[I’ll Give You a Break is a sporadic series of posts highlighting obscure (and not so obscure) breakbeats in unlikely places, so that they may be sampled by producers or just enjoyed for their own geeky purposes. NB: Don’t forget to clear all samples through the proper channels (cough).]

Jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson’s “Earth” features the awesome Alice Coltrane on harp and tambura, Charlie Haden on bass, Leon “Ndugu” Chancler on drums, Baba Duru Oshun on tabla, Kenneth Nash on percussion and narration, and Michael White on violin. On this 13-minute opus from Henderson’s 1973 album, The Elements, they created one of the deepest, most cosmic grooves ever manifested. The huge segment from 0:55-4:40 couldn’t be a more generous gift to high-minded producers looking for a laid-back funk rhythm, which is then sacralized by Coltrane’s sweetly stinging tambura drones and the leader’s coolly melismatic sax, and buttressed by Haden’s staunch “bo-bo, bobobo bo” bass motif.

“Earth” is one of the greatest tracks ever and an untapped gold mine of sampling fodder.

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[I’ll Give You a Break is a sporadic series of posts highlighting obscure (and not so obscure) breakbeats in unlikely places, so that they may be sampled by producers or just enjoyed for their own geeky purposes. NB: Don’t forget to clear all samples through the proper channels (cough).]

The solo output of John Entwistle, the late bassist for the Who, traditionally has not been a fecund source of samples. (My entry for the “understatement of the year” award.) But in the best track from Entwistle’s 1971 LP Smash Your Head Against the Wall, “No. 29 (Eternal Youth),” there’s a break from 2:45 to about 3:22 of very useful percussion business (featuring Mr. Keith Moon, ladies and gentlemen): a filthy conflagration of bongos, cowbell, guiro, and trap kit. Virgin territory, y'all.

There’s a vinyl copy of Smash Your Head Against the Wall glowering in a used bin near you, probably for well under $10… or you could probably find the track floating on the internet in inferior digital form. But you have too much pride for that, right?

Asstodon Mastodon will be visiting Easy Street Records on Queen Anne tonight at 5:30 pm. The band will be signing autographs before their show at Showbox Sodo and Easy Street will also be giving away tour posters with any Mastodon purchase.

Don't be! Because you can watch it all weekend from the comfort of your own home thanks to the Coachella YouTube channel.

FYI: Refused's set starts tonight at 11:20 PST.

[I’ll Give You a Break is a sporadic series of posts highlighting obscure (and not so obscure) breakbeats in unlikely places, so that they may be sampled by producers or just enjoyed for their own geeky purposes. NB: Don’t forget to clear all samples through the proper channels (cough).]

Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band’s “Low Yo Yo Stuff”—the lead-off track from 1972’s Clear Spot—is a charming slice of vibes-enhanced, skewed blues rock. For your breakbeat-utilizing purposes, zero in on seconds 3-10, during which the group slink into a simmeringly seductive, cowbell-intensive groove with gully guitar riffs. The production here is slicker than was typical for Beefheart and company; this song could’ve appeared on a Dr. John record (serious compliment). Overall, Captain Beefheart records traditionally have been underused sources for samples, for no good reason that I can tell. Start diggin' 'em, champ.

[I’ll Give You a Break is a sporadic series of posts highlighting obscure (and not so obscure) breakbeats in unlikely places, so that they may be sampled by producers or just enjoyed for their own geeky purposes. NB: Don’t forget to clear all samples through the proper channels (cough).]

Miroslav Vitous played bass for Weather Report (he preceded Alphonso Johnson and the legendary Jaco Pastorius in that band) and enjoyed a productive solo career while collaborating with some of the top jazz/fusion players of the ’70s (John McLaughlin, Jack DeJohnette, Terje Rypdal, Larry Coryell, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, etc.). On his 1976 LP, Magical Shepherd, Vitous cut a fabulous disco song, “New York City,” to which you’ve danced if you frequented any of that metropolis’ hipper clubs in the late ’70s. Right?

But the album’s killer break actually comes on “Aim Your Eye,” which features drummer James Gadson and keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The first 25 seconds give you more than enough stark, downtempo funk out of which to build something sexy. It’s kind of a miracle that nobody—at least nobody I’ve detected—has used this one yet. Don’t hesitate.

Champagne is really Cheap! The first night there, I found out that places in Texas sell champagne for like $3 a bottle! That's great news until you remember that there are also tons of free liquor situations everywhere, and when I mixed I was left with a cheap-sugary-booze-and-champagne hangover and the painful memory of the night before. when I had scream-talked at my friends that the country band the Trishas at the Gibson showcase were my new favorite band.

Take the $250 over the Official SXSW Bracelets When you play an official showcase, you can choose to get $250 instead of bracelets. My band just took the $250 because anyone you'd wanna see is going to be playing a free showcase anyway and anything else is pretty easy to sneak into because it's such a shit show. The only show I got sulky about missing was when my girlfriend got to see Fiona Apple in a church, but that one was only for badgeholders anyway.

Hitchhiking might be safer during SXSW. Ok, it's always a bad idea, but when I got stuck in the outskirts of town with three other people, we noticed a parade of band vans and we gave the thumb a shot and got picked up by some super nice dudes who turned out to be in a Subpop band called Debo.

• http://hystericsoly.blogspot.com/

Dear Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool,

We are writing in response to a graphic used on tee shirts by your rock group "Green Day" in which four blood-soaked tampons are placed upside-down, perhaps as a feminist appropriation of the "Black Flag bars" as a response to the patriarchal machismo of the "hardcore scene" in which we both grew up. My initial response was one of shock and disappointment due to the fact that the portrayal of "tampon bars" has been a longstanding symbol of our Washington-based feminist rock group "Hysterics" (see Exhibit A). However, the more I ponder the content of our little "coincidence," the more my concern grows regarding the absorbency of the tampons depicted on some of your tee shirts. Our tampons are well-used, sure, but the "Green Day tampons" are fully soaked in blood, which indicates to me that you may need to upgrade to higher-absorbency tampons in order to accommodate your heavy flow. There are many brands of "super" and "super plus" tampons that are widely available on the market. If we are correct in our assumption that you have released this tee shirt as a cry for help, we hope our suggestion will point you in the right direction and we wish you the best in finding the size/absorbency level to suit your needs.

Sincerely, Hysterics

Music writers! Want to pitch an idea for one of those 33 1/3 books about canonical and should-be-canonical albums? You have a brief window of opportunity to do just that from March 19 to April 30. Read about all of the guidelines set down by Bloomsbury (who bought out previous publisher Continuum in 2011) here and peruse the list of titles already in the series here.

I have two scorching-hot ideas for 33 1/3, but only one concept per potential author will be accepted. So if I seem a little edgy, blame it on this dilemma. (What are they? You think I’m going to tell you and have you sabotage me? GTFO.) Good luck, everyone!

[I’ll Give You a Break is a sporadic series of posts highlighting obscure (and not so obscure) breakbeats in unlikely places, so that they may be sampled by producers or just enjoyed for their own geeky purposes. NB: Don’t forget to clear all samples through the proper channels (cough).]

Hard to believe nobody’s sampled George Duke’s “Funny Funk” (from his 1974 LP Feel), but research has not turned up any examples. Producers have sampled the hell out of Duke’s catalog, but this gem somehow eluded even Madlib’s grasp (although it’s probably earmarked for his seventh LP of 2012). I played “Funny Funk” at the Hangover Flea Market Sunday and boggled Stranger freelancer/columnist Trent Moorman’s hard-to-boggle mind. The whole damn song could provide sample fodder for at least three or four productions, but I’m partial to the first 40 seconds or so of suave, swinging keyboard riffing, rotund bass-synth eructations, and über-funky drums. "Funny Funk" is no joke.

I think a lot of Vivian Girls fans may have overlooked that this is happening... It looks like the band are on a Kate Spade-sponsored tour and will be playing a free show at 6:30pm Downtown Nordstroms. The Kate Spade blog made this announcement about the show:

Inspired by the spirit of our favorite musical icons (think blondie and the supremes) we've put a rock and roll twist on our spring 2012 campaign. to celebrate, we're setting off on a cross-country road trip this season in our very own tour bus-a pop-up shop!-outfitted in our favorite new print of the season, florence broadurst's japanese floral. we'll be making stops in the following cities, kicking things off in new york city. swing by for tour gear, prizes and other limited-edition exclusives, and to catch live concerts by the vivian girls at each stop. see when we'll be in your city, and check back regularly for time and location updates.

The show will include cocktails, snacks and prizes in a pop-up lounge. You can R.S.V.P at 206.628.2111 ext1230.