
I got a grill I don’t need to get my tooth fixed.
The Tooth Fairy would retire if I lose it.
-’Lil Wayne, “How You Like Me Now”
This just in: Weezy F. Baby has a grill, AND needs to get his tooth fixed. http://nyti.ms/989lII


I got a grill I don’t need to get my tooth fixed.
The Tooth Fairy would retire if I lose it.
-’Lil Wayne, “How You Like Me Now”
This just in: Weezy F. Baby has a grill, AND needs to get his tooth fixed. http://nyti.ms/989lII

Some people like the fame and others don’t, but being a ‘Rock Star’ has it’s perks.
For example, you can relate to cool movies like Spinal Tap or ask that all the W’s in the M&M’s be thrown out.
Leave a comment with the coolest perks of being a performing and/or touring musician. Too many times we hear about the starving musician or the venue that cuts your set in half and doesn’t pay you. Let’s stay positive, there’s gotta be more to this right?
I’ll start off. Stage Diving is totally cool, as long as someone catches you. If you haven’t done it, it’s an experience that’s totally worth it. Just be safe.
Also, if you are a GigMaven user leave your link so everyone can check you out.
The eye of the hurricane. It was one of the last things George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg saw before their ship capsized and sunk in a tragic swordfishing accident. For me, the eye of the hurricane was All Points West, a three day center of calmness amid the storm that was my twenty consecutive days of work. Has any human being ever worked twenty consecutive days before? Most likely. But has anyone complained as much about working twenty consecutive days before? I doubt it.
On to the show-
Rushing from work on Friday at 4pm during a not-so-metaphorical storm, I arrived at Liberty State Park soaking wet at the half-set point of The National – my favorite band playing that weekend. I had seem them once before when they opened for Arcade Fire two years ago. When I saw them before, I wasn’t into them at all. But several months later when I was accidentally listening to their album, I decided The National would be a “good band to get into while I’m in my 20’s”. So like a son’s first shared beer with his dad, I picked up the beer can that was their first album, Boxer, and chugged it. And the rest is history.
As far as their performance at All Points West, they sounded brilliant – a rare auditory experience that gave me goosebumps and warmed my heart at the same time. Next was Vampire Weekend, who I’d like to thank for teaching me that ’sincerity is the new irony’. In a world (upper west side) where sarcasm is as rare as sunglasses that aren’t raybans, Vampire Weekend showed us that having ‘good clean fun’ is cool again. Thanks guys!
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jay-Z were pretty sweet. To be honest, I missed probably half of each of their sets because my friend got us artist passes and getting free booze with Ice-T, Matt Pinfield and John Norris are things you don’t pass up in life. We rolled through MSTRKRFT and jammed out for a second before calling day one a wrap. If anyone reading this has any pull, my dream is for my death to be reported by John Norris during an MTV News Update. Just pass that along to the right people.
Day 2-
After Day 10 of 20 consecutive days of work, I hurried over to New Jersey (ew) and saw Tokyo Police Club who are so dead-on with their sound. They could be really big if they keep on rocking out. My Bloody Valentine pulled some weird stuff and under-volumed the chick singer. I know the hardcore MBVers defend this… “that’s their sound; you wouldn’t understand’.. blah. It was kind of underwhelming, but I expected it from a band that had that much track layering to create that sound in the first place.
Then came Tool, which was a very loud cornicopia of people/emotions. Tool has two types of fans, both equally crazy about them – one is the fifteen year old whose mom refused to take him to Hot Topic one Saturday morning. He hates life and everything in life and Tool ‘understands’ him. The second Tool fan is of the philosophical mind and sees deeper and more intricate nuances in the music. No show I had ever been to had highlighted the fan difference as much as Tool. Oh well.
Day 3-
The Coldplays. But first, Lykke Li (marry me, pleeeease) put on a good show. She covered Lil Wayne’s ‘a milli’ and played through most of her cute little album. The Black Keys rocked out. And then something extraordinary happened…. Coldplay….. was awesome. As Chris Martin banged his colorful pirate jacketed chest and flopped around on stage presumably confessing his singular and special yet entirely universal love for Gwyenth, I let go and forgave Coldplay for all their sins against humanity. They are just dudes that love music and love money. While there are so many things a band can use their celebrity to acheive (e.g. Radiohead), the Coldplays do their own thing and walk to the beat of their own Viva La Vida drums. But letting go of all that for that night, I realized it was a perfect ending to a perfect storm.
Pictures
The Coldplays
MSTRKRFT/MKROSOFT
The National

Songbird, a cool, mobile music application is set to launch for iPhone soon. It has become popular for computers.

But it doesn’t mean you’re talented..
Need inspiration for your next adventure in music carpentry? Here are some ideas from the innovative instrument creator and composer Harry Partch.
Harry adapted instruments such as the Adapted Viola, a viola fitted with a cello neck and changeable bridges. However, he is more famous for his ‘made-from-scratch’ instruments.
Look at the Zymo-Xyl (left), this xylophone is made out of tuned liquor bottles and hubcaps. Click on the instrument links to play them yourself.
He also constructed a variety of Marimbas, including the Diamond Marimba, an 11 key Bass-Marimba and the Mazda Marimba, made out of Mazda light bulbs.
The most uniquely named instrument is the Spoils of War, which incorporates Cloud Chamber bowls, artillery shell casings, metal wang-guns and wooden tones into its design.
Check out all of his other cool instruments here.

As fun as it may be to smash a guitar after a show, these rare and unique guitars are certainly worth saving.
The Skatar, is a custom made bass and guitar made from a skateboard. We don’t have the specs on the Skatar, but we do know that it can still be ridden and that it must be played with a Hennessy Gin bottle.
If the Skatar isn’t quite your sound, how about a Harp Guitar? This 20-string instrument combines a regular 6-string fretted guitar with 14 other strings that are plucked like a harp.
The Trimeister is a combination of a guitar, mandolin and fiddle.
For the more spiritual musicians, check out the Imratgitar. This 20-stringer is a combination of a guitar and sitar.
Considering these are all custom instruments, good luck finding any of them at your local music shop. However, may they be of inspiration in your search for the perfect instrument.

Whether you are a fan or not, stage gimmicks will get your band to be remembered (good or bad).
Look at GWAR. These guys dress up like horrid creatures and play head-pounding metal. Whether you are a fan of their music or not, you will remember their name because of the freaky costumes.
The better example is KISS. Nobody has seen a picture or a video of a KISS performance and has failed to remember it. Even better, check out this Ace Frehley stage gimmick below.
Don’t have the money to buy huge costumes or to light your guitar on fire during a shred-solo? Embrace low cost gimmicks.
For example, 50 cent has been known to wear a bullet proof vest on stage, Angus Young wears his school-boy uniform.
Playing high quality music is always the important thing, but a unique gimmick always helps. How can your band be remembered?

Beat Kangz Electronics has launched a portable and mobile sound production system and virtual software package for DJs, artists, and plain music lovers.
The “Beat Thang” was created to fulfill the needs of the urban music scene.
Packed with over 3000 brand new sounds, these products integrate fully functioning Digital FX, sampling, a 16-track MIDI sequencer and waveform editing. Sounds include live bass, strings, synth, just to name a mere few.
It strongly resembles a mini-turntable, in my mind.
The mobility of the product makes the Beat Thang thrive. It contains a lithium battery that last for 6 hours (more or less) and is extremely light weight. That makes moving from your studio to the club a cinch.
The creator of the product, Luke Jackson, believes that the Beat Thang can serve artists in all genres.
“Although our products are mainly influenced by hip-hop, the three of us come from very eclectic musical backgrounds. As musicians, we recognize that hip-hop encompasses many different genres, therefore our products will serve many users,” he said.

In mid April, LG released a new phone to the Indian market in the GM 200.