2/28/09: Journey, Here I Come!

I know I don’t write often on this site. And if I have, it’s been only music-related (I can’t help it if I love music). But I’ve been starting to collect my thoughts and opinions, and soon enough will post these up ASAP.

My day, today, started off with the sound of my phone alarm going off. For some reason, my phone alarm always wakes me up but my clock radio alarm never does. I know for a fact that the clock alarm is much louder. If the night before, for some reason, I don’t put my cell phone on the charger, all I’ll have is the clock radio to try to wake me up. It sucks. I think I’ve missed way too many classes because I haven’t been able to wake up.

Anyways, I woke up bright and early to the sound of my phone alarm.

8:00AM.

I wondered, “It’s Saturday! Why do I have to get up this early? I work at 2pm.” I just layed there in bed, almost returning to dreamland, and realized…JOURNEY TICKETS! I almost forgot that Journey tickets were to go on sale at 9AM for the March 25th show they just added. Knowing that the first show was sold out in a matter of two hours, I decided to try my luck getting tickets on the Ticketmaster website. No way was I going to stand in a long line at the Blaisedell Box Office for hours in this cold weather Hawaii has been having. I get enough of that just living in Wahiawa.

8:15AM: I get up, turn on the laptop and bring up the ticketmaster website. Not just one window, but eight different windows of the Ticketmaster website. I’ve almost become an expert on buying tickets online. Matt Costa, Kanye, Blue Scholars, etc. I’ve always had my strategy.

8:25AM: With time to spare, I decide to check the Yahoo fantasy basketball league I’m in. “Dang I’m in 9th place!” Weaksauce. Random YouTube watching, facebook chatting, and more random music blurbs to post on this site.

8:50AM:  A nice cup of hot chocolate in hand and constant refreshing of each window. Listening to A.G. “Hip-Hop Quotables”. Dang, I miss J-Dilla beats.

9AM finally comes through. I try to purchase 4 tickets. $75/each. I’m able to get riser seats on the left side of the stage. I click on continuing to purchase…

“There was a problem…” appears on the screen.

NO! *snaps finger in the air ala @jdomingo*

After twenty minutes of being denied, I finally was able to get tickets.

SECTION 8/ ROW K/ SEATS 1-4.

I will be going with some of my friends, so this should be a fun night. I’m pretty stoked.

March 25th SONNN.

“You Know What I’m Sayin’?”

Wow, K-Mart. I think you said “You know what I’m sayin’?” like 15 times in under a minute.

I don’t know if I should take it as a lost art form or just a speech impediment. Maybe the latter?

-STAN

Ohhh Snap! 73 is back!

“Parachute Panador” from Prefuse 73’s forthcoming album Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian, dropping April 14th 2009.

Prefuse always drops the ill sonic aesthetic sounding stuff. Don’t sleep.

-STAN

Nicolay’s Lecture @ Red Bull Music Academy (Barcelona, Spain)

Nicolay @ Red Bull Music Academy

Learned a lot from watchin’ this. Big ups Nicolay!

-STAN

GP & C-Webb Are Fools!

Oh mannn!  This is pretty damn hilarious.

I fell off my chair seeing the part with Shaq poppin’.

Gotta love NBATV on Tuesday nights.

They didn’t win a ring, but these two dudes are awesome as NBA analysts.

-STAN

I Love ShinSight Trio!

I don’t know where this video was taken but they rock hard.

I love ShinSight Trio! Insight is one of the most slept on emcees, Shin-ski on the MPC with dope boom-bap production and DJ RYOW on the cuts.

Another group that needs to rock it in Hawaii. I don’t care where. Maybe a cramped room? I’d love to see these dudes live.

“Early Dazy Amazement” is the joint!

-STAN

Braille + Symbolyc One = CloudNineteen

I’m super excited for the release of this album, CloudNineteen, next Tuesday.

Braille + S1 = Raw Music!

I’ve loved Braille’s albums and loved S1’s beats. So bringing these two together for a full-length album brings a smile to my face. They first collaborated on the song “Blessed Man” from Braille’s last album. During 2008 they stayed in touch and slowly started kicking around ideas of doing a full record together. 5 months of creation between the two, and we are blessed with CloudNineteen. Rather than waiting around (for God knows what?), they decided on releasing the album as soon as it was completed. Featured on the album are Shawn Lee (Ubiquity Records), Tony Cook (drummer from the JBs – James Brown band), Rob Swift, Vursatyl (of the Lifesavas), Lightheaded, Ragen Fykes, Strange Fruit Project, DJ Idull and Theory Hazit. They plan to tour together in 2009 to promote the album. Can we get a show in Hawaii, pleaseeee?!

Be on the look out for this next Tuesday. Probably got to order it online or pay a little more for a copy at Borders or something.

Braille speaks up about his collaboration with S1 & their new album CloudNineteen

-STAN

Oren Lavie “Her Morning Elegance” (Video)

This video is awesome! Off Oren Lavie’s latest album, The Opposite Side of the Sea. Get it! This video superbly made and the song is beautiful. Wonderful melodies and lyrics.

I especially love the part in the video where she falls and swims underwater. So dope! Stop motion animation FTW!

It ain’t all about Hip-Hop. Appreciate good music!

-STAN

Exile & DJ Day is bananas!

Exile ft. DJ Day Practice Session Video.

Provided by Rappers I Know. FWMJ is on it. Thanks man.

This stuff is banana. Totally chopping D-Train’s “You’re The One For Me”, a funk classic.

Exile "Radio"

Get Exile’s new instrumental album Radio, which is being released today.

Such a dope beatmaker. Haven’t heard much about DJ Day but I will look for more about him.

-STAN

The Foreign Exchange “Nic’s Groove” (Live)

FE’s “Nic’s Groove” (Live  @ Sugar Hill, Atlanta, Georgia)

The Foreign Exchange needs to come to Hawaii!

Please Phonte & Nicolay. D-Brock, Yahzarah, Median, Musinah, etc. All y’all. We need good shows out here.

Let’s make it happen, Hawaii.

-STAN