America Runs on Starbucks- music, coffee, culture

MJ

2009-06-27T13:54:00.004-04:00

I've got nothing.

I love you, Atlanta.

2009-06-27T13:45:00.004-04:00

People are interesting. I could stare at them for a mere twenty seconds and conjure up about twenty thousand descriptive words. At Starbucks, the people flow in and out. They mingle, and eventually, sporadically disperse. My favorite thing to order at Starbucks is a seat. Seriously…just sit down and watch...listen. You’ll learn a lot. Like this guy standing in line, the one with the purple polo shirt,khaki shorts, black rimmed glasses. He looks a bit pensive. So does his kid, he's sitting at exactly 11:00 o’clock. Dad is biting his bottom lip. I say it’s the long line that’s frustrating him. Check out that business lady in the black coat. She’s flirting with some guy, “Really? You work here?". They’re smiling at one another. (Hold on, let me put my glasses on). Now another girl has joined in on the conversation…red leather jacket, short haircut. They’re exchanging…..numbers? Candy, perhaps? Nope. Business cards and travel brochures. He’s not married either, and I’m kind of glad for that. But really, how fun would it be to watch a married man flirt with some other lady who is SO not his wife? Very.

Starbucks asks: "What's your passion?"

2009-06-19T09:34:00.003-04:00

The seriousness of this video is hilarious, but I think it's a neat little marketing scheme anyway. So,I've got two questions for you:

a.) What do you pair with your morning coffee? I usually have a cup over the computer while Fox & Friends is on television.

b.) What's your passion? Food is my ultimate passion, but I'm obvioulsy a music Nazi as well.

Alan Wilkis is Pink & Purple

2009-06-18T16:03:00.004-04:00

When I think of Alan Wilkis I think of sheet metal disposition (don't ask). I first started talking with him last year post release of his debut album, Babies Dream Big. I became a fan after hearing It's Been Great. With his sophomore release, Pink and Purple, Wilkis continues to blow me away with blasts of mid-80's inspired pop reminiscent of a Michael Jackson swagger. On N.I.C.E, Wilkis blends a futuristic flock of beats with vintage synths to create a melodramatic pot of electro-pop stew. While the title track, Pink and Purple, is a non-stop roller coaster ride filled with frenzied loops and laden in high flying handclaps. This, my friends, is genre jumping at its finest.

6 flags? More fun? Most definitely.

* You can check out Alan Wilkis on Myspace -- or Wilcassettes.com

Ever heard of Rocco DeLuca?

2009-06-15T14:48:00.000-04:00

So much soul.

Kudos to Mac Surak for the photo.

WORD

2009-06-15T11:50:00.000-04:00

"Nobody can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own." - Sydney J. Harris

So next time you think you deserve to be treated as a Saudi Prince who just freed 200,000 of his people from the wrath of the largest sand storm in the history of the free world.... think twice.

P.S., I've told 2,765 of my closest friends not to buy your newest album. Want me to shoot for 3?

-Cheers

An Open Letter to Joey DeGraw

2009-06-10T19:12:00.000-04:00

Going along with the theme of his newest album, Say Something Strong, I decided to--well, SAY SOMETHING STRONG.

Joey--I thought I'd let you know,

You’ve accomplished what I once deemed to be impossible: You have put a genuine smile on my face with just one song. I listened to your newest album, and it really had me thinking about the odds and ends of this unforgiving and all too controlling industry. Ya’ know, you don’t cookie-cut it. There’s no fashionable way around the obvious with you. Mr. DeGraw, I love to hear you speak your mind. It’s so refreshing to hold real music in the palm of my hand--to stare curiosity in the face. I feel as if I’ve just listened to Bob Dylan for the first time. The lyrics are deep, meaningful, heartfelt…blatantly “I don’t give a damn-ish”. This may sound like one page turner of a novel, but I’m just giving you the cold hard truth. I like you. I like you a lot.

Promise me you‘ll never change,

Janet

* Look for a full review of Say Something Strong next week. Be sure to pick up the album (you're only cheating yourself if you don't). It's available everywhere August 18th.

171 Reasons to love Mark Malkoff

2009-06-02T09:28:00.000-04:00

Photo via Airtran Airways.

In one day, at every single Starbucks location in Manhattan, the comic attempted to order a total of 171 drinks. Now this guy is pulling to break a Guinness World Record for ....what was it again? Oh-yeah...most hours of continuous flying. So as the story goes...Malkoff will be living on board an AirTran Airways flight for the entire month of June. He's not even leaving the plane to shower... [uh...] Each night, he'll sleep on board while the aircraft is parked in jolly ole' Atlanta (also the world's busiest airport-- I know...from experience).

The hilarity ensues...

* Visit Markonairtran for updates, etc...

P.S., I love you, Mark!

The Black John Cusack

2009-06-01T16:44:00.000-04:00

His name is GMK, his age is undetermined, and he's here to kick the music industry out from under its own two feet. I could gab on and on, compose a well written feature (2,500 words max), and then cap off at the first copy editor that replaces "gab" with "ramble"-- but I won't. That's why I have this blog anyway. I'm here to talk about what matters. And while some of you may value my opinion, I'd rather let the artist do the talking. With that being said, Enjoi. [Yes, I'm talkin' skate apparel].

JANET SANDERS: Who are you, anyway?
GMKTHEGREAT: I can actually do that in two words or less. You pick. "Brilliant” or "His Brilliance". Who am I? A spawn of everything I've ever loved--done my way.

JS: "His Brilliance”. Reminds me of that time Prince went by that whacked out symbol that nobody could pronounce. I like it.
GMK: You know, there are many aka's, and numbing amounts of kings and princes. I went with "brilliance". It means a lot to me...still has charm.

JS: What are you listening to these days? Any artists in particular who inspired SFB?

GMK: I inspired myself to not repeat anything I'd done before.[Nice way to put it] As far as listening. Little Dragon, Imogene Heap, Blonde Redheads, Sa-Ra.

JS: You're doing a few radio runs right now, yeah?
GMK: Started with 90.3 KEXP.
JS: Any stations playing songs from SFB yet?
GMK: 90.3 KEXP in Seattle,Wa KUBE 93.3 Seattle,Wa and College Radio all over.

JS: So I'm starting film school soon. You going to let me direct a music video?
GMK: Oh sure! I call myself the black John Cusack. We can create a cool video inspired by Say Anything!
JS: The black JC? Say Anything? I'm down.

JS: There's an age issue in the mix. Really, how old are you?
GMK: My manger would say: "Say you're twenty!" So I'll do that. But in the end, close friends and Wikipedia will find out the truth. I'm just after Miley & Jonas. [laughs]

JS: Let's talk music. You've done some amazing collaborations.
GMK: My collaborations have yet to really start. I was reluctant to be on the Jake One album...
JS: But it turned out great.
GMK: I also produced for a wonderful artist by the name of Choklate.
JS: Anything in the future?
GMK: Soon it will be Bilals and I on Erykah Badu's "A Hidden Song" with 2AM Club.

JS: I love 2AM Club. Have you worked with them previously?
GMK:I'm good friends with Tyler [Cordy] and Marc [Griffin]. We ended up doing a real cool record. Some have discovered it. Maybe you will.

JS: Do you consider yourself "rap" or "hip-hop"? There's a great debate going on, you know? To me, hip-hop has soul.
GMK:I am Hip-Hop. "How cliché!” Hip-Hop is where I come from and it's the culture that I'm part of. What I do in record form is "Rap".
JS: Even what you do in record form is far from rap. I wouldn't feel it if that was the case.
GMK: Over the years, rap became a powerhouse genre, and stereotypically, I deemed that to be more commercial and mainstream...less soulful. [Word]

JS: You know, hip-hop is the product of years of evolution starting with cats like Hendrix, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles.
GMK: Music, when done and heard right, always has a circling point. We come from each person you just mentioned.
JS: It’s a persona, a state of mind, like putting on a pair of old worn out shoes. You dig the new kicks, but the old ones feel much better.
GMK: I can definitely get with that.

JS: So you're going to leave me hanging on that "secret" record? Am I going to have to resort to sources like Google and Yahoo?
GMK: You're online like I am. No exceptions to the rule. [laughs]

*Can I get a team on that 2AM/GMK shakeup? Like...stat?

"Songs for Bloggers" (SFB for short) hits iTunes tomorrow [June 2nd]. You can also follow His Brilliance on Twitter.

"What if Starbucks marketed like a church?"

2009-06-01T10:49:00.001-04:00

BREWING OUT LOUD: THE MIDWAY STATE

2009-05-26T14:59:00.000-04:00

I have a small slew of Q&As that were never published (I'm very stingy, go figure). This one was with Mike Wise of the Midway State. They had a tiny hit called "Unaware"...it went big, showed up on a few episodes of the The O.C.--- the rest is history. And unlike most artists, these guys aren't the corporate kind. With the Midway State, it's all about the tunes, the message...the story.

Janet Sanders: Influences...Have a few? Any you'd like to live up to?

Mike Wise: We're pretty all over the map as a band but we all grew up on a lot of classic songwriters like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Carol King, and Peter Gabriel.

JS: Any Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan music used as a basis for your music?

MW:Well, we like a lot of old stuff like that but these days we're into a bunch of newer bands like Snow Patrol, Coldplay, Radiohead, The Killers, Elbow...the list goes on!

JS:Planning for the future?

MW:We plan to get Holes [new album] out and tour in support of it for some time to come! As for the long term future, we just hope we're lucky enough to keep doing what we're doing for years to come.

JS:In 2007 you toured the U.S and Canada, opening for some pretty amazing bands, one of my favorites being Rocco Deluca and the Burden, did Rocco give any advice to you guys?

MW:Rocco and his band were some of the nicest people we've toured with. We learned a lot from them - believing in your music and doing what feels right to you.

JS: He's an amazing guy to learn from.

MW: I know, There was a lot of mutual respect on that tour and I think we learned a lot from having that relationship with them.

JS: What was the highlight of the 2007 tour?

MW:The highlight of that tour was definitely playing the Roxy Theatre in Atlanta.

JS: Are you serious? I was planning on going, but skipped out.

MW: It was such a great show!

JS: Most embarrassing moment on stage?

MW: Hmmm...

JS: [Ha ha], anything ringing a bell?

MW: I can't think of anything terribly embarassing that's happened to us on stage.

JS: At least no one has fallen...

MW: Let's hope we can avoid that in the future!

JS:The Midway State gained a lot of recognition for "Unaware". I've heard about a lot of musicians feeling the need to top past hits. Do you feel the need to top it in any way?

MW:We're fortunate for the success we've had with Unaware but we're not really concerned about topping it. We're very confident in our music and believe in ourselves so we don't really worry.

* Give a shoutout to the guys of the Midway State and take a listen @ Myspace.com/themidwaystate

HEY, YO KENYA!

2009-01-04T11:33:00.000-05:00

Starbucks Kenya Coffee: Africa by Toto

Ah yeah. Remind me to come back down to Earth after I finish this one last cup of heaven. This bold medium-bodied brew has an ultimate array of flavors. Dead serious. No bitterness, strong aftertaste, or any of those sour notes that the majority of people hate with a passion. This is as it is... a strong, flavorful, and rich African coffee. If this were a wine, I would use it in every tomato based sauce I would ever happen to make.

ORIGIN

P.S., all coffee review posts contain a link to each song pairing for your listening pleasure!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

So now that 2008 has come and gone, it's time to start looking toward the bright future that is 2009. I mean, there are obviously going to be a few bumps in the road with the transition from one political party to another, but I'm sure that everything will work out for the better. Besides, I'm not here to discuss politics...I'm here to discuss coffee. And one good thing that 2008 did bring was the Starbucks annual Christmas Blend. It was brilliant, and oh- did I mention it was brilliant? You know what would make 2009 even better? A New Year's Blend. I call for a Kitamu-like rendition of Verona. Heavy on the spicy notes, light on the acidity. Starbucks...can you hear me?

I also recently jumbled [yes, I am using that word] across a fabulous singer/songwriter. His name is David Reed, and he probably likes coffee just as much as I do ( if that's even possible ). Better yet, we were both drinking Starbucks' Christmas Blend as we were e-mailing one another. Be sure to check him out. If you dig Ry Guy Cabrera's catchy lyrics and cookie cutter personality ( ha- ha), you'll definitely love David Reed.

BREWING OUT LOUD: DISCIPLE

2008-12-29T14:26:00.000-05:00

Coffee and music tend to go hand in hand. So each time I have a cup, I try to pair a song along with it. Pretty sweet gig. And like my favorite Starbucks blend ,Sumatra, the southern rock band Disciple has got some definite edge [extra bold]. I recently had a chance to talk with Disciple front man, Kevin Young. We chatted about music, the digital takeover, a collaboration with rapper 50 Cent and How to Save a Life.

JANET SANDERS: So what’s up, how are you today?
KEVIN YOUNG: I’m doing just fine.
I drove home last night, we’ve been
Recording this week in the studio in Tennessee.
JS: I did a bit of research earlier on the internet
But now my connection is off..
KY: Well, you’ve got me as
A connection, which is better than the internet.
You know… I can tell you lots of things you
probably don’t want to put in here.

JS: How did Disciple get together?
KY: We’ve been together so long it’s ridiculous.
You know like…
JS: Since high school?
KY: Yeah, like when teenagers first start getting like,
“Man, let’s be in a band!”
That’s literally how long we’ve been together.

JS: Let’s talk Dove Awards…
How did it feel to win the Christian music industry’s
equivalent to a Grammy?

KY: You know… I never thought it would
mean as much to me as it does, I guess it’s because we
lost so many Doves that actually winning one really
means something.

JS: You're my go to guy aren't ya?
KY: Yeah! I do all of the lyrics, and everybody
Helps out with the music. Brad Noah helps, but
he just retired from the road.

JS: Retire? Retire?!...
KY: I use the word retired,
but I don’t really want to because he’s going
to come back eventually. [Haha] He just needed to take
a break and get off the road a while .But we’re recording
a new CD right now and he’s going to be playing
guitar for it.

JS: Is there any Brad replacement?I mean..we need one, yeah?
KY: Yeah, it’s funny because we have two guys
Replacing him on the road.

JS: As far as touring goes what are some
of the coolest places you’ve played?
KY: We started going overseas back in ‘98
and somehow we got this…following in Germany.
I don’t know how it happened, I can’t even explain
it to you, but for some reason we’re like ten times
bigger in Germany than we are in the U.S. I don’t how
it happened, I just know that every time we go over
there it’s crazy.

JS: Do you guys have a big turnout at U.S shows?
KY: It obviously depends on where we are, we’re
not big in every city, but we’ve got places where
we do better than others.

JS: You’re the lead singer and I’ve checked
out a few of the songs…a lot of screaming. Is
there any preparation for that? Do you like
down honey or green tea?
KY: …I should!

JS: How’s your voice now?
KY: Well, my voice is fine as long as I’m not sick
and get enough sleep. If I don’t get enough sleep…it’s done.
If I sing while I’m sick, then I’ll be screwed for like the next two weeks.

JS: Royally screwed?
KY: I’ve been to a doctor a few times for my voice and tried
to implement a few things they showed me, but I haven’t put
as much time into it as I should. If anybody ever thinks that I’m
a good singer it’s, you know, dude, it’s ignorance.

JS: I checked out the Myspace page and
listened to a few songs. I’ve heard some stuff
somewhere before. I remember never listening
to Disciple, but those songs seem familiar.
KY: Are you ready for me cause I’m ready for you?
JS: I would scream it, but that's not my profession obviously.
KY:[ Haha] Yeah, it has been on CSI Miami commercials for a week, WWE Wrestling used it
for one of their paper view programs as a theme song
along with the DVD’s they have-it’s on the main menu.

JS: How would you describe Disciple‘s sound? Is it
heavy metal or just a genre jumper?
KY: Yeah. You could say whatever you wanted about
the music and I would probably agree with you.
Some people call it rap metal.
JS: Rap metal? A little Rage Against the Machine?
KY: Yeah, I mean, there are moments.
I wouldn’t push it to the corner of just that. You know,
I think we have so many influences. It’s one of the blessings I think, because
none of the guys in the band have anything in common musically.

JS: Who are your influences?
KY: Oh man, when I say we have nothing in common…
We’ve got Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Stevie Wonder and Prince,
Radiohead, The Cure. You name it.

JS: As an artist, who would you like to get work with?
KY: We just enjoy doing what we do and we’re
really so thankful to be around doing what we’re doing
that I would actually enjoy doing something with anybody.
You know…whoever. Obviously, you’ve got your little dreams of playing a show with U2
or something.

JS: If 50 Cent called you up and said hey man, I want to
do a record, would you jump on that?
KY: What, sing on his album?
JS: Yeah. 50 Cent. Would you do that?
KY: Yeah. Wouldn’t even think about it.
JS: You would just say yes?
KY: Yeah, absolutely.
JS: That would be an interesting sound. I’d love to hear what comes from that.
KY: Yeah, I mean, we’re a Christian band and We’ve opened up for Saliva and other bands. We take our approach Especially with other people that are in the industry as… they’re an
artist and they’re sharing their life and faith with their audience.
We share our life and our faith with our audience too . We may all talk and speak
different, but at the same time, it doesn’t mean we can’t play shows together or
write songs together.

JS: Most of your songs don’t sound like the stereotypical
Christian song. How big of a part does your faith play in
the making of the music?
KY: I’m not ashamed of Christ, I’ve given him my life. At the same time, I hate
that we have to be called a Christian band. If someone wanted to
write a song about how they hate the war in Iraq would they be
a political band now? If someone wanted to write about what it’s
like to be gay… would they be a gay band now? “No.” Just because
we have this faith and sing about Jesus, we’re a Christian band. And it’s
like no, dude… we’re a band.

JS: You mentioned recording earlier, how’s that album coming along?
KY: It’s going really great. The name of the new album
is Southern Hospitality. We grew up in the late eighties and their were all of these hair bands…
JS: So this is going to be sort of a flashback album?
KY:Yeah, we just kind Of said We love this stuff, let’s write an album on that. So it’s just like…a guitar album.

JS: The eighties were awesome…
KY: And then, actually Tim (Barrett) too. You know, Tim just lays
back, does whatever the song calls for and doesn’t do a bunch of flashy
stuff- and he’s wearing it out on this album.

JS: How do you feel about music this day and age.
It seems like no one buys cd’s anymore- it’s
all digital.
KY: I wish I didn’t have to think
about it , cause I would just play.
Times have changed and people have changed,
there aren’t even records or cassette tapes anymore- times have just
changed like that. I think Radiohead did a great thing when they came out-
JS: ..sold their album online
KY: Yeah. I think that would probably work really well if
we decided to do it. I mean, it’s changing man, and we’re definitely
going to have to be aware of the changes.

JS: For you it’s all about the music- I can tell, there’s
definitely passion there. How has this passion of yours
effected others? KY: Basically, I was praying and asking God if this was
my time to stop, you know- Should I go home and do
something else? And literally, within days of praying, this
girl came up to me at a concert- it really touched my heart.
She said that she was going to take her life, she had prayed
and asked God “If you’re real, if you really love me- just tell me.”
She said that after she finished praying, she turned on the radio
and the very next song she heard was one of my songs, After the World.
She heard that and just fell down and cried.
JS: Amazing. I definitely have not heard too many
stories like that.And coming from you- it's brilliant. It seems as if that moment surpasses
winning a Dove..
KY: Absolutely. Yeah…absolutely.

*Like it? Love it? Let em' know. You can listen to Disciple here. Also, be sure to pick up the new album, Southern Hospitality, available everywhere music is sold.

QUOTE OF THE FRACKIN' WEEK

2008-12-29T10:25:00.000-05:00

"I hate Starbucks." Uh huh? So apparently, Robert Buckley (seen above) hates Starbucks. Okay, I have no problem with that....drink what you want, Rob. Cos' the fact of the matter is that I hate Starbucks too! It's always Venti this, tall that, no whip mocha frap, 2 shots....no, three. And don't even get me started on the "white chocolate mocha". I hear it all too much from friends and strangers alike: "I love Starbucks!" Oh, so what's your favorite coffee? "I LOVE LOVE Loooooooveee the white chocolate mocha!" Uh, that's not coffee....

True coffee drinkers will take it as it is... no syrups, flavored creams, chocolate shavings or fluffy add ons. Coffee is like fine wine. You don't see anyone adding a hunk of gouda to their merlot. So if you call yourself a true coffee drinker, stick to the cream and sugar. Please.

TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK?

2008-12-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

...that is obviously the question. There comes a time in a young lad's life when said lad realizes that he has had one too many to drink. And no, I am not talking about liquor. It's coffee, folks. You know... that black stuff that helps us get through the morning, the ticking time bomb that is forever chipping away at our pearly whites. Yeah, mine are a bit dingy right now. I have finally come to the realization that coffee is as it is: black gold. Oil? What oil? I propose that we revamp our refineries and turn them into Starbucks making machines! I mean, this is the future. Forget your hybrids, clean energy and abundance of natural gas. America runs on Dunkin'! Jeez, no wonder we're in a recession.