MP3 Download: Carnage 45- Don't Phase Me

Got to show some Virginia love. Here is a new video and track from Norfolk, VA MC Carnage 45, who recently released a free album, Test of Time, which you can download by clicking here.




Download: Carnage 45- Don't Phase Me

Punch Brothers- You Are + Alex

Who knew that a small hiatus from hip hop would swerve me into the progressive bluegrass lane?

I was frightened at first. Like Pinnochio and Lampwick turning into donkeys after drinking, gambling, and smoking in Pleasure Island, I thought my debauchery back home was turning me into a flat out jug blowing (pause) redneck. Turns out that some of this stuff is just flat out good!

After a few months full of Old Crow Medicine Show, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Phish, and The Devil Makes Three, I have heard a wide range of bluegrass/alt-country music, all which led me to an amazing "prog-grass" band, Punch Brothers. Led by lead vocalist and mandolin player, Chris Tile, Punch Brothers mix fleeting bluegrass instrumentation with buttery folk vocals.

Antifogmatic, the Punch Brothers latest 10-track album (released June 15th) named after a type of 19th-century alcoholic drink that was meant as a cure for the effects of fog and other inclement weather, serves as a fantastic introduction to the band's schizophrenic style and infectious compositions. Below are just a few of my favorite tracks from the record (there are many), as well as a live performance of one of their spoon-to-knee slappers, "Rye Whiskey." The album is highly recommended.





Download: Punch Brothers- You Are


Download: Punch Brothers- Alex

Film Review: Ken Park (2002)

Plot: The film begins with the public suicide of Ken Park at a local skateboarding park. The film features four friends: Shawn, Tate, Peaches, and Claude. It covers their interactions with their families (or lack thereof), and their friends in a dysfunctional society. The film depicts controversial topics such as sexuality, sexual experimentation, incest, teenage suicide and, to a lesser extent, murder.

The title "Ken Park" does not refer to a location, but rather to a character in the film, whose death is used as a plot device at the end of the film. Although never directly stated, Ken Park appears to be set over several days, spanning Friday to Sunday. The plot of Ken Park is non-linear, and often switches between different characters over this time period.

Review: If you have seen director Larry Clark's critically acclaimed 1995 film KIDS, then you are already familiar with his raw style, lurid atmospheres, and highly provocative content.

You ain't seen nothing yet.

From scene one and on, Larry shoves small town dysfunction, violence, and adolescent sexuality so far up your throat it gets stuck inside your mind and crawls through your thoughts hours after the ending credits climb up the black. Ken Park skates through the veins of a taboo suburban world and exposes an unyielding community full of mental instability and sexual deviation. The colorless lives of the film's characters are captured perfectly by Clark's signature use of 35mm film, which gives achromatic visuals to an achromatic upbringing.

Much like KIDS, Ken Park's characters lure you in and play with your emotions; however, one character, the sociopathic demon spawn of American Psycho's Patrick Bateman, Tate, takes the entire film and flips it on its head. Despite a great performance by James Ransone, Tate's character sucks the raw reality of the film and replaces it with splashes of over the top socio-circus shock. I can believe his character, but sense Tate was taken a little too far for the sake of shock and awe.

Visually, Larry Clark (a director and photographer that Martin Scorsese admits to being influenced by) knocks it out of the skate park, but Tate's antics mixed with vividly uncomfortable "child" pornography and unnecessary cock closeups (the pissing scene with Claude's father) take away a lot of the film's power.

Great Performances From: Wade Williams (Claude's Father), Julio Oscar Mochoso (Peaches' Father) and James Ransone (Tate).

Recommended to: KIDS fans, skaters, and people that want their eyes to bug out.

Rating: 82/100

Thaione Davis- Quality Control Video

What would be one of the most overlooked records of 2009? Easy-- Thaione Davis' Still Hear; proof that  breezy jazz laced street conscious hip hop blows strongest within the alleys of Chicago, Illinois.

"Quality Control" is the second single from his upcoming album, GOODENOUGH, which I don't have the official release date for at the moment. You can purchase the Quality Control digital 12" through his bandcamp page. 

BigBuffalo Import

I decided to import an old blog I was doing before I went on a small 'internet hiatus'. BigBuffaloLarge now grazes the Whiskey Teeth fields. More downloads and stuff to click on if you're ever bored and want to reminisce.

Free Instrumental Album Download: Pig Pen- Summer State

Lincoln Park, Michigan producer, and one half of Waste Management, Pig Pen, has just released a fresh summer themed instrumental album for absolutely free on his bandcamp website. Summer State is both smooth and cozy, like a summer night's drive down the strip with smoke filled eyes and booze splashed thoughts.

Below is the link to the free download on Bandcamp, as well as two of my favorite tracks from the album.

Download: Pig Pen- The Dynasty




Download: Pig Pen- For a Friend

Video: Great Lake Swimmers- River's Edge

Great Lake Swimmers - River's Edge from Nir Ben Jacob on Vimeo.


Nir Ben Jacob adds to his already impressive portfolio with this new video for the Great Lake Swimmers' latest single, River's Edge.

Film Review: When Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)

Plot: Amy (Melinda Page Hamilton) and John (Bryce Johnson) are about to become engaged, and in deciding to be completely honest with her husband-to-be, reveals a bizarre sexual indiscretion she experienced while she was in college. All the clichés of "I feel like I can tell you anything" are about to come crashing down…

Review: Written in 3 days by screechy, spastic comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, this 2006 dark romantic comedy doesn't bother to hide its budget in anyway shape or form, but makes up for its technical flaws with a break through performances by Melinda Page Hamilton (Amy) and Jack Plotnick (Dougie), as well as a quirky, and often times endearing, script.

Since its release 4 years ago, critics have wrestled back and forth with the over the top sexual indiscretion that the lead character commits on her closest canine companion, but the outrageous act and 'what-the-fuck' humor attached to the idea never take away from the body of the film. Once you get over the initial shock, the flick's eccentric characters tackle relationship awkwardness, family, and views on morality with an odd sort of charm that will hold your attention and spark a few smiles.

Recommended to: Couples that share a dark sense of humor and guys that have been asked the infamous pre-marital question, "would you marry a girl that ______ a dog?"

Rating: 73/100

The Strangerz- Tune In & Makin' Moves

Blunted love. Two simple words that best explain the driving force of The Strangerz debut group record, 2nd to None.

Hus and Smoovth, better known as Tha Connection, combine with fellow Long Island MC Marvelous Mag to make one powerful pack of red-eyed rappers that love to roll moody jazz loops, soul hooks, and street laced vibes into one fat audible bob.

Drenched in a pool of sewer-steamed production, 2nd to None is full of sleepy street tales about lost loves, hard knocks, and hope lost and found in the streets. Marvelous Mag's versatile bag of soulful crooning and nonchalant raps gives a fresh new spike to Tha Connection's chemistry. Their best moments can be heard through tracks 1-5, before Machine Gun Funk adds turbulence to the smooth flight. The ride does smooth out again, but never quite regains the power of the first 5 cuts.

Below are two of my favorite tracks from the album, which is available now on iTunes & AccessHipHop. I also added a quick youtube stream of samples from the entire album.

Download: The Strangerz- Tune In

Download: The Strangerz- Makin' Moves

El Da Sensei & The Returners- Toxic Words ft. John Robinson and Reks

In 2008, the Polish production team known as The Returners teamed up with backpack 'artifact' El Da Sensei on an EP that took everyone by surprise, Global Takeover. The trio form like Voltron once again for the release of their full length LP, Nu World, featuring guest spots from Treach, Sean Price, Akrobatik, Reks, Tiye Phoenix, John Robinson, and more.

Much like the 2008 EP, El's chemistry with The Returners is immediately heard with face punishing throwbaps and booms and Primo-like samples. The gritty Polish noise never overpowers Da Sensei; instead, it absorbs and bows to his commanding cadence. Below is my favorite cut from the new album, which was released on June 18th on Asfalt Records. I've also added the first video from the record, "Pain."

Download: El Da Sensei & The Returners- Toxic Words ft. John Robinson and Reks

Kero One- We Stay Fly ft. Othello & DMinor

Bay Area MC/Producer/DIY connoisseur Kero One started his career on credit, but the days of making minimum monthly payments are over-- he now owns his past, present, and future.

Fresh off inking a deal with a major Asian label, receiving props from Black Eyed Peas' frontman Will.i.am, and touring with Korean supergroup Epik High, Kero One has unlocked his third solo record, Kinetic World; an album inspired by the musicians, crowds, sights, and sounds he connected with on tour. As he says in his song Time Moves Slowly, "Time is ticking, everyone is moving, things are changing, and it's this kinetic world that inspires me to write."

The bright and energetic Kinetic World features 11-tracks that were all produced by Kero One himself. Kero raps, sings, plays most of the instruments, and also adds some of the scratching heard throughout. The record also serves the listener a buffet of styles and vocals from the East, West, and Southern US, as well as Asia, featuring artists such as: Fashawn, Tablo, Myk, Dumbfoundead, Othello, DMinor, The Tones and Sam Ock.

The album was released on June 15th and can be found on iTunes, Amazon, and other online retailers. I have provided two tracks from the album below, as well as a "Making of..." video on the flip side.

Links removed upon request.

Re-Thinking Your Social Networking Strategy

I have been apart of numerous social networking discussions. Some had to do with building an online presence to gain new fans, while maintaining a close connection with your old fans as an up and coming artist, and some had to do with using social networking to build awareness for your website or product. The social networking site that gets praised the most in these discussions (other than Facebook): Twitter.

My twitter kingdom is built around independent hip hop artists, journalists, bloggers (notice how those two are separated), and like minded fans. What I've noticed over one year of using twitter is (in the independent hip hop realm), it serves best as a mass texting platform between the artist, their inner circle, and the handful of voyeurs (mostly bloggers) that wait for good posting content. Despite the obvious, I see a handful of artists relentlessly pushing their new album, news/updates, and tour dates on Twitter-- some to the point of exhaustion-- and I always wonder: are they really reaching their target fan base?

Below is a fantastic chart that shows age distribution on various social networking sites. While I haven't signed up or visited most of these, I felt that maybe this would help some re-think the platform that they spend most of their time on.

In my opinion, targeting age demographic is EXTREMELY important, especially in hip hop.

Erik L & 7even:Thirty- Future Flow ft. Hezekiah

This collaboration, this track...this is why I get sucked back into the "bottom feeding world of blogging" (that's a quote from my Grandfather). Where ya'll at?

Swedish producer Erik L teams up with one of the most overlooked and criminally slept on southern hype machines in 7even:Thirty; two forward thinking hip hop superstars that have been completely ignored by the internet (except for The Smoking Section) for no apparent reason. These two individuals have produced a few of my favorite records over the past few years (7even:Thirty's Star: The Seven Thirty Experience and basically anything Erik L touches). Get your knowledge up, fire up the downloads of their back catalogs because these two talents have the ability to make you forget that this stuff has really gotten all too mundane.

The new EP, Rhyme Travelin', is ready to be yours on iTunes today, but for now inhale the electrofunkhop vapors that are swirling from the download below. Neck brace!

Download: Erik L & 7even:Thirty- Future Flow ft. Hezekiah

For Those That Like Vodka for Breakfast...

For those that like vodka for breakfast or another way of making muslims and jews not drink? You decide.

A superior quality potato vodka with a savory bacon flavor. It's clean, crisp, and delicious. This is the only vodka you'll ever want to use to make a Bloody Mary, and it's a complementary element of both sweet and savory drinks.

We start with superior quality Northwest potatoes instead of the random mixed grains that make up most vodkas. No tinge or burn on the tongue, no obnoxious smoky or chemical flavors, just a clean refreshing potato vodka with delicious savory bacon flavor.

Pure. Refreshing. Bacon.

Ahhh, yes. Pure. Refreshing. Bacon. As my mind wanders about more liquor/food mashup possibilities, my mouth begins to ooze at the thought of a Pure. Refreshing. Shot of steak.

Some of the recipes look money, though. I'll take a Bacon Bloody Mary.

[via. bakonvodka.com]

C-Rayz Walz- Destroy Video

Mushroom induced visuals give body to "Destroy," a dope cut from C-Rayz Walz' Culture Sounds album. Directed by Nicolas Heller. That exploding eye scene deserves a round of applause.

Mental Abstrato- Ja Era Uma Vez ft. Ronaldo Camilo + Quando Ouviu O Meu Samba ft. Ohmega Watts

Producers/Jazz Aficionados Omig One & CalmãoTranquis (aka Mental Abstrato) recently released their debut record, Pure Essence (Goontrax), in the jazzy hip hop capital of the world, Tokyo, Japan. Smothered in lush jazz samples, live instrumentation and Brazilian color, this worldly introduction record captures the pure essence of jazz and its many branches.

The record features a wide array of musical additions from artists around the world: Rhymes from Ohmega Watts, ArtOfficial and Awon; Vocals from Dye, Galleila and Mimi Smooth; and Sax/Guitar work from Ronaldo Camilo and Marcelo Monteiro. A garden of noise that Mental Abstrato maintains and helps grow with their crisp composing and infectious drum breaks.

Below are two tracks from the album, which is now available on iTunes.

Download: Mental Abstrato- Ja Era Uma Vez ft. Ronaldo Camilo




Download: Mental Abstrato- Quando Ouviu O Meu Samba ft. Ohmega Watts

Film: Scorsese vs. Kubrick Tribute

Brazilian film freak Leandro Copperfield plopped down for 25 says and watched 34 full length flicks so he could create this tribute to two of the greatest directors in history-- Martin Scorsese and Stanley Kubrick. The 7+ minute video highlights some of the directors' most celebrated films, techniques, and trademarks. Watch and enjoy the styles that set the precedent.

Click the flip side for Copperfield's other tribute-- Tarantino vs. Coen Brothers, as well as the list of films used in the above video.

Dir.: Stanley Kubrick

Day of the Fight (1951)

Fear and Desire (1953)

Killer's Kiss (1955)

The Killing (1956)

Paths of Glory (1957)

Spartacus (1960)

Lolita (1962)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

The Shining (1980)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Dir.: Martin Scorsese

Mean Streets (1973)

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

Taxi Driver (1976)

New York, New York (1977)

Raging Bull (1980)

The King of Comedy (1982)

After Hours (1985)

The Color of Money (1986)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

Goodfellas (1990)

Cape Fear (1991)

The Age of Innocence (1993)

Casino (1995)

Kundun (1997)

Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

Gangs of New York (2002)

The Aviator (2004)

The Departed (2006)

Shutter Island (2010)