In what is being heralded as the "first ever interactive music video" Canadian rapper Aspektz and his label are presenting as a unique marketing tool - an interactive music video that allows viewers to direct the entire music video using technology that enables one to control where the camera moves. This interactive technology is created by a 360-degree lens and is part of the AP360 campaign.

This  campaign is reportedly the first ever interactive series of music videos to be unveiled by and financed by Virgin CEO Richard Branson (pictured here with the Toronto rapper). The goal of this the Triple A interactive video style is to capitalize on short attention span, tech savvy, digital age music fans who might be drawn in by the opportunity to play (and replay - hence get hooked on the music) the video as they "direct" it from all the different camera angles available. According to his rep Aspektz will be unleashing 360-degree viral videos as selected by the fans via  Twitter, his Facebook fan page and email feedback.

Here’s a new feature where every so often I’ll pick out my favorite used LPs from recent finds. It should go without saying I got all of these for like, an average of five bucks a piece. So here it goes.
 
OMD – Dazzle Ships (link to original issue CD)
 
I always liked OMD enough for their singles, especially “Enola Gay,” but I never really delved into their albums until this one, a mini masterpiece of whirring industrial synthesizers and indelible pop melodies. Some of OMD’s catchiest songs (“Genetic Engineering,” “Telegraph”) are interrupted by bits of shortwave broadcast played over oceanic synthesizers that lend the whole thing an eerie ambiance. It feels like listening to the radio on a submarine. There’s also a young band called Dazzle Ships; they’re really cool too.
 





The Beach Boys – Sunflower (new LP)
 
Sunflower is maybe the last classic the Beach Boys made and is all the more ripe for rediscovering because its songs haven’t been played to death (it wasn’t a hit in the U.S.) and its tastefully layered production sounds great today on harmony-driven songs like “Forever” and “Cool, Cool Water,” fun ’70s rocker “Slip on Through” and, especially, “All I Wanna Do,” which may have helped invent shoegaze.
 

One of my greatest joys when I was picked to write a blog for Amoeba was that I was able to write about music that I truly loved. It was within my first few blogs that I wrote about my love for the music of Luis Alberto Spinetta. Sadly, Spinetta passed away today. A few months back he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died with pulmonary cancer complications. He had just turned 62.

My love for Spinetta’s music grew with my relationships with customers and some fellow employees who encouraged me to delve deeper into his music. Once I did, I found myself doing the same with others. Although a legend in Argentina and for that matter, with most Latin American rockers, he was still a bit of an unknown in mainstream society. I often wondered why other Latin American rock & psychedelic artists got more hipster cred when Spinetta’s volume of work was far superior to others.

His early groups, Almendra, Pescado Rabioso, Invisible and Spinetta Jade where some of the best rock, psyche, progressive rock and folk ever to come out of Latin America. As a solo artist, he released over twenty albums, all of them relevant to the time it was released. To be fair, not all of the solo albums were great but he never wallowed in nostalgia. He attempted to be contemporary without sounding like a dinosaur. If anything, sometimes he was too far ahead of the pack and people needed time to catch up to him.

As a well-read musician, his lyrics were both profound and abstract. I imagine even the most literary Spanish language types needed time to stop and analyze his lyrics. He was inspired by the works of Arthur Rimbaud, Carl Jung, Freud, Nietzsche, Carlos Castaneda and Antonin Artaud, which inspired his greatest album in my opinion, Artaud. Fellow music enthusiast, Gustavo Delanuca, described Spinetta as, “Hip, ahead of his time and never an old man trying be young”

       

This morning Metallica announced that they will throwing a two-day Metalica headlined festival titled Orion Music + More in Atlantic City NJ this summer when, joined by approx two dozen of their favorite artists, they will play their self titled 1991 album, better known as the Black Album in its entirety. Joining them in this festival, planned for June 23rd and 24th in the New Jersey seaside casino/resort town at an abandoned airport space, will be such acts as Modest Mouse, Arctic Monkeys, Gary Clark Jr. Avenged Sevenfold, Fucked Up, The Gaslight Anthem, Roky Erickson, Cage The Elephant, Best Coast, Hot Snakes, Titus Andronicus, Lucero, The Black Angels, The Sword, A Place to Bury Strangers, and Liturgy. There will also be some non-music entertainment including several comedy acts. Above is a video containing parts of their UStream announcement of the festival from earlier today. Ticket prices range from $125 for two days general admission to $225 for the two day "Met Club Ultra Pass." For tickets, which go on sale Saturday Feb 11th, and more info, including updates on more to be announced acts, go to the OrionMusicAndMore website. Below is a live version of "Enter Sandman" from the band's Black Album from the same year it was released.

Today's "it" girl, Ms. Lana Del Rey, performed on Tuesday evening at Amoeba Hollywood to a packed house of excited fans who had been waiting for hours to see her.

Lana Del Rey soundcheck

Lana Del Rey Born To Die Interscope

Earlier in the afternoon, Lana Del Rey jumped on stage to do a quick soundcheck. She seemed relaxed and happy in her jeans and Ferrari team racing jacket as she dipped in and out of a few songs from her new album, Born To Die. Her voice sounded crystal clear and stopped some shoppers still as they looked on.

She smiled and joked with a few fans from the stage, and once she was done with the soundcheck, she spontaneously jumped down to talk to a small crowd of fans which had gathered. They were thrilled of course, and she chatted with them for a few minutes, hugged them and took pictures before she slid out to the Green Room to get ready for the show. 

The February auction at Amoeba Hollywood was a great success and helped raise a lot of money for The Pepper Foundation, a non-profit animal rescue organization that rescues mostly special needs and senior animals from high kill shelters and gets the animals rehabilitated and adopted into loving homes. 

The auciton was hosted by first-time-on-the-Amoeba-soundboard-stage auctioneer Jason Boggs!  Jason quickly garnered a small crowd who were entranced by his warmth and smile (and the wry inside jokes). The Pepper Foundation brought in a tiny crooked-jawed chihuahua which made the whole thing even MORE worthwhile when the bidding started.

Here are some of the highlights:

Smashing Pumpkins 7" Box and photos $10.00
Roger Corman DVD package $20.00
KISS collectible pack $20.00
Trader Joe's Gift Certificate and I Dream of Jeannie Lunchbox $55.00
Lauryn Hill Tickets $70.00 !!
Ozzy Color Litho thingy $25.00
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Signed Book and Poster $25.00
Laemmle Movie Passes $50.00 !!
Bob Marley Package $15.00
Record Store Day 45 Pack $40.00
CocoRosie Tickets $35.00 (after a furious 3-way bidding war.....)
Madonna Ray of Light Promo 
Henna Tattoo Kit with Lady Gaga Discoball Keychain $20.00

All together, we raised $340 during the auction, but more than a few people kicked in EXTRA cash above and beyond their bids, so the total raised on Saturday was $380. With our matching dollar for dollar, we raised a total of $760 for the special needs pups. 

As part of the celebration of 20 years of the Noise Pop Music Festival, the Noise Pop Film Series
will feature nine amazing new and essential films focused on music. Each film approaches the subject with a distinct voice and fresh perspective. With screenings at the Roxie and the Artists Television Access (ATA), each show is sure to be an event to remember. 

This year, you can check out all of the films (many featuring Q&A's with the directors and other special guests) for just $30 by getting the new Film Series Pass! It's quite a deal...just check out this schedule:

RE:GENERATION MUSIC PROJECT (Feb. 16 & Feb. 23, 8pm)
AMC LOEWS METREON 16
Five DJs turn the tables on the history of music. Follow DJ Premier, Mark Ronson, Skrillex, Pretty Lights, and The Crystal Method as they remix, recreate and re-imagine five traditional styles of music. From the classical perfection of the Berklee Symphony Orchestra to the bayou jams of New Orleans jazz, these five distinctive DJs collaborate with some of today's biggest musicians (Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Nas,Trombone Shorty and more) to discover how the musical past is influencing the future. Directed by Amir Bar-Lev, 95 minutes.


BOB AND THE MONSTER (Feb. 22, 7pm)
Q&A with Director Keirda Bahruth & Producer Rick Ballard after the screening
ATA
Bob and the Monster is about a guy everybody wanted to be around until he became the guy everybody assumed had died. In the 1980s, Bob Forrest’s band, Thelonious Monster, was at the center of a music scene that included the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction. The band’s raw sound, wild shows and deeply personal lyrics appealed directly to the young Los Angeles punk crowd. So did the drugs. Bob and the Monster transcends the stereotype of heroin addicted rock star and reveals a more personal message. Bob’s story is a living testament to the heights of human courage and the ability to shape your own destiny. Directed by Keirda Bahruth, 85 minutes.

As he did for the NAMM 2010 & NAMM 2011 conventions in SoCal, once again my man Shing02 has filed a report on the this year's annual NAMM 2012 convention exclusively for the Amoeblog.  The renowned Japanese producer/emcee/multi-instrumentalist/all round hella great guy headed to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA music gear/tech convention a couple of weekends ago (January 19th - 22nd, 2012) to file this report (video above, text & photos below) with help from host Yamato Kaneko in which they visit DJ TechTools, STOKYO, Teenage Engineering, Vestax, AKAI, Tiptop Audio, McDSP, KORG, KDJ-One, RANE, Emulator, SlipmatsOnline.com, Vintage Vibe, NORD, Slaperoo and some other booths too. Thanks Shing02!


The annual NAMM convention in Anaheim showcases a convention center full of eye-candy for the gear geeks, and 2012 proved no different. Although the music and recording industry seem to be stuck in an age of meticulously fine-tuning software with no big leaps in ideas and technology, some brands still managed to stand out. My personal favorite was the OP-1 synthesizer by Teenage Engineering from Sweden, which was introduced last year at NAMM, but came back stronger with upgrades. In essence, OP-1 is a synth / drum machine that feels more like an old-school game than a modern machine, which creates a fun learning curve to create unique grooves. (It actually has a game-mode built into it!)

Once a month, Los Angeles's Natural History Museum stays open late and features live music, exciting scientific discussion, and behind-the-scenes curatorial tours as part of the First Fridays program. Amoeba is excited to sponsor this fabulous series of live music, discussion, concessions, tours, DJs, and more.

Join us on March 2nd from 5-10pm for a live performance from Zola Jesus and EMA, KCRW DJs Anthony Valadez and Chuck P, and guest lectures from Dr. Mike Brown ("Why Pluto Had to Die") and Doug Pearlstein ("The Evolving Universe").

Find out more HERE!

Watch Zola Jesus live from Amoeba Hollywood:

EMA - California (Official Video) from Souterrain Transmissions on Vimeo.

Amoeba Music and CIIS Public Programs & Performances present An Evening with Lila Downs on February 23rd at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

UPDATE:  Tickets to this performance are extremely limited. Please call City Box Office at 415.392.4400 for updates.

Thursday, February 23, 2012
8:00PM
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
$25/$45/$65/$85
Get tickets HERE or call 415.392.4400
Group discounts available for 10 or more! 

Mexican American singer and composer Lila Downs adds to her heritage original compositions fused with blues, jazz, soul, and African roots. Known for her smoky voice and magnetic performances, Downs has created one of the most singular explorations of Mexican roots music and a unique body of work.

Her musical vision is anthropological in nature, as varied as the ancient and earthy cultures that continue to nurture and inspire her. Lila often taps into the native Mesoamerican music of the Mixtec, Zapotec, Maya, and Nahuatl cultures. Embracing and highlighting indigenous origins, whether in the US or Mexico, has always been an important aspect of her music, as well as the topics of political and social justice, immigration, and transformation, all rooted in the human condition. Lila always strives to make a meaningful connection with her diverse audiences through her music and performances.

If you are looking for a tell-all autobiography about the tumultuous life of Gil Scott-Heron, chances are you are going to be disappointed by The Last Holiday: A Memoir. What Gil Scott-Heron gave us were selected memories, the ones that resonated in his mind before his death. He is a man full of inspiration and controversy, but chose to reflect on his accomplishments and share the memories of people who most inspired him most.

The autobiography jumps around in the beginning, from his tour stories from his 1980 tour with Stevie Wonder to his upbringing with his grandmother in Tennessee. Gil writes eloquently about being raised in the south and being one of the first black students to integrate into an all-white school public school. After his grandmother’s passing, he moves with his mother to New York, in which his mixture of book smarts and street smarts ends up going to a private high school mostly reserved for students of privlege. From there it covers his college days, in which he takes a leave of absence to finish his first novel, The Vulture. From there, he returns to school and starts on a path as the musician the most people know him as.

Gil never dwells too much on his accomplishments. For instance, Gil spends more time writing about his appreciation how other artists covered his songs off his excellent album, Pieces Of A Man than he does about writing the songs himself. Much praise in the book was given to the people that he felt helped him along the way, such as his family, instructors, musicians as well as guys such as Bob Thiele and Clive Davis, who both released his albums and helped make him the icon that he became.

The most praise and perhaps could have been a book on its own, was Gil’s stories about tour with Stevie Wonder in 1980. The significance of that tour was that Stevie Wonder used the tour to help spearhead the campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr. day a national holiday, with a show at the Washington Monument, the very spot were King gave his infamous, “I Have A Dream” speech. Gil admiration for Stevie, who though blind, was keen in every other sense. He was a person who could say exactly what was needed to be said and do what was needed to accomplish his goal of a Martin Luther King Day, an accomplishment that was achieved during one of the most conservative governments in U.S. history. It is also noteworthy to add that Gil was supposed to do a few selected dates on the tour, as Bob Marley was the opening act. But as it was, Bob was diagnosed with cancer and had to cancel the tour.

Super Bowl isn't the only event happening today. On a more bittersweet note around the same time as the Giants/Patriots game over in the UK is a big J Dilla fundraising tribute party - just one of numerous events scheduled this month, on both sides of the Atlantic, that will honor the greatly revered late hip-hop producer and emcee who died six years ago around this time (Feb 10th, 2006) following a battle with lupus. Fittingly money raised at the British Dilla event today, which is titled J Dilla Changed My Life and will be held at Scala in London, will be donated to both Lupus UK and the J Dilla Foundation with all the DJs performing for free to benefit both causes. Also in the house today will be Ma Dukes - the mother of the late great artist born  James Dewitt Yancey and was also known as Jay Dee (not to be confused with an early 90's European house music act of same name). For more exact details on today's London event, that will be hosted by Phat Kat, visit the official Facebook event page.

Other J Dilla tribute events this month include ones in Detroit, LA, Baltimore, San Francisco, and New York where on Feb 19th at the Brooklyn Bowl the sixth annual Donuts Are Forever celebration will start at 8pm and will feature such talents as DJ Neil Armstrong, Prince Paul, and the hip-hop group Tanya Morgan. Of this NYC accidentally annual event Derreck "Dee Phunk" Johnson,  a partner in Rare Form - the event's organizer, said, "We never went into this planning for it to be an annual series. The original Donuts Are Forever in 2007 was a commemoration of the first anniversary of his passing.  But when we witnessed the turnout, we were dumbfounded.  We were fans and we knew there were a ton of other fans out there...but just seeing the physical manifestation of that love blew us away.  And five years later...here we are on number six." Details.