

Nah… Just another band.

Don’t get me wrong, most of their songs are catchy & listenable… But in all honesty they are not THAT unique… Lyrics are average, vocals right on par (needs more Jack White) , & the bass is nice and heavy. But nothing that really stands out. This could be in part because I am sure they had such high expectations… When expectations aren’t reached, well… Guess it’s time for another band!

The Dead Weather - Are Friends Electric? ( Dead Weather - Are Friends Electric?)

You know what sucks about La Roux’s YouTube? Most ALL the La Roux videos on YouTube? They don’t let you embed the videos!!
So here is a FREE La Roux track:

La Roux - Bulletproof ( La Roux- Bulletproof )

Yeah, take that Universal Music!

Why is 10 afraid of 7?

Michael — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:19:44 +0000

We have to SOMEHOW make a post involving the date today… So that image. The lame joke of a title… That should be enough for us.

What do we have to offer you on this magical number of a holiday?

Free Music! .

We got our Yahoo playlist script up & running so you can stream the music straight from our website! SCORE! So here are some free mp3’s of some of the web’s hottest new artists.

Regina Spektor’s new album ‘Far’ seems to be a hit. This is her fifth album & at the rate she is going, it definitely won’t be her last.

Laughing With by Regina Spektor Lyrics :
God can be funny
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie
Who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus

God can be so hilarious
Ha ha
Ha ha

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God when they’ve lost all they got and they don’t know what for…

Regina Spektor: - Laughing With

La Roux: - Colourless Color

Phoenix: - 1901 (Live in KEXP)

Fleet Foxes: - Textbook Love

Passion Pit: - Little Secrets

Yeah Yeah Yeahs (MSTRKRFT Remix): - Zero (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Wilco’s Rise to Fame & Cave Singers.

Michael — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:09:36 +0000

Wilco is the second most popular artist being blogged about in the past week… First being none other than Michael Jackson, respectively.

If you are like me ( which hopefully you aren’t in this case) then you have heard of ‘Wilco’ but never actually listened to them.

Wow.

I am not a fan of country. I love good beats. I love that steel guitar that certain artists have. I am a fan of rough raw vocals. Lyrics with significant meaning may be the best thing since the invention of Tupperware… Wilco has everything a GOOD rock band should have except they have some added pizazz which you can be the judge of. Listen to two free songs (Thirteen & You and I)

Wilco (with Feist) “You And I”

Wilco - Thirteen.

Meet The Cave Singers. Local NorthWest band. Indie. Raw. Foot-stomping. Plethora-Of-Instruments-Going-At-The-Same-Time. Good sounding. Indie rock band of 2009. Kinda like the ‘new fleet foxes’ if we are to TRY and compare. But really The Cave Singers’ new album (to be released in August) is sure to give you that craving to go out in the woods & be isolated with nothing but a guitar, some firewood & maybe some sunflower seeds.
Check out Beach House by The Cave Singers; it will make you crave August more than ever before.

Cave Singers - Beach House

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Last Known Footage of Michael Jackson Live

Michael — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:36:46 +0000

Right below is the last known footage of Michael Jackson Live, rehearsing with his backup band for his upcoming UK tour.

You can tell from below he looks slightly fragile/not quite as peppy as he used to be. Although many doctors claimed this was one of the healthiest times in his life due to him preparing for his tour.

The MySpace Movie (free)

Michael — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:11:42 +0000

Welcome readers! I bring you the fantastic, dramatic, comical, action packed, online parody… THE MYSPACE MOVIE .

It goes through many topics but listed below is a rough summary of the plot!

The MySpace Angles

Ever been caught taking pictures of yourself in the bathroom? This may be a little more intense than YOUR story.

The Blind Date

Probably some of the most touching comical blind date bit on YouTube to this date… Some may call it comical actually… Others may just call is wrong. Definitely tune into about 1:35+ to see a very interesting ‘girl’ that the man meets off of MySpace.

The Bulletin

Repost this & paste it into 10 comments otherwise… Yeah? You recall? Those bulletins that make you do something otherwise your sister will turn into a ghost… Your mom will die & she will haunt you for life… Well this video shows quite a nice parody of how these CAN come true!

The Password

Ever been on MySpace & your girlfriend (or boyfriend) is over your shoulder? Turns out that person who SHOULD be number one isn’t even on there! Your girlfriend flips out & steals your password & reads your messages? Yeah well I’m sure it has happened to at least half of you readers. So this bit is for you! This is at about 6:30+ in the video, if you wish to fast forward .

The Tom-Party

Tom mother-effing Anderson!? LIVE IN THIS VIDEO!? Yeah. I kid you not; Tom Anderson from MySpace. He gets all up in the party & everyone shows him a great time. It ends with a classic pose that surely, none of us who will read this, can ever forget.

Watch the MySpace Movie for Free on MSbands.com

Tobacco Ban: Hookah / Fruit Tobacco included!?

Michael — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:07:09 +0000

“Kids today don’t just start smoking for no reason,” he said. “They’re aggressively targeted as customers by the tobacco industry. They’re exposed to a constant and insidious barrage of advertising where they live, where they learn and where they play.” - Obama.

A few friends smoke some fruit tobacco through a hookah while having a solid conversation. A typical ‘hookah session’ lasts anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour & a half. When your ’session’ begins to die down you either put a new hookah ‘coal’ on your hookah or you can refill the hookah ‘bowl’ with new flavored fruit tobacco; AKA: Shisha. You sometimes may get a ‘nicotine buzz’ & then the ‘buzz’ calms down into an overall comfortable, relaxes feeling. Not a noticeable difference nor does it impair you from anything. Hookah is meant for relaxation & socialization… which as you can see from the picture below, that is definitely what hookah is being used for.

The new law, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, allows the Food and Drug Administration not only to forbid advertising geared toward children but also to lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products, ban sweetened cigarettes that appeal to young taste buds and prohibit labels like “light” and “low tar.”

With this new law this could potentially close the thousands of hookah bars currently existing in the united states. This law may potentially BAN flavored cigars, flavored pipe tobacco & WILL ban flavored cigarettes (such as those tasty clove ones).

Thank the Lord for Obama & our Government! I don’t know if I would be able to control myself without them! Luckily I don’t have to purchase any ‘flavored’ tobacco anymore. Now I get to purchase tobacco with even more chemicals & stay addicted. But I will more than likely be smoking a ‘Marlboro’ or ‘Camel’ brand… Kind of odd how I went from a small ‘mom&pop’ brand to Marlboro ( the most popular brand of cigarette in the United States ).It is almost as if the Government is SOMEHOW making this happen! Nah, can’t be!

President Obama signs the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act at the White House on Monday. At right is 9-year-old Sarah Louise Wiggins, with the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

This new law will definitely make the ‘pleasures’ of smoking much less of a ‘pleasure’. But what about those 50-70 year old men who smoke flavored tobacco out of their pipes as a hobby? The ’side effects’ are nowhere near that of a cigarette . The 18-25 year old college student who smokes a bowl of fruit tobacco after a hard day of studying for school? The 18-25 year olds who smoke hookah as an ‘anti-drug’ because they love smoking but don’t WANT to do anything illegal? The cigar shops!!? Sure a good half of a typical cigar shops’ products are not commercially flavored tobacco… But 75% of their profit comes FROM flavored tobacco products (such as Shisha, Black & Milds, Swishers, Tobacco Blunt Wraps, etc.)

When there is SOME type of a market for a product that isn’t illegal, is enjoyable & is not required to be used (meaning it is the people’s choice to use this product) why take it away!? Isn’t our economy bad enough?

Just to spite the Government:

Here is a few free mp3’s. :).

Vampire Weekend - M79

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma

Of Montreal - For Our Elegant Caste

White Lies - Death ( Crystal Castles Remix)