The Video Omelette

Houston's best rapper and local indie music champion, Fat Tony, recently unveiled his video for "Nigga U Ain't Fat," the first track off his RABDARGAB LP. As of today, the video is being featured on Pitchfork.com. Houston hipsters, we have arrived! loljk.

The video, directed by Joey Graham, follows iPodAmmo as he hallucinates Fat Tony's disembodied, rapping head and, more disturbingly, body parts that transform into food, like Kit-Kat fingers, spaghetti hair, and a human cupcake. A ravenous Ammo can only hold out so long.

There's also a fantastic performance by Katie Menowsky, a friend of the blog!

And once you've seen Fat Tony's video, be sure to buy his shit at your favorite independent record store, or iTunes if you're lazy.

Well, two days after ringing in the New Year, and I'm just finally getting over my hangover. Maybe it's because I spent the entire first day of the year laughing over an assortment of cocktails throughout the day with some of best people ever. Now, still a bit foggy, I sit here at my computer reading through all accounts of the many New Year's Eve musical celebrations I missed throughout the country. There was one show that I payed attention to throughout the night, though, and that was Phish's big gig at New York City's Madison Square Garden. Shortly after the midnight hour, I checked Twitter to see how my favorite band celebrated, and all it said was "Meatstick" followed by the traditional "Auld Lang Syne" into the Eric Clapton-popularized, JJ Cale-penned "After Midnight," a very similar choice of setlist as their famed Big Cypress Millennium show which found them playing a near 8-hour set from before midnight up until the sunrise. The simple tweet saying "Meatstick" couldn't explain less what actually happened the other night. The video tells all...

This might be one of the best things I've ever seen in my life. So pissed I wasn't in attendance!

Somehow, the main artist profiled in this excellent Grinderman road diary isn't Nick Cave - it's Shilpa Ray. Reading about all of the praise showered on her by Nick Cave and others led me to seek out her music, and it certainly merits the acclaim. Shilpa has been playing the harmonium since the age of 6 and was born with a voice that can overpower even the most raucous output from her squeezebox. Check out some of her solo stuff on teh Youtubes, then stream a performance over at Daytrotter by her band: Shilpa Ray and the Happy Hookers. They are set to perform at Fitzgerald's on April 20th with Acid Mothers Temple, see you there.

My musical ventures generally drift towards the outer Houston area, but now and again I fall in love with a project born and bred in my own backyard. I've certainly touted Houston/La Porte alt-country(?) group Buxton quite a bit here on BOT, so when any side project of the group I love so dear and near pops up, I'm immediately attracted. Recently, I was at the mink hamming it up with Sergio Trevino and Haley Barnes from Buxton, and they were on and on about their newest collaboration dawned the Ancient Cat Society. They couldn't stopped joking about what could be from the duo, including new wave and punk rock, but decided they'd be best off sticking with the folk theme. They've now sprouted into a legit act, augmented by the multi-talented Austin Sepulvado, and have a quality video (multi-angled at that!) to prove it. I can't get enough of this trio, and hope to eventually catch them live as soon as possible. It's a new, simpler take on Sergio's lyricism, with Haley shining as vocalist – this project allowing her vocals to stand out rather than support as her role in Buxton showcases. Check out the video of the trio performing their tune "Mary Frances" at Rudyard's last week...

Haley, you still owe me that dance!

As the fall festival season quickly approaches with ACL, Voodoo and Fun Fun Fun Fest right around the corner, I am busy searching over the schedules for bands I need to see that I don't really know much about. ACL is overall pretty familiar for me (I already found my last New Favorite Band on that line-up), but there are many bands that are gracing the stages at New Orleans' Voodoo Experience over Halloween weekend that I haven't spent much or any time with. One group that stood out immediately just because of their name was Die Antwoord, but it was there album, $O$, that made them a must see on Halloween weekend. After searching YouTube, I found some intriguing vids that made my need to see the South African hip-hop group grow even more. The best one by far comes from music video blog TaxiJam, which has the group flowing through their tune "Wat Kyk Jy?" complete with mooning and shirtless, sunglassed gentleman taking it all in in the back seat. Love this video...

They'll be playing at 6:15 in between Boyz Noize and The Crystal Method at Voodoo in what they're calling Le Plur, which is a new addition to the festival and seems to be some sort of dance stage/tent. See you there?

Within the next 7 days, I will be seeing Local Natives for the third and fourth time this year. First, I'll be seeing them when they descend upon Houston's House Of Blues for a show on my birthday, October 7th. And second, I'll assuredly be catching them when they take the Austin Ventures stage at ACL on Saturday, the 9th. In preparation for that, I've been perusing YouTube, checking out some great live videos of the quintet. All the vids were good, but it was them running through a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" that really got me. Check it out, and get excited (at least for me!).

Damn these are some talented individuals! I love the exchange of maracas between the two guys on the right a little over a minute in. Brilliant!

This is so humorous to me. Love this song, love this video.

The fucking Flaming Lips.

A couple months back, a post was sent out on our local internet message board and throughout Facebook requesting as many young hip kids as possible to gather together and shoot a video for LCD Soundsystem's song "Home" from their latest effort This Is Happening. Well, with a bit of acting added to all of the partying, and a Robot that eventually ends up in an drug-addled orgy scene in a hotel room, the results are now being presented for everyone to see. Created by the Funwunce Supergroup, more specifically Rick Darge and Mark Armes, they bring a new and rather odd perspective to the nearly eight minute dance tune. Check out the video...

So many familiar faces in this video! It's weird to see someone you know do (fake?) blow off of a robot on video and another one grinding on him in a bikini.

This is music for lovers. This is music that is inspired by some of the 70's and 80's greats like Hall & Oats and Bruce Hornsby. This is what happens when you gather a group of today's finest indie rock musicians and they do something completely out of the box. This is porn music.

The only reason I truly know about Gayngs is that they are on the Austin City Limits line-up, and that Bon Iver's Justin Vernon plays a big part in their foundation. I haven't had the chance to listen to much of their music, but I'm hoping they blow me away when it becomes festival time. I've been a huge fan of Bon Iver and Megafaun for quite some time, back to the days of their project together DeYarmond Edison, so when I learned that they were once again collaborating on a completely different type of music with 20 or so other musicians including Rhymesavers' P.O.S. and members of the Rosebuds, I was instantly sold. The video that accompanies my post put a stamp on it and mailed it off. I would've never expected anything Justin Vernon would do to sound so slinky and sultry, and I'm glad that it was an utter surprise upon first listen. They are my new discovery, and my current obsession – one that won't be upstaged for quite some time. I know I will never truly appreciate such an act until I see them in some dank club with four 60 watt light bulbs illuminating the entire room, but the ACL performance, YouTube vids and their debut album Relayted will have to suffice until I get the chance.

This is some of the sexiest music I've heard in my life. Seriously. Anytime Justin Vernon rocks the auto-tune, I simply melt – that doesn't make me gay does it? I can't freaking wait to see them at ACL!

In honor of Jeff Tweedy's 43rd birthday, I decided to post something Wilco related, but came across this little gem first. With Tweedy set to produce legendary soul singer Mavis Staples, they've had plenty of time to collaborate and have some fun. Staples, whom can out sing pretty much anyone I've ever seen live, shines in the following video which finds her covering the Creedence Clearwater Revival tune "Wrote A Song For Everyone" backed by Tweedy on acoustic guitar and vocals. It's a great version of the song, ever so soulful with Staples at the helm. Tweedy, although he had been working with Staples and had become friends with her for some time, still seems as if he's starstruck in her presence – as he should be! Check out the video below...

I'm excited to see what Tweedy does on the production side of the business. I know he's had a heavy hand in the job on all Wilco records, but it'll be nice to see his vision through someone elses work – especially someone as storied and as talented as Staples. The album is due out September 14th, so we don't have to wait too long.