Mission: M.I.A.

It started out as a vague rumor on friends' wall posts, but now it's really happening: M.I.A., Soulja Boy, and Holy Fuck are scheduled to play The Newport in Columbus on May 10. That's right: I have exactly seven days left to round up at least two tickets, not to mention the numerous other folks who have mentioned they would also like to go. Tickets to the show were free, only given to Ohio State students, but have long been...well, M.I.A.

I have a feeling it's going to be a show of epic proportions, due to comments made about M.I.A.'s Coachella performance by Paper Magazine blogger J. Everette Perry (Word of Mouth): "M.I.A. sported a hot white wig as she exploded in my favorite song "Boyz" off her album Kala. All of a sudden the lights went on. Supposedly, her dancers had fake guns, and the speaker system made very realistic gunshot noises during "Paper Planes," so security wanted to be able to check things out." This sounds awesome, to say the least.

This said, the news is that a person's only hopes for getting tickets lies in either a. a sweet friend at OSU who just gives out their ticket, b. craigslist, c. the facebook marketplace, or d. possible radio giveaways? Who knows.

All I know is I want to be there.

M.I.A.- "Paper Planes"

Live Blogging: Southeast Engine at Donkey Coffee, Athens, OH

Tonight Southeast Engine takes a low-key approach to their usual rock-n-roll set, what they've coined "Southeast Engine acoustic set" at Donkey Coffee.

Adam Remnant starts out with two heart-warming folk tunes that are indeed toned down but full of emotions and intensity, with lyrics that also nostalgically reflect on Appalachia. Adam invites fellow band members Leo Deluca, Jesse Remnant, and Michael Lachman to join him on the stage and the band goes off on an old favorite, which they comment reminds them of "Groove Shark," a blog in Florida that recently interviewed the band, and also Leo's current slang replacement for "groovy."

I was wondering what to expect when they said "acoustic," but I think the general idea is along the lines of more noticeable piano with the absence of regular member Adam Torres' additional guitar. I miss Torres' smile, but Michael's switch over to "strings" on his keys seems to be an homage to his friend. The song is beautiful as well, said by the band to be one they haven't played in ages (note to self: get albums before Coming to Terms with Gravity). Whatever it is, the Remnant brothers are doing an exceptional job on the harmonies tonight, with Leo joining in on the end. These particular "oos" seem to be an early album precursor to anthem-like songs the band released recently on A Wheel Within a Wheel, which got some welcomed positive acknowledgements from Pitchfork yesterday.

The set also includes ballad-style versions of songs from old and new albums with Adam's voice vibrating through the coffee shop, where people were comfortably seated with most of the lights turned off. This is sure to be a contrast to tomorrow night's show at Casa Nueva at 10p.m., also in Athens. This will prove to be an interesting feat for bassist Jesse, who will play a solo show at Donkey beforehand at 9p.m. The boys seem to be in good shape with tonight's warm up performance. Stay tuned tomorrow night for a full recounting of what it means to go to a "non-acoustic" Southeast Engine set.

Till then, check out this video of SE Engine preparing for the 2008 SXSW:

Who is MGMT?

It's a good question, and I was glad that the pop-tronic band had the audacity to title their Web site whoismgmt.com. Really, when it comes to making your site name, decisions can be difficult. They couldn't just do mgmt.com because it's some sort of server index. That's the trouble also with making band names these days. Not only do musicians have to take into consideration capturing their sound, scene, and stance as human beings in one phrase, now it has to be marketable via search terms. One has to wonder if new groups check out google hits of possible names before selecting the right title for them, just so they know what their site options are.

Anyways. I was in fact wondering who is MGMT the other day while driving through Columbus. CD101 decided to break from their traditional pop vs. Jane's Addiction repertoire to provide the little gem of a song "Time to Pretend" by none other than MGMT. The DJ made some sort of comment about it being "pop music that's actually good for once." I'm not so sure I would label it pop music exclusively, although it is rather catchy in a way that makes you want to listen to it over and over again. If you're looking for bubble gum pop, this is not your ticket. If you want something different yet radio-friendly, the fellas in MGMT are your guys.

I quickly switched over from radio to iPod, remembering the album was buried in there somewhere. The second track, "Weekend Wars," is one that I keep skipping, in spite of my preference to listen to an album from beginning to end. "The Youth" makes up for it, providing a positive reflection of modern-day youth. "No, they're not all lazy, give them a chance," MGMT seems to proclaim. The optimism continues into "Electric Feet" and "Kids," which have the ability to inspire even the most cautious of the growing up youthlings to do at least a bit of shoulder bouncing while driving around with an iPod bumping. The album finishes with "Future Reflections," a conundrum in itself, much like the life of the 20-somethings MGMT most closely relates to.

Altogether, Oraculat Spectacular provides a new perspective on the notion of who the youngins are today, as well as a unique perspective about who they want to/will be in the next few years. While the themes imply uncertainty, the music promises to be the rock of changing hipsters and pop-phenes alike.

MGMT-"Kids"

Welcome to my very alive musical life.

I've been meaning to do this for awhile. What is "this?" Well, this is a journey, a sort of documentation, of music in my life. At 21 years old I've incorporated music into just about every facet of my life- I listen to it when I cook, I fall asleep to it, I do it in my free time, I think and write about it for my (developing) career. Most importantly I'm constantly talking about music and discovering new topics of interest, and I think "this" is a lovely forum for sharing all of my music news with the world.

I've realized that not only do I enjoy badgering my friends and random strangers with my music news- most people actually enjoy hearing about it. Well, friends and non-friends, here it is! Your connection to the inner workings of my music knowledge...it's kind of an overflowing mess sometimes, while other times I have a clear shot of only one band or sound that I focus on for ridiculously long or short periods of time.

Disclaimer: I go to shows. A lot. I also get new albums constantly. I REALLY enjoy people passing on names of new groups for me to check out, so feel free to comment on my opinions, leave your own, and definitely to give me suggestions for things you think I would enjoy...or even hate. My motto in music is that I'll listen to anything once.