Monthly Archives: February 2011

Worst Ever: The Slants Denied Trademark to Own Bandname

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Rock band The Slants have just been dealt an unnecessary setback. They’ve been denied the trademark to their own name because the US Patents & Trademark Office thought it was “was disparaging to Asian Americans”. It’s nice that Big Brother and Uncle Sam are looking out for us “yeller fellers” but really? The Slants is too offensive? Keep in mind this is a band active in the Asian American community, comprised of several AA members. Documentation and evidence of the fact was even submitted along with the application but it was still deemed too controversial.

Yes, it’s true. The Slants can be a racial slur but not in this context. If anything it’s a self imposed commentary on the group and it’s members and their identity in society. It’s a talking point, a tool used to start conversation about the band and the stereotypes they are trying to break. But regardless, the folks at the USPTO, in their infinite wisdom want to protect us. Perhaps the Slants should change their name to “The Asians and/or Pacific Islanders” to be safe.

Fine. So be it. But before they take away The Slants from us, someone tell the USPTO that they need to have a little chat with Uncle Kracker too.

You can read more about the topic over at 8Asians.

Just ‘Cause: A VLOG Update from Chan in Korea

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For those of you wondering how Big Chan was doing in Korea, well it looks like the guy has really cut back on the snacks and ain’t so big anymore haha. It’s good to hear from him though! In this VLOG update from the studio in Korea he talks a little bit about what he’s been up to, how he’s doing and what his plans are from here. (Dropped out of UPT, new group with Maniac, etc). Sounds like he may not be back in the states for a while since things seem to be going pretty decently for him.

New Mixtape Joint from Flu – “Do For Love” [Free DL]

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Here’s a new mixtape drop from Sky High Lab artist Flu. The joint is called “Do For Love” (a remix of 2Pac’s song bby the same name” and I can only assume this will be on his upcoming mixtape Asphalt & Aerosol. Flu chose a classic track to remix and I can’t hate him for this one. It’s a solid song that brings me back to the yesteryears of the genre. Grab it for free here.

New Jackie Chain Mixtape Song – “Molly” [Free DL]

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It’s been announced that southern Hip-Hop artist Jackie Chain has a mixtape in the works with Nick Catchdubs. One of the first leaked tracks is a song called “Molly”, a track that uses Guido’s “Mad Sax” for the beat. I’m feeling the style and sound of the track but not so much about the content about certain recreational activities. The full mixtape should be out later this Spring. You can DL the track for free here.

Source: The Fader

Emi Meyer Shares a “Master Piece” MV

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I’m always a fan when an Asian girl has classy, jazzy singing voice and for that reason Emi Meyer is always a pleasure to listen to. Her latest, an MV for the single “Master Piece” off her upcoming English album Suitcase of Stones (due out on 5/9 in the States) is a beautiful track with great arrangement and instrumentation. I sincerely can’t wait to hear the rest of the album. The MV is elegant but simple and what can I say? She looks great in it too (minus the whole artist with a mustache getup).

Source: ChannelAPA

Megan Lee Shares More Footage From Her MBC Star Audition Experience

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Young Megan Lee recently went MIA for much of winter, but many people were unaware she was actually in Korea trying her luck on a reality singing competition called MBC Star Audition. Unfortunately although she made decent progress on the show, she was eventually dropped. But the kid was awesome enough to share some footage from the show, where you can see she went through a roller coaster of experiences and emotions. Although we’re sad to hear she couldn’t continue, we’re also very glad to have her back home.

I DO NOT OWN COPY RIGHTS TO THIS VIDEO! THIS VIDEO IS PART OF MBC STAR AUDITION program from KOREA. ^^ THANK YOU~
this is my last audition of the MBC star audition :) even though I got dropped, coming this far is something I never imagined! Participating in this show gave me a lot of firsts, 1. being nervous to the point i would cry :p 2.singing SO MANY korean songs! 3.Flying to New York 4.COMING TO KOREA FOR THE FIRST TIME!! i got to visit many great places, try new things, and meet great people

this was truly a great experience but it was about time for me to come home because I got lots of other things to do too! :)

thank you EVERYONE SOOO much for the constant support! I love you all!
now that i’m back in my home sweet home, hope you look forward to things perhaps even MORE exciting than mbc star audition??? hehe! XD

Snapshot: Jin, Happily Ever After

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The Happy Couple

Now here’s a heart warming installment of our Snapshot feature. We’re a little late about sharing the news but it appears Jin and his fiancee have finally made it official and recently got married! We first reported their engagement back in 2009 and are thrilled to see Jin take this next step in life. Congrats to him and his new bride! We wish them a blessed new life together as a family and nothing but the best.

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JR Aquino Releases An Original “Closure” (Live)

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JR Aquino releases an original, I’d have to say I really like this song by him.  Also to do this live really shows how great of an artist is.  As JR said, this song isn’t the “happiest” of songs but it is real.  I would like to see him make an MV out of this song.  His vocals were suspected as usual but when he holds long music note at 2:58, that was impressive.  One thing I’d love to see is JRA take his music career to another level, like make a MV.  We’ll see in time but he leaves you with this original.  You can get it off iTunes.

Gabe Bondoc Reveals a “Little Black Book”

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Mr Bondoc returns with a song titled “Little Black Book”. It incorporates a really pop/blues guitar riff and personally this is one of my favorite Youtube clips from the artist. I gotta say, he’s pretty sick on that six string. I only wish the guy would drop music more often, perhaps through some more singles up on Bandcamp or something.

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New MV from XOXO – “Tonight”

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XOXO is one of those groups/bands that made a huge impression on me almost immediately the first time I heard them. Their newly released EP Ready was a strong collection of tracks, exhibiting their penchant for seamlessly fusing genres into a coherent acoustic sound. The first single they’ve decided to push heavily is “Tonight” and that means it gets the music video treatment. Topically it matches the song to the T, but I think that’s what I found disappointing about it. It’s too straight forward and lacks the innovation I hear in their music. Perhaps I’m being too harsh because it’s decently produced though it lacks that near-pro polish a lot of their indie contemporaries have managed to create. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the MV, just that I was underwhelmed. But their music is still pretty top-notch in my book.