Look Daggers Penetrates Wired August 25, 2008
Posted by theinktanker in Artist News.Tags: 2Mex, Ikey Owens, Look Daggers
add a comment
Looks like the folks at Wired.com dig live hip-hop as much as we do, as they have recently given Look Daggers some love. We promise to stop using words that start with “L” if you head on over to their “Listening Post” and check out the article. While you’re at it, take a gander at the video for “Call U Later.”
Gregory and the Hawk Vs. Beyonce August 22, 2008
Posted by theinktanker in Things We Like.Tags: Beyonce, Gregory and the Hawk, Meredith Godreau
add a comment
Gregory and the Hawk’s music couldn’t be any more different than the former Destiny Childs’. Whereas Beyonce’s tunes are super glossy radio-ready R&B, GATH’s music is more austere, sometimes just her enchanting voice over a finger-picked acoustic guitar. For this cover of Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable,” Meredith Godreau aka Gregory and the Hawk strips the song to its bare melody and the end result is a song just as infectious as the original but with more heart. We dare you not to sing this the rest of the day after watching. “To the left, to the left…”
No, it’s NOT a record store! August 19, 2008
Posted by theinktanker in Uncategorized.Tags: Dangerbird Management, Dangerbird Publishing, Dangerbird Records
add a comment
There’s been no shortage of speculation as of late, all regarding a space on Sunset Blvd, niftily wrapped in a life-size version of the cover art for Darker My Love’s newly released LP, 2. Allow us to clarify: No, this is NOT A RECORD STORE. Come on people… it’s 2008. Who opens record stores?
This locale will be the new Dangerbird HQ. Records. Management. Publishing. Period.
Clearly, we couldn’t be more thrilled, as the new spot is so conveniently located near… well, everything. Oh, and no, you can’t drop off a demo.
Hip-Hop Made By Humans. Look Daggers Are Throwing It At You. August 15, 2008
Posted by theinktanker in Artist News, Uncategorized.Tags: 2Mex, Breakestra, Ikey Owens, Long Beach Dub All-Stars, Look Daggers, Mars Volta, Mastodon, Reel Big Fish, Sublime, Suffer in Style, Up Above Records, Visionaries
add a comment
It’s 2008. Any MC/producer team can crank out a hip-hop album these days with the aid of modern gizmos such as MIDI keyboards and multi-track recording software. But there’s the problem. Anyone can do it, so despite an unlimited palette of tones to cull from, we are continually bombarded with cookie-cutter sounds. Is it even possible to make a forward-thinking hip-hop album anymore? Look Daggers think so.
When Mars Volta keyboardist Ikey Owens got together with 2Mex from Visionaries to form Look Daggers, they decided to dump Pro Tools and go with *gasp* real musicians, wrangling up their friends such as Marshall Goodman (Long Beach Dub All-Stars, Sublime), Pat Bailey (Breakestra), Ryland Steen (Reel Big Fish), Brent Hinds (Mastodon) and many others. The resulting debut LP, Suffer in Style, drops September 30 on Up Above Records (Visionaries, MC Supernatural, Jurassic 5), and its genre-bending ways have us scrambling for descriptive superlatives. How they manage to incorporate dark dub, jazz, psychedelia, and pop into a hip-hop album that sounds like a singular work remains a mystery to us, though we have heard rumors of black magic. Rumors, mind you.
Totally Michael Totally Tore It Up at the Fuck Yeah Fest Benefit Last Night August 13, 2008
Posted by theinktanker in Artist News.Tags: Brother Reade, Crystal Antlers, Fuck Yeah Fest, Sea Level Todd, Sean Carlson, Totally Michael, Tweak Bird
add a comment
Last night, armed with just an electric guitar, microphone, ipod and his ridiculously catchy tunes, Totally Michael played a sweat-inducing set at the Fuck Yeah Fest benefit show at the 6th Street Warehouse in downtown L.A. It turns out that Sean Carlson’s FYF just got thrown a curve ball as one of his key financial backers pulled out at the last minute… so to save the show a bunch of local musicians, our buddies Slang Chickens (yo Dash!) and Brother Reade, as well as Tweak Bird and Crystal Antlers (who just got signed to Touch and Go!), rallied to the cause alongside DJ Sea Level Todd, who kicked out the jams in between the sets.
Totally Michael launched his set with his pre-recorded theme song, an anthemic electro banger, and got every one hyped by dancing up a storm and throwing caution to the wind. He then strapped on his strat and played songs off his forthcoming record as well as some old jams, peppering the in-between breaks with some awesome mash-ups that kept the dance party going at all times. True to form he split the crowd down the middle for “Cheerleaders Vs. Drillteam” and we had to make the oh so important decision. I chose drill team. He ended the show by almost passing out due to his exhilarating performance of “Casual Satisfaction.”
Here’s some photos of the evening captured by our very own Jobrasnake, Joseph Tsai.
Damn That Was A Great Party! August 13, 2008
Posted by theinktanker in Extracuricular Activities.Tags: Gray Kid, James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem, Pat Mahoney, Special Disco Version
add a comment

Pat Mahoney. James Murphy. Swoon.
I write this while still in recovery mode…and worth every second of it! HARD presented the Special Disco Version Pool Party at the Roosevelt poolside bar Sunday afternoon and we had the great pleasure of being involved. The photos below should speak for themselves. Truly a memorable occasion.
Geeking out in the presence of GREATNESS.
Skinny B. Nope, that’s not a cigarette kids…
Look ma, no hands!
Plumley holding it down with the ever-charming, semi-clothed Gray Kid.
If you need me, I’ll be at the pool dah’ling.
Totally Michael Bursts out of Bloomington August 11, 2008
Posted by theinktanker in Artist News, Uncategorized.Tags: IHEARTCOMIX, Totally Michael
add a comment
As the leaves change and back-to-school sale ads invade your mailbox, Totally Michael is here to remind you that although it’s almost autumn, the carefree booty-shakin’ days of summer do not have to come to an end. His sugar-high, self-titled debut comes out October 14 on IHEARTCOMIX (Matt & Kim, Toxic Avenger), and we are downright giddy in anticipation.
We wish we could tell you that we’ve followed up on our urges to stop working so we could permanently host backyard dance parties with the sprinklers running, but we can’t. However, we can tell you that some recommended listening accessories include cherry Kool-aid, a pogo stick, and your dancing shoes of choice. While you’re waiting for the album to arrive, you can preview some tracks at Totally Michael’s MySpace page, and find out that, as Michael says, “Life’s not so bad!”
Dangerbird Adds Montreal’s The Dears to Their Label and Management Stable August 7, 2008
Posted by theinktanker in Artist News.Tags: Dangerbird Management, Dangerbird Records, Missiles, The Dears
add a comment
The Dangerbird family isn’t just getting bigger, it’s flat out gone international. The LA-based collective has just announced Montreal’s finest The Dears as the newest addition to their burgeoning roster. The orchestral pop veterans have signed a deal with Dangerbird Records and Dangerbird Management, and are gearing up for the worldwide release of their fourth LP, Missiles, starting October 21 in the U.S. with additional countries to follow.
Although the industry has been weathering a bit of a storm lately, it’s as if Dangerbird hasn’t noticed… or they have very heavy raincoats. The thriving label, which stemmed from a management company, just released Darker My Love’s sublime sophomore album, 2, this week to heaps of praise. We’re really looking forward to their record release show tonight at the Troubadour!
We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome The Dears into the fold and know that Dangerbird couldn’t be more perfect home for them.















