“This Is Spinal Tap” Is The Only Movie That Goes To 11 On IMDB

Spinal Tap: Derek Smalls, David St Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel

Spinal Tap: Derek Smalls, David St Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel

If you visit the IMDB page for “This Is Spinal Tap” right now, you will discover that its rating can go all the way to 11.

This is a homage to the classic scene in the mockumentary in which guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) proudly shows director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) his trademark amp – an amp that can go all the way to 11.

ThisIsSpinalTap

Nigel’s response when questioned “Why don’t you make 10 be the top number and then make that a little louder?” by Marty?

As simple (and classic) as “These go to eleven”.

Miguel Martín (LyricsGaps) – Interview (Part 1)

I’ve had the pleasure to interview Miguel Martín from LyricsGaps, a startup I reviewed two weeks ago, and which (as a non-native speaker of English) I found more than interesting.

Below you will find the first part of the interview. Part 2 (“Music & You”) can be read here.

LyricsGap

Full Name: Miguel Martín
Age: 30
Startup: LyricsGaps.com
Position: CEO

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

I have been studying English since I was a child, and (in my case) the funniest and easiest way to learn the language was when teachers used songs. I think this is the best way of learning new vocabulary, as this allows you to practise your English everywhere.

What did the idea for LyricsGaps came to you?

It was a few months ago, when I was studying at the Official School of Languages in my city. I suddenly had the idea of mixing my two main interests, the music and the net.

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?

Well, nowadays it is really difficult to answer this question, but I can tell you that during this time we have been very well-accepted online, and the number of users of lyricsgaps.com has been increasing day by day.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

We are always thinking about how we can improve our site, for instance nowadays we are thinking about increasing the number of supported languages. And we are also thinking about adding rankings …

These are just two examples of the things we have to work on in the months to come here at lyricsgaps.com. Continue reading

Lanzamiento De “La Nieta Menor De Ofelia” De Jorge Nocetti Ruiz

la nieta menor de ofelia

Hoy quería presentarles el primer libro publicado por un compañero del taller de escritura al que asisto. Se titula “La Nieta Menor de Ofelia”, y ha sido publicado por Rumbo Editorial. Es una historia muy humana, con una moraleja excelente.

Comparto con ustedes el texto que el poeta Javier Etchemendi aportó para la contratapa del libro.

Una novela de las relaciones humanas que explora el difícil tema del amor filial.

Un libro arborescente que se interna en el seno de una familia y en el conflicto de la llegada de un hijo que no ha sido planificado.

Una historia que pone de manifiesto la circunstancia de que en la vida las decisiones nunca son perfectas, porque las personas no lo son. Y porque la vida no requiere de perfección sino de humanidad.

Es pues un libro rebosante de humanidad y de ilusión; la misma ilusión que nos impele a los mayores aciertos y equívocos. Un espejo donde reflejarnos y tal vez reconocernos o tan sólo la ocasión para imaginar. Porque un libro es como un collar de ámbar con la promesa de una vida en su interior.

La Nieta de Ofelia es la ópera prima de Jorge Nocetti. Un trabajo legítimo donde queda demostrada la pasión de su autor por la escritura y por la comunicación.

Enhorabuena, por este libro y por la experiencia, siempre turbadora, de la escritura.

MusicKO: Uruguayan Unsigned & Independent Artists Of 2010

I think the day I decided to begin covering Uruguayan unsigned and independent artists on MusicKO was the happiest of the whole year. It gave me a lot of direction, and a true sense of purposefulness. I have managed to become acquainted with some extraordinary musicians – individuals who are truly devoted to what they do, and who believe in the power of music to bond people for life.

These are all the unsigned and independent Uruguayan performers I featured on MusicKO in 2010.

I hope to review twice as many in 2011. If you are one (or if you know one), just drop me a line. The address is emiliomusicko@gmail.com.

Cínica
Retrocedonia
Laiojan Sebastian
Doorman
Conkistadores
Mal Yo
Lucía Ferreira
RostbiF
Soundays
El Cardenal Sebastián
Lucas Meyer

MusicKO: The Best Album Reviews Of 2010

There you go, the best album that I reviewed in 2010!

Is there something that I omitted? Did you read a review on MusicKO that I left out of this list? Well, leave a comment below and let everybody know about it!

Black Gold: The Best Of Soul Asylum
Wasp Star (Apple Venus Part 2) (XTC)
Monster (REM)
Empty Glass (Pete Townshend)
Rough Mix (Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane)
(What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (Oasis)
The Masterplan (Oasis)
All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (Pete Townshend)
The Iron Man (Pete Townshend)
Chips From The Chocolate Fireball (The Dukes Of Stratosphear)
Green (REM)
Grace (Jeff Buckley)
(Sketches For) My Sweetheart The Drunk (Jeff Buckley)
Southern Accents (Tom Petty)
Odds & Sods (The Who)
Once (Original Soundtrack Album)
Elizabethtown Vol. 1  (Original Soundtrack Album)
All This Useless Beauty (Elvis Costello)
The Band (Album Review)
Caribou (Elton John)
One For The Road (The Kinks)
Horses (Patti Smith)
Echo (Tom Petty)
Blue (Joni Mitchell)
Combat Rock (The Clash)
Pablo Honey (Radiohead)

MusicKO: The Best Music Startups Of 2010 (Part 2)

Read the list below if you want to know which were the best music startups of 2010.

What? Want even more startups? OK, check the other half of the list.

And come back tomorrow for the best album reviews of 2010 (hooray!).

Radar Music Videos – Find The Right Director For Your Music Video
Earwurm – For These Songs You Just Can’t Get Out Of Your Head
Eyeball.fm – Another Way To Share & Discover Music Online
iMusicTweet – Sharing Your Songs Through Twitter & Facebook Simultaneously
Music Matters – Combating Piracy In A Fair Way
MusicVault – Rating Albums Old & New Using Twitter
Tubeoke – Where YouTube Becomes A Karaoke
DemoHero – A Community Site Devoted To Demo Recordings
Songbright – Choose Your Best Songs, Upload Them And Make Some Money If You Chose Right
Jamendo – Where Music Is Shared For Free
Digiclef – Guitar & Bass Tabs On Your iPhone

MusicKO: The Best Music Startups Of 2010 (Part 1)

This is a list of these music startups that I have commented in 2010 that I still remember as if it were the day I wrote about them.

This is the first part of a list I will complete tomorrow [update: done!]. After that, I am compiling a list with the best album reviews of 2010, and another with all the unsigned/independent Uruguayan Artists I featured on MusicKO all through the year.

TuneCrank – Letting Independent & Unsigned Artists Spread Their Music
Guitaryst – Play Your Guitar With The Help Of Automatic Tabs
Bud To Bud – The Online Sharing Of Music Is About To Reach A New Height
Bender Converter – Convert All The Videos You Want For Free
Flashbck – Reliving Gigs & Festivals
Shuffler.fm – The Pandora.fm Of Music Blogs
Music180 – Connecting Indie Artists With Renowned Music Pros
Venossi – Making The Discovery Of New Music Something Natural & Logical
Mixtap.in – Making Mixtapes Fashionable Once Again
Tastebuds – Find A Perfect Match Based On Your Favorite Music
BuyWidget – The Perfect Way To Monetize A Music Blog

Play Along And Jam… With A Robot!

Many people are known to use the expression “robotic drumming” when talking about 80s music. They might like to reconsider after watching this video that has surfaced recently on YouTube:

There is not a lot more that could be said. While nobody would mistake this little automated fella (named “Shimon”) for the next Stewart Copeland, it certainly does it bit. Continue reading