The Annual Coachella Pass Box Reveal

Follow me on Instagram @mynameisreb

What A Coachella 2013 Pass Box Looks Like

 

Oh hey, look at you, you beautiful Coachella 2013 Pass Box. You devil.

How to Get Over this Monday

I had a great weekend and hope you did as well. A great weekend at this time of year is determined by the following factors: spending a majority of the day outside, lying in bed past 11 am, and getting some culture in. I usually end up not getting any work done during these great weekends, but every situation is a catch 22 if you make it to be. Now here we are, Monday morning, and there are five more days until another weekend is ready to be had. In the meantime, here are a few things helping me get over this Monday:

How By Covering Coachella 2012, I’ll Be Part of a Music Legacy

I am stupid excited for Coachella.  I was absolutely giddy upon the arrival of my Coachella 2012 Pass Box and offered to provide free Coachella coverage for a music site that couldn’t send one of their own writers. My friend Jess Weisensell happens to be an editor for Epitonic and introduced me to some of their content managers.

Epitonic began in 2009 and was one of the first music discovery and editorial sites.  Epitonic posted free and legal MP3s available for streaming and download (a legit alternative to Napster), working directly with thousands of artists and labels (sounding earlier similar to certain popular music streaming sites now a la Spotify and Rdio). However, because of financial difficulties, the site was shut down in 2004.

Singer Erin Willett Belongs On The Voice; Won Battle With “We Belong”

Last night my friends Mike and Jess and I watched my friend and old roommate Erin Willett on The Voice.  I must be some sort of an influencer because I have my coworkers, friends, family, their coworkers, friends, and family all watching The Voice religiously in order to get a glimpse of Erin. I loved listening to her sing Pat Benatar’s “We Belong,” (to the point where I might actually buy it on iTunes) though myself and the rest of us felt like the segment was much too short. In general, I feel like Erin hasn’t really shown what she is made of yet. I’ve heard her singing around the apartment and I can confidently say that viewers haven’t seen anything yet. I hope she gets to rap at least once.

Arrival of My Coachella 2012 Pass Box Leaves More Questions Than Answers

As if all the guides for how to dress, what to do, and who to see at Coachella haven’t already made future festival goers long for the weekend they have been looking forward to for months, the miniature replica of the Coachella 2012 Festival grounds has arrived for thousands of people who purchased their passes only to remind them that the real thing is still months away.

Reliving Remixes

Matt Stevens

My favorite time during the weekend is between the hours of 7 – 10pm, when you start getting ready to go out on the town. You can’t properly prepare unless you have the right soundtrack. I usually spend about two hours combing through my iTunes library, Spotify playlists, and Hype Machine to find the songs I discovered that week or try to search for old favorites.

Three songs I rediscovered this weekend are remixes of popular hits back in their day. I sometimes find myself discovering the remix first before the original and liking the remix more. I respect dj’s who successfully add on layers to the track to make it a much more powerful song, which is the case for Dragonette’s “I Get Around” remixed by Midnight Juggernauts and MGMT’s “Congratulations” reworked by Erol Alkan. Ironically enough, both remixes include introductions of the same clap beat.

MGMT – Congratulations (Erol Alkan Rework)

Dragonette – I Get Around (Midnight Juggernauts remix)

Then there is Empire of the Sun’s “Walking On A Dream” Girls N Boomboxes remix, which just needed a fifty second build up followed by a sweet bass drop that happens unexpectedly.

Empire of the Sun – Walking On A Dream (Girls N Boomboxes REMIX)

I have it in my head that I was meant to be a dj.  By writing about remixes I admire here, I am setting myself up to live vicariously through my own blog.

In the aftermath of the Grammys, will local music venues survive?

Because of increased viewership for the Grammy Awards last year, a 30-second ad can now run for $800,000. While extravagant  live events bring on interesting advertising along with a celebrity or two, I did not watch the Grammy’s. However, I know that I will hear of all the highlights by noon today. And that you can still find gems like this shot of Cee Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow.

While the music industry is on an upswing in terms of earning dollars from viewership and awards shows become an even bigger display of pageantry, there seems to be a bigger disconnect between music artists and fans. This can be remedied through a live show in an intimate venue. However, while one facet of the music industry gains strength, a smaller and less mainstream music culture suffers another loss through the closing of yet another New York music venue, Southpaw.

Awesome Music Videos from Gorilla vs. Bear’s songs of 2011 list

Today  I have a post on Contently on 7 Tips For Super Strategic Video Content from seven amazing brands who used videos not just as a medium to serve content, but to provide innovation for their business. In addition to capturing consumers’ attention, videos should make your content and brand memorable.  Read more on Contently.  Now that we are facing the end of the year, every blog, magazine, and opinionated music aficionado are giving their top picks of the year for artists, songs, and albums.  My favorite list for this year is the Gorilla vs. Bear’s songs of 2011 list.  Not only is it spot on, but this year’s best songs also happened to have great videos.  Here are some of my favorites after the jump.

Rules of the Road for the CMJ Artists, Sponsors, and Weary Attendees

CMJ Music Marathon has fallen upon NYC again and  I’m not quite sure if it’s the Northeast equivalent of SXSW as people are stating.  Some lineups are fantastic, some sponsors make rookie mistakes, and attendees need to find a way to go to as many shows as possible while bringing their A-game to their day job the next day.  Below are some Rules of the Road that should be followed whether you’re a CMJ Artist, sponsor, or weary attendee.