WFMU's Beware of the Blog

Karaoke Tribute To Michael Jackson

In July of 1987, when we were 5 years old, my twin brother and I recorded this karaoke music video version of "Bad." That's me on the right. Clearly we did not know the words... we only knew it was a great song!

Best Show Marathon Week 2 (Photos)

Last night's star-studded fundraising marathon edition of The Best Show On WFMU was a tremendous success. Tom Scharpling, AP Mike, and celebrity guests Ted Leo, Aimee Mann, Paul F. Tompkins, and John Hodgman pulled in a whopping $61,000 to help keep the world's best radio show and best radio station on the air for another year. But we're still far, far away from our goal of $1.2 million! We need to raise another $450,000 by the end of Sunday night, so please KEEP PLEDGING and keep reminding your friends to pledge, too!

Tom Scharpling

More photos of last night's Best Show after the jump...

Hatch's 2008 Favorites

Young Jeezy - The Recession (Def Jam)
Listen: "My President (Feat. Nas)" (RealAudio)

Various Artists - Thank You Friends: The Ardent Records Story (Big Beat)
Listen: Chris Bell "Psychedelic Stuff" (RealAudio)

Joe Higgs - Life Of Contradiction (Pressure Sounds)
Listen: "Life Of Contradiction" (RealAudio)

Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me (Audika)
Listen: "Close My Eyes" (RealAudio from Daniel Blumin's show)

Various Artists -  Nigeria Rock Special & Nigeria Disco Funk Special (Soundway)
Listen: Asiko Rock Group "Lagos City" (RealAudio)

Jean-Pierre Massiera - Psychoses Freakoid & Psychoses Discoid (Mucho Gusto)
Listen: Herman's Rocket "Space Woman" (RealAudio)

El Perro Del Mar - From The Valley To The Stars (The Control Group)
Listen: "Inner Island" (RealAudio)

Van Duren - Are You Serious? (Water)
Listen: "Oh Babe" (RealAudio)

Various Artists - Wayfaring Strangers: Guitar Soli (Numero Group)
Listen: Daniel Hecht "Baba Dream Songs" (RealAudio)

Bun B - II Trill (Rap-A-Lot)
Listen: "Damn I'm Cold (Feat. Lil' Wayne)" (4.1 MB MP3)

Click here for more WFMU Top 10 Lists for 2008.

WFMU's Electile Dysfunction '08

If you liked WFMU's RNC Remix in 2004, you're going to love what we've got in store for Election Day. While our normal Tuesday programming airs online and over the airwaves, we'll be running a separate webstream to appease our most politically-obsessed listeners. WFMU's Electile Dysfunction '08 features political music, comedy, commentary, and audio art. And when the first polls close at 6pm, we'll bring you live election returns coverage hosted by Chris T., Billy Jam, Clay Pigeon, and Evan "Funk" Davies. The full schedule is after the jump.

The Pied Piper

Pssssst, Irwin... can you hear the sweet, sweet music? (RealAudio)

There's more than one false messiah out there.

Don Covay & Ron Wood Live (Video)

After hearing the news of a possible Faces reunion, I spent the better part of the last few days watching live clips of the band in their 1970s heyday. In the process, I came across this recently-posted YouTube clip of Ron Wood live onstage with soul legend Don Covay, apparently sometime in the late 80s. The song they perform, "Somebody's Been Enjoying My Home," (RealAudio from Hatch's show) is one of my favorites from Covay's 1973 masterpiece Super Dude 1.

Check out some other great Faces-related YouTube clips after the jump, including a couple of amazing songs that the reunited group won't be able to do very well without Ronnie Lane, who died in 1997, and an embarassingly incoherent--but still strangely compelling--Ron Wood live performance of "Ooh La La" from 2004.

Hatch's 2007 Favorites

Favorite New Albums & Reissues

Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
Tully - Sea Of Joy (Em)
Brenda Ray - Walatta (Em)
Devin The Dude - Waiting To Inhale (Rap-A-Lot)
UGK - Underground Kingz (Jive)
Jim Ford - The Sounds Of Our Time (Bear Family)
Eduardo Mateo - Mateo Solo Bien Se Lame (Lion Productions)
Pantha Du Prince - This Bliss (Dial)
Richard Crandell - In The Flower Of Our Youth (Sound Advice)
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (Domino)

Live Catch: September 7th-13th, 2007

Here's this week's installment of Live Catch, Beware Of The Blog's weekly live music guide.

Tonight, Religious Knives (featuring members of Mouthus and Double Leopards) will play at Williamsburg restaurant/performance space Monkey Town. Over at the Issue Project Room, you can hear Canadian electronic musician Mitchell Akiyama.

WFMU favorites Clockcleaner are back in town supporting their great new album on Load Records. The Philadelphia band plays a free show Saturday afternoon for the final installment of the summer concert series at the East River Park Amphitheater.

The So Percussion ensemble will be at The Stone on Sunday night playing a selection of John Cage compositions.

Circle, the pioneers of the New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal, are making a rare New York appearance on Monday night. And it's free! Catch them at 8pm at Other Music.

Finally, the current incarnation of Silver Apples will play in the area a bunch of times next week. Drummer Danny Taylor died two years ago, but Simeon Coxe III--who survived a near-fatal tour bus crash in 1999--is now on the road with a new line-up. The band plays a free early show on Wednesday at Cake Shop, followed by a show later that evening at the Knitting Factory, and another show at Silent Barn on Thursday night.

For comprehensive listings, check out our regularly updated Arbitrary Guide To Popular Culture.

Live Catch: August 31st-September 6th, 2007

Things are slowing down a bit in New York as the summer draws to an end, but there are still some great shows to look forward to over Labor Day weekend and beyond. Here's this week's edition of Live Catch, Beware Of The Blog's guide to live music in WFMU's New York and New Jersey broadcast area.

The summer free concert series at South Street Seaport comes to a close tonight with a terrific bill, Deerhunter and Battles.

This year's Columbia University back-to-school concert is free, outdoors, and open to the public, unless it rains. So if you wake up on Saturday morning and the sun is shining, head up to their campus at 2pm to catch performances by Neptunes-affiliated rappers Clipse and blogger-favorites Vampire Weekend. Later on Saturday evening, you can catch Acid Mothers Guru Guru--a band featuring members of Acid Mothers Temple and Krautrock legends Guru Guru--at the Mercury Lounge.

On Thursday night at Southpaw in Brooklyn, you can see Bill Callahan (formerly known as Smog) and the Sun City Girls' Sir Richard Bishop.

For comprehensive listings, check out our regularly updated Arbitrary Guide To Popular Culture.

Live Catch: August 17th-23rd, 2007

It's hard to believe we're only a few of weeks away from Labor Day. The summer is drawing to a close, and that means the annual free concert season is just about over. So if you haven't taken advantage of any of New York's outdoor musical events this year, you don't have much time left! To help you decide what to check out, here's Live Catch, our weekly guide to live music in New York and New Jersey. All of the events listed this week are free and al fresco.

Tonight over at the South Street Seaport, you can watch a performance by New York-via-Ohio rockers The National.

On Saturday evening at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden, experimental musicians Stephen Vitiello and Molly Berg will debut their new piece "Flutter." The 10 minute long composition will be performed on 100 "small, sound-producing objects" which will be attached to parachutes and dropped from 150 feet in the air.

Sunday afternoon bring what could be the last ever McCarren Park Pool concert. After this summer the pool will finally be restored to its original water-filled glory... if you ask me that's nothing to be depressed about. The final show of the summer will be headlined by dance-rock outfits Ghostland Observatory and Yacht.

On Tuesday night, minimal composer and accordionist Pauline Oliveros will debut a new interactive vocal piece titled Worldwide Tuning Meditation at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park.

For comprehensive listings, check out our regularly updated Arbitrary Guide To Popular Culture.

Live Catch: August 10th-16th, 2007

It's Friday and it's time for Live Catch, Beware Of The Blog's weekly guide to live music in the New York/New Jersey area.

Tonight, the highly photogenic all-girl keyboard trio known as Au Revoir Simone plays a free show at South Street Seaport. You can visit WFMU's archives to listen to their live set on Trouble's show.

On Saturday afternoon at the East River Park Amphitheater, rock minimalist and former Rhys Chatham drummer Jonathan Kane plays for free with his band February. The played live on Brian Turner's show last year, you can listen to the set here. The other artists on the afternoon bill are singer-songwriter and Espers member Meg Baird, and heavily-hyped indie rockers Vampire Weekend. Also on Saturday, glam-punks Glass Candy play at P.S. 1 in Long Island City, Queens, and The Social Registry throws a late summer party near the Gowanus Canal with live sets from Jah Division, Psychic Ills and others.

The Social Registry's party continues on Sunday with a completely different line-up of bands, including Gang Gang Dance and Growing. This summer's penultimate free show at McCarren Park Pool will be headlined by frequent Best Show caller Ted Leo (and his Pharmacists). And Sylvie Courvoisier, whose new album on Tzadik has been played quite a bit on FMU, will do a solo piano performance at The Stone.

Finally, Marley Marl protege and Cold Chillin' Records star MC Shan plays a free show at Queensbridge Park on Tuesday night.

For comprehensive listings, check out our regularly updated Arbitrary Guide To Popular Culture.

Live Catch: August 3rd-9th, 2007

If you live in the New York area and you want to hear some live music this week, you've come to the right place. It's gonna be a hot weekend, so those of you who don't have air conditioners might as well check out some free late-summer outdoor concerts.

Tonight, legendary MC and Boogie Down Productions founder KRS-One plays a practically-free show at the Prospect Park Bandshell.

On Saturday, Antibalas will play a free set of their politically-charged, Fela Kuti-inspired Afrobeat on Governor's Island, just a short ferry ride away from lower Manhattan. Up in Queens,  Genesis P-Orridge's reformed Psychic TV will play with Flaming Fire at one of New York's finest art museums, P.S. 1. You can listen to Psychic TV's 2006 live set and interview on Strength Through Failure With Fabio in the WFMU archives.

On Sunday at McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg, indie rock stalwarts Blonde Redhead will play a free show with Swedish pop sensations I'm From Barcelona.

You can catch Brightblack Morning Light and Endless Boogie playing live on a boat, departing from 23rd Street and sailing up the East River on Monday night.

Finally, on Wednesday night, the great Biz Markie will play a free concert at Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem.

For comprehensive listings, check out our regularly updated Arbitrary Guide To Popular Culture.