What Happened to Miss Simone?

OH HELL YES.

:) MF

Noteworthy Soundtrack- Bloodline

For those of you who possess the tragic yet common disease I currently have: Chronic & Severe Netflix Binge Watching  definitely check out Netflix's latest original: Bloodline. In addition to the edgy storyline and awesome acting, Mark Wike put together a truly awesome soundtrack ft. music from Jimi Hendrix, Jack White, TV on the Radio and more.

For those of you that know me, nothing tickles my fancy more than a good soundtrack since my life dream is to become a music supervisor for multiple TV series/movies. To stream the full series soundtrack on Spotify click below.

Glass Animals - Toes

If you haven't been listening to the Glass Animals album ZABBA, you are seriously missing out and need to get on it ASAP. Each track off the debut album is pretty much golden and when a debut album is this good it overwhelms me to imagine what's up next. Verrrrry excited to see them at Summerstage in August :)

Happy listening :)
MF

May 2015 NYC Concert Update

Fr 5/1 - Toro Y Moi @ Terminal 5
Fr 5/1 - Sufjan Stevens @ Kings Theatre
Fr 5/1- Four Tet @ Sugar Hill Kingdom
Fr 5/1- FKJ @ Baby's All Right
Sa 5/2 - Xavier Rudd @ Bowery Ballroom
M 5/4 - Kieza @ Irving Plaza
Tu 5/5- Stanley Clarke @ Blue Note Jazz Club
Th 5/7 - Of Monsters & men @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Fr 5/8- Maya Jane Coles @ Verboten
Th 5/14- The Main Squeeze @ Highline Ballroom
Fr 5/15- The New Mastersounds
             & Euforquestra @ Brooklyn Bowl
M 5/18 - Bobby Rush @ BB Kings
M 5/18- Tedeschi Trucks Band @ Summer Stage
Th 5/21 - French Horn Rebellion @ Irving Plaza
F 5/22- Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ Brooklyn Bowl
M 5/25- Oh Land @ Bowery Ballroom 

Th 5/7 - Glasser @ Le Poisson Rouge
Fr 5/8- Manic Focus @ Brooklyn Bowl

Sa 5/9 Penguin Prison @ Music Hall of WIlliamsburg
Sa 5/9 Plastic Plates @ Cameo Gallery
Th 5/14 - Santigold @ Music Hall of WIlliamsburg
Th 5/14 - Bit Funk @ Good Room
Su 5/17 - Body Language @ Mercury Lounge
Th 5/26 - Bonobo @ Output

Saintseneca- Takmit

Saintseneca is an indie folk rock band from Ohio. The group includes a wide range of instruments varying from acoustic sounds of the mandolin & the Turkish Baglama in addition to some spicier tones from the synthesizer and the electric guitar  "Takmit"  has a very airy uplifting melody and is off their most recent album 'Dark Arc' which was released in 2014.

Happy listening :)
MF

The Wood Brothers- Postcards from Hell

If you are big into acoustic folk, then you can join me and relish in the sound of The Wood Brothers and the track 'Postcards from Hell'. The track is tender and bluesy with a beat that sounds a bit like  a Bob Dylan song.

Happy listening :)
MF

MJ Cole- Slum King

During the course of the past 5- 10 years, dance music has exploded in popularity in the United States. It's wild how a genre so unpopular and uncool could so rapidly become the status quo isn't it? Remember Eminem's 2002 lyrics "Moby, you're too old let go it's over, nobody listens to techno!!" Fast forward to 2015, and if your music taste hasn't evolved toward some version of electro/dance music you are now the odd man out. While I'm not very much of an EDM kinda gal, I will admit to being guilty of a rapid desirous unfolding love of dance music that I was pretty much blind sided by. Deep house in particular although had a very aggressive dub-step phase with my friends.

Anyway, within my deep dive into this new world I like to look back and explore dance music that came out in the late 90s/early 2000s while American's were big time missing the boat. In this exploration, I have discovered MJ Cole's album 'Sincere' which is fucking awesome to put it bluntly. Here is one of my favorite tracks on the album "Slum King". The track's feel and energy is a mix of deep house, dub reggae, old school hip hop plus this undeniable fun factor that makes you want to get up and dance.

MJ Cole (not to be confused with J Cole) is a British house producer known among the UK-garage house genre in the early 2000s . He began his music career with the oboe and the piano where he played for BBC's Young Musician of the Year program. He stuck with this for a bit, but he quickly discovered his passion for computers, turntables, and synthesizers. He released his debut album 'Sincere' in 2000.

Happy listening :)
MF

Gabby La La - Pirates

Gabby La La is an eccentric rock musician who released her first album in 2005. Her music has an uncommon charm and dabbles a bit into multiple genres. Gabby's instrumental talents certainly run the gambit including  sitar, ukulele, piano, the electric guitar and accordion. Her high pitched flirty sounding voice mixed with her original guitar rifts gives her music something recognizable and defined. Since 2005, Gabby has released only one other solo album but works in another band in collaboration with Les Claypool of Primus.

Happy listening :)
MF

NoMBe- California Girls

California Girls is NoMBe's first single off their upcoming EP "Mood Indigo" The track has that easy going bluesy and gentle alt. Rock energy that many "California" songs present. Th rap sequence toward the end has a cool Gorillaz meets Asher Roth vibe followed by an atonal electro-dubby sound that brings the song to an end. I like the lyric repeated in the end "Oooooh how I like the coast of west coast pheromones". Happy listening :) MF

Once in a while you'll get shown in the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right

"Scarlet Begonias" by The Grateful Dead

Electronic Fridaze 4/24

Need a new playlist for your pregame tonight?! I have a feeling you will like this one. 


Happy listening :)
MF

If you could heal the symptoms,

But not affect the cause,

It's quite a bit like trying to heal a gunshot wound with gauze.

-"Sand" by Phish

Rework of the Week

Whatever Lola Wants (Gotan Project Remix) (2003) 

ORIGINAL: Whatever Lola Wants- by Richard Adler & Jerry Ross for Damn Yankees (1955)


I'd say that "Whatever Lola Wants" is probably one of the most recognizable songs of all time. It's literally everywhere. I always thought it might have been from a play but until 5 minutes ago I actually had no idea where the original came from. There are hundreds of reworks and remixes of this track and its in countless movies and TV commercials. The Gotan Project is a Parisian tango band that incorporates and synthesizer and house music beats. This particular track is off of the 2nd iteration of Verve:Remixes. Verve:Remixed is a series of albums by Verve Records which pulls together various electronic producers to mix classic jazz & blues songs from the 50s and 60s. If you havent heard more of Verve:Remixed...do yourself a favor and go to Spotify or Soundcloud immediately and check these out (one of my personal favorites is Verve:Remixed 4 - The First Ladies)

Happy Listening :)
MF

Original of the Week

Sister Sledge vs. Will Smith 

I get the feeling this one is going to crush some souls.

For those of you around my age (24) one of the most epic songs of your childhood was "Gettin Jiggy with It" (1997) by Will Smith. It was one of those songs that just instantly made you feel cool when it came on and it lives in your heart to this day. The moment you hear those first few beats you find yourself instantly in a good mood.

Unfortunately, Will Smith wasn't the brains behind this amazing and funky afro-disco beat.  It was instead Sister Sledge (best known for "We Are Family") who originally released it in their song "He's the Greatest Dancer" (1979). Sister Sledge released "He's the Greatest Dancer" as part of their most successful album album We Are Family in 1979.


Happy listening :)
MF

Chancha Via Circuito- Jardines

Pedro Canale, better known as Chancha Via Circuito is an American producer of Afro-dance meets digital cumbia. Originally from Buenos Aries he mixes the sounds of current American dub/trip-hop electronic with drum beats and Latin flavor. Chancha Via Circuito was noted as an artist to watch by NPR's Tiny Desk Concert.

Happy listening :)
MF

Michael Franti & Spearhead- Ganja Babe

Happy ... ya know ;)

Shout out to my girls Jenji Kohan & Nancy Botwin ;)

Jose Gonzalez- This is How We Walk on the Moon

Jose Gonzalez is a Swedish indie folk singer/guitarist. He currently works on his solo project and is a member of the band Junip. His soft and gentle acoustics produce the type of sound you would likely hear in the background at a coffee shop. The track "This is How We Walk on the Moon" was released as a single in 2014 as a cover of the original by Arthur Russell. I love the way the tempo switches and the introduction of the Sax and I feel this is one of his most compelling songs. It was released as a single as a larger part of a compilation album with various artists for the Red Hot Benefit tribute to raise awareness of AIDs. Gonzalez was first recognized in 2010 when his song 'Heartbeats' played during an ambiguous Sony Bravia commercial that was a display of 170,000 multi-colored bouncy balls bouncing through San Francisco (view ad here). Of course, if you were an angsty teen who loved One Tree Hill and staying on top of the latest music, you were way ahead and knew Heartbeats in 2005 when it aired during Season 2.

Gonzalez recently released his latest album 'Vestiges & Claws' in February of 2015.

Happy listening :)
MF

Darondo- Didn't I

A few months ago I committed myself to watch all six seasons of Breaking Bad on Netflix. I have to say I did not walk away with the same thoughts I had anticipated. It might have been the case that by the time I sat down to watch it I had spent years of listening to so much hype about it that it just couldn't have possibly lived up to expectations. Or it just might have been that not one of the characters was interesting or likeable and I have no sympathy or ability to relate to people who let their ego control and destroy their lives.

Regardless of my feelings about the shows character and storyline, I will say two aspects that very much impressed me were:
1) the acting
2) the soundtrack

The soundtrack is a unique blend of 50's-60's jazz music, modern rap, old school hip hop, latin jazz, & 70's classic rock & funk/soul. So thanks to Thomas Golubic; the show's music supervisor and not so much to Vince Gilligan; the show's writer, I was able to force myself through six seasons and engage in trendy cultural dialogue about Walter White and the upcoming of Better Call Saul (gave up after 2 episodes).
Here is one of the best tracks used in Breaking Bad's soundtrack: Didn't I by Darondo. Darondo was a 1970s funk/soul singer from the SF Bay area. He never became widely popular or recognized unfortunately, but if you are a funk/soul enthusiast I'm sure you will rate his music with high regard.
Happy listening :)
MF

Electronic Fridaze 4/17

Need a new playlist for your pregame tonight? I bet you will like this one :)

Happy listening :)
MF

BOSS- I Don't Give a Fuck

HAPPY FRIDAY PEOPLEZ!!!

I don't give a fuck, not a single fuck, not a single solitary fuck, I don't give a fuck motherfucker.


Happy listening :)
MF

Barrio Jazz Gang - Sunday Show (Remix)

Isn't interesting how frighteningly well jazz music and electronica blend together? Electro-swing/Jazztronica has a very new age distinguishable sound and is a genre that I've recently been exploring more. I found these guys on Shazam when I walked past a hotel uptown and really liked what was coming from the lobby. Barrio Jazz Gang released their first album in 2002 as one of the earlier groups to work with this genre. They became fairly popular in Europe but never quite blew up in the United States. If you like groups like Parov Stellar or Nikki & Rich you should definitely check these guys out :)

 Happy listening :)
MF

Made In Heights- Forgiveness

Made in Heights never disappoints. Check out their newest track.

Happy listening :)
MF

Jack Garratt- Synethisiac EP

To follow the release of Jack Garratt's 2014 EP "Remnants" which consisted of only 4 songs, Jack recently released a 2nd EP titled "Synethisiac". His sound is sort of a James Blake meets Disclosure fusion. He sings, plays piano and works the synthesizer all on his own which I'm sure translates into a sick live performance. Hope he's around NYC sometime soon!

My love is overdone, selfish and domineering 
It won’t sit up on the shelf 
So don’t try to reason with my love 
My love is powerful, ruthless and unforgiving 
It won’t think beyond itself

So don’t try to reason with my love 
And when you pray, he will not answer 
Although you may hear voices on your mind 
They won’t be kind 

My love is chemical, shallow and chauvinistic 
It’s an arrogant display 
So don’t try to reason with my love
 And when you pray, he will not answer 
I know this for I ask him all the time 
To reassure my mind

Happy listening :)
MF


P.S. If you have never heard of Synesthesia; here's the definition:
a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.

Cool stuff, am I right?

Re:Work of the Week

All that We Had is Lost- Postiljonen (2014)

ORIGINAL:
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston (1985)

Original of the Week

J.J. Cale vs. Eric Clapton




My original of the week this week is JJ Cale's Cocaine. I think this was one of the more shocking original discoveries for me personally. I know that Eric Clapton is the king of popularizing covers but this one I really thought was his. What's even more noteworthy is the uncanny similarity in sounds. Not always, but usually, covers take at least a bit of a new spin on the track but in this scenario, the two sound almost identical. Cale released "Cocaine" in 1976 and Clapton released his cover in 1980. The cover brought some well-deserved attention  to JJ Cale who was virtually under the radar until then.

Interestingly, Clapton believes the song actually has a well hidden anti-drug message and not the contrary.

"It's no good to write a deliberate anti-drug song and hope that it will catch. Because the general thing is that people will be upset by that. It would disturb them to have someone else shoving something down their throat. So the best thing to do is offer something that seems ambiguous—that on study or on reflection actually can be seen to be "anti"—which the song "Cocaine" is actually an anti-cocaine song. If you study it or look at it with a little bit of thought ... from a distance ... or as it goes by ... it just sounds like a song about cocaine. But actually, it is quite cleverly anti-cocaine."

—Eric Clapton

Happy listening :)
MF

P.S. The 1976 J.J. Cale album Troubador is on my "Top 25 Albums of All Time" list so if you aren't familiar with it, I'd definitely recommend a listen.

Jazz Album of the Week: "Portrait" by Horace Silver

Horace Silver was a West Coast American jazz pianist and composer who passed away just last year. His music has been recognized for its distinctive mix of African and Latin American sounds fused with Gospel and soul jazz. He caught his first big break as a backup saxophonist for Stan Getz in 1950.

This album "Portrait" is  a compilation/greatest hits curation of all of his best tracks, and it's fantastic and well-done.

Stream album on Spotify below;




Happy listening :)
MF

"I am filled with sadness that John & Paul’s friendship turned so bitter. 
I know, I know, I know, it has nothing to do with me, but damn it, tell me again why love can’t last. 
Why do we give in to pettiness? 
Why did they? 
Why do we so often see gifts as threats? 
Differences as shortcomings?
 Why can we not see that our friction could be used to polish one another?"

-Boyhood

Ratatat- Cream on Chrome

Ratatat is an alternative rock/electronic duo from NYC consisting of guitar, bass, percussion & synthesizer. Ratatat's music is a mix of trip hop, alt. Rock and neo-psychadelia. Their sound is uptempo and energetic with many mind stimulating layers and textures.
This single "Cream on Chrome" is their first original since their album LP4 released in 2010.

Happy listening :)
MF

Nico & Lou

Modest Mouse- Pups To Dust

If you haven't yet checked out the new Modest Mouse album 'Strangers to Ourselves' you are doing something wrong. 'Strangers to Ourselves' was released on March 17, 2015, the bands first release in 8 years!! Modest Mouse stayed genuinely consistent to their sound although so much time has lapsed so if you were a fan back in the day, you'll be surprisingly delighted to hear this. And to those of you who love "Float On" and don't know their music much further, I bet you too might find yourself positively delighted.

Happy listening :)
MF

Yo La Tengo- I'll Be Around

Happy Saturday :)
MF

KOKO TAYLOR- VOODOO WOMEN

Happy Saturday :)
MF

ELECTRONIC FRIDAZE

Need a new playlist for your pregame tonight? I think you'll like this one.


Happy Listening :) MF

Madeline Peyroux- The Kind You Can't Afford

Madeline Peyroux, I first discovered this chick when my friend Chuck showed me her cover of Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars". A good Elliott Smith cover is pretty much a set of keys to my heart, especially since most of them are so sub-par its offensive. Anyways, never really delved deeper into her music until a few months later when I was on line at Starbucks and saw her name on the "Pick of the Week" card. Got to work that day and instantly added this song my to Spotify queue, I've been pretty much hooked ever since.

Madeline Peyroux is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Athens, Georgia*. Although she has been performing since she was 15 years old, she has kept a relatively low profile. Her music is a funky jazz blues mix. It's that kind of easy listening that is good for first thing when you wake up in the morning.

*Unrelated fun fact for Real Housewives fans, Athens is also where both Nene Leakes & Phaedra Parks grew up.

Happy Listening :)
MF

Caribou- Leave House

Dan Snaith, better known as Caribou played in a couple of bands before he landed on his solo act in 2007. This track is from Caribou's 2010 Album titled Swim. Critics have created genres like "folktronica" and "neo-psychadelica" to describe his sound and I think they pretty much nailed that on the head. Although his production and recording are done solo he often has a couple instrumentalists join him on stage for live performances.

Happy listening :)
MF

Re-Work of the Week:

"Lovely Day" by Alt-J (2014)
ORIGINAL: "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers (1977)



Here is "Lovely Day" a bonus track of Alt-J's latest album 'This is All Yours'. The vibe of the track is completely different than the upbeat, sunshiney R&B original which was released by Bill Withers in 1977. This version adds a melancholy twist to a track with the word "lovely" in the title. The slowed down tempo mixed with Joe Newman's beautifully haunting voice gives this cover by Alt-J a contemporary and dark ambience.

Happy listening :)
MF

Original of the Week:

Balkan Beat Box vs. Jason Derulo/2 Chainz

My "Original of the Week" section is intended to expose either of the following:
a) Where the original beat from a popular/recent song was actually produced
b) The original version of a song that was popularized by someone who covered it

This weeks original is the song "Hermetico" by Balkan Beat Box. A little over a year ago Jason Derulo & 2 Chainz released "Talk Dirty to Me" which was quickly a huge radio hit in the US throughout 2014. If you thought it was their producers that came up with a beat this clever.... think again. They owe this funky and catchy middle eastern sound to Balkan Beat Box, who released "Hermetico" in 2007. (Did I just blow your mind a little bit? I tend to do that with this )

Balkan Beat Box is an insanely cool Isreali-American group whose style is a fusion of Middle Eastern Balkan music, gypsy, rap, funk  & electronic. The sound is unique and fun to dance to, and if you live in the US it is not likely hat you have heard anything remotely similar.

Happy listening :)
MF

Galactic- Quiet Please

Since this blog is new, before I talk about this specific track I'd like to give the band Galactic a proper introduction (because if you don't know you should). Galactic is the perfect portrayal of the liveliness and unique sound that is New Orleans funk music. Their music fuses rock, funk, hip hop with authentic mardi gras Indian mantras and makes everyone listening want to get up and dance.  Whether your music taste is limited to radio pop & EDM music, or you are a music snob like myself, you will enjoy and appreciate what these guys are bringing to the table. At each of their live performances, they showcase  multiple up and coming less popular NOLA musicians who are always exploding with talent.

Now this track, ooooooo this track. This acoustic unconventional melody soothes the soul and excites the mind. It's interesting, beautiful, and its warm.  The track is long, and the melody bounces around as the song progresses. "Quiet Please"was recorded on one of their earlier albums Vintage Reserve in 2003. On their most recent album Carinvale Electros (2012) they basically repurposed the melody but made it 10x more discordant for the track "Ash Wednesday Sunrise" .

Happy listening :)
MF

Avener & Pheobe Killdeer - Fade Out Lines

This track was recreated by the incredibly talented French deep house producer Avener. About a a year before it was composed as "The Fade Out Line" by Pheobe Killdeer which was wildly successful locally in Germany but didn't extend to the global population. When Avener reworked the deep house version in 2015 as "Fade Out Lines" it spread like wildfire. From the perspective of someone who recently developed interest in the complex melodies and soulful bass vibes of deep house, this track really spikes a chord.

Happy listening :)
MF

Amason- Kelly

First song new blog ;)

I bring to you Kelly by Amason. I discovered this song on the '6th and Brushy' playlist created by the Spotify Spotlight account. The playlist is an accumulation of highlights from the Spotify tent performances at SXSW 2015. The track is up-tempo and airy sounding with a blend of male & female vocalists. Hearing this song for the first time reminds me exactly of how I felt the first time I heard the song "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men. There is something inherently special about it that is difficult to describe but undeniably there. Repeat for days there.

Happy listening :)
MF

About Me

Hiya, my name is Michelle Feffer (closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen?) 

I'm 24 years old currently living in NYC. Originally from the suburbs of NY and spent four unbelievably blissful years in New Orleans while attending Tulane. University. Music has been my life's greatest passion since I  was 4 years old and living in NOLA enriched my taste in music in ways you could not imagine Below is a bit about my blog's mission. 

As some of you know about five years ago, I started a Tumblr page called Music for Dinner. At the time, I did not know much about the blogosphere but desperately wanted to be able to share music with my loved ones (without having to make all of them individual CD's with 1:20 worth of music on each). Ahh, the convenience a blog could offer (RIP Mixtapes).

In addition to my belief that it is my life's mission to expose and share music, at the time I had a professor at Tulane  who advised us to create a blog about anything we felt deeply passionate about. Mary Blue explained to us that this very well might help us advance our careers one day. As it turns out, I do not currently work in the music industry but in the past five years have seen  highly followed blogs and other forms of social media explode career opportunities for individuals. Five years ago I had the same unique taste and style but I had no regard for things like grammar, spelling or consistency. I had no idea what Google AdSense was and knew virtually nothing about what was going on in the digital editorial or marketing space. 

Blah, blah, blah, Let's fast forward. With the exception of sporadic creative jolts to update that page I haven't kept up with it appropriately and even when I have, I knew that the whole page needed a serious facelift. Here is Music for Dinner ( the new & improved 2015 version). My mission is to spread love through music. I hope to increase awareness of artists and tracks from various genres and various generations to the ears of people around the world. I've noticed most blogs focus heavily if not totally on current music and while I certainly hold regard for new artists and evolving genres, 

music is timeless. 

Anyways, I hope my music selection and playlist curation in some way, shape, or form positively impacts your life! 

For questions or inquiries please email me!!

Michfeffer@gmail.com

Below find the link to my old blog to catch up :)

http://michellewhitney.tumblr.com/