introducing music - animal collective, "my girls"

I grew up surrounded by music. My parents played a lot of Motown, a lot of shag music and my sister and I loved it all. We, of course, went on our own journeys and after growing up on The Godfather of Soul himself, playing in the marching band and wind ensemble, I am not embarrassed to say the following... yes, I embraced Prince wholeheartedly as a thirteen year old and I own every album today. What thirteen year old boy wouldn't like songs such as "Do Me, Baby", "Jack U Off", "Lady Cab Driver", or "International Lover"? That's a cornucopia of hormonal bliss even if I had no idea then. I saw Breakin', Beat Street and Krush Groove probably more times than anyone in my small southern hometown far removed from New York City, and I know way more about b-boying than any of you who know me now would imagine. Let's just say many battles were had and won. I became the Grandmaster Flash of my small town, and I loved deejaying... holding sway over the crowd, making mixtapes, and yes, that does mean I know the beauty of vinyl and scratching. Certainly, I am not Grandmaster Flash, but I was pretty good back in the day. There were many times when my childhood pals, Johnny, Chris and I would drive the streets of our small town firing away our parts to "No Sleep 'til Brooklyn".  Me... I was Ad-Rock. 

At college, I deejayed at a bar and while I discovered all types of new musical genres, I never stopped loving the old school music and rhythms of my youth. The Kid-n-Play kick step with Keith and Vince was a mainstay in the dorm and on the basketball court. Then of course, there is the jazz education. I didn't really know jazz before college. I discovered I LOVE JAZZ. Coltrane is a god. Miles... miles ahead, what else can you say. Honestly, I could listen to Kind of Blue every day for the rest of my life. And of course, there's Mingus, Monk, Ornette, Bill, Chet, Cannonball, McCoy, Wayne, Herbie, and many many more.  I have embraced so many types of music I even enjoy bluegrass now which I was surrounded by in the hills of southern Virginia growing up. I wasn't so keen then. Prince, early rap, and bluegrass didn't really mix. Now it all sounds great. I imagine the mixtapes I could have made had I only known then what I know now.  

So why am I am telling you all of this? I miss introducing music to people on a broader scale. My close friends get to hear me talk about all kinds of new music finds. I decided to share them here. My taste is pretty much everything, and I don't think myself some highbrow music-know-it-all that only listens to the most indie music I can find. Some of it is, and some isn't. I like what I like. If you like it great, if you don't, then you know you don't. Fine by me. Today's heavy rotation often includes extensive amounts of world music, jazz, Sigur Ros, singer/songwriters like Bon Iver and Alexi Murdoch, the British clans of Elbow, Radiohead and the massive similar, but rarely equaling bands, all sorts of film score music and classical. Oh, and Wilco, certainly can't forget them. Checkout the roadcase section of their site to listen to live shows online. I wish more bands did this. Seriously, I'm everywhere. It is a broad spectrum mostly based on my emotion of the day just like my art. 

Right now, I LOVE this song and can't seem to get it out of my head.  It just makes me happy and think of spring which is just around the corner here in Los Angeles. Although, being from the east coast and growing up with seasons, it often always feels like spring in LA. Plus, these guys are from Baltimore, where I lived ten years ago before moving here. So I'm supporting the pseudo-hometown in some ways. Enjoy the video and if it doesn't sync well, go here. Its much better if in sync.

Animal Collective "My Girls" from Chad von Nau on Vimeo.