DJ Mekalek’s tribute to the late, legendary DJ Curty Cut

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Chris

Curty Cut beat cd

A few weeks back, my friend DJ Mekalek inquired about a TECB guest appearance to pay tribute to one of his fallen favorites, and I welcomed the opportunity to host his story with open arms. It concerns one of, if not the, biggest inspirations for Mek as a disc jock — former WRIU & BRU platter master, DJ Curty Cut — whose eleven-year anniversary of passing will be marked this Saturday. So, without any further ado, please continue on and wax nostalgic with my man while he takes it from here…

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Filed under: Music, Hip-Hop, Events, For All The Broke Willies, News, 401 Gettin' It Done, Throwback Rap Attack | Leave a Comment »

The Niche-iest of Niche: The Echo Chamber Blog

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Chris

tecb1000

Welcome to our 1,000th post. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally made it. And we’re actually here with nothing much to offer besides our thanks for your continued and growing support in our blogging endeavors.

For those unfamiliar with TECB, we’re a music website run by two longtime friends and Rhode Islanders. I’m Chris, the one who still lives in RI, but my skinnier, vegan counterpart Verbal Spacey now holds down the glorious city of Long Beach, California. We’ve been at this since September of 2008 and our site has taken on a number of shapes since its inception.

TECB started as a posse – each member with a different degree of affiliation to Echo Lake, the place where a number of us lived and started our friendships. Our theme was to not have a theme, which as broad-brushed and loosely-based at that sounds, was a decent idea in theory. Politics, music, film, food, sports, television, women, and booze were all topics central to our focus and it was fun being a part of such an abstract collective and online community.

Unfortunately it didn’t last. Contributions started to lack and the site never picked up any steam which was a detriment to the perpetual excitement that once was. Verbal and I were always the two most active members, not to mention the founders, so we made the tough decision to go forward with just the two of us.

With that decision came a focus — MUSIC — and a clean-up. All posts that didn’t pertain to music in one way or another were deleted. (In some instances it was hard to watch them go, almost as much as the contributors.) This was the obvious choice for us, considering we started the site almost exclusively to get nerdy and broadcast our thoughts about the music we loved. Independent hip-hop was our starting point. Then we clamped down on the local scene, laying claim to the most active and consistent online support system for hip-hop in Rhode Island.

Music submissions to TECB started to skyrocket, people were finally noticing our progress, and we built ourselves a miniscule yet rather admirable reputation in the digital world. In some cases it hasn’t always been positive. Our might-blow-up-but-won’t-go-pop mentality has always drawn a clear line in the sand and some people haven’t seen eye to eye with how we go about our business.

Regardless, we never cared much. TECB isn’t doing any favors and we’re hard-nosed about maintaining our website’s integrity, pushing on just the way we’re doing now. This type of shared attitude has been instrumental in the expansion of TECB and the generally positive reception of our site — a site that now encompasses every genre of music that Verbal and I mess with. We’ve built something that we’re pretty proud of, stubborn bastards or not.

Last year I vented a little to Verbal about some TECB struggle or another, and he asked what else I’d expect from the “niche-iest of niche music websites” in existence.

He was right.

We’re based out of Rhode Island, the smallest state on the map, and we operate at a rate of 40% RI hip-hop postings. Verbal is quite possibly the most active writer in the world when considering his undying love for and dedication to the uber-obscure sub-genre of progressive hip-hop. And I counter all of that rap music with rampant posts about female pop artists, old rock and roll, and other music you wouldn’t come to expect from a website whose clout is based primarily off its hip-hop representation. Something else that separates TECB from the others is how we pride ourselves as music buyers — a rarity in this day in age, especially considering how 99% of our competitors, who we slight at every given opportunity, and their visitors thrive on whatever can be downloaded at no cost.

So, yeah, we’re a little bit different from the rest. Content is diverse and updates are somewhat sparse, but we like it that way. We do our best to keep it as authentic and honest as possible — for us, for our readers.

Much thanks to everyone that has stuck with The Echo Chamber Blog through Chris’ thickness and Verbal’s thinness. Also, many thanks to the new readers for giving us a chance. Hopefully you’ll all be back for more. We appreciate it and plan to keep moving forward.

Creek it.

Filed under: 401 Gettin' It Done, Album Talk/Review, CA All Day, Events, For All The Broke Willies, Hip-Hop, Instrumental, Music, News, Recent Purchases, This Is Not Hip-Hop | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Record Store Day 2013 — Saturday, April 20th

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Chris

burger

2013 will mark the sixth annual Record Store Day. Depending on who will have what releases, I’ll probably hit Newbury Comics at first and Olympic Records (on Wickenden) and Time Capsule (in Seekonk) later on if time allows. Here are a few of the RSD exclusives that caught my eye:

The Animals – The Animals is Here 10″: ”Gonna Send You Back to Walker,” a personal favorite of mine, is one of four songs on this 45 RPM piece of vinyl. “House of the Rising Sun” is also featured on here, for those not familiar with Burdon and company. Yes, that’s The Animals.

Best Coast – “Fear Of My Identity” b/w “Who Have I Become” 7″: This is the record that should be with Ghostface Killah. I won’t be buying it.

Black Milk – Synth or Soul 12″ EP: I’m banking on a Tronic (synth) v. Popular Demand (soul) type of split for this one. I’ll be upset if I can’t get my hands on a copy.

Cypress Hill – Black Sunday 12″ LP: Marijuana will be decriminalized in Rhode Island as of April 1, so pick it, pack it, and fire it up for this twentieth (!!!) anniversary vinyl re-release.

Dazed & Confused Soundtrack 12″ LP: Alright, alright, alright. Re-release printed on “weed-green” vinyl, numbered and limited in celebration of yet another twentieth anniversary.

El Michels Affair – Enter the 37th Chamber 12″ LP: This album dropped in ’09 – a collection of reinterpreted RZA instrumentals performed by Leon Michels and a crew of others. The vinyl picture-disc release ups its awesomeness.

Jackie Greene - ”Love Is A Shining Catastrophe” b/w “Sweet Somewhere Bound” 7″: I have friends and family who really like this guy. I think he’s pretty good, but it’s likely I won’t be buying any of his music.

GZA – Liquid Swords 2LP Chess Box Set: Really cool idea, but I don’t exactly see it as a practical purchase — for me, at least. Check it out via Get On Down.

Lonely Island – “YOLO” 7″: I actually think this sounds awful — with features from Adam Levine and Kendrick Lamar — but I represent for nearly everything that Andy Samberg does. He’s hilarious.

Willie Nelson – “Roll Me Up & Smoke Me When I Die” 7″: Although I think 4:20 is pretty lame, I’m getting a kick out of these pot-related releases. The orignal featuring Snoop Dogg on the A-Side, with a previously unreleased Willie solo version on the flip of the limited edition green vinyl.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Animal X” 7″: A leftover from the Push the Sky Away sessions. At the moment, I’m rather indifferent about the new album from Cave & Co., so I’m not exactly sure how to interpret the prior sentence.

No Alternative 12″ LP: I owned this CD back in the day, but remember it as a bunch of mediocre songs from artists I loved. Highlights are “It’s the New Style” by way of the Beastie Boys, the album’s hidden Nirvana track, “Sappy,” and the proceeds going towards AIDS relief.

Non-Phixion – “I Shot Reagan” b/w “Refuse To Lose” 7″: Apparently dudes still love Non-Phixion. I haven’t cared since like two weeks after The Future is Now dropped. But to each their own.

The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die 12″ 2LP: Limited and numbered re-release of Biggie’s solo debut on white vinyl. (*Yawn*)

Rodriguez – Cold Fact 12″ LP: Heard of him? He’s the rediscovered D-Town musician who was brought to the world’s attention by way of Searching for Sugar Man, the 2012 Academy Award-winning documentary. The release is super limited, with only five-hundred copies being pressed on clear vinyl, and will only be available for purchase at Coachella. So it’s safe to say, if you want this, and you’re not attending the show, you’ll be paying absurd collectors prices.

The Rolling Stones – 5 x 5 7″ EP: I’m still working on picking up the early Stones remasters on CD, but this is a nice release — reissued on vinyl for the first time in almost fifty years.

The Roots – Things Fall Apart 12″ LP: Great album, but I would have rather seen something special for Do You Want More?!!!??! or Illadelph Halflife, the two classics previous to this one from Philly’s talented hip-hop outfit.

Shearwater and Sharon Van Etten – “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” 7″: This is a Stevie Nicks solo joint written by Petty & The Hearbreakers. Copping this for sure.

Elliot Smith – Alternate Versions from Either/Or 7″ EP: The title says it all. Sounds OK, but I think I’m sticking to the originals that I have on CD.

The Taste of Burger Records Cassette: I have no clue what this is, but the cover art gets nice. (See top of post, just in case you happened to miss that.)

Sharon Van Etten – “We Are Fine” b/w “Hotel 2 Tango” 7″: This chick is my new obsession. “We Are Fine” is on Tramp, Van Etten’s ’12 release via Jagjaguwar, but “Hotel 2 Tango” is something new. It’s as good as bought.

Various Artists – Blues at Newport 1963 and The Newport Folk Festival, 1965: Both are 12″ vinyl LP’s, both are historic recordings from the respective festivals in Newport, Rhode Island. You can send thanks to Vanguard Records for these two.

White Stripes – Elephant 12″ LP: This is when the Stripes blew up off of “Seven Nation Army.” It’s a good album, but, boy, are you missing out if you don’t have De Stijl and White Blood Cells, their two records prior. Woof, they’re good.

Rob Zombie – “Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Supertown” b/w “Teenage Nosferatu Pussy” 10″: The record supposedly has a backwards groove for play in reverse.  Just in case you wanted to hit that Nosferatu pussy from the back.

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Definitely buying The Animals, Black Milk, El Michels Affair, and the two Sharon Van Etten 7′s. And maybe Rob Zombie because of how hilarious I think it is. What looks good to you? (Complete listing of releases can be found over at the RSD website.)

Filed under: Music, Hip-Hop, Events, Album Talk/Review, News, 401 Gettin' It Done, This Is Not Hip-Hop, Instrumental, Recent Purchases | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Eleven and counting.

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Chris

rs11

Today marks eleven years since my father passed. Although I still face the occasional day-to-day struggles, I can honestly say that, perspective-wise, I’ve never felt any stronger and/or clearer. Much love to everyone and everything that has helped in bringing me to this very moment, including but most certainly not limited to:

Music on CD, vinyl, and cassette (and those still fighting to keep the physical formats alive); Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall; Friday the 13th movies; Echo Lake; The kitchen; My YMCA days; Kate Moss; Jim Beam and practically every other whiskey under the sun; Bi-weekly’s on Broadway; Drek; Kathryn Kalinak and Gary Grund; The Echo Chamber Blog; American Iron & Metal; The Boston Bruins; Nate, David, Claire, Ruth, and Nathaniel Fisher Sr.; Lipton Green Tea with Honey; B-Complex, Magnesium, Aleve, and SAMe;  Exercise (peace to Zach for the routine); Structure; Balance; Mark Oliver Everett for illustrating how every end is a new beginning, Regina Spektor for giving me the advice of letting go in small doses, and Alison Mosshart for pushing me to go steal ahead; And, most importantly, my many friends and dedicated family — especially my sister Kiley and mother Mary, who I love more than I can put into words.

Also, to those who aren’t ignorant to mental illness, I thank you for trying to understand.

Miss and love you, dad.

Filed under: 401 Gettin' It Done, Events, Music, News, This Is Not Hip-Hop | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Clarks to Provide Sponsorship for Record Store Day 2013

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Chris

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While it’s nice to see Record Store Day get some decent sponsorships this year, it seems criminal to me how Clarks is doing a promotional 7″ with Best Coast, and nothing at all Ghostface Killah-related. I mean, I’m fine with Best Coast and whatnot, but, shit, I’m pretty sure Ghostface single-handedly put the British shoe company onto the urban landscape. At least in my mind, if we’re talking Wallabee’s, I immediately think of GFK, specifically the cover of Ironman and the memorable opening seconds of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx‘s “Glaciers of Ice.”

But, as you can see by looking at their website, Clarks isn’t exactly gearing their marketing machine towards much other than these types of whites:

  • Identical douche-bags in Land Rovers
  • Pussies playing make-believe acoustic guitar in flower gardens
  • Seven-year-old Yacht Club members
  • Trendy scenester city folk

Sorry, Ghost. I was hoping for them navy blue and cream-colored joints, too. Maybe next year they’ll have crazy visions with you, homie.

That aside, at least Get On Down, the Boston-based company behind the slew of recent exclusive hip-hop memorabilia, has done something to coincide with this Record Store Day madness. Check this out, they just started shipping last Friday.

Filed under: 401 Gettin' It Done, Events, Hip-Hop, Music, News, This Is Not Hip-Hop, Throwback Rap Attack | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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