Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Joey Bada$$ + Schoolboy Q LIVE at WaMu Theater in Seattle, WA feat. @theringofdoom

Joey Bada$$ manages to be simultaneously wise beyond his years and a youthful spirit that crowds literally faint for. A Joey Bada$$ performance is a must have experience for anyone who thinks Hip Hop is dead. Schoolboy Q is aight too, @theringofdoom approves.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Ten Animated Music Videos Part V




Hey! I made you this photoshop collage of images from each of the videos on the list; all images are blatantly hijacked (I'll gladly remove the artist's image if they ask). I've also made you a YouTube playlist of all 50 of the animated videos I've featured on the website so far. I started making the YouTube playlists because I prefer music videos to television.


1. Ripley Snell - "Underworld Series" - [GTA V Short Film / Music Video] 2016  Ripley Snell and the Eyrst crew of Portland are the most interesting movement of art since Stones Throw and Brainfeeder. I've been fortunate to book him in Seattle with Grape God as Wine + Coffee for a Home Slice at The Crocodile Back Bar. One of my favorite things I've ever done was to set up a show in Portland at The Know with Wine + Coffee, DoNormaal, OCnotes, Raven Matthews, and Snugsworth.




2. Shabazz Palaces - "Forerunner Foray" 2015  SEATTLE MUSIC  These guys are light years beyond the label Seattle Music; so much so that typing it above almost felt like an insult. That said, their presence in our city is a blessing to us all. I'm confident the Black Constellation's legacy will be comparable to that of the legendary supercrew, Soulquarians. It is already to those who are paying attention.




3. BOOTS - "C.U.R.E." 2015  This video is a cinematic masterpiece. I haven't found another Boots song that I like yet but I'll keep checking back in because the video below is that awesome.




4. J'Von - "potato (animated short)" 2016  SEATTLE MUSIC  "a short animation featuring catman going thru stuff, i think idk. drawn, colored, animated, edited, produced, written, & scored by j'von." -J'Von's YouTube Credits

J'Von has been grinding away solo at these Catman based videos lately and the results made it all the way to FADER. In addition to the many talents listed above, J'Von is always on time. #hesthatclassy




5. Wiki - "3 Stories" (Produced by Kaytranada) 2016  I had the pleasure of working with both of these artists in the last few months at music venues in Seattle. Peep some of the footage in the video compilation I made. I've watched this video at least a dozen times; the Letter Racer team nailed it and Kaytranada and Wiki are at the top of their game.




6. Big Grams | Adult Swim - "Born To Shine" feat. Run The Jewels + "Run For Your Life" 2016  I love everything about Big Grams and this animated video is no exception. Plus, it's always a good idea to work with Run The Jewels; I'm hoping to do that myself someday. Adult Swim does a great job of keeping their finger on the pulse of the underground (and mainstream); that is not a compliment I give lightly.




7. Thundercat - "Song For The Dead" 2016  A huge thank you to the entire Brainfeeder team for blessing us with so much great art and inspiration.




8. Samiyam x Earl Sweatshirt - "Mirror" 2016  These two also did a "What's In My Bag" with the Amoeba team, check it out here. Earl Sweatshirt has managed to be that dude since before his mom made him quit rapping to finish high school.




9. MF DOOM - "GAS DRAWLS" 2016 (Video) This song originally appeared on the Operation: Doomsday album in 1999 and remains to inspire people to this very day. According to Rappcats, where I found this gem,"Animator Dustooned created a video for 'Gas Drawls,' taking inspiration from Doom’s album artwork, including much of Jason Jason illustrations for MM Food and the Metalface version of Operation Doomsday. The animation was created independently, and got the Doom stamp of approval just last week."



I can completely relate to Dustooned's inspiration because I have recently started an Instagram (@theringofdoom ) to document the adventures of my MF DOOM ring and have many plans to continue. It all started because I wanted to learn more about stop motion, iMovie, Reddit, Instagram, clay, fossils, petrified wood, and keeping it weird. TheRingOfDoom's Instagram is a story that can be read from the first post to the most current. The two of us are headed to Europe in December to investigate the street art and underground music communities...stay tuned.



10. Fashawn - "Confess" 2015  This video reminds me of Marley Marl's "The Symphony" in the best way; I it posted previously on a list of videos featuring fringe. Fashawn has been making great decisions with the people he surrounds himself with. When I saw him last, he was touring with Exile, Grandmaster of the MPC and the mega-talented video gawd Punit Dhesi.


Saturday, October 22, 2016

The iPhoneSE Adventures of @206Liz [Chapter 1]

A little over two years ago, I quit my unfulfilling safe job with benefits to see if I could carve out a niche for myself in the music industry. I was able to use this website as a resume to get my foot in the door and have been working (and learning) at music venues almost every single day since then.

In an attempt to "be the change" I hope to see in the world, I decided to share some of the experiences that made me the happiest and learn iMovie at the same time. In the spirit of Chase Jarvis who said, "The Best Camera Is The One That's With You," I've decided to use the tools I already have to their fullest potential. This is gonna be fun.



@206Liz Instagram

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Outer Spacecruise AKA Ten More Outer Space Videos

*The Outer Spacecruise photo-collage above is my first venture into Photoshop. Check the bottom of the post for the link to the full Outer Spacecruise YouTube playlist.


1. Sun Ra - "Space Is The Place" 1974  Sun Ra is pretty much the King of Outer Space videos and one of the most interesting people to bless this planet with their existence. Most Applicable Quote: "The outer space beings are my brothers. They sent me here. They already know my music." -Sun Ra  @SunRaUniverse




2. Lady Moon + The Eclipse - "Roller Coaster" 2016  I am 90% on board with this song because the song's most roller coaster-like moments stress me out. That said, I've taken the space video bait and have started diving into Lady Moon + The Eclipse's catalog to see what they're all about.  @lmelove




3. Alabama Shakes - "Sound + Color" 2015  Is this a metaphor for being trapped in your own mind or a just a take on some epic space movies? #DeepThoughts Whatever it is intended to be, I love it. @Alabama_Shakes




4. L'Orange + Kool Keith - "The Green Ray" 2015  I'm loving all things L'Orange these days but have yet to see him live. His current label, Mello Music Group was recently dubbed The Most Successful New Indie Rap Label Of This Decade by Forbes magazine. That's a damn good look for this Rise Of The Underground thing we have going.  @LOrangeMusic  @Ultraman7000




When I saw Kool Keith at Neumos in 2014, he had a disappointing sad crew of cell phone checking squad on stage left (not pictured). He's got enough presence to be alone up there, time to leave the squad in the green rooms Keith. I took this shitty photo at the show which I included in my short lived Rap Hands (blurry hands) Instagram collection.





























5. DJ Shadow - "The Mountain Will Fall" 2016  I'm so glad that DJ Shadow is evolving with his music because it's keeping him passionate about his craft. "Nobody Speak," the track from his new album featuring Run The Jewels is most definitely the cut. They recently shared how the collaboration came about with the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, here's the link.  @djshadow



This October 3, The Mountain Will Fall Tour will be coming through The Showbox in Seattle, WA. One of my current jobs in the music industry happens to be Hospitality Coordinator at The Showbox and Showbox SoDo so 10/3/16 will be a pretty great day for me as I've been a fan since the Endtroducing tour brought him to La Luna in Portland as support of Jeru The Damaja in 1997.



6. Batida - "Céu" feat. Frànçois + The Atlas Mountains 2016  "Angolan-Portuguese producer Batida aka Pedro Coquenão has been a busy man lately, releasing an album with Konono N°1 and fighting for social justice and the freedom of 16 detained young activists in Angola." - Okay Africa

Much love goes out to Okay Africa/Okay Player and all the services they provide to the community. Their website has been a consistent source of inspiration and interesting music throughout the seven years I've been sharing music on this website.  @BatidaOfficial




7. The Internet feat. Kaytranada - "Girl" 2015  The Ego Death album made hearts flutter upon its release and stands firm as one of the best albums of 2015. I can still remember the eyes lit up with joy response I got from a few other music nerds when I asked them if they heard it yet.  @intanetz




8. Michael Jackson + Janet Jackson - "Scream" 1995  In an era when some were using helicopters and yachts to show off their baller status, the Jacksons took it to the next level and went universal. The $7 million video  remains to be totally wicked.  @JanetJackson




9. Shabazz Palaces - "Motion Sickness" 2014 (SEATTLE MUSIC)  While the members of Shabazz Palaces do reside in Seattle, their music has transcended the boundaries of our city and have created their own Black Constellation. I love that they opened for Radiohead in LA, someone is very smart. @shabazzpalaces




10. Slick Devious feat. Janet Earth - "Hollow Planets" 2016 (PORTLAND MUSIC) The color of the fake barf(?) is what makes it for me. Slick Devious came up to Seattle last February with Grape God, we should probably have him back soon. Check out his multiple mediums of visual art here.  @SlickDevious




*Here's the link to the Outer Spacecruise YouTube Playlist as it is today. It will be constantly evolving...like Bowie.