Top 5 Best Music Venues

Ever wonder what the world’s best music venues are? Most of us stick close to home when it comes to concert going, but the truth is that not all venues were created equal. In fact, some are much, much better than others.

Party Earth is a website that recommends entertainment and social experiences worldwide through detailed reviews of venues, calendars of events, and life-capturing photos. So naturally, they have a list of the top music venues around the world. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind live music experience, consider the following places:

1.      Paradiso, Amsterdam—What used to be a 19^th century church is now a concert venue and nightclub, and some of the world’s best artists have made it a point to stop there: The Rolling Stones, U2, Pink Floyd, Metallica, and many more.

2.      Columbia Halle, Berlin—Instead of Paradiso’s Victorian vibe, Berlin presents us with one of the most modern venues out there. Its acoustics are world-renowned and its hi-tech style allows for light shows you’ve never seen the likes of before.

3.      Le Grand Rex, Paris—Built in 1932, this is Paris’s largest concert venue. Its ceiling has been decorated to look like the night sky, and the stage has seen the likes of artists like the Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead.

4.      The Congress Theater, Chicago—This was originally a movie palace, built in the 1920s. Now it’s one of the best venues around for music. Its beautifully elegant exterior and interior really do look like a palace.

5.      Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles—Some of music’s biggest names have added this location to their performance schedules. An outdoor arena, it offers some of the best views of Los Angeles and is located just below the famous “Hollywood” sign. 

Didgeridoo to the Rescue?

It’s no secret that music can make life easier on us in many ways—it can effect our emotions, relieve stress, and even help our memory. Some people listen to music to help them sleep better at night. And some people learn to play an instrument that helps them sleep better.

Sleep apnea is a fairly common ailment many Americans struggle with—night after night. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common and occurs when the airway is obstructed. People suffering from OSA wake up several seconds after their airway has been blocked, often choking and high with adrenaline.

Traditional treatment involves using a CPAP machine that pumps air through the nose at night to provide a steady flow of oxygen to the body. But not everybody relishes the idea of being hooked up to a sometimes inconvenient machine every night. Some want to find a better, more progressive cure for their problem.

That’s where our unlikely rescuer comes in: the didgeridoo. According to a study published by the British Medical Journal, learning how to play the instrument can strengthen the muscles in the back of the throat, toning the airway and making it less likely to collapse during the night. But the player has to be dedicated to learning and practicing the instrument for it to be effective, and it generally only works as an alternative for those with mild or moderate cases.

Experts agree that it is certainly plausible that playing the didgeridoo could have significant benefits to those with OSA, but they also agree that there needs to be more research conducted on the topic before they’ll give it an official seal of approval like the CPAP.

Grails coming out with new volume!

Grails, a Portland instrumental rock band has announced that they'll be releasing a follow-up to last year's wonderful Deep Politics. 

If you don't know who Grails is, you should pick up Deep Politics as soon as you can and prepare to be amazed.  Maybe it's just that I love a piece that builds, but Grails is the kind of thing that you makes a simple walk down to the corner store feel like an epic quest to Mordor.  It's the ultimate transportation music, guaranteed to transport you to new and unusual places within your mind.

Of course, the real treat is seeing them in concert.  They're intense and mesmerizing, and they make me wish that I took drugs just so I could experience their music through that facet.  Although, given that they're in Australia right now it might be a bit difficult to see them. 

Grails' new album is called Black Tar Prophecies: Volume 5, and it's being released by Andres Santo Domingo and Tom Clapp's Kemado Records- which means that it'll probably be available on vinyl. I'm looking forward to heading down to their shop and checking it out. :)

No Doubt Under Fire

Thinking of No Doubt means, for most of us, reminiscing about the 90s. Songs like “Spiderwebs,” “Just A Girl,” and “It’s My Life” are ingrained in many-a-person’s head for life. But No Doubt is not just a thing of the past. They’re working on a comeback, and they’ve started with their new album, “Push and Shove.”

Unfortunately, things haven’t started off so well as they might have hoped. The video for their newest single, “Looking Hot,” has gotten some serious negative feedback—enough so that the band pulled the video not long after it was released.

The video, which has fans calling it racist, depicted band members in stereotypical Native American and Cowboy costumes having a mock showdown. The band says they consulted with Native American experts and friends during the making of the video, but didn’t realize that it would be offensive to people. They issued a formal apology on Saturday via their website, the day after the release.

“As a multi-racial band our foundation is built upon both diversity and consideration for other cultures. Our intention with our new video was never to offend, hurt or trivialize Native American people, their culture or their history…

“The music that inspired us when we started the band, and the community of friends, family, and fans that surrounds us was built upon respect, unity and inclusiveness. We sincerely apologize to the Native American community and anyone else offended by this video. Being hurtful to anyone is simply not who we are.”

Warner Music Joins Google

There’s no denying it: music has, for the most part, gone digital. Make no mistake, there are still millions of people investing in CDs; but most of those CDs get put onto a computer or mp3 player and then packed away somewhere. Apple’s iTunes has been a digital music giant for some time now, and other companies have struggled to keep up at times.

But now that phones are practically mini-computers that get carried around everywhere, people want to be able to take their music with them wherever they go. iTunes works wonders for those with an iPhone, but Androids don’t have that option.

Google Music has been able to provide Android users thus far with a fairly large collection of music to purchase and download, but until recently the catalogue was not complete. Warner Music Group, which controls about 15% of recorded music in the world, just signed a deal with Google allowing it to include all of Warner’s music in the Google Play catalogue.

Huge artists like Bruno Mars, Michael Bublé, Iron & Wine, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more are artists under Warner’s control. This is good news for those who use Android phones. Google Play comes already installed on many smartphones these days, and having a complete selection of music to choose from is essential to any music lover.

Google’s music store for Western Europe will also open on November 13^th. The new store will introduce a “scan and match” feature that will allow customers to match songs on their computer to a cloud database, preventing them from having to upload every single song. It will become available to the United States shortly after being released in Europe, according to Andy Rubin, Google’s senior vice president for mobile and digital content.