blog love, myspace love

Hello there, folks. I've got another post planned for later, but right now I'd like to share some blog love and point you to some good tunes on Myspace.

First, I'd like to direct your attention to Twilight Zone! This is one of my very favorite blogs, and one of the first that I started visiting habitually. Updated pretty much daily, RYP posts great music that is generally unavailable - either out of print, or never made it to cd. I also have to say I'm partial to his focus - garage, surf, rockabilly, psycho-billy (a genre I learned from TZ), dirty old r&b - all great stuff. I've gotten into a lot of great bands through TZ that I otherwise would never have known - Beasts of Bourbon, Blood on the Saddle, the Bambi Molesters...he also posts a lot of great compilations collecting rare singles. Definitely check out Twilight Zone, and bookmark it.

And of course you need to be reading Ick Music if you aren't already. Here you can expect to find interesting bits from artists you already know (like a recent Prince aftershow from Vegas, a 1980 show from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and of course lots of Springsteen); You can also expect to be turned on to artists you've never heard. Pete's turned me on to a lot of good stuff in the last year or so (Nino Moschella, Soel, Koop). Also be sure to check out the Prince and Springsteen fora, great places to meet fellow fans, discuss these great artists, and maybe even find some goodies. Check out Ick Music.

Lastly, blog love goes out to Off the Record. Here we have a group of folks that collectively post some great music, the vast majority of which are newer artists that I hear for the first time on this blog. This is another blog that is updated so frequently that it's sometimes difficult to keep up. But that's not a bad thing - lots of great music over there. Check out Off the Record.

Now for some Myspace fun. I admit, I only joined up on Myspace this past winter. I try to avoid getting involved with more websites that I know will become diversions from work, but I finally caved. I will say that it's great for music geeks. I used to get annoyed at unsolicited invitations from bands, but upon Pete's advice, I've started to check these out, often with good results. So here are a few of my favorite Myspace discoveries.

*Gems/Derek White
A few months ago, I got a friend request from Derek White. A fellow Pittsburgh native, Derek was working on some solo material which soon became part of the repertoire of a newly formed group, the Gems. This is just great indie rock/pop, well crafted, well produced, danceable. Definitely check out "Mean Tambourine."
Gems Myspace page

*Diablo Dimes
This page actually came to me by way of a friend. Diablo Dimes is in ways reminiscent of Tom Waits, but also very distinct in his own style. I can't quite describe his music, so here's how his bio describes it: "Honky-tonk, hooked, hop, hophead, heebies, and a full orchestration at a barrelhouse... Playing music calledSwamp, jump-blues, and boogie woogie." Maybe that doesn't help. But go check out both songs on his page, "Rainin' Wine on Sunday" and "Hot Ass Georgia Asphalt." He also has a full length and an EP for sale at his website, which I've been meaning to order for months.
Diablo Dimes' Myspace page

*Kid Sister
From Chicago comes Kid Sister, an emcee with bite. I don't really know what to say, so I'll just let the music speak for itself. Check "Control" and "Telephone."
A 7-track EP is available for download, although materialists like me will have to wait a bit for non-compressed non-digital formats.
Kid Sister Myspace page

*Gameboy/Gamegirl
I was immediately drawn in by the name. Any nod to old school video games is sure to get my attention. This is just super fun dance music. All of the three tracks posted are great, but "Sweaty Wet Dirty Damp" is one I just can't get enough of, and it's currently the song on my own page. They haven't said anything about a proper release, but I truly hope that they put something out soon so that I can bump these tunes in my car and discman.
Gameboy/Gamegirl Myspace page

That's all for now. Enjoy the links, and I'll be back with another post soon. Hint: British legislature.