The Hives - Live Medley

Lately I've been getting into the Hives (yeah, I know I'm like a few years late...)

And I have to say...they kick ass...this live video should prove that.

Dempsey to join Fulham

I like Fulham...it's not the best team, but it's not the worst team...they've had a pretty decent season so far (though the Xmas games have been disappointing). They already have two American players on the team, including my favorite American player: Brian McBride. Seriously, he's probably one of the best American player right now, and he actually scores for Fulham...he's not some bench warmer. It's a shame that he's retired from International duty...

Clint Dempsey is blowing up right now...he had a phenomenal year at New England and was decent at the World Cup. The MLS supporters who say Americans don't need to go abroad to get better at soccer kept on using Clint Dempsey and the supposed only goal an American made against the eventual Italians as an example for their argument. That goal was an own goal anyways, so it didn't really count in my book. (Let's not forget that McBride almost made an actual goal against Italy as well...with 9 players on the field, but were it not for the offsides call). However, now that their mascot has gone abroad to improve his skills, who will they use as their example now?

Let's hope Clint Dempsey has a successful run in England...

ROCK EM SHOCK EM

what a funkee bass player and drummer!

Feliz Navidad con Los Granadians

Here's a little Christmas present...the little mini-Christmas album that Los Granadians did...another good Christmas album.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6c4h8i

Los Granadians are a band hailing from Spain, playing early reggae and some rocksteady...they're quite good (well, I don't like the rocksteady much, but i guess that's because it's the vocals that don't do it for me), so check them out!

http://www.granadians.com/
http://www.myspace.com/granadians

Podcast update!

My latest episode in the Podcast is a Christmas themed episode:

Los Granadians - Adeste Fideles
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - Christmas Ska
The Granville Williams Orchestra - Santa Claus is Ska-ing Town
Brian Setzer Orchestra - Angels We Have Heard on High
Mu330 - Everyday Christmas
Chuck Berry - Run Run Rudolph
Blue Beat Players - A Little Christmas Gift
King Stitt - Christmas Tree
Los Granadians - Noche de Paz
Roy Richards - Jingle Bells
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - Holiday
The Aggrolites - The Destroyer
Strange Manor - Sleigh Ride
Toots & The Maytals - Christmas Feeling Ska
The Slackers - Santa Claus is Coming Town
Strange Manor - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Los Granadians - Ya Vienen Los Reyes Magos
Bob Marley & the Wailers - White Christmas

http://daoster.podomatic.com

Right now, I'm coming up with the play list for my "Favorites of the year" episode...it's coming out pretty good, I think...

A Strange Manor Christmas

Strange Manor is the name of the house that some members of local BaY Area (and a Hawaiian) bands live...these bands include: The Soul Captives, The Phenomenauts, The Struts, and Go Jimmy Go.

They recorded and produced a Christmas album that reflects their musical backgrounds...rock, soul, ska, reggae, and even a little gypsy jazz in the mix. It's a great little album, so check it out.

http://www.thesoulcaptives.com/strangemanor/

AGGROLICIOUS!

I wish they had played this when I saw them last month.

Actually, the last two shows I saw them (two on the same day), their sets were quite different than what I was used to. They started out with "Don't Let Me Down," instead of ending with it.

Everybody's doing it..

So I'll do it too! I'll post some videos! First off...attack of the JAPANESE MODS!



A little quick tidbit of info that connects this to my favorite band, TSPO...

On vocals for the final band (The Hair), is Rui Sugimura, younger brother of Cleanhead Gimura, the flamboyant "toaster" for TSPO (who unfortunately died around 1995). Rui would join TSPO later for a year, between 1998-1999.

Also, the original guitarist for Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Masayuki Hayashi, was also originally in The Hair...

That's it for now.

U.S. Soccer...

Words cannot describe how disappointed I am that the USSF (United States Soccer Federation) failed to get Juergen Klinsmann, former German national coach, as the next U.S. Men's national coach. I don't know whether the U.S. price offer wasn't high enough, or Klinsmann just honestly isn't ready to take up another coaching position yet, but I'm just really disappointed. Instead, we get Bradley, the current coach of Chivas USA.

I guess, I wouldn't be as disappointed and frustrated if the president of the USSF didn't keep talking big, and delaying the announcement till tomorrow, and all the news hinting that Klinsmann practically got the job. I think that if U.S. soccer really wants to improve, we need to have somebody with international experience...Klinsmann would have been the perfect choice...he had experience in playing for his national team (Germany), a successful result on his first coaching job (taking Germany to THIRD PLACE in this past World Cup), as well as being based RIGHT HERE IN HUNTINGTON BEACH and having a fairly intricate knowledge of the U.S. soccer system (he's been known to train with the L.A. Galaxy from time to time). He was perfect.

But oh well, US Soccer will have to put up with Bob Bradley for the next 6 months...don't get me wrong, he'll probably be a great coach (he has had more wins than any other MLS coach), and probably won't be as much of an ASS as Bruce Arena, but he's no Pekerman or Klinsmann...

EDIT: and the rumours of the reason Klinsmann didn't get the job simply being that U.S. soccer is sponsered by Nike while Klinsmann has a contract with Adidas...That juts fuckign PISSES ME OFF JHDASKJSDHJKASDHKJSDHJKHJKSDHJKHjk

Update on life...

School has been tough...I hope I don't fuck up too much...in fact, I hope I don't fuck up at all! Other than that, school has been a lot of fun though.

I just won the TSPO single "Senjyoni Sasageru Melody," which was the first single that TSPO's current drummer, Kin-ichi Motegi, recorded w/ TSPO. The single is also suppose to be dedicated to the memory of TSPO's original drummer, Tatsuyuki Aoki. The first track is suppose to be pretty haunting.

I'm currently playing FFXII...it's been too long since the last offline FF came out (FFX which was released pretty early in the PS2's lifespan, IIRC), and right now, it's pretty addictive.

Check out this podcast episode!

Dao''s podcast


Ska, rocksteady, reggae, and anything else I damn choose!


Episode 19: Something New Under the Sun!






Enjoy! -- Brian Dao

Westbound Train - Transitions

When people are talking about ska...and they're talking about Boston, one of two bands come to mind...first, are of course, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, forefathers of the ska-punk generation. The second band is Big D & The Kids Table. But hey, the Bosstones are unfortunately not around anymore and Big D are a perfect example of a "punk band with horns." The band that people should rightly be thinking of when it comes to Boston and Ska...is Westbound Train.

The band started in 2001, and since then, they have worked relentlessly, doing constant touring with all kinds of bands, and somehow found the time to record two albums. Finally, HellCat Records noticed them, and they were able join the HellCat crew and release their third album..."Transitions"

And the title of their album is a perfect one...what a transition they've made since their first album "Searching for a Melody"!

Perhaps it is because they've recorded and produced the album in the area with arguably the best scene in the U.S. (the L.A./Southern California scene), but once you pop in the album you can definately hear how the Westbound Train sound has evolved...tight ska, groovy reggae, and bouncy rocksteady all heavily laced with soul define this album. And the fact this album sounds a lot more raw and "dirty" than their previous efforts certainly also helps make this album their best one yet.

My favorite song? I guess it'd have to be the scorching tune, "Soul Revival," or their first track, "Please Forgive Me."

Definately a contender for on my favorite albums this year!

Check out their myspace for a download of the first song off their album, "Please Forgive Me."

http://myspace.com/westboundtrain

Times like these...

I think it's times like these that really test your faith doesn't it? Not in the, "Is there really a God or not?" way, but more in practicing your faith, and being tolerant.

Review of Pama International's "Trojan Sessions"

You know, I own two Pama Internationa CDs...one is an EP called, "Too Many Freaks, Not Enough Stages," and the other one was their last album, "Float Like a Butterfly." I'll be honest, I only mildly enjoyed their EP, and didn't like "Float" at all.

Their latest album, "Trojan Sessions" is something of a peculiarity...because Trojan Records is releasing contemporary artist....so that must count for something right? I don't think I've actually seen a Trojan record that hasn't been a collection of older Jamaican music.

"Trojan Sessions" also boasts a slew of legends in the world of Jamaican music...Rico, Dennis Alcapone, Dawn Penn, Dave & Ansel Collins (of which, this is suppose to be their first recording together in awhile), Derrick Morgan, Winston Francis, and AJ Franklin. That also has to count for something.

The album starts off on a very strong note, with the first three tracks being my favorite...there's something that feels very mysterious about the first track, "Disobedient Child" (which features Rico Rodriguez), the second track, "Neither High Nor Dry" is a very very catchy track, with Dennis Alcapone chatting/toasting whatever you call it on the track. The third track, "Betterment Blues" features Dawn Penn on vocals, and is a sort of sad sounding song, especially when compared to the previous track.

After the first three however, the songs start sounding more like same old Pama songs...though with better production values. Not bad, by any means, but not that great either.

Also, I was sort of disappointed with the Dave & Ansel track...not that it was a bad track, but I think it was my own fault for expecting something like "Double Barrel" or "Monkey Spanner..." I know those days for them are long past, but still...

My final word on this album? All the tracks which has guest artists on it are great, and I wouldn't skip them. The non-guest tracks are the same old Pama International stuff, but with better production values. Still, I'd have to say this is probably their best album to date.

Hi Ho Again

What up! As you can see, I've changed one big thing about the site...before, I had a banner for my podcast, now I have an embedded player...so if you're interested in hearing what my podcast sounds like, you don't even have to visit my website, ya lazy bastards.

I'll be reviewing three albums soon...first will be OutKast's Idlewild album. I don't know how the movie is, but the new album is fucking tight. The second album will probably be, Westbound Train's Transitions, probably their best album to date...probably becaused they recorded the whole thing in the BEST coast. Final album will be the very anticipated Pama International's, Trojan Sessions....which comes out in the UK on Sept 4, but unfortunately doesn't come out till next year for the U.S....which is kinda LAME!

Chuck Wren offered me TSPO's "Just a Little Bit..." LP for 50 bucks...now to some, that might seem like an outrageous price, but given that the ebay auction was very expensive (200 dollars for the last one I saw), and that TSPO even acknowledges this as the rarest record they've ever released...I think 50 is a good deal!

Woo, I haven't update in awhile have I?

Not much up, just that school starts soon.

Lame.

You know, there's something about later Skatalites recordings (ever since their album "Return of the Big Guns"), there's been something with the way their horns sound...I mean, it sounds REALLY clean, which to me is a kinda weird sound. I can't think of any other band that uses horns that has that particular sound.

I am super excited for that new Pama International album that's coming out...not only will it be released on the legendary Trojan Records (does this mean I'll be able to find it at major retail stores that carry Trojan's stuff?), but it features a slew of famous Jamaican musicians..including the first new Dave and Ansel collobaration since the 1970s!

Speaking of Dave Barker, I need to find a way to import music from Europe, more specifically, Liquidator Music. They have a couple of stuff that I want to get my grubby hands on. Also, I need to find someplace that imports stuff by France's "The Moon Hop." They describe themselves as a "Ska, Rocksteady, Soul and SURF band" and the few stuff I've heard from them have been pretty awesome. Searching for them on Soulseek is a little tough, since Moon Hop usually gives you Derrick Morgan's song and his boxset.

Review of The Drastics - Chicago Massive

In 2005, I was blown away by a group from Chicago called the Drastics, with their release of the album, Premonition. I'll be frank, I'm not a big fan of dub at all. In fact, I tend to enjoy dub from bands that USUALLY don't do Dub (a good example of this would be the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra dub versions). But Premonition was different...it was dub, but it wasn't exactly BORING. When I first heard their track, "Wild Bunch" (featuring the ever awesome, DR. RING DING), I couldn't really stop listening to it...in fact, I probably listened to NOTHING but just that one song for at least a month...it was that good. The album went on to become one of my favorite albums of 2005.

Fast forward one year later, and here we have their second album released on Jump Up Records...titled, "Chicago Massive." It's a massive 2 CD album, with the first CD being instrumentals, and the 2nd one featuring vocals. I have to say though, I am severely disappointed.

Well, if you really love Dub, then chances are, you'll love this. This album took the more traditional rootsy dub route with a more emphasized jazz influence, as well. While the first album also followed the traditional dub "formula", there was just some magic in it that didn't make it boring. The same simply can't be said for this album, at least from my view.

The vocal tracks also disappoint greatly, mostly dancehall tracks, which is a good thing if you're into dancehall, and not so good if you're not (like me). I was disappointed that there wasn't an awesome hip hop track like that last album...10K featuring Vandell Harris (local Chicago Rapper) was one of my favorite tracks from the last album...it was just so sleek, so...hip hop, this album doesn't have much of that. Instead, there is a strong dancehall influence in the vocal tracks this time, which, again, is great, if you're into dancehall.

So to make a long story short? This is a fantastic dub album, if you're a big dub fan. The vocal tracks will also be great for dancehall fans. But me, I'm neither a major fan of dub or Dancehall, and as such, this album really disappointed me, especially when compared with "Premonition"

Review of Japa Rico - Rico Rodriguez Meets Japan

So I got this album the yesterday from YesAsia...how appropriate that it arrives the day after I saw Rico himself perform live at the Glasshouse. So here's my track by track review:

Man from Wareika - Japa-Rico Super Session. Lots and LOTS of horns...it's like a super group featuring memebrs of Miceteeth, TSPO, etc., with Rico at the helm of course. Good song.

L-O-V-E - Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Probably my FAVORITE track of the album...Rico is providing the vocals (as well as playing the instrument he's most known for), and TSPO just makes such a great backing band. Great cover of a Nat King Cole song.

Monkey Man - ??????? (I think the English equivalent of this katakana is Oreska Band or something of that nature). Might be the second worst song on the album...it's a poppy third wave ska rendition of the Maytals classic..the singer from the band is the one singing, not Rico, so its an Engrish version of the song...they remind me a lot of Yum!Yum! Orange, though I'd have to say slightly better, since RICO is playing with them, and they're covering a song I know.

Cleopatra - The Zoot 16. I don't know how I feel about this cover of the Don Drummond song...it's really weird...seems like it'd fit in a dance club...very drums and bass-ish

More - Kodama And The Dub Station Band. Rootsy reggae track. I like it, but I can't listen to it too much...though I think it's the song where Rico does the most solos.

Quando Quando - The Miceteeth. Great song, and without Miceteeth's nasal voice to lessen my enjoyment, it's up there as one of my favorite tracks off this album. This is actually a contender as far as tracks with the most Rico solos go.

Ghost Town - Tucker + Afra & Incredible Beatbox Band. This is surprise n0 1 from the album. It's like Rahzel beatboxing to the Specials' Ghost Town. I like it, it's like a hip-hop version of the song....really sick...

Rico's Mood - Tsuyoshi Kawakami & His Moodmakers. My second favorite track! It's a great song...why is it called Rico's Mood instead of Soul of Africa? I don't know, but I do know this track is a winner.

Far East - Skaymate's. My second surprise...of this album. Song was written by Rico, with lyrics written by the band, so it's basically an original...I really like it...I guess it's because the singer's voice really goes well with the song...it's a really upbeat song, I'm going to look more into this band.

First Convention - Cool Wise Men. I expected more from this group...it's not bad, it just doesn't impress me much. It's also an original, written by Cool Wise Men themselves.

Enjoy Yourself - Scoobie Do. Without a doubt, the worst track on this album...it's like a bad funk version of the song sang in crappy Engrish...I really hate this song.

Moonlight Serenade - DUBSENSEMANIA. The most boring song on this album? Yeah, probably...i guess some would like it...not me, too slow, too boring, too...I don't know, I'd say Dub, but it doesn't have the usual echos and strong focus on drums and bass, but the BORINGNESS of dub has definately carried over into this song.

Danny Boy - Jungle Roots Band. You know, this song is slow, but for some reason, it doesn't bore me like the last song. Acoustic song, with Rico singing more than playing the trombone...it's a great song, actually, kinda relaxes you.

Update on life...

he weather has been kinda weird...really hot, but not sunny....pretty humid too.

It's actually amazing how well I'm doing with summer school...I just got a 90 on my business calc test today, and I was pretty surprised about that...I have an accounting test tomorrw, so I don't know what I'm going to do about that...otherwise, I was going to go see the Aggrolites tonite @ Blue Beat lounge, but since my Accounting prof moved the test from today, of which I am equally grateful, and ungrateful for, no go !

I kinda miss home....dicking around with the homies...there's talks about a camping trip, so I might head up for that (or if it's the case of beach camping, I guess I'll meat them half way).

Haha, I'm going to see Bubba's band for the first time this Sunday...he says that their last practice was really good, but I shall be the judge of that! I'm also excited to see Rico again....The Skeletones, I'll be mildly interested in...the Untouchables, I heard that only one original member is left, and that they kinda suck now, so.......

And apparently, the Pedal Tones are playing again on the 19th...at the Chain Reaction, so that'll be interesting. Supposedly, a "super rad" special guest will be playing at that show also.

I think after I'm done with Summer School (which is only a little more than a week from today), I'm going to take music lessons...probably guitar...I'll have just have to figure a way to steal my sister's guitar down here...or I might buy one...though guitars are really expensive, I was reading up on a Rouge acoustic, that's less than 100, and is apparently, the best gutiar for beginners. It would be great to take up trumpet again, but with mr. dickwad living above me, I don't imagine I could practice trumpet so easily.

I also want to save up for a proper turntable...I want one that won't look like a freaking, "MY FIRST RECORD PLAYER" or something like that...but jeez, they're kinda pricey.

Also, after summer school has ended, I'll have to start working out...I know I've said this a million times, but fuck it, I'm keeping my word. I'm not the usual guy to worry about my weight or being fat much, but there comes a point, when enough is enough! I'll have to check out my school to see if the pool will be open for lap swimming, not just open for the public, and I wonder if the rest of the facilities operate normally...other wise, I guess I'll be looking into YMCA of 24 Hour Fitness.

My mom is coming down on Thursday, and my Uncle (from Texas) is coming on Friday...I was going to meet up with this guy (2Tone Ted) who would hook me up with this video of TSPO playing at a concert with Ska Flames, Prince Buster, and the Selecter and all that shit...and he has a lot of rare ska and reggae shit too, that I would love to check out/burn/steal. But it doesn't look like it'll be this Friday.

Oh yeah, I'm meeting up with a Study Abroad counselor for advising this Thursday also. Once I replace the big fat D- that I had in my Geology class (hopefully with a B or higher), my GPA should shoot up from a 2.9 to anywhere between 3.0 and 3.4, and that means I'll be eligble for the CSU study abroad program. I really hope I can go study in Japan, at least for one semester, perferable a whole academic year. The university that does the program with the CSU schools in general is a place called Waseda University, apparently a good school, from what I've heard. I might be able to get a double benefit going my 4th year (looks like I won't be graduating in 4 years...4.5 or 5 years is the soonest)...I might be able to find an internship in Japan, and that would help knock out the internship requierments for my International Business major.

World Cup Soccer.

goddamn, that game was close. I think the U.S. held off pretty well, considering they were reduced to 9 men...

thank you Ghana!