February 23, 2012
Homeboy Sandman - First of a Living Breed 2012 Stones Throw
Man-oh-man!! A lot of things have happened since I checked in here last. Im not even sure where to begin. Lets go back to the Summer. On July 21st I was fortunate enough to be involved in my homies Dayne’s big day. His wedding was a blast. All day we were surrounded by our best friends. It was an eye opener for what to expect in June for me. I cant wait. Its going to be one hell of a party. A few days after Dayne’s wedding me and my lady were off to Portugal for a month. From the first moment I stepped off the plane I knew I should have made the trip a lot sooner in life. The first dozen days were spent on the island named Terceira that belongs to a group of Portuguese islands called the Azores. It was the most beautiful and relaxing place I have ever been to in my entire life. I can’t wait to go back and visit. The next stop in our journey was to the mainland. We started in Christina’s mom’s home town of Viana do Castelo. It was also a very cool place. From there we made our way down the country eventually landing in Lisbon. I wasn’t sure what to expect from that city. Lets just say it lived up to my expectations. It was awesome. It was by far the biggest city I have ever been to. So much culture and just so cool. Lisbon is the place that you will find all sorts of everything. We had quite an adventure a few days searching on little side streets, asking strangers, and finding what ever other resources we could get our hands on to find me some record stores. All the hard work and searching payed off. We spent hours in the shops in Lisbon. I came out pretty good. I brought back about 20 records. Now I know for next time. Save up so I can really go to town in all those unique shops. It was such an amazing time and I was so fortunate to have been able to visit such a beautiful place.
In October my life changed again when we made the plunge from Lethbridge to Calgary. It has been an eye opener but the hustle and bustle is starting to grow on me. On the bright side I am a lot closer to the record stores and flea markets, and all that nerdy stuff I love. On the down side is that Im away from all my friends and family. Its ok. We are only 2 hours away. The time is flying up here. Before we know it we will getting married and starting yet another chapter in our lives. Crazy.
Today I want to talk about one of the coolest dudes making music today. His name is Homeboy Sandman. Homeboy Sandman hails from Queens, New York and has been making superior music for sometime now. This dude is smart. Not only book smart (went to school to peruse a law degree), but also on a rappers front. just the way he uses his words is so amazing. The precision and flow of this dude is next to none. Homeboy Sandman’s style is defiantly a sound of his own. He is one of a kind and in my opinion one of the best doing it right now. In 2011, Homeboy Sandman signed with Stones The Records, a super awesome label from L.A. that puts out nothing but killer albums from Jazz to funk and of course Hip Hop. (Check them out. One of the best doing it.)
The song I want to play today is from his latest release, First of a Living Breed. The song is called Not Really. It is a super chill and humbling song, just showing how down to earth he is. Its not often in the genre of Hip Hop that you come across such a humble dude that is so good on the microphone. Push the play button, relax and just enjoy one of the best in the biz.
April 22,2012
Record Store Day 2012
Another year, another Record Store Day. Saturday morning felt like Christmas to me. I got up early again and contemplated my route for this years extravaganza. This is the first year I spent record store day in Calgary. I decided on a starting point, Melodia Records was lucky number one!! I knew from previous years that there are line ups out side most of the stores. I decided to show up an hour before the doors opened. I lucked out and happened to be fifth in line. When it was all said and done, there must have been 50 people at opening time. The doors opened and it was a rush to the shelf. I was lucky to find a few cool things. I quickly paid for my gems and I was on to the next stop. My second stop of the day was a cool shop named Heritage Records. Over the years, I have got to know the owner Jerry pretty well. After a few minutes of BSing with him, I scoped the shelves and came away with a few cool finds. My final stop of the day was a neat old store in Kensington. Hotwax Records has been around for years and I was very glad to see them come around and start to sell a few newer things. That being said, they participated in Record Store Day this year. All of the stores had a very cool vibe in them, and I was very glad I got to spend my day in the places I love the most. Record stores are some thing we should not take for granted. I know record store day is only one day a year, but our local shops need support more then just that. Keep the independent record store alive, and go out and support them.
Record Store Day 2012 purchases
Odd Future -Tapes Vol.2
Misfits- Walk Among Us . Red vinyl
The Velvet Underground- Loaded. Uk press, hot pink vinyl
Shabazz Palaces- Live at KEXP. Purple vinyl
Upsetters- Blackboard Jungle Dub. 3- 10” vinyl box set. Red,yellow,green vinyl
Operation Ivy- Energy
Operation Ivy- Hectic EP
MC5/Afrika Bambaataa- Kick Out The Jams split 7”. White and red splatter vinyl
Joey Ramone- Rock and Roll is the Answer. 7” red vinyl
White Stripes- Hand Springs. 7” red and black vinyl
Brother Ali just dropped a Free EP with production from Jake One and Ant. Don’t hesitate. He wants us to have it. Click the picture for the download. Enjoy.
January 15,2012
D-Sisive - Jonestown 2: Jimmy Go Bye Bye 2011 Urbnet
The fact that I still have a few followers left is beyond me. 6 months with out an honest effort is piss poor. I’ve said it before, but I will start to make a better effort on this page. The past few months have been busy for me. I have been working out of town at the Edmonton air port since the start of October. The out of town grind catches up fast on a guy. Christmas and New Years was very good. It was extra special this year because me and my valentine got engaged the week prior to Christmas. The ball is in her court now. Whens the wedding? Ask her. haha. That is a big move in our lives and I cant wait to get the show on the road. Enough with the lovey-dovey talk, lets get to the good stuff.
About a year ago I posted a review on one of my favorite people in music. His name was Derek Christoff. Fast forward to today. Still talking about my man from the T dot. D-Sisive is the stage name of this Canadian Hip-Hop hero. He has had a very busy couple of years. From the release of The Book in 2008 to his latest record, Run with the Creeps from late 2011, It is hard to keep up with all the releases this man has put out. (6 records in 3 years). Its typical to talk about the newest record an artist puts out, but I will save Creeps for another day. Im going back about a year to one off my favorite releases of 2011. Jonestown 2 was a very pleasant treat. The fact that he released this record for free download to his fans is unbelievable. You wont hear me say this very often…Download this!!! So good. There are so many amazing songs on this record that i had a hard time choosing from. One of the craziest songs I have ever heard is on this record. Its called.”If I Live To See Tomorrow”. The lyrics are just unbelievable. Lots of cool music references from the Beatles to the Pistols. Very heavy song. Tonight I wanted to turn down the intensity a notch and listen to a fun song from the same album. The song I chose was “Derek From Northcliffe”. DFN is a super fun song and to me it showcases D’s talents along with his fun and clever side. A very fun beat, a cool topic, and just classic D-Sisive. I have been a huge fan of this man for years, and I hope the rest of you who have not heard this man rap, listen up. He is here to stay. One of the best Canada has produced for sure. Until next time, It goes a little some thing like this…
July 10, 2011
Grieves- Together/Appart 2011 Rhymesayers Entertainment
Daisy Dukes, corn dogs, carnies, and under age drinkers. What a way to spend a Saturday. Im sure you guessed it… I was at the Calgary Stampede last night. I went up to Calgary this weekend to hang out with Christina’s sister Natasha. After an afternoon filled with record shopping and trying to survive the Chinook Mall, we hopped on the train and headed to the Stampede Grounds. After arrival, we went inside and had a few quick beverages, and then went to the Coca-Cola stage to check out the Mother-Mother show. They were really good!. After the show we hit up the midway and had a greasy old corn dog. It’s not a trip to the carnival with out eating something deep fried. When the Stampede ended, we headed to the club Hi-Fi. Im not a club guy, but I had a great time.The live DJ’s definitely made the party happen. It was a great night. Sunday came a lot sooner then I wanted it to. We got up and had the classic hang over Big Mac and then we went to the flea market. I picked up a few awesome records. There is a vender that is always there and he has some high end stuff. He had a few “Love (Arther Lee)” albums that I have wanted for a few months now. After a little bartering, I got what I wanted and he ended up knocking 45 bucks of the total of the 2 records. It was a very nice brake. So back to the lecture at hand… The music.
Tonight I want to talk about one of the best albums I have heard this year. It is by the latest Rhymesayers addition. He goes by the name of Grieves. Grieves is a Seattle based Hip Hop artist with a lot of talent, and a hell of a producer. A few months back I was lucky enough to see Grieves and Budo live when they opened for Atmosphere. They were so good. The cool thing about Together/Appart, is it is a sample free album meaning that Budo made all the music on the record from scratch (no pun intended). He plays every thing from the keyboard, the electric guitar and even the trumpet. Its not every day you hear such a musically talented duo in the hip hop industry. Grieves released a few singles from the album, which are amazing, and the rest of the album is equally impressive. The song I want to play tonight is called Lightspeed. Its a somber bio of Grieves’ childhood all the way up to present time. It is an amazing track. The way he approaches his songs is amazing. He is to the point and very descriptive. It is a very mellow album, with very good hooks and super smooth production. Grieves is definitely an artist you will be hearing a lot of in the future. Hip Hop is not dead. It is very evident with this stellar album.
About me
Drop me a line or 2. Id like to hear what you have to say.arnoldpalmer19@hotmail.com
