Andrew WK and Marky Ramone @ The Fonda

Bucket list... I have one.   I got to check off two items from mine last week- the first was meet David Geffen.   Yeah, I know, that alone would have been enough.   The second was see a Ramone perform... and as usual I have twitter to thank for this one.   I randomly responded to a tweet about the Blitzkrieg show Andrew WK was doing at the Fonda on Tuesday, and wouldn't you know it- I won two tickets to the show!   Kind of awesome actually- I have always loved the Ramones (who doesn't) and wish my brother was in LA because he is the first person I though about taking with me.   There was no way to get him across the country in time for the show, but I invited a friend of mine and we went on our way.

October 15th, 2013

The Fonda Theatre

6126 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, California

MARKY RAMONE’S BLITZKRIEG WITH ANDREW W.K. ON VOCALS

Andrew W.K. will be joining Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg as the lead singer for their 2013 world tour. The punk drumming icon and his band will be fronted by the king of partying for a high-octane performance of more than THIRTY of Marky’s classic fan-favorite songs! These will include songs that took him from the halcyon stage of CBGB’s to touring around the world. From the celluloid halls of Rock ‘n Roll High School to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Ramone’s career has taken him far and wide, earning him a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award, and immortalizing his handprints on the Hollywood Rock Walk.

I did not expect what happened...grown adults and young teens moshing in a giant circle.   I am not sure what I was expecting now that I think about it, but it blew my mind.   I also adored the cover of Wonderful World... kind of like watching my love of beautiful music colliding with rock and the calamity that came from it was pure awesome.  The following video is a snippet from the last song, special thanks to my concert partner-in-crime for getting good video of it!   I know, I was too busy unleashing my inner punk princess to video anything worth posting.


Andrew WK is someone I discovered on twitter, and I find him fascinating.   I don't feel like there are very many guys out there right now doing what he does, and while he is doing covers on this tour, he has a flavor all his own.   He will be back in LA at the Echoplex Nov. 19th...
http://andrewwk.com/tour/solo-music/3939

http://www.andrewwk.com/
https://www.facebook.com/andrewwk
https://twitter.com/AndrewWK
http://www.youtube.com/AndrewWK

This post was going to go up last week but I had a different show I wanted to talk about, and in a way it worked out because now I can tie this Ramone's post into something more relevant that happened this week.   Yesterday, October 27th, 2013, the amazingly talented Lou Reed passed away.   Talk about bucket list- the man was a legend and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to see him perform live in NY at Madison Square Garden in 2009.   When I heard the news yesterday I immediately started thinking about all of the music he influenced and all of the ways music has changed and progressed.   The internet was inundated with people discussing his passing and his greatness- that alone is a testament to how much he affected music.   Someone linked an article that has a playlist Lou kept on spotify of all the songs he liked to listen to...
http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/lou-reed-velvet-underground-dead-71/
and the following video is a must see for any fan - video of Reed running through "Walk On The Wild Side," "Heroin," and "White Light, White Heat" at the Olympia Ballroom in Paris, circa 1973, is one of the most powerful performances you’ll find on YouTube:


Rest in peace Lou.

Oh Dear Vegas

This week was absolute insanity- every single night of the week I had an event or show or something...so when I got a text to come see this band Oh Dear Vegas perform at the Viper Room on Monday night after I missed their show earlier at the Roxy, I knew I was giving up my one night at home- but it was totally worth it.   Oh Dear Vegas is a band from Paris, their sound is along the vein of Imagine Dragon but not really.   They have that raspy rock electric cool sound, but then there is a playful fun side they share too, it's a very interesting mix and sound and I am a huge fan now.   Extremely grateful that I did not miss their last show in the US, and definitely looking forward to seeing them again when they return!

I have one decent video of one song because I got really caught up in the performance and forgot to record, but I have all the links at the bottom so you can actually hear everything in it's entirety.   It's a Lana Del Rey cover of Blue Jeans, and the quality is always iffy when I record at Viper Room... but these guys are fantastic:


Their song Strange World makes me happy every time I listen to it:


http://ohdearvegas.com/odv/
https://www.facebook.com/ohdearvegas
https://soundcloud.com/ohdearvegas-1
https://twitter.com/OhDearVegas

Covers, Soundcloud and Insomnia

This week was definitely an interesting one for me.   I heard a lot of new music and struggled with what to write about.   Then I realized the whole time I was researching music I was actually listening to my own soundcloud... it's not something I share with very many people but since it helps me I have decided to put it out there.  

Before we get into it, there are a few things you should know, if you don't already.   I am a closet singer- I sing in my car, my shower, my room, anywhere there is no audience.   Once I have to make eye contact while singing I get hot flashes and can't focus and fall apart.   I think I get shy and mess up if anyone watches because when I sing it is such an emotional and personal experience.   I relate to melodies and what music brings out of me, and as I have mentioned umpteen times before, songs represent different times and experiences in my life.

So I am about to share my two soundcloud stations- they are for the most part duplicates of each other, although some of the songs on my ChaniRubin account are sweeter and softer, and some on the ChaniSays account are just for fun.   The history behind my soundcloud is kind of random.   I have acute insomnia, and it can get so bad that I will suddenly realize I haven't slept properly in a couple of nights, so I set out trying to find a way to put myself to sleep.   I can't use medication because it's very powerful- one nyquil green gel capsule puts me down for at least two days straight, so no bueno.   I accidentally discovered that the sound of my own voice literally knocks me out.   I was messing around with the voice memo app on my iPhone and recorded myself singing American Pie - honestly it was an easy song to test the sound quality and I sort of know all the lyrics... I was listening to it on the soundcloud app and suddenly realized it was morning and I had slept a solid eight hours while it played on a loop the entire night.   Curious, I added a few more songs.   EUREKA!   Since the soundcloud app plays all the songs on my channel in a neverending loop I stay asleep all night! Insomnia cure be mine!!!!!

What has evolved is an eclectic collection of songs I love and songs I was curious to see if I could sing.   Nothing is edited, nothing is done after more than three takes, and sometimes I got creative-ish and added a karaoke track via YouTube as backup.   Nothing is original, it is all covers, although there are a few songs you will have probably never heard of because they are Hebrew, but maybe you will enjoy them.  I save the rapping for my YouTube channel mostly because I use my hands when I rap, definitely a spectacle to be seen, and it would be a total waste in this format. There are some flat notes, some sharp moments and some completely off key warbling, but this is a part of me that represents music I feel at home with, and since this blog is about music I like... well, enjoy.
I will start you off with American Pie, and feel free to explore from there:


https://soundcloud.com/chanirubin

https://soundcloud.com/chanisays

Dizzy Wright - We Turned Out Alright feat. Wyclef

Last night I wrote an entire article about music, detailing how I was struggling to find something of substance to share with you all this week.   I wasn't super happy about it but I didn't want to miss posting something today... and then I woke up and one of the first things I hear is this new song by Dizzy Wright.

YES!

I first real encounter with Dizzy was when I saw him in the Funk Volume 2013 video with Hopsin (I would like to state for the record that I can rap almost the entire song AND I still get super amped when it comes on shuffle in my car playlist).   You can read about Hopsin and Dizzy and their previous stuff here.   Watch the video and you can get a free download of the song here.


But none of this explains what I heard when I woke up today.   Dizzy has collaborated with Wyclef, yup THAT Wyclef, on a song called We Turned Out Alright off his new album The Golden Age.   And I love it.   After I watched the video once I wanted to tweet one line from the song- and then I saw Dizzy tweeted it himself at that moment!
"While I'm sprinting on a mission I ain't half stepping, I'm too focus"
It's really awesome to see Dizzy doing big things for himself and I'm very much looking forward to seeing him when he comes back to LA.   Because I love it so much - here is the video AND a free download of the entire album as well!


Here's all the links:
FREE DOWNLOAD: http://bit.ly/1dlggCu
DOWNLOAD on iTunes: http://bit.ly/150pMXS
Purchase a HARDCOPY: http://bit.ly/ZUEMBe

Dizzy Wright
http://www.facebook.com/DizzyWright
http://www.twitter.com/DizzyWright

Produced by Wyclef
http://www.twitter.com/wyclef

Directed and edited by John Colombo
https://twitter.com/johncolombo

Funk Volume
http://www.myfunkvolume.com