Monthly Archives: May 2010
Just ‘Cause: AJ Rafael & Fans Help Raise Money for Cathy Nguyen
Some of you may be aware that someone had broken into Cathy Nguyen’s car, smashed the window, and stole her iPod. None of this is irreparable damage, but at the very least it’s a major inconvenience and a disheartening one at that. Of course the event definitely caused a monetary ding to her budget but that’s where her good friend and fellow Asian American musician AJ Rafael decided to step in. He asked for any fans who were willing to chip in to help pay for the broken window and quickly raised over 300$. He then proceeded to surprise her and force her to accept the money in a heartwarming display of friendship. Best of all? Capture and uploaded to Youtube for everyone to see her genuine appreciation. This is the beauty the new age of fandom and online community.
her car got broken into. and her ipod touch got stolen. she doesnt deserve that! and she always has a hard time taking money and gifts and stuff. but i started a fund. =) $357. love you guys. and i love you cathy!!!
Melissa Polinar Releases New Single – “Try”
Melissa Polinar has dropped her latest single, entitled “Try”. It’s available from Amazon & iTunes and was mixed by fellow Asian American musician Jesse Barrera. Last fall she shared this song on Youtube but now you can finally get the studio version! She’s truly a unique artist so make sure to support her!
Worst Ever: Music Major Labels vs David Choi
[EDIT 5-31-2010] David Choi’s Youtube Acct Has Been Suspended [/EDIT]
Before we get into it, I recommend you first watch the following two clips for some context. Long story short, David Choi is in danger of losing his Youtube channel.
Now after seeing the lengthy explanation of events from Mr Choi himself, you should have a pretty good idea of what’s going on. Now let me be clear from the very start so there is no confusion… I’m on David’s side on this one, as I imagine many of you reading will be too. Not to say there isn’t any bias but I pride myself on being as objective as possible and I believe I’ve logically come to my conclusion.
You see, companies such as WMG has beef with Youtube. They have a history of conflict, just Google the words “WMG” and “Youtube” and you get a bunch of results on the issue. In an over-simplified summary, WMG doesn’t believe they are getting their fair shair in the online-streaming business and as a result, they heavily police the internet, taking down all copyright infringement material. OK, that in itself is their prerogative… let’s be honest, they deserve to be paid for the music they own/protect on “behalf” of their artists. As much as I love social media, and the mass availability to new music, whether legally or illegally, I understand that there are copyright laws for a reason and that these are businesses trying to stay afloat.
Showdown: Baiyu vs Erika David vs Esna Yoon
Alicia Key’s most recent album has produced a number of hits, most recently being the single ‘Unbreakable’. It’s a great R&B single and of course that means it’s going to be heavily covered. For this episode of Showdown we have three very talented ladies in the form of Baiyu, Erika David, and Esna Yoon. There’s no doubt that each singer can definitely hold their own while each of them brings their own flavor to the mix.
Baiyu
Erika David
Esna Yoon
So which cover did you prefer? Baiyu’s sultry voice? Erika’s crisp R&B/Pop singing? or Esna Yoon’s soulful piano flip? Vote below!
Paul Jisung Kim Covers ‘Viva La Vida’ by Coldplay
OK, I couldn’t help but post this cover. It’s completely acapella and undoubtedly impressive. Paul Jisung Kim decides to cover the well known Coldplay hit ‘Viva La Vida’ and it’s friggn cool. He heavy layers his vocals and forgoes all instrumentation, instead opting to recreate the sound with just his voice. I think you’ll dig this one, and if so you can DL it for free too!
BLYSS Covers “California Gurls” by Katy Perry
Katy Perry’s latest single “California Gurls” has been given the BLYSS treatment and I personally think its better than the original. This unplugged version gives it a a great sound. Who knew this trendy pop song could translate so well to a showtune-esque style? The girls sound great with some strong harmonies. It was pretty cool when all the instrumentation kicked in at the end. You’d swear this was stolen straight out of Glee.
Feats In Inches Release Studio Session Recording of ‘No Use Pretending’
Rock Band Feats in Inches has released a new A/V recording of a studio session where they tracked their single “No Use Pretending”. It’s crazy what can be done in a home studio now. I was feeling the snare percussion, gave it a cool marching band type of feel. Overall it’s a dope release and quite frankly I can’t wait to hear more. This group almost has a U2 type of feel to them.
Erin Paula Covers ‘Tik Tok’
OK, so normally I’d avoid Ke$ha covers like the plague but this one stands out and isn’t nearly as painful as the original. Erin Paula decided to put her own spin on it and even made a cute fun little music video for it. It’s just her acting a fool with one of her studio buddies. Believe me, this version is 100x more tolerable on the original. It’s almost as if I… *gasp* enjoyed ‘Tik Tok’. That takes a lot of talent, luckily that’s something she has.
MYK Interview w/ Soompi
Soompi keeps churning out these interviews! This time they got to talk with MYK, of the Map the Soul crew over in Korea. He is a Korean American from the Bay area that moved to Korea and ended up linking up with Tablo of Epik High fame and the rest is history. You can hear all about how it happened, along with his thoughts and advice for the Asian Hip-Hop community. I could barely recognize the dude without his long hair haha!
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