Titus Jones is the King of Mash-Ups

So I love StubleUpon just as much as the next college student with too much homework does, but I have come to value it quite  a bit more in the last couple days.

I was tra-la-laing around the internet, mindlessly pressing the ‘stumble’ button when a page popped up titled Titus  Jones- downloads. At first it didn’t look all too interesting, but there was music on it so I had to give it a try. I clicked on the first track titled “CULTURE SHOCK: introduction”. It claimed to mash 3oh!3, Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera, Tom Ashbrook, and Sue Teller. I had no idea who the last two people were but the track blew me away. It is an insane mix of audio clips over a potent 3oh!3 beat. It ends with “Shock me, shock me, shock me with that deviant behavior.” It was just so right.

I immediately downloaded all of the songs available and  begun my listening adventure. And it sure is an adventure. There are over 30 mash ups on the site and they include a  range from Bon Jovi to Aqua to Dolly Parton. And the names are the best part. They include “Somebody Kiss My Smooth Romance” which mashes The Killers and Lady GaGa with Michael Jackson and Katy Perry, and “I Wanna Bulletproof Dancer,” which is composed of audio from La Roux, Robyn, Whitney Houston  and Taylor Swift.

My favorite has to be “Oops, I Shot Jolene’s Mom”, which is a mix of a Taio Cruz beat, with audio clips from Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, Dolly Parton, and Fountains of Wayne. I love the name, I love the beat, I love how it all fits together. It’s all so good. I cannot put its awesome into words you have to listen for yourself.

I am not fond  of the auto-tuning of Nirvana in “Smells Like Ke$ha’s G6.” I understand  it was necessary to mash the songs together but I think I am just too much of a Nirvana fan to appreciate that part. However, I do really like the other track that mashes “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with Britney Spears, Madona feat. Justin Timberlake with a little Usher thrown in the mix.

I encourage all of you to take  a  listen and look up Titus Jones on Facebook and Twitter for your own good. Also check out some of the videos that have been made to go with the songs on the downloads page of the main website.

Christofer Drew Can Do Anything

This is the picture of Julie's boy friend Joe, Me, Chris and Julie. Good Day!

On the bus home from class, my Zune was like “You want to listen to this 12 minute long interview with Christofer Drew.” And although I wasn’t in the mood for talking, I gave in and it was actually really interesting.

Drew is even more talented than I first thought. The interview was included on Melody, what Drew describes as a “Deluxe Digital Collection”, a three track treat that was put out before the release of his new full length album Harmony.

The interview was conducted in studio by Butch Vig the producer of Harmony, Garbage drummer and producer of one of my personal favorite albums Nirvana’s Nevermind.

In the interview Drew talks about how Harmony is coming together and what he thinks it will  mean to the fans.

“This last record it just kinda hit me. I kinda figured out what my fans want from me,” said Drew. “I wanna give that to them but at the same time I wanna keep growing and not limit myself to that. I just wanted to capture the sound that they want and say what I wanted to say.”

When I first listened to Harmony, I didn’t give two thoughts to how it was made or the instruments Drew used on it. In the interview he talks in detail about how he plays the piano on the record even though he had never considered himself good at it.

“I’m not the best piano player but whenever I’m under the pressure,” said Drew, “Somehow this intuition comes out and I can play. The pressure helps me.” He also plays the organ on the album even though he had never played it before.

Among his influences are Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and the Beach Boys. These have never been more evident than on the new album. It’s classic and pure at heart. It really does feel like he has found the greatest balance between what he wants to say and the music he sets it to.

I have been a fan of Never Shout Never since 2008 when my best friend and roommate played his EPs over and over. The funny thing is that I always had to ask, “Who is this again??” Now I can’t get his songs out of my head.

I am extremely affected by his music and that effect depends on the day. Some days I can be perfectly fine, turn on a NSN song and have to stop listening  because tears are in my eyes. It’s kinda like it’s soooo good that it hurts and I just can’t take it. Then there are other days when I play one of his songs and life gets a little less hard. I cannot put my finger on what it is about his music that has such opposite and intense effects on me, but I like it.

I have seen NSN in concert once and at Warped Tour once. Both were some of the greatest experiences in my musical life (minus getting spit on at Warped Tour).

I learned timing really is everything when my best friend and I arrived late to a NSN concert and who was walking towards us but Christofer himself. After an internal “Is that him. That’s him. No that’s not him” battle, he nonchalantly said hi and I professed my love for his music and asked for a picture. This is the convo that followed.

“Yes, but you have to promise me you will do something for me,” Drew said.

“Ok. What do you want?” I said

“I want you to promise me that you will tell all the people in that line,” said Drew, pointing at the long line of people waiting to get into the concert, “That I love them all.”

“Will do,” I said.

“You are the only people that I have taken a picture with,” Drew said. “You guys are really something special. Also I like that,” Drew said, in reference to the bag I was carrying which featured the late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain.

We hugged and said our goodbyes and as I walked over to the crowd that was now gawking at my friend and I and said,  “Christofer wants you to know that he loves every single one of you.”

Which was answered by a bunch of fan girls screaming, “I’m so jealous.”

I just thought it should be known that even if all the little girls are screaming for his cute face, there is a very talented man behind the coon-skin cap, the hair and the sweet smile. Also, he smells good.