CMI

Alright so here is the line-up of some awesome indie bands touring this summer:

Twentyfour64: Los Angeles, CA
The Features: Nashville, TN
The Gin Riots: London, UK
Strange Face: Raleigh, NC
Brite Lite Brite: Boston, MA
Mav Viola: West Hollywood, CA
Glasko: Chicago, IL
Pinstripe 45's: Chicago, IL
Early States: Sacramento, CA
On Blast: Long Beach, CA
Hogni: Copenhagen, Denmark
Our Satori: Santa Cruz, CA
Televandals: Boston, MA
Conservative Man: Nashua, NH
Rising Sound: Los Angeles, CA
Offshore Radio: Olympia, WA

Now it is with great pleasure that I say my favorite of these is without a doubt Conservative Man. What a brilliant band. When I heard "Room Call" I absolutly fell in love with their up-beat, synthesized sound. I'm so glad band leader Ian McCarthy decided to turn his "one-man studio project to a live act" as last.fm wrote in their profile about the band (http://www.last.fm/music/Conservative+Man).
Please check them out if you're in the area, you wont regret it!

Alas, I am too far from New Hamshire to see them in person; yet there are so many bands playing California (which for argument's sake I will refer to as regionally close enough to attend) that I have a wide assortment to choose from. I'd have to say Early States is my favorite of these bands playing in CA. Check out some of their music on YouTube, (especially "Back to the Start"), their Maroon 5-esq vocals and chill guitar and bass sound makes for memorable beats that are good for long car rides. Major props to a band who's members can look so good AND be so talented.

Well thats my two cents, but as that dude from the show Reading Rainbow would say, "but don't take my word for it" (i.e. go see them in concert!!!!). ^_~

Music Supervisor

So we all love it when we hear our favorite song in movies so a hip film plays an array of contemporary music that sets the date and tone right away. (Was that a complete sentence?) At any rate, if I had to choose my favorite uses of music in American Cinema (drum roll please) they would be as follows:

Opening Credits: The Pink Panther (And I'm talking the original 1960s Blake Edwards one- not the Steve Martin nonsense. The composer of this song Henry Mancini is a Genius!!!)

Car Chase: Repo Man (Circle Jerks)

Love Scene: Silence of the Lambs (The part where Buffalo Bill is putting on make-up and hair to become a woman. I know its not a traditional love scene but he's so in-love with himself that it counts. Lazrus Q's song "Good-bye Horses" makes this scene a cinematic moment"

Fight Scene: No Country for Old Men (The total lack of non-diagetic  sound creates great tension and suspense- really good stuff ^^)

Ending Credits: The Godfather (The Godfather theme is as beautiful as it is timeless. One of the best films of all time I had to include it)

So there you have it, pop songs are not always the best choice and sometimes you don't need any music at all; it just depends on the mood you're trying to create. Just a little wisdom for you to mull over ^o^