The Hot 100: Billboard's 100th Best Song of the Week

I'm 20 seconds into this music video, and I've learned that Ariana Grande looks like she's 13, Arnold Schwarzenegger's kid, Patrick, is playing the part of Romeo, and this "Big Sean" character is playing the role of a priest.

I was going to write this without listening to the actual song, and I was going to give it a six or so just because I figured it was so ridiculous it had to be good.  But its like a weird R&B song, with party lyrics.  It's all been downhill since Week 1 it seems, but looking ahead, there's a good chance we could see some former Top 10'ers land on our list.  Ylvis and OneDirection are nearly on the ground after finishing their 15- and 19-week descent from grace.

Week 1:
Artist: Jon Pardi
Song: Up All Night
Peak: 99 (last week)

Week 2:
Artist: SchoolBoy Q featuring Kendrick Lamar
Song: Collard Greens
Peak: 92

Week 3:
Artist: Daughtry
Song: Waiting for Superman
Peak: 70

Week 4:
Artist: Ariana Grande featuring Big Sean
Song: Right There
Peak: 84

My rating:

Three. French hens. Its fits with the season, and it indicates how terrible this song is.

The Hot 100: Billboard's 100th Best Song of the Week

Another week down, and there are only two more Mondays left in 2013.  Crazy, huh?  The year has just flown by.  But don't let another week fly by without knowing what the 100th best song is right now.

Chris Daughtry should've won American Idol.  There, I said it.  But let's talk about the music video.  I can't help but feel like the scene at 0:28 seconds would've been more dramatic if it was a larger vehicle, so therefore the girl's anger is totally justified.  And also, if a guy came up to me in a ratty shirt and shoved me, the gloves are coming off.

Then when he goes Darren Sharper on that mugger and the cops come?  Again, its because you're a nutcase running someone down and tackling them.  You should be arrested.

Anyone surprised at the guy's anger who is about to jump but then gets, you guessed it, tackled? No. And he'd totally get a smooch from that girl he saved if he didn't look like he just got run through a jet engine.

Week 1:
Artist: Jon Pardi
Song: Up All Night
Peak: 99 (last week)

Week 2:
Artist: SchoolBoy Q featuring Kendrick Lamar
Song: Collard Greens
Peak: 92

Week 3:
Artist: Daughtry
Song: Waiting for Superman
Peak: 70

My rating:

It's no "Up All Night," and it's CERTAINLY no "Collard Greens..."

"Drink A Beer" By Luke Bryan

Amazing and moving song. I don't think you need to be a country music fan to enjoy this tune from Luke Bryan. To give a quick background, Bryan lost a brother and a sister suddenly in recent years, and this song is about them.

Maybe it's the Irish or the upstate NY in me, but this song hits home. I'm sure everyone can think of someone who you can "drink a beer" in memory of. The interview below gives a really good background of Luke Bryan and the song.



Now back to blogging about girls, cookies and porn.

DJ Big Cat Joins the Team!

Three if by Strike has been doing some big things over the past couple weeks. Max and Span have both hopped on board and are writing up a storm. We're generating more posts than ever, you're loving them and we're just getting warmed up.

Like the Sox we're looking to add some veteran depth to our rotation with our latest move, the acquisition of Jaime De Pena, aka Big Cat, aka DJ Big Cat, aka Gato Grande, aka "a mouse under a blanket".

Hailing from Yonkers, New York, Big Cat is a baseball aficionado, holding down 1st base for the Emmanuel College baseball team for several years and also earning accolades for his work on the Fenway Park Grounds Crew. Additionally, Big Cat adds some much needed basketball knowledge to the blog (because believe it or not the Celtics are still a team). DJ Big Cat should also provide a nice balance to Span and Jon's country loving ways with his own musical tastes.

Finally, Big Cat will be running Three if by Strike's twitter account. Start following us at @ThreeifbyStrike if you aren't already and let us know what you think. This is just a taste of what the Big Cat has to offer, the kid is a fashion guru, a cool customer with the ladies, can talk sports for hours, and did we mention he can dance?

And the 100th "Hottest" Song This Week According to Billboard's "The Hot 100" Is...

Everybody hears the Top 40 songs way too often. So let's try something different. The 100th best song of the week every week.

Some weeks it will be a washed up hit. Other weeks it will be something new, maybe even a future #1 on the rise. I can guarantee you one thing though the 100th best song in America could be anything from country to hip-hop to polka.

So stay on your toes, folks. We're in for a wild ride.

Week 1:
Artist: Jon Pardi
Song: Up All Night
Peak: 99 (last week)

My Rating:

 

If you're into country music you have heard this jam. It's a real toe-tapper. Jon Pardi is new on the scene but if he keeps firing off singles like this, you will be hearing his name more often. Throw it on your 2014 country power hour playlist and drink up. 

Sasquatch, Loch Ness Monster, Perfect Pandora Station - Do They Exist?

We could spend hours upon hours discussing cryptozoology, which actually would be awesome, but today's blurry picture to bring into focus can be found a lot easier than most of these mythical beasts.

Pandora.  We all use it.  Some prefer their iHeart radio, or Spotify, sure, but when you think of internet radio, you think of Pandora.

Every day I listen to Pandora at work. It just makes more sense over downloading Spotify or adding/removing music from my phone.  Every day I am starting new stations, liking and disliking different songs, adding different artists for variety; but for what?

To do the impossible: create the perfect Pandora playlist.

It is without a doubt one of the most arduous processes known to man, right behind what my brothers-in-arms do over at Animal Planet, but its something that can be done, right?  Let's take a look.

The biggest question right off the bat is, "well, doesn't everyone have different musical interests?" Its a totally fair question, but no one asked you.  The quest for this station is a quest to find yourself. You may also like O.A.R. and Icona Pop, but it doesn't mean I like that guy who sings "Grenade" and "The Lazy Song" any more than you like Sara Bareilles.  One man's trash could be another man's Perfect Pandora Station...

"But music is subjective to your mood." Correct, music is very much a mood thing, but for this exercise you have to just go at it with the mindset of, "I can only have one station for the rest of my life."  But that being said, everyone knows there are some songs that when you hear them, nothing else matters, and you just jam out for a few.  So maybe there is a station perfectly capable of being either mood-resistant or mood-changing, right?

I have made several attempts at the PPS. The closest I have come is when I chose to not like a single song on the artist Fastball's radio station, but if I heard "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis one more time...  Then there was the strategic liking of songs starting off of "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam.  Pearl Jam into Lynyrd Skynyrd into Bob Seger into Foo Fighters into... Tool? Deftones? Looks like we took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. No thanks.

Dave Matthews Band mixed with Darius Rucker radio was my life for a good three months, but soon, I had liked and disliked too many songs, and things were getting repetitive and I had to move on. Sting radio got weird.  I liked it, but it got weird.

I decided to Google my issue and see if anyone else was attempting this feat, and it turns out, yeah, a ton of people are.  SoundAndVision.com posted an article titled "How to Create the Perfect Pandora Station," but in the article, they are very quick to drop the word perfect for words like ideal or perfectly customized. Okay, so not actually perfect, then.  Cool.

This e-How article is just insulting to someone who has done any research on the PPS.

Through my dozens and dozens of attempts, I have yet to find a station where I don't skip or dislike a song in the first 15 played.  And if a station has been good enough to make it to the second day, as many have, I can't say that I have found one worthy of being my Perfect Pandora Station.  But that's just me.

I want the PPS to be real, just like I want to see that episode of "Finding Bigfoot" when they finally find Bigfoot (it's gonna happen).  But it just seems so unlikely.  Try as you might to mix Kevin Rudolf, OneRepublic, Florence and the Machine, Big D and the Kids Table and Barenaked Ladies, the end result is that you're going to end up with a station where you like every fifth song, and that's if you're lucky.

Juicebox: First Cut

Juicebox describes themselves as "an infectious blend of rhythm and blues, soul and funk."  After seeing them perform live once and listening to their just-released six-track EP, there's no doubt that I would have to describe them as an undeniably infectious blend of rhythm and blues, soul and funk.

Based out of NYC, Juicebox is made up of seven musicians who have played together since 2009.  Their EP, "First Cut," marks the ensemble's first official release. Now, I've never been much at reviewing music, but when you listen to something and your immediate reaction is ".....DAMN!" then it warrants a little praise.

Saturday night, I caught them playing at the Rockwood Music Hall in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  The venue heated up instantly when they took the stage.  Everyone was into the music and jamming out with every solo, including the one guy just off stage right who appeared to be getting taken to church by Lisa Ramey's vocals.  But all it took was a couple songs, and he had plenty of company.  The band had tremendous energy through their 45-minute set and even onto the one-song encore the crowd called for as Juicebox was about to exit the stage.

I've known organ and keys player Dave Mainella since we were kids, and I even took piano lessons from his dad.  He invited a few friends and me down for the show, and we jumped at the opportunity.  What sold it for me was probably when Mainella described the band as a mix between James Brown and Lauryn Hill.  It was the first time I had heard them play, and I was immediately drawn in (as evidenced by the conversation I had with Ramey following the set, who confirmed that she noticed my awkward eye contact as she sang...but its not my fault since her voice is killer).

Mainella held it down along with Isaac Jaffe and Alex Raderman on the bass and drums respectively, while sax player Nicholas Myers, trumpeter Aaron Rockers and guitarist Frank Cogliano cooked up some nasty riffs and solos to blend it all together.  You can just see how much fun they were having on stage, the type of fun that's, well, "infectious."

To me, their up-tempo songs are really where they make their money, as you can't help but want to get up and dance, but when that beat drops it can easily make your knees weak.  The songs are simply intricate, and are powerful yet a little sensual at times (just listen to the final track, Friday Morning Class, for a perfect example).

Listen and watch their video above, download their EP and follow them on Twitter.  These guys are good, I can't say it enough. And if anyone knows where a good spot in Boston would be for them to try to play out, let's hear it.

Justin Timberlake "20/20 Experience" - Strange But Good

Justin Timberlake hasn't released a new CD since 2006, but with his latest that came out Tuesday, "The 20/20 Experience" wait was worth it.

The 20/20 Experience combines pop, hip hop, soul, jazz, latin and rock into a 10-track seamless album.  What popped out to me at first is how long each track is.  The longest is "Mirrors" at 8:06 ranging down to "That Girl" at 4:48, my two favorites on the album as it turns out, but sometimes the songs can drag a little bit in the waning minutes.

"Don't Hold the Wall" and "Let the Groove Get In" are two such tracks that don't really do much for me.  They're interesting enough to listen to musically, but they just sound like JT is trying to do too much.  But hey, pretty tough to make an entire CD of just jams, so they balance things out.

The first track on the album is titled "Pusher Love Girl," which is a great way to introduce listeners to Timberlake's newest stylings, and things kind of rollercoaster up and down from there.  There are really only four or five songs I find myself really getting into, but listening to the album all the way through makes each track make sense a little more.  It is not a CD full of club songs, and if it was, I probably wouldn't even listen to it.

You can tell JT really took his time with these tracks, and really explored every direction that they could go, making it very easy to appreciate what he's done.  The best news about this 10-song album, is that Timberlake is working on another 10-song album to come out later this year.  If you want to listen, but don't want to buy the album, check out The 20/20 Experience on Spotify.

Golf Boys - 2.Oh

The Golf Boys are back with their new single, "2.Oh."

Bubba Watson, Ben Crane, Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler first broke into the music scene in 2011 with their song, "Oh Oh Oh," a ridiculous video and song featuring awkward lyrics and even more awkward dance moves.

You really can't not like these guys.  Watson won his first PGA Tour event in my hometown of Cromwell, CT, so I've been a fan ever since, and Mahan won the same event here three years earlier.  As for Fowler, the outfits have got to go, but he's the smoothest one in the video by far, so I'll let it go.

Crane wearing that weird red one-piece is just beyond words.

Michael Grey - First Listen to Feb. 28 Debut EP

Michael Grey stands poised to make his debut onto the growing Boston music scene.  He and his producer, known as The Professor, have been making music together for over four years, and have compiled a five-track EP, titled "Wide Awake," set to release Feb. 28.

I listened to "Alice," the first track coming off of the new mixtape on Monday night.   I will admit, at my first listen, the song took a little while to kick off -- it took me a few tries to get the feel and the beat down.  But the further into the song I got, the more I started getting into that beat and the lyrics, too.  Grey's rap at first seemed sporadic to my ears, more attuned to rock and country, but along with the expanding beat, I thought the lyrics here worked extremely well, taking their time and working with the music rather than overpowering it.

After listening to the track a few times, I think "Alice" off of "Wide Awake" should provide the duo with a smooth transition into their first -- and free, kids -- EP release.  I'll be checking out the EP when it drops, but in the meantime, if you're into the song and want any updates on the artist, be sure to follow him on Twitter at @IAmMichaelGrey.

Pop Danthology 2012 - Pretty Sweet, Actually

I'll admit right now to liking music that I know I shouldn't.  That being said, there are artists like Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, LMFAO and whoever the hell sung "Rack City" that I cannot stand and have no business making music.

Apparently I was completely out of the loop until a few days ago on these videos, that take a bunch of popular songs from that year and mash them all together into one mega-hit.  From what I gather, this have been going on for three years, but its news to me.  Either way, despite it showcasing how similar every pop song is nowadays and how the music scene is falling in the gutter, when you can combine Justin Bieber, Psy, One Direction and Owl City, yeah, I'll listen.

Side note, music videos these days, right?  The amount of nonsense you see watching this video is nothing short of baffling, and you mostly have Rihanna and Ke$ha to thank for that.

Dan & The Wildfire - Smoke Signals

Dan & The Wildfire, formally known as Dan HL released their second album Tuesday titled "Smoke Signals."  The nine-track album packs a solid punch right off the bat, with a good mix of quick, fun songs later balanced out with some softer, lyric-heavy tunes.

Songs like "Wood and Wire" and "Keep Myself Alive" alone provide me with everything I've been looking for out of this band, and its no accident that they chose these songs to open and close the album respectively.  The singability of the lyrics, the harmonies, the horns -- they're such an easy band to get into, and with a constantly growing audience, I think they're really starting to hit their stride as a band.

"Good Enough" is a fast, in-your-face jam complete with a message embedded into chorus that everyone can relate to, making it one of the true highlights for me on the album, and the song I'm most looking forward to when I see these guys play live.  Its followed by two tracks, "Western Time" and "Sunday" that slowed things down and really drew me in, allowing me to catch my breath before it was all over.

The nine songs on "Smoke Signals" prove that Dan & The Wildfire is a much more dynamic band than their fist album, and solidifies them as one of the best up-and-coming bands in the Boston area.  You can check them out on iTunes, or catch them on Spotify, before they come back and play live in November.

New to the Hub: NY's "The Bowery Presents" to open "The Sinclair"

Coming this October, Boston adds another live music venue to an already thriving scene and it sounds pretty promising. Making it's home in bustling Harvard Square, The Sinclair will open just in time for Halloween. The 525-person standing room club/restaurant is set to open at the end of this month with a lineup of national touring acts ready to make the place jump. 

The Meter Men-10/30 - $40 

Andrew Jackson Jihad 10/31 - $12

Gary Clark Jr 11/2-11/3 - $20

K'naan 11/4 - $25

The Asteroids Galaxy 11/08 - $15

Roky Erickson 11/09 - $23

Barefoot Truth 11/11 - $15

Converge 11/12 - $16

The Dirty Guh'nahs 11/14 - $12

TITLE FIGHT 11/27 - $12

David Wax Museum 12/1 - $15

Patrick Watson 12/8 - $15

Chadwick Stokes & Friends 12/14 - $25

The lineup didn't impress me too much at first glance. Barefoot Truth is from a couple towns over and they used to play free shows on the beach at Groton Long Point and I think I have a signed Chad Stokes ticket stub from when I caught State Radio in high school with a bitchy ex-girlfriend. Neither really did much for me but then I looked into The Meter Men and holiest of holies! Turns out they're actually the remainder of the seminal funk/soul group The Meters, who's ability to get a rump shakin' is unparalleled.  Also, K'naan and Andrew Jackson Jihad are pretty cool too. 

While I don't think The Sinclair lineup has the strength of other staples of the Boston scene like the Paradise, The Middle East, TT and the Bear's, Royale or House of Blues, the fact that they're backed by The Bowery Presents shows great promise for future big names coming through.  Definitely keep an eye out for more shows making their way to Harvard Square from now on. 

PS - Shows coming this fall that I would go to if money weren't a thing: The GZA, Miike Snow, Pete Holmes (comedian),  Dinosaur Jr., Black Moth Super Rainbow (going), Japandroids (tickets purchased), Of Montreal, Blue Scholars, Purity Ring, Electric Six, Camper Von Beethoven, El Ten Eleven, Yeasayer, Nas + Lauryn Hill, 2 Chainz, The Roots, Sufjan Stevens and Band of Horses.

E-40, Giants Fans Show Support Through Song

I mean, its like a car wreck. A 30-car pile-up. Like that moment in a NASCAR race, when cars start flipping and you go from thinking its awesome to getting sick to your stomach.

The next video is from rapper E-40.  The guy who only has one song?  False.  It was only a few days ago that I searched some of his stuff on Spotify and found some gems.  Here are a few highlights:

Gargoyle Serenade
In This Thang Breh
Stove On High
My Lil Grimey N*gga
I'ma Teach Ya Hot To Sell Dope
Extra Mannish

You get the idea.  So here's his latest addition to the mix.  Enjoy.  Or try to.  Or don't, probably easier if you don't.

Tunes For Thought - Snarky Puppy

One of my goals on this Wednesday afternoon was to compile a list of music without any lyrics.  So far its been populated with mostly jazz, with some Explosions in the Sky, Andy McKee and "The Goat Rodeo Sessions" featuring Yo-Yo Ma thrown in.  My goal is to get as many different genres into the mix as I can, and I can cross a few off the list with this band, Snarky Puppy.

They're a jazz fusion band out of Denton, Tex., and they are amazing. The band consists of up to 30 members at one time, and their sound is absolutely incredible, give them a listen, and check them out on Spotify, too.

Big thanks to Bill for showing me these guys.

Videos from the Underground

Sooo, this is cool. I'm an absolute sucker for animation with a heavy bass back.

Purity Ring 9/29 (Saturday) Free at Northeastern

They say time is money and that the best things in life are free; well play your cards right this weekend and both could be true. Sorry about the late notice on this one but hot damn, is this exciting.  So I'm creeping on Facebook just now, poking around here and there, seeing who's lost their cell phone or uploaded the last of summer's bathing suit pictures and I find this absolute gem just sitting there in the middle of The Book.

The Details: This Saturday 6-9pm-Northeastern's Centennial Commons Quad-Purity Ring and Penguin Prison-FREE-FREE-FREE.  I went to one of these concerts a couple years ago and saw Tim Fite and The Cool Kids, so here's the deal.  No Northeastern ID necessary, just show up. It's gonna be kinda messy as most of the undergrad class and outsiders will probably make there way to this at some point. I would suggest going early, bringing a bunch of friends and supplies and stake out a spot way up front.

I've already written about how much I think Purity Ring is on the verge of blowing up big in the scene, with a great live show, a top tier debut album and word of mouth that's spreading like the Boston Neurovirus they just have to.  I will be at this show and I will be annoying anyone within cellphone range to come to this concert.

Not like it happened on purpose but if your a regular follower of the blog we here at Three If By Strike have laid out a pretty nice little Saturday for this upcoming weekend.  Explore the North End on an adult style field trip  then hop on the Orange Line at North Station and catch Purity Ring, all for free.

Field Trip Boston-This Saturday

Not totally sure what this Field Trip Boston deal is but it's free and it sure couldn't hurt to learn a little more about the hub so check it out if your plans for Saturday only extend as far as "hanging over."

From as near as I can tell this is the plan, sign up for a free ticket, meet in the North End at 3, wander around till 6, and then party with the other field trippers at Savas Studios.  From the linked site it sounds like all the best parts about your 4th grade trips to the Science Museum and Plymouth Rock except there are no chaperons and the day ends with booze.

Sidebar: I was up late last night pretending like I didn't have to be up by 6:30 for work and I needed some get up and go tunes to get  up and over the hump.  Maybe you do too...maybe not, maybe f**k yahself.

Gangnam Style: A Social Commentary? (Now With Lyrics!)

It doesn't need to be stated how ridiculous song is.   But its ridiculousness caused me to scour the internet for answers as to why this video has over 282 million hits on YouTube.

"Gangnam Style" is by a South Korean K-Pop (South Korean hip-hop/electronica) artist Psy.  It differs from most K-Pop in that within its lyrics there is actually a message.  Take any song today, such as "Call Me Maybe."  Its utter garbage that people dance to but don't actually like because the lyrics are literally about nothing.  In "Gangnam Style," the lyrics are used to provide an exaggerated view of upper class life in the most wealthy district, Gangnam, in Seoul, South Korea.

The women, the suits, the horses, the lavish lifestyle the singer shows off in the video; all of it is used as a social commentary situated within a popular and goofy music style.  Not only is Psy clearly one of the best Far East Coast rappers, but he's a pretty smart dude, too.

Update: Here are the lyrics in all of their absurdity...

Gangnam style

A girl who is warm and humanle during the day
A classy girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee
A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes
A girl with that kind of twist

I’m a guy
A guy who is as warm as you during the day
A guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down
A guy whose heart bursts when night comes
That kind of guy

Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now let’s go until the end

Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style

Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays
A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
A sensable girl like that

I’m a guy
A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays
A guy who goes completely crazy when the right time comes
A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscles
That kind of guy

Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now let’s go until the end

Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style

Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
I’m a man who knows a thing or two
On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
I’m a man who knows a thing or two

You know what I’m saying
Oppa is Gangnam style

Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

Bluesday: Otis Taylor on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert

Heyooo, it's Blueday and I'd be lying if I didn't say this was one helluva bluesday indeed.  Unwind with Otis Taylor's banjo and this bluesy edition of the NPR Tiny Desk Concert, which is a great little venue to see up n' comers and veteran's a like.  Just today I was perusing through shows of Daniel Johnston, Reggie Watts, while in the past sets of The Tallest Man on the Earth and Dr. Dog have whittled away many a afternoon.

Stick around through Otis' long set till the second song at least. He really starts warming up the banjo around the 6 minute mark. Plus, this guy looks like a black and beardy John C. Reilly, so I mean, I'm sold.

Otis Taylor and John C. Reilly: Separated at birth