Takeaway Show Friday - Cocoon "Vultures"

So good, such a great sound:

Takeaway Show Friday - Beirut "In the Mausoleum"

It wouldn't be a Takeaway Show Friday without another fantastic one from Beirut:

Takeaway Show Friday - Sufjan Stevens - "The Lakes of Canada"

The always steady Sufjan...on a roof with a banjo:

Will Ferrell's Bball Skillz

Jackie Moon versus Bill Walton in H-O-R-S-E:



Semi-Pro opens today. I won't be there opening night, but I have faith in the Ferrell machine.

Indoor Picnic Music

I stumbled across this compilation on iTunes last night. It's got a bunch of bands, some I know, some I don't. Includes BNL, Jars of Clay, Matt Wertz, The Be Good Tanyas, and more. I'm probably going to pick it up because it's only $3.99 for the whole album. There's also a Volume 2, same price (twice as nice).

Mia and Jonah

Mia and Jonah - Myspace Listen to "Rooms" and "Dance" to get a good feel of their style. They could be classified as Americana or folk but they are the kind of folk that Iron & Wine are. Their harmonies and duets are really good and this band is very worth checking out.

Not The Typical Pachelbel's Canon

An old one, but I forgot how good it was. How come Slash didn't do this with GNR? Ladies and Gentlemen, Pachelbel's modern rock Canon:

Greatest Soundtrack Ever?

The Juno post got me thinking about the best soundtracks of all time. I initially thought of "This is Spinal Tap" and "Rushmore" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou". While those are all very good I know there are more out there that are just as good if not better. So, what soundtracks do you think make it in a top 100 soundtrack list?

AFI's list of the top 100 soundtracks to get you thinking.

Juno, the music

Juno: All song preview on Amazon or limited songs on myspace. If you haven't seen this movie by now then you are part caveman and part ice dancer. Seriously, see the movie because it's very good. If you've seen the movie you've realized how good the soundtrack is. In fact I would put it up in my top twenty soundtracks since I was born (1980, nothing counts before that). The songs are incredibly eclectic, very different, mostly unknown, and with a random Buddy Holly song thrown in. The feature song that opens the movie "All I want is You" sets the pace for the movie and Kimya Dawson (formerly of Moldy Peaches) rounds out most of the movie with her eclectic music style which cannot be classified. "Anyone Else But You" is probably the most popular on the album because Michael Cera and Ellen Page do a rendition of it at the end of the movie. Great way to end a movie like this.

The album is ruled by unknown names but they do feature a couple of bigger names: Buddy Holly, Belle & Sebastian, Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground, Cat Power and The Kinks.

Definitely worth checking out the amazon preview of this album and worth purchasing a few singles off the album, especially "All I want is You" and "Anyone Else But You" and the Kimya Dawson songs.

Seabird

Seabird - Myspace. This is a great band that I got off of Relevant's site. They have some great rhythms and really good style and timing to their music. I'm a big fan of solid guitar rhythms that cause the song to step it up a notch and make you move your head. They do this very well. Listen to "Stronger"(example of the rhythms I'm talking about) and "Let Me Go On" and "Not Alone", in fact listen to all of them, they're all good. I'd say worth a purchase of at least the singles mentioned above.

Mario gots more beats

Because the first Mario video wasn't enough:


via videosift.com

Fan Boys Movie

I'm betting there are some Star Wars fanatics who read Distraction Jackson. Did any of you get overly excited when Episode 1 came out all those years ago? Not like these guys:

Takeaway Show Friday - Jason Mraz "Live High"

I never thought Jason Mraz would be doing a takeawayshow but it does make sense that a guy who has a naturally great voice would have done these. Good song here:

Takeaway Show Friday - The Ruby Suns "Tane Mahuta"

The always entertaining Ruby Suns of course deliver one of the more entertaining Take Away Shows I've watched:

Hey Ya Covers

A while back my brother sent me a link to Matt Weddle of Obadiah Parker doing a cover of Hey Ya which is fantastic. Yesterday I was watching some take away shows and say that Cocoon did a cover of the same song so I thought I'd make a post of it. Enjoy...

Good acoustic cover from Cocoon (good band if you haven't heard them, i'll post them soon)

Matt Weddle of Obadiah Parker cover:


Until I started this post I had no idea that there were so many covers of this song

Indiana Jones and the really long title

For those who haven't seen the new Indy teaser trailer:



I'm always watching online trailers. Would people like me to start posting some, or should we stick with music?

iBand

Thank you, Relevant Magazine, for this gem:


I want to be the bass player for this band!

Make the screaming stop

I had a thought about Linkin Park today. First a little background, I don't own or have ever really listened to linkin park mainly because i'm listening to bands totally different and I don't listen to the radio ever. If I do it's usually Mike and Mike or NPR. Anyways, I was driving to lunch today and didn't have the ipod with me so I turned the radio on and the song "Bleed it Out" (I think) came on from the beginning. I initially liked the beginning because it was different as it involved people clapping in the background and a guy rapping. Of course I like this because I like using all sorts of different instruments and experimenting with them, including everyday things. I also liked the old school rap because I was a huge (still am) Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul fan...I grew up listening to them a lot and stick with that rap style. Anyways, it was going pretty well and keeping me interested until the other lead singer started yelling the chorus and continued to make it worse beyond that. Soon it overshadowed the decent hip-hop that they had going on and made the song un-listenable.

So my thought is this. Even though I've only heard a few songs by them I think they would make themselves a better band if they got rid of the screamer. Nothing against Linkin Park because they are very popular and have done some big things in there music genre (which I think is hip-hop/electronica/experimental/screaming), including pushing their instruments past what is normally done, it just isn't up my main alley of music. Your thoughts?

To add to my background as a music lover, I try and appreciate all types of music before rejecting it so I'll give most everything a try...except Hasselhoff. So my musical likings come from all different types of genres and I never tie myself down to one. Plus genres change with a new artist everyday. Just look at what they classify Iron & Wine as: folk. My impression of folk is Peter, Paul & Mary and I'm pretty sure I've noticed a difference between the two.

Once

A friend (thanks Wes) of mine told me about this movie called "Once". It's about a guy and a girl musician that come together for a week in Dublin and write, record and play music together. I've heard the movie was good but that's not what I'm writing about. I listened to the soundtrack the other day and must say that it's pretty good and worth a listen. The "guy" is Glen Hansard from The Frames and the girl is Marketa Irglova. The music is more low/medium key but it has really good building themes throughout the songs. Listen to "When Your Minds Made Up"(really good song) and also "Fallen From the Sky": Once myspace

Sean Lee & the Masquerades

Sean Lee & the Masquerades - Myspace . Listen to "Backroom Lullabies" for his upbeat style and then "City of Sin" for his other style. Reminds me a bit of Rhett Miller (with or without the Old 97's) when he sings his indie-Americana style music. The other tracks are pretty good but I haven't listened enough to know if it's good to buy. Good initial sound and good songwriting.

Jeremy Warmsley

Jeremey Warmsley - Main Site Click that link and let his songs play for a while, you'll be happy you did. He combines a lot of different instruments and sounds (both acoustic and electric), that combined with his british indie-alt/rock style makes him truly set apart from anything else out there. Let the player play for a while (if you don't you won't get his true feel) and you will want to buy his stuff, because he's good and because he's British. I'm pretty excited about this guy mainly because of the vest he's wearing in the above picture, but also for his great music styling, I mean I immediately bought his cd. It's surprisingly unique and combines so many great music elements into some great beats. I wish I could actually write words that formed eloquent sentences because I could write something really good about him.

Listen to his music first but here's his takeaway shows. They are good but not near as good as the other sounds he puts into his full band songs:
Dirty Blue Jeans (great one)


5 Verses

MacGyver gots beats

Because we all thought the MacGyver theme song lacked drum rolls:


via videosift.com

Fly Away Friday

A new feature on Distraction Jackson - Fly Away Fridays: featuring different political figures playing "I'll Fly Away". First up, Mike Huckabee:

Takeaway Show Friday - The Ruby Suns "Oh, Mojave"

New Zealand apparently makes you quirky and very entertaining, The Ruby Suns, always good:

Takeaway Show Friday - Beirut "Forks & Knives"

Another good one from Beirut's latest album (this just makes you want to sing along with them):

Takeaway Show Friday - Grizzly Bear "The Knife"

King of Prussia

King of Prussia - Listen to any of the songs as they are all good but "Campaign Kids" or "Physics Never Stood A Chance" will give you a good sampling. I've been really digging this band in the past months and I think they'll hit it big in the next year, probably with their latest album "Save the Scene". Definitely worth listening to those two songs.

Simpsons got beats

Because Lisa played the saxophone and the town lacked drums:


via videosift.com

Mario gots beats

Because Mario could've used some beats and because you want to be distracted:


via videosift.com

Sufjan Stevens - "Jacksonsville"

If you never saw Sufjan Stevens on Austin City Limits, it was great and here is one song from it:


via videosift.com

M. Ward

M. Ward - Myspace . Many of you have heard M Ward as he's been around since 99 and he's guest appeared with everyone that's indie. Listen to "Chinese Translation" & "Helicopter". If you haven't heard of M. Ward, put on your "get ready for a different type of music" pants and listen to his songs. I like him for the most part mainly because he's different and combines a lot of musical styling on his songs...for example listen to "Helicopter" and you'll feel like Johnny Cash's band is backing him up. M. Ward sums up artists from Portland: making music you've never heard before but will hear in 2 years.


For some reason I feel like he is an artist like Jeff Buckley or Elliott Smith that had very unique music and no one understood them at the time. Then they died and could've been great, but they're young death stopped all that. But he's not dead, and very much alive....weird but that's the way I feel.

TV is coming back!!!!

The writer's strike is over!?!?!?! Here's a list of when your favorite TV shows are coming back! Thanks, TV Guide!

Coldplay "The Scientist"

Since posting the backwards Jack Johnson video I remembered one of the best backwards videos...ever:

Jack Johnson "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"

I'm on a bit of a Jack Johnson kick since his album release:

Ben Harper & Jack Johnson - "Gone"

Ridiculous combination of talent:

Takeaway Show Friday - Arcade Fire "Neon Bible"

Although Arcade Fire isn't one of my favorites this is one of my favorite videos from the Takeaway Shows, definitely worth a watch:

Takeaway Show Friday - The Kooks "Ooh la"

Beck "Clap Hands"

I'm sure everyone has seen this on SNL or live in concert, but you've never seen it here! This is right up my alley -- using objects around you to make music, I've been annoying everyone around me my whole life with that.

Bernard Fanning

Bernard Fanning: I think I sent him out a long time back when I first started this email deal, but I wanted to resend again. Check out "Wish You Well"(great song), "Weekend of Mystery", "Thrill is Gone". Good stuff that's definitely worth checking out.

Joshua James

Joshua James: Myspace or Main Site Caught this guy on an iTunes Single of the Week with his song "FM Radio". Great sound to him, interesting and great unique voice. To highlight his songs listen to "Soul and the Sea" and "FM Radio" and "Lovers without Love". I consider him a good mix between Joshua Radin and Brett Dennen. Check him out regardless.

His "Fields and Floods" EP is a mix between winter songs and christmas songs, "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel" is fantastic. (i wrote this up before christmas)

Blind Pew

Blind Pew - Myspace or Main Site (has a player) - How could you not be interested in a band whose tagline on myspace is: "The Most Sexual Sounds in Scotland". So these guys are pretty interesting because of their musical variance. I've listened to serious songs that are good ("What If") and then some good but quirky songs like "Fear of God"/"The Day I ran over my Girlfriend" where they remind me of the Sean Na Na Na Band. Regardless give them a listen: "Devil in I" or "Fear of God" or "X Marks The Spot"( this song reminds me of if Freddy Mercury's quirkiness meets British indie pop rock).

Nickel Creek "Toxic"

After Gregarious' Nickel Creek post, I had to post this video. A little shaky but this is the best sound quality of all the videos. Regardless, great cover:

Farewell (for now) to Nickel Creek

A little late on this, but apparently Nickel Creek is taking a break for a while. Here's a treat from their Farewell (For Now) Tour last fall:

Vampire Weekend in Print

Relevant Magazine had a pretty good writeup about Vampire Weekend. They also got listed in an article on Relevant about five indie bands that are making a name for themselves.

Tony Royster Jr.

Better than most adult drummers:

via videosift.com

All Songs Considered

I was on iTunes looking for some new podcasts and found NPR's All Songs Considered. Some of you may already listen to NPR, but I stopped listening to the radio when I got my iPod 3-4 years ago. Anyway, this podcast series has some excellent live concerts including Nickel Creek, Andrew Bird, Spoon, Josh Ritter, and Iron & Wine. You can follow the link above to NPR's page or you can search for the All Songs Considered podcast in iTunes.

Vampire Weekend

Thought this was a pretty unique music video:

Nothing to do with music, everything to do with distraction. Just too good:

Daydream

Whoa: (just keep watching, it's more from our hyperactive editing friend)

Take Away Shows - What it's About

A couple people asked me about what Take Away Shows were. I figured I'd explain it as I'll be posting a video or two every Friday until the end of time (todays are below). Instead of me interpreting what it's about I'll quote directly from their website:

You meet a band. You take them outside, in the streets, and ask them to play there, shoot the movie in one unique shot, whatever happens. Those are the Take-Away Shows, the weekly Video podcast from french weblog La Blogothèque.

The Take Away Shows are a Video Podcast produced by the french weblog La Blogothèque. Every week, we give away a session, shot with a band, in an unusual, urban environment.

Sessions are always filmed as a unique shot, without any cut, recorded live. We usually haven’t much time to record them, so the groups have to be spontaneous, to improvise, play with what they have with them, and with their environment, whether there’s a public or not.

The Take Away Shows are produced by La Blogothèque, based on an original idea by Chryde and Vincent Moon. They are directed by Vincent Moon, and supported by Kidam, who lends us the cameras and shot some of the sessions.

Our partner for the english version is the wonderful american site Daytrotter, who gives away twice week incredible audio sessions from the bands they love. Go and check their site !

I've put these links on the side of our blog but here they are for reference:
Main Site
YouTube Site
Series of Take Away Shows done for Beirut's Album "Flying Club Cup"

Takeaway Show Friday - The Shins "Gone for Good" & "Turn On Me"

I'm doubling up on Takeaway shows this Friday. This one includes the songs "Gone for Good" & "Turn On Me"

Takeaway Show Friday - The Shins "Turn A Square"