YouTube Treasure Hunt #22

If you don't know how these hunts work, you can find the RULES <-- here. In short, this is the one time of the month I REALLY go out of my way to find unknown talent on YouTube. I sift through the crap, to bring you folks with potential. Sometimes I end up subscribing the people I find & they get featured on the "Songs Of The Day" page on a regular basis.

I was so unmotivated to do this months hunt. That's one of the reasons this is being posted just minutes before the end of March. Each time I sat down to hunt for videos it seemed like I had to watch 50-70 videos just to find 1 that didn't suck. In the end I did manage to finish, and the batch of talent turned out alright. It seems like I normally feature more females than men in these hunts. I'm a bit shocked that everyone in this hunt is male...aside from Jen Kuhn that's featured in the first song. To see past hunts, there's a link in the sidebar that will take you to a complete list of them.

Cellophane by Ryan Lerman featuring Doug Mosher & Jen Kuhn (1,343 subs)

ryanlerman
Tragedy by billymisfits (1,101 subs)

billymisfits
Her Last Song by Robbie Gold (33 subs)

robbiegoldmusic6 & @RobbieGoldMusic
Home by Henry Eicher (1 sub)

1badlawyerwanab
One More Beer by J. Wright (2 subs)

ProudPopaw
I'll Be Here by Nathan Frazer (4 subs)

bumdhar
No Matter How It Seems by Eighthavenue (228 subs)

eighthavenue

SpinTunes Rule Changes

Compared to the first contest, SpinTunes 2 was smooth sailing. It was A LOT easier, and I was happy with how things went. So making changes for SpinTunes 3 is not something I thought I would be doing...at least nothing big. We do have a large minority in our little group that want the popular vote to play a larger role in the outcome of things. I'm not really a fan of the popular vote, but I decided to attempt a compromise.

Here's what I posted last night at the U-Stream show:

" Popular vote will be done via a poll (probably run by Jules again if she's willing).
- The top 3 vote getters will get bonus points.
- 1st place is 3 points, 2nd place is 2 points & 3rd place is 1."

SpinTunes 3 is still a good ways off (late June), and I posted this early so I could get feedback. Tom Giarrosso stuck around after the show & made a good argument for increasing the value of the bonus points. He, and others feel it should count as much as 1 judge does. I don't think I'm willing to go that far...yet, but increasing the total is something I will consider. I want them to be considered BONUS points. Not everyone will get points via popular vote, only say the top 3, 5 or 10. Increasing the number of people who get bonus points each round is something else I was told to consider.

So, think about it, and post your thoughts in the comments. If it goes well...I could consider expanding it's role more. If it goes badly...I could of course nix it completely.

There was one other announcement made last night, but it seemed to go over well enough. In the next contest there could be as many as 4 guest judges each round. I can't promise I'll get 4 each round, and I may not get 4 in any of the rounds. I will try to provide multiple guest judges each round though. Which means more feedback from people you know listened to all the songs.

I'm hoping that these changes will drive more people to the site & of course to your songs.

PS: If you're just now hearing about these changes...get your ass in the Spintown U-Stream show next month. :p I'm going to try doing them once a month, usually on the last Monday of the month. I play stuff I find & enjoy online during the past 30 days. Stuff from YouTube, Song Fight, Nur Ein, blogs, viral videos, etc, etc...

Spinning Minecraft & U-Stream

I'll be posting a new YouTube Treasure Hunt soon, and the next Song Fight review isn't far off. Not much planned for the home page other than that though. I started another new blog, but it's not one I plan on pimping much. It's another one of those "just for fun" projects like the "200 Boobs" blog I started. No schedule, no pressure, just something to update when I feel like it. It's just going to be about my progress in Minecraft. (Spinning Minecraft) Hope to see a couple people in U-Stream tonight. I've got the playlist finished, and it should be a good time. 2 hours of music & 2 announcements about SpinTunes.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/spintunes
TONIGHT, March 28, 2011
Pre-Show starts @ 7:00PM EST
Show starts @ 7:30PM EST

Spintown U-Stream (March)

So last month I held my first monthly U-Stream broadcast. It went way longer than I want future shows to be (it was like 3.5 hours). The show will start at 7:30PM EST, and last about 2 hours. At some point during the show I'll announce a couple changes to SpinTunes (includes a new role for the popular vote & judges). I think I'll start a pre-show around 7:00PM EST. So if you want to come hang out early, I'll play something with tiger blood while I get things ready.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/spintunes
Monday, March 28, 2011
Pre-Show starts @ 7:00PM EST
Show starts @ 7:30PM EST
Change of topic...I played great basketball yesterday (great for my level of ability at least). I can't remember ever hitting as high a percentage from the floor as I did Saturday night. I probably hit about 80% of the shots I took in game. I rebounded well, and played good defense for the first hour. I have to admit my defense wasn't as tight in the second hour, and I slacked a bit on offense as well. But I am sick, so I was shocked I managed to play high energy ball for an hour even. No more ball until Thursday...just Minecraft.

Quitters

I might have mentioned this briefly on Twitter months ago, but I don't think I said anything on the blog about it. Anyways...there was this music contest I was following for the first time. It was set up like March Madness in a giant bracket. Musicians had to submit a YouTube video of them performing a song (covers were allowed), and people then voted over a period of days to see who won each round. It was open for anyone to vote, and it was basically a giant popularity contest. I was already familiar with about 12 of the people in the contest, and I knew without even looking how big of a following some had. For the most part, the biggest already established fan base won each time.

One of the more popular contestants was cruising' along fairly well, and eventually ran into someone that had some unkind fans. A few of the fans started making racist remarks, and acting like total cunts. Obviously this could rightfully upset someone, but it is the internet...ignorance is abundant. The group that received the hateful remarks went on Twitter & started saying how awful said persons fans were, and actually tried to use the remarks as a motivator to get their fans to vote. I really didn't have a problem with this, but they really made no effort (that I saw) to say it was just a small percentage of the fans causing the trouble. The group ended up winning that round despite the racist remarks they took on the chin.

In a following round they were not so fortunate. They ran into someone with a stronger fan base, and were getting beat pretty good in the voting. At a point where they really didn't have a shot at winning they decide to drop out because of moral reasons. They didn't feel anyone should have to go through the abuse they were going through just to win a contest. I can't remember for sure if the negative comments started again in this round or not, but I think some did. Either way, dropping out of a contest when you're getting your ass kicked is no way to make a stand or prove a moral point. If they REALLY wanted to make a point they should have dropped out when they were WINNING & taking the abuse. But since they handled it as they did, it just makes them look like quitters. What really bugged me is that this group (like a lot of the others) had been begging their fans on YouTube, Twitter, etc... to vote for them round after round for a long time. I'd be kind of annoyed if I spent time voting for this group round after round every day, and then they just quit.

Sorry for boring you, but the group I've been talking about is joining a new contest, so it reminded me of this. I hope they don't run into any more racist cunts, but I do sort of hope they get their ass kicked in whatever contest it is. Your thoughts?

Song Fight Review: Vest Factory

The last challenge over at Song Fight was titled "Disco Tony", and honestly there wasn't much disco involved (disappointment). I voted for Paco del Stinko who finished tied for 3rd in the voting, and Chthonic Youth got the win. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round. My picks are listed below:

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Darkroom - Voice is too distorted in the chorus. Awesome instrumental. Overall I enjoyed the music, lyrics & performance...just really wish you would go back and clean up whatever you did to the vocals in the chorus.

Paco del Stinko - Liked the chorus, and the fact that you started with it. I kind of felt like it was a bad local commercial. Good thing everyone knows bad local commercials are awesome. Overall the idea was funny, and fairly well done. I think the verses slow down a bit to much. It's slowed down to where it's almost like you're talking to a customer, but you're not talking...your singing. It causes you to sound like you were kicked in the head by a mule, and are struggling to get words out. Not complaining about your voice, it's the pacing I guess? Even though I said it was like a bad local commercial & implied you were kicked in the head...I really did like it. :p

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

DJ Ranger Den - I asked Denise why there was silence & typing at the beginning, and she said it fit the story. I still didn't get it. At the beginning I thought the echoes were annoying, but I was digging it by the end. The percussion instruments gave this song a little different feel than some of the songs I'm used to from Denise. Overall I have to say I liked the sound, just didn't buy the story.

It's about clothing that turns into straightjackets. I get that the girls love this vest you have, and that they all apparently want to be like you. But I'm missing a connection that is probably obvious. You mention you're alone, a loss of control, drowning, and seem pretty miserable: which would be "the cost" I guess. But I don't get HOW. How does the clothing cause all this exactly? I'm dense when it comes to getting lyrics, and once again it seems as if I'm lost.

(Long review since I've been pestering her to fight again. Since she did, I felt I should at least put more effort into the review than normal.)

Cabbage Stare - I've worked in factories that sounded better...but at least you put the title in.

Die Toten Schlaghosen - Started off interesting, got bored after 30 seconds.

lalabrookie - Wasn't going to comment at all on this, but you're a noob, and I wanted to say I think it's better than your previous entries.

The Panna Cotta Army - Pretty, but stop having Rebecca Black write your lyrics.

YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 Grand Finale

"Join 101 musicians from over 30 countries who make up the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 playing a spectacular Grand Finale concert at Sydney Opera House.The musicians met for a weeklong celebration of music in Sydney culminating in the Grand Finale featuring animated visuals on the interior and exterior projections by Obscura Digital on the iconic sails, all synchronised to the music of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011's performance and conducted by YouTube Symphony Orchestra Artistic Advisor Michael Tilson Thomas." - YouTube video description

Finian's Rainbow (1968)

Finian's Rainbow was a bit of a disappointment for me. The story didn't make much since, even if you tried picturing yourself in their fictional world. Fred is too old at this point to impress with his dancing, and nobody else really stepped up in that department either. It's packed full of songs, and you'll love Petula Clark's voice, but even most of the songs weren't for me. Tommy Steele played a leprechaun in this movie, and his performance at times was great, and at times just annoying. He really went for it though, and had as much energy as any character I've seen on film. I guess I'm glad I watched it, but it's not something I ever plan to watch again.

Most of the routines I would have liked to have shared were not available for embed on YouTube. ("When The Idle Poor Become The Idle Rich", "Rain Dance Ballet", "The Begat" & "When I'm Not Near The Girl I Love")

Old Devil Moon
This is the only clip from the film I'm embedding & it's sung by Don Francks & Petula Clark.

Look To The Rainbow
An older, but still talented Petula Clark.


That Great Come And Get It Day
Sammy Davis Jr. singing a song from the movie.

More Info: (Source)
- Because of its satire on racism, this popular 1947 Broadway musical was considered such a hot potato in Hollywood that studios would not touch it unless they were allowed to change the story. Its original creators, E.Y. Harburg, Burton Lane and Fred Saidy, held out and by 1968 it was able to be filmed with very few changes.
- This was Fred Astaire's last (non-compilation) musical.
- One early attempt to film the musical was as an animated feature to be directed by John Hubley. It was during development of this unfinished project that Hubley first collaborated with future wife Faith Hubley (then Faith Elliot). The soundtrack for the animated film was already completed and the entire film had been storyboarded. The voice talents included Frank Sinatra (as Woody), Barry Fitzgerald (Finian), Jim Backus (Senator Rawkins), Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and from the original Broadway cast Ella Logan (Sharon) and David Wayne (Og). The project died when Hubley refused to "name names" when he testified before The House Un-American Activities Committee. Hubley was blacklisted and Chemical Bank, which was providing the financing, withdrew funding for the proposed film. Artwork done for the movie appears in the PBS documentary "Independent Spirits - The Faith and John Hubley Story" and the Sinatra prerecordings are available on the CD Box-set "Sinatra in Hollywood 1940-1964."

You Should Know

Mike Lombardo is getting more & more popular. He recently got to dedicate a song to one of the people (Michael Buckley) who helped him along the way. I recently saw that he did a theme song for Greg Benson's segment on MediocreFilms2 called Greg Answers Questions. Right after that I saw another theme song he did for Nalts. Not a bad way to get the word out about your music. A lot of YouTubers appreciate getting theme songs for their channels. Mike actually knows Kevin & Greg, so I don't think that's why he wrote those, but it's not a bad idea for anyone looking for ways to promote themselves. The video below was filmed by Tom Giarrosso.

PS: Michael helped Mike by featuring him in a segment called "Buck Factor". During these videos Michael turns his spotlight onto lesser known YouTubers he thinks should have a larger following. I enjoyed that segment, but he stopped doing it for a long time. According to Twitter, Michael plans on starting that segment up again.

Start Cheering (1938)

Start Cheering wasn't much of a movie. It's supposed to be about a famous young Hollywood leading man who decides to go to college. His agent is of course not in agreement with this decision, and spends the entire movie trying to get him kicked out of college. The story sucks, and most of the music & dance numbers are boring. The only positive about this film is Jimmy Durante. The movie is more of an excuse for Jimmy to run around telling jokes & doing bits than anything else, and he's not even important to the story.

The Three Stooges make a couple of appearances, but they only rehash bits you've seen in their shorts. Chaz Chase does a funny bit in which he eats cigs & matches, but is unimportant to the swiss cheese story line. There were 2 things I did want to share via YouTube, but I couldn't find either. The first is when Jimmy sings "When I Strut Away In My Cutaway" for laughs. The second is an interesting tap routine called "Rockin' The Town" by Hal Le Roy. Since I couldn't find either of these clips on YouTube, I thought I would share other Hal Le Roy film clips. The man has his own style...

The High School Hoofer (1931)
This is a short film featuring an 18 year old Hal Le Roy. The entire thing is only 10 minutes, but the acting is TERRIBLE, so I skipped to the dancing for you.

Department Store Strut
Mitzi Mayfair & Hal Le Roy dancing together in 1932.

How High The Moon
This time he dances & then goofs around with Bob Hope in 1950.

Main Street Follies
Although they never appeared together he was a friend of the legendary Bill Robinson.

Living In A Big Way (1947)

After looking at IMDB, I notice Living In A Big Way might be the last Gene Kelly movie I'll ever see for the first time. Honestly that makes me a little sad, because there's nothing like seeing a Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire movie for the first time. I was expecting this to be a bad movie from what I read online, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It was far from perfect, but I would suggest watching it. It's about a soldier who gets married just before being shipped off to WW2. When he returns he finds that his wife has become rich, well known, spoiled & doesn't want anything to do with a marriage that never really got started. So to start off the movie is about Gene trying to win her love back, and later it becomes about Marie McDonald (plays Gene's wife) trying to win his love back after he gives up on her spoiled rich ass. Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You" could have worked so well on this soundtrack. :p

First I'll hit the negatives. This movie was Gene's final black & white film, and it's one that really needed to be in color. It was 1947, and the decision to save money by going black & white was just stupid. Not only was it in black & white, but I felt that the whole movie was lit by candle light. I kept thinking over & over again, "Why is everything so dark?"

My other complaint is the musical numbers. The first routine was a bit uninspired, but Gene did have 2 fun & creative routines later on. My complaint about the musical numbers isn't really the quality of the routines, but just that they didn't seem to belong. I enjoyed the chemistry between Gene & Marie, and thought this movie could have stood on it's own as a romantic comedy. At one point you have Gene, who is apparently really depressed after a fight with Marie, who does a 180 into a cheerful & upbeat song & dance medley of children's games. The routine was pretty cool, but the whiplash the viewer gets at the sudden change kinda sucks.

Ok...now the positives. As I mentioned there were some good routines in the film. I couldn't find "Fido And Me" on YouTube, but it was my favorite. It involves Gene dancing with a dog & a statue. I did find the medley routine on YouTube, and it's something you've probably seen if you've watched any bio of Gene. Toward the end of the rather long number Gene pulls off some fairly athletic tricks.

The other positive I want to mention is the supporting cast. Clinton Sundberg does an amazing job as the smart alec butler, and Jean Adair is endearing as the sly grandmother of Marie who takes a liking to Gene. Throw in veteran character actors like Spring Byington & Charles Winninger as Marie's parents, and there's not much to complain about as far as performance. IMDB says Barbara Billingsley & Shelley Winters make uncredited appearances in this film, but I didn't notice them.

Traditional Children's Song Medley
If this embed stops working, here's a link to the second half of this routine.

It Had To Be You
This number really wasn't all that memorable, but it's the only other number from the film I could find on YouTube.

G-Rated Karaoke Brentalfloss

Here's your chance to be a "Good Example" just like me. For some reason the thumbnail for the track list isn't currently working for me on the Pre-order page. I hope "Good Example" is one of the karaoke tracks, but even if it's not, it's worth a buy.

The Girl Next Door (1953)

The Girl Next Door was a lot of fun. I really wasn't expecting much from this flick going in. Dan Dailey & June Haver are the only big names in the film, but the supporting cast was marvelous. Dan plays a cartoonist who is a single dad. June plays a famous showgirl who moves in next door. It doesn't take long for the pair to fall in love, and the on screen chemistry is pretty good. The only other person with any real screen time is Billy Gray. He plays Dan's young son, who is the only hitch in Dan & June's marriage plans. What little drama there is in this film is resolved fairly quickly, and for the most part it's just full of good times.

The musical numbers were really good, and the performances were very charismatic. The movie doesn't look like it had much of a budget, and 90% of it takes place between the small homes of Dan & June. There is one number (Nowhere Guy) that, despite a small budget, was creative & very visual. At one point June is dancing on stage with a shadow (cool even if not original), and Dan is watching in the audience. Dan starts daydreaming, and the lead into the daydream is his shadow walking up on stage to throw off June's other shadow dance partner. Shortly after that, Dan's shadow transitions into Dan, and it's just a neat routine overall. Even Billy gets involved in the song & dance numbers. Dan & Billy don't dance much in "I'd Rather Have A Pal Than A Gal Anytime", but there was some really difficult choreography in the number, and they both nailed it.

As Dan is a cartoonist in this flick, it makes since that there are animated skits in the film. They generally take place in the form of a daydream or story being told. They weren't great, but they were cute & didn't really take you out of the movie like they could have done. Only other thing I can think to mention right now is that Natalie Schafer (that's Mrs. Howell bitches) has a minor role.

I couldn't find much of this film on YouTube, and it's a shame because even the opening of this film was cool. If I could have, I would have embedded half a dozen routines, but I could only find one. I couldn't even find the movie trailer, but take my word for it, this is a film you should watch if you like light hearted musicals.

You're Doin' All Right by Dan Dailey & June Haver (dubbed by Beryl Davis)

Fun Facts:
- Rejecting the part of Jeannie Laird, Betty Grable turned down a fifth movie match-up with Dan Dailey. Twentieth Century-Fox then placed Miss Grable on suspension. - IMDB

Today's The Day...again

JoAnn Abbot & Graham Porter covered the internet classic "Today's The Day" by Inverse T. Clown. To listen to the original & get all the info you need to cover the song yourself, just visit the Today's The Day Blog.

Song Fight Review: Disco Tony

The last challenge over at Song Fight was titled "Favourite Lego Bricks (Look At The Beach)", and my favorite song was from Hunky + Signboy. He finished tied for 3rd in the voting, and Derictello got the win. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round. My picks are listed below:

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Paco del Stinko - Fun song that gave me the best mental picture of the fight. Enjoyed the lyrics, it's upbeat & had me dancing in my chair.

Just In Case - Finally, someone brought a disco ball to the party. I wish more people had tried to dust off the old bell-bottoms. It was the main reason I was looking forward to this fight.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Schlimminy Cricket - Not something that would go on my MP3 player, but it was fun to listen to. Had me laughing a couple times, and the lines:

Ride on your truth Zamboni
Don't leave us all alone-y

...is something I think I'll love to hate. Overall not a bad entry.

Bad Boys at Bat Mitzvahs - Enjoyed the performance, but didn't care for the lyrics. Really, really enjoyed the performance though.

Ga Ga Ghosts - Not bad, just couldn't get into it. I like the fact your trying to bring some humor into it, but hearing "TONY" over & over got old.

Die Toten Schlaghosen - I generally like lyrics...although you did include the title. First track of the bunch that got my finger itchin' to point in the air...but not my cup of tea as far as what I normally listen to.

Metaluna - Not a bad instrumental...but how was it inspired by the title? (No lyrics...no vote)

Chthonic Youth - Not my type of music, but I did enjoy most of it. Not a big fan of cursing in the music I listen to...that hurt you a little.

Bobby Davros - Felt like every direction you took, lead you into a brick wall. Sorry, just not for me.

Klownhole - Well, shit...

lalabrookie - I think I like the vocalist, and would like the vocals more up front. There's about 8 seconds starting around 1:47 that I want to forget I heard.

Side Notes:
Most of you seemed afraid to even attempt to get your groove on. I was thrilled last week when I saw this title, and it was because I thought it would be a great change of pace from the norm. Embrace the disco...

Spintown 10 With Kata Hay

Kata Hay is a singer/songwriter who is using YouTube to share her bubbly personality, while bringing a little country to the interwebs.

These are the questions that were too hard hitting & controversial for the other video I posted with Kata (Kata Hay Interview). Honestly this is just something to remind you that I'm still alive. It will hopefully tide you over until my next "Spintown Interviews..." or "Pain For Laughs" video is uploaded.

You may think there's no wrong or right answers when you're being asked an opinion, but you would be wrong. The theme this time is candy. Find out Kata's Spintown Score, and figure your own out as well. Then tell me how many you got right by leaving a comment.

Kata's YouTube Channel: kataandtheblaze
Kata's Twitter: @katahay
Kata's Website: http://www.katahay.com/

Music By: Sammy Kablam
Len Peralta Will Flip Your Face At: http://flipface.me/

Songwriting Cycle #2

If you missed out on the first Songwriting Cycle I'll give you the gist of it. When you sign up, you submit a songwriting challenge that will be given to a random person, and agree to take on a random challenge that someone else creates. Not everyone is eligible to participate. Edric has put some limitations on who is allowed to participate.

Anyone who has submitted at least two official songs in Song Fu and/or SpinTunes is welcome to throw their hat into this particular ring. I know, I know -- there are other songwriting sites out there. Why am I discriminating against Song Fight and Nür Ein and others? Well -- I really like the sort of challenges that have come out of Song Fu and SpinTunes. They’re a particular kind of class of challenges, and I know that veterans of Song Fu and/or SpinTunes will understand that sensibility. (And if someone has submitted two official songs -- not shadows -- then I know that they have the experience of meeting this kind of a challenge under this kind of a deadline -- I do really want the Cycle to be without gaps or holes.) - Edric

I disagree with not allowing Nur Ein participants to join in, because Nur Ein has similar challenges that take place on a MORE difficult schedule than SpinTunes or Masters Of Song Fu. But it's Edric's baby, so he's the boss. I guess it's an incentive to compete in the next SpinTunes (which will probably start late June), because there is still no news on when/if there will be another Masters Of Song Fu. You can find more details about the Songwriting Cycle #2 on Edric's website.

Fuck You by Walt Ribeiro (Cee Lo Green cover)

Podcast x2

A new episode of my favorite podcast was recently uploaded. The Comedic Genius Of Martin And Lewis: Episode 77 with Joanne Dru can be downloaded, and there's show notes on the blog.

A friend of mine told me Nathan Fillion answered one of my Twitter questions on Nerdist Podcast #65. It's near the end (1:25:35), and only part of my question was read & answered, but I thought that was cool.

I have what will probably be a long, kinda ranty post for Wednesday, but don't know if I'll post it here or on the Music Videos page yet.