We have known all week that it is going to be Take That & Elton John songs this weekend. But I have finally found some song rumours online to share with you guys!

Stacey – Something About The Way You Look Tonight & Rule The World

Joe - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word & Could It Be Magic

Lloyd – I’m Still Standing & Million Love Songs

Danyl – Your Song  & Relight My Fire

Olly – Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting & Love Ain’t Here Anymore

What do you think crew? Are they what you expected?

Frankly, I can’t wait for a big Saturday night in, curled up on the sofa, watching them all!

And, as a special treat, watch this clip of Take That (mark 1) live in Manchester. Those puffy shirts are hilarious and brilliant.

Rihanna’s album sales for RATED R are projected to sell only 200,000 copies, while Susan Boyle, contestant from America’s Got Talent is projected to sell her by 275% @ 550,000 copies.    As a result, her entire album is dropped to 99 cents.

Knowing how much Rihanna’s camp is pimping her out and pushing that she’s beautiful and sexy and talented on us (doesn’t work on POP PROPHECY–we’re too magical!) it’s refreshing to see that “underdog” Susan Boyle who basically has no PR campaign beats Rihanna by such a margin.

This isn’t the first brush of difficulty for Rihanna, remember when she was going broke?  She was rumored to be only worth 20 thou’; all of her income being spent on music videos to promote her.  And of course, the abusive relationship with Chris Brown.

I think if she looked like THIS again, her album sales would increase:

By the way, when we googled “long weave”, a slew of America’s Next Top Model pictures came up, LOL.

Unfortunately for Rihanna, Pop Prophecy doesn’t see things improving for her in the near future.  Her music is at odds with her fans now and we are seeing another incident of difficulty in store.  What will it be?  Stay tuned!

TWEET THIS “Rihanna FAILS?”

Rihanna’s Twitter (144,500+ followers)

A mixer will typically accept 3 inputs phono for turntables mic and line for everything else. Some digital mixers also have usb and firewire. You want 3 or 4 input channels because you never know you might have to use 2 turntables and 2 cd decks. If you get a cd deck make sure it is mp3 compatible. Anyway back to the mixer it will have cross fader and channels. When you are doing a set you want continuous music.

Alot of dj’s who are starting out ask what type of music shall I play. The simple answer is you should the music you enjoy because you need to be passionate about the music you play.

If you are shopping for headphones the cable should be attached to a single coiled cable. If the cable attaches to both sides of the headphones they are more likely to get tangled up and break. If the cable is coiled it allows you to move and is less likely to break. The headphones should be light. Imagine having them on your head for 4 hours heavy ones will make your head hurt. The speaker part of the headphones should be enclosed around your ears because you will be playing music and want to be able to hear through them properly.

As part of my research for this blog I had a look on amazon to see how much traktor duo which is dj software is and it is £76+p+p which I think is a good price.

A lot of dj’s use a laptop and a lot store their music on an ipod it has to be said the world of the dj is changing rapidly. The old idea of a dj using vinyl is definately on the way out. Even dj’s who use cd’s tend to have mp3’s on the cd’s. Current technology even lets you do scratching with cd’s. Minidisc was popular with dj’s for a while for recording sessions but now it is cheaper to burn it onto cd. If you use a laptop it is possible to plug a mixer into it which I think in a lot of cases is a good alternative to just using dj software.

Last night Wendy Williams announced that our favorite little squirt, Justin Bieber will be on her show this Friday.  Will he be wearing a cast?

The Wendy Williams Show comes on @ Midnight EST.  So you younguns might have to ask your parents for permission!

TWEET THIS “Bieber on Wendy Williams @ Fri”!

Hoostin’s Twitter (539,700+ followers)

We mentioned to catch the orgasmic performance of sexy, sensual Jason Derulo yesterday on It’s On with Alexa Chung. He performed infectious “Whatcha Say”. Consider us a fan!

Apparently he was excited for the opportunity, he tweeted:

Alexa also interviewed beautiful quirky Rashida Jones, Quincy Jones’s daughter.  Alexa instructed Rashida in the ways of twitterdom, helping her tweet her first hilarious tweet while on the show!  Very good!:

Alexa Chung comes on @ 3:30PM EST/P on MTV daily.

Enjoy the video of Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say” above.

TWEET THIS “Jason Derulo Performs on Alexa Chung; Alexa Interviews Rashida Jones”!

Jason Derulo’s Twitter (9,700+ followers)
Alexa Chung’s Twitter (644,000+ followers)

Aries  Lady Gaga isn’t afraid to show love to the worthy!

She tweeted,



We like to see credit given where due.

vesta @ pop prophecy

Gaga’s Twitter (1,659,684 followers)

It’s a fine line in the music blogosphere – nobody wants to come off as a cheerleader for a particular artist or band, yet there are some acts who inarguably deserve a lot of attention. Jenifer Jackson is no stranger to regular readers here. But even by her rigorous standards, her show at the Rockwood on the nineteenth was transcendent, the best one she’s done – in New York at least – in a long time. And there have been some good ones in between, just to go the music index above and you will see plenty. Is this overkill? Not if you consider how the much ink the Village Voice gave the Ramones in the summer of 1977, or how much press Coltrane got back in the 50s. That’s not an overstatement. Jackson and her bandmates pianist Matt Kanelos  (who leads a fine Americana-rock band of his own) and drummer Billy Doughty gave a clinic in tersely, wrenchingly beautiful songcraft, Jackson’s vocals gentle but with the steely resolve that underscores the intensity of the emotion in everything she writes.

Kanelos gave notice that he was in particularly bluesy, soulful mode right from the start, beginnining with the psychedelic ballad The War Is Done, from Jackson’s 2001 Birds cd. Good Times Roll (her original, not the B.B.King standard) was hypnotic, even mesmerizing, Kanelos playfully working a glockenspiel in tandem with his lefthand rhythm. The understated frustration anthem Words got a particularly propulsive treatment; by contrast, the hopeful ballad Spring (yet another unreleased gem) was lush and sultry, Doughty playing the lead line on melodica.

The angst-driven existentialist anthem Maybe, pondering the point at which it might make sense to let hope – of whatever kind – fall by the wayside was driven and insistent, part post-Carole King riffage, part sprightly post-Bacharach pop, part countrypolitan. Wherever the song led, the dark undercurrent beneath the catchy, glistening pop surface was always there.

Her most countrypolitan ballad, After the Fall (also from Birds) got the benefit of an absolutely psychedelic, hypnotic, percussive jam out. She wrapped up the set with two new ones – a chorus-driven, Mary Lee’s Corvette-style Americana pop hit, another that matched early 70s radio pop to a sweaty Philly soul groove, and a particularly wistful, gently lovely take on the unreleased 6/8 ballad The Beauty in the Emptying, whose title pretty much speaks for itself. Doughty again took the lead on melodica, enhancing its gentle resilience. Wow. What a show. You’ll see this on our Best NYC Concerts of 2009 list in about a month.

The Rockwood has been Jackson’s home for awhile but now that she’s back, who knows where she’ll be next – watch this space for upcoming dates.

Enjoy this cute parody of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”.  I’m having a horrible night, sniffle sniffle; so I hope this takes the tears away from your eyes too.

Embing is being a bitch, so click on this inconvenient convenient link–I don’t have the energy to f*** around with it!:

Bad Romance Parody

vesta

TWEET THIS Gaga’s Bad ROMANCE parody! @ pop prophecy

Shopping. Baking. Working. Stressing. The holidays can be a busy time. So reclaim some of the seasonal spirit with an arts break. The calendar is filled with options, from pop and classical music to dance and theater. Read on for our critic’s picks of some of the best.

DANCE

BodyRoyal Winnipeg Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”

Allen Theatre, PlayhouseSquare, Cleveland.

7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 and Friday, Dec. 11; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12; 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13.

$10-$75. 216-241-6000.

The most beloved story ballet of them all, “The Nutcracker” had its premiere in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The work eventually became a holiday tradition around the world, especially in North America, where dance companies count on the luminous Christmas tree, frisky mice and pirouetting snowflakes to bolster their bottom lines. Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet promises to bring the work’s favorite characters, ethnic dances and special effects to life when the troupe makes its debut at Cleveland’s PlayhouseSquare with a colorful production that has choreography by Galina Yordanova and Nina Menon. The story of young Clara and the nutcracker-turned-prince who takes her to enchanted lands is set to the immortal score by Tchaikovsky, whose music is a frequent guest both in theaters and concert halls. The “Waltz of the Flowers,” “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and Arabian dance are but a few of the ballet’s treasurable episodes. “Nutcracker” is best experienced when all of Tchaikovsky’s captivating instrumental colors are played live. Cleveland audiences will have the pleasure of hearing the music floating from the orchestra pit as performed by an ensemble of local musicians under the baton of Tadeusz Biernacki, the Royal Winnipeg’s associate music director.

Ballet Theatre of Ohio, Akron Civic Theatre, 330-253-2488, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. The company gives its 17th annual performances of “The Nutcracker.” $18-$40.

Moscow Ballet, Sandusky State Theatre, 107 Columbus Ave., 877-626-1950, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9. The company performs “Great Russian Nutcracker” as part of its 16th annual tour. $24.50-$78.50.

Canton Ballet, Palace Theatre, 605 Market Ave. North, Canton, 330-455-7220, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. The company performs “The Nutcracker.” $8-$22.

Moscow Ballet, Powers Auditorium, 260 Federal Plaza West, Youngstown, 800-745-3000, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11. The company performs “Great Russian Nutcracker” as part of its 16th annual tour. $27.50-$67.50.

Ohio Dance Theatre, Lorain County Community College’s Stocker Arts Center, 800-995-5222, ext. 4040, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 and Saturday, Dec. 19, 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20. The troupe performs “The Nutcracker.” $16-$30. — Donald Rosenberg, Plain Dealer Dance Critic

POP MUSIC

Jim BrickmanPlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre in Cleveland

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19

$10-$60 at the box office, or charge by phone, 1-866-546-1353 or 216-241-6000.

The holidays around here wouldn’t be complete without a concert by Jim Brickman. The piano-playing Shaker Heights native returns for a show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at PlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre in Cleveland, where he’ll perform seasonal favorites and selections from his new “Beautiful World” album. Also on the bill are singers Anne Cochran and Mark Masri.

Cleveland Pops Orchestra, PlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre, Cleveland.3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29, $10-$35 at the box office, or charge by phone, 1-866-546-1353 or 216-241-6000. Conductor Carl Topilow’s ensemble is joined by the Baldwin-Wallace College Men’s Chorus for a “Holiday in Toyland” concert featuring music from classic holiday films, as well as clips from the movies.

A Smooth Jazz Christmas, PlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre, Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, $10-$65 at the box office, or charge by phone, 1-866-546-1353 or 216-241-6000. Sax man Dave Koz presides over the festivities with singer Brenda Russell, pianist David Benoit, trumpeter Rick Braun and guitarist Peter White along for the (sleigh) ride.

One Silent Night, PlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre, Cleveland, 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, $30-$75 at the box office, or charge by phone, 1-866-546-1353 or 216-241-6000. Local guitar hero Neil Zaza and his band rock the sounds of the season.

David Archuleta, PlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre, Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, $10-$40 at the box office, or charge by phone, 1-866-546-1353 or 216-241-6000. “American Idol” Season 7 runner-up is making the round to promote his new “Christmas from the Heart” album.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Q, East Sixth Street and Huron Road, Cleveland, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, and 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, $25-$57 at the box office and theqarena.com, or charge by phone, 1-888-894-9424. Lasers! Smoke machines! Action! Everyone’s favorite holiday prog-rock juggernaut is headed back our way for a two-day, four-show stand.

Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31 (followed by dancing at 11 p.m.), $30-$104 at the box office and clevelandpops.com, or charge by phone, 216-231-1111. Carl Topilow & Co. preside over “Broadway Rocks!,” their 14th annual New Year’s Eve gala. The program features selections from “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Hairspray,” “Dreamgirls” and the Broadway shows, sung by J. Mark McVey and Capathia Jenkins. — John Soeder, Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic

CLASSICAL MUSIC

The Cleveland Orchestra performs Handel’s “Messiah”

Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.

8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 12.

$31-$92, 216-231-1111 or clevelandorchestra.com.

Christmas music lands a prominent place on the orchestra’s regular subscription season this year, in the form of Handel’s holiday masterpiece, the “Messiah.” In honor of the composer’s death 250 years ago, choral director Roberto Porco presides over two performances featuring the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, soprano Mary Wilson, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, tenor Alek Shrader, and bass-baritone John Relyea. In contrast to performances of excerpts or presentations striving to be historically “authentic” with period instruments and vocal styles, the orchestra’s will span the full oratorio and include a large-scale ensemble. Attend and you’ll learn that “Messiah” entails much more than the material included in the abridged version often performed at Christmas-time, including the famous “Hallelujah” Chorus, but in fact overflows with highlights such as “And He Shall Purify,” “His Yoke is Easy,” “All We Like Sheep,” “He Trusted in God,” and “If God Be For Us.” Those looking for even greater enrichment should plan to arrive an hour early for a special pre-concert talk by Hugh Floyd, director of choral activities at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music.

CityMusic Cleveland performs Mozart. Performances in Cleveland Heights, Willoughby, Cleveland, and Elyria. Check Web site for details. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9-12, 3 p.m. Dec. 13. Free. 216-321-8273, citymusiccleveland.org. Cleveland Institute of Music director Joel Smirnoff makes his local conducting debut leading the professional chamber orchestra in a festive all-Mozart program featuring the Divertimento K. 136, the solo motet “Exsultate Jubilate,” with soprano Chabrelle Williams, and the Sinfonia Concertante K. 364 with violinist Nathan Olson and violist Jessica Oudin.

Burning River Brass. Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21, $26-$60, 216-231-1111 or clevelandorchestra.com. Once again, the 12-piece Burning River Brass ensemble and organist Todd Wilson round out the season with their highly popular “Holiday Brass” program.

Cleveland Orchestra’s ‘Christmas Celebration’ concerts. Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, and Friday and Saturday, Dec. 18 and 19; 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 12, 13, 19, and 20; and 7 p.m. Dec. 20, $33-$80, 216-231-1111 or clevelandorchestra.com. No one does traditional holiday music like the Cleveland Orchestra. Its annual “Christmas Celebration” concerts with conductor Robert Porco and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus are a staple of the season, featuring the Cleveland State University Chorale and an appearance by Santa Claus.

Apollo’s Fire performs “Christmas Vespers. “ Performances in Akron, Cleveland, Shaker Heights and Rocky River; check Web site for details. Thursday, Dec. 9, through Sunday, Dec. 13. Tickets, $20-$65, 1-800-314-2535 or apollosfire.org. Music director Jeannette Sorrell and her Cleveland Baroque Orchestra bring back one of their biggest holiday hits. The crackerjack period-instrument orchestra presents Michael Praetorius’ glorious “Christmas Vespers” with vocal soloists and antiphonal choirs. – Donald Rosenberg

The Cleveland Philharmonic presents “Night at the Opera.” Zion United Church of Christ, 2716 W.14th Street, Cleveland., 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, $15, 216-861-2371

Who says you have to listen to nothing but Christmas music during the holidays? Conductor Victor Liva offers a little variety with Wagner’s Overture to “Rienzi,” Puccini’s Intermezzo from “Manon Lescaut,” and Bizet’s “Carmen” Suite No. 1. Those looking for a little seasonal music won’t be disappointed, either.

“An Nollaig.” Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 16 and 17. Tickets, $33-$80, 216-231-1111 or clevelandorchestra.com. Those looking for something a little different this season have another option with the Cleveland Orchestra. Celtic fiddler Eileen Ivers and her band, Immigrant Soul, partner with the orchestra and new assistant conductor James Feddeck to present “An Irish Christmas,” featuring holiday music and dance from the 12th century to today. – All items by Zacary Lewis, Plain Dealer Classical Music Critic, except where noted.

THEATER

“God’s Trombones”

Karamu Theatre, 2355 E 89th Street ClevelandWednesday, Dec. 2 – Sunday, Dec. 27. For a detailed performance schedule, go to karamuhouse.org.

$15-$30. 216-795-7077.

Breaking with a tradition that’s nearly three decades old, Karamu Theatre artistic director Terrence Spivey called off his theater’s annual production of Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” this year.

Instead, Spivey is directing what promises to be a new tradition at the country’s oldest operating racially-integrated theater: a gospel music adaptation of “God’s Trombones,” poet James Weldon Johnson’s 1927 collection of seven “folk sermons” in verse.

The topics covered by the sermons include the creation, Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt and into Israel, the parable of the prodigal son and judgment day.

But don’t worry too much, “Black Nativity” fans. Spivey plans to bring the show back next season, and to perform the two soul-stirring shows in rotation, one each in alternating years.

“A Christmas Story,” the Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, 216-795-7000, Friday, Nov. 27- Saturday, Dec. 20 (schedule at clevelandplayhouse.com). Play House associate artistic director Seth Gordon directs the fifth and final annual production of Philip Grecian’s adaptation of the shot-in-Cleveland movie about a boy and his BB gun. $23-$55.

“The Santaland Diaries,” Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, 216-631-2727, Friday, Nov. 27-Friday, Dec. 19 (schedule at cptonline.org).Doug Kusak stars and BD Bethune directs the return yet again of David Sedaris’ comic holiday classic. $10-$30.

“A Chistmas Carol,” Great Lakes Theater Festival at PlayhouseSquare’s Hanna Theatre, 216-241-6000, Friday, Dec. 4- Wednesday, Dec. 23 (schedule at greatlakestheater.org). Cleveland favorite Andrew May will direct and star in Great Lakes’ 21st annual rendition of former artistic director Gerald Freedman’ s adaptation of Dickens. $28-$69; students, $26. – Tony Brown, Plain Dealer Theatre Critic

…or in this case, sounded the same. recent releases from rihanna, shakira, and lady gaga’s deluxe vers of last year’s hot album left me feeling a sense of déjà vu. very pop-heavy, lots of repetitive lyrics, not much originality…yet some does exist in a handful of tracks. gotta say, shakira’s AMA performance was the likeness of britney spears. not that of a spicy, sexy latina. luckily, her other tracks have some of that flair…

but that’s just me. judge for yourself

Mom sent me this link.

I love the “classic line-up” as much as the next guy (or less likely, gal) but dang if this didn’t make me pine for the days of dyed hair and Doug Gillard.

Watch Gaga’s interview with Jay Leno!

She held a teacup and wore sun glasses, looking like a thirsty blind person.

TWEET THIS TREAT “Watch GAGA interviewed by Jay Leno!”

Gaga’s Twitter (1,673,000+ followers)

It’s another pop emergency, but this time we’re calling all cars to celebrate!

Four letters, G-A-G-A glittered in the backdrop, while Gaga was dressed in a ghoulish black pantsuit.   Smoke flowed across the floor over the dancers’ bodies, and Gaga pronounced (well she actually didn’t, it just played in the background):

“Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-roma-mamaa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!
Want your bad romance”

Let us say, we were quite amazed with Gaga’s ability to keep cue with the backtrack voice of herself.

The fame monster’s performance was a must see.

vesta @ pop prophecy

TWEET THIS TREAT “Lady Gaga Performs  BAD ROMANCE”!

Gaga’s Twitter (1,673,000+ followers)

Justin Bieber tweeted from the hospital,

Stay tuned for MORE updates! SUSCRIBE!

We guess we won’t be seeing his cast on Wendy Williams this Friday!

vesta

TWEET THIS “Pop News: Justin Bieber in Cast!”

Hoostin’s Twitter (534,500+ followers)

Not books or films but popular art. It is time for decade lists. These are some of the songs that defined the decade.

“Everything in it’s Right Place” Radiohead
“Hate to Say I Told You So” The Hives
“Where’s Your Head At?” Basement Jaxx
“Someday” The Strokes
“Get Ur Freak On” Missy Elliot
“Lose Yourself” Eminem
“Losing My Edge” LCD Soundsystem
“99 Problems” Jay-Z
“Crazy in Love” Beyonce
“Seven Nation Army” The White Stripes
“House of Jealous Lovers” The Rapture
“Hey Ya!” Outkast
“Maps” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“The Rat” The Walkmen
“Rebellion (Lies)” Arcade Fire
“Evil” Interpol
“Take Me Out” Franz Ferdinand
“Toxic” Britney Spears
“I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor” Arctic Monkeys
“Crazy” Gnarls Barkley
“Harder Better Faster Stronger” Daft Punk/ “Stronger” Kanye West
“Paper Planes” M.I.A.
“Time to Pretend” MGMT
“Blind” Hercules and Love Affair
“Boom Boom Pow” Black Eyed Peas

After I saw the first Twilight movie, and yes, I’m admitting to actually seeing it, but anyway, as I as walking out of the theatre, yeah I paid to see it in the theatre, I was thinking that this movie is so bad that there is no way that this fad could infect more of my life. I was wrong. Somehow this romance novel for teens has spread it’s influence beyond the throngs of single women and infected the music industry, more specifically the indie music scene.

The last person I want to be is the hipster music fan who thinks that the more popular a band gets, the worse they become musically. I think radiohead and the white stripes have already proved that wrong. But what is startling to me is that millions of pre-teens and adults with terrible taste in most things artistic (I base this assumption off the fact that they are obsessed with Twilight and I don’t feel bad about it at all) are suddenly listening to Grizzly Bear, Thom Yorke, Death Cab, Lykke Li, and Bon Iver to name a few of the amazing artists featured on the soundtrack. Will the lure of Edward’s pasty skin be enough to get people to stop filling their ears with fast food music like Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, and 3 Doors Down and start consuming heartier music?

If this soundtrack is able to spread amongst the hive mind of the preteens out there today then pop music will be changed forever. This could be a great thing, I mean, just look at places like London where the radio plays great music all day, instead of playing Kid Cudi on repeat like here in America. But there is still that empty feeling in your gut, like when your parents hear the Cake song playing during the tv show Chuck’s intro and they say, “I love this song!” and something dies inside of you. I wish I didn’t get that feeling like people are copying me but I’m not gonna lie, I do, and I think most “indie” fans out there do the exact same thing.

If New Moon launches these indie artists into mainstream, it’s only a matter of time before all of indie music does the same thing. Who am I kidding? It’s already been on the verge of that anyway even before new moon came out. It’s about the equivalent of some of the “independent” movie studios which are making 150 million dollar “indie” films.

The point of all this ranting is that we need to be prepared to say goodbye to indie music as we know it, accept the fact that our parents and 12 year old cousins are gonna be looking on pitchfork to see what albums to download, and that in spite of how much it hurts, this is a good thing. I would much rather have talented musicians on MTV than an over produced bimbo who couldn’t play “Mary had a little lamb” on the piano. It’s about time america’s musical tastes improved, it just means that us indie people will have to find some new unpopular genre to overhype. How about mariachi?

Amidst the swirl of SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, I met up with DAPPLED CITIES at the DANGERBIRD RECORDS showcase at THE RANCH in AUSTIN, TX.

They had to leave soon for their show, but I got to hear their view on the internet’s role in music, how much they love Austin, and what is best to thing to put on french fries. These sweetheart Aussies are on a mission to remake the word “pop” and are always sure to blame the internet for a bad review. Did I mention that their show rocked?

Full Transcript: (Audio)

Nichole Bennett: This is Nichole. I’m here with Dappled Cities here in Austin, Texas for South By Southwest, and I was lucky enough to talk with these guys. How are you guys doing today?
Dappled Cities: Good, good.
NB: And they are playing today at The Ranch. So if you’re lucky enough to catch them. I’ve just got a few questions. We are going to do a quick interview with them because they’ve got a set to do. My first question is something that I’ve been talking about with my friends. Is “pop music” turning into a bad word? Or do you think it is turning into something new? What does “pop music” mean to you?
DC: I think pop music is any sort of music that is accessible to a large amount of people. Either that or music that makes you feel good about yourself. If you think of the nineties pop music it wasn’t really something, there’s no doubt it wasn’t something that I’d like. And Michael Jackson is pop music.
NB: Yeah, I think in the nineties it became something of a bad word.
DC: We certainly have intentions of putting it back into the psyche of cool. Pop is cool.
NB: Do you guys ever read your own reviews?
DC: Yeah.
NB: Yeah?
DC: Well, we know they’re all going to be good, so there’s no problem there. Well, if you’ve got a bad review, you can always just blame the internet.
NB: Yeah, he’s not who we are trying to reach anyway.
DC: Yeah, yeah. He’s not who we are playing to anyway. Reviews are good though, in terms of finding out what people think of what you’re doing and so on…how people interpret it.
NB: So, we’ve got a weird age coming on. We’ve got the internet coming into play and this almost A.D.D. musicality. How does this affect a band?
DC: I think that it’s great that we’re getting fans. I think the industry’s been turned on its head since the internet came in. And the only people who seemed to have benefited from it all are the artists. We say, bring it on.
NB: I’m all for that. What do you like to eat on your French fries?
DC: Pepper, lots of pepper. Oh, so much pepper. That’s what we do in Australia.
NB: If Dappled Cities had a catchphrase, what would it be?
DC: Calm down.
NB: If you could describe your sound to a three-year-old, how would you describe it?
DC: Um, you’re a three year old…
NB: If you could tell the story of your band, would it be a pop-up book or would it be a comic book? And then, how would it go?
DC: What was the first option?
NB: A comic book or a pop-up book.
DC: Oh, it would certainly be a pop-up book. We’re a very three-dimensional band. We have depth as well as excitement…and revelation.
NB: With pull tabs?
DC: Definitely.
NB: If you could replace your arms with anything, what would it be?
DC: Flying V guitars.
NB: You guys have thought this out.
DC: We have thought this out. Octopus tentacles.
NB: If you were an animal, what would you be?
DC: An octopus.
NB: I’m losing it. Crunchy or smooth peanut butter? Or just Vegemite, right?
DC: Yeah, we just eat Vegemite.
NB: I tried Vegemite the other day.
DC: What did you think?
NB: It was very different. It’s going to take a little while.
DC: It’s pretty salty.
NB: I think I expected more like Nutella. So how do you guys like Austin?
DC: It’s a beautiful place. I really love it. Do you live here?
NB: No, but I want to. I’m from South Carolina.
DC: I think it’s been describe to us as a black hole in the Bible belt. That was just a funny description.
NB: What question do you wish interviewers would ask you guys? So you can spill. Or which one do you wish they would not ask?
DC: Certainly a question that we really hate answering is where our band name came from because it’s a really hard question to answer. Well, most bands alcohol and drugs are involved in the conception, so no one can even remember where it came from. As far as questions we love being asked: What size is your waist for these free Levis? What size are your feet for these free shoes? What are your favorite sunglasses for your free sunglasses?
NB: Whoa, whoa, not that type of interview. We’re a small town here. Um, free…toothpicks!
DC: We might need to wrap this up in a second because we’re on soon.
NB: I really appreciate you guys hanging out with me.