GitHub + Node.js + turntable.fm = Funbot!

 music, programming  2 Responses »
Apr 302012
 

About 7 months ago, I stumbled across turntable.fm, a social music website where people can take turns DJing in a round-robin format, and people can share their music among listeners.  After bouncing between several rooms, I had settled into the All Music Mix room, which was being governed by a bot that had been created by user “dj mikeb”.  This bot uses an API to collect data on the room and enforce play limits and other rules within the room (which I found to be much of the appeal of the room).  As I saw other bots pop up in this and other rooms, I began to look into how to create my own.

I ended up chatting with another user “PodcastMike”, who had created a bot of his own that watched the same room and gathered data, and he pointed me to a GitHub repository (https://github.com/MikeWills/ttModeratorBot) as a place to start off.  Well, the only problem I ran into was that this ran on Node.js, which I had never used before.  I had heard of it a few times among those I follow on twitter, but I really knew nothing about it.

In addition, I’m almost embarrassed to say, I had never used Git and GitHub to grab a project, let alone fork and update it.  However, after some experimentation and trial and error, I was able to get the project onto my computer and found that Node.js was pretty easy to work with (at least when having experience with JavaScript and sample code to work with).  While the bot I had downloaded had some of the functionality I wanted, there were a number of changes I wanted to make.

A few days later, Funbot was born (he’s the little redhead in the spotlight).  I had tweaked the database setup to allow for remote databases, adjusted the database table structure to capture more of the data I wanted to gather, added the ability to tweed to it’s @TTFunbot, and made some other DJ management changes to fit the room I wanted to run.  And rather than keep it to myself, I forked the MikeWills project, which resulted in my own version (https://github.com/GuruGreg/ttModeratorBot), which is also the first GitHub repository to my name.

If you’re interested in checking out Funbot in action, or just spinning some good tunes, you can head on over to Funbot’s Musical Wonderland (I may or may not be there, but Funbot will keep you company).

And stay tuned as well, because I’ve got a lot more planned for the little guy!

My Top 5 2012 Grammys Moments

 music  No Responses »
Feb 132012
 

1. Putting my kids to bed instead of watching the Grammys.
2. Eating Sprees instead of watching the Grammys.
3. Watching “Worst Cooks In America” instead of watching the Grammys.
4. Cleaning the kitched instead of watching the Grammys.
5. Picking up the living room instead of watching the Grammys.

From my experience, the most you can get out of the Grammys is by doing something else besides watching the Grammys. It’s the Egg McMuffin of awards shows, which means I have not intrest in consuming it at all.

5 Reasons Google Music Drives Me Crazy…But I Use It Anyway

 music, technology  1 Response »
Oct 222011
 

While Google Music Beta debuted almost six months ago, I played around with it initially and didn’t find many practical uses for it.  I had all of my music locally at home, had a solid MP3 player, and my employer didn’t allow for streaming video or music on a regular basis.  So, I pushed it over in a corner and left it alone for a while.

Recently, some of that changed.  My MP3 player died on me, and I changed jobs, and my new employer does allow for streaming music.  So, I started checking out several online services, which I will write about later.  At the moment I have come back to Google Music, mostly because it gives me access to my entire music collection.

That said, there are some things that drive me crazy when I try to use it:

  1. A Lack of Song Information – You’d think that a company like Google, whose entire business depends on amassing information, would provide you with plenty of song information.  Nope.  You just get Song Name, Artist, Album, Time, Plays (aka Playcount), and Rating. That’s it!  And Time is almost useless from my perspective.  In a large collection, that’s often not enough to satisfy picky listeners like myself.  If I want to groove to “90′s Alternative” music, I’ve got to dig through my library and add the songs to playlists individually.  That really doesn’t work for me.  At minimum, I’d expect the following fields to be included in order to sufficiently manage my collection:
    • Year
    • Genre
    • Track Number
    • Date/Time Added
    • Date/Time Last Played
  2. No Way To Exchange Playlists – If I have local playlists set up on my computer, there’s no way to import them into Google Music, or vice versa.  So, this means that if I want to recreate them, I have to spend my time doing it manually.  Is it that hard to import or export *.m3u playlists.
  3. A Lack of “Smart” Playlists – Part of this comes from the limited song information that is available on Google Music, but even with the information available, there is no way to create “smart” playlists where my music library can basically be searched for matching criteria (again, search is one of Google’s key businesses, so this should be relatively easy to implement).  So, even with the information available, I can’t create a playlist like “Top 10 Most Played”, “Unplayed Songs” or “Songs In Playlists A,B and C” to listen to.  As someone who likes to keep things mixed up (and I do thanks to the features of MediaMonkey on my local computer) and cycle through my collection on a regular basis, these kinds of playlists are a key part of my listening experience.
  4. Insufficient Rating System – “Thumbs Up” and “Thumbs Down” is pretty much the bare minimum for a ratings system. I’m not even sure that the “Thumbs Down” makes sense…would I really have the song in my collection if I didn’t like it?  It’s not like it’s playing me new music and trying to gauge my tastes, like Pandora.  I already own the song and had to upload my music, and if I didn’t like it I would have deleted it.  Anyway, the bare minimum I’d expect to see would be a 5-star system, so I can differentiate between my favorite songs and ones I like but are not at the same tier.  Even better would be the old Yahoo! Music system where for each song I could give the Song, Album and Artist a seperate 5-star rating.  That way, I could indicate if I liked a song but thought the rest of the album was garbage.  It’s simply more infomation that can be used to better create “smart” playlists or Instant Mixes and a better listening experience.
  5. A Lack of Queuing – This is a Spotify feature that I’d love to see carried over to Google Music, but since you can’t even see the upcoming song order when you’re on suffle in Google Music, there’s no way you can simulate it either.  Basically, sometimes you’re listening to a playlist or shuffle, but you just want to listen to one or two songs that don’t fit that playlist, but you’d like to go back to your playlist.  Well, it would be great if you could queue up songs like this in Google Music instead of having to completely switch playlists and go back each time you wanted to do this, and only on an individual song basis.

Yes, there are some great things about having your entire music collection available online to listen to as needed on other computers or your cell phone, but that doesn’t mean that the player website needs to be crippled the way it currently is.  If Google could add these features to Google Music, they may actually have the killer app that music players like myself are looking for.  Until then, it’s little more than a remote storage drive with a basic media player built in.

Album Review: Hard-Fi – Killer Sounds

 music  No Responses »
Sep 062011
 

Killer SoundsI’ve had my finger on the pulse of the English band Hard-Fi for several years now, having stumbled across Cash Machine from 2005′s “Stars Of CCTV“, and the entire album quickly became part of my regular playlists.  The combination of great beats and insightful/moving lyrics made it a great album from front to back.

Their sophomore effort, 2007′s “Once Upon A Time In The West“, was a minor disappointment, but still a very good album.  However, it just didn’t have the same staying power with fewer catchy beats and strayed a bit from the counterculture vibes of their debut album in favor of a more introspective approach overall.

Last month, after 4 seemingly very long years, Hard-Fi has returned with “Killer Sounds“, which is a very welcome return to the roots that made them a hit in my book, and is one of the best complete albums I’ve come across in the last few years.  From the tone-setting Good For Nothing (“Bueno Para Nada!”), the album gets off to a running start, and doesn’t stop until you get through the final title track, Killer Sounds.  In between, you get flares of different cultural influences that the album cover suggests, from the Spanish tossed into Good For Nothing to the Asian influences in Feel Good to the European electronica undertones of Excitement, Love Song and Sweat.  And let’s not leave out Fire In The House, the second single released off the album, which is a great, powerful and passionate song that should get the blood flowing.

This is an album which I want to put on and just set it to repeat, which is a rather rare occurrence for me to say.  Not many artists will give you this kind of bang for your buck.  So, if you enjoy alternative or indie rock music, then you’ll want to do yourself a big favor and pick up a copy of Killer Sounds (since it isn’t even avaliable on Amazon MP3s in the U.S. yet).

Greg’s Rating:

9/10

While You Were Listening To The Radio…

 music  No Responses »
May 242011
 

This probably isn’t a surprise to anyone out there, but I’m not exactly a fan of mainstream music.  Instead, I tend to fine a lot of alternative and indie music that I dig through all kinds of channels, from Pandora to background music on TV shows, which often lead to the discovery of other music.  And it often drifts genres to, as I can name at least one song I like in just about every genre out there.  I’m just not a huge fan of what’s fed to me on the radio, and I always love discovering new music.

But, instead of hording it all for myself, I thought I’d share some of my favorite selections from off the beaten path (with videos!!!)…

  • The Exit – Back To the Rebels

With an awesome bass hook and cryptic lyrics, I’ve been digging this one for years.

  • Sprung Monkey – Get ‘em Outta Here

Ok, I’ll confess…I actually got this one off the radio, but the band never really experienced any real degree of success.  I always enjoy it when this song comes on my mp3 player when I’m driving around.  It always feels like a summer song to me…

  • RJD2 – 1976

While there are a number of songs from this Columbus, OH raised musician, this is by far my favorite.  A great beat and use of the trumpet hook make me want to dance, even if the accompanying video is on the depressing side.

  • The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist

With a video that is almost as unconventional as the song, this diddy stops in my tracks each time it comes on, like a little highlight-of-the-day.  The mashup of the old movie clips (I’m a sucker for those, like the “special” edition of Metalica’s “One”) just keeps you jumping from one crazy thought to the next…and that’s a good thing.

 

  • EDL (Every Day Life) – Embers

With a sweet guitar hook and chorus that plays off a number of other popular song, I’ve always enjoyed this song and feel that it captures much of the late-90s/early-2000s “rapcore” feel.  Plus, the lead singer then went on to be a DJ at RadioU in Columbus, OH, which I listened to a lot in my high school days, so it’s a little bit of nostalgia for me as well.

Well, I’ll wrap things up there with five entries for you to peruse, though I could go through many, many more…and will in due time.  Enjoy, and don’t be afraid to stray from the beaten path.  There are a lot of great bands and musicians out there, but they don’t all have the backing of labels or the money to force them into rotation on your local radio stations.

Got My Google Music Beta Invite, And…

 music  1 Response »
May 242011
 

So, I got my Google Music Beta invite today, and when signing in the first time, I was asked what kinds of free music I wanted to import.  However, when I saw the the choices, something wasn’t quite right…

Google Music Setup

Seems as though just about anything will pass for “Rock” music these days.  Of course, they’re probably just following the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame’s lead.

Anyway, now time to actually check out the service…

The Friday Shuffle

 music, random  No Responses »
Jan 072011
 

So, it’s Friday, and that means casual dress and a more relaxed office atmosphere, including the music.  Several years ago, a number of bloggers would put their music on shuffle and record the first 10 that come up (no skipping).  It’s all just for fun (and maybe a little embarassment), and if you’d like to add your own, feel free to comment with yours, or link to it below.  For this morning, here is mine:

  1. Busta Rhymes – What’s It Gonna Be
  2. Everclear – Otis Redding
  3. Veggie Tales – The Dance of the Cucumber
  4. Don Moen – Sing For Joy
  5. Cutting Crew – (I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight
  6. The Clarks – Penny On The Floor
  7. Delirious – When All Around Has Fallen
  8. Billy Talent – Worker Bees
  9. Joel Engle – My Jesus I Love Thee
  10. The Offspring – Can’t Repeat

That’s it for this week.  Feel free to add your own!

More Thoughts On Michael Jackson

 music  No Responses »
Jul 012009
 

Like many others, the passing of the King of Pop has caused me to once again delve into his music and remember just how good he was at what he did.  Despite all the personal craziness, no one reached the masses like Michael did, an no one may ever again.

One of Michael's true gifts as an artist was to take songs, whether he wrote them or not, and really own them.  Whether it was a love song, a message to the next generation, a story or self-aggrandizing, he was able to pour himself into the song and convince the public to buy it.  Whereas many pop acts have come since Michael's heyday, and many have had the talent and supporting music to make good music, but often end up with a manufactured feel.  However, Michael lived in the music, and almost always managed to come across as authentic.

Will there ever be another like Michael?  Probably not.  But at least we'll always have his music to remind us that “pop music” doesn't have to be a dirty word…

Remembering The King of Pop: R.I.P. Michael Jackson

 music  No Responses »
Jun 262009
 

I have to admit that growing up a child of the 80's, Michael Jackson was probably my favorite musician.  Heck, even today as I mostly listen to rock and alternative music, there's still a part of me that smiles fondly when listening to Jacko's music.  I always found what happened late in his career to be tragic, and until proven otherwise, I decided to keep focusing on his music.

So, today, I'd like to revisit a few of my favorite Michael Jackson songs and videos:

  • Thriller was the cherry on top of the King of Pop's video collection.  It really epitomizes the “it's not just a video, but a mini-movie” that he often took with his videos.  I can remember all the fuss about the debut of this video and the primetime attention it got back way back at a time when it was really unprecidented.
  • Smooth Criminal, from the admittedly awful Moonwalker movie (I once got to watch while having my braces worked on), is a song that has always stuck with me.  Just a great, catchy tune and intriguing video.  Still not sure how it really fit into the movie, but who cares now?
  • Leave Me Alone was one of the first Jackson songs I can remember that really started to encapsulate Michael's feelings about growing up in the limelight.  Plus, the crazy Peter Gabriel type video is pretty cool, and surprisingly and subtly meaningful.
  • Scream from the latter part of Michael's career is actually one of the hilights for me.  Not only was the video dripping in style and effects, but the song is extremely raw for the pop star.  In fact, much of the “new” HIStory album (Disc 2) was like this, but much less subtle!
  • The Way You Make Me Feel is simply a great song with a great video.  While there's nothing really amazing about the video in terms of guest stars or special effects, it simply demonstrates, much like Beat It,  the way Michael was able to capture the camera.
  • Lastly, one of my favorite songs, Man In The Mirror.  I'm not sure there could be a much better musical message than to encourage people to take a long look at themselves….  It really does speak to the “make the world a better place for the children” message he was always delivering.

I could go on and on, because there is hit after hit to pick from, but I think I'll stop there.  Farewell to one of the true influential giants of the music industry.  Many have already tried to imitate his work, and many more are sure to come, but there's only one King of Pop.  At least, there was…

Microsoft Songsmith: Good Intentions, Awful Execution

 music, technology  No Responses »
Jan 262009
 

So, one of Microsoft's latest projects, Songsmith, has hit the wild, and let's say the reviews are less than spectacular.  The idea behind the product is that you sing a song that comes into your head, and it creates a basic music track to go along with that.  Sounds like a possibly useful tool, but then we see how it progresses from there.

From the get go, the advertising for the product is terrible.  However, on top of that, it produces terrible results.  For example, people have been taking vocal tracks from classic songs of all genres and feeding them into Songsmith, and getting results like these.  Talk about missing the boat…especially on Roxanne!

Seriously, it's like Microsoft Bob for Music, and that's an experience that will only produce a lot of geek jokes and wanting for something better.

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