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I was at my local bar the other night and someone asked me if I were ever to be stranded on a desert island and could only bring 5 Bob Dylan albums, which ones would I bring?

I couldn't answer him right away, and not because I had already had a good buzz after drinking four bottles of Miller Lite (note: I'm a lightweight), I had to think about that for a while because I really love Bob Dylan. Wait, let me rephrase that, I REALLY LOVE BOB DYLAN! For anyone even remotely aware of American pop culture over the past 40 years, it would be tough to miss the direct impact and lasting influence of Dylan's songs. I needed time to get back in touch with ALL things B-O-B!

So after spending a WHOLE week revisiting all my Dylan albums in iTunes, I compiled these 5 as the very ones I'd like to have with me if I were stranded on a desert island. And with this list I hope I can introduce the genius of Dylan to people walking around now who've never heard of the guy, or have no awareness of him beyond simple name recognition.

So if I was stranded on a desert island and could only have 5 Bob Dylan albums on my iPhone, which ones would I bring? Here's my list...

Continue Reading>>>





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Labels: music, review

iTunes is much more than a digital music jukebox. It's capable of handling many different tasks involving digital media. Some of iTunes' most popular features include buying music and vidoes online, burning CDs, and syncing files with your iPod or iPhone.

But one of the lesser known functions hidden within iTunes is the ability to convert audio files.

Why would you need to convert an audio file? Converting audio file types can be useful in many different situations. Here are a few examples:

• You have an AAC file in iTunes that's not compatible with your Zune that can play MP3 and not AAC files.
• A WAV file needs to be emailed to a client for approval but it's too big. You need to convert the file to an AAC so it's small enough to easily send via email.
• You are making a music video and want to use a song you got online as the soundtrack. However, the editing program won't import the song because it doesn't support MP3 or AAC.
• You need to remove the DRM (Digital Rights Management) from an AAC song you purchased from the iTunes Store (see step #7).
  

Many programs that convert audio files into different formats are pretty complicated and usually cost money. But not iTunes. iTunes is simple, fast and best of all... free.

Tutorial: Converting Audio File Formats in iTunes




methodshop

Labels: music

The band Weezer posted their new music video called "Pork and Beans" on YouTube. The video features a huge collection of "internet stars" from Tay "Chocolate Rain" Zonday to Chris "Leave Britney Alone" Crocker. Weezer even plays in front of a huge deluge tribute to "Coke + Mentos".



Weezer's new self-titled "Red Album" comes out June 3rd, 2008.


methodshop

Labels: music, tech news, video

Framing Hanley have certainly come a long way in a very short time. First formed in 2005, the band posted some song demos that they recorded on a Macintosh on MySpace.com. Then in November of 2006, these demos were discovered by Brett Hestla, former Creed bassist and frontman of Dark New Day.



Hestla helped the young Nashville based quintet record a 2 song demo in his Florida studio which captured the attention of Jeff Hanson (Creed, Sevendust, Paramore) and his record label Silent Majority Group. Framing Hanley's debut LP The Moment was released August 2007.

We had the good fortune to get some time with Framing Hanley's frontman Nixon. This young star has a very intense voice reminiscent of Chester from Linkin Park. Listen to the breakdown in "Hear Me Now" to get an idea of what I'm referring to.

Interview: Framing Hanley vocalist Kenneth Nixon





methodshop

Labels: interview, music

The biggest American reality show on TV has finally joined the iTunes platform. Fox Broadcasting, Fox Interactive Media and FremantleMedia signed an exclusive deal with Apple to bring American Idol audio and video performances to iTunes as single song-sized snippets available the day after they premiere on air.

Audio performances of the top 24 contenders run 99¢ per song, and videos of the top 12 finalists performances will be priced $1.99/each from March 11.

Apple will also become one of the show's premiere sponsors and maintain a branded presence on AmericanIdol.com, where some free streaming performances can be seen.

methodshop

Labels: music, tv

U2 used iLike.com to post a video of Bono singing "Wave of Sorrow" while sitting on a couch. It's a track that U2 demoed during sessions for The Joshua Tree in 1987. Just recently Bono laid down vocals for the song and it will be released for the first time next week on the remastered release of The Joshua Tree.

As Bono plays the track, he sings over it and talks listeners through the story of the song and explains the lyrics.

"Wave of Sorrow" is one of several rare and previously unreleased cuts which are featured on the bonus audio CD of the remastered deluxe and super deluxe versions of the remastered release of The Joshua Tree.





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Labels: music

When Ryan Ferguson, singer of the band No Knife, strutted up to the stage to accept a 1999 San Diego Music Award for Best Punk Album, he chided, "Well tonight we officially found out we're a punk band now."

Anyone who knows Ryan's accomplishments can understand the humor in this. Two years prior, No Knife won an award for Best Rock Album. Then in 2003, they won again, but this time it was for Best Alternative Album. Ryan has since then gone solo, but hasn't lost any of his momentum. He even won the San Diego Award for Best Pop Album in 2005.

His versatility makes one's head spin, but Ryan doesn't place much importance on classifying himself, and maybe we shouldn't try to either.

Our interview with Ryan was just like his lyrics, honest and articulate. Ryan was very forthcoming and spoke openly about everything from his break with No Knife to his busty friend Candace on MySpace and his freaky cats. Enjoy!

Interview: Ryan Ferguson



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Labels: music

AT&T is making Napster's entire music catalog (5 million songs) available for direct-to-mobile purchase in mid-November via a new service called Napster Mobile. While not compatible with the iPhone, the catalog will be accessible via AT&T's network for the price of $1.99/song or 5 tracks for $7.49.

Matchbox Twenty's new album "Exile on Mainstream" will kick off the service.


Two things strike me as odd about this deal:

1. It's kind of weird that AT&T didn't try to integrate any music system on their phones with iTunes. They already have a pretty solid relationship with Apple. In the US, AT&T is the only approved mobile carrier for the iPhone.
   
   
2. When it comes to music, are people really ready to leave their iPods behind and just use their phones? Maybe if you have an iPhone, otherwise, probably not. The media player built into my brand new BlackBerry Curve sucks so bad that I just bought an iPod Touch.
   

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Labels: music

AT&T is making Napster's entire music catalog (5 million songs) available for direct-to-mobile purchase in mid-November via a new service called Napster Mobile. While not compatible with the iPhone, the catalog will be accessible via AT&T's network for the price of $1.99/song or 5 tracks for $7.49.

Matchbox Twenty's new album "Exile on Mainstream" will kick off the service.


Two things strike me as odd about this deal:

1. It's kind of weird that AT&T didn't try to integrate any music system on their phones with iTunes. They already have a pretty solid relationship with Apple. In the US, AT&T is the only approved mobile carrier for the iPhone.
   
   
2. When it comes to music, are people really ready to leave their iPods behind and just use their phones? Maybe if you have an iPhone, otherwise, probably not. The media player built into my brand new BlackBerry Curve sucks so bad that I just bought an iPod Touch.
   

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Labels: music

Radiohead is making its newest album, In Rainbows, available online at whatever price point consumers feel they should pay for it. The 10-track album will be released as a digital download starting October 10th. The announcement was made online by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood.



When users try to order In Rainbows on Radiohead.com, they will see a question mark next to a blank price box. If you click on the question mark, the message "It’s up to you" comes up. A subsequent screen reassures fans: "No really, it’s up to you."

Unfortunately, because In Rainbows will only be available on Radiohead's website, the album will not be eligible for chart ranking. It's too bad. I'm sure they'd be #1.

The band, led by Thom Yorke, are also planning a traditional CD release of In Rainbows for early 2008 that they will publish themselves. Radiohead decided not to use a record label after fulfilling their contract with EMI following their 2003 album 'Hail to the Thief.'

Did Radiohead just hammer the last nail into the record industry's coffin or make a huge mistake? Time will tell. In the meantime, at least we can't get busted for downloading a torrent of In Rainbows.

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Labels: music

Unfortunately Silverchair has postponed 4 California shows on their current U.S. Tour to allow singer, Daniel Johns to recover fully from a case of laryngitis. Daniel caught the viral throat infection earlier this week after flying from Sydney/Los Angeles/Toronto/New York/Los Angeles in just four days. As you might have heard, the laryngitis severely impeded Daniel's vocal performance on the "Tonight Show With Jay Leno" last Tuesday. If you haven't seen the video yet, here's a clip of the Leno performance I found on YouTube. It's tough to watch, especially if you've ever had laryngitis before. Daniel basically had to scream through the most of the song. When the camera zooms in on Daniel's face you can clearly see he looks like he's in pain.



While his Doctor had initially been hopeful that Daniel's laryngitis would clear up "in a day or two", he has since advised that the Silverchair frontman should "avoid singing for 4 to 6 days" in order to be guaranteed of making a full recovery. The Doctor also advised that singing during this time could risk permanent damage to Daniel's voice so the band has no choice but to reschedule the 4 California shows and to apologize to the fans who will be inconvenienced by this change.

Dates for the rest of Silverchair's Young Modern World Tour are not expected to be affected in any way by this temporary throat infection.

MethodShop.com recently did an interview with Silverchair. They were very excited about this new album and really looking forward to touring the U.S. again. I hope Daniel's laryngitis doesn't derail the tour too badly. They've had everything from an eating disorder to reactive arthritis screw up their previous tours.

Silverchair's new album, Young Modern, comes out July 24th.

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Labels: music

Not only did Nirvana's 1991 album Nevermind knock Michael Jackson off the charts and end the reign of hair metal, but it also made an image of a little naked baby swimming after a dollar bill famous.

Who was that naked baby? His name is Spencer Eden and he just turned 17 this year. Feeling old yet? I am. The majority of Nirvana fans are now officially 30+.


I wonder if Spencer realizes that more people have seen his penis than Ron Jeremy's?

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Labels: music

When someone mentions the band Silverchair, your first thought or memory will vary depending on where you're from. People in the U.S. and Europe may only remember Silverchair as a few kids who skyrocketed to stardom in 1994 after their first album, Frogstomp. Thanks to such hit songs as "Tomorrow" and "Israel's Son," the Australian trio, consisting of singer/guitarist/songwriter Daniel Johns, drummer Ben Gillies and bass player Chris Joannou, became international superstars when they were only fifteen years old.

Since 1994, the last decade has been a mix of trying tests and triumphs for Silverchair. Battles with extreme fame at an early age, an eating disorder, and a case of reactive arthritis kept the band mostly grounded in their home continent Australia. But despite these setbacks, Silverchair managed to pass the time by repeatedly making hit records and racking up more #1 albums than any other Aussie band including AC/DC, Midnight Oil and INXS.


Silverchair's latest album, Young Modern, is their first new record in 6 years, and the tour supporting it will be their first U.S. tour in over a decade. Even though Silverchair was in the middle of launching their U.S. tour, Daniel Johns and Chris Joannou found a little time to do a quick interview with MethodShop.com. They were humble, candid and even funny. Enjoy...

Interview: Silverchair (Young Modern)




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Labels: music