RIP Nick Henin

Last week I lost a friend of mine.  Nick Henin was a great person and has a lot of people around him who love and support him.  Unfortunately, Nick struggled with addiction.  It's painful to see someone go that way, especially when it's such a nice guy.  Nick and I graduated high school together, but we actually didn't become friends until after high school.  He and my best friend Chelsea worked at the same Starbucks together where I would frequently visit when I was home on breaks.  The Starbucks gang would hang out outside of work and they were nice enough to include me in their group.  We had a lot of great times together.  Nick used to throw great parties in his beautiful house off South mountain rd. in New City, NY.  When I would walk in he would immediately offer me something to drink, showing that he was a great host.  It was always a great time when I would hang out with Nick and other friends.  We will all certainly miss it.  Nick moved out to California this past August.  I haven't seen him since then, but the last time I did we talked about doing a Palisades mall crawl where we would hit up every bar in the mall.  It sounded like an awesome idea and I still want to do it.  I spoke to my friend Chelsea about it and she thought it would be great to organize one in his memory.  I think it would be fun and we could reminisce on the good times.  He had a lot of friends and we are all still very devastated.  His best friend Doug said in his facebook group  that he would want his life to be celebrated.  That's a lot more uplifting and something myself and Nick's other friends can do.  RIP Nick Henin.

-E-steam

Difficult to Grasp

I read everyday about the latest news in Japan.  Unfortunately, most of this pertains to the nuclear reactors in Fukushima.  Each day there seems to be a new problem with the cooling systems.  It's difficult to hear about. Even though authorities say the radiation has not reached serious levels, I'm still not convinced.  Even if it's not, it could get worse.
It's so horrible that a natural disaster could be just the start in a series of tragedies.  I feel horrible for the people who are suffering through all of this.  It certainly makes me feel lucky to be here.  I also feel an obligation to donate to one of the efforts aiding Japanese citizens.  I have Japanese friends at school with me and even though their families are okay, it's devastating to hear that your country is experiencing its worst tragedy since World War II.  I have never even experienced an earthquake.  I can only imagine what an 8.9 must feel like.

-E-steam

Fishsc ale

What? How have I not listened to Fishscale by Ghostface Killah. Great album from '06. It realy benefits from the vast amounts of producers on the album. It's like your favorite hip-hop mixtape with a classic MC on the mic. Ghostface Killah (AKA Denis Coles) is from the classic hip-hop crew The Wu-Tang Clan. That group only seems to suffer a bit from some of it's dated drum sounds. But this guy is as relevant as ever. This shit has sooooul. The right minds at the right time. MF Doom, Pete Rock, J Dilla, and even a Wu-Tang Clan track. All different and soulful and in your face. You will be nodding your head until you sore muscles and when they get tight you push through because you neeeed to. It is beyond want. Make yourself propah and listen to this all night.
If you like: J Dilla, MF Doom, Pete Rock, Wu Tang Clan, and Madlib
Recommended tracks: R.A.G.U. (feat. Raekwon and Pete Rock production), Jellyfish (feat. Theodore Unit and MF Doom production), 9 Milli Bros. (feat. Wu-Tang Clan), and The Champ.
R.A.G.U. (feat. Raekwon)

-Chakrah.

Bosta Nova

I've been on a real Brazilian music kick these last few weeks. such cool and hushed tones. almost like a muted velvet. There are just so many great artists with their own take on this formless idea. From the ethereal throat of Astrud Gilberto to the wild guitar antics of Novos Baianos. Thought to be originally inspired by the cool jazz era mixed with the tradition chord and song structures from the areas the various bands were from. I actually started listening to this genre of music because of a song by ever awesome Beck called Tropicália. He wrote that song with affectations of the genre he named the song after. So I started looking into it and it just opened up a whole new world of wonderful rhythms and blissful chords structures. It starts with the hushed whisper of João Gilberto (husband of Asturd, what a beautiful couple) to fuzzy psychedelic sounds of Gal Costa. Bossa nova is a more evolved version of samba while Tropicália is a more psychedelic rock influenced version.

Brazil 70: After Tropicalia: New Directions in Brazilian Music

The Astrud Gilberto Album by Astrud Gilberto

Gal by Gal Costa

Getz/Gilberto

self-titled João Gilberto

Self titled Os Mutantes

Transa by Caetano Veloso

enjoy.

-Chakrah