The Witzard

Madison Square Garden held a benefit concert for Hurricane Sandy last night, appropriately dubbed "12-12-12." I didn't get a chance to watch the concert, but I guess it was on TV from about 7:30-1am; Rock "N" Roll greats like The Rolling Stones , Billy Joel, The Who , Roger Waters & Eddie Vedder, Eric Clapton , Chris Martin, and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed colorful sets. It looks like The Who ripped through damn-near a full album, while everyone else just plated 2-3 quick tracks. Adam Sandler covered "Hallelujah," Kanye , Alicia Keys, Michael Stipe , Bon Jovi, and Paul Schaffer (Letterman) managed to roll through, too. But arguably the most buzzed about moment of the night was when Paul McCartney performed with Nirvana 's surviving members: Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic , and touring guitarist Pat Smear . "So recently, some guys asked me to go and jam with them. So I showed up, like you do, ready to jam...

Jonwayne must've tracked down a copy of that bare bones Nirvana - "In Bloom" (a capella) mp3 when it leaked way back in 2008. I'm pretty sure that Jonwayne chopped up and remixed Kurt Cobain 's POWERFUL, echoing vocals into a broading Boom-Bap track, which has now been cleverly re-titled "In Spite." Wayne quietly uploaded the track to Soundcloud just a few days ago under the musical moniker, "Digital Diamonds" and fellow rapper-producer Scoop DeVille is the other 1/2 of his new Rap Band . All of the new track's assorted, miscellaneous parts are essentially built and anchored together around Cobain's skeletal vocal performance. "In Spite" somehow manages to inter-weave Kurt's heart-felt wail right against Jonwayne/ Scoop DeVille 's rhymes, effortlessly blending in like a deep-rooted hook. I wonder what Digital Diamonds have in store for us next... a mixtape? Joint album? They've gotta be up to something, ...

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a sucker for a good, solid cover (band's take on another's original composition); A "good cover," in my eyes, displays equal parts respect, admiration, and creativity all @ once. "Come As You Are" is the latest addition to my desktop mp3 download file... recorded in a single take by Porcelain Raft [Mauro Remiddi] in London , the day before he laid down "Amateur's Feeling" - lead track from Fountain's Head EP . Seemingly recorded and released in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nirvana 's Grunge staple LP, Nevermind (1991). Remiddi takes the liberty of gutting and re-arranging the track's trademark instrumentation, adding in his own Italian -bred brand of SWAGGER. Having already independantly reelased a set of 4-6 EP's, Mauro Remiddi is currently hard @ work on Porcelain Raft 's debut long-player for Secretly Canadian .