VidPick meets Ben Gilbert
Posted: April 4, 2011 Filed under: Interviews, Music | Tags: Facebook, Music, Music video, Video, Yahoo!, YouTube Leave a commentSo here it is, the moment you’ve been waiting for. Our fun in the sun (well actually more of a little room with no windows), in the company of Yahoo music blogger – Ben Gilbert. Find out why he’d be “getting involved in some sort of prank”, why he won’t be pulling a Rebecca Black any time soon and what will be standing out on the music circuit this summer.
Here's VidPicker Eruchi and the man himself.
How does Yahoo stand out from the masses of online content?
We present a broad and entertaining scope of the world of celebrity, media, politics and current affairs. Recently we’ve tried to get more editorial credibility, but it’s up to the consumers as to whether we’ve succeeded or not.
Does video play a big part in the Yahoo strategy?
You wouldn’t read a 200-word story just like that. You want to be able to see the footage of an incident there and then. I think Yahoo recognises the fact that video plays a very important role in our work.
What do you think will be big on the music scene in the next few weeks?
Well, it’s gonna’ be festival season so, I imagine there’ll be a lot of excitement about that. I think it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with the dub-step scene, which is proving quite influential; I’m looking forward to seeing where that will mutate sonically speaking.
If you wanted to become a Youtube sensation what would your act be?
I’m more likely to be behind the camera really. Getting involved in some sort of situation prank, having a bit of fun with someone. There’s no way I would be performing, I don’t have any gift in that sense. I’m not the next Rebecca Black.
Coming off the Rebecca Black saga, do you think it’s healthy for people to be living out their lives online via Facebook and Youtube?
I think it’s amazing. With participatory media, anyone can get involved. This is a world that was once cut off from you and I, but now you don’t even need to have a film crew. You can get it done with a mobile phone and a bit of imagination. It can only be a good thing.
We’re a video review blog, so as a last question, what do you think is the future of music videos?
I think I’m quite excited by animated videos, CGI, digital technology and home made videos. I think the traditional narrative storyline where the pop star goes from A to B will be less interesting. It will also be important for bands to be innovative with social media, like Arcade Fire who’ve done something very different for their song ‘Ready to Start’.
Any musician worth their salt needs to recognise that media has changed a lot in the last 15 years. They need to look at the pop acts that are really raising the bar. It doesn’t have to be over the top, it just needs to invest some element of imagination to prevent yourself from being any other band really.
Ben Gilbert: The Music Mogul
Posted: April 4, 2011 Filed under: Interviews, Music, The Vidpick Team | Tags: Adele, Ascene, Ben Gilbert, Beth, Beyonce, convergence, Cornwall, internet, Interview, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Marilyn Manson, Music, Q, Select Magazine, sony, VidPick, Yahoo music blogs, Yahoo! Leave a comment“The internet has had a huge role in changing the landscape of the music industry, “ says, Ben Gilbert, who without a shadow of a doubt knows his trade. Tall, articulate and with a great deal of facial hair, the knowledge that he gained from 15 years of music journalism is ever apparent. With credentials stacked up that include Q and Select magazine, and time interviewing metal bad boy Marilyn Manson and Queen of the charts, Beyoncé, who “glittered like a diamond”; Gilbert definitely has the CV to wax lyrical about all things music. From latest hits, latest music trends and even Lady Gaga, the Yahoo Music blogger gives us a unplugged insight into the evolving music industry.
Starting his career in local newspaper, Essex boy Gilbert began writing when the world of Indie guitar music was underground and vinyl’s were still at their peak. He has witnessed first hand the extraordinary change from the Sony Walkman through to the Apple’s iPod that has lead to the convergence culture that we live in today.
As well as the change to the digital world we live in today, Gilbert also discusses how the mystique from artists has been lost. “In my day you didn’t know what Lily Allen was having for her breakfast,” laughed the music journo, when touching on the subject. The relationship between the music industry and the fans has diminished with the evolution from the digital. “The music industry is now getting payback for how it treated its fans 15 years ago,” he said, emphasising that he paid £17 for albums that weren’t worth it ‘back in the day’ whereas now, fans can download music in an instant without the need for the devotion he once had.
Things have definitely been shaken up in the world of music today, Gilbert being one of the writers overseeing this change, states: “It’s difficult to argue with the innovation of the internet. The fact that you can be working out of your bedroom in Cornwall and still be a successful artist is exciting.”
Interview with Yahoo Music blogger Ben Gilbert
Posted: April 4, 2011 Filed under: Music, The Vidpick Team | Tags: Music, Music journalism, Yahoo! Music, YouTube Leave a comment
Today, VidPick’s lucky to catch up with music connoisseur Ben Gilbert from Yahoo music blogs. We’ll be picking his brain about the latest hits, music trends and writing for online. At the forefront of online media, he’ll be telling us what he thinks about the Youtube generation and whether living online is healthy.
Context MC
Posted: April 4, 2011 Filed under: How to..., Music | Tags: Atlantic Records, BBC, Context MC, Grime, MTV, MTV Base, Norwich Leave a commentClearly someone has been taking Chanelle’s Youtube tips to heart. No, not Rebecca Black. The latest soon-to-be star hailed from the site’s hall of fame is urban artist, Context MC, from… Norwich. Not exactly well known for its gritty environment, yet Context has pulled off the amazing feat of moving from Youtube to MTV after just posting two videos. To quote his own words, it’s definitely a case of “no small steps”.
Now airing on MTV Base ‘Off with their heads’ featuring Vertex of Marvell has a believable edge with lyrics that embrace Context’s hometown: “my background’s a mining town so you will never see me give up or start lying down”.
Featuring a wide range of ‘typical’ Norwich characters in the video, Ed Sheeran also appears in it (another talented young lad, now signed to Atlantic Records). Despite using a characteristically Grime beat, Context has been wary of putting himself in that category saying in an interview with the BBC “While my music shares a lot in common with grime, I often feel grime is more of a mind state and I don’t know that it is 100% me to be honest.”
Whatever genre you put his music in, big things are likely to be on the horizon for Context, so definitely watch this space.
Dell’s Top Music Videos: Day Five
Posted: April 1, 2011 Filed under: Music, Top 5 Music Videos | Tags: Alice in Wonderland, Cool, Cousins, Dell's Top 5 Music Videos, Disney, Foo Fighters, Gwen Stefani, Learn To Fly, McFly, Rich Girl, Signal Fire, Snow Patrol, Tim Burton, Vampire Weekend, What You Waiting For Leave a comment“Born to blossom, bloom to perish. Your moment will run out ’cause of your sex chromosomes.”
Well music lovers, we’ve come to the end unfortunately. This was the most difficult video for me to chose because I seriously had a list as long as my arm full of amazing ones such as Foo Fighters’ Learn to Fly, Snow Patrol’s Signal Fire, Vampire Weekend’s Cousins and practically all of McFly’s back-catalogue. I knew I had to whittle it down to one though, and after much deliberation, I managed to come to a conclusion.
Anybody who knows me well knows, as well as being obsessed with music and magazines, I love Alice in Wonderland, which is why I chose Gwen Stefani’s video for What You Waiting For? as my last post. The video is another mini movie like Fall Out Boy’s A Little Less Sixteen Candles that I posted yesterday. It follows the story of Gwen having writers block, causing her to go and see a weird specialist where she gets put into a trance. This dreamy trance mirrors Wonderland and shows her in all the situations Alice gets in, while the song she’s singing automatically jots down in front of her.
The connotations to the book and films, the costumes and even the song are all so good in my opinion. I am totally jealous of Miss Stefani getting to wear all those amazing outfits and I’ll never give up hope of owning a massive, over the top dress like she wears when she is mimicking the Queen of Hearts. I’ve got to say though as much as I want the dress and other bits and pieces, she can keep those stupidly high shoes because I’d probably find a way to break my neck just sitting down in them.
If you like this video, you might also like Gwen Stefani’s videos for Rich Girl and Cool or Avril Lavigne’s video for the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Alice (Underground).
That’s it for me and my favourite music videos. I would seriously recommend watching all the videos I’ve linked and added throughout my whole ‘Top 5 Music Videos’ feature, because even though some are similar, each one has a uniqueness, and I love them all for so many different reasons.
Dell’s Top Music Videos: Day Four
Posted: March 31, 2011 Filed under: Music, Top 5 Music Videos | Tags: A Little Less Sixteen Candles, But It's Better When We Do, Clothes Off, Dance Dance, Dell's Top 5 Music Videos, Fall Out Boy, FOB, Gym Class Heroes, Panic At The Disco, Pete Wentz Leave a comment“She said, she said, she said, ‘Why don’t you just drop dead?”
I was totally gutted when Fall Out Boy broke up. They were my favourite band for such a long time and I don’t think they made a crap video or a crap album for that matter. I was always in love with Pete Wentz from an early age. I think it would be safe to say that FOB shaped my music taste as it stands today and developed my insatiable appetite for rock/pop/punk riffs and lyrics.
This video for “A Little Less Sixteen Candles a little more ‘Touch Me'” is one of those that is like a mini movie. Overall, it’s about a swarm of vampires that change the main character, played by Pete Wentz, but he wants to avenge himself, by killing the big mean leader vampire. Although this song was released off the Island Def Jam record label, FOB started their career with Fueled by Ramen, and feature a number of artists that are on that label in this video. Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes has a cameo role and so do the band Panic! At The Disco.
If you like this video, you might like Fall Out Boy’s video for Dance, Dance, Panic! At the Disco’s video for But It’s Better When We Do and Gym Class Heroes video for Clothes Off!
Dell’s Top Music Videos: Day Three
Posted: March 30, 2011 Filed under: Music, Top 5 Music Videos | Tags: Dell's Top 5 Music Videos, Disturbia, Hard, Pon de Replay, Rihanna, Rude Boy, S&M, Young Jeezy Leave a comment“My runway never looked so clear, but the hottest bitch in the heels, right here.”
I’m finding this way harder than I thought I would when I started trying to narrow down my favourite videos. I was discussing the feature with Beth, and we both came to the conclusion that a lot of the videos I really like are quite recent. Even though I do like older videos, I must just have a bit of a shitty memory, because it seems all that’s sticking with me are more current ones. Anyway… onwards my music junkies!
Today features my all time favourite pop princess, Rihanna. I know she’s the name on everybody’s lips at the moment, but I’ve loved her since she brought that God awful ‘Pon De Replay’ song out, so I thought she deserved a bit of a mention. One of the best videos she’s ever done in my opinion is this one for ‘Hard’ featuring Young Jeezy. She looks badass in the whole thing and I always sing this song in the shower, imagining that one day I will be as cool as her. (Obviously, I’m aware that admitting I sing in the shower isn’t going to build up my reputation, but hey!)
Best moment of the whole video is when she is straddling the gun of the tanker with that Mickey Mouse helmet on. Genius!
If you like this video, you might also like Rihanna’s videos for Rude Boy, Disturbia and S&M
Dell’s Top Music Videos: Day Two
Posted: March 29, 2011 Filed under: Music, Top 5 Music Videos | Tags: Alexisonfire, Boiled Frogs, City and Colour, Comin' Home, Dallas Green, Dell's Top 5 Music Videos, Niagara Falls, Old Crows/Young Cardinals, Sleeping Sickness, Young Cardinals Leave a comment“The sun hides itself, concealing its grin and waits for the dawn to reveal itself again.”
I have a confession to make. I know I said yesterday I was going to look a little wider at music videos from different genres, and today, I have done that, however, this is still in the rock genre, and is quite a bit heavier than yesterdays poppy All Time Low video.
Alexisonfire have been one of my favourite bands for years and years, and this is my way of paying homage to them. This is video for their song ‘Young Cardinals’ which is off their Old Crows/Young Cardinals album. I don’t know whether I like the video because I love them so much (especially Dallas Green who, as well as being in this band has his own solo project called City & Colour), or just because having a party on a boat at Niagara Falls looks fun, don’t you think?!
If you like this video, you might also like Alexisonfire’s video for Boiled Frogs, or City and Colour’s videos for Sleeping Sickness and Comin’ Home.
Dell’s Top Music Videos: Day One
Posted: March 28, 2011 Filed under: Music, Top 5 Music Videos | Tags: Alex Gaskarth, All Time Low, Damned If I Do Ya, Dear Maria Count Me In, Dell's Top 5 Music Videos, Six Feet Under The Stars, Weightless Leave a comment“I wanna be laughed at, laughed with, just because I wanna feel weightless, and that should be enough.”
Fortunately for all you lucky readers out there, I’ve decided to post one video each day this week that I love. Now obviously, I’m aware my music taste is a little ‘out there’ in some people’s opinion, so I’ve tried to cover a broader spectrum, rather than staying totally focussed on the music that I think beats all others. For today though, I had to stay true to my favourite, catchy, pop rock boy band, All Time Low.
This video for the title track of their most recent album, ‘Weightless’, is so good, and, Alex Gaskarth, the lead singer, looks especially tasty. As well as taking the piss out of themselves in this video, they also address a lot of stereotypes, ending the video with their motto, ‘Nothing Personal’.
I know a lot of people don’t think it’s ‘cool’ to like this type of music, but have a look anyway and see what you think! Old habits die hard.
If you like this video, you might also like All Time Low’s videos for Dear Maria, Count Me In, Six Feet Under the Stars and Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t).
The Lonely Island
Posted: March 28, 2011 Filed under: Funny, Music | Tags: Akon, Blake Lively, Dick In A Box, I Just Had Sex, I'm On A Boat, Incredibad, Jessica Alba, Jizz In My Pants, Lazy Sunday, Like A Boss, Mother Lover, Saturday Night Live, The Lonely Island, The Midnight Beast 1 CommentI’d never taken the time to watch The Lonely Island’s music videos, but I really wish I had sooner because like The Midnight Beast, they generate some big laughs.
The group formed in 2001 where they were united on the set of Saturday Night Live in the US, and became an internet phenomenan after their sketch for Lazy Sunday, which kick-started them to create more. As well as winning Emmy’s for I Just had Sex, Dick In a Box, Like A Boss, Jizz in My Pants, and the grammy nominated I’m On a Boat, the musical trio released an album, Incredibad, in 2009, and are planning to release their new one, Turtleneck and Chain this May. After listening to them with my friends and literally having to wipe away the tears, I downloaded Incredibad, and it cheers me up every time I listen to it. (I would recommend not listening to it in front of your parents or anyone that doesn’t know who they are though. People generally think you’re weird if you stick on a song with the lyrics “I’ll let you do my mother, make me another brother.”)
This video for I Just Had Sex featuring Akon is one of their most recent released. I watched it a few weeks ago and I’ve shared it all over the place since. Blake Lively and Jessica Alba also feature in the video, and I thought it was hilarious that they could be around the guys when they were singing about having sex with a pile of manure and how their penis felt great. The whole thing is just so nonchalant. I would not have been able to keep a straight face.
Just like The Midnight Beast, scoot on over to The Lonely Island’s website and if you have a bit of time to spare and have a watch of their music videos. They’ve worked with loads of celebrities now who clearly don’t take themselves very seriously, and they are good for a couple of laughs.
Minor warning though; if you don’t like offensive lyrics, or major sexual implications they’re probably not for you. I’m alright, but Akon wiggling his bum was enough to make me cringe!
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