That One Pop Gem

Weird Al is Back!

2006-06-08T02:47:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you all, but occasionally I remember that "Weird Al" Yankovic hasn't had a new album any time recently, which means that one could be on the way. Well, the time has come. He's not done with the album, but it's in the works, and, surprisingly, he's posted a free song on his website! The download is really slow, though, so I've mirrored it here.

"Weird Al" Yankovic - You're Pitiful - wow, this song is wonderful. If you like parodies and funny insult songs, than you'll like this. It's a string of reasons why the ever-present "you" is pathetic, and, well... pitiful. I, for one, can't wait for the new album. Enjoy!

Fun from YouTube

2006-05-07T04:37:00.000-04:00

This is the first in what may end up a weekly feature, may not. But this week, it happens. Here goes.

First off, here's some Star Trek action figures in a parody of MTV's Cribs... apparently Spock is a black man on the inside:

And here's an intersting bit... the original theme song to the pilot of Gilligan's Island. It's completely different!

Finally, I take videos like this as proof that We Are Scientists really has spread to a form of mainstream popularity. When you get random underage girls doing videos to their songs, that's pretty much what it means:

Curtis Peoples

2006-04-20T14:13:00.000-04:00

With the semester ending, my friend and I decided that we needed to go to as many concerts as possible before we scattered across the US. I asked a friend (Bobby, for those of you who know him) for a list of concerts in the L.A. area and Curtis's happened to be the first on that list that Meghan and I were both able to go to ... and I am so glad that we did. I have not been this excited about new music since I first started listening to Speechwriters LLC over a year ago.

On Saturday we saw him at the Gypsy Den which is a restaurant-type place in Santa Ana. I keep thinking of it as like someone's living room, but cooler. There were pictures on the walls, pretty curtains by the windows, couches off in the corner ... that sort of thing. There were other people playing there including Dave Yaden on piano (who played quite a few songs with Curtis) and Terra Naomi on piano and guitar. For most of his songs, Curtis played guitar with Dave on piano and another guy, Jason, on guitar. Overall I just had a great time and the atmosphere in the place was wonderful. There was banter between the guys on stage and interaction with the rest of the people in the room. Since I was not very familiar with the music, I just sat back and listened. When I listen to Curtis's voice, it seems sort of rough but still very enjoyable. I got his CD Whisper to a Scream after the show and I have been listening to it constantly since then. I am trying to think of what would be my favorite song, but I am having trouble coming up with just one (and there are only 7 songs!).

While we were there, Bobby mentioned that there was going to be another show on Tuesday at the Knitting Factory, but with the full band. We had not planned on going to that show because of other obligations, but with Bobby going on about great it was and knowing how much fun we had at the first show, we decided to push some things out of the way and go. I am so glad that we did because I was blown away by it. There was so much energy up on stage and there were times when Curtis seemed like very much the rock star (in a good way). The other guys in the band each had a moment where they could show off what they could do. They started off with When Doves Cry before going into their own songs and finished with With A Little Help From My Friends which was an awesome way to end the show (again, very energetic). The next band, however, was like "You can play another" so they did Mary Jane's Last Dance as an encore (apparently the first time they have done an encore).

Now I am left wishing, as usual, that I had started listening to this person much sooner. My hope is that he will play near where I am going to graduate school (I already asked him to ;)

Download Hope It Seems here.

Official Site

MySpace

archive.org shows

The Funniest Thing(s) I Have Seen in A While

2006-03-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

I'm sure by now most of you are aware of R. Kelly's hip-hop soap opera, "Trapped in the Closet." If you're not, then follow this link and watch the first five parts of the story told in music unfold. Yes, it's OK to laugh, I'm pretty sure most people do. If you want to catch the rest, there are links to the other 7 parts and summaries of each one at this Wikipedia article.

That's the unintentionally funny stuff, now for the funny: "Trapped in the Cupboard". This is an awesome parody skit from MadTV that I recommend watching after you've watched the R. Kelly stuff. Definitely be prepared to laugh.

Finally, if you're a Harry Potter fan, you might enjoy "Trapped in the Closet Under the Stairs". It's basically the first 5 Harry Potter books told in the same way as the R. Kelly songs. I'm actually not that impressed by these, but you may like them. Enjoy!

Tristan Prettyman

2006-03-21T22:19:00.000-05:00

Tristan Prettyman is a singer-songwriter from San Diego who released her first major label CD, Twentythree last August. I had the chance to see her at one of her CD release parties and again last February, and I thought she was great on stage. The first show was just her and her guitar, but she added another person on percussion while on tour with Ben Taylor. Although her CD also featured other musicians, the emphasis always seems to still be on Tristan and not the production that goes into the songs.

She posted a new song on her MySpace called Something Good. It is basically about trying to look for and remember the good things that happened in a relationship that just ended. It is a rough cut of the song because I think she just wanted to share it with her fans and is not really concerned with the sound quality at this point in time.

Official Site
shows on archive.org
(I would recommend the 01/30/05 show)

Speechwriters LLC on tour

2006-03-15T20:21:00.000-05:00

It is a short tour with Dave and Misha, but they are still a lot of fun to see play live. Some West Coast dates should be announced soon. Taken from their site:

thursday
30 march 06
jammin' java (7:30pm)
dave and misha acoustic.
$12, all ages
227 maple ave e.
vienna, va 22180

friday
31 march 06
university of maryland (12:00 noon)
again, dave and misha acoustic.
stamp student union
college park, md 20742

friday
31 march 06
clark university (TBA)
dave and misha mop up after the sonic devastation of clarias, assuming they don't get totally humped by traffic, as they'll be driving up from f-ing maryland.
950 main street
worcester, ma 01610

saturday
1 april 06
princeton university (TBA)
dave and misha complete their whirlwind tour of four fairly out of the way east coast cities with this epic acoustic performance for the smartest kids in all of new jersey.
princeton university
princeton, nj 08544

Official Site

MySpace

recorded live shows on archive.org

Show Your Bones...do it!

2006-03-14T22:38:00.000-05:00

As the end of March approaches, so does the release of Yeah Yeah Yeahs second studio album Show Your Bones. Originally thought to be a concept album about lead singer Karen O's cat titled Coco Beware (due to a miscommunication with producer Sam Speigel and MTV News). Karen has said "Show Your Bones is what happens when you put your finger in a light socket.” With the release date (March 28) getting closer, I'm getting extreamly excited! You can hear their new single "Gold Lion" and a few other tracks on their Myspace.

Blue Judy

2006-03-12T17:39:00.000-05:00

Last night I had been planning on going to see Blue Judy play a show in the L.A. area, but sadly this did not happen. I did, however, get to listen to them play two songs on an online radio station. I, of course, recorded their session and am posting the songs for others to listen to:

For the Boys

Young and Empty

I had already heard the first song at a show in February. When I hear the song, I have this picture in my mind of someone leaving a little kid and how that action stay with the kid even as they get older. There is a line about not being able to grow old ... to me it seems to be talking about not being able to get past certain events (like a parent leaving) and grow. I have not really had a chance to think about the lyrics for the second song because I had never heard it before, but I still find it rather catchy. I like that it is one of those songs that I actually have to think about in order to figure out what it seems to mean.

There are also some songs available for download on their MySpace page. For me they are one of three bands from Claremont that I really like ... the other two being We Are Scientists and Speechwriters LLC. Three of them went to Claremont McKenna College (one is still there) while the other went to Harvey Mudd College. (Tapper went to Mudd while the other guys went to Pomona College, along with Dave and Misha of swllc.) Apparently Blue Judy is planning on recording new songs soon with the hope of releasing a CD sometime this year.

A Cautionary Tale - A story of intrigue and other adjectives.

2006-02-07T16:12:00.000-05:00

“Today is a beautiful day for destruction!” The evil Mogwai said, “Ah, but who shall meet my brutal wrath?” “How about France?” said his evil sidekick named Lenny. “Hmm, no” said Mogwai “once you conquer them once, it just gets redundant. “Aye, my evil lord” said Lenny. “What does that even mean?” said Mogwai. “Umm, I don’t know” said Lenny “It just seemed appropriate” then Mogwai said “well at least you mean well, I am sorry for being so curt.” “It is fine,” said Lenny, “thank you for being so understanding”

Meanwhile on the part of the world that was less evil and nobler in its ways, the great King Keith thought, “Gee, I really do like pie” and had his servants bake him many pies. When the pies were done he started to enjoy one, but the first pie he tasted was not nearly as good as the other pies. Then Keith said, “I really do appreciate the effort, my servant, but this pie was sub-par to the others, thank you for trying your best”. The servant felt as though his heart had been ripped out from his rib cage, and swore a vendetta against the King.

Several weeks later Mogwai was on a rather evil walk of vileness when he met the angry servant whom had baked the sub-par pie when they bumped into each other “Sir, please watch your step, I was trying to plot evil.” “Oh, I am sorry, said the servant” “It’s okay, you do seem preoccupied, now, I know I am a simple man of evil, but can I help?” said Mogwai “Well, I don’t know what you can do about my problem” said the servant. “You see, in the land that is less evil and nobler in its ways, King Keith wanted a pie, so I baked him one and he said these harsh and cold words to me ‘I really do appreciate the effort, my servant, but this pie was sub-par to the others, thank you for trying your best’ and since then I have sworn a vendetta against him.” “That is a sad situation… Hey, I have an evil idea,” said Mogwai “it’s so evil, I will tell you about it later, and then the evil Mogwai cackled a devious laugh.

“Gee, I hope someone doesn’t try to destroy my kingdom today,” said Keith. “That would be really sad and unfortunate.” Then his wife Christian, who was the most beautiful girl in the noble and less evil land, said “Dear Keith, why would any one want to destroy us? We are not evil and are kind and polite to everyone.” “That’s just what I fear,” said Keith. “What?” Said Christian. “Oh, I don’t know, I just always wanted to say that” Lenny. “Ah, we have guests. Welcome to the land of less evil and nobility” said Keith “I am pleased to see you all in our court, welcome, how about some delicious pie.” “There will be no pie!” bellowed Mogwai. “How about muffins?” asked Keith. “No, I am watching my figure, but that is not the point. I am here to announce my evil plan for your noble and less evil township, I will burn your town with a comet, an evil comet with a diabolical device to guide it here, it also has a bomb which inside contains more explosives within its insides.” “So, essentially, it’s like a bomb inside a bomb?” asked Keith “Something like that” said Mogwai, “I hope you have fun being burned and blown up” then Mogwai and his motley crew left. “Thanks for coming! I hope to see you again!” “You know, he is really good at being evil, it’s a shame I will have to destroy him and his crew.”

The following day Mogwai announced his plan to the noble and less evil towns people, he told them about his plans for ultimate destruction and future desolation for the land. He also said, “I am really sorry it had to come to this, you all seem very nice and wonderful and I just feel horrible, but you’re going to die tomorrow, but, that is life.” “It is sad, but at least he is pleasant and polite,” said the townspeople, and they all prepared for the end.

Just then the almighty Keith got up and prepared to fight the evil Mogwai. “I shall beat Mogwai!” Bellowed Keith “How?” asked Christian, “Gee, I don’t know yet, but when I do it will be a great sight,: good triumphing over evil and other clichés!” said Keith. Just then they heard a roaring in the sky, the comet was getting closer. Keith and Christian looked into the heavens and saw the space ball in the sky. Then, Keith got an idea. He decided he would go to the forest and visit the hermit who lived out there, he asked for his horse to be brought out to him and left soon thereafter.

Keith was looking for Justin, the king and ruler of the forest. Justin was said to be the wisest and most learned man of the forest, whenever people had a problem they went to him for advice. Keith thought he was a person like anyone else, except King of the land that was less evil and nobler in its ways. He came to a clearing in the forest where a small shack had been built out of logs and other forest debris. Keith knocked on the door, and a small old man came to the door. “Ah, Keith! Lord of the land that is less evil and noble in its ways, what troubles you?” and Keith explained his plight to Justin. When Keith was done telling his tale Justin said, “I see, child” and went into the other room to think about the comet and Mogwai. When he came back to greet Keith he said “The only way to stop a runaway turtle is to redirect it, now be off!” and so Keith left the old man to his puttering and returned to the land that was less evil and nobler.

When he returned from the forest Christian asked if Justin gave him council. “Yes,” he said “and I have a plan which should work.” Just then Mogwai was seen in the town square with the servant and Lenny, he promised destruction of the land that was less evil and more noble than Mogwai’s home land. Keith ordered for a canon to shoot himself up at the oncoming comet. Christian said, “Oh, you’re killing yourself so you won’t be remembered as disgraceful in the history books? Smart plan.” “No,” said Keith “The only way to stop a runaway turtle is to redirect it”. Christian realized Keith had lost it and thought about that beautiful Julian whom she could marry after Keith was done killing himself.

The cannon was set in place and Keith put on his safety gear, because he knew an impact with a comet stood a chance of maybe injuring him a bit, so as soon as he put on his helmet and safety-suit they lit the fuse and he was off shooting at the comet. He arrived safely on the comet. Immediately he seized the bomb and found the controls for the comet and set it on a course for a vile township called Douglasville, land of Doug. It was destroyed and nothing was rectified.

The town of less evil and nobler ways let out a joyous cheer for Keith, they could not believe he had defeated Mogwai and his devious plan. Mogwai let out a groan, hung his head in shame and began to maniacally sob, “All I wanted was to conquer you and enslave your people,” he wept “was that too much to ask? Who is the real evil super-human here? Not I, Not I at all.” “I am sorry for your defeat, but, to make it better I bought you a course in how to be more evil and assertive!” “Oh, thank you so much, we shall be allies, until I am done with the course.” “ I wouldn’t expect any less,” said Keith. Lenny and the Servant, feeling left out, began to mope. “Do not be sad!” said Keith “ I got you folks something too – for you, my servant, I got you cooking classes! And for you, Lenny, I got you a nice diabolical cape.” “Thank you for your kindness to me and my motley crew,” said Mogwai “Hey, I am no hero, I just like pie.” Everyone cheered and at last there was peace in the land.

cuomo as lou reed? *shocking

2006-01-26T13:01:00.000-05:00

weezer are to star in forthcoming film 'factory girl' as the velvet underground....you know, the one with sienna miller in it with 'eyebrows', based on the life of edie sedgwick, associate and one-time girlfriend of andy warhol. lou Reed, has reportedly called the film's script "one of the most disgusting, foul things I've seen - by any illiterate retard - in a long time".

i can't wait to see what he says about weezers cover of 'heroin'.

sweet jesus.

We Are Selling This CD For Gas Money

2006-01-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

Speechwriters LLC have announced that there last EP, We Are Selling This CD For Gas Money, is up for free download now. It has a live show without the audience sound and was recorded by Bobby and Jon (the same people who record most of the live swllc shows and put them up on archive.org).

Download it here.

Dave is going to be playing a solo show in Seattle this Saturday at the Trabant Chai Lounge. Misha and Dave are supposed to add some more shows for this spring.

We Are Scientists US Tour

2006-01-26T10:54:00.000-05:00

Squeezed between their European tour and another UK tour, We Are Scientists have added a few shows in the US:

03/18/06 Sat / Austin TX / Buffalo Billiards / South by Southwest
03/20/06 Mon / Houston TX / Proliterian
03/21/06 Tue / Dallas TX / Granada
03/23/06 Thu / Kansas City MO / Record Bar
03/25/06 Sat / Denver CO / High Dive
03/28/06 Tue / Seattle WA / Crocodile Cafe
03/29/06 Wed / Vancouver BC / Red Room
03/30/06 Thu / Portland OR / Douglas Fir Lounge
03/31/06 Fri / San Francisco CA / Independent
04/01/06 Sat / Los Angeles CA / El Rey
04/02/06 Sun / San Diego CA / Casbah

The shows after South by Southwest will feature The Grates and Foreign Born.

They have also asked that we vote for Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt over at fuse.tv (TV Shows>Oven Fresh).

New Bishop Allen Song!

2006-01-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

Bishop Allen has released, though You Ain't No Picasso, a brand new mp3, "Corazon," from the January EP. This is definitely awesome, as it's a sneak peek at the four songs coming up. Head on over to YANP and give the song a listen.

The January EP's tracklisting:

1. Corazon
2. The Bullet and Big D
3. The Rabbit
4. Making Friends

According to the band, it will be available on the website to order on January 31, and on iTunes shortly thereafter.

What? No posts in almost a week?

2006-01-24T16:06:00.000-05:00

Let me remedy the non-postage. Here goes:

My friend Lansing Lee makes some pretty good catchy-pop of the singer-songwriter variety. Check out his Myspace via that link.

If you've ever considered getting into Stargate SG-1, you can pick up with the 7th episode of the series, and two more after that, next Monday on SciFi. The rotation continues that way every Monday. But what about the first 6, you ask? Well, they happen to be scattered about on YouTube at the moment. Run a simple search for "Stargate" and look through the results for the right episodes. Need an episode guide to go by as you look them up? Check out Gateworld. You shall not be disappointed with your decision to delve into a really cool sci-fi show with a great premise.

This morning, I had the largest and most satisfactory breakfast I've had in a long while. I left the cafeteria feeling full and very satisfied with myself, and I didn't feel a hint of hunger until right around lunch time. I highly recommend a full breakfast whenever you've got the time.

This is TOPG with your host.

2006-01-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

I am going to be honest, I had a difficult time setting this thing up.

I have a band, I am alright.

DO YOU REMEMBER ROCK 'N ROLL RADIO?

The Icon 1/13/06

2006-01-14T16:27:00.000-05:00

A fantastic show. The Icon is a small club in Buffalo, NY. When I say "small" I mean "small!". Its maximum capacity is about 300 people. So it has a very "intmate" vibe to it. The stage only takes up a small courner of the club. Personaly, I love the place. I plan on attendng many more concerts at this location, now on to the show.

The first band to play was Besnyo, a local group. They played a few tracks off their CD "Look Alive" (which I bought...with quarters). They have a similar sound to that of Interpol, distorted guitar, low-droning vocals, but with a keyboard. While I did find them quite enjoyable, I couldn't really hear the lead singer. I thought it was a problem with the clubs sound system, but now that I have the CD, I see that that is just how he sings. Some may find that annoying, but it doesn't bother me that much. They didn't seem that "into it" (the guitarist didn't move...at all) but all in all it was a good preformance. Next was Attractive...who I really didn't listen to, but my friend said that they were good...so I'll take his word!

After Attractive, Oxford Collapse played. When I first saw them I thought that I wouldn't like them very much,because of their really dessed down look I was expecting them to be extreamly dull, I was wrong. They put alot of energy into their set. The bassist reminded me of the guitarist of Cheap Trick in the way he played. It's as if he was in his own little world, very fun to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed their preformance! I suggest you pick up their album. Now for the feature presentation: We Are Scientists.

They played tracks off of WLAS, plus a few B-sides and one I've never heard before! While I didn't want to get my hopes up, I was still hoping that maybe they would whip-out an oldie to make me and the one other person in the club stop screaming requests (mine being "Selective Memory" and theirs being "Double X Mystery") . Even though they didn't cave into our yelling, it was still a fantastic show. Keith's and Chris's banter was great. At one point Chris began to rant about how people constantly ask them questions about Hot Hot Heat and how much it pisses him off. When Keith mentioned how nice they were Chris responded with "To me? Oh they were more than generous! But still...*more ranting*"

The crowd was great. I was half expectiong them to all be indie snobs who didn't want to dance due to the fear of spilling their drinks, I was pleasantly suprised. While there was a handful of said peoples, the rest of the crowd was great. I danced my ass off! To the point where I almost passed-out! Thankfully they played "Textbook" and I was able to catch my breath, then jump right back into the fray.

After the show I talked to the band for awhile, they're great guys. I had then sign the album cover, but durring the show I lost it! I went to Keith and asked him to sign my ticket, but he had a better plan! He picked up a flier off the stage and drew me a new cover! I'm quite proud of it, I plan on getting it framed.

As I drove into the cold New York night, I thought to myself "THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!"

I'm the new one!

2006-01-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

As the title implies: I'm the new guy! I shall be seeing We Are Scientists on friday, expect a review of the show and pics, and maybe if I can play my cards right (unlikely) I might have a short interview with the band! I'll try to get some video too.

See you on firday!

Yo!

2006-01-10T23:00:00.001-05:00

Hello, I guess I'm number 3 on this little site. My first post should inform you that you need to check out We Are Scientists in Cleveland, for I will be there, camera and video camera in hand, taping the show. Please come by, it's at The Grog Shop on the 17th of January.

Bye for now!

Linkage

2006-01-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

So, the main reason I started this place is probably due to envy of Matt of You Ain't No Picasso, and what it's become. Let's not forget that I had a stint as a member of the YANP project during its brief incarnation as a three-person blog. I know I am completely unable to sustain a blog on my own, which is why I started this collaborative... so I don't have to do everything. Haha. Anyway, follow this linkage. And that's all. I'm too lazy to read any other blogs.

Required Reading

2006-01-07T18:12:00.000-05:00

Welcome, folks, to That One Pop Gem. This is the first "real" post, I suppose. We, the members of That One Pop Gem, have supreme appreciation for the following three artists, and I recommend you familiarize yourself with them too. Here goes:

We Are Scientists - the band you're most likely to have heard of. They're very radio-friendly, in the modern sense of upbeat, fast-tempo, guitar dance-rock. At least, that's the kind of things various websites have said. I have trouble describing them, myself. But definitely give a listen to the stuff they have available on the website.

Bishop Allen - some of the catchiest pop you'll ever hear. Bishop Allen successfully creates the friendliest and most lovable sound I've ever heard, and I think you'll like them. Give them a try, and don't just stop at the four tracks at their website. Their "new" sound is demonstrated quite well at their Myspace, in the form of three brand new songs.

Speechwriters LLC - formerly an acoustic folk-pop duo, they're now a "full" band, featuring a bassist and a drummer. When I first heard their Clones EP over two years ago, I was instantly hooked. If you need a starting point, grab the Clones EP here or check out one of these live sets. The first one's an acoustic set from early last year, the second one is a classic acoustic set from 2003, and the last one demonstrates the "new" full-band sound from July of last year.

I hope you enjoy these bands upon which we've founded the community of this blog! Stay tuned for updates from all corners of the entertainment world!

Welcome to a New World

2006-01-07T18:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to That One Pop Gem, a new entertainment collaborative brought to you by the same folks who bring you Nebulize My Mind. This blog will focus on all forms of entertainment, including music, movies, television, books, and who knows what else. Be prepared.