In school systems across the country, arts programs are under budget attack – easy fodder in a system that is loaded with required functions and more attractive programs. Some schools still manage to provide arts education, and more efforts are being made to find alternative resources to fund these critical programs. The latest is Humble “Music in Schools” Bundle.
Every year at CES and NAMM IK Multimedia presents a bunch of great new technology for music and media aimed largely at the consumer electronics market. This year was no exception, and now we have gotten word from IK multimedia that the iRing music motion controller is shipping! We will have a review soon, but here are some details.
Consider yourself warned: Logitech has a highly qualified contender in the budget gaming headset arena with the Logitech G430 Surround Sound Gaming Headset. This 7.1 surround sound-wielding headset uses Advanced Dolby Technology to pump out music and effects that makes it sound like you’re inside the game. It also sports a folding noise-cancelling microphone. The G430 is priced at $79.99.
Manchester Orchestra is currently on tour to support their fourth studio album, Cope, which lead singer Andy Hull describes as ‘brutal’, ‘pounding’, and ‘unapologetically heavy’. That was a fair summation of their April 22nd show at Emo’s, which started strong and wrapped up perfectly.
Manchester Orchestra‘s album COPE will be out on April 1st, and their tour starts March 27; We’ve already got tickets for the Austin show (April 22nd), and now all that’s left is to enjoy their new album. While it’s not out for download yet, it is available for streaming via YouTube.
For about 30 minutes, I’ve been sitting here trying to start writing my review of the $119.99 Kinivo M2 Bluetooth 2.1 speaker system. Unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on your point of view — I’ve been enjoying the sound pumping out of the speakers way too much to do much of anything but bop my head.
Have you always wanted overhead speakers, but could’t spend the money to get them installed? New to Kickstarter, Airbulb just may be the product for you. It’s an LED light bulb that also has a Bluetooth wireless speaker built-in that screws into any typical light fixture. The first 200 Kickstarter backers can pledge $59 for their Airbulb.
rePLAY: Symphony of Heroes premieres in North America with a unique video game music concert series, executive produced by Jason Michael Paul. Specially chosen video game musical scores combine with professional theatrics, visuals and orchestral arrangements in this upcoming tour.The first show will take place at St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater on April 19.
Did you catch the bit where Jimmy Fallon and Will Smith were giving examples of the evolution of hip-hop dancing over the years? If not, then you should watch this video; it’s almost guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Obviously they couldn’t fit in every hip-hop move ever, but it’s still a fun trip down memory lane. =)
For the true fan of music, genre doesn’t matter in appreciation of an iconic and legendary artist or group. This is true for Miles Davis, Beethoven, Michael Jackson, or the Allman Brothers Band. Alan Paul’s new book One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band seeks to illuminate their history for new and old fans alike!
If you ask anyone involved with electronic music during the digital age to name an instrument – it would be the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer drum machine. The sounds appear on countless songs from the last 30+ years, and vintage systems sell for steep prices. Now Roland is back with the Aira line that is both classic and modern.
Raoul Björkenheim is one of those artists who has been around for years, but has not seen the recognition he deserves. I first heard of him through work with Bill Laswell a few years back, and more recently with Scorch trio. Now he is back with his group ‘eCsTaSy’, and the results are powerful and engaging.
So … did you watch the Grammy Awards? My family watched most, and with expectations set suitably low it was not a bad time. Spirited performances by Kendrik Lamar and Imagine Dragons easily offset the awful Katy Perry vocals, bland Taylor Swift showing, and plainly lip-syncing Pink. But the real question is … how did Spotify do predicting winners?
I cannot lie, tuning a guitar is annoying sometimes, especially for an alternate tuning. What if there was a way to get your favorite guitar to tune itself? TronicalTune is an innovative tuning system which tunes a guitar, including alternate tuning, in about five seconds — no hands or ears required. The $299 product is simply amazing.
After some initial bumps in the launch road where their application was unavailable for a little while, Beats Music appears to be back to accepting new members. The initial free trial period is 7 days though AT&T customers can obtain a 30 day or 3 month trial at no cost provided the fee is billed to your AT&T account.
This weekend the Grammy Awards present the music side of insular industry self-celebration and back-patting. Trying to figure out who wins in the post-Esperanza Spalding years is as much about who the industry needs to ‘reward’ as anything else. But the folks at Spotify have used data gleaned from their streaming service over the last year to make predictions!
If you were to ask my younger son about his most elusive piece of affordable technology, it would be the M-Audio Trigger Finger from 2005. The popular controller was used by all of his favorite music producers but was discontinued. Now it is back and better than ever with the M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro announced at NAMM 2014! Here is what M-Audio is saying: Trigger Finger Pro is a fully encompassed performance instrument and software control station in the form of a portable, 16-pad (4×4 configured) instrument with onboard sequencing. Nearly a decade ago, M-Audio revolutionized the industry by introducing…
When I reviewed Mary Halvorson’s ‘Illusionary Sea’ (which made my Top Music of 2013) I noted that there was a trade-off of intimacy for the larger ideas that are only possible with the broader palette of a septet. Now Halvorson is back leading the trio Thumbscrew in their self-titled debut recording, and it is simply amazing.
2013 is over, and it was an amazing year in music – cool new pop, a rap album from Kanye West I actually liked, Daft Punk returned and more. But my main area of interest is jazz … and there was TONS of great jazz! So I wanted to detail some of the best stuff I heard all year.
If you’re a casual web user of Rdio or Spotify, chances are you’ve hit against their limits on occasion. Aside from not getting to do ‘on demand’ listening, you get ads and time limits as well as some other minor limits. This week both services set aside limits for web users and now offer unlimited use of their radio services.
Just over a year ago I reviewed iRig Keys, the 37-note multi-platform mini-key controller. It remains in constant use by either myself or my son! Now IK Multimedia is has released iRig Keys Pro, featuring 37 full-size velocity sensitive keys, Lightning, 30-pin and USB cables, for universal compatibility with all models of iPhone, iPad, and Mac/PC.