Best Musical Moment of the Oscars: AR Rahman & John Legend

Forget the ode-to-Musicals theme and performances from last night's Oscars: The true history-making musical moment of the night was when AR Rahman became the first Indian to receive 2 Oscars, procuring a double win for Best Original Score and Song. The performance of the nominees for Best Original Song was the highlight of the night, as 3 very beautiful numbers were up for the win: "O Saya" featuring MIA, and "Jai Ho", both by AR Rahman, written for Slumdog Millionaire, and "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel, from Wall*E. Rahman and singer John Legend, in place of Gabriel, delivered remarkable performances together.


The 3 nominated songs were combined into a brief medley and were performed by the unlikely but talented pair of Rahman, a renown Bollywood composer, and Legend, a young American R&B singer and pianist. (MIA couldn't be there to accompany Rahman since she gave birth to her first baby boy last week!) The performance erupted in a swirl of fuchsia as dancers clad in Indian-inspired costume swarmed the stage to the beat of Rahman's outstanding song, "O Saya". As the many drummers supplied the foundation for the beat-based song, the humble super-producer demonstrated his passionate vocals. The mood then simmered down as Legend emerged to sing the beautiful lyrics of "Down to Earth", written for the surprisingly deep and masterfully sound-edited animated film Wall*E. The audience was hit with another blast of culture as Legend's backing vocalists from the Soweto Gospel Choir appeared, dressed in colorful, traditional African garb. The Indian ensemble then recaptured the stage for Rahman's lively "Jai Ho", and the performance ended with Rahman and Legend singing simultanneously, mash-up style.

Afterward, when Rahman accepted the award for "Jai Ho", he remarked:
"All my life I've had a choice of hate and love. I chose love, and I'm here. God bless."

Official hero? You bet.


To see Rahman and Legend's performance yourself, click here.

Rahman's wins both celebrated Slumdog Millionaire's great success (8 Oscars total) as well as represented a victory for the entire nation of India. Check out the people's reaction here.

~CLICK HERE to read my post from last month about the Slumdog Millionaire film & soundtrack!~

Don't forget to download "O Saya", "Jai Ho", and "Down to Earth"!

Video of the Week: You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive

"I COULD TRACE YOUR PRIVATE NUMBER, BABY"

So I know this video isn't exactly up-to-date. But I couldn't resist. It's just so 80's.. hilarious.. slightly disturbing.
See, I wanted to post the video for rapper Flo Rida's new single "Right Round", off his sophomore album R.O.O.T.S., but it's not out yet. What really caught my attention about the club hit was its chorus, sung by newbie Kesha, a dance-pop party girl whose bound to blow up any day now (give "Backstabber" a listen below). Since the chorus of "Right Round" was inspired by this hit from British New Wave band DOA (would you ever have guessed?), I thought I'd share the love with you. Lead singer Peter Burns' dance moves just kill me. [Click here to see what he looks like now, after millions of $$ worth of cosmetic surgery.] Let's see Flo Rida try and live up to this.

Right Round (Album Version) - Flo Rida

Backstabber - Kesha
For more on the singer, song-writer, and backing vocalist, go to her myspace page HERE.

KAKI KING: Queen of Experimental Guitar

I can't believe I haven't gotten into Kaki King until this year. Her guitar-playing style, that she describes as "eclectic and unorthodox", is too intriguing to miss, and impeccably executed. The 29 year-old song-writer and NYU graduate, identified by her Hilary Swank-like cheek bones and thick eyebrows, has been highly endorsed by Foo Fighter's frontman Dave Grohl since she guested on the song "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners" off the Foo's latest album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. Recently, King has opened for gypsy-music reviver Beirut. She's also covered pop poster boy Justin Timberlake's "LoveStoned". You may recognize Kaki's sound from the 2007 film August Rush, about a kid from the streets who rises as a guitar prodigy. King is the heart & soul and even the hands (literally) behind the songs that the main character "plays" in the movie. KK also contributed songs to the multi-award-winning film Into the Wild.

Now the thing about Kaki King is that she doesn't just play guitar. She takes full advantage of the instrument, utilizing the body to create percussive beats, and the lower strings as a bass substitute- no need for a band. KK also uses unconventional techniques such as fret-tapping and slapping to create specialized sounds. Her graceful right hand, adorned with superlong nails, crawls along the neck of the guitar, tapping at notes that reverberate on her electric-acoustic, while her dexterous left hand presses at the strings from above. The Right retreats to finger-picking at the mouth while Left slides along up the road. The way in which she uses both hands to create melodies is reminiscent of piano playing, and the result is a layered and complex sound that King has coined since her premiere album Everybody Loves You.


Here's "Bone Chaos in the Castle" off her latest album Dreaming of Revenge:



note: Kaki is not the first to experiment this way with the guitar. Michael Hedges established his slap-tap sound in the '80's and is considered instrumental in the history of American guitar playing. King covered his exceptional single "Ritual Dance" for August Rush. Preston Reed is another incredibly talented slap-tapper with a more blues-y edge. Check out "Slap Funk". And Justin King's skills are absolutely astounding - definitely check him out if you're liking this style.

Here's more innovation by King, "Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers", off ...Until We Felt Red. Don't get excited, there's no lyrics. Just loops of lap steel guitar:



Prefer a more traditional style? Kaki's mastered that too. Check out "Neanderthal": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-getNkpZeI

And don't forget her breakout single "Playing with Pink Noise": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRttF8yL77A

BLINK IS BACK!

[photo by Kevin Winter]

Glory Halleluyah. Somebody up there loves me. First No Doubt, and now Blink? Is this actually happening? And is it a coincidence that my two favorite bands that I last saw in concert together are reuniting in the same year? The same, previously sucky year? Does Obama have something to do with this?? Life just got so much brighter...

Their official statement:

"Hi. We're Blink-182. This past week there've been a lot of questions about the current status of the band, and we wanted you to hear it straight from us. To put it simply, We're back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy. Summer 2009. Thanks and get ready."

At the Grammys tonight, Mark, Travis, and an awkward Tom hit the stage together for the first time in 4 years to present Best Rock Album to Coldplay. Seeing the grown, ex-best friends in their familiar threesome (ha) almost brought tears to my eyes. Look out for the crazy trio in the summer... until then, I'll be tracking their whereabouts like a bloodhound. So check back for updates.


"... and that's why comebacks are having the Best Week Ever!"

TV on the TV

Tune in to TV on the Radio's performance on Saturday Night Live tonight! I've been waiting for this moment for too long. The band will also appear on The Colbert Report on Monday. And yes, I still have yet to hear their music on the radio.
TV's scheduled to play the Coachella Festival in April and Bonnaroo in June. If you can't wait till then, lead vocalist Tunde Adebimpe is now launching his solo project "Fake Male Voice" and will perform under this name for the first time on Tuesday at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn.

Dancing Choose - TV On The Radio

[above photo by Rumi S]

D-Sides: The Hip Hop Pianist

Have you ever wondered what hip hop would sound like if played by Mozart? Then it's about time you get acquainted with one of YouTube's greatest musical sensations, David Sides. With hundreds of thousands of official fans, Sides is the #8 Most Subscribed Musician on YouTube. He was also the Most-Watched Artist of '08. Once he gained this steady internet fan base, Sides was able to release his albums "The Collection-Volume I" and "II" on iTunes. A self-taught pianist, Sides is lauded for his uncanny ability to translate today's music into classical masterpieces. His smooth renditions of tunes by popular artists like Kanye West exude a power and emotion that surpass the originals'. Just look what he did with T-Pain's seemingly shallow hit "Buy U A Drank":



D-Sides's genius is especially apparent through his cover of Chris Brown's "Kiss Kiss", which sticks close to the original melody, but gives it a kind of dark, unexpected, and powerful feel. The excitement and yearning that underscores Bobby Valentino's song "Anonymous" is amplified by Sides' cover, as though the song was destined to be played on piano. Short on time? Check out "Make it Rain" to easily understand and get a taste of Sides' work. Not into hip hop? Sides also covers alternative songs like Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" and OneRepublic's "Apologize", which was his first big hit. To get the full effect, listen to the original songs first, and then play Sides' unique versions.

Sides on MySpace
Sides' Official Site