Monday, February 6, 2012
Another File-Sharing Service Bites the Dust: Goodbye, BTJunkie
Business Kathleen Richards — Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 10:57 AM
First it was MegaUpload. Then FileSonic, FileServe, and Uploaded.to dismantled sharing capabilities. And now, one of the biggest BitTorrent trackers, BTJunkie, has shut itself down in what appears to be a preemptive move to avoid federal prosecution, reports Digital Music News. Looks like the chilling effect isn't over yet...
Friday, February 3, 2012
Could BMI Live Help Local Musicians Get Paid?
Business / Bay Area Bands Kathleen Richards — Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 11:49 AM
A year ago, the music licensing giant BMI launched a new endeavor called BMI Live, which allows songwriters to register for free and get paid royalties for their live performance (as far back as six months prior). Yet few musicians seem to know about the program.
BMI Director of Corporate Communications Ari Surdoval said the company is trying to spread the word about BMI Live to bands and encourage them to sign up. Musicians enter their show information online (or through an iPhone app), and royalties are distributed quarterly. According to Surdoval, the amount of royalties depends on various factors such as the venue, how many songs performed were written by you, and if you’re the sole songwriter. “We had people who made thousands of dollars last year,” he said.
Weekender: The Top Five Things to Do Over the Next Three Days in the East Bay
Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 6:23 AM
Happy February, East Bay! Here's what you're doing this doing this weekend.
Lunar New Year
While last year's Chinese (or Lunar) New Year recognized the rabbit, this year goes to the dragon, a creature that's arguably more visually striking than its fluffy, pouf-tailed predecessor. The Oakland Asian Cultural Center's (388 9th St., Ste. 290, Oakland) Lunar New Year Festival both celebrates and aspires to the grandeur of the majestic beast with an array of Asian dance, music, and martial arts performances, including appearances by Patty Chu's Chinese Folk Dance Troupe and Filipino mixed martial artists Eskabo Daan. The festival on Saturday, Feb. 4, also features arts and crafts workshops, including Japanese paper-doll-making and Korean kite-building. 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m., free. OACC.cc or 510-637-0455. — Cassie Harwood
Ballet is a marvelous conveyance for human emotion — witness Smuin Ballet's winter program, which runs the gamut from elated to elegiac. The program opens with Dear Miss Cline, Amy Seiwert's suite of vivacious dances set to a jukebox of Patsy Cline hits, which garnered critical and audience kudos in its fall 2011 debut. Cline shares the bill with three pieces choreographed by the company's late founder, Michael Smuin, to music from tango to Chopin to Dvorak (respectively): the sultry Tango Palace; The Eternal Idol, a pas de deux inspired by the Rodin sculpture and created for American Ballet Theatre in 1969; and Stabat Mater, a dolorous reflection on September 11. Smuin Ballet performs at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek) on Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. $49-$59. 925-943-7469 or SmuinBallet.org. — Claudia Bauer
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Top 10 Least Googleable Band Names
Kathleen Richards — Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 1:41 PM
Today I got a press release for a band called Sauna. The trend of concrete-noun band names has apparently hit an all-time high. Briefly scrolling through recent press releases, I compiled this list of similarly un-Googleable band names. Is this a middle finger to the Internet? Or have we lost all creativity?
1. Blouse
2. The Internet
3. Houses
4. Tennis
5. Real Estate
6. Gardens
7. Clouds
8. Fences
9. Girls
Google image-search them at your own risk.
10. Yacht
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Rest in Peace, Don Cornelius
Rachel Swan — Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 9:23 AM
We're devastated to hear about the death of former Soul Train host and producer Don Cornelius, who passed away this morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, multiple news outlets report. He'll be remembered not only as an incubator of talent in funk and disco — given that his Saturday afternoon show helped propel the careers of James Brown, Michael Jackson and a slew of other mega-pop stars — but also as a de facto curator of the best dance moves to ever grace national television. The Los Angeles Times and New York Times ran heartfelt encomiums this morning, describing Cornelius as the pop culture personality who "defined an era." He'll be mourned and missed:
:Monday, January 30, 2012
Late Breaking: Safe, Uncle Ricky, and Bobby Peru Tonight at the Layover
Just-Announced Shows Rachel Swan — Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 6:11 PM
To borrow the language of former East Bay Express editor Rob Harvilla, here's another way to avoid cultural ostracism: Come to tonight's early show at The Layover bar, featuring Safe, Uncle Ricky, and DJ Bobby Peru. Then drop their names the next time you're at a cocktail party and the talk turns to music. You'll look really cool, we promise.
Show starts at 8 p.m. and costs nothing.
Dave Chappelle Coming Back to Oakland Tonight
Just-Announced Shows Rachel Swan — Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 4:35 PM
We're pretty impressed that Oakland Yoshi's is now rebranding itself as a sometime comedy venue, with its rather imaginative decision to host a series of SF Sketchfest shows this week, including Thursday's twofer with Reggie Watts and Robert Glasper. Dave Chappelle will appear there tonight and tomorrow, with what's sure to be the best comedy set Oakland has seen since — well, since the last time he came to The New Parish. For those who can't afford the $55 tickets (which are available online only), we have the cheapo redux below:
Friday, January 27, 2012
GZA Embarks on an Ivy League Lecture Tour
Breaking News Rachel Swan — Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 5:29 PM
And according to press flacks, he'll hit Oxford University this weekend, followed (hopefully) by MIT, NYU, and Cornell this spring. The famed Wu Tang emcee will discuss his creative process, his canonical album Liquid Swords, and, of course, "the state of hip-hop." Let's just hope he doesn't forget any lines.
New Music from Uncle Ricky
MP3s and Song Samples Rachel Swan — Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 11:42 AM
One of our favorite improbable viral video stars, Ugandan crooner Uncle Ricky (neé Ochen Kaunda), just regaled us with a new world music dance track. And it veers away from the cloying, ballad-driven, borderline campy Uncle Ricky we've come to know and love. But that's not a bad thing. Ricky sings "BeautifulNICE&lovely" in English and the Kenyan language Luo, over a syncopated dancehall beat. OK, yeah, it's still about love and courtship — Uncle Ricky is a pretty sentimental guy, after all. But we do like all the new ornamentation. See for yourself.
Moneyball 2012
Aaron Sorkin, and Sean Keane — Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 9:59 AM
(SCENE: The ramshackle Oakland front office’s conference room. Oakland scouts fidget nervously, staring at their own pagers rather than each other. Billy Beane bursts into the conference room waving a printout.)
Billy Beane: Guys, you’re still trying to replace Gio Gonzalez. I told you we can’t do it. We can’t do it. Now what we might be able to do is recreate him, in the field of social media.
Grady Fuson: The field of what?
Billy Beane: No one is talking about this team as contenders, but the real problem is no one is talking about this team, at all. We haven’t been a trending topic since Dallas Braden’s perfect game.
Ron Hopkins: What’s a Trending topic?
Billy Beane: Peter, get Wikipedia open for Ron. Gonzalez has 19,586 followers on Twitter. Andrew Bailey has 11,835 followers. Trevor Cahill is not on Twitter, but his Facebook fan page has 2,128 likes. What’s the total?
(He snaps his finger and points to Peter)
Peter Brand: Do you want me to speak?
Billy Beane: When I point to you, yeah. Why couldn’t Milton Bradley have been like you?
