San Francisco 49ers fans don't fool around when it comes to getting work done on a strict deadline in support of their beloved team. Instant proof of this lies with dedicated Niners fans/brothers Nick Tannura and Vince Tannura from San Francisco who recorded and produced their latest Niners rap video ("Niners In It") in a matter of days so as to have it done ahead of Sunday's (Feb 3rd) anticipated Super Bowl XLVII game in New Orleans against the Baltimore Ravens for which the Niners are the across-the-board favorites.

Vincent, aka rapper Don V., recorded the track "Niners In It" over a Kendrick Lamar instrumental last Thursday night and over the following couple of days did some post-production tweaking and mastering on the track. Then on Sunday last (Jan 27th) his brother, recent SF State University film school graduate / up-and-coming music video maker Nick came up with a storyboard and a list of San Francisco locations for Don V. and a group of their friends/fellow Niners fans from the Mission District (and their cool rides) to travel to and shoot some scenes at - including Kezar Stadium (former home of the 49ers), down near the Wharf (where I interviewed them), and on the Bay Bridge.  Then from Sunday night, between school work and other commitments, Nick put in as much time as possible to edit the music video to have it completed by late Tuesday night and uploaded to YouTube by early yesterday (Wednesday) morning - all in plenty of time for this Sunday's big game.

For this special edition of the New York State of Mind Amoeblog, I'm posting a series of pictures (mostly taken in recent weeks around Manhattan as well as a couple of other spots not far from Manhattan) that tell a story of what New York City has to offer. If you move your cursor over the photos most of them have some accompanying text that will identify their location or offer other related information.
 

Once again my man Hip Hop Slam correspondent Shing02 graces the Amoeblog with another in his ever informative digests in the ongoing exclusive Amoeblog reports (video above, text and pics below) from NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) - the annual DJ/producer/music-tech trade show that happens each January at the Anaheim Convention Center. This year's was held over the past week/weekend: from January 24th to 27th, 2013. Thanks to Shing02 and all of the folks he talked to for their contributions to this piece including DJ Q-bert, OP-1, Yoga Frog, DJ Platurn, DJ Quest, Mista B, DJ P-Trix, DJ A-1, Vestax Spin2, PDJ, Numark Orbit, Apogee Quartet McDSP, Stylophone, Elektron AnalogFour, Gittler Guitar, Chord Dice, Wheel Harp, and Koichi Sanchez aka Nightshift.





The NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA proved to be on par with previous years as it featured hundreds of exhibitors showcasing digital and analog instruments,    complete with colorful participants who packed the convention floor. Despite the cloudiness for most of the days, the feverishly festive mood is an annual destination for music industry heads worldwide.

It may now be eight years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast but that does not mean that Amoeba Music has in any way abandoned its continued commitment to doing its bit in the still much needed recovery and rebuilding in the area. On the contrary; we've up the ante, and so this Fat Tuesday (Feb 12th) Amoeba invites you to celebrate Mardi Gras in style with us while simultaneously helping the city of New Orleans in its long, slow uphill road to recovery and rebuilding - with a portion of proceeds from all sales at Amoeba on Fat Tuesday going directly to NOLA and benefitting Tippitina's Foundation and the New Orleans Musician's Clinic. For Fat Tuesday at Amoeba Hollywood there will be  big celebration that will include a very special performance by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (they play UCLA later that night with Allen Toussaint), DJs spinning rich diverse mixes of New Orleans music, plus another popular Line Parade (see video below of last year's Line Parade at Amoeba Hollywood). And in its continued homage to New Orleans as cultural center of American music and in helping preserve and protect its musical legacy, Amoeba.com's Vinyl Vaults now feature more than a hundred remastered rare songs (circa 1923-1932) of N.O. legend Louis Armstrong. Additionally Amoeba will exclusively be distributing six volunteer/benefit releases compiled/produced by Fabian Jolivet for The Congo Square Project Foundation with all proceeds benefiting New Orleans relief efforts.