While compiling this edition of V.D.I.Friday Mix Tape, someone asked me a mind blowing question:
Marinate on that while you sink into this week’s Mix Tape.
And remember…with great questions come great answers.
This playlist is also available on Spotify.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome back to the most scantly clad mix tape on Hidden Track. As always, this playlist was designed to free you from the bondage of your 9 to 5 and force you into a mental leotard.
“Why a leotard” you ask? Because, VAN DAMN!! IT’S FRIDAY! And it’s your responsibility to high-kick the ever-loving shit out of this day!
My sister was once warned, “Don’t rub the lamp if you don’t want the genie to come out.” Pushing the ► button is no different.
You can also subscribe/get mobile with this playlist on Spotify.
I’d like to thank everyone that helped out making this playlist via the Spotify collaboration!
Cajun mullets and snake punching: Welcome to the Halloween V.D.I.F. Mixtape.
Today, we prove that a Halloween soundtrack doesn’t have to include Monster Mash, Thriller or the Ghost Busters Theme.
Now listen here:
You see that little man down there? The one with the adjustable wife-beater and pleated parachute pants…do you see what he is doing? He’s absolutely murdering that bamboo dance floor.
Meanwhile, look at those henchmen just loafing around all sour-pussed like it’s a 7th grade dance. You can tell it’s only a matter of minutes before the room erupts in violence as J.C.V.D. hip-thrusts his way into the hearts of those two lady lotus flowers…
But what’s important here is the soundtrack. Let’s face it; you can’t steal hearts while tripping the light fantastic without a stellar playlist. Today’s edition of the Friday Mix Tape will give you the power to roundhouse your boss in the face as you back flip out the front door and head towards the weekend. How do I know? Because, Van Damn! It’s Friday!
Today’s mix-tape was brought to you by the movie Blood Sport and the letter R.
Have you ever imagined seeing one of your favorite bands back in the day? You know, when they were playing bars and frat parties for anyone that would listen? Seeing them now, it’s hard to imagine that acts like Phish or Dave Matthews Band ever played for 50 people and a case of beer but they did – and they weren’t as polished as they are now. So when Keller Williams announced the Keller and the Keels Play Your Couch contest (in support of their album Thief), the possibility of winning was pretty damn exciting.
[Poster block hand carved by contest winner Nick Dellinger]
In a YouTube announcement last September, Keller’s daughter picked the winners name from a salad bowl. That winner turned out to be Nick Dellinger from Richmond, VA. The prize? A private 90-minute performance for Nick and 49 of his friends by Keller Williams, flat picking champion Larry Keel and his beautiful bass playing wife, Jenny Keel.
The complexities of Keller, Larry & Jenny’s schedule are neither subtle nor mutually dependent. It took about seven months for everyone to find a date that worked. Logistics, on the other hand, turned out to be pretty simple: Nick, Keller, Larry & Jenny all happen to live in Virginia. As for the “couch”, everyone lucked out because Nick happens to be a family friend of the Campbell’s, who own a farm right outside of Fredericksburg, VA (Keller’s Home). READ ON to find out how this intimate show went…
This Mix Tape isn’t like the one you made for little Mary Mooseknuckle in the 9th grade; there is no mystical common denominator that threads the songs into a existential metaphor. You want to know why this is today’s playlist? Because I want you to hear it at your desk and get fired for dancing on, singing in and fist pumping through your boss’s face.
If you can’t find something here that was meant for you, on this day…well, quit your life and start over because VAN DAMN! IT’S FRIDAY
First, I’d like to start by saying that aside from receiving Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers for Christmas in the 8th grade, I’ve never been very interested in hip-hop or rap. Rap was just never…palatable. I’ve felt pretty strongly about this until Girl Talk popularized the mashup with Feed the Animals.
When done correctly mashups create a more perfect union. They combine the poetry, flow and hooks of rap/hip-hop with the instrumental ingenuity that structures every other genre. What’s often overlooked is that this is a bootleg culture. The viral format can spread the word and make the worthy famous – just like bootlegs always have. (See: Phish, DJ Danger Mouse, Wale) Whether its a mashup, Mix Tape, rap, rock or remix, this is the next evolution in popularizing the underground.
Why:
1. The intro alone: OutKast + Spencer Davis Group
2. Two of the best albums of 2010: Big Boi +Black Keys
3. A classic from two classics: Jay-Z + The Beatles
4. Deadly track from the Liverpool Shaolin: Wu-Tang + The Beatles
5. Only way you could make the original cooler: Dr. Dre + Class Actress
Phish @ Boardwalk Hall – October 30, 2010
Since the begining of the Halloween Musical Costume tradition, Phish has historically taken the night of October 30th off, playing only two pre-Halloween shows (1998 and 2009). So coming into Saturday in Atlantic City on the coat tails of an epic week and red hot Friday night, all signs seemed to point towards two sets of energy conservation; the quiet before the storm.
[Photo by Regan Teti Marscher from 10/29]
Enter Boardwalk Hall. The pre-show energy from Saturday night’s crowd was formidable and the impromptu cheers seemed to be on the level of a New Year’s Eve show at MSG. As a new venue, Boardwalk Hall is an instant favorite. The inside of the venue looks like a cousin of Hampton Coliseum, with the ceiling of Radio City Music Hall and the vibe of a 1920’s dance hall. As the house lights dimmed, the roar of the crowd shook the scaffolds and the merry pranksters took the stage with big smiles and a few waves.
The opening notes Kill Devil Falls sucked all the energy up and spit it right back, sending the crowd into a dancing frenzy. Rather then rifling through the first set, the band took their time and a number of giddy Trey/Mike exchanges took place between each song. It was clear the band was going with the flow and playing whatever felt right. Towards the end of Guelah Papyrus, the crowd exploded into an impromptu, music-less, Kuroda-less, glow-stick-war to the delight of the band – who seemed to stand back and take it all in. READ ON for more on Saturday night’s show…
Supported by openers Bob, Future and Scotty Don’t – Badfish’s alter ego- the premiere Sublime cover band took the stage to a relatively crowded 9:30 club in Washington D.C. last Thursday night.
As cover bands go, life can be tough. These tribute bands will forever face the stigma of perfection, which is inherently impossible to overcome. That said, the four computer science majors from Rhode Island can draw a crowd for good reason – they are the best at what they do.
Opening with Smoke Two Joints it was immediately clear how Badfish nearly packed D.C.’s premiere music club. Lead singer, Pat Downes, has an impressively comparable voice to Sublime’s lead singer and figurehead, Bradley Nowell. The uncanny similarity is the backbone of Badfish and is arguably the closest point of perfection within the band’s effort to recreate the Sublime experience. READ ON for the rest of Kevin Smallwood’s Badfish review…
Another week, another new contributor. Please welcome Kevin Smallwood to the team. Kevin will cover the Washington D.C. area for us.
The tie-dye shirts over the merchandise table dated most fans rolling into the State Theater in Falls Church, Virginia on Monday night. Over the course of their 21 year history, Blues Traveler has remained uniquely relevant yet sometimes an abstemious participant in a music scene it helped cultivate.
As the driving force behind the H.O.R.D.E. Tour, Blues Traveler helped carve out a niche for all the bands that followed the fan-based model of the Grateful Dead. The tour bridged a gap for a community birthing its second generation and ultimately allowed for the early exposure and success of scene powerhouses: Phish, Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule and others.
Through mainstream success, a tragedy and random touring hiatuses Blues Traveler has its fair share of battle scars. But like a well worn warrior or perhaps even a fine wine, the years of experience have made them a formidable force. READ ON for more from Traveler in Falls Church…
