『M』uddy 『C』ult: March 2020

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Fair Shake Reaction: [ # ] - LOONA

[ # ] - LOONA

(Genre: KPop)

Saturday, March 28, 2020

The Level 2 Enterfear Forever (2 Strange Music Reviews)

Forever - Krizz Kaliko

(Genre: Hip-Hop/Alternative Rap)

Enterfear: Level 2 - Tech N9ne

(Genre: Hip Hop/Alternative Rap)

Friday, March 27, 2020

Fair Shake Review: Music to be Murdered by - Eminem

Music to be Murdered by - Eminem

(Genre: Hip Hop/Rap)

Links to be Music'ed by:

Darkness (Music Video)
Yah Yah (Audio)
Godzilla (Audio)
Shawn Cee Review
The Needle Drop Review

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Storytime: The Con That Shall Not Be Named Pt. 2

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Storytime: The Con That Shall Not Be Named Pt. 1

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Fair Shake Review: Obsession - EXO

Obsession - EXO

(Genre: Kpop)

Obsess over these related links:

Obsession (MV)
Obsession (Dance Practice)
Amaranthine Reaction (Music Video)
ReactToTheK Reaction (Music Video)
Form of Therapy Reaction (Stage Show)

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Fair Shake Review: Circles - Mac Miller (+Swimming)

Circles - Mac Miller

(Genre: Hip Hop/Rap)

Circle Your Mouse Around These:

Good News (Music Video)

Blue World (Audio)

Hands (Audio)

Zane Lowe Interview (w/ Jon Brion)

Shawn Cee Reaction/Review

The Needle Drop Review

Thursday, March 19, 2020

After Theater Review: Christopher Robin

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

BM5's January & February 2020 Favorites

Favorite Dance Video

The Present - VillN, M-PACT, Logistx

The cool thing about the B-Boys of Kinjaz and those affiliated with them is that they love to display the artistry of breakdancing in ways most people wouldn't think of. They combine the style along with a more traditional-like Japanese piece in the most beautiful way. The skill and musicality is fully displayed throughout and I HAD to share it with the audience here to enjoy!

Live: No Sleep Till Tokyo Tour

No Sleep Till Tokyo Tour

[2019.06.08] Scout Bar in Houston, TX
featuring: Miyavi
It's been 8 years since Miyavi has graced his presence in Houston and I made a last minute decision to check it out. I could ramble on and on about my relationship with Miyavi's musical track record, but that's a post for another day...and trust me, you'll definitely get one.

Before purchasing my friend and my ticket, I did preview 30 second samples of each track through his YouTube channel from his latest album, No Sleep Till Tokyo. I haven't been keeping up with Tokyo's "Samurai Guitarist" like I used to years ago, but I'm not completely oblivious to his activities. Miyavi continues to be an activist of the world and its children as well as experimenting with his own sound, which is something he's done for practically his whole career. Before listening to the previews, I had a good gist of what his current sound may be, which doesn't really make me jump out of my seat. Although, one thing that has been consistent about Miyavi, no matter what style or era he's playing, he always puts on a great show.

Instead of being stuck in the crowd, my friend and I decided to keep our little habit of standing or sitting on the sidelines. The perks of doing this is feeling the cool, fresh air; access to ice cold water (sometimes), you can clearly hear the artist over the crowd, you don't have to fight the 6 foot tall guy to see Miyavi and his crew, and plenty of room to dance or headbang.

As a blogger (and just overall introvert), it's pretty cool to witness the interactions between the audience and the artist. I always believed the chemistry between the artist and the fans during a show is very important. That key exchange can really set the tone for the whole show.

Without any opening act, Miyavi jumped right into it with positive energy and smiles all around. I was pretty excited to hear a familiar tune by the name of "Flashback" from the anime Kokkoku, a very high energy song. I've always enjoyed this song and made me want to watch the opening every time. It's a real bop as the kids say. Since I'm not familiar with a good portion of Miyavi's new material, I can easily describe it as energetic, electronic rock music for the people. Like I can see his music being easily digestible for the Western audience without sacrificing his Japanese aesthetics.

The last Miyavi show I attended, his style at the time heavily depended on instrumental moments that incorporated a catchy looping melody, drums, and slap guitar. While his current style still has instrumental breaks to show off his mad guitar skills, the songs don't heavily depend on them. Instead, these moments emphasis the message and tone of the lyrics, which was something I missed about Miyavi. I admit that he never had the most amazing singing voice, but his tone is uniquely him and always full of passion and energy. That factor is what brings life to his shows and feeds his audience.

The setlist mainly consisted of his newer tracks from No Sleep Till Tokyo with a sprinkle of anime contributions and slightly older tracks [that I actually recognize]. From what I can tell his MCs were in English, which is getting better and better with time. Of course, his fans were very encouraging and responsive to his words. He even jokingly played his "new song" for us and his Dallas fans the previous night, which ended up being "Deep in the Heart of Texas" [*clap**clap**clap**clap*]. It was amusing and everyone had a good chuckle.

The third act or encore, depending how you look at it, continued the intensity and liveliness throughout the whole night. I believe he replayed the title track of his new album, which invoked the perfect theme for the evening. In the end, I'm glad I made such a good last minute decision to attend. Once again I can say that Miyavi never disappoints live. Even when things aren't perfect, his vibrate energy always manages to shine through!

Setlist from setlist.fm
Stars
Flashback
In Crowd
Rain Dance
No Sleep Till Tokyo
Samurai 45
Tears on Fire
Other Side
Guard You
We Can't Stop It
Under the Same Sky
Ha!
Strong
Fire Bird
Raise Me Up
DAY 1
Dancing With My Fingers
Fragile
The Others
WHAT'S MY NAME?