Reverb: The Official UTF Blog

These clips are from one of my favorite 80’s cult movies: “Streets of Fire.” Isn’t it ironic that these “fake” artists are better than many of the “real” artists out today? I’m more convinced that these are real acts over some of the promoted acts I see thrown in my face via MTV. Take a look for yourself.

I Can Dream About You

I have a very important announcement to make: I have a new laptop! One of the main things I struggled with was buying a cheap laptop or saving up to buy my Mac. I really didn’t want to stay with Windows; however, I made the decision to go ahead and go with the temporary solution of purchasing a cheap laptop. I have an HP Pavillion now, which is pretty slick, but I still plan to save up for my tricked out Mac. In the meantime, I can get back to work on UTF version 5…after I get everything installed. That’s probably going to take a few days to do, but I have a lot done already. The good news is that all of my programs seem to work so far. The bad news is that Vista is annoying me. It’s slow and has aggravating “security alerts” whenever you install a program or try to make a change. And with any new Microsoft operating system, it’s buggy. This is precisely why I didn’t want to stick with Microsoft, but I look at it as a temporary solution for my computing needs.

I’m sure I’m going to be rusty when I start designing again. I haven’t touched my graphics program in a few months, so I’m going to have to get back in the saddle. It’s just good that I can resume my work on UTF version 5, and my other side projects. Anyway, I’m going to shut down for the night as I have been installing and configuring my new laptop for about 12 hours now. I’m going to catch up on some more z’s after a hectic working week before resuming this effort later in the morning.

MTV hasn’t been MTV in over 10 years. It has gradually become another “regular programming” network like CBS (its owner) or NBC. I use to be an avid watcher of the cable network – when they actually played videos. Now, it’s become a hot bed for stupid reality tv shows; do we really care about watching ex Real World/Road Rulers battle it out on The Gauntlet? I could care less about watching people who are famous for doing absolutely nothing try and extend their 5 minutes of fame by doing dumb challenges. But, I digress. The point I’m really trying to make is that MTV has lost its way. It’s become corporate and uncool, the total opposite of its roots. They’re more concerned about image and corporate sponsors, especially after the infamous Super Bowl incident. The network that once dared to be different is dead. Oh, I’m not pointing out anything new, but recent evidence definitely nailed the final nail in the coffin for MTV.

An Icon is Banned

One of MTV’s first icons, if not the first, has been banned in the wake of Nipplegate. Of course, you should realize that I’m referring to Janet Jackson. America lost its mind after feeling that a 3 second boob flash traumatized their children to the extent that some even tried to sue the pop icon. Yes, I know I’m speaking on this rather late in the game, but it continuously troubles me how they flaunt Justin Timberlake on MTV while banning Janet. Oh, if you’re lucky, you might catch a Janet video on one of the other MTV channels…maybe. However, you will not see her on the “regular” MTV. Bottom line, MTV banned her because she cost them money…lots and lots of money from the “indecency” fines they had to pay. Yes, she was wrong for doing the flash act, but her co-partner in crime, Justin was just as responsible for the incident. Okay, I can maybe understand why they would ban this video, though; however, she’s having a Glitter moment with this album. Read more

There’s very little about the current popular music scene that interests me. A lot of the music being shoved down our throats is very stale and sounds pretty generic. Of course, this is nothing new, but there are a few bright spots out there. There are even a few artists whose albums are on my to purchase list. Here are a couple of those artists.

1. John Mayer – I was never a fan of John until I saw him at this year’s Grammy’s. He really wowed me with his guitar playing and the blues feel he’s adopted. To put it bluntly, I didn’t know John could play like that, and I can see why many people have been raving about his recent album.
2. Ciara – She hales from the music capital of the south, the ATL, and has really impressed me with her growth as an artist. Ciara’s first single from her sophomore effort, “Promise,” has a very distinct Prince sound to it. In fact, I can easily hear Prince singing the lyrics to the song; perhaps they should do a remix with the purple one as a duet partner? In any case, I’m loving it.
3. Nelly Furtado – Working with hitmaker Timbaland has gave Nelly a whole new audience and fan base. I’m one of them. After recently downloading the “Maneater” remix, I love the new sound. It’s R&B but not R&B; it’s something different, and I like it.
4. Lloyd – I wasn’t impressed with his first single, “You,” probably because Diddy wore me out with sampling throughout the 90s. Fortunately, Lloyd scores with his new single, “Get it Shawty.” It is going to be this summer’s club banger. Like many others have said, he reminds of a young Michael Jackson; I’m talking “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” era here.
5. Nine Inch Nails – The new album is due out soon, and I can’t wait to snatch it up. After hearing some more NIN tunes on Pandora, I’ve grown to love Trent’s talent more than ever. Plus, for the first time, it hasn’t taken him 4-5 years to release a new album!