the inevitable random exchange of trivial information...

Many people are always asking me what I do to find music. They somehow see me as this wide source of music knowledge because I was a music student or perhaps because I own an iPod and talk a good game. But honestly, I'm constantly trying to find new music and sometimes its just not easy. People want a direct answer from a music god blessing them with a doctrine commandment of music they would like. Its tricky to suggest stuff b\c how am I supposed to be a good judge of what people will like. You have to give me clues into what you like so I can add to that.. I dont really like showing people music that they 'should' like b\c that is sometimes pretentious and music should be shared not delivered from Mt Olympus with authority.

So I try to help them learn to fish instead of just giving them that fish, but telling them the ways I find music. Its really a mixture of things from magazine, website and newspaper reviews and features or listening to various podcasts and public radio stations w\ great hosts, to listening to a soundtrack from a movie and finding that one great song and hunting down that album, finding a record label you like. Or often it is just a simple search on iTunes music store or, gasp!, word of mouth.

Trick is, there is no trick, you just have to be interested, I think, in finding music you already like, and finding out a few things about them. Who do they sound like? Who were they influenced by? Who are they compared to that are currently producing? The easiest for me is something of a theory I have had for awhile. Find a group you like and find out who they listened to. Then find out who they listened to. Its musical geneology. Its historical research. Whatever. But its really its up to you. Ask around. Talk to your friends, and really just dig deep. The good stuff is down below the surface.

A few great resources are out there for this and I use and, really they arent that ground breaking.

resources--> All Music :: Metacritic ::

radio--> NPR All Songs Considered :: KEXP Seattle :: NPR Music :: KCRW's Morning Becomes Ecclectic :: KCUR's Sonic Spectrum :: World Cafe ::

music\pop culture sites--> The Onion AV Club :: Sylus :: Pitchfork :: Pop Matters :: Tiny Mix Tapes

record labels--> Ropeadope Records :: Subpop :: Thrill Jockey :: Yep Roc :: Asthmatic Kitty :: Blue Note :: Tigersushi

various podcasts: NPR Podcasts ...WNYC Soundcheck ... WFUV Take Five ...

Im sure Im leaving a million out, but maybe that is where other people can write in at mike@hellocomein.com and let me know where you find music. What stations? magazines? websites? friends? blogs? message boards? television shows etc do you use?

maintaining my cool composed facade...

funny story of the day... okay this actually happened yesterday...but its still fairly interesting to note.

yesterday b\c it was kind of rainy, i took my umbrella w\ me to, you know, keep me dry. after i got off the metro and began my walk to the building, i noticed it was really pretty windy. it seems the tall buildings create these immense wind tunnels that barrage you when you are at intersections. the wind was quite strong and i suddenly felt that my umbrella was pulling in the direction it was blowing. before i could shift the angle and pull it down, a massive gust erupted. my umbrella blew itself inside-out. it was like a scene out of a charlie chaplin or buster keaton silent film. i have only seen this happen in movies and badly cliche slapstick comedies, but here i was at 7th and Mass Ave w\ my umbrella destroyed.

in this case you cant really just pull it back again. but that would have been nice considering the wind was still pulling it and by the fact that many people were looking at me. it was more frustrating than embarrassing, but the scale was exponentially higher than just your normal embarrasment. couple that w\ the fact that i saw 2-3 NPR types walk by and make dreaded eye contact w\ me, as they suddenly saw through my mysterious facade of cool. they called my bluff. normally i would have just ditched it in a trashcan, but naturally the umbrella in its current and permanent open state doesnt quite fit in the DC liter-proof small diameter cans. i went about sitting in front of the npr building literally breaking the umbrella's many arms until it would collapse enough to fit in trash can. meanwhile i am now a spot wet. finally i shoved it in the trash can, looked around to see if anyone was witnessing it and walked inside pretending none of this affected me. i then went to my desk and stared blankly for a good 20minutes.

i think i need a new umbrella.