listen to lissie cover metallica's 'nothing else matters' and download 'live sessions'
Fri, Aug 6 2010 01:23 PM
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as i've said before, i devour a lot of music. because of that, it's rare for a new artist to really sneak up and surprise me with how great it is. over the last couple months, an artist has done just that: lissie.
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democracy wins: derek webb covers huey lewis' 'power of love'
Mon, Jul 26 2010 03:51 PM
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over the last half a year, i've blogged about derek webb's latest innovative project called democracy vol. 1. earlier this year, fans could cast votes for up to 12 songs that they wanted webb to cover. then, the 12 songs receiving the most votes would be covered by webb for the album. the album has been in the process of being recorded over the span of 2010, with 1 track being recorded and released each month. over the past 6 months, webb released the first six tracks, which was the beatles' while my guitar gently weeps, coldplay's fix you, bob dylan's the times they are a-changin', gnarls barkley's who's gonna save my soul, sufjan stevens' chicago and u2's where the streets have no name.
instead of releasing the the full list of tracks, webb is revealing each track month-by-month. and today, we found out the seventh one.
picking up the pieces of my blown mind: apple announces iphone 4
Mon, Jun 7 2010 04:01 PM
| videos, personal, technology, news, awesome, favorites, popular culture, iphone, current events, blog stuff, apple
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more than once (to deal in understatement), i've been called an apple fanboy. there's a certain contingency of the unconvinced (the ignorant?) that assume if you like apple's products, you must be blindly being led like a brainless sheep. but, of course, there's another contingency. that is, naturally, the contingency of the convinced: the people who have seen, time and time again, that there is simply no company that creates consistently amazing, innovative and inspiring products like apple. none.
the tradition continues today with the announcement of iphone 4.
roll your windows down: a soundtrack for spring/summer
Thu, Apr 22 2010 07:58 AM
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if you're like me, a drive through town these days is less worth the trip without the windows down and, in my case, the sunroof open. indeed, it's springtime and we're marching quickly toward a bright and sunny summer. these things are only made better with just the right soundtrack. so, i've taken it upon myself to whip up a little something and i thought it would only be fitting if i shared it with everyone.so, on this mix, you'll find a blend of spring and summer songs that should get you through the better part of the next 5 or more months. you'll notice that i tried to keep it diverse, with music ranging from indie afro-pop to a fresh prince to songs that will make you sweat. no doubt, there's something for everyone (including girls who like to wear abercrombie & fitch…).
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download rob's memorial playlist |||amp; videos
this past saturday—as noted in the previous post—we celebrated the life of our friend rob toon. it was honestly a great time, with laughter, tears and a whole gambit of emotions in between. i had the honor of participating in a number of ways, including sharing a few words about who rob was and the legacy he leaves. one of the things i was most excited to do, actually, was to put together a playlist that played before and after the service.
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democracy wins: derek webb covers the beatles' 'while my guitar gently weeps'
in early january, i blogged about derek webb's latest innovative project called democracy vol. 1. over the last several weeks, fans could cast votes for up to 12 songs that they wanted webb to cover. then, the 12 songs receiving the most votes would be covered by webb for the album. the album will then be recorded over the span on 2010, with 1 track being recorded and released each month.
instead of releasing the the full list of tracks, webb plans to reveal each track month-by-month. and today, we found out the first one.
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the coolest thing i didn't blog about in 2009 -OR- how i got published by spike lee
Fri, Jan 1 2010 07:49 PM
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to say that 2009 was a busy year for me would be a incredibly gross understatement. looking back, there are still several big things that i just simply couldn't find the time to blog about (some are still coming, hopefully). one of those things i found out way back in april, came to fruition in november and yet, i still couldn't steal away a few minutes to post the news.
merry christmas: wise-bloggers
25 in the 2000s: one-hit wonders
this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
it's difficult to talk about an era of music without bringing up the topic of one-hit wonders. while the conversation is inevitable, it's much more difficult to pin down exactly what defines a one-hit wonder. one on hand, it's a band who comes out of nowhere, blows up with one song and then we never hear of them again. and then, there's the bands that are legitimately good bands, but just happen to only have one song that really hits the radio waves. and then, there's the bands that have had some minor hits, but had one particular song that just blew up. this list will deal with all of those. there are some songs/bands on here that almost pained me because they're a legitimately great band (like my #1), but definitionally, they are a one-hit wonder. so, here it is.
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25 in the 2000s: cover songs
Sun, Dec 20 2009 05:54 PM
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
ah, the cover song. we are all magnetically drawn to the power of someone doing a song previously done by another artist. it's truly unexplainable. from the newly interpreted beauty to the refreshing newfound angle to the downright funny, cover songs are a musical phenomenon that cannot be denied. so, here's my list of the 25 cover songs that rose to the top of the aughts.
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designing obama: scott thomas talks about obama design campaign
Mon, Oct 26 2009 04:10 PM
| awesome, graphic design, favorites, politics
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i don't write a lot about design, but i have certainly written my fair share about politics. this is a post where those two things meet.
if you've kept up with my blog since at least this time last year, you know that i'm, um, to say the least, a supporter of president obama. one of the many layers of his campaign and subsequent victory that i focused on was the design campaign that was particularly pivotal. never in the history of presidential (or any other kind) elections has design played such a prominent role than it did with obama's campaign. everyone knows obama's logo. everyone knows the "obama blue" and everyone knows gotham font (even if they don't know it's called gotham...which i still regularly find myself obsessed with...).
if you've kept up with my blog since at least this time last year, you know that i'm, um, to say the least, a supporter of president obama. one of the many layers of his campaign and subsequent victory that i focused on was the design campaign that was particularly pivotal. never in the history of presidential (or any other kind) elections has design played such a prominent role than it did with obama's campaign. everyone knows obama's logo. everyone knows the "obama blue" and everyone knows gotham font (even if they don't know it's called gotham...which i still regularly find myself obsessed with...).
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BeingRyanByrd.com has low self esteem, receives a facelift
Sat, Oct 24 2009 11:23 PM
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it was just time. really.
i redesigned this website last december/january and i had just gotten really tired of staring at all the heavy colors and overworked design. so, here you have it: the newly redesigned BeingRyanByrd.com!
i redesigned this website last december/january and i had just gotten really tired of staring at all the heavy colors and overworked design. so, here you have it: the newly redesigned BeingRyanByrd.com!
zack attack: jimmy fallon talks reunion with our favorite preppy
if there's a person in their late 20's/early 30's who can flip by tbs between 7 and 8 a.m. every morning and not stop, i can only imagine they were either kept in a shed sans t.v. throughout their childhood or they were dropped from outer space to earth circa '95. why? because, of course, as you faithful blog readers surely know, saved by the bell is still living on thanks to the always classy tbs.so,
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the venn master
Thu, May 14 2009 10:25 PM
| awesome, humor, graphic design, diagrams
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that's right people, you read it correctly: fun with diagrams! i mean, who doesn't express joy through random venn diagrams?? here's a visual of what i'm talking about:today i had a funny conversation about the purpose of p.o. boxes. seriously, i've always wondered why people have p.o. boxes. i mean, you have a home with a mailbox, so all a p.o. box does is make you have to make a trip to the post
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breaking news: mustaches cure scurvy!!
certainly, there are moments of stress here at my place of employment, but in the midst of that, we try to have fun every now and then (people like myself probably have fun a little too much...).one of the ways we offer a little de-stressing for our employees is via a committee called tweak (i honestly have no idea what tweak means or if it stands for anything...i don't think anyone really knows...).
ladies and gentlemen, i give you: chicken tetrazzini
no doubt, this is my favorite clip from the soup of all-time. bar none. all-time.behold:
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bat fight!!
man, this is good stuff.will ferrell. singing. about a bat fight. dressed very similarly to his character on eastbound and down. doesn't get much better.(**warning: if you can't handle the sight/sound of will ferrell—or any person for that matter—getting pummeled by a large man with a bat...you probably shouldn't watch this video...or just quit watching toward the end...) :)(p.s. if you want to
facebook promotes sibling love
ah, the love between a brother and sister. it's a beautiful thing, especially when it plays itself out for the whole world to see on facebook.now, i don't do facebook. it's just one more thing for me to have to do (although, as a matter of full disclosure, i've considered it long and hard simply for networking purposes). christen, though, has done it for a long time and has the facebook iphone app.
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kay pettigrew keeps it fresh
wow...this is awesome. for those who don't know every single word of the fresh prince of bel air theme song and are between the ages of 25 and 30, you should be flogged with a cultural cane. apparently, kay pettigrew, a pretty cool indie/folk artist from toronto, knows it and she proves it with this video.good stuff.
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