Everyone is stunned and saddened by the loss of a one of music’s true good guys. As part of The Beastie Boys, MCA was a visionary in music. He helped pioneer hip-hop to the mainstream, while combining it with unique rock sensibilities. He was also the Beasties artistic eye, directing many of their famous music videos and, later in life, working on several documentary films. Beyond music, MCA was also a tireless advocate in the Tibetan independence movement.

We went through our interview archives and found a handful of soundbites where MCA opened up to us about his music, art, and the fans…

(Click To Hear Audio)

MCA on Music Videos

MCA Talks About Beastie Boy Fans

MCA Remembers Pranking Dick Clark

MCA Describes How They Put Together Set Lists

MCA Talks About Dedicated Fans and The Beastie Boys’ Longevity

1. FUN. / WE ARE YOUNG

2. GOTYE / SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW

3. THE BLACK KEYS / GOLD ON THE CEILING

4. GROUPLOVE / TONGUE TIED

5. M83 / MIDNIGHT CITY

6. OF MONSTERS AND MEN / LITTLE TALKS

7. NEON TREES / EVERYBODY TALKS

8. AWOLNATION / NOT YOUR FAULT

9. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS / LOOK AROUND

10. FOSTER THE PEOPLE / DON’T STOP (COLOR ON THE WALLS)

11. THE SHINS / SIMPLE SONG

12. THE BLACK KEYS / LONELY BOY

13. COLDPLAY / CHARLIE BROWN

14. IMAGINE DRAGONS / IT’S TIME

15. SHINEDOWN / BULLY

16. SILVERSUN PICKUPS / BLOODY MARY (NERVE ENDINGS)

17. BUSH / BABY COME HOME

18. JACK WHITE / LOVE INTERUPTION

19. CIVIL TWILIGHT / FIRE ESCAPE

20. THE DIRTY HEADS / SPREAD TOO THIN

CATCH OF THE DAY: DR. JOHN / BIG SHOT

SINK OR SWIM: THE WOMBATS / JUMP INTO THE FOG

EXTRA: EVERCLEAR / EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE

EXTRA: BEASTIE BOYS / SABOTAGE

EXTRA: HOLE / MALIBU

The wombat is a funny looking marsupial. It has short legs, a stubby tail, and only comes out at night. None of these characteristics are applicable to the band The Wombats, though now that you mention it, we’ve never really looked for a tail. Instead, this group specializes in the brand of upbeat indie-rock that gets stuck in your head for days. Check out their new single “Jump Into The Fog” and tell us if you think it sinks or swims…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpadYhXHgwA

 

 

Here are our favorite choices for Record Store Day (in alphabetical order). For full details on everything going on Saturday, head over to www.recordstoreday.com:

 

• 311 – Who doesn’t love 311? Come on, their music is the perfect soundtrack to summer! For Record Store Day they’re offering up a collection of remixes from the Universal Pulse album.  Plus, the band’s Music album arrives on vinyl.

• Anberlin – The group digs into their archives to release old albums Never Take Friendship Personal and Blueprints For The Black Market on vinyl.

• Animal Collective – The psychedelic/experimental band put their audio/visual piece Transverse Temporal Gyrus into a collage that’s available on 12-inch vinyl.

• Arcade Fire – Everyone’s favorite Canadians release two songs from The Suburbs on LP – “Sprawl II” and “Ready To Start”.

• Arctic Monkeys – Prhaps you heard us play “R U Mine?” on Out Of Order? Well, this
  awesome, dirty rock track is available as a purple vinyl 7-inch, with the
  song “Electricity” as the b-side.

• Brendan Benson – The Raconteurs guitarist releases some of his solo work on vinyl, featuring the b-sides “What Kind Of World” and “Go Decco.”

• The Black Keys – You probably already own their album Their El Camino, but now you can buy it again! This time it’s offered as a two-disc release, complete with unreleased live versions of “Sister” and “Moneymaker.”

• Blitzen Trapper – “Hey Joe” and “Skirts On Fire” are part of the 7-inch 45.

• David Bowie – A 7-inch picture disc featuring the track “Starman” and his performance of
  “Starman” on Top Of The Pops.  In addition, Bowie fans can pick up “Mick Rock Tins,” a 7-inch box set featuring the songs “Starman” and “Suffragette City” along with an 128-page Mick Rock photo book from the era.

• The Clash – Whether you live by the river, or simply in in an apartment, you should
  pick up this “London Calling” remix and an instrumental version on 45.

• Leonard Cohen – The five-song EP Live In Fredericton features renditions of “Dance Me To The End Of Love,” “In My Secret Life,” “Heart With No Companion,” “Bird On The Wire,” and “Who By Fire.”

• Coldplay – Their very rare and hard to find tracks “Up With The Birds” and “UFO” get
  limited release on vinyl.

• Cursive – The band’s Burst And Bloom album is issued on marbled vinyl.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – The group celebrate their Detroit roots with a cover of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer,” “We Almost Lost Detroit,” “I Think Of You” and remixes of “We Almost Lost Detroit,” “Morning Thought,” and “Simple Girl.”

• Death Cab For Cutie – Last year they released a Codes & Keys remix album. For Record Store Day, it’ll get a limited release on vinyl.

• Devo – The band dig deep into their vaults for this Live In 1981 vinyl release.

• Disturbed – Get ready to get down with all of the sickness! All five of the band’s studio albums are compiled into The Collection a vinyl box set.

• Dr. John – The legendary musician’s latest album, Locked Down, produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, arrives on vinyl. We’ll be playing his song “Big Shot” this weekend for Jed’s ‘Catch of the Day’.

• Dry The River – The band’s current single “New Ceremony” is paired with the previously
  unheard “Deadheads” on this 45.

• Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – The two non-album tracks “One Love To Another” and “A Note To The American Democrat” are paired up on vinyl.

• The Flaming Lips – Heady Fwends is a vinyl collection of collaborations with awesome artists like Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Neon Indian, Bon Iver, Erykah Badu, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Nick Cave. Unfortunately, Ke$ha and Yoko Ono are also on the album.

• Flogging Molly – The group serve up “Drunken Lullabies” and “A Prayer For Me In Silence” as a 45.

• Florence + The Machine – Everyone’s favorite ginger offers the original single “Shake It Out” and a remix of the track by The Weeknd as a 7-inch 45.

• fun. – The Ghost That You Are To Me is a 10-inch gear-shaped picture disc featuring acoustic versions of “We Are Young,” “Carry On,” and “Why Am I The One?”

• Garbage – The band’s new single, “Blood For Poppies,” is issued with a Butch Vig remix of the track on white vinyl.

• Gorillaz, James Murphy & Andre 3000 – The full-length 13-minute version of their single “Do Ya Thing” is available on 10-inch vinyl.

• Grouplove – The song “Don’t Fly Too Close To The Sun” is paired with a remix of the single “Tongue Tied” on this 45.

• The Hives – The group’s brand new single “Go Right Ahead” (which we played on Out Of
  Order) is available on 45.

• Iggy& The Stooges – The band’s performance at All Tomorrow’s Parties is available as a 12-inch picture disc. Plus, look for the 2LP Raw Power vinyl reissue featuring both the David Bowie 1973 mix and Iggy’s own 1997 mix, along with a 16-page booklet.

• Kimbra – She’s more than just ‘that chick who sings with Gotye‘. For Record Store Day she’s releasing the Settle Down EP featuring the title track, plus “Good Intent,” “Limbo,” a remix of “Cameo Lover” done by Sam Sparro and Golden Touch, and live version of “Plain Golden Ring.”

• LCD Soundsystem – The group’s debut single, “Losing My Edge,” returns as a 12-inch vinyl reissue.

• M83 – The spacey-electro group provides the track “Mirror” as an etched 7-inch release.

• Paul McCartney – The legendary vocalist offers a 45 featuring “Another Day” and “Oh Woman, Oh Why.”

• Metallica – The group’s “Beyond Magnetic” tracks debuted during their 30^th anniversary
  are now available on vinyl as well.

• Miike Snow – This 45 features a pair of remixes of the track “Devil’s Work” from the
  band’s new album.

• Minus The Bear – The group pair up the songs “Your Private Sky” and “South Side Life” for a 45 release.

• Neon Trees – The band’s current single “Everybody Talks” is paired with “Lessons In
  Love” on a 7-inch red heart-shaped vinyl.

• Of Monsters And Men – The group offer their Into The Woods EP on 10-inch vinyl with the bonus track “Sinking Man.”

• Portugal. The Man – The group offer the track “Got It All” and a Bjorn Yttling remix of the song.

• School Of Seven Bells – The band serve up the songs “Kiss Them For Me” and “When She Was Me” on 45.

• Sigur Ros – The group’s Hvarf-Heim album is issued as a two-LP colored vinyl.

• Social Distortion – The band’s Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes album is offered as a limited edition lime green vinyl complete with an autographed poster.

• Switchfoot – Remix time! Paper Route’s JT Daly, Photek, Owl City, and Mutemath’s Darren King are among the musicians remixing Switchfoot songs on the Vice Re-Verses specialty CD offering.

• Taking Back Sunday – We Play Songs features live performances from a pair of in-stores, including the tracks “Ghost Man On Third,” “Your Own Disaster,” “Faith (When I Let You Down),” and “Great Romances Of The 20th Century.”

• Tegan & Sara – The band’s 2011 live album Get Along is now on vinyl.

• Thievery Corporation – A four-disc 12-inch clear vinyl box set centered on The Cosmic Game release.

• Eddie Vedder – The Pearl Jam singer offers live performances of “Wishlist” and “Love Boat Captain” on a 45.

• Walk The Moon – Their current single “Anna Sun” is paired with the b-side “Anyway I Can” on this 45.

• The White Stripes – It’s a 7-inch black and red swirled vinyl featuring the songs “Hand
  Springs” and “Red Death At 6:14.”

• Wilco – The Whole Love box set is a very limited deluxe package.

In case you missed it over the weekend, Gotye did more than just perform on Saturday Night Live. He was also part of one of the funnier skits of the night, making fun of his video for “Somebody That I Used To Know”. Click the link to watch for yourself:

Gotye on SNL

Talented. Epic. Ginger. All words that can be used to describe Florence And The Machine. This week, we present their latest single “No Light, No Light”. Give us your opinion! Does this track sink or does it swim?…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGH-4jQZRcc

I know, shocking news, right? But seriously, it seems like Courtney has been trying to outdo herself lately. Is she worried some other chick (maybe Nikki Minaj or Lady Gaga) might come along and steal her title as ‘most insane biatch on the planet’? Well, not to fret. By trashing one of the most loved rock stars of our generation, while also fighting with popular children’s characters, Courtney is ensuring her rain as queen crazy will continue…

Examine exhibit 1. Courtney claims The Muppets “raped” Kurt Cobain’s legacy. You read that right, THE MUPPETS. Few things in this world are as happy, wholesome, and harmless as Kermit, Fozzy, and the gang. Still, by covering the Nirvana song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in their recent film, Courtney feels the Muppets defiled her late husband’s work.

Click here for a list of Courtney’s quotes, along with her attack on Muppets co-star Jason Segal:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mgthart/highlights-from-courtney-loves-feud-with-the-mupp-5t9w

But wait, there’s more!!! As if bashing childhood icons wasn’t enough, Courtney went on to bad mouth her favorite punching bag – Foo Fighters front-man and all around good dude Dave Grohl. This time, she accused Grohl of hooking up with her daughter (Yes, Kurt’s daughter) Frances Bean Cobain. Never mind that Dave is a proud husband and father. Forget that Frances is 19 years old and engaged. Why should that stop Courtney from saying these kind of hateful things?

For what it’s worth, both Grohl and Miss Cobain have denied all of Courtney’s wild claims. In fact, Frances even went so far as to say Twitter should ban her mother.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57413744-10391698/frances-bean-cobain-twitter-should-ban-my-mother/

Stay classy, Courtney. Thanks for making us all feel a little more sane, each and every day.

2. FUN. / WE ARE YOUNG

3. AWOLNATION / NOT YOUR FAULT

4. GROUPLOVE / TONGUE TIED

5. FOSTER THE PEOPLE / DON’T STOP (COLOR ON THE WALLS)

6. FOO FIGHTERS / THESE DAYS

7. THE BLACK KEYS / LONELY BOY

8. M83 / MIDNIGHT CITY

9. THE BLACK KEYS / GOLD ON THE CEILING

10. RISE AGAINST / SATELLITE

11. YOUNG THE GIANT / COUGH SYRUP

12. OF MONSTERS AND MEN / LITTLE TALKS

13. JACK WHITE / LOVE INTERUPTION

14. NEON TREES / EVERYBODY TALKS

15. SHINEDOWN / BULLY

16. BUSH / BABY COME HOME

17. THE SHINS / SIMPLE SONG

18. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS / LOOK AROUND

19. COLDPLAY / CHARLIE BROWN

20. FOXY SHAZAM / I LIKE IT

CATCH OF THE DAY: THE HIVES / GO RIGHT AHEAD

SINK OR SWIM: IMAGINE DRAGONS / IT’S TIME

EXTRA: 311 / YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE

EXTRA: CAKE / SHORT SKIRT, LONG JACKET

In many legends, the dragon is a fierce, powerful monster - decimating villages, breathing fire, and generally destroying anything in its path. The band Imagine Dragons holds none of those qualities. In fact, we find their upbeat indie-pop happy, uplifting, and downright pleasant.  From their latest EP Continued Silence comes a song called “It’s Time” and we want to know what you think of it…

Check out the song here, then give us your opinion in the comments (or on our Facebook page). Does ”It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons sink or does it swim?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvHP8GWDPHY

Is it really possible? Trent Reznor, performing on a cheesy 80s TV show, wearing a scrunchy?!? Yep, this video from NIN’s early years is making the rounds online. Pretty funny, considering the amazing legacy this band would go on to create. See the full video and read Trent’s comments about it after the jump…

Here’s the video, in all it’s cheesy gloriousness:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=whVtrLrTWwE

For what it’s worth, Trent Reznor seems to have a good sense of humor about it. I guess millions of dollars, Grammys and an Oscar help keep a guy smiling. Anyway, here’s his official response:

“Many years ago, a young and naive Nine Inch Nails were asked what TV shows they’d be interested in appearing on. As a joke (and likely drunk), they thought of the most absurd choice they could come up with at the time. They were then informed their bluff had been called and were actually booked on said show… They hopped in their Honda Civic touring vehicle (hatchback) and travelled many miles to (I think) NJ for the big show. They had a laugh making fun of the people, their fashion choices and hairstyles. Life was good. Years later, the internet is discovered… There’s a moral in there somewhere. Come to think of it, Skrillex may indeed owe me some publishing on that hairdo…”