The Witzard

CREDIT: Atiba Jefferson / Glen E. Friedman (Apple) BEASTIE BOYS BOOK is a phenomenal 571-page historical document and mixed-media hardcover book written by surviving Beasties Michael "Mike D" Diamond & Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz released on SPIEGEL & GRAU in 2018. It was, of course, written following the untimely death of founding Beastie Boy Adam "MCA" Yauch on May 4, 2012, now known world-wide as MCA Day, but is without a doubt, a well-written tribute to his life and career. Last year, following widespread critical/fan-acclaim of BEASTIE BOYS BOOK , Mike Diamond & Adam Horovitz went on tour in support of their book somewhat confusingly billed as, "BEASTIE BOYS STORY: A 2 PERSON 1 MAN SHOW ABOUT 3 KIDS WHO STARTED A BAND TOGETHER." It wad directed by long-time collaborator and friend Spike Jonze and appeared to be, by most accounts, something to the effect of a live audio book version of BEASTIE BOYS BOOK. Now, it has been announced t...

"I'm available to edit all sorts of videos and create all sorts of content. I'm also available for interviews, shenanigans, or if you just need a friend - Adam@hiddentracktv.com ," reads part of the YouTube description for OutKast | "Ms. Jackson" | Muppets Version . Needless to say, after witnessing the sheer greatness that is Beastie Boys | "Sabotage" | Sesame Street Mashup on both Stereogum and NPR Music late last week, I quickly reached out to Mylo The Cat AKA isthishowyougoviral AKA Adam Schleichkorn just for sh*ts and giggles, thinking he most likely, wouldn't write back... but before day's end, Adam had already responded back to my email thanking me for contacting him and adding that "most websites just crank out articles" and generally, don't bother to reach out. From what I can piece together from the shattered shards scattered across The Internet , Adam Schleichkorn 's storied history with "going viral...

Well, it sounds like Lana del Rey wasn't the only artist to debut new music during a Grammy commercial break last night; Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O has once again teamed up with N.A.S.A. aka Sam Spiegel ( Spike Jonze 's brother) for a twinkling Reggae -infused cover of Eric Clapton by way of Bob Marley 's "I Shot The Sheriff." Initially appearing within a brief 30-second SONOS PLAYBAR spot, "I Shot The Sheriff" was soon re-uploaded to Soundcloud in full-length form, as well as select digital retailers. Speaking as both a music writer and a fan of both Marley and Clapton's original versions , I'd quite honestly say that N.A.S.A. & Karen O 's updated take is a fresh, new, slightly club-ready version of a decades old classic about love, loss, and remorse. Without any apparent further pans for a follow-up to N.A.S.A. 's 2009 debut, The Spirit of Apollo and Indie Rock darlings Yeah Yeah Yeahs' most recent album...

It's pretty damn awesome that David Letterman 's people are even remotely interested in booking a disjointed post- Nirvana Sub Pop Art-Punk band like No Age to perform on national TV; following film director and special guest Spike Jonze , drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall took the Letterman side-stage during the wee hours of Thursday night into Friday morning. The band had seemingly re-outfitted the set with stark white sheets, including Spunt's drum kit, and wore matching denim outfits... essentially rendering Late Night with David Letterman into a quasi-art gallery installation, while ripping through "C'mon Stimmung." Not even 5-6 hours after their Letterman performance, No Age released a brand new Oliver Payne -directed video for album track, "I Won't Be Your Generator" in true Noise-Punk Rock fashion, as well. It's an artfully weird intimate-object(s) collage, presented in stark contrast against their rec...

It's pretty damn awesome that Kanye & Joaquin Phoenix even hang out, let alone co-produced a track for Pusha T together; "King Push" is most likely culled from Phoenix's I'm Still Here era (2009-10), when he may or may not have quit acting to become a Hip-Hop producer/rapper. Pusha T previously lamented to Pitchfork back in August, "as soon as I heard it, I was like, 'Listen. I hope you're not playing this for me just to show me how good this beat is [Kanye] !'" It's a surprisingly Boom-Bap -rooted, Clipse -ready rattling beat, which it seems is now being pushed slightly ahead of My Name Is My Name 's previous semi-questionable Chris Brown -featuring "Sweet Salvation" single. Taking some much needed time off from Kanye 's recent "I Don't Like" ranting spree(s), G.O.O.D. Music & DONDA unleashed "King Push'" companion music video mid-Friday afternoon. Directed by Nathanie...

<a href="http://thelazymks.bandcamp.com/track/sabotage">Sabotage by The Lazy MKs featuring The Pile O'Bones Brass Band</a> While it just might have substantially more cultural bearing now than say 3 months ago, The Lazy MK's originally released their "Sabotage" cover on Bandcamp way back in Jan. 2012. It's an interesting Bluegrass/Jazz take on a song that I really know and love; I think "Sabotage" was the first Beastie Boys track that I latched onto @ 10-12, partly due to it's Spike Jonze -directed action-packed , explosion-filled music video! When I was in grade school oh so many years ago (1990's), I first discovered Hip-Hop , Classic Rock , and Hardcore Punk ... a couple of my "cooler" older cousins first introduced me to Beastie Boys' shit and now I own [damn-near] their whole discography. Shouts to my cuz Josh for send...

Let's be real... By now, 3/4's of Internet Dwellers have most likely heard tell of Watch the Throne . Long-time collaborators, Kanye & Jay-Z ["The Throne"] have finally re-joined forces to craft a full-length album of cold, hard beats and rhymes. Crisp backing tracks were submitted from an array of All-Star Producers including but not limited to Q-Tip, The Neptunes, RZA , and Swizz Beatz ... Now for a collection of eloquently-laced words and numbers [stats]: - Unleashed to iTunes Mon. August 8th. - Subsequently reached #1 in some 23 countries world-wide. - EXCLUSIVELY sold @ Best Buy between August 12-22 . - Projected Week 1 sales: 400-500,000 units. - Standard CD: 12 tracks. Deluxe Edition: 16 - Traditional "Radio Singles:" 0 - Maybach -Motorenbau GmbH: $380,000 ( African Child donation) While most unsuspecting fans will take the "Watch the Throne" album title as a jab to up-and-coming rappers attempting to steal "T...