DJ Mike Biggz

Amy Winehouse @ Popscene: My Review

Oh Amy...Oh Amy Amy Amy...(PICS n VIDEO UP SOON!)

Where do I even begin? Let's start off with the venue, 330 Ritch St. Cute little spot, DJ'd there for a summer party 2 years ago. For a small club they have a nice sound system, two nice bars and great vibe. I have never been to Popscene, although i listen to about 80% of the artists who have performed there. I get there just after 8pm(Doors open at 9pm) pretty early as I usually do on shows with general admission. For Amy Winehouse, I get there and i see a good 30 people in front of me...fuck, did y'all spend the night or what? Waiting outside, I was standing next to a window where I got to hear Amy's Band, The Dap Kings, do a last minute sound check. They sound so fresh, easily one of the best bands around today. Then I catch a glimpse of Amy walking on stage to do a last minute sound check...I was geeked to say the least.

Finally we're let in. I load up on drinks and claim my spot. The DJ's were spinning a nice mix of dance rock, 60's soul classics, new wave and electro stuff. On the TV screens, a classic collection of Diana Ross & The Supremes performances from various TV shows, specials, etc. Man, most of em, Diana was sweating like Whitney Houston...crack wasn't invented till the 80's right? Anyway, so finally after all the anticipation, The Dap kings hit the Stage and start playing. Right after that Amy blesses the stage, kinda shimming up to the Mic, hair in her mega huge bee-hive, white tank top cut at the stomach, tats in full view. Crowd goes wild.

Now the question on my mind, how much has she had to drink so far. Amy fans know of her drunkie drunk stage antics, so seeing a sober Amy might have been a disappointment. I was soooo not disappointed. She opens up with "Addicted" which you fans who bought the US version of Back to Black didn't get on your CD. The girl has stage presence, no doubt! She's doing her typical (if you've ever heard live recordings of Amy) off beat vocals, hardly ever landing in it's original place and 30% mumbled...but mumbled rather soulfully. So the first song ends and Amy talks the crowd, asking if someone can bring her a Jack and Coke, with the reward of a kiss on the mouth...wow! My buddy who works at the bar got her the drink and the kiss(did she taste like BevMo? I wanna know!!!) As the show goes on it's evident Amy got on stage already smashed. Forgetting a line here and there, wailing hella loud and at times very unapologetically off key. Shit was funny.

In between songs she'd talk to the crowd who showed here nothing but love. At one point, she got into a mild argument with someone in the front row...why i don't know, but she half jokingly threaten to smash her drink over his head. Of course people chanted "Do it!". I think he's the one who brought her another, far much bigger drink. After she belted out "Tears Dry on their Own"(and by the way, she had to ask the backing vocalists what the name of the song was), Amy went from smashed to belligerent! It was so cool and hella funny to watch the rumors, the stories come to life. I swear i hella thought she was gonna fall on the drummer, or right off the stage! Then after another song, she asked for a shot of Tequila...then she said "NO make it two!" At that point i yelled "No don't do it!!!"

Then came "Rehab"....or at least i think it was. Amy slurred most of the song, hella off beat and on the last  chorus, she stopped. The crowd kinda freaked the fuck out like, "Oh Shit!". I don't if she passed out for a hot second or stopped to throw up or just to contain herself. Shit was pure comedy. I love Amy! Then She closed out with her cover of The Zutons "Valerie"(from the Mark Ronson CD "Version") and her US breakout single, "You Know I'm No Good". As she left the stage I felt strangely disturbed yet satisfied. I totally got what I paid for. I didn't wanna see sober Amy, I want  drunk n crazy Amy and she lived up to all the hype.  I'm sure some left a bit confused, maybe angry but I think most got it. I, like many left right after...sorry to diss the headliner Klaxons. They should have given them separate shows.  Hope next time she's the headlining act and at a bigger venue. Over all it was a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars show and easily the drunkest performance I have ever seen. Rock on Amy, we loved you at Popscene!!!
-Mike Biggz

2 days until the Amy Winehouse Concert!

Cannot fucking wait! I just wish it was at a venue that was not so small. I love 330 Ritch St. but damn....

I also wish she was not just the opening act....especially since the main act are The Klaxons. I love Atlantis to Interzone but, again, damn...

Review coming on Friday. Pray she doesn't blow chunks on me since I plan on being in the front row. Would it be gross if she did and I got the shirt  of Amy Chinks framed???? Don't answer that....

Mark Ronson - Version ...A Review

So Mr. Mark Ronson who's been one of the busiest men in the record industry, somehow found time to release a new full length album called "Version", the follow up to 2003's "Here comes the Fuzz".

Version is miles ahead of Fuzz( which was a dope record too). Ronson, with the help of The Dap Kings(Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings) who been getting alot of work through Ronson lately (Amy Winehouse, just to name one artist), help make Version one of the best records of 2007, hands down. I've heard some great covers albums and some seriously horrible covers albums and Version is so good, you could convince your friends these are the originals(except for Toxic). This style has been rather popular lately. That style of making your music sound like it came out of the 60's and 70's. Groups like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Quantic and The Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Frank Popp Ensemble, Nicole Willis and The Soul Investigators have helped made this sound popular again. Then this sound gets a big push to the front with the help of Amy Winehouse's Black to Black, which Ronson produced half of.

Now we have "Version" which kicks off with a super dope cover of Coldplay's "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" featuring The Dap King Horns...makes me wanna become a spy. James Bond would have sounded hella fresher with this soundtrack. Ronson collaborates with some of his new usual suspects, Lily Allen, Daniel Merriweather and Amy Winehouse who's cover of The Zuton's "Valerie" is so good...I've never heard the original but I dont think i can like it as much as Ronson's Version. Speaking of Amy, Ronson brings in Virginia's new wave soul-singer Kenna, who's 2003 lbum "New Sacred Cow" to this day, is still my regular rotation. Kenna is brought in to help Ronson cover a song called "Amy" in which I have no idea  who is the orginal...nor do I really care. This song with it's hard hitting drums, jumps out at you and gets you to get up and dance.

Now for the cover of Britney Spear's "Toxic" I could have done without the ODB pasted/scratched in verse, but it helps make this song become more humours than it already was. The vocalist sounds as creepy as Robert Smith(The Cure) looks. Yet somehow it works. The Radiohead cover of "Just" has been out for a minute and still sounds great with those lovely Dap Kings Horns and bangin' Drums. Apply Some Pressure is where Ronson goes to the Dance Rock/Punk Funk rout and pulls it off. Robbie Williams on "The Only One I Know"(a Charlatans cover i believe) sounds like the Petshop boys over a funk track, still brilliant.

Really you can't go wrong with any track on Version. All hail Mark Ronson!

What's Goin On? You need good music....DONT YA!

Such an appropo title for today's blog post. Today, April 2nd marks the 68th Birthday of the legendary Marvin Gaye. Been thinking about alot of things lately. Alot has happend since 2007 started. I'm in a healthy very loving relationship. Looks to be the best yet and for several reasons.

I got some fresh new shelves put up in the Garage and my record collection look fan-fucking-tastic!

Music has been really good so far. I am loving alot of the new rock that has come out in late '06 that has crossed over to '07 as well as the new rock coming out in '07.
I'm loving Peter Bjorn & John. Not just because their name reminds me of Peanut Butter and Jelly but because this album is amazing. Writer's Block features such songs as Young Folks(as heard on Grey's Anatomy) which is brilliant for it's lyrics, whistle track, drums and bassline. Very cool tune. Amsterdam is great and freatures a hot opening drum break which has already caught hip-hop's attention.

Then we have the new Modest Mouse, whom i was not a fan of before. I really liked the record, especially #6 "Missed the Boat". Great song.

Then we have the new LCD Soundsystem "Sound of Silver"...brilliant, alot more consistent than the first one.

The Long Blondes, a group of non-blondes who make good dance rock.

The Pipettes, a trio of brits who sound like if Tony Basil produced The Go-Go's and added in a little Bananarama.

Arcade Fire's new record is rather good, a little better than the last one and Keep the Car Running always seems to find play on my Alterna-Tuesdays show on I-Tunes.

The Good, The Bad & The Queen is a cool supergroup put together by Blur and Gorillaz's Damon Alburn and produced by Danger Mouse. It's just fuckin' sweet! Peep Herculean and Northern Whale.

Kaiser Chiefs' new record, Yours Turely, Angry Mob is a brilliant sophmore record, better than the first.

The Fratellis, who you'd swear got their name from watching the classic 80's movie, The Goonies brings fun back into rock with the song Flathead. The record over all is really good.

The Horrors, a band from the UK drops their US debut with their new album "Strange House" and i'm a fan. I miss dark evil rock like this.

For Soul and Electronica, if you're not on the Amy Winehouse boat, get on it. Been up on her since 2004 and been loving her ever since. 

The New Tracey Thorn(of Everything but the Girl) is hella tight. I love the upbeat, downtempo and chill out tracks, start to finish.

Just got my hands on the New Anthony Hamilton...wow! so much better than the last one. Do not sleep on Southern Comfort.

Natalie Williams is not to be slept on. Got it back in Novemember along with the new Amy. She's hella dope, hot beats, good song writing and best of all, no one knows of her out here in the states...so look her up, buy her shit and become a fan now.

Spengler is a group i discovered on a cd i got in the mail from the lovely folks at Tru-Thoughts. Their song "Good Times" is the best cut on the new Shapes comp. So fuckin' funky and soulful. Made friends with them on the myspace and they sent me more of their music...so so good.

As for Hip-Hop, you gotta go cop the new Sean Price! Dude's album is hella dope. You would remember him as 1 half of the duo Heltah Skeltah. Also the Consequence record is tight. The reissue of J-Dilla's Rough Draft is a record not to be slept on. My favorite is the new album from Mobb Deep's Prodigy, produced  by The Alchemist...so so hot! And finally please don't sleep on Devin The Dude's new joint Waiting to Inhale. It's a hot album. ...u can tell i'm tired of typing since i group'd all my hip-hop shit together...

Peace out!