Ooklah the Moc is Great in Concert

I had the pleasure of seeing Ooklah the Moc in concert twice last week, and I can safely say they're one of the most impressive live acts I've ever seen. Though they stick to a specific sound that isn't particularly popular outside of Hawaii (Rick Anderson from eMusic's All Music Guide describes their music as "'70s-style roots-and-culture reggae"), Ooklah has clearly mastered it. Each of the band's four vocalists was stellar, the rhythm section the drummer and bassist provided was impossibly sharp and intricate, and the band's other members (guitar, trumpeter, saxophonist, and keyboardist Brad Watanabe of BW) added depth and energy to each song. I'd highly recommend seeing them live if you ever get the chance. I just hope one day I get to see them in Hawaii. Check out the Ooklah the Moc (and BW) Playlist on lala if you haven't already.

New Dave Matthews Band Single Available for Free Download

Dave Matthews Band today offered up a single from their upcoming album Big Whiskey & the Groo Grux King (due out June 2nd) as a free digital download. The track is called "Funny The Way It Is," and you can get it here. The band hasn't released any studio material since 2005's Stand Up, so this is an anxiously-awaited album for a lot of fans, myself included. The single sounds good; hopefully the album will be too!

Ooklah the Moc Is Coming to California

Ooklah the Moc, my favorite reggae band, recently announced they'd play a few shows on the west coast, which means I'll get to see them in person for the first time. The band is based in Hawaii and seems to tour the islands extensively throughout the year, but they don't make it to the mainland all that often. Tickets to see them in San Clemente, CA are only $15, and a friend who saw them last year said he doesn't expect them to sell out even the small "grill and concert hall" they're booked at. I don't understand why they're not more popular than they are -- I'd literally rather see them live than any other active reggae band -- but I'm not complaining. Being able to see some of my favorite artists perform in small venues for less than $30 (you may recall I recently went to a Four Tet show, which was awesome) is quite a privelege. This week's Lala playlist features music by Ooklah the Moc and BW (the solo project of Ooklah member and friend-of-a-friend Brad Watanabe). If you enjoy the music, go check out one of their shows!

Ooklah the Moc (and BW)

Online Music Stores Change Pricing

Apple announced today that the iTunes Store would implement variable pricing of songs, which means that songs are now priced at either $.69, $.99, or $1.29. My initial reaction was to be further annoyed with iTunes (I've previously expressed my frustration with the iTunes Store -- see this post) for raising their prices, and I figured that this would be an opportunity for Amazon and Lala to gain some market share if they maintained their current pricing. Unfortunately, I discovered to my dismay that all three sites -- yes, Lala too -- had adopted similar pricing breakdowns for their mp3 stores. Upon further examination, however, I discovered that most of the music that I listen to is still priced at $.99. It seems, at least for now, that only mainstream new releases have been bumped up to $1.29. Apparently sometimes it pays to listen to more obscure music than the average human. Hopefully this isn't a sign that online music stores plan to collude and raise their prices, but I'm afraid that's exactly what it is. Oh well, there's always eMusic!