Posted by Nate Ludens on January 26, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Someone asked me that today and it really bummed me out. Not for me, but for them. I don’t believe that there’s better music available now than at any other given era, but it’s ridiculous to not know about it. What year is this, anyway? How do you NOT listen to music? It’s a very foreign concept to me.
Every day, I listen to Pandora, SIRIUS, Grooveshark and YouTube. Every. Freakin. Day. I can’t imagine not knowing there’s great music to discover. Just in the last few weeks, I have learned of new – and old – bands to appreciate and spend a little time with.
In the last 72 hours I enjoyed music by The Gaslight Anthem, Hugo, Train, Taddy Porter, Jay-Z and Juliette Lewis. All are very, very good and most of the music was released in the last year or two. Of course, I also revisited classic Pink Floyd, Metallica, some of Rise Against’s older stuff, and a hybrid of old and new: Guitar Classics by Santana. Freaking GREAT. I love the tracks that I was convinced I’d hate when I bought it. Saw Santana’s show at the Joint here in Vegas and it’s so good. His newest album is a combo of signature Carlos and contemporary singers (except Joe Cocker – wth?)
Is there good music out there anymore? Listen to Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, the Black Keys and follow it with Deep Purple and Eric Clapton. Pssh. No new music. Ridiculous. Recorded music doesn’t expire, it’s lives forever.
Turn off Glee and American Idol! In the name of Joe Strummer, go discover something and be inspired.
Continue Reading
Posted by Nate on June 12, 2010 at 11:48 am
Here’s some events I’m looking forward to attending in Las Vegas (and/or working with). I hope to see you at some of the shows. Come introduce yourself if you see me there.
Saturday, June 12 (today) REGGAE IN THE DESERT. This is an annual thing for my wife and I. Great food, very chill afternoon and evening on the lawn with some of the best touring reggae bands you can find.
Friday, June 18th: Sin City Sinners first show as resident Friday night band inside Club Madrid at Sunset Station. (Full disclosure: I work for Stations Web Marketing, but this isn’t a sales pitch – I can’t, it’s a free show!) The Sinners bring a rock-legend-guest to almost every show, and always have a great set in store. I’ll be shooting the show for fun (and for work). Did I mention there’s no cover?
Saturday, June 19th: Steel Panther returns to Green Valley Ranch’s Ovation. I’ll be shooting this show as well. And don’t miss the interview on the Stations blog coming up this week. It’s pretty funny. They’re in the new Bud Light commercial about the haircut as an excuse to throw a party.
That’s it for this week. Watch for the photos the following week. I’ll try to keep these updates coming if you like it. Again, hope to see you at the shows!
Continue Reading
Posted by Nate on April 27, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Its kind of funny to me that there’s a genre on wikipedia (yeah, I know, it’s wikipedia) called Folk/Punk. The author credits the great Pogues as founders. I credit Bob Dylan, probably, for kick-starting this genre, if it really does exist. You could argue that its origins are within blues or even southern rock – but I always tend to lean toward the great Joe Strummer. The Clash were legends: punk as hell – brutally honest, smart and snide social commentary, no doubt. But it’s Strummer’s late work that really turns up the passion and the wisdom. His worldliness shines in the Hellcat Records discography. Go get these records immediately.
But get this album, too. I stumbled upon Frank Turner’s music recently while researching The Revival Tour, a group of veteran punks that just plain kick some acoustic ass. Same vigor, same angst, but acoustic. Epic story tellers, I gotta say. Turner is bold and grouchy, but insightful and often times gutwrenchingly beautiful, too. I purchased The First Three Years from iTunes almost immediately after stumbling upon Turners MySpace page and listening to all of the sample tunes there. 24 solid, soulful tunes for 8 bucks. Thank me later.
Continue Reading
Posted by Nate on April 2, 2010 at 5:23 pm
For my second photo assignment last night, I shot the new series of Unsigned: Bands On The Rise at Ovation inside Green Valley Ranch. I was excited to see it was old friends, Slow To Surface on the bill for this, the third installment of the local and indie showcase that the Station Casinos Entertainment Team has lined up for a couple Thursdays a month inside Ovation.
The last time I caught a show at Ovation, I was impressed by the venue. Actually, I made note of it on my blog post for Station Casinos. These photos will show that there’s a very impressive presentation for these bands. Great for photography! This time around, I had my gear, and I hope you like the results as much as I do.
Continue Reading
Posted by Nate on March 14, 2010 at 12:13 am
I have to assume that SIRIUS/XM is pretty spooked about Pandora and it’s continual surge in popularity due to mobile apps on iPhones and the like… But trust me – don’t cancel SIRIUS or XM subscriptions yet, use them both, like I do! I love Pandora. I also pay for SIRIUS satellite radio. Use the link over >>> there and sign up for a trial. You won’t regret it, I promise. Here’s some reasons why I support both.
ADVANTAGE: SIRIUS/XM
1. JASON ELLIS SHOW – Absolutely hilarious daily train wreck combo of comic relief, action sports, and really dirty jokes. “Dude, is it gay?” segment is hysterical. Mayhem Mondays with Mayhem Miller is great, too. See #2.
2. FACTION 28/ XM 52: The Marky Ramone Show is sort of like going to punk rock church and the sermon was given by God on Wednesday nights. Tony Hawk might be the coolest guy in America. Johnny Moseley is up there, too. Bam Margera annoys the crap out of me, but I think that’s the idea.
3. NO FUSS IN THE CAR – No battery issues, cables, worrying about adapters, compatibility, etc. A dream for long-distance drives.
4. PERSONALITIES – Confession: I’m a rock fan. (Old/new/heavy/indie/folk) I’m biased towards Faction, but Little Steven’s Underground Garage, Alt Nation, Boneyard, and Octane (I’m sure I’m forgetting several others) all have fantastic DJs. Frequent guest channels are cool, too. I hear great things about the Hip-Hop channels, and there’s plenty of talk networks for politicial douchebags who like to argue and people that can stand Martha Stewart and Oprah. Hey, more power to ‘em. Gives them something to do with their time to feel important, I suppose.
5. STERN’S NETWORK – Not my bag, but millions of devoted listeners dig the legendary shock jock. Opie & Anthony and Farrell are great.
ADVANTAGE: PANDORA
1. IT’S FREE, DUMMY – And when you run out of free hours, finish out the month for $1.00. A BUCK!
2. DESIGNER CHANNELS – If you hear a song you don’t like, just skip it or delete it. (Perfect for when Nickelback and Linkin Park interrupt your good channels). Imagine, you can make a custom channel with Slayer, Run DMC and John Mayer. Though, it might make you a little schizophrenic. Ask me how I know!
3. YOU CAN SHARE YOUR MIX – the new mix tape? Check out my Pandora Profile here: http://www.pandora.com/people/nate.ludens
4. BEST EVER SOURCE FOR DISCOVERING NEW MUSIC – I love the voodoo formulas that Pandora uses to know what I like.
5. NO HARDWARE MAKES IT OFFICE FRIENDLY – streaming free radio at work makes the world a better place.
BOTTOM LINE: Get them both. You can say you were there when the power in radio shifted from boring, redundant, record-company crap-oganda to the people’s-choice radio, featuring inspiring music you want to hear, when you want to hear it. Without commercials.
Continue Reading
