Archive for the 'video' CategoryPage 9 of 15

Throw Me The Statue Song in Urban Outfitters Commercial

With the way things are going in the music industry, artists – especially indie musicians – must get creative. Bands and brands are partnering up in all sorts of interesting new ways. With money no longer pouring in from the big labels and CD sales, more focus is being put on things like concert tickets, direct support from fans, and partnerships with brands.

Critics might say a band is selling out when they do something like partner with a brand, but I say go for it… As long as the philosophy/feel of the brand is somewhat aligned with the band and its ideals and they are ok with it, I think partnerships can be a great way for a band to gain exposure. And in many cases get paid, which in turn allows them to keep making great music. For example, commercials.

Though not their first commercial, I was pretty floored to hear Throw Me The Statue‘s song, “Lolita”, in an Urban Outfitters commercial. Urban Outfitters is big, whether you like their clothes or not. While some may balk at the band’s association with that store, others will discover TMTS for the first time by hearing their song in the commercial. For the newbies among you, check out Evolving Music’s recent interview with TMTS here.

Radiohead's "House of Cards" Video: A Reflection of Our Digital Lives

Radiohead’s “House of Cards” video was made using Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR…or as James Montgomery from MTV News put it, “it was made entirely with lasers and fractals and math and stuff”.

He also mentioned that an associate producer over at MTV news proposed that “the ‘Cards’ clip could actually be Radiohead’s loving acknowledgement to the Grid, the high-speed super-Internet currently being developed by scientists at CERN, a particle physics laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland”. How very Matrix. I like it.

For the techy, nerdy, science-y, and curious among you, go to the Google Code page and eat your heart out. You can learn about, you know, data visualization and stuff. Otherwise just watch the video:

You almost have to know the story behind the video to be impressed by it. The technology used is indeed very interesting. And very Radiohead.

In fact, when the makers of the video came across research being done at UCLA for real time 3D recording and had the idea for a video, they immediately sent a proposal to Radiohead’s management, figuring that they would be the only band willing to take that kind of a risk – making a music video without cameras. After all, Radiohead has quite firmly established itself as a pioneer in today’s music industry, has it not?

But if you blindly watch, without knowing the story behind the video, it can be a tad… simplistic. Or to quote James Montgomery once again, “a total triumph in technology, but a decidedly underwhelming experience for the viewer.” Kinda like Winamp skins a la 1999. Yet, if you put on your artistic appreciation hat and keep in mind the made-using-data aspect, it’s pretty damn cool.

To further your appreciation of the feat, watch the making of video below:

As director James Frost notes towards the end, “in a weird way [the video] is a direct reflection of where we are in society… everything is data-driven in some shape or form… our lives are digital.”

Silly Music Videos That Cheer Me Up

I’m in one of those seriously shitty moods today, but still wanted to write. Did I try to find inspiration and write about something interesting going on in the music industry, an awesome new band, or some useful music 2.0 technology? Not so much. Maybe write a snarky post bitching about something that annoys me just as a way of venting my frustration? I considered making a list of musicians that bug the crap out of me: Mariah Carey, Vanessa Carlton, Sheryl Crow…but, na.

I’m not sufficiently pissed about anything in particular (you know those days where you’re just…blah) so rather than choosing a topic and ranting less-than-passionately, I decided to try and cheer myself up.

One thing that often cheers me up is watching videos on YouTube. You know, like all those funniest cats and laughing baby videos. Not the most prudent use of one’s time to be sure, but rather effective. On that note, here are some silly music videos that always make me smile.

OK Go – “Here It Goes Again”

Liam Sullivan – “Shoes”

Feist – 1 2 3 4

Weezer + YouTube = A New Era of Collaboration

Weezer seems to be having a love affair with YouTube lately. As I was rewatching “Pork and Beans” today, I started thinking about how the video is a testament to the fact that user-generated content has become ubiquitous. Ordinary people have become viral celebrities (or ceWEBrities, as some are calling them). So much so that real celebrities are collaborating with them.

P&B was “written by Rivers Cuomo as a reaction to a meeting with Geffen where the band was told it needed to record more-commercial material. Cuomo remarked, ‘I came out of it pretty angry. But ironically, it inspired me to write another song.'” [Wikipedia] Reminds me of Sara Bareilles and her “Love Song” inspiration that we mentioned in another post

Other than being a catchy song with the “familiar, self-assured lameness” of Weezer’s glory days (as Marc Hogan of Pitchfork Media put it), the cast of the music video is peppered with many of the oddball YouTube celebrities that we love to hate/hate to love. For those of you who aren’t so addicted to YouTube that you recognize all the characters, here’s a helpful version of the video with clickable annotations.

Their making a video like this (whether it was just a fun idea or a clever viral marketing ploy) coupled with Cuomo’s mission to make a song together with YouTube users is, to me, indicative of a new era of collaboration that is rapidly gaining traction – one in which fans want to interact with their favorite artists in new ways, musicians are willing to be more accessible to their fans, and where ordinary people have many more opportunities to do creative things, share them, and possibly achieve more than just their 15 minutes of fame.

Billy Idol @ The Fillmore 6/26/08

Turns out I like love Billy Idol. Not that I ever disliked him, but I never really made it past recognizing his songs on the radio.

That all changed on Thursday.

Since I have a policy of pretty much never turning down free stuff, I jumped at the opportunity to check out Idol’s show at The Fillmore when someone offered me two free tickets, despite already having plans for the evening.

After hitting up the SF Mag Best of the Bay party at the Concourse for a bit (where there was everything from free samples from awesome restaurants, silent auctions, and a Rock Band corner to dancing, free drinks and goody bags…fun times), we cruised over to Fillmore and caught maybe the last hour of the show.

Billy Idol @ The Fillmore
(crappy iPhone photo)

I’ve only been to The Fillmore a handful of times – if I remember correctly, I’ve seen Hieroglyphics, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Reel Big Fish there – but it’s probably one of my favorite concert venues, with its unique atmosphere, chandeliers etc. The audience on Thursday seemed to be made up of primarily hardcore fans who were fist-pumping and singing along to all the songs. I actually knew most of them, so he must have been singing hit after hit.

I couldn’t help but marvel at how good he looks. Still superbly fit and incredibly energetic, Idol struck me as the ultimate performer. Whether he is truly as passionate about live shows as he was early in his career, or he is just doing his job and doing it well, the man knows how to put on a show. Steve Stevens, with his retardedly good guitar playing and silly antics was impressive as well.

Check out the review by hardrockchick for more. Great venue, great vibe, great show. Billy Idol, you can officially count me among the ranks of your fans now. Hot in the City is right!

Classic 80’s Idol video below: