The M-Tet Cover Childish Gambino's "Redbone," I Marc 4 & Shades of Joy On 2 Newly-unleashed Limited Edition 45's (Funk Night Records)

Detroit-based Funk Night Records (Fnr) has continually released a slew of phenomenal records, over the years, including 45's and 12-inches from the likes of The Great Revivers, The Soul Surfers, Guilty Simpson & Musca, Phat Kat, Aeon Seven, Nico Collins & The Soul Chance, and Scone City Players. Founder and in-house DJ/producer Frank Raines has meticulously selected artists from as far reaching as Detroit, Germany, and everywhere in-between for touch-stone releases on Fnr. For their latest double-release, Funk Night Records quietly issued two separate 45's from San Francisco-based Instrumental/Classic Soul quartet, The M-Tet: "Redbone" B/W "Ray Ban, Part 2" and "Gotta Be with You" B/W "Shades of Joy." Yes, "Redbone" is, in fact, an impassioned Instrumental Hip-Hop/Soul cover of Childish Gambino's break-out hit from 2016's "Awaken, My Love!" but, unfortunately, all 250 limited-press Fnr 45's have already completely SOLD OUT. "We never rehearsed "Redbone" ever; we just learned it on our own and came together to play it on a gig. I still don't think we've ever rehearsed it," The M-Tet bassist Chris Lujan recently explained to The Witzard, via email.

Side B of said "Redbone" 45 is, actually, The M-Tet's second recorded cover of "Ray Ban" from Italian session band I Marc 4's brown-tinted self-titled 1970 album. Truth be told, I've known about The M-Tet's top-secret "Redbone" 45 since about Christmas 2018 and have been actively messaging back-and-forth with Chris Lujan (@crlujan) leading up to this very release and I'm happy to say, I was able to score a copy for myself before they became widely unavailable. The M-Tet's second Fnr 45 of 2019 features a Lee Fields & The Expressions-inspired original entitled "Gotta Be with You;" Side B features "Shades of Joy" AKA "The Desert Is a Circle" by Shades of Joy & Alexandro Jodorowsky as hand-selected by Frank Raines himself from 1970 soundtrack, The Music of El Topo. While "Redbone" B/W "Ray Ban, Part 2" is currently SOLD OUT, copies of The M-Tet's "Gotta Be with You" B/W "Shades of Joy" are still available on Funk Night Records' Big Cartel page; although, all four of the aforementioned compositions are now available to stream on Fnr's YouTube page, as well. * EDITOR'S NOTE: However, The M-Tet urge eager fans to keep an eye on TheMTet.com, as additional copies of their "Redbone" 45 will soon become available for a limited time...

"Daylight
I wake up feelin' like you won't play right
I used to know, but now that sh*t don't feel right
It made me put away my pride
So long
You made somebody wait for some, so long
You make it hard for boy like that to go on
I'm wishing I could make this mine, oh..."

- Childish Gambino (@donaldglover)

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of...

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra...

Liberty Bell Cracked In 1/2: Ween - "Freedom of '76" (Gene Ween's Final Send-Off)

Chocolate & Cheese (1994) was one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I was in some sort of BMG Music Club , where you'd buy 5 CD's and then get 10 for "FREE." It was all sent through mail order and you picked the titles from some special booklet. I'm almost positive that Chocolate & Cheese's side boob-baring album cover was what initially drew me in... mind you, I was 12-15 and the zany Ween logo/middle finger CD graphic really didn't hurt either. Honestly, I forget how I really felt about it @ the time, but a few years later, my older cousin Josh told me that Ween were this BIG college "jam band." CKY did some sort pf 93.3 radio takeover to promote their new album and played "Freedom of '76" late that night on air. Needless to say, I re-visited Chocolate & Cheese @ about 20-something this go 'round and I fucking loved it! Ween were really weird, yet talented... almost too talented. I can vaguel...

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