The crowd literally shakes when these guys start it off with “Bombtrack”! Cannot wait.

Look at that crazy that tried to jump the gap! That security guard gets a few punches in if you notice.

Imagine this at night too, since they will obviously be finishing a day off!

This video just kicks ass, whether you enjoy “very sexy girls who can dance for real” or electronic bears singing “ooo girl!”

I love the fairy theme to this. I always imagined “Electric Feel” would be something Ferngully characters would dance (or sing) to!

Woah.

Pretty sweet actually. Kinda Queen, but pretty sweet.

Label: Destree Records
Release Date: 6 May 2008

Every once in awhile an album comes along that truly shakes up the world: Pet Sounds, Abbey Road, Born to Run, Straight Outta Compton, OK Computer, and now… Turning Point by Steve Plock.

The first Chart Topping All Percussion album of all time!

I suppose the only person capable of making Feist any cooler is The Colbert Report Anchor himself. Feist appeared on the show and gave Stephen a little treat!

Here she is performing an acoustic “I Feel It All”:

Let’s face the music folks: it’s a jungle out there. No, that is not a reference to the Canopy’s wall murals. Surviving concerts and bar shows is a serious subject and must be addressed!

The CU Jungle is a diverse environment, full of many different species of dangerous flora and fauna. In this trusty Field Guide (You are encouraged to print and keep with you at all times) I will list the most common and uncommon threats to having a great music experience in Champaign - Urbana.

Threat: The Gabby Girl [Gabbicus Bitchius]
Related Fauna: The Rude Dude [Broicus Drunkien]

Description: While most shows that include a bar area are always going to have people talking amongst themselves, just enjoying the atmosphere, sometimes a few clueless patrons make their way over to the crowd trying to enjoy the music. This is especially annoying when the band playing is rarely seen in the area. The offenders will most likely talk to their friends about unrelated issues while still trying their hardest to “look scene” and be musically in touch. They are oblivious to the angry looks and disgusted faces directed their way.

Survival Tip: I have seen this tactic done to perfection by my friend Brian, but I only recommend its use if you are extremely confident and have lots of experience belittling others. If the offender continues to talk over the music, simply begin a conversation right behind them that mirrors their convo perfectly. Talk much louder and try to imitate their mannerisms as much as possible. They will eventually catch on that you are making fun of them and realize that negative attention is being brought their way. If the offender continues, it is time to get personal. Let them know they are rudely interrupting everyone else’s experience and are not welcome. This is easily done with a scathing comment such as “Why don’t you take your talk show somewhere else, Ricki Lake!” That particular comment worked well when used against a woman dressed in 1997 attire in the summer of 2007.

Threat: The Bro Pit [Moshicus Totalus]
Related Fauna: Sweaty dude dancing on you

Description: While this is pretty rare unless you are desperately hanging onto eight years ago at an LBC show, Bro pits need to be addressed. Much like quick sand in a real jungle, the bro pit can appear out of nowhere, suddenly sucking you into its beer-breath, sweaty Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirt depths! Once inside the pit there is little chance for escape, so patrons of Bro Rock or intense Jam shows must be vigilant!

Survival Tip: Most Bro pits tend to form in the front and center of standing room shows. Carefully avoid this area especially if you spot Baseball caps tilted slightly askew rising above the crowd. This is a dead give-away that a bro pit is about to form! The only known cure for a bro pit is spreading a crowd rumor that Flea is bar tending at Station 211! Use this cure sparingly, as bro’s might catch on after the second or third attempt!

Threat: The Crowd Hopper [Queuenewb]
Related Fauna: Pushy front-row freaks

Description: This particular danger only appears in large, packed crowds. They will do everything they can to reach the front row, sometimes trailing five or six friends behind them. Common tactics include excuses: “My friend is up there and I really need to experience this with them!” - “I just left to go to the bathroom, I’ve been here all night!” - “Dude, I won’t stand in front of you, I’ll stand in front of that five foot girl over there!” If the Crowd Hopper cannot convince you of his legitimacy he or she will try to make friends with you until you foolishly allow them to pass. Making friends with a Crowd Hopper will never turn out well!

Survival Tip: Creating a sturdy wall of bodies using your friends can contain the Crowd Hopper. Much like the spread of communism, containment is the only option you have!

Threat: Pepper Spray Cloud [Oleoresin Capsicum]
Related Flora: Wicked farts

Description: Although rare, Pepper Spray Clouds have been known to interrupt performances and send patrons running for the exits. Since there have never been any bears present at a CU music show, any pepper spray used must be considered malicious music terrorism. Via wiki:

“Pepper spray is an inflammatory. It causes immediate closing of the eyes, difficulty breathing, runny nose, and coughing. The duration of its effects depend on the strength of the spray but the average full effect lasts around thirty to forty-five minutes, with diminished effects lasting for hours.”

Survival Tip: If someone pulls a black object from their clothes or messenger bag immediately pounce upon them and wrestle the object from their hands. If it happens to be pepper spray, give it to the nearest security guard, but if you accidentally stole someone’s make-up case or silly string (assassins!), just apologize and give it back. Via Wiki:

“Though there is no way of completely neutralizing pepper spray, its effect can be minimized or stopped. Capsaicin is not soluble in water, and even large volumes of water will not wash it off. Victims should be encouraged to blink vigorously in order to encourage tears, which will help flush the irritant from the eyes. The spray can be washed off the face using soap, shampoo, dish washing detergent, or other detergents. Any cooling like ice, cold water, cold surface, or a fan will provide some relief. Milk has been shown to provide some relief and is frequently recommended for treatment of natural capsaicin exposure (chile peppers, hot sauces, spices). To avoid rubbing the spray into the skin, thereby prolonging the burning sensation, and in order to not spread the compound to other parts of the body, victims should try to avoid touching affected areas. Application of oils, or oil containing creams can trap the capsaicin to the skin and result in severer chemical burns and blistering.”

I’ve tried the milk thing after eating a Jalapeno pepper whole. It works really well, but I’m not sure how much good it would do when confronted with an aerosol agent.

All joking aside, whoever uses Pepper Spray at a public event should seriously rethink their actions. People can be seriously injured or even killed in a stampede like the E3 disaster in Chicago.

Survival Guide Caveat: There are many other dangers out there! This guide must be constantly updated and can by no means be used as a comprehensive solution to the CU jungle!

On a rare romp through Buzz weekly I came upon one of the funniest articles I have read in a long time. Brian McGovern’s Spin It Round, Flip It and Reverse It column is excused this week from having a ridiculously long and confusing name. He interviews The Man Called Johnny Normy and what ensues is without a doubt exactly what is great and what is horrible about every artist interview you have ever read.

Mascara wearing Vamp by night… Shirtless Masochist by day!

Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars has for once knocked out a fan with a performance instead of his effeminate beauty. Story courtesy of stereogum.

They aren’t allowing the embedding of this video probably to save server overload. Here is the link.

I love the sound of the “thud” clearly audible over that terrible music. Hopefully it knocked some sense into that fan that results in a better taste in bands.

Kanye would be so lucky…

Even though Feist lost out to a crack smoking whore at the Grammy awards (big deal right? she will win at the Juno’s eh) she did get a photo op with the man that managed to make Daft Punk look a little less cool, Kanye West.

You may have seen a post from Live Transmission about the new Feist “I Feel it All” Video. Here it is again for your embedded pleasure:

Kanye has a new video out also. “Flashing Lights” is definitely the best song from Graduation:

For those of you who don’t know about Kanye West’s blog KanyeUniverseCity, you are about to find out it is well worth checking every couple of days.

Apparently Def Jam’s family of lovable producers and artists spend most of their time playing a childhood favorite, Connect Four. Kanye claims to be one of the best, but admits that the true champion is Beyoncé Knowles.

Beyoncé loses to Mr.West only once!

When I was in Europe I would play this game for hours and hours… it helped me zone out. Everybody would get envolved… Derrick Dudley (Common’s manager) and Consequence were the best other than me… I beat Lexi… Don C beat Jay… Tony Williams beat Common… but every now and then people would speak of this legendary connect 4 champion……….. BEYONCE!!! I had 2 play her!…so last night at Jay’s new 40/40 club in Las Vegas (which is sidebar, crazy big w/ 24krt gold flooring, Black Jack tables, $500 slot machines,the biggest projection screen in the universe and the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had in my life) she beat me 9 times in a row! (and I didn’t even spaz lol) here’s a photo of the only game I won!

Here is the full post with more pics of the game.