5/26/11- POP UP VIDEO!

It was announced today that Pop-Up Video is coming back to VH1!

Now, the network barely plays music videos anymore, but bringing back Pop-Ups could be good. As long as they are as good as they were back in the 90s.

To celebrate, we dig up the quintessential Pop-Up video.

Rick Astley.

5/25/11- Josh Joplin Group- "Camera One"

Let's keep our attention focused on getting help and aid to Joplin, Missouri for another day, as they are still searching the rubble in the tornado ravaged city.

Josh Joplin Group has no connection to Joplin, other than the name. Josh Joplin was born outside of Washington DC, and grew up in Lancaster, PA and Columbia, MD. In 2001, via Artemis Records, they released "Useful Music" and spawned a minor hit with "Camera One."

As for the City of Joplin, you can donate blood, cash, food, supplies, and more. The website Help Joplin.com has all the info, including several numbers you can text to donate $10. Please, help Joplin rebuild after the devastation.


Josh Joplin Group - Camera One
Watch Music Videos at www.roxwel.com

5/24/11- NeverShoutNever- "I Love You 5"/Joplin Tornado Relief

I missed posting yesterday, as I've been busy car shopping and apartment shopping, but also, I've been glued to the internet following the news of the massive tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Usually, disasters like this get brief attention from me, but this one is different, because I used to work out there. I spent three years working for a radio cluster that covered Joplin, MO and Pittsburg, KS, and seeing on the news places that I used to shop, used to drive through, and more, it's surreal. Thankfully, everyone I know is accounted for and well, but I have heard stories of people from competing radio stations losing their homes in the tornado. Living in Philly again, I wish there was more I could do to help.

So for today, I've dug up a Joplin artist. NeverShoutNever is a solo project of Christofer Drew Ingle, and can best be described as "Indie Pop." He dropped out of Joplin High School to pursue his music career, and was briefly signed to Warner Brothers Records. The video for his song "I Love You 5" was shot in Joplin.

If you would like to donate to the Joplin Relief, or if you would like to find any information as to how you can help out, head over to Help Joplin.com and all the information you need is right there.

Enjoy "I Love You 5" by Joplin's NeverShoutNever. You'll have to click through to it though, since Warner Brothers Records decided to disable embedding, those jackasses.

CLICK HERE to view the video.

5/20/11- YOU Create the Video.

I've mentioned many times on this blog the band Black Lab. You might remember them from their 1998 Time Ago.

Well, they have a new album out called "Two Strangers," and they are giving YOU the opportunity to make the music video. Seriously. Lead singer Paul Durham posted a video of him lip-syncing to their song "This Ship Goes Down Deep" and has asked fans to make a video with it. Add in whatever you want and make it look cool.

The raw video is below, and click through onto the YouTube page of it, or go to www.blacklabworld.com for the full instructions and details on where you can download his part of the video.

Here's the raw video. And I'll post the finished version when it comes around!

5/19/11- Goo Goo Dolls- "Long Way Down"

Yesterday, a tornado touched down in Philadelphia. Seriously. It was a minor tornado and it caused minimal damage, but still.

In honor of Tornado season raging on across the United States, how about something from the Twister soundtrack?

The Goo Goo Dolls released "A Boy Named Goo" in 1995, and "Long Way Down" was on it. It reached #25 on the Modern Rock Charts, but was top 10 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. What helped was it being used on the soundtrack to Twister.

5/18/11- Third Eye Blind- "Bonfire"

When you write a song called "Bonfire" the music video is pretty much set from the get-go. It's easy, low budget, but still looks good.

That's what Third Eye Blind did with "Bonfire," the third single from 2009's "Ursa Major." Take a giant bonfire, add in an open field, and just for good measure, scantily clad females.

5/17/11- Two Videos, one Symbol...

One of my favorite videos of all time is the video for "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" by Brand New. It's a simple idea brought to perfection by the very last shot. But I noticed something that looked familiar to me in the video. At the beginning, when singer Jesse Lacey enters the bar, there is a white lamb on the door.

If you've seen the music video for "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard, you may have seen that very same lamb on the briefcase Yellowcard singer Ryan Key carries. Is this a coincidence? Is it a symbol that supposed to mean something?

Neither. Director Marc Web directed both music videos, and the white lamb apparently is his calling card.

But if you want it to symbolize something, like say, satan worship, feel free!

Spot the lambs in both videos. "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" by Brand New and "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard.