Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Boardtape 2008 Has Arrived!

2008's installment of Boardtape is titled "Microdisiac" and consists of all original remixes of some of my favorite artists. For example, one of the best tracks on Galactic's latest record "From The Corner To The Block" is called "Fanfare." "Fanfare" is only a 1:22 long on their record. Under the watchful eye of DJ Adequate, that same track becomes 4:23 with some twists and turns.

If you are the legal owner to the sound recordings and disprove of anyone reinterpreting your stellar work, email me and I will take yours down.

Enjoy!
Budget DJ and self-styled internet Cred Tycoon,
DJ Adequate

Track Listing:
Mr. Bitterness (adequate mix)- Soul Coughing
Get Innocuous (vocal remix)- LCD Soundsystem featuring Murry Wilson
Fanfare (adequate remix)- Galactic
Positive Tension (drums of navarone mix)- Bloc Party
Les Yper Sound (motive mix)- Stereolab
Point (ape shall not kill ape mix)- Cornelius
Little Black Ache (bad needle mix)- Bishop Allen
So What'cha E-pro (dance mix)
You may note that DJ Adequate tried the So What'cha Want/E-pro mash-up before to varied results. This is a extended alternate version, listen for the reverse turntable scratches

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

It Will Be Mine, oh yes, It Will Be Mine

Helping your friend buy and amp is an involved process: the deal is you play while he twiddles knobs and pushes the amp one way or the other. Especially since this amp is to be a direct contrast/corrollary to your own, you've got to keep your ears open. (ed note: personnel announcement to follow)

You see, in these days of chain stores and electronic sameness, historically independent music stores are the places you find your true sound. Why go for the same set up that every else has when you will end up sounding the same as them? And that is not a good thing. This side of modding everything, you hit up these little independent shops where the shop owner talks your ear off, and then tells you to play anything as long as you put it back correctly. And the place is a candy shop. And you're a kid. With a couple hundred bucks. ha! Somehow I've eeked a sound out of my set up when it is the same. I try to help others not make the same mistake: shop at small shops! shop at small shops! get esoteric gear that you corral to make a sonic thumbprint for yourself.

...and there it was. sitting on the counter. after hours of twiddling knobs and talking "sound" it was time to check out, and since I wasn't actually buying anything, I took the opportunity to carouse the PA section, and then the hidden keyboard section. For the first time in my life I crossed a Moog in a music store. A minimoog– lying expectantly on the counter, I had to ask questions about it. How much? How much work does it need? When did it come in? Then, they took my name to call first when it is done. Sweet Jesus, I did not plan on finding one of these in real life, just eBay! We've been messing with a CZ-101 to make it sound like a Moog, but I want knobs!

It wanted me. It saw me first; I just had to approach it! It was like Wayne's World without Stairway. Moogs are the new custom strat. Mark my words.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Adjective, Noun, Verb

Today we were supposed to get some snow, but instead, Philadelphia has turned into what I imagine as our finest replica of an English winter. It's not quite raining. It's not quite foggy. It's definitely not snowing. Soon enough there will be snow, but then there will be rain, then there will be the soup. The soup is what happens when the ground thaws and you miss the road by an inch when you step out of the car. It's not a thud. It's not a thwack. Somewhere in between.

Man, sleep and me don't get along these days. My favorite lunch spot betrayed me last week (I like to think of it as real-time karmic fall out from mocking the Omnivore's Dilemma- the concept, not the book) and my stomach has been topsy turvey ever since. The wine probably doesn't help. Regardless, I woke up last night around 3 and spent the remainder of the tiny hours in a warbly, half-dreaming state. I should start writing songs that way, if I could only figure out how to stay asleep with a guitar in my hand.

Coming soon, an official announcement from MFA World Central Command with regards to people, places, and things.

And stuff. Lots of stuff.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Slow Motion Decay (live video)

Just wanted to let you know there is a live video of us performing "Slow Motion Decay>" up on alumni Matt Sedlar's blog. The video was taken by Kim Lufkin at Staccato in DC, in 2006.

I could critique it from a personal perspective (note to self: there is a reason why bands wear black on stage!) but I will just say it's pretty cool finding video of yourself on the interweb. That is, unless you're Meg White, you just had a nervous breakdown, and some imposter claims to be you in a stag film.

Speaking of which video also exists of another band performing a U2 cover (one of many!) to ring in the third decade of a certain drummers' life. This video hasn't escaped the vault. We'll see!

Matt said it best, that Staccato was totally the Cheers of local rock!

Monday, January 07, 2008

MFA Bonus Elite Super Premium Cardgage

We're going to need to institute a MFA frequent flyer program, where miles travelled can be redeemed for merch, or cash.

Jim came up from Arlington this weekend for practice, and a multitude of televised sporting. Anne is in Florida working and familying, so bachelorhood thus equated sports. Starting with missing the end of my ever-sliding Kentucky Wildcats loss to Louisville, we watched Pittsburg lose to Jacksonville in the AFC wild card game.

Then, I went in to hyper-caffeinated battle with Comcast early sunday afternoon as the signal kept on cutting out whist watching Jim's Pitt Panthers lose to Villanova in the closing seconds of the game. I tell you, there is nothing like trying to watch a close college basketball game while the digital signal keeps cutting out. Mind you, it's not like broadcast or even normal cable where you can still get a portion of signal, when digital cuts you get nothing. No audio. No signal. No basketball. No Win. No Loss. Nada. Good thing Jim didn't care that he missed the end of the loss, I cared because we pay for that shizzle!

Man, I really hope the Shins don't break up!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Butter 08

Top of the year to ya. Hope you and yours stayed toasty and warm. Mine and ours travelled. And travelled. Back in the 80's, I grew up somewhere between Massachusetts and Kentucky, sometimes strapped in to a seatbelt, other times crossing the imaginary line between where my brother or sisters' seat ended and mine began.

Fast forward a good 25 years and I'm hurtling between Charlotte and Louisville fueled by Christmas cookies and Big Red Vanilla Float soda with my wife and mom alternatingly gasping. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I might have thought it wise to share the driving duties; but in real life, we had mileage to gain and only so much time to attain it and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to be at the helm for it.

Glad to be back home. We have an album to release people! Battle stations!
happy 08,
mcmfa

OH, I ALMOST FORGOT!
The DJing went well. DJ Boozy Claus (nee Adequate) crowd pleased several different crowds for about 7 hours. It's not every day you get to make one group happy by playing Girl Talk and an entirely separate group happy by spinning "In Da Club" right after "Only In Dreams" by Weezer. Not to mention someone outside of indierock-dom acknowledging your fine choice of a Dismemberment Plan song. Note to friends Georgie James, Lavajet, The Apparitions, and Brice Woodall: you can collect your 2 cents from ASCAP now.