Coffee Bean Music Scene .....and all of the toe jam in between ;o)

America's Hip First Family

2009-01-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

America has a hip, new first family and like most of the country - we here at CBMS just can't seem to get enough. By now you've seen, read or heard everything and anything about the Inauguration, so there's really no need to rehash it here.

(Pic via Huff Po)

Barack Obama officially became president at 12 noon yesterday - right in the middle of the instrumental he commissioned from John Williams. It was a beautiful piece and well worth the wait for the actual swearing in process. Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriele Montero and Anthony McGill performed the song. You can watch the performance again, if you wish, in the YouTuber below.

Aretha Franklin also performed with much ado about that hat............

Happy MLK Day!

2009-01-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Designisms is a wonderful blog that I have recently come across and am now currently following. They posted this little gem from PES called "Western Spaghetti". This stop motion animation feature is a "2009 Sundance Official Selection". As it should be!

They also pointed me to this where you can Obaminate yourself.......

Happy MLK day and hopefully you're freezing your a*s off in DC! One more day! Woo Hoo!

Tina Fey's "Suck It" To The Haters!

2009-01-13T10:08:00.000-08:00

I am SO sorry to have left that photo below up for so long. Eww, Larry and Jim in a bathtub. Just ewwww! What can I say, the holidays, followed by Vegas, followed by I live in freakin' California and even though it's January we're rolling out temps of 86 degrees. I'm out and about, I'm not much for sitting inside on my bottom blogging when I can be out breathing in the scent of lemons, oranges, ocean breezes and soaking in the warm sunshine. I'll get back to regular posts eventually.

I happened to see the TIVO version of the Golden Globes, well, at least skimmed through it quickly. Is Tina Fey AWESOME or WHAT???!! If you don't know what I'm talking about check this clip from Buzz. She brought some much needed attention to all the internet trash-talking and gave it back to her haters. Her retort was absolutely hilarious!! If you check this link it will take you to the actual forum where Fey's ridiculous haters reside. (Link via buzzfeed.com)

Who the hell doesn't like Tina Fey?! What's wrong with people?

Oh well, hate all you want but it's 10:00 AM here and already 72 degrees, Max and I are going for a walk. If you don't like it, you can "suck it"!

The Top Ten Bubble Bath With Carrey & King

2008-12-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

Jim Carrey did Letterman's Top Ten with help from his special friend, Larry King. I've YouTubed enough this week, so rather than throw another Tuber up here - you can follow this link to watch.

(via Huff Po)

The Microwave Christmas Musical

2008-12-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

AKQA has created a Christmas video card using multiple microwaves, all set to ding accordingly, to the tune of Jingle Bells. Admittedly kind of cool but hard to fathom the time involved in setting the whole thing up. I'd like to see the sequel though, you know, the one where everyone's body parts start to fall off due to massive amounts of radiation. Oh what fun........! Kidding.

(Via Gizmodo)

Feeling Lost? Here's A Peek....

2008-12-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

There is plenty of this to go around in the blogosphere today, but being the avid fan that I am - I'm throwing it up here on the site for your viewing pleasure anyway. I also watch JJ Abrams "Fringe" - both such great shows. FYI - Fringe returns Jan. 20 with "Bound" and Lost's season starts Jan. 21

_________________________________________________

MSNBC has an article up about the "wired-to-the-end-trend".

ESPNU has some footage of the 60-Ft Cleveland State/Syracuse buzzer-beater basket. (via Digg)

Sometimes, You Have To Go With What You've Got

2008-12-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

While attending this past weekend's "Crosstown Rivalry" between UCLA and USC, I had to laugh when I saw the sign in the above pics. Everytime SC's band played, one of UCLA's fans held up an OJ sign. OJ of course played for the Trojans back in the day and as we are all aware, is now serving time for being an ignorant criminal. Mostly I found the sign amusing because sometimes, when you're in the rebuilding situation that UCLA is currently in and you're up against your biggest rival and they happen to be a chronic powerhouse - well, an OJ sign is about all you've got. UCLA lost 7-28, not so bad overall. Coach Neheuisel and staff are awesome though and I have every confidence that in the next year or two, we won't need an OJ sign to stick it to them - instead we'll get it done on the field.

It was kind of weird, right before the second-half started, the SC players started jumping around to the beat of whatever song was playing over the speakers at the time. The USC players were partly out in the field (the Rose Bowl is UCLA's home turf) so the Bruins immediately crossed the field to show the Trojans they weren't allowing any displays of disrespect and started jumping around as well. It reminded me more of a "dance-off", I never saw anything get real ugly like pushing, fists flying or anything. It was mostly subdued and kind of cool actually. Both teams got their message across without being jerks about it. It reminded me of an episode on Southpark but for the life of me, I couldn't find the right clip to post here - you'll just have to use your imagination.

Merry Christmas From Vice - 11 Free & Legal Mp3s!!

2008-12-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

I promised to make good on some mp3s lingering in the inbox so there's no better day than today, to get started. Our friends over at Vice are offering up a track from the Raveonettes digi - Christmas EP, Wishing You A Rave Christmas! Not only that, but they've provided us a link to Vice's free Christmas compilation and are allowing us to share it with you! Merry Early Freakin' Christmas!! Grab the tracks and feel free to check additional links below for further information.

Raveonettes - Come On Santa mp3 (right-clicker)

Vice's Christmas Compilation (mp3, left-click through the link)

10 - Tracks featuring Chromeo, Japanese Motors, The Black Lips, The Streets, King Khan & The Shrines and Dark Meat!

Raveonettes Official / Stream / Buy / Show Dates

_______________________________________________

Speaking of Japanese Motors - they've got their new Better Trends video up. Japanese Motors.........always better than any of the "Big Three"!

UPDATE: KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas ......... Kroq announced this morning that tickets will go on sale this Thursday evening, December 11. The Saturday show will begin to sell at 5:00 PM, the Sunday show at 6:00 PM. More info here.

The 75 Million Dollar Flashdance at the Getty Museum

2008-12-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

Over the holiday last week my family and I went to The Getty Center. We go there often because it always makes for an enjoyable afternoon. It's relaxing, peaceful, quiet and loaded with outstanding pieces of art at the J. Paul Getty Museum. It's surreal to stand and witness these famous works in person. (above photo via Wiki courtesy USGS)

With the cr*ptastic economy, the Getty is a nice alternative. You pay $10.00 to park and the rest is free. The buildings themselves are a work of art, designed by Richard Meier and opening in 1997. There are also beautiful gardens and stunning views of LA from the Center. Of course the view is contingent upon fog and/or smog - but well worth it on any given day! (above photos via the Jesus Phone)

While the Getty features prominent work from the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet and numerous others; sculptures and even furniture from various periods are also on display. (above photo also from the J Phone)

The Getty allows photographs without flash in most areas. One visitor's flash accidently went off while photographing a Rembrandt and was kindly told that the painting (pictured above) was worth 75 million! I'm thinking ........not anymore ;) (above pic via The Getty)

Anywhoo - I can't help myself when I go through there, I immediately think of the video below and hear that music in my head and want to start flipping and twirling right then and there, all over that museum, but I don't. But how cool would that be?? Minus the whole "theft" thing, of course!

Find out more about the Getty Museum and featured art.

That's all we have for today, check back in the next day or two - our inbox is bursting with free and legit mp3 promos, so we hope to get those up soon.

How Many Blueberries To Be This Amazing?

2008-12-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

You've probably seen, or heard of this guy, the "living camera". Stephen Wiltshire is autistic and from an early age could draw, with incredible detail, just about anything I suppose - buildings, cities, etc., after only being exposed to them a brief time. I first saw a piece on him on one of the morning news shows. In the above video, Mr. Wiltshire takes a 45 minute helicopter tour of Rome and is asked to transfer a panorama of what he has seen onto a 5- yard piece of paper, over a 3 day period. This is his first time seeing Rome and he draws it completely from memory. What is even more amazing is the detail - the correct number of columns, windows, etc. He is nearly perfect. I wonder if he eats blueberries?

(via Reddit)

A Beautiful Explosion From Montreal's Plajia

2008-11-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

We've been preaching and whining long enough, the Election is over and the economy, well, it's not going away anytime soon - so today we're bringing you some music to the ears. Something so atmospheric, psychedelic and peaceful you'll listen, smile and ask, "What economy?".

Plajia from Montreal, features Patrick Pleau (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards and harmonica), Simon Boivin (bass and backing vocals) and Pascal Laviolette (drums, percussion and backing vocals). This isn't just any band, as you may already know, Plajia has been nominated (and won) several different awards including the news that they've "recently been nominated with “Beautiful Explosion” for the Grand Prix de la relève Archambault 2008."

Patrick has been kind enough to allow us to post three fantabulous songs off of their full-length CD, Beautiful Explosion. The songs bring a nice offering of rock, pop and even a ballad to soothe your beaten down soul. Grab the tracks and hit the links to grab more info, hook up on Facebook and purchase the CD.

~~Plajia - Beautiful Explosion~~ mp3

~~Plajia - Sleeping~~ mp3

~~Plajia - Dummy~~ mp3

Official/Facebook/iTunes

Get A Grip: This Is So Sad In So Many Ways

2008-11-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

Teen streams suicide live over internet.

KROQ ALMOST ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS 2008 LINEUP & INFO

2008-11-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

As usual, KROQ is bringing a stellar lineup to their annual KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2008. If you're in the LA area, listen in at 106.7 for freebie tix, sale info etc. Get more info about the event and bands here.

UPDATE: Monday, Dec. 8 - Kroq has announced that tickets will go on sale this Thursday, Dec. 11 at 5:00 PM for the Saturday show and at 6:00 PM that same evening for the Sunday show. You need to be a Street Team member, receive your password and then purchase through Ticketmaster. Follow the link above to gather more info.

Are You Freakin' Kidding Me? Auto CEO's Flying High!

2008-11-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

I had mixed feelings about the gov. bailing out the auto industry's "big three". Let's face it, if you're going to keep making the same boring mistakes, how long will any bailout money really last? C'mon, look at the cars they've been making for the last, well, since forever. They excel in mediocrity. The hemorrhage will simply continue.

I do realize however, that there are millions of employees and smaller businesses depending on the auto industry's survival. Additionally, if the states lose all those tax dollars, it increases the likelihood that you and I are going to get more speeding tickets or parking tickets or something. Well, who hasn't noticed more and more people pulled over on the side of the road as your local law enforcement officer jots down pertinent info on his citation pad? Revenue has to come from somewhere, right? Okay, so all that "I get" but........

Then I read this. So the CEO's each flew to Washington to beg for billions in their multi-million dollar jets. Isn't that precious? All of these companies, desperate for cash but they don't have a clue about actually saving any money. Just throw that into the absurdity pool with all that AIG "trip spending" garbage.

Until "business as usual" changes - our economy is doomed. Shame on all of you big, fat cat corporate jerks. Obama wants to help out the auto industry and everybody knows I love Obama but I hope he gives them a swift kick in the b*tt first and oversees each and every penny he might give them. Things have to change. Believe me, middle Americans are making plenty of sacrifices, the morons who got us into this mess, unfortunately, still have much to learn about real sacrifice.

Go Elf Yo Bad Self!

2008-11-17T14:36:00.002-08:00

I'm swamped but when I took a breather the other day I came across an old pic I had from Elf Yourself. I looked to see if the site was available yet for Christmas but at that time it wasn't. Fortunately today, I found out it's up and running. You've seen the emails - you can upload your pics and magically become a dancing elf and send it to all your friends and make a total a*s out of yourself. Nothing more fun than that. Our mascot Max and some of his friends are in the videos below. Head here to go get your own. (Thanks Uncover The Internet)

Check back, we've got some great music in the inbox, we'll post it as soon as we squeege in a little more time!

Some Disco Flavor......

2008-11-17T14:36:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

One More

2008-11-17T14:34:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

So Cal's ShakeOut Drill

2008-11-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

So if you're one of the mils' living in the greater Los Angeles area or rather, Southern California in general - we know you're already massively worried about the economy, the environment, home depreciation's, reversing Prop 8 and important decisions like whether or not to go with that augmentation you've been planning or pay your gas bill, etc., etc. But we need you to dig a little deeper and go full throttle depression and pretend we're having a major, major earthquake. That's right, tomorrow, Thursday November 13, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. millions of people all over So Cal will participate in the largest ever "earthquake preparedness activity in U.S. history". They're calling it the ShakeOut Drill and are hoping that everyone joins in and at the very least, thinks about what steps they'd take in the event of an emergency.

If you've lived here any length of time you know officials usually like to say it's not a matter of "if" but a matter of "when". Most So Cal residents got a good little reminder jolt back on July 29 when a magnitude 5.4 earthquake managed to rattle nerves throughout Southern California when it occurred in Chino Hills.

Numerous agencies will participate in the drill and a website has been set up where you can grab more info and even sign up and join in. In all seriousness, it's best to have a plan and some kind of kit prepared and ready to go - as one official stated this morning on KNBC here in LA - people should have at least "one weeks worth" of emergency items including food because the likelihood is that rescuers will be too overwhelmed to get to most people any sooner than that.

For those of you not used to Cali's earthquake activity, the pic above from USGS depicts the earthquakes we've had here just in the last week!! The pic below gives you a comparison with the rest of the country.

Check out the ShakeOut Drill and be safe!

Get some great info from the USGS.

(pics via usgs.org)

Below is a YouTube video of Tom Brokaw covering LA's Northridge earthquake in 1994.

"Drop, Cover and Hold On"

Procrastinate Much? 5 Great Websites Willing To Help!

2008-11-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

Naturally having more pressing things to do we find ourselves perusing the blogosphere for ways to avoid doing anything at all, although "playing" is doing something, right? So we bring you a rundown of some various websites that you may have missed.

1. First things first, being the music addicts that we are - we're always checking out music sites that pop up here and there. There are plenty out there but one that's fairly new to us is Cherry Peel. In a format similar to Reddit, users are allowed to vote tracks up and down. You can also comment and share song suggestions with your friends. The best part is that one is immediately introduced to several songs and artists right on the front page - you don't have to do a lot of clicking through links to discover material you might not have heard before, introducing you to potential bands that you might be willing to give up your hard-earned cash for. If you're an artist, you can submit songs directly to Cherry Peel.

Cherry Peel

2. As pictured above - you knew it would only be a matter of time before all that Obamalove would spill over into the internet. We bring you Super Obama World - a free online game that brings you some of that basic Mario Bros.-like goodness. Yeh, you have to deal with an ad or two but nothing is ever really free, right?

Super Obama World (via reddit)

3. I love websites that allow you to play around with your pictures without all the hassles of photoshopping it yourself. PhotoFunia has several different pics available and all you need to do is upload your chosen photo and their software will take care of the rest.

PhotoFunia (thanks iSimplyBlog)

4. Number 3 was a bit of a "2-for", I only recently found i Simply Blog, but wow what a site. They are an incredible wealth of information, not only pointing you to fun sites, such as the one mentioned above, but they are also an invaluable tool for bloggers and web surfers alike - with tips, tools, etc.

iSimplyBlog

5. I first saw this creepy-cute pic over at BWE. Apparently a man named Dave Roth took the photo and it's gone completely viral. According to BWE, Buzzfeed ran a photoshop submission dealio on the pic and somehow, clicking through various links I found Disaster Kid, a site devoted to using the pic, photoshopping the h*ll out of it and then submitting it so the rest of us can pretend not to want to call for our Mommies. The pictures are hilarious in a sadistic kind of way. The little girl is as cute as can be but people submitting edited photos have really given her that whole "The Omen, Why You Do Dis To Me Damien" feel about the whole thing. For example......

You can see the rest for yourself and/or submit your own, thereby procrastinating plenty over at -

Disaster Kid (thanks BWE)

That's all I've got folks, I've procrastinated enough for one day. So much to do. Have a day!

UPDATE: We apologize if this article or any other for that matter, looks totally fartabulous in your browser - what is acceptable in I.E. can sometimes look disastrous in Chrome, Safari, etc. We are working on it but we're not exactly in the computer coding shizzle nizzle business thingy.

23/6, 24/7 For Me!

2008-11-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

23/6 cracks me up. If nothing else, check the poll. I've tried to keep my mouth shut on this but c'mon already.....Prop 8 should have been a big ol' fat NO!!! I'm heterosexual, married with children and THANK GOD I have raised said children to believe in fairness and equality for all, as well. Being a true Christian is about being equal. No discrimination or judging. Yo! Non- Christian "Christians" - YOU SUCK!

"Yes We Can", The Barack/Biden Campaign Album

2008-11-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

I could apologize for still being stuck on the election, but I won't. I know I'm not alone in celebrating such a historic, incredibly exciting event! The way Barack Obama has inspired this country is something I have never seen in my life. Barack, we're counting on you and even if you can't perform miracles, at least be the guy we think and hope you are.

So in the name of being, in part, a music blog - and the fact that we're just not ready to step away from the election - we'll remind you that there is a Barack album out there to celebrate the Obama/Biden Campaign, (and subsequent victory - woo hoo!) titled what else, "Yes We Can". The album has been up in the barackobama.com store since the DNC I believe. It's officially endorsed by the campaign, and it features music heard by folks throughout the campaign. Various artist contributed and at least a couple of songs feature sound-bytes from President-Elect Barack Obama's many speeches. You can stream the album over on Huff Post.

We've also included a screen-grab (pic via Huffington Post) of the track-listings. You can either download it directly or purchase a CD over on Barack's site. The Inauguration is Jan. 20 so either way, if you're planning a big ol' party, you'll have your tunes in time!

"We've Got Them Just Where We Want Them", Ladies & Gents I Give You President Barack Freakin' SuperObama!

2008-11-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

In what promised to be a historic election, the country voiced a resounding "yes" - that they were indeed disgusted by the last eight years of politics as they placed their vote for Barack Obama and his message of "Hope" and "Change". Between the crowds at Rockefeller Plaza watching NBC's election coverage and those in Chicago's Grant Park where President-Elect SuperObama is expected to celebrate his victory - it felt like we were watching New Year's Eve - the crowds were crazy-exciting!

No doubt people will be experiencing campaign hangovers after one of the most popular and widely contested elections ever. Various news media have been reporting that supporters of John McCain will likely be feeling overwhelming disappointment and bitterness today, due to the intense feelings and emotions that this campaign seemed to spark. Best to keep your celebrating on the down low tonight/tomorrow. Unfortunately for McCain, he never seemed to have anyone where he wanted them, that is, unless losing was his intended result.

Celebrate/hang in there (whatevs) and no matter which side you supported - be glad that the last eight years are over, it couldn't be soon enough with the disasterous economy, housing crisis and so on and so forth. So take a big breath and take a moment to figure out whatever the hell it was you were doing or used to do, before all of this campaign madness started. Woo Hoo!

(pic: freakingnews.com via The Sable Verity)

Election Results In 3, 2, 1....

2008-11-04T08:34:00.001-08:00

One of the stats I've heard more than once, that continues to amaze me, is the fact that (as reported by KNBC here in LA) Los Angeles County has as many registered voters as 30 states combined. Astonishing!

We indicated in our post yesterday that you could grab a free Starbucks after you vote today. Simply tell them you voted and soon you'll be enjoying a tall cup of brewed coffee, on the house. One problem with that - it's been determined that the offer is illegal. You can't "gift" people for voting. So being the good sport, Starbucks will offer the free cup to anyone whom asks.

Get your vote on gang and win or lose - change is coming to Washington!

Election Tools & Widgets

2008-11-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

As we continue to obsess over the Election - can you believe we only have one day left of being buried in opposing ads, sign-littered corners, eavesdropping and secretly snickering over heated political discussions when you grab your morning coffee, etc., etc.?? One more day! Whew! Fortunately I mailed my vote in a week or two ago. The lines are going to be crazy but hopefully everyone will do their part and get out and vote.

Websites such as MSNBC and CNN have several tools available to watch the results tomorrow, a little more closely - some of those can even be customized to follow the races you're most interested in. I, for example, have mine set up to watch the "battleground states" as well as some Senate and House races and the "Props" being held here in California. If interested, just click around some of the news and/or political websites and you'll find those which suit your needs. Or you can be like my family and plan to head to the movies tomorrow - they've had enough. I'm the geek around here, I'll be following the TV as well as watching my computer up until the fat lady sings..........

Don't forget to grab your free coffee from Starbucks after you vote tomorrow! All you have to do is tell them you voted and you'll receive a free, tall cup of brewed coffee!

(pic via cnn.com)

Word came in while we were preparing this post that Senator Obama's Grandmother passed away last night. We had hoped she would have lived to witness the Election tomorrow, especially if the results favored the Senator. Our thoughts are with the Obama family at this difficult time.

Happy Halloween! How About A Castleton Mp3?

2008-10-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween you readers you! Thanks to the wonderful folks over at Eenie Meenie Records and as promised yesterday, we've got a great track for your Halloween listening/downloading pleasure today.

You may remember our recent Gavin Castleton post. Castleton has released the fantastic single, Unparallel Rabbits, a song that has that part of Eminem that you love without the bloody wife-beater shirt that makes you cry a little on the inside. Just saying. Take the time to stream it and see if you don't agree. As a reminder - his full-length album, Home is scheduled to release early next year.

You can grab Unparallel Rabbits on iTunes and don't forget to download the track below - if you're like me you need to update your Halloween tunes - the party can only take so much "Thriller". The 1968 Remix track below brings out the funky Prince in us all. It reminds me a bit of the "purple one" - you'll see.

Have a day and be careful out there.

~~Since 1968~~ ~~(Overclock Orchestra Remix) - Gruvis Malt feat. Gavin Castleton~~ mp3

Official/iTunes

Election, I Wish I Knew How To Quit You!

2008-10-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Every now and then you come across blogs that suggest various ways to improve your blogging, increase traffic, so on and so forth. More than once I've read that they loathe bloggers who apologize to their readers for not blogging, missing a few days here and there, etc. They say you shouldn't do it. So I've tried not to, but I guess I was just brought up differently - I feel like I should say something for chrissakes. I mean, this is like a relationship. You and me. I don't just disappear on my family and then show up again, say nothing and think they'll be all happy with it- fix them a roast or something and think that all is forgiven. Maybe it's a little self-serving, self-absorbed or more likely, self-important in nature, but I feel a burning need to explain.

Hey, not that there are zillions of you out there anyway - we're fairly new here afterall - but what the hey - I'm going to forgo conventional wisdom (and according to the blog writing wizards, thusly forgo any chance of EVER having zillions of readers) and explain why I miss a day here and there. Four words baby...............!

Repeat after me HuffPo, Daily Beast, Drudge & 23/6!

Yep I've turned into an Election addict, a junkie - when I'm not busy with life in general, I like many people, have been spending way too much time on the blogs pictured above, as well as others, such as FiveThirtyEight...... Plus all the other wonderful blogs that I regularly read.

You should notice more posts after the election is over. Oh and once the weather is a little less summer-like here in Southern California. Who wants to sit on their fat as* and blog when the weather is so awesome outside. Always a wonderful problem here in So Cal.

If you're an addict too and the impending election is getting to be too much for you but you simply can't quit it - check these suggestions from 23/6 for ways to survive until the election. Hilarious! Also on the lighter side of things we bring you the Dance-Off - just so you can watch it one more time. Just one more.

Cheers! Just a few more days people! Hang in there - we'll make it.

We'll be back tomorrow with THEE PERFECT mp3 for Halloween!!!! See you then.

Risky Business And Old Time Rock And Roll Revisited - Guitar Hero 4 - Sports Stars Bring The Goods

2008-10-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Like most people, you probably saw this ad at least a zillion times over the weekend. I love it! If you haven't seen it, watch as Kobe Bryant, A-Rod, Tony Hawk and Michael Phelps go all "Tom Cruise in Risky Business". Who doesn't love that scene? It was fun watching these guys reenact the whole dealio.

Raveonettes "Beauty Dies" And "Black/White" Mp3

2008-10-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

As you're probably aware, The Raveonettes had previously announced a slew of digital-only releases for this latter part of 2008. You can now head over to AOL and stream (follow link below) the latest, Beauty Dies. This follows the success of the critically acclaimed, Lust Lust Lust and Sometimes They Drop By. They've also announced some January tour dates.

Additionally, if you missed it - they offered up a free remix EP with some sweet remixes from their Lust Lust Lust EP. We have a link to that below, as well. Thanks to the kind people over at Vice Records, we're able to offer up one of the tracks from Beauty Dies, below. Grab that and then check the following links for more info.

The Raveonettes - Black/White mp3 (right-clicker)

Head To Vice For Free Remix EP

Stream Beauty Dies Over At AOL's Spinner

Raveonettes Tour Dates:

01-15 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club TIX
01-16 New York, NY – Webster Hall TIX
01-17 Washington, DC – Black Cat
01-23 San Fancisco, CA – Bimbo’s 365 Club TIX
01-24 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theatre

Tracklisting for Beauty Dies:

1. Young And Beautiful
2. Black/White
3. The Thief
4. Here Comes The End

Official/Video/MySpace/Amazon

Gavin Castleton's Unparallel Rabbits

2008-10-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

If you're not familiar with Gavin Castleton, now would be a good time to change that. Castleton will be releasing a single, Unparallel Rabbits just in time for Halloween, exclusively over on iTunes, October 28. He has a new full-length album, Home, set for release in early 2009. The album marks the painful end of a six-year relationship and takes the listener from beginning to end. Get this, his former love even helped him write it - after the fact! Brave!

"The album itself is unique not only in its sound (a sonic marriage of artists ranging from Peter Gabriel and Brian Wilson to King Crimson and Prince) but also in it's function. Freshly risen from the devastating remains of a six-year relationship, Castleton set out to design an album that would both document his healing process and deliver comfort to listeners undergoing similar hardship."

Unfortunately, his team doesn't have an mp3 for me to offer up, but you can follow some of the links below, to sample some of his work. It's worth clicking through - I love his stuff!

Stream Tracks At Myspace

Official/iTunes/Blog/YouTube

(pic via myspace, photo credit: "Hidetomo Hirayama, skillz by Jaime Lowe")

Dead Heart Bloom's Ambitious 3-Series EPs And Free Digi Downloads: Embracing Forward Thinking

2008-10-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

New York City band, Dead Heart Bloom was formed in 2005 by Boris Skalsky. The band have put together a series of three EPs, all being released in 2008. Fall In was the first release followed by the September release of Oh Mercy. The band has been compared to other great artists such as - Beck, Jeff Buckley, Bowie and many others. The band has also embraced the digital era and along with their label, KEI Records, are releasing the EP in both CD format as well as a free, yes I said FREE digital download....

"The latest EP, Oh Mercy, continues Dead Heart Bloom's stylistic
experimentation, venturing into louder, more aggressive territory. After the relative optimism of the first EP, Oh Mercy takes an explosive turn, exploring the darker corners of the creative spectrum both lyrically and musically."

Follow the links to discover more.... (heads-up... if you dig around their site you'll find much, much, more in the way of free, digital EPs and/or CDs for purchase, you know - if you like to touch your music.

Dead Heart Bloom - There Is No Mercy mp3

Official/MySpace/CDs/Free Digi's

(pic via deadheartbloom.com, credit:Arshia Alborzi)

Will The Real Joe The Plumber, Please Stand Up

2008-10-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm..... there's some interesting stuff out there about "Joe the Plumber", you know - the celeb from the third and final debate. A ~~member of the Keating family~~ ? (This one is now being disputed by Daily Kos) A registered Republican? Owes back taxes? Unlicensed? A plant? Don't ask me! Take a peek at some of these articles and decide for yourself. Politicians! Whew!

(pic via grinningplanet.com)

Featured Site: With Free And Legal Mp3's!

2008-10-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

Our hope here at CBMS, is to introduce you to new artists, great music and offer any free & legit mp3 downloads that come our way. In that quest, we also like to point you towards excellent sites, that offer the same.

RCRD LBL is an online record label, slash, blog - etc. that was developed by the Gizmoda/Engadget dude (Peter Rojas) and the guy (Josh Deutsch) from Downtown Records. So you know it's good. They offer up free and legal mp3s from bands you've heard of, as well as some you might not have been aware of. Today we point you towards 4 great tracks being offered up over on their very fine site.

RCRD LBL has an excellent Cold Wars Kids track available, "Bullies Always Win". Has an almost Radiohead-like quality about it - which is always a good thing in my book. You can stream the song first and decide if you want to make room in your playlist for it - I think you will. Poke around some more and you'll find other CWK tracks available for download. Follow the link below....

Cold War Kids - Bullies Always Win mp3 (left click, follow the link)

Steve Aoki is the very talented Los Angeles DJ behind Dim Mak Records. DMR founded artists such as Bloc Party, The Kills, Klaxons, etc. He's put together some fantastic remixes and fortunately, RCRD LBL offers up a few of them. Follow the link to grab a killer remix of Good Charlotte's, "Misery".

Good Charlotte - Misery (Steve Aoki Remix) mp3 (left click, follow the link)

Want RCRD LBL's MSTRKRFT or Snoop Dogg Remixes?

Snoop Dogg - Sexual Eruption (Weird Science Remix) mp3 (left-clicker)

MSTRKRFT - Bounce Ft. N.O.R.E. (A-Track Remix) mp3 (left-clicker)

In Honor Of Tonight's Final (OhThankYouJesus) Debate.......

2008-10-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

I happened across this over on Reddit. User, "Jupaneanu" submitted the following piece of hilarity........

"Obama, Biden, McCain and Palin (If They Were Phones)"............

Tomorrow we promise to throw up a music feature, with links to some awesome free and legal mp3s, see you then.

Stuck In Customs With Excellent HDR Photography

2008-10-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

I love to read so many different types of blogs and occasionally throw some of my favorites on the sidebar over there. One reason my blog deals in various topics is because I do this for fun and I believe in featuring and writing about whatever piques my curiosity and interests. I love looking at great photography and one of the best sites out there is Stuck In Customs.

Trey Ratcliff is the photographer and blog author. According to his profile, his work has received many awards and has been featured in the Smithsonian, The Getty, on the BBC and numerous other places. He's known for his HDR photography - I like the way his site is setup because he posts numerous photos on one page rather than you having to go at it, one at a time. His photography is amazing. He tries to post a new photo each day and he's even kind enough to post (for free) his HDR tutorials and the equipment he uses.

(pics via stuckincustoms.com)

This Norma Mp3 Is No Waste!

2008-10-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Norma, out of Sweden, aren't your typical band. They like to think of themselves as a pretentious but minimalistic band that brings not only tasty ear candy, but stunning visuals (created by The Vidiots) to their live shows, as well. Norma's goal is to set a new precedent for the way we experience concerts by using videoprojections along with their atmospheric sounds.

Norma will release their debut album, Book Of Norma, November 10. They aren't newbies at this though, they bring with them their experience in previous bands - putting together an incredible sound that I really like! If this first single, Waste, (see below) is any example of what we can expect...........I'm in!

Their fine people have allowed us to post Waste for your listening pleasure. If you'd like an example of how they put together their shows, visually - check the video, below. As usual we've also provided links to their pages where you may obtain more info and show your support!

Norma - Waste mp3 (right click, save)

Official/MySpace/iTunes

Angelina Jolie As Sarah Palin

2008-09-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

NY Daily News has photoshopped some female celebs as Sarah Palin. Angelina Jolie, outside of Tina Fey, is one of the better ones. I know we're throwing up a lot of Election-related posts but it is what's going on. Get over it already and check it out if you're looking for excuses to procrastinate................ (besides, "toe jam" - see header, above ;P )

(pic via nydailynews.com)

Rademacher's "ERA" EP Out Today!

2008-09-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

JAXART Records is set to release Rademacher's ERA EP today, September 30th, 2008! ERA is a 4-song, digital EP and will be available through numerous digital media outlets. We are fortunate enough to be able to offer up one of their tracks and as always, it's free, legit and brought to you with permission, so no worries about downloading and worrying about how you might look in an orange jumpsuit, sometime in the near future. Hit the links and feel free to dig further, we know you're really going to like these guys. Also check the show dates below, you'll want to catch a show if you're in the area.

~~Rademacher - If U Know~~ mp3

Upcoming Shows
Sept 30th Merced, CA @ The Partisan w/ Earlimart
Oct 1st Visalia, CA @ Howie's Pizza w/ We Are Wolves
Oct 2nd Fresno, CA @ Tokyo Garden w/ Low Red Land
Oct 4th Visalia, CA @ 210 Cafe (All Music Weekend, VAM)
Oct 6th Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo (Residency)
Oct 13th Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo (Residency)
Oct 18th Fresno, CA @ Fuse Festival Milano
Oct 20th Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo (Residency)
Oct 27th Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo (Residency)
Oct 29th San Francisco, CA @ The Knockout (w/ Light FM)
Oct 31st Fresno, CA @ The Starline (Halloween Bash)

MySpace/iTunes

Flip-Off The Rain, Umbrella With A 'Tude

2008-09-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting link this morning and opted for the less obvious of the two photos. Don't want to shock (or rather, flip-off) anyone, this early in the morning (PST).

Follow the link to see the perfect answer to rain, snooping satellites, noisy airplanes, defecating birds - good Lord the list is endless, now that I think about it. Hopefully, um, you won't piss off the big guy.

(pic via Art.Lebedev, tip via Digg)

Coldplay To Release "Lost" EP November 10

2008-09-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Coldplay had previously announced that they planned an EP later this year. We've been updated that they plan to release the single, Lost, as a 4-track, digital-only, EP on November 10th - worldwide.

Their drummer, Will had this to say:

"That song had been around for a long time, without ever getting finished. I was starting to get into using a particular drum programming programme. I was messing around with that and I built this beat up from scratch. Then Chris overheard it and played Lost! over the top of it."

You can check the video for Lost, here.

Tina Fey Covers Sarah Palin Again!

2008-09-29T07:48:00.001-07:00

It's On!

2008-09-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

I may not catch it live, hey, it's Friday, but you can bet my DVR will be monitoring (the now, on again), debate for me. I'm not going to commit political suicide here, but like most people, I have my opinions and am very much into this election. If you want to get your political fix and jump in on a spirited debate, head over to Dooce, 1000 voices and counting. I looked at those pics above and couldn't help but imagine Obama suggesting a nice teeth-whitener to McCain. I'm just saying..... C'mon, who else besides me right now, is fighting the urge to run their tongue over their teeth? I sooo barf!

(Obama pic via huffingtonpost.com/McCain pic via Getty and news.aol.com)

In Music News (mp3s)

Secret Machines will self-release their new album, Oct 14. You can download a free mp3 of their new single, Atomic Heels over on Spin.

Catch a listen to Menahan Street Band's, Tired Of Fighting and get a free mp3 of their song, Make The Road By Walking, over on Fader.

Sorry, that's all I've got time for today - it's Friday, remember? Have a day and try not to blow a vessel watching the debate tonight!

Kaiser Chiefs Never Miss A Beat

2008-09-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Getting a late start today, as I had important matters to attend to. Bush, Obama & McCain have the economy - I had to run to Costco. I was out of butter for chrissakes! All is right with the world again so on to the goodness that awaited me in my mailbox...........

Everyone is anxiously awaiting the next Kaiser Chiefs' album, Off With Their Heads, due out next month. Mark Ronson produced it. You may be familiar with him - his sis gets awholelotta press these days - Samantha Ronson happens to be Lindsay's flava of choice. Allegedly. Mark however doesn't need his sis to get all kinds of attention himself - he was the uber talented man behind Amy Winehouse's stuff back when Amy was all up in fantabulous and not so well, shall we say, buzzed the "f" out. Allegedly. So that makes the Chief's next release, all the more exciting.

So you say, "Great, fantastic, but what about me, what's in this for me???" Well, the PR peeps have sent us a sweet little link to a Yusek's remix of Kaiser Chiefs', Never Miss A Beat. All you have to do is click on the link, download and enjoy....... Then head over to their (Kaiser Chiefs') official site and check tour dates, pre-order info, etc., if you'd like more 'fo.

That's all I've got. Must go.......lots more to do.

Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat (Yusek Remix) mp3 (left click, follow link)

Official

The Most Popular Video, EVER, On YouTube! We Sh*t You Not!

2008-09-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

I was curious. What, I wondered, was/is the most popular video of all time, on YouTube. To be legit, all categories had to be included. Some of you may already know - you might be regular Tubers. For those of you, like me, that are not regular visitors to YouTube - you may be surprised...........Not even the viral, Evolution Of Dance at 99,526,623 views, could beat this one out.

So what is it? Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend, posted by RCA Records has had an astounding 102,519,767 views. I sh*t you not. Who knew? Not I. We're not allowed to post it here so you'll have to follow this link to see what all the fuss is about. I mean c'mon, it beat out EOD, wth?

(pic via YouTube.com)

Update: Doh! (Mental head slap!) Thanks to reader "Nanz", I remember now - about all that hooplah over the push to propel Avril's video over the top. I first read about the self-refreshing link over on Perez, back in the day......... anyway you can read more about the alleged cheating, here. I say "alleged" because I think that's "code" for "apple" and lawyers vs. doctors. You know, "an apple a day......" Oh, nevermind!

The Killers Comeback Human

2008-09-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

As you're probably aware, The Killers are set to release their fourth album, Day & Age, on November 25, 2008 (Nov. 24 in the UK). They put out a little taste of what's to come, yesterday, with the release of the single, Human. You can stream it over on their site, if you haven't had a chance to hear it yet.

Official / iTunes

(pic via thekillersmusic.com)

One Million Reasons Why Credit Card Offers Are Pointless...

2008-09-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

.......and they're all in this bag!

When will they learn? Every month I save up the "generous" offers for credit. Everyone knows you don't just throw these babies away without destroying them. They all promise something - low rates for awhile, low transfers, to suck the life out of you, etc. You know what I'm talking about, you probably get plenty of them too - and every month I have to make a date with the shredder, where the two of us bond, as I robotically (is that even a word?) feed one offer, after the other, into the metal teeth of death.

What I really want to know is, why are they still sending these things? Aren't the banks like in, big, huge trouble? Shouldn't they be backing off of these things by now, not to mention that it's no wonder there are problems with identity theft.........sigh.

So yesterday, after I posted, that's what I did..........had a hot one with the shredder. Whoo, and hot it was - I had to give him a cooling period more than once. So please stop sending me these things - you are just wasting your time - and I'm giving you a million reasons why!

(FYI - for whatever reason - I'm having difficulty in some browsers, showing breaks between paragraphs. It appears correctly in IE, but not in some of the other browsers - we're working on it)

Nuttin' But Love For Greg Laswell

2008-09-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

A friend called inquiring about the well being of CBMS's "adorable" mascot. He's fine, thank you! (His undercarriage was recently, um, chopped off, so that the female dogs of the world might breathe easier.) He's a sweetheart, but was becoming a little too "crazed". He's now 4 days post-op and progressing nicely.

Someone else progressing nicely these days, (for different reasons I might add) is Greg Laswell. I love, love, LOVE this guy's music. We first heard his music featured last season, in the short series, "Damages". He did a fantastic and actually, quite mesmerizing cover of Cindy Lauper's, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". I quickly did a search to find the song, artist and anything else that he may have recorded. I'm proud to say that my playlist is now full of everything that iTunes has to offer on him. During my research of all things "Greg Laswell", I found it interesting to hear that he wrote many of his songs while recovering from the breakup of his marriage. Would it be naughty to say "in your face beotch"? Yeh, you're right. I won't say it.

Needless to say, I was delighted to find a demo offered up by his PR people, in one of my inbox's. They asked that we publish the link, not the download itself. I assure you, it's there. I hope to go see him next time he appears in LA. Rumor has it that he's immensely popular with some of the celebs so I'm not feeling completely confident that I'll be able to come up with a ticket - but God knows, I'll try.

Feel free to check the song and/or dig a little further with the other links provided below. While you're doing that, Max, our recovering mascot, will be recouping to lots of Laswell!

Greg Laswell - I'd Be Lying (Demo) (left-click and follow link to mp3 download)

Website iTunes Amazon

(pic via myspace.com/greglaswell - deborah lopez, photographer)

Excellent Street Art Pics

2008-09-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting feature over at toxel.com. They did a story on Peter Gibson and his street art in Montreal. They have several pictures posted over on their site that are worth checking out. If you have a moment, follow the link and give them a look.

I have numerous errands to run today so this may be all the blogging I do until tomorrow. We'll see. Hey at least I brought you something. I'll have some music related posts to offer you in the future......... have a day!

(pic via toxel.com)

"The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword", Kind Of.....

2008-09-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

This photo taken by Joshua Lott (Reuters), and appearing this morning in USA Today, is a photo of Lehman CEO, Richard Fuld. Several Lehman employees, signed messages as they departed yesterday, carrying boxes from their now, empty offices. I'm not sure if you're able to make out anything here, but some of the messages were "Thanks Dick!", "I keep my money in my mattress", "Greed", "Respect peoples hard earned money"and "See ya at the soup kitchen". Yeh, I kind of doubt that last one.

Have a day.

Thank God For Tina Fey!

2008-09-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

(pic via stltoday.com)

So unless you were hanging out on that humongo moon up in the sky the last couple of days, you've heard about, or hopefully seen the SNL skit featuring Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. I would have embedded the YouTube skit here on the blog but it would have been pointless. NBC is making the Tube remove them as quickly as they're posted. However, if the link above doesn't work - just head over to YouTube and do a search for SNL, you'll probably find it, albeit - briefly.

I'll apologize in advance, but it's Monday so I'm entitled to my cranky mood. When you wake up, strike that - I was up all night with CBMS's mascot. He um, had his manhood removed. Poor baby. What a world, what a world. Anyway, enough about that, it's painful. As I was saying, since I was up in the middle of the night, I checked the Jesus phone for the latest news.............all I'm saying is that when you read these kinds of headlines regarding the Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers debacles, please media, please - DO NOT PRINT A STORY THE SAME DAY ABOUT A 10 MILLION DOLLAR CHANDELIER! I shit you not, the very one that's currently residing in the Emmy's green room, what can I say - it was in my USA Today people.

Folks are losing their homes in record numbers, their savings and their jobs -we've got earthquakes, hurricanes, train disasters in So. Cal etc. and in the same span of time I've got to hear about a 3,300 carat, $10 million diamond chandelier. WTF. How depressing AND insulting!

Grrr. Thanks for letting me get that off of my chest. I had no choice.

In Music News Today..........

Sad to hear that Richard Wright, 65, one of the founding members of Pink Floyd has passed away.

Britney, b*tch, is planning to release an album this December.

Not much else to tell, well at least nothing that my crabby mood cares about. Go watch that SNL skit - it's a bright spot to a dismal day.

Have a day.

Kevin Bacon's Death Sentence Featuring Pilot Speed

2008-09-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Clip of Death Sentence featuring the song Alright by Pilot Speed

The Today Show mentioned this morning that it's been 25 years since Kevin Bacon and friends starred in the movie, Footloose. The 80's, yuck. You can hit that link if you'd like to read more about Bacon's appearance on Today and subsequently, the movie Footloose.

The piece reminded me though, of a Kevin Bacon flick we came across the other evening, Death Sentence, an "On Demand" movie on cable right now. The movie is horribly depressing but allows you to appreciate what you have..........and how it could all go terribly wrong. I don't want to spoil it for you so if you'd like to dig deeper, follow the links. One of the best things about the movie was a beautiful song played twice during the feature. Naturally, I used one of my iPhone apps (will discuss it further in a future post) to find out the artist and the name of the song. Ahh, pay dirt - the band is Pilot Speed and the song is Alright.

(photo via pilotspeed.net)

From Wickipedia......

Pilot Speed (formerly known as Pilate) is a Canadian rock band that formed in 1999 in Toronto, Ontario. The quartet's debut EP was released in 2001 which gathered attention from MapleMusic Recordings who later signed them. Their two full length albums Caught by the Window and Sell Control for Life's Speed have since been released on MapleMusic Recordings in 2003 and 2006, respectively.
On June 26, 2006, the band posted a message on their site stating that, due to legal restrictions, they decided to change their band name before it incited lawsuits from companies outside Canada. As a result, they altered their name to Pilot Speed. [1] [2] Their second album was then re-released in the United States by Wind-up Records with a new name, Into the West.
Pilot Speed - Alright (wma stream)
Official MySpace iTunes Amazon

The Jesus Phone

2008-09-11T11:06:00.001-07:00

For the love of God, I am so sick of people whining about the inadequacies of Apple, iTunes, the iPhone blah,blah,blah. Give me a break. Loyalists and early fans seem to get offended when the rest of the world takes notice.........next thing you know it becomes too mainstream and popular and people start to turn on it. Take it from me, a true tech junkie, the iPhone is amazing. Unbelievably amazing!

I plan to throw out regular posts featuring some of the apps I've been using and other wonders of the iPhone. It's crazy what you can do with this phone. There are so many sick, sick apps available that have earned it the name "Jesus Phone" around my house. (I had to laugh when i saw some other bloggers using the same term. It fits people!)

Pick & Choose is one such app. It allows the user to create multiple lists, name them and shop from a multitude of items. The settings can be individualized, giving the user choices on how to cross off items as they shop, add a certain number of items, etc. I have lists for Costco, Ralph's, Target, Whole Foods, etc.

Just and FYI iTunes 8 is available now for download - check out "Genius" - the playlists it creates from your song picks are fantastic. It pulls up songs that have been buried for awhile and it's an enjoyable process "finding" them again.

(iTunes pic via apple.com)

Whoa, Activity!

2008-09-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm actually starting to pay attention to this thing again. We're actually tweaking the overall look and decided to throw up a post, in the interim. As we set up house, we're working behind the scenes, on various weekly features and whatnot. Keep checking because we'll be up and posting consistently and crazily, soon! The above photo happens to be taken up in the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California. Yes, the same gorgeous mountains that, in a few months will be snow-capped while I enjoy the balmy temps down below.

Dog Days At The Beach

2008-05-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

While we're busy getting this blog up and running, other members of our family our doing what they do best - Max, Coffee Bean Music Scene's 14 week old puppy, enjoys his time on Newport Beach. Have a nice and safe holiday weekend - hopefully at the beach!

Coming Soon..........

2008-05-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

Eventually.