Music Wiki

Today, I am hear to tell you about music.wikia.com. It is just like wikipedia dedicated solely to all things music. Ever come across a mistake in a post in the blog or do you know of a great band that your just dieing to let everyone know about, but want it to get more attention then a comment latched on to the end of an article. Well here is your chance to make a encyclopedia of music that is important to you. Not only will you find new music to listen to you will find out all the information you could ever want to know about your favorite bands. The best part is that if there is a band that you love, but they do not have a page is that you can create a page for them and help other people discover them. Right now the wiki is far from complete and is missing a lot of really good bands, however if we are all to go and contribute to the site we will be able to make a it great resource for anything anyone could want to to know about music whether it is mainstream or if it is independent.

Podcasting For Dummies Book Report

Are you full of great ideas that you want to share to the world whether it is politics, sports, technologies, or anything you can think of and do you want to share your knowledge, opinion, and experience in a more personally way then a simple blog? Then creating your own personal podcast might be the way you want to go. But what is a podcast and where would you start. I would recommend that you start with the book “Podcasting for Dummies 2nd Edition” by Tee Morris, Chuck Tomasi, and Evo Terra.
The first part of the book gives you an overview about podcasts giving you all the basic information about them that you need. From how podcasts are being linked to internet radio to if there are any laws governing the content of your podcast (there is not any as of yet, but you are personally responsible for the content). After getting that out of the way the book immediately gets you into creating your own very basic audio podcast. Later in the book there have a whole chapter in the book on what kind of equipment to use and a basic overview on how to use them. It covers everything form what kind of microphone do you want to invest in to what audio editor do you want to use.
Some of the most useful parts of the book I found was the chapters explaining on how to prepare yourself for your podcast, how to get it one the web and with followers, and where to go to find other podcasts so that you can find out and keep up to date about everything that is happening in your podcasting area. After going though a bit of information on how to edit you audio file and how you should label them. You are the introduced to RSS feeds which you can and should use to put your content out there for people to more easily follow your podcast. The chapter into RSS feeds does go into some depth, but it is done in a very clear and concise way considering how broad the subject is.
One of my biggest complaint about the book is that pretty much the whole book is dedicated to audio podcasts though the a lot of is applicable to video podcasts. The one chapter that is dedicated to video podcasts is laughable short. While the information they do provide is good even though at times it comes across as though they are against video podcasts. As far as short comings go being to short is one that a lot of books would enjoy.
After reading this book I have more than enough information on how to create, upload, interview, and find fans for my very own audio podcast and am on my way to video podcasts. I found the entire book written in a way that all the technical information is not overwhelming and easy to take in. Also the tone of the book makes for a fun read in itself. I enjoyed that last part of book when it had finished the technical part of the book it gives you a lot of cultural aspects of the podcasting community. I would recommend this book to anyone who has the slightest interest in communication technologies.

Wolf Parade

Ahh Wolf Parade, what can I say except that the have some of the most powerful lyrics that I have heard from any band in a long time. There sound is so new and unique I love it I could not even try and compare them to any other band. Apologies To The Queen Mary released in 2005 is and will remain one of my favorite albums. And At Mount Zoomer released in 2008 is almost like an extension of Apologies To The Queen Mary and you can almost see the way that there music is evolving. And from the direction it is going I am excited to see where the do go in there next album.Here is a sample of both albums

Decemberists

Ever thought becoming a sailor on an old sail boat? Ever think that hey it would be cool to have lived Victorian era? Do you like your instrumentals deep and melodic? Or do you like you lyrics metaphorical and sometimes a bit out there? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are as weird as I am and do I have a band for you. The Decemberists formed in 2000 and released it first self released album 5 Songs in 2001. Since then they have released 4 other albums all of them as good and as new as the last. The Decemberists lead singer Colin Meloy has one of the best voice I have heard and the instruments that band uses is very diverse ranging from the accordion to a string bass. Even if you answered no to all the questions in the beginning they are still worth your time to check out.

Arctic Monkeys

If you asked me what band would I picked if I could only listen to one band for the rest of my life the answer would be first the Arctic Monkeys and second would be who thinks of these kinds of questions. The Arctic Monkeys are the kind of band that you can listen to over and over again and always find something new in the music. The have such a unique sound that you would be hard pressed to find anyone else that sounds quite like them. My personal favorite album is Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not. Discover them and enjoy

Sci-fi Crimes byChevelle

Chevelle came out late last year with a new album after a two year break I am said to say that Sci-fi Crimes came in below the radar for most people. Which is really a shame considering that this one of the best albums they have came out with. Sci-fi Crimes is more of the same dark and meaningful lyrics coupled with hypnotic rhythms and that is ok. A lot of bands go into a whole new direction after a long break and often forget their original roots and stray far from the formula that gained them their original fans. I am not saying that expand experimenting with new sounds is a bad thing on the contrary I enjoy it when bands play things out of their normal sets. Chevelle knew what the fans liked and what they did well and with Sci-fi Crimes they brought their skills to a new level.
Check out their whole collection

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the last year then you have heard of Phoenix's new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix if not by name then by the tune in all those Cadillac commercials. Almost ever music blog out there has praised them for there music if not named them album of the year. And I am not going to do any different it was on of my favorite albums of the year. From the first time I listened to it till now I can not get there songs out of my head and I do not want to. Each time I listen to the album is like listening to it for the first time all over again. Go to their myspace for a complete stream of their album.