Green Velvet seen with Professor Genius + DC Larue at Tribeca Grand

Not much to say here.  I got to the Triceba Grand to catch a digital set by Jersey City producer/artist Professor Genius.  He makes blip and bleep house music with lots of gorgeous spacious synths.  Think Vangelis with beats crossed with Giorgio Moroder.  The room was packed the sound was loud and people were drinking and italo-disco dancing their asses off.  I went to catch a glimpse to see how he was making the music, (Ableton live with a keyboard and laptop), then hit the bar for a cosmo when I noticed legendary producer/DJ Green Velvet nodding his head to the music, I was surprised to see him as I understand he had a gig to get to.

Coldplay

Coldplay create sparse, emotional soundscapes, dripping with melancholy. The London-based quartet is singer Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion. Their debut album, Parachutes, was released in late 2000 in the U.S., and they quickly became a sensation. The record went No. 1 in the U.K. charts and won Best Alternative Music Album at the 2002 Grammys. Marked by Martin’s falsetto-happy vocals, songs like “Yellow” and “Shiver” employ stop/start dynamics that allow serene verses to build to a crescendo, centering on the well-trodden theme of love. Sophomore effort A Rush of Blood to the Head took home two Grammys and earned a spot on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list. Hits “Clocks” and “In My Place” were wistful and romantic, labeled by some as radio-friendly Radiohead. The group’s third album, XandY, became the best-selling album of 2005, and “Speed of Sound” topped [...]

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Radiohead

One of the 1990s’ greatest success stories, Radiohead came to prominence largely on the success of their distorted, ingratiating single “Creep.” Drolly repeating “I’m a creep / I’m a loser” in the pounding wake of arena rock guitars wasn’t going to win them any artistic grants, but those lyrics and bouts with piercing feedback would not be soon forgotten. It wasn’t until The Bends (1995) that Radiohead transcended the formula, crafting the patient, heart-wrenching “Fake Plastic Trees” and the magnetic, sunshine-driven “Black Star.” Thom Yorke’s signature falsetto began to operate in a more deeply emotional capacity at this point. Finally producing to the caliber of their songwriting, Radiohead’s OK Computer demonstrated a staggering attention to detail, probably ranking as one of the greatest commercial artistic successes of the ’90s. Rarely does a record offer masterpieces in varying moods. From the thunderously suspenseful “Airbag” to the moody chime of the blustery [...]

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Weezer

When they first appeared on the commercial pop landscape back in 1994, it wasn’t without a fair amount of derision from the indie rock cognoscenti. After all, these guys were copping the indie rock style, using the same pop culture references and the same hooks, but putting it out on a major label with no grassroots support behind them. They had no “cred,” as it were. Where did Weezer come from anyway? The answer is: nowhere. Rivers Cuomo founded the band as an outlet for his love of Van Halen, Cheap Trick and Kiss just a year before getting signed. The group was quickly thrust into the spotlight following the mad rush of Nirvana’s success, and suddenly “Buddy Holly” and “Undone” were radio hits. The allure of this gaggle of power pop-loving kids with huge amps and no real star appeal wasn’t lost on a generation of geeky punks. In [...]

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Usher

By the time he was upon the threshold of puberty, Usher already had a record deal and a gold album. By the time he graduated from high school, he’d established himself as one of the most visible artists in R&B. Armed with a soulful voice and impressive songwriting skills, Usher’s songs vary from floor-rattling dance tracks to between-the-sheets ballads. Between 1994 and 2004, he released six albums, appeared in several films, earned multiple platinum plaques, and collaborated with a wide variety of top-shelf artists. Though he was already a well-established famous singer (and occasional actor), 2004 was the year he really blew up worldwide, thanks to the infectious, chart-topping single “Yeah” produced by Lil Jon. The song, and his album Confessions, netted him three Grammy Awards and propelled him to the upper tier of music superstardom.
- Kali Holloway

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3 Doors Down

Can you raise your lighter high in the stadium and still keep your indie cred? Probably not, but you can combine the catchy hard rock of the Scorpions with the grungy street metal of Nirvana and get 3 Doors Down. Their debut hit, “Kryptonite,” was a surprise smash, selling quantities that would make Shania or Britney very happy. Not bad for a rocking band who had just broken out of a small town in Mississippi. 3 Doors Down don’t smell like teen spirit, but this is still the sound of acceptable teen rebellion.
- Nick Dedina

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Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz is a quintessential example of the modern singer-songwriter, meaning he incorporates all that’s gone before him into his music, including reggae, hip-hop, Jewel and the Dave Matthews Band. This, combined with a particularly distinctive vocal waver, makes for a radio-bound body of work that has way too much going for it to remain in the obscurity of a San Diego coffee house, which is where Mraz got his start.
- Mike McGuirk

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Lil’ Wayne

One of Southern rap’s most enduring and talented emcees, New Orleans’ Lil’ Wayne began rapping at the tender age of 11. By the time he was 15, he’d linked up with Juvenile, Turk and B.G. and formed the immensely popular Hot Boys group on Cash Money Records. Though the emcees showed promise, many listeners focused on the post-Bounce production of Mannie Fresh, and regarded Wayne as a fresh-faced vehicle for the producer. But Wayne went solo in 1999 with Tha Block is Hot. His raps focus on youthful rebellion, New Orleans style — crack, girls and turf supremacy are paramount. He would go on to release two additional solo CDs 2000’s Lights Out and 2002’s 500 Degreez. Those albums were commercially successful and established Wayne true force. With 2004’s Tha Carter and its 2005 follow-up, Tha Carter II, he made a case for himself as the South’s preeminent rapper, with [...]

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psst…J-lo’s going grunge..pass it on…