The HighLife

What up ya'll - Monday is past us! Here's your daily track fix with a good amount of variety this morning.

To start off with a little something hippity hoppity and some R&B sprinkled on top, check out Lyrics Born's track off his new Album Everywhere at Once - Differences:

"I'm a dude!"

Next, something that should rock you right into your Tuesday groove - the Sam Roberts band. Pretty cool video too, a spin off that annoying video game called The Sims:

Here are a few more Sam Roberts Band tracks you shoud check out - a bit more melodic than the track above, a personal preference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0RniSNWdYM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCClbR1ZORo

Switching gears to something a little up-beat - some bounce house by Deadmau5 - you may recognize the sampled track - the infamous Faster Stronger hit by none other than Daft Punk. Deadmau5 got his name back in the day when chat rooms were cool. He shared a story of a mouse crawling into his computer and dying inside. Weeks later he discovered where the stench was coming from. He was known in that chat room as the dead mouse guy - hence Deadmau5.

Usually he wears this amazingly goofy looking mouse helmet with eyes that blink to the beat, but in this original Deadmau5 track he is not. Gotta love his energy!

 

Some more beats by Adam Freeland - he's got some thought-proviking messages in his music, which I think is pretty interesting and probably easily misenterpreted. Checkim' out:

 

 

That's all for now. Later on.

Classic

 

The rollerskate scene is my personal favorite. And Alf! - What ever happened to Alf!?

Happy Friday y’all!  I can’t really think of a theme for today other than the fact that they’re really feel-good songs; and I really just like these songs.  I found out about this first artist from vh1’s “you oughta know”. It helps that she’s a philly girl too, but she’s got a good sound.  Jasmine Sullivan – Need you bad

I got these guys' album a couple years back from my cousin who was visiting from the UK, and he brought their album ‘Signs of Struggle” with him.  I’ve been a fan since; this is one of my favorite tracks from that album.  Mattafix – I to you

I don’t think I need to go into this one.  Check out the vinyl version first, and then hold your cursor over the hyperlink for a live version…Rolling Stones - Miss You (extended 12” vinyl special disco version)

I got a cd mix titled “happiest music ever as of today” a couple of weeks ago, and this song was on there.  I remember thinking “this song makes me really happy” and then I saw the video, and it just multiplied that feeling. The Avalanches – Since I left you

I sent out a 30sec preview of this song a while back because I couldn’t find a whole version of it.  Well, not anymore. So here is my favorite song by these guys.  Soulive – Freedom

Alrighty, that’s it for today’s Daily Track. Enjoy your weekends, I know I will! Be easy.

Afolabi

 

LOVEWHIP Jamaica Plain, MA Pop / electro / dancerock Thursday September 18 at Church in Boston. Anybody who is interested should hit me up. This group is groovalicious! I don't know how this all works yet or where to stick this post but bare with me more to come.

Welcome, iPeeps to the first edition of the Daily Track on The HighLife!

 

Here are some excellent twists and guest appearances on the beloved childrens' show, Sesame Street:

 

Cookie Monster is Politically Correct!? 

 

 

Dave Chapelle's Take (Audio) - This is such a classic!

 

 

James Blunt - (Beautiful) Triangle

 

 Feist - 1 2 3 4

 

 

Sensamilla Street (Sesame Street Parody) - I remember this from back in the day as an audio clip - I was able to find it on YouTube with a so-so video

 

Cookie Monster - Letter F - great short clip :)

 

 

Sesame Street Bad for Children?? Typically Mind-Numbing News Story

 

 

Elmo with the Backstreet Boys!? haaa!

 

 

Tony Bennett

 

 

Elmo kickin' it with Chris Brown

 

 

Big Bird & Johnny Cash - awesome

 

 

Queen Latifa

 

 

Destiny's Child

 

The Googoo Dolls - loved these guys back in high school

 

Hootie & the Blowfish

 

Nora Jones & Elmo

 

Billy Joel & the Grouch!

 

LL Cool J - Click here to view video (Embed Code Not Available)

 

Alicia Keys & Elmo

 

 

N'Sync!

 

 

R.E.M.

 

 

 

Little Richard - Rubber Duckie

 

 

Spin Doctors - I got their cassette tape for my mom as a birthday gift when I was in jr. high - now it is kickin around my apartment somewhere and makes it into my boom box once in a while, which I refuse to throw away

 

 

Squirrel Nut Zippers - These guys were at the Paradise not long ago.

 

 

James Taylor & Grouch

 

 

Stevie Wonder

 

 

 Hope you enjoyed this Sesame Street mashup! 

 

 

Wassup people! Happy Friday!! Welcome to the Daily Track.  Today we're buckling down on some funk.  Specifically, from the Godfather of Soul, James Brown.

To kick it off, you don't see a lot of footage of James Brown as a younger man. So i found a number of performances of from that era.  You get to see the man in his prime, and really feel the tightness of his band. Hope you like it. From a 1976 performance, James Brown - Sex Machine

 

i'll follow that up with a performance from i don't know when, but it makes it clear where Michael Jackson got all his moves from. Get up offa that thing

 

The next two tracks are medleys. I only wanted to pick one of them, but they're just too good.

Medley 1: The Payback, Cold Sweat,Brand New Bag

Medley 2: I Got The Feelin' / Cold Sweat / Say It Loud / Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose / Please Please Please / There Was A Time (with Sammy Davis Jr.)

 

 

Alright people, that's it for the Daily Track. Enjoy your weekends, and keep the funk alive!

Be Easy.

Afolabi

Hello boys and girls, welcome to the Daily Track!  Today's topic, Soul.  What is soul? I think Bruce Campbell, of Army of Darkness fame, sums it up best "if you have it, you don't need it. If you need it, you don't have it. If you have it, you need more of it..." and so it goes. So whereever you fall in that classification, here's some soul for your soul.

We'll start with a track i heard last night, and really is the inspiration for today's post.  The Spinners - It's a shame

 

This is another classic from 1971, and the video is a Soul Train performance of this track. Aside from the awesomeness of the music, i really just love the lyrics to this track. Enjoy. The Dramatics - What you see is what you get

 

To close out the soul session, here's a song by the first group ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I'd like to give a special thanks to Quentin Tarantino for including this in his movie, Grindhouse - Death Proof, which is where i first came across it. And man did it stick in my head. So i figure, what better way for you to hear it than with the scene itself. The Coasters - Down in Mexico

Alrighty then, that's it for Daily Track soul today. If you don't have it by now, you might probably never get it. But don't stop trying. So until next time.

Be easy.

Afolabi

Hello! Hallo! Hola! Morgen! E k'asan! and Privet! Welcome to the Daily Track! We've got an international flavor today, to satisfy all you jet-setters out there.  So let's get to it.

The first track today comes from a Netherlands-based group. I recently heard literally like 10 seconds of this track on the latest Rhapsody commercial, and i was sold.  So here it is.  Kraak & Smaak - Squeeze me

 

 

The next track finds us in the UK with up and comer Jack Penate.  I first heard this guy on UPenn's college radio (WXPN 88.1) and i thought he had an interesting sound so i decided to check out more of his music. I can't really classify his sound, indie-ish maybe, but i will say it is very catchy and you might find yourself singing it back to yourself all day.  Note: There's no official video for this song yet, so excuse the video quality. But positively, this is an acoustic version you won't find anywhere.

Jack Penate - Got my favourite (Acoustic)

 

 

The next featured track has a lot of latin flavor to it. The group is made up of Dominican-born Nova (keys/guitar /writer/producer) and Colombian-born Maya(writer/bass) and is based in the Bronx, New York City.  They mash a fusion of funk, reggae, dub, electronica, and latin rhythms to deliver to you...Pacha Massive - Don't let go

Alright, that's it for today! Keep on livin' the HighLife!

Afolabi

First edition Daily Track here.  I'll keep it simple.  The track suggestions are courtesy of some of the finer musical minds out there.  This first post is specifically dedicated to the Afrobeat.  A genre created by a Nigerian music legend, Fela Kuti, and carried on by his sons and many other talented artists out there. 

But we're not here to focus on the old, but the new.  So the first track is a Fela Kuti song performed live by his son, Seun Kuti - Gba mi l'eti kin d'olowo (slap me so i can get rich)

 

Continuing the theme these next artists also perform a Fela Kuti cover.  Rhythm Roots Allstars - JJD (Johnny Just Drop)

 

the next track is by a Boston based group, The Superpowers. which i think is one of the sweetest band names ever. They used to be known as the Boston Afrobeat Society, but have since upgraded monikers. I saw their first live show as The Superpowers at Matt Murphy's, i spent most of the show dancing on a bench because there was no space on the floor!  The Superpowers - S.L.D.R

 

That's it for the daily track. til' the next time. Be easy.

Afolabi