Web Standards, Accessibility & More » Music

DEVO Rules (with video)

Dennis — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:45:39 +0000

Yes, I’m an ’80s child. And I like a lot of ’80s music. One of the most unique, fun, profound, and geeky bands is, of course, DEVO. Their hit “Whip It” is their most well know song, but they have many others such as “That’s Good” and “Freedom of Choice”. They’re also known for their funny hats. Here’s a rocking YouTube video of DEVO playing “Gates of Steel” live.

[youtube ZdFY8IIvd4g]

80s Metal Bands: Sound Good, Look Bad!

Dennis — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:15:00 +0000

I grew up in the conservative 1980s; the Reagan years. It seems like such as repressive time. From the AIDS scare, to the War on Drugs, to cops watching a teenager’s every move, it was hard to have fun. But we sure did anyway.

Part of that fun was the classic ’80s “hairbands”. Or the guys with make-up, some call it glam rock. Yes, looking back, they do look pretty silly. But a lot of the music was great, and that’s what counts!

Judas Priest (Birmingham, England)

Leather all the way, man. Hits such as “Breaking the Law” (Beavis and Butthead’s signature jingle), “Living After Midnight”, and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”. More about Judas Priest on Wikipedia.

Judas Priest. Lookin' bad ass, or not.

Iron Maiden (London, England)

I’d have to say the ugliest ’80s rock band. But with kick ass songs and even famously demonic album covers, these guys were pioneers for several years. Never was huge on the charts in the U.S. (I think “Run to the Hills” may be their most popular tune), but Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast made it to #1 in the UK! More about Iron Maiden on Wikipedia.

Iron Maiden. Very ugly mugs.

Twisted Sister (New York, New York)

Hilarious rockers who made it big (briefly, that is) with entertaining videos for hit singles “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (a #21 hit in the U.S.) and “I Wanna Rock”. More about Twisted Sister on Wikipedia.

Twisted Sister. What is that?!

Motley Crue (Los Angeles, California)

Famous band known for hard drinking, tattoos, and womanizing. Hits included “Shout at the Devil”, “Girls, Girls, Girls”, and “Dr. Feelgood”. I always liked the “Looks That Kill” song and video! (I was about 13 when it came out.) More about Motley Crue on Wikipedia.

Motley Crue. Glam rock studs.

Scorpions (Hanover, Germany)

Second for ugliest behind Iron Maiden, but totally awesome tunes like “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, “No One Like You”, and “Still Loving You”. More about the Scorpions on Wikipedia.

Scorpions. Don't look; just listen.

Def Leppard (Sheffield, England)

I saw these guys in concert around 1985 during the Pyromania tour, by far their best album. Included hits “Photograph”, “Rock of Ages” and “Foolin’”. In the late ’80s, hits continued with “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Love Bites”. Def Leppard was huge in the U.S., but not nearly as admired in their native UK. More about Def Leppard on Wikipedia.

Def Leppard. Talk about curly hair.

Van Halen (Pasadena, California)

Arguably the most successful rock/metal bands of all time, and the best lead guitarist of all time, Eddie Van Halen. Hits include “Runnin’ with the Devil”, “Aint Talkin bout love”, “Unchained”, “Panama”, “Hot for Teacher“, “Jump”, and many more. Unfortunately, the band started to suck bad when David Lee Roth left and the Sammy Hagar joined (thus becoming “Van Hagar”, ha ha). More about Van Halen on Wikipedia.

Van Halen. Yikes, this must be an early photo.

Ratt (San Diego, California)

Lesser-known, but solid ’80s rock. Most popular tunes include “Back for More” and “Round and Round” (great video, and with Milton Berle!). More about Ratt on Wikipedia.

Ratt. You may fill in this caption, ha ha.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratt

When KISS Ruled The World (video)

Dennis — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:19:43 +0000

If you like the rock band KISS, or not, their story is very interesting, and inspiring. And you gotta admit, then put on a concert like no one else!

When I was a kid, we were really into KISS. Funny things I remember are:

Imitating the song “Hotter Than Hell” in my band of 3 9-year-olds (including putting on makeup and lighting fireworks “on stage”).
My mom taking away my KISS albums because she heard us swearing with the song lyrics.
Staring at the crazy album covers and drawing some of them.
Not know what “Love Gun” meant.

When KISS Ruled The World Part 1 of 5

[youtube 5jCl1GqgvFQ]

Here are the rest of the episodes:

Frankenstein by The Edgar Winter Group

Dennis — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:58:42 +0000

Last week, I found and “Blipped” this 70′s rock classic on my DJ Den Blip.fm account, but just had to post on my blog. This must be the most far out, synergetic, groovy, 70s-style, live performance ever! “Frankenstein” from The Edgar Winter Group! Just had to share…

PS: Careful, the volume really high in the video. Or maybe it was made to be that way!

[youtube x1mV_5-bRPo]

Forming AC/DC Cover Band

Dennis — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:40:50 +0000

I’m starting to form an AC/DC cover band and am actively seeking members! Location is the South Bay (California) area. If you or someone you know is interested, please comment on this blog post. I will be Malcolm (rhythm guitar). If no other practice space is available, we can use my garage. Will be doing mostly tunes from the Bon Scott era, but also some tracks off Back In Black. No pay, but looking to play gigs later on. Songs targeting as of now include:

Dirty Deeds
Problem Child
Sin City
Highway to Hell
Touch Too Much
Gone Shootin’
TNT
Back in Black
Hells Bells

Highway To Hell album cover

Twitter-Related Apps and Articles

Dennis — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:02:13 +0000

Here’s a list of some fun, interesting, and (sometimes) valuable web sites and applications that provide extra services for your Twitter acount.

Web Sites & Applications

Accessible Twitter (my app): “Web 2.0″ has created even further concern with web accessibility. Twitter web site that is accessible for individuals with any type of disability or limited technology.
Tweet Stats: Lots of statistical information on your account and Twitter ‘user agents’.
TweetValue: How much is your Twitter profile worth?
Tweet Burner: Shorten, track, and share links.
Twitter Grader: Get a ranking of your account.
WordPress to Twitter: The WP-to-Twitter plugin posts a Twitter status update from your blog using the Cli.gs URL shortening service to provide a link back to your post from Twitter.
Free Twitter Designer: Design your page.
My First Tweet: ‘Nuff said.
Twitterberry: Twitter application for the BlackBerry.
Twitter’s mobile site: ‘Nuff said.

Articles

Here’s a good list of article about Twitter and tips on how to use it.

Tips for a transformed twitter (Boagworld)
WordPress to Twitter (Joe Dolson)
15 Useful Twitter Hacks and Plug-Ins For WordPress (Smashing Magazine)
How to Use Twitter Without Twitter Owning You – 5 Tips
Welcome to the Hive Mind; Learn How to Search Twitter
Twitter & the Law of Reciprocity
Twitter API Driving Twitter Apps Out of Business?

Addendum (March 30 and May 20)

Found more interesting ones:

TwitPwr: Short URLs for Twitter with Analytics and user profile pages.
Twooting: Daily podcast about Twitter.
twt.fm: Share music.
twitvidio: The easiest way to share videos on Twitter.
e-Penis: Always wanted to know how big your Twitter e-Penis is?
TweetBrain: Applies Twitter’s immense collective intelligence for Questions and Answers

Awesome ’80s Music Videos

Dennis — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:52:04 +0000

Here are some awesome 1980s music videos on YouTube, hand-picked by yours truly.

Don’t You Want Me? by Human League
Stand and Deliver by Adam & The Ants
White Wedding by Billy Idol
Rio by Duran Duran
China Girl by David Bowie
Wishing by A Flock of Seagulls (below)

[youtube iS9RPyznAPg]