Namaskar: Don’t You Dare (Make Me Cry)

Over the course of the last several months I happened to find myself being subliminally spoon fed a few raw acoustic stylized tracks by Arkansas based group NAMASKAR, an experimental duo who really doesn’t have too much of a web presence. After slowly realizing I had been indoctrinated into their aural soundscape by obscure tracks dripping from my music feeds, I finally explored a bit and found that Namaskar is made up two musicians: Amanda Rook (lead vocals, guitar) and Craig Seager (drums, guitar, bass).

The band don’t have too many tracks up as the duo, but Amanda also has a solo site where she has some other promising compositions including one which I gravitated to called ‘Fireflies’. Check it out at the link below when you get a chance and leave em a comment.

• Namaskar @ MySpace
• Namaskar @ Garageband
• Amanda Rook @ MySpace
• Craig Seager @ MySpace

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Popularity: 1% [?]

Asobi Seksu: Thursday (live)

Live at the Echo 10/6/06 is the first live album by New York-based shoegazing band Asobi Seksu. It was recorded at The Echo in Los Angeles, California and contains mostly songs from the Citrus album, two from their self-titled, and a cover by The Crystals.

Spaceland Recordings has a nice collection of live tracks taken from a few venues here in LA, which we hope to dip into now and then and potentially share when time permits. Also, if you’d like there is a link below which contains a large number of live recordings over at the Spaceland Recs blog.

Asobi Seksu appears courtesy of Friendly Fire Recordings.
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• Asobi Seksu Website
• AS @ MySpace
• AS @ Facebook
• AS @ Twitter
• Spaceland Recordings

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Asobi Seksu
“Thursday” (mp3)
from “LIVE [at the Echo - October 6th, 2006]”
(Spaceland Recordings)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Popularity: 1% [?]

Fight From Above: Smokestacks (acoustic)

Every day when I jump on the road to work, my commute takes me on a road down that curves down by the beach through a small corridor of refineries and waste treatment plants.  Daily, I drive past two looming painted smokestacks – and it sends my mind quickly shooting toward this track, “Smokestacks”, that I had discovered recently via Los Angeles group – FIGHT FROM ABOVE.

We first heard from FFA when they played a show with local artists Chance & the Choir a few years back at the Whiskey out on the Sunset Strip. Around the time they were releasing their first EP, “It’s Just Something To Say”  and gathering some momentum and a core following around town.  We managed to catch them again live out at rock fixture Paladinos in the SFV not too long after that,  and it was as expected – another solid and enjoyable performance.

FIGHT FROM ABOVE is now back with their debut full length album “L.A. Kids”, a single – “Between the Curves”, and a new quality video to show this time around.   The momentum is building as they’ve gained the attention of a local radio show on a national ‘gatekeeper’ radio station here in LA and have hit cutting edge gaming-meets-music site, thesixtyone.com, in a full sprint.  Both new singles have performed incredibly upon arrival out of the gate at the groundbreaking new media site.

Witnessing the band outside of the rock backdrop allows one to see this introspective group of musicians through their acoustic performances.   FFA performed sans-electric recently on the Hawk show here in LA (video seen below) and are currently giving away the featured single, ‘Smokestacks’ for free in acoustic format at their website.

“We hate L.A., we love L.A. It’s similar to how we feel about our own lives,” says Justin Miner, lead singer . “We wanted to try to capture that feeling on the record and claim the parts of the city we love for our own.”

Why don’t you put that in your pipe and smoke it?

• Fight From Above Website
• FFA @ MySpace
• FFA @ Facebook
• FFA @ Twitter
• FFA @ t61
• FFA @ cdbaby | itunes | cdbaby | amazon

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Popularity: 1% [?]

Frightened Rabbit: Old Old Fashioned (live)

For a long while here at Insomnia Radio we’ve been missing a forum for properly presenting the live tracks that we come across, and those few acoustic tracks that fall by the wayside and don’t get the promotion that the more polished studio tracks from any  given artist receive.

We feel the live act is a visceral experience all its own deserving of a separate feed, one which we’ve created temporarily dubbed “LIVE & ACOUSTIC” for lack of a better name.   Some of the tracks presented here will be a bit more polished and short, while some will have extra audience noise and will even approach 10-30 minutes in length due to the creative exploration taking hold during a performance.   If interested in subscribing, you can do so here or via the superfeed at the link at the very top of this page.

Our first artist coming at you down this feed is Scotland’s own FRIGHTENED RABBIT, currently on Fat Cat Records and whom we have managed to catch live twice. The show is definitely all its cracked up to be – lots of energy, musicianship and a storm of emotion washing over the audience.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

IR: Dread at the Controls #5: “DJ Style”

This was the 2nd to last podcast Mikey recorded for our network before his untimely passing in March 2008. His energy, his music, and his enthusiasm are still deeply missed.

Mikey’s 6th & final un-aired episode will be posting soon.

= = =

EPISODE 5: DJ STYLE

Showcasing some of the prominent Jamaican DJ’s of the 1970’s.

In the USA, the DJ is called “The Selector.”

In Jamaica the DJ (man or woman) who works the microphone at a party, or dance, or studio recording is called the DJ. But in Jamaica the man or woman who PLAYS the music is called “The Selector.”

In the UK, the DJ on the record and sound system is called a “Toaster!!”
Enjoy the 5th episode of “Dread at the Controls.”

= = =

Mikey Dread & his music live on at http://www.mikeydread.com

RUN IT!

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Popularity: unranked [?]

IR: Dread At The Controls: Episode 4 “Heartbreaker”

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A Various Artists Compilation featuring Reggae stars like: Roland Alphonso, Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, Earl 16 and Derrick Barnett plus many more!

If you enjoyed this episode, go ahead and burn it to a CD and share it with a friend. And support the awesome roots-reggae artists you heard on the show.

Playlist: Dread At The Controls #4: Heartbreaker

ARTIST	SONG TITLE	LABEL
Burning Spear	Resting Place	Sonic Sound
Freddie McGregor	Big Ship	Big Ship
Sly & Robbie	Rock Dem	Taxi
Gregory Isaacs	Top 10	Jet Star
Coco Tea	Africa, Here I Come	VP
Garnet Silk	Zion in a Vision	Jet Star
Garnet Silk	Fill me up w/ your Mercy	Jet Star
Freddie McGregor	Africa, Here I Come	Studio One
Culture	I am not ashamed	Joe Gibbs
Techniques	Queen Majesty	Trojan
Sugar Minott	Show me that you love me	Black Roots
Earl Sixteen	Don’t Think I Am Crazy	Jungle Hunter
Vivian jones	Sometimes Lover	Jet Star
Freddie McGregor	Come and take it	VP
Dennis Brown	Let me Love you	Joe Gibbs
Luciano	Shake it up tonight	Big Ship
Abyssinians	Declaration of Rights	Studio One
Leroy Horsemouth Wallace	I want to Dub	Stable One

Popularity: 23% [?]

IR: Dread At The Controls: Episode 3

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Welcome to another episode of Dread at the Controls. The # of listeners is on the rise, and I can tell you’re all spreading the word. keep it up! Burn this episode to a CD and pass it around, share the website address, anything you like.

Thanks for listening, and keep the roots reggae alive!

#	Artist	Song	Label
1	Slim Smith	Watch This Sound	Stricker Lee
2	Pat Kelly	Soulful Love	Sun Shot
3	Junior Byles	Curly Locks	Upsetter
4	Dennis Brown	Wolves & Leopards	Observer
5	Barry Brown	Far East	Channel One
6	Mighty Diamonds	Right Time	Channel One
7	Eternals	Undying Love	Studio One
8	Shorty	President a mash up Resident	Trojan
9	Alton & Hortense Ellis	Breaking Up	Studio One
10	Dennis Brown	Black Magic Woman	Sun Shot
11	Barry Brown	Love is the Answer	Stricker Lee
12	Dennis Brown	Money in my Pocket	Joe Gibbs
13	John Holt	Love I Can Feel	Studio One
14	Horace Andy	Youthman	Studio One
15	Delroy Wilson	I Can’t Explain	Sonic Sound
16	Dennis Alcapone	Rock to the Beat	Treasure Isle
17	Ken Boothe	Silver Words	Studio One
18	Nora Dean	Barb Wire	Trojan
19	Roy Richards	Freedom Blues	Studio One
20	Sound Dimension	Soul Food	Studio One

Popularity: 22% [?]

Live in the Lounge: The Junk Session

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On this extraordinary “Live in the Lounge” session, we caught up with Glasgow born singer/songwriter John Smith – otherwise known as Junk, an interesting title that is the exact opposite description of his music!

Junk and his talented band recorded a stellar session for us. If you dig it half as much as we did, go throw them some support, and check out his latest outing “The Last Stand of the Conspiracy Cowboy”

(DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE \ SUBSCRIBE TO FUTURE SHOWS)

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Popularity: 19% [?]

IR: Dread At The Controls: Episode 2

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From Mikey Dread’s studio and straight to your ears, it’s another hour long episode of roots reggae goodness, right here on Insomnia Radio.

Alright, enjoy the show. Feel free to download it, burn it, share it, whatever!

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 2

TRACK:	ARTIST:	SONG TITLE:	LABEL:
1	Richie Spice	Brown Skin	VP Records
2	George Dekker	Ganja Farmer	Jet Star
3	Mikey Dread	Pound A Weed	Dread at the Controls
4	Jah Cure	Sunny Day	J&D
5	Wayne Wonder	Love And Affection	VP Records
6	Jah Cure	Dance Vibes	J&D
7	Jah Cure	Move On	J&D
8	Cherine	Good Love	VP Records
9	Alton Ellis	Too Late To Turn Back Now	Randy’s
10	Augustus Pablo	Cassava Piece	Rockers
11	Beres Hammond	Settling Down	Jet Star
12	Gregory Isaacs	Clean And Poor	Jet Star
13	Barry Brown	Going To The Blues	Stricker Lee
14	Burning Spear	Days Of Slavery	Spear
15	Johnny Clarke	Rock With Me	Weed Beat
16	Leroy Smart	Ballistic Affair	Channel One
17	Lynn Tait	Love Me Forever	Studio One

Popularity: 22% [?]

IR: Dread At The Controls: Episode 1

To celebrate Mikey Dread’s presentation and performance tonight @ the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, we’re pleased to bring you Episode 1 of IR: Mikey Dread -Dread At The Controls.

After meeting personally with Mikey in Cleveland this morning, we’re more excited than ever to be working directly with him to bring Roots Reggae to the world.

Stay locked onto this site to learn how to subscribe to each new episode for free! Thanks for listening, and make sure ya tell a friend!

Stream it above, download it HERE

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Dread At The Controls Episode 1 Playlist:

ARTIST	SONG TITLE	LABEL
Dennis Brown	Here I Come	Taxi
Mighty Diamonds	I Need a Roof	Channel One
Cornel Campbell	Stars	Studio One
Cornel Campbell	Queen of the Minstrel	Studio One
Barry Brown	So Jah Jah Say	Channel One
Johnny Clarke	Blood Dunza	Weed Beat
Linval Thomson	Six Babylon	Thomson Sound
Johnny Clarke	Ten To One	Attack
Cornel Campbell	Ten To One	Studio One
Heptones	I Hold The Handle	Studio One
Gregory Isaacs	My Only Lover	Jet Star
Barrington Levy	Rob and Gone	Joe Gibbs
Lloyd Parks	Slaving	Trojan
Horace Andy	Just Say Who	Studio One
Delroy Wilson	Cool Operator	Sonic Sounds
Techniques	You Don’t Care	Trojan
Marcia Griffiths	Truly	Studio One
Big Youth	S-90 Skank	Hudson
Horace Andy	Mr. Bassie	Studio One

Popularity: 28% [?]