February 2007
Guitar Smashing 101
Recently on a mediocre Saturday Night Live, the innovative band Arcade Fire performed two songs from their new album Neon Bible, which you can find here.
The vocalist/songwriter Win Butler strummed away on his acoustic-electric, on which he had taped the words “sak vide pa kanpe.; That phrase translates to “an empty sack cannot stand up,” which apparently is an inspirational phrase in Haitian… To my suprise, at the end of the song he smashed his guitar:
Street Sweep Contest!
So we all know that the Velvet Howler has pretty much everything you could want in an online mag.. insightful wit, celebrity bashing, bizarre current events, and hot editors…
But one area where we’re sorely lacking is fashion. Sure, we could do what other mags do and tell you what is cool based solely on our staff’s opinions, but as you might have guessed, we’re not that kind of mag. So we decided to rely on some input from our readers to get our fash on.
The Velvet Howler Supports G.I. Spears
While other mags purport themselves as being on the cutting edge of fashion, Velvet Howler makes good on its promises. We’re on the very cusp of style, and that cusp is bald as a baby’s ass.
Huskerdoo: Bonnaroo? (White Stripes Return)
So the artists for this year’s Bonnaroo festival have been announced, and I’m pretty excited about the lineup. I’ve never been to a festival before, but I’m seriously considering this one since it’s got so many great performers and my semester will be over by then. Has anyone been before? What’s the atmosphere like? Which bands look best to you? The full band listing and my picks follow after the jump.
Bush pisses off a musician! Again!
This is the face of an angry man.
Ricky Martin, the Latin singing sensation, was performing at a concert in Puerto Rico a few days ago, singing his song “Asignatura Pendiente.” There’s a line in there that basically translates to “a photo with Bush.” In a moment that was in no way an attempt to ride on international anti-Bush sentiment back into the spotlight, Ricky Martin gave the finger to the President of the United States.
Dolphins Destroying The Nation, One Fin At A Time
Dolphins.
They’re everywhere: in our tuna, on footballs, TV, videogames. It’s no surprise that they’re now taking over the last bastion of anti-dolphin defense: the Navy.
According to a recent CNN article, Dolphins may protect the nation, one fin at a time, “dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent on a mission to patrol a military base in Washington state, the U.S. Navy said Monday.” Perhaps even more startling for those not familiar with the dolphin crisis America faces, the article reveals that the Navy has been training dolphins since the 1960s as a coastal vanguard against would-be attackers. In fact, dolphins have even been used in the so-called “war on terror” to detect underwater mines in the Iraqi harbor of Umm Qasr in 2003. So the question looms, why are dolphins such a threat?
Read more on Dolphins Destroying The Nation, One Fin At A Time…
The Importance of Trainbox
If there is a terminal modus where the entire cannon of 20th century music originates it can be found in the music of Blind Trainbox Jefferson. The minimalist delta blues musician only knew one note and his speech was incomprehensible even in his day, but the expression of his music has captured the imaginations of generations.
Nino Ferrer - Oh He Hein Bon!
A little Nino Ferrer to get your weekend started. Roughly translated as “Oh, hey, huh? Yeah.”
There’s actually not any more of the article, but thanks for clicking. You get this as a present:
America Under Attack: Astronauts
Today, it seems everywhere we look we find Astronaut culture. Children eat dehydrated ice cream and play with astronaut toys. Astronaut fashion is all the rage within the youth culture, as are golf carts modified to look like rocket cars. At times it seems overwhelming. What happened to the culture we used to know?
Jobs Calls For An End to DRM
In a (not so) quietly published article posted on Apple’s website, entitled, “Thoughts on Music,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs discusses the background of iTunes’ controversial FairPlay system and fleshes out his vision for the future of DRM. It’s a really interesting piece, especially if you’re interested in intellectual property rights or corporate ideology (in this case, Apple’s). For those that want a debriefing, here’s a summary of what he said and why I think it’s so important:
Fecal Matters
I shit you not- French environmentalists have concocted a way to produce electricity from fermented poop. Cow poop in particular is the environmentalists’ anticipated source of renewable energy, taking into consideration that there are currently 20 million cows in France. It is estimated that with the number of cows in France, the amount of electricity that can come from one cow and with the amount of electricity that the French use in a year, cow poop electricity (or le biogaz) could account for a staggering 1.6% of all French electricity. Of course, biogaz can also come from the poop of other animals. What really makes le biogaz a breakthrough is that it has the potential to eliminate the need for fossil fuels (in the distant future when the process is perfected) in the production of electricity. The poop method emits no carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But how is this miracle of science possible and from what did these environmentalists get their inspiration? Well I’ll tell you!
Prince Video Roundup
Get excited about the Superbowl Halftime Show tomorrow starring the astounding artist known as Prince. He’s done teasing reporters, and it looks like the show is going to be hot. 2 get u red-dy 4 the show, I’ll use Prince speak (which is a precursor of leetspeak), & show u the artist’s greatest hits on youtube (utube?). All the videos are available after the jump. (If you watch no other videos in this set, watch the last one, it’s amazing.)
Exploring Zappa: You Are What You Is
In these segments I plan on reviewing Zappa albums for you to enjoy. I’ve always wanted to be a Zappa fan since they are usually smarmy, educated and snappy dressers. I love his debut album and “We’re Only In It For The Money”, but where to go from there?
Boston Rebuilds After Mooninite Devastation
As thousands lay dead in the city that was the birthplace of American democracy, the few survivors and relief workers left standing in the broken rubble of Boston can only clear up the rubble and bury the dead.
Rage Against the Machine Plan Sedition
Some new tongue-in-cheek news from Tom Morrello, the guitarist for the reuniting Rage Against the Machine, apparently they plan on overthrowing the Bush administration. According to Metal Hammer UK, which I read religiously for all my non-organic british isle hammer information, the band decided to reunite this year to overthrow the Bush administration.
Manos: Finger-Lick’n Good
If you have not been privileged enough to bear witness to one of film’s greatest achievements, Manos: The Hands of Fate, then you have not yet lived. Set in a barren Texan desert, this landmark horror film focuses on one family’s zany roadtrip, guided by the sweet caress of fate.