Andrew Wirtanen » Music

Chatroulette Improv

Andrew Wirtanen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:30:47 +0000

Ben Folds is playing with the NC Symphony this week, and I just ran into a fun video from March 20th of Ben having fun with Chatroulette in Charlotte (I love the irony):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chatroulette is a very simple site that sets you up in a webcam chat with a random stranger. The site was created by a high school student in Russia and was launched in November 2009. It only took off recently, and on March 11th the first piano improv video was posted by Merton. The video has since gotten over 3 million views on YouTube and Ben Folds took notice, probably because a lot of people thought Merton was Ben Folds. Here’s the original video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chatroulette brings me back to the early days of the Internet when a lot of simple sites existed. You could have your own web page on Geocities and live virtually in a community with neighbors. AOL and Yahoo Chat were both pretty big, and it was fun to talk to people around the world. It’s nice to have a website that makes the Internet personal again. I feel like so often I’m using the Internet, not signed on to chat, and not talking (or twittering) to anyone in particular.

Free music roundup… what you do when you can’t afford The Beatles box set

Andrew Wirtanen — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:50:09 +0000

While we all save up for The Beatles box set, here are some of my latest free music discoveries:

The Beach Boys – rehearsals from 1967
There’s nothing quite like listening to The Beach Boys while summer comes to an end. These precious recordings are only available for download until September 16th, so grab them now.
Noise Addict – it was never about the audience
I’ve only recently come to appreciate the rich history of Noise Addict, which started in 1992 when the band members were barely teenagers. Their previous album was released in 1995, and this free album may mark a new incarnation of the band.
Doublecheck Your Head
Max Tannone created an all-Beastie Boys mashup LP. Earlier this year, he created a Jay-Z/Radiohead LP called Jaydiohead under his former moniker Minty Fresh Beats; it’s also a free download.
Various Artists – Weezer – The 8-Bit Album
This has been out for a little while now, but I really enjoyed this unique tribute to Weezer. It’s great to listen to while getting some work done in the office.

Mates of State – “Get Better” (Music Video)

Andrew Wirtanen — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:38:41 +0000

The indie rock duo Mates of State just released another new record: Re-Arrange Us. Along with the new Girl Talk, it’s one of my favorite albums this year. The Kansas duo relaxed their sound a little bit this time around. They aren’t as powerful as before, but tracks like “Get Better”, “Now”, “The Re-arranger” and “Help Help” all match the tempo that I am used to. It’s a good record, just slightly different than the other four albums. Check out the video for “Get Better”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Blame It on the Rain (Delay)” by Papelbon and Delcarmen

Andrew Wirtanen — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:44:16 +0000

If you need another reason to love the Red Sox, here it is:
The Red Sox premiered a remix of Milli Vanilli’s “Blame It on the Rain” on the JumboTron during the rain delay on June 20th. The video features Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, and Wally lip-synching to the late 80s hit. Milli Vanilli, of course, were two of the most famous lip-synchers in music history.

Here’s a video from NESN (hopefully MLB will not take it down from YouTube):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Girl Talk – Feed the Animals

Andrew Wirtanen — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:58:48 +0000

This week has been amazing. The Celtics won it all, UPA 2008 was a lot of fun, and the new Girl Talk album was finally released!

Stop what you’re doing right now and download Feed the Animals. It’s free (pay what you want). A $10 donation gets you a physical CD along with the download. I haven’t even listened to the whole album yet, but it is going to be the album of the summer (and probably next summer too).

I’ve been listening to Night Ripper (2006) for the past two years, probably at least every other week. DJ Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) is mashup genius and he mixes current hit songs with pop classics. It’s unbelievable. Have a look at the song list on Wikipedia if you have any doubts. Oh, and don’t bother getting any of his records before Night Ripper. He was still apparently crafting his art on those records.

Ludo – “Love Me Dead” (Music Video)

Andrew Wirtanen — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:28:07 +0000

Ever wonder what happens to high school or college drama club members? Most probably transition into corporate America, but apparently one leaked out into a power pop band from St. Louis called Ludo. I am a little late on this bandwagon, but here’s their single from their latest album You’re Awful, I Love You:

“Love Me Dead”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Apparently the band also made another a series of videos for this song while brushing their teeth…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mates of State – “Like u Crazy” Music Video

Andrew Wirtanen — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:12:07 +0000

One of the albums that got lost in the shuffle for me last year was Mates of State‘s Bring it Back. Fortunately, NPR reminded me about their latest album by including them on the This American Life tour and the latest episode of the podcast.

Here’s the music video for one of my favorite songs, “Like u Crazy”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Format – “Dog Problems” Music Video

Andrew Wirtanen — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 21:08:37 +0000

Near the top of my favorite albums in 2006 is Dog Problems by Arizona’s The Format. A few weeks ago, Nettwerk Music Group posted their video on YouTube, and it is probably one of my favorite music videos of the year too (next to Weird Al’s “White and Nerdy” of course).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some of my other favorite records released this year are The Decemberists’ The Crane Wife, The Pipettes’ We are the Pipettes, Girl Talk’s Night Ripper, and Camera Obscura’s Let’s Get Out of This Country.

Indie Rock Cover of Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack”

Andrew Wirtanen — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 02:45:38 +0000

In a strange, yet incredibly gutsy career move, Canadian indie rockers Rock Plaza Central have covered Justin Timberlake. The band came into focus after a series of good reviews by elitist online music site Pitchfork Media. Their cover of “SexyBack” is currently available for free download on Pitchfork.

read more | digg story

Harris – “Carousel” Music Video

Andrew Wirtanen — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:22:46 +0000

One of my favorite bands from Boston is Harris. The lead singer, Mike Nastri, and his brother Matt both went to my high school. The band is currently competing on the YouTube Underground Contest with their new video for their song “Carousel.” It’s a very creative video and a good song. Vote for it here!

Click here to view the embedded video.