You may have noticed, while perusing the interwebs of late, that much is being made of this whole “hipster” fad that is sweeping the nation.
To some, this is a shocking revelation. To others, it’s old news. But for young people on either side of that fence, one glaring question rears it’s stylishly keffiyah’d head: Am I a hipster?
Jack Conte hit my radar a few months ago when I stumbled on a “videosong” combining his own renditions of Radiohead’s Exit Music For A Film and a prelude by Chopin, Op. 28 No. 4. The mix was somehow strangely perfect, but it wasn’t the song so much as the new approach to the recording process and the passion involved that inspired me to dig a little deeper. What I discovered was a creative sparkplug, a one-man-band in every sense of the word; Conte plays every instrument and does multi-layered harmonies with himself, naturally with the help of Pro Tools. He pours himself completely and unabashedly into every song, with a disarming sense of commitment to his craft.
Propelled by the popularity of his videosongs, buzz is starting to build around both Conte and his new EP, Nightmares And Daydreams, a handful of brilliant electro-pop tunes, showing both his songwriting prowess and versatility as an artist.
We sat down with Jack to get to the bottom of this videosong business, and to study the angles of another independent musician who’s kicking ass without compromise.
Ramshackle Southern-roots gospel stomp rock is the most fitting way to encapsulate the sound of The Builders And The Butchers, but let’s not forget about the elemental fucking soul of it all; the timeless essence of authenticity that lifts them clear from the bottomless pit of folky acoustic jam bands.
Their live show is raucous and magnetic, an uptempo affair of sonic hypnotics and unconventional instrumentation ranging from megaphones to styrofoam swim tubes and oil funnels. They’ve been known to distribute assorted toy instruments to their audience, inviting them to play along, but this aint no gimmick band. The rawness calls back to their punk roots, but the atmosphere is much more Tom Waits than Fugazi.
“It used to be that you’d tour to promote a record, and now you’re putting out songs to promote your tour. It’s an interesting shift. It’s a great time to be in a band, but it’s a horrible time to be a record label. “
I’m sure you’ve heard of ‘em by now: two hipster rappers out of Chicago called the Cool Kids, riding an 80’s nostalgia MySpace tide with their Black Mags track. Propelled by the no-really-it’s-still-ironic rope chains and mid-eighties douchewear gimmick, the duo have become the darlings of the white hipster scene. But when a group calls themselves the “black Beastie Boys,” the red flag is visible from outer space.
There’s been a lot of controversy lately around Disney Channel stars. First, Vanessa Hudgens’ fried eggs and ham show up on the internet, and now the 15-year-old ‘tween queen, Miley Cyrus, has been crucified over a picture posted on her MySpace page where she exposes (please make sure you’re over 21 before reading on or viewing the following photos because this is really sick shit)…
A TINY PART OF HER GREEN BRA!!! *gasp*
In one interview, a mother states that she thought she was doing a good job as a parent by only allowing her daughter to watch the Disney Channel. This is mind bottling since I’m positive that the Disney Channel will not be airing these photos in order to raise Hannah Montana’s ratings in the 15-year-old male category. Sure, the concern is probably more along the lines of knowing these photos will eventually be seen by young girls who look up to Miley. But really, what’s the big deal?
I guess the big deal is that parents are relying too much on the Disney Channel to raise their children and produce role models who are unable to make the mistakes that most other people do.
