Ben Nichols, frontman of the Memphis-based outfit Lucero which can best be described as Harley Davidson fueled alternative-country, has a solo release that we think is worth you're bandwith. Nichols has this awesome voice that has defined Lucero's sound since 2001. It is gravely and dark, the audible translation of a man who has spent a lot of time driving on empty back road highways. The band has released six albums and is constantly on stage (150-200 shows a year). They recently signed a four album deal with Universal Media Group with their first major label release coming summer of 2009. 

While Lucero can provide some stellar biker bar tunes, Nichols' solo debut The Last Pale Light in the West has a really cool sound that you're either going to love or hate. I've been a fan of Lucero since I heard their song "Bikeriders" on a road trip out west a couple years ago, and if you've never heard of the band before this track will give you a good idea of whether their for you. The free download we found is the title track "The Last Pale Light in the West". The song features Nichols' awesome lyrical infliction over an acoustic guitar and an accordion. I've listened to it a couple times thru now, each time I feel like I'm sitting at a truck stop diner watching the sun go down and wondering where the past ten years of my life went. 

KEEP READING FOR LINK TO FREE DOWNLOAD

You can go ahead and call us Walmart, because we're posting a Christmas related entry before you even stuff the turkey. I know, we suck.

Seems uber-laid back surf rocker Jack Johnson and the rest of the crew at Brushfire Records have released a holiday album. This Warm Christmas: A Brushfire Holiday. The album is a lot like other "pop stars do Christmas songs". It has the staples: Rudolph,  Santa, but leaves out the Jesus references.

The album went up for download off iTunes on Tuesday, and I'm pretty mixed. I am a big fan of the Brushfire artists, but also a strong proponent against the pop-pimpage of holiday tracks. It's just weird to hear some of these people sing about jolly sentiment after I just heard them alluding to sex and smoking pot on their last album. Looking at you G Love.

Keep reading for rest of the review & FREE download.

When you think The CW, you most likely think of One Tree Hill and other 13 year old girl favorites. The network currently has huge ratings with the 90210 revisited and the PG-porn Gossip Girl, but there is something else on there for those not into all the 'drama'.

Reaper is the tale of Sam, a chronic under-achiever who finds out on his 21rst birthday that his parents sold his soul to the devil when they were younger. Thanks Mom! With the help of his two equally under-achieving and hilarious friends, Sam works as the Devil's bounty hunter – tracking down escaped souls and sending them back to hell. While the premise might be a little out there, especially for a network known for Primetime J-High Soaps, we guarantee you'll become a fan.

Show has a strong cast lead by Bret Harrison, a regular to the sitcom scene. Other highlights include Ray Wise's awesome Devil character and the witty comic relief of Sam's friend/coworker Tyler Labine.

We had the opportunity to speak with the show's star, Bret Harrison, while prepping for filming of the second season in Vancouver.


BOOSH: Let's talk about the show reaper. The whole concept is sort of crazy. How did you feel about it when you were first approached?

BRET: I certainly wasn't sold right away. I was confused. When you're literally saying so I'm a hitman for the devil you immediately think of, I don't know, it sounded wierd. But they sort of pitched it as Ghostbusters meets Shaun of the Dead. It made more sense after that. Then when Kevin Smith became attached, it was obviously more enticing. Biggest problem, and by far the hardest thing in first season, was finding the right tone. It can go in so many different directions. We finally have it.

READ MORE FOR ENTIRE INTERVIEW

When it comes to music, a lot of people will say: "I like everything... but country and rap". While I'm not one to rock the rural stations on the regular, at times the upbeat down-home lyricism can be quite refreshing. Not to mention it also makes for great drinking tuneage. Which is why this week, to give a shout out to all our country readers, we want to make sure you check out the new single "Feel That Fire" by Dierks Bentley.

This so-called rebel on the country scene has managed to break genre boundaries by taking his show from the Grand Old Oprey to the stages of Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. I saw him at Milwaukee's Summerfest a couple years ago and the band ended their set with six classic rock cover songs. It was awesome.

His past hits have included the country favorite "Lotta Leavin' Left to Do" and the borderline pedophilic deep-voiced sketchfest "Come a Little Closer" that you can't help but love. Bentley was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2007 CMA's, and we're thinking 2009 will be a return to the ballot. The single "Feel That Fire" has gained notoriety already on the Country Music Charts. The new album hits stores February 3rd, but this single is a perfect addition to your weekend sessions if you can get your hands on it. Listen below:

       I saw the film a couple weeks ago in a pre-screening and I’ve really just been bragging to people that I’ve already seen it when commercials would come on TV or the topic would come up in conversation. The reason being it made me feel like a badass. 401k be damned, I saw Kevin Smith’s new film three weeks before it hit theaters. Take that!

        But when it came to finally writing a review, I didn’t know which direction to take it. Is it funny? Yes. Is it over the top with the porn? No. Not really. There are a couple scenes, including one extremely graphic anal faux pas, but there wasn’t any more simulated sex than you probably see in Nights in Rodanthe or High School Musical 3. Why the American right is so up in arms about it is really a mystery to me, I just feel bad for the sixteen kids in Utah that wanted to see it and can’t because the state banned the film from being shown. Now they’re just gonna go do meth.

        Zak and Miri Make a Porno is the touching tale of two BFFs who work dead end jobs and have done very little with their lives since graduating from high school. When the utilities go out, the two are forced to find a new way to make some extra bank and what better way than pornography? How American.

READ THE REST

It's that time of year when we begin to look at the world around us a little differently. Leaves changing, cold fronts moving in, that walk home from the library gets a little creepy. Politicians and Hollywood royalty become hilarious costume ideas and our conception of what 'slutty' means is completely thrown out as every female explores their inner ho.

But aside from the drinks and masked mayhem on the horizon, we must not forgot the meaning behind the holiday we hold so near to our hearts. I've pushed my Google skills to the red line to reveal unto you, our readers, some rather seasonal material exposing a few of the most haunted campuses in the country. From ghosts who never moved out of the dorm to ones who couldn't bare another walk of shame from Greek row. While we may never know if any of these stories are true, they are well documented and most of them have been around just as long as the universities themselves.

Indiana University - Read Hall

Lots of freshmen find themselves out on their own for the first time; a new life with new friends, few rules, and bad decisions. The stress of the change can drive anyone to adopt a certain degree of psychosis. So when you begin to hear voices and footsteps down the hall, it is probably just all in your little first year head, right? Maybe not. Legend has it that Reed Hall, a dorm at Indiana University in Bloomington, houses more than just the class of 2012. Originally, the building was used to house grad students and allegedly a good place to commit a crime. Seems in the '60s, a jealous med student got into it with his girlfriend one night resulting in the female getting scalpel-ed. The boyfriend continued to scalpel the rest of her face off and hid her body in the basement of the building. A couple days later he was arrested and carted off, but apparently the girl stuck around. She is said to haunt her room as well as the room she was murdered in. Students have also seen her walking the halls late at night with long black hair covering her face and a bloody nightgown. Talk about a buzz-kill if you ran into that returning from a couple drinks at Kilroy's.

University of Georgia - Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority

Some of the sisters of Alpha Gamma Delta don't like to admit it, but there have been several cases of creepy encounters inside their sorority house. It is said that a young woman, distraught by her fiancé apparently standing her up at the altar, hung herself in the attic of the house which ironically resembles a three-tier wedding cake. The sisters refer to her affectionately as Susie, the name of the original owner's daughter. The ghost is said to open and close doors, flicker lights. Students have claimed to see a shadowy figure from time to time in the attic window and a few of the sisters have claimed to see a figure dressed in white walk past the upstairs bathroom mirror. The girls of AGD like to say when things go awry, Susie is responsible. Scapegoat or not, pretty sure someone from the undead is a better roommate than that whore who slept with your boyfriend last year after formal. You know who you are.

Other Campuses: Penn State, Kansas, Illinois, NYU, Keene State, Marquette and Ohio University

Chad Stokes has always been an activist. From his days rocking with the band Dispatch to his pet webisode project Hows Your News? In the interest of getting college kids engaged in the coming election, he's at it again. This time with his Boston-based rock trio State Radio. Hitting pivitol swing states, the band's "Take the Country Back" tour is a 24 city Rocktober to gain awareness and listen to some great tunes.

I remember seeing John Kerry speak at one of these battleground concerts back in 2004, joined on stage by Dave Grohl and Bruce Springstein. State Radio is a band that delves heavily into the political realm, a lot of their songs seen as new-age protest ballads. But they aren't the only bands on tour right now fighting for college votes in swing states. The Beastie Boys are rocking swing state venues in Wisconsin, Virginia, and Minnesota on their "Get Out and Vote '08" Tour. And they're bringing heavy artillery with supporting acts Tenacious D, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Crosby & Nash, Norah Jones, and Sheryl Crow. All of the shows have a liberal overtone, but whatever way you're leaning politically, these are great events to check out some awesome music. And you really should vote. It's sort of your right as a citizen.

What sets State Radio's tour apart from the big boys is what they're doing on the side. A huge spokesperson for human rights, Chad was the driving force behind Dispatch's sold out reunion shows at Madison Square Garden a few years ago to benefit the Elias Fund, which gives aide to children in impoverished Zimbabwe. True to form, a big focus of this tour is highlighting the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and those Americans who have been victims of government cutbacks. A general theme of respect, justice, and equality for all citizens is paramount in not only the band's messages but their music as well.

Along the tour, the band has been working with Amnesty International to protest death penalty legislation, as well as an impromptu concert at the Obama headquarters in Gainesville and an acoustic sit in last Wednesday outside Joe Liebrman's office. For those in New York, you can still get in on the action (tour dates below).

If you would like to learn more about the "Take the Country Back" Tour, check out their blog coverage here. If you want to hear more State Radio, check them out here.

State Radio Dates

10/22 ......... Troy, NY......... Revolution Hall
10/26 ......... Providence, RI ......... Dunkin' Donuts Center
11/29 ......... New York, NY ......... Terminal 5 (with Anti Flag)


Beastie Boys Dates

10/28 ......... Richmond, VA ......... Richmond Coliseum
11/1 ......... St. Paul, MN ......... Roy Wilkins Auditorium
11/2 ......... Milwaukee, WI ......... US Cellular Arena

When you think Seattle music scene, the two things that come to mind are probably grunge and flannel. But that was the 90s. Shit has changed. Starbucks are everywhere, Dave Grohl fronts a pop-rock staple, and MTV limits itself to one music video a day. You might not think underground hip-hop to be going down by the Sound, but one listen to The Saturday Knight's album Mingle (LITA 2008) will change that. Mixing vintage R&B grooves courtesy of The Dap-Kings and catchy hooks thanks to DJ Suspence, the Seattle trio creates a great album perfect for the house party tonight or the tailgate tomorrow.

Kick it off with "45", a catchy hip-hop anthem for packing heat in the club. It also has one of the best lines I've heard in a while: "You can't hang? / Homeboy, I'm f&*#ing drapery." But the album doesn't ease off. "Surf Song" sounds like the illegitimate love child of Brian Wilson and Phife Dawg. Other highlights include the throwback track "Count it Off", indie-infused "Dog Park", "Private School Girls", and grunge guitar on "Foreign Affair".

Check them out, you won't regret it. MYSPACE | OFFICIAL

Video – "45"

Last weekend we took a little trip down to Austin to participate in 3 days of explosive live music. We met a lot of people, made some friends - kids who were looking to rock just like us and had been doing it all summer long. With the music industry on it's heels this week as Congress worked out legislation that could make Righ Click "Save File As" piracy a thing of the past, there is no question that music is as big as it has ever been in mainstream culture.

The Festival Scene, which has seen a glorious return to summertime fun, saw several new festivals as well as returning rock-fests. The Dell Dome traveled to each one, hosting cool events and band interviews. We were told the group of Dell groupies were all pretty tired after hitting up Lolla, Virgin Mobile Fest, Outside Lands, Bumbershoot, Monolith, and ACL - but not sick of each other quite yet.

To drive home the idea of creativity and embracing the individual spirit, Dell knocked it out of the park with the 'Dome'. While at the Dome, not only could festival-goers check their e-mail, they could make a digital mixtape and send it to themselves for rocking when they get home. They could get airbrush tattoos, get their hair 'did, and make custom screen printed t-shirts using the art and designs of Mike Ming.

There was also an online contest to place one lucky band on stage at ACL. We met up with the winners, The Steps, backstage and heard about their experience. "I think there were like 700 bands that tried out," singer Will Thomas told us. "Just playing at something like ACL adds a lot of cred to your resume." The Austin-based rockers were reminiscient of the Brit-rock 60s with some new age swagger. The Sound and Jury winners rocked an early time-slot, but a good sized crowd turned out. Apparently, over 300,000 votes were cast in the ballot... which has to make any up-and-coming act happy to participate.

SUNDAY

We headed back to Zilker Park, exhausted and missing parts of our livers from the night before. If my body could talk, it would have said the following: "6th Street is amazing, I'm in love with Austin and this beautiful festival. But please God, kill me."

But we did it up, and here's what we checked out on our last day of ACL Madness.

Flyleaf
God they sucked. Who even invited them to the party?


Tristan Prettyman
It is safe to say I have a new crush. Not only is Tristan a good looking girl, she definitely has a voice to back it up. And she can play guitar. I mean, what else do you need? If you like Jack Johnson or any of the other surf rockers, you'll dig her style. She just spent the summer touring with John Butler and G. Love and her new album makes the perfect gift for any female in your life. Call me?


Against Me!
The Gainesville punkers had a huge hit this summer with "Thrash Unreal", detailing the life-and-times of a thirty-something punk chick who can't seem to grow out of the scene. Their latest release has every Alternative radio DJ proclaiming it "life-changing", and we tend to agree that it is certainly a stellar record. Life-changing not so much, but worth checking out. Live show was good, nothing special. But I heard they were awesome when they were on tour with The Foo Fighters this past Spring.

SATURDAY

After a very successful first day at Austin City Limits, we were back for more. Slightly tired, but rested enough to rock.

Old 97s
We walked into the grounds as the Old 97s got to the chorus of their song "Time Bomb". I love it. It's a great song. But by the time we got over to them, they had already packed up for the day. Well shit. Again – don't really care though because we had hit up a notorious Austin establishment called Taco Express for breakfast tacos which made the previous evening's chicken cone seem like nothing more than some shit in a paper wrap. I'm sorry Chicken Cone. I didn't mean that. I still love you.

(By the way: their MySpace page is "TheOld97s", but "Old97s" is pretty hilarious - here)


The Fratellis
Like many others unaccustomed to summer festival heat, the Fratellis played a stage that directly faced the sun. They apologized for not rocking hard enough, but we were happy with the amount of rock that we got. I was never really a fan of them, Scotland's answer to The Killers, but they put on a good show and I would entertain the idea of hearing them down the road. Still wouldn't hit them up in concert though.


Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
My darkhorse surprise for the weekend. The 50's style R&B which just didn't seem to register at Lollapalooza was right at home here in Austin. They rocked, extremely hard. I mean, I would in a heartbeat go see them again. Especially outdoors. I'd even take my Mom. It's the James Brown feel with updated lyrics, breathing new life into a musical genre in the same sort of way that Old Crow Medicine Show cranks out bluegrass for the Pitchfork reader. I think she also came off in a huge way here because of the demographic present. Unlike other music festivals which cater primarily to the twenty-something with a smuggled bottle of vodka and a joint, ACL had a ton of older attendees (who smuggled vodka and joints) as well as J-High rockers.

We know this is a couple days behind us now, but let me put it this way: I'm still recovering. Having never hit up Austin before, I recommend anyone who enjoys live music, cheap beer, and great weather drop what they're doing and start driving. I don't care if you're babysitting your two month old niece or caring for an elderly woman – get in your car stat. We listed Austin in our Top Campuses to Rock, but didn't know full well until this past weekend what the city was capable of.

We hit the spots, Emo's, Stubbs, my personal favorite The Blind Pig. But the real reason we were in town was of course for the seventh annual Austin City Limits Music Festival. A lot of friends of mine thought it was all about country, but they really couldn't be farther from the truth. Here's a rundown of our weekend at the fest:


The Steps
We started the day off at the Dell Stage to see the band that won the online contest. Austin natives, The Steps, had a great presence and had us wondering why they weren't on the bill from the beginning. Picked on Dell's site out of something like 300 bands, there were over 300,000 ballots cast and they took the cake. Pick up their self-titled album. It's good.


What Made Milwaukee Famous
From one Austin band to another, the notion of middle Texas being anything other than a bastion for indie rock was driven home over the weekend. While their single "Sultan" is great, the rest of the album kind of fell short for us. That was until I saw the live show. I have a new found respect for the boys of WMMF and gotta say their 2008 album What Doesn't Kill Us is back in my playlist rotation.


Louis XIV
Loved these guys at Lollapalooza, but I think the heat was getting to them as the thermometer approached the 90s early afternoon. While I loved Austin, that dry heat at the end of September was not something I was used to. We didn't stay long.


Del the Funkyhomosapien
While most bands let the crowd gathered between sets in silence, Del had a local MC hyping up the crowd half an hour before he was set to come out and rock. Del's DJ was out too, spinning and cutting as the local guy dropped some short freestyles. He was tight. Del was tight as well. I didn't know any of his original stuff, being a fan mostly from work with The Gorrillaz, but I was impressed. He wasn't a "Lupe" or a "Roots" when it came to festival hip-hop, but I think it was a good fit.

Continue for Full Coverage

Tonight, one of my favorite shows, How I Met Your Mother, premiers with a new season on CBS. NPH will make me laugh until my brain explodes. You should watch it. In case you missed it this weekend:

CAMPUS HEADLINES

Last night was the Emmy's, and since America didn't watch here's a recap. (Michigan State Lansing Lowdown)

Speaking of State, the kids down in South Bend are not ecstatic. (Notre Dame The Observer)

Duluth's hilly streets sees a huge rise in longboarding. Gas prices might have a hand as well. (UM-Duluth Statesman)

Champaign apparently not effected by housing crisis, crashing economy, or global warming. (Illinois Daily Illini)

Five alcohol myths addressed by professionals. Interesting. (Purdue The Exponent)

46 tons of trash has been pulled out of river near Ames campus. Gross. (Iowa State ISDaily)

OTHER BOOSH

PICTURED: The best TV sitcom hangouts. How I Met Your Mother tops it off. (YepYep)

The largest collection of South Carolina cheerleader pictures ever. (Don Chavez)

Michigan State father shakes child on sideline. Hard. Football stick? (Busted Coverage)

We're addicted to Pandora. Here are 15 ways to get more out of it. (LifeHacker)

In case you didn't hear, Blink 182's Travis Barker barely survived a plane crash on Friday. (Brahsome)

Jenny McCarthy has a sister named Amy. She is also attractive. (NSFWish) (BrightBlackInternet)

Girls of SEC video slideshow. Just because. (LosersWithSocks)

Dispelling some Greek Myths down in Ann Arbor. (CollegeOTR)

Professor Wikipedia. Funny. [VIDEO] (CollegeHumor)

Since YouTube took the internet by storm only a few years ago, several aspiring musicians have used it as a means of reaching the public eye. Colbie Caillat used a MySpace/YouTube approach to landing a record deal with Universal and new popstar Kat Deluna (of American disgrace fame) used a viral vid to get a deal with Epic.

But a new trend in the past year has new musicians hungry for fans turning a new leaf, taking cover songs to a new level. I've always thought people who can transcribe music across genres are pretty cool - here's some of the best cover artists making a name online:

Alejandro Manzano - "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)"

Originally by Wyclef Jean

Current Views: 1,465,485

Alejandro Manzano is one of the few acoustic performers on YouTube who you can tell is going somewhere. Frontman of the Florida-based band Boyce Avenue, Alejandro and his brothers have really embraced the viral market when it comes to getting a foot into the music industry. They have done several covers of popular songs and developed one of the most subscribed channels on YouTube. This acoustic version of Wyclef's "Sweetest Girl" is by far the best one in our opinion. Other notable ones would be the piano rendition of Usher's "Love in This Club" and his cover of "Umberella" which has seen over three million views in the past year. I think every girl reading this just died.

The dust on Grant Park has settled and the city has gotten back into the swing of things after three days of incredible tuneage beneath the Chicago skyline. Boosh was there all three days, sweating and rocking to some of the best music on the festival scene this summer. Of course we couldn't catch it all, but here are the highlights.

*Find new music - click on band names for links to their pages

FRIDAY

Jeff Tweedy

Ex Janes Addiction front man and founder of Lolla, Perry Farrell is an interesting guy. His unique and out-there personality echoes throughout the festival from the artwork to the Kidzapalooza area meant exclusively for the children of awesome parental figures who take their kids to concerts. Throughout the weekend, acts would take the Kidz stage and we were lucky enough to catch Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy in action. He played some acoustic covers of my personal favorite tracks like "What Light" and "Heavy Metal Drummer".

Louis XIV

I had never heard of them before, but my buddy stressed the importance of hitting up their set so we dropped by. When the lead singer came out in a full suit on probably the hottest day of the summer it was pretty evident that they were here to rock. And rock they did. From their indie-riffic sound to their down and filthy lyrics.

The Black Keys

Having seen Gogol Bordello before, we headed over to check out the Black Keys on the Bud Light stage. A great show from a great band. Real gritty guitar 'n drums from a two-man team out of Akron, OH. I thought that a sold-out show the night before at Chicago's legendary Metro Theater might damper the band's performance, but they showed up and filled up the North lawn. Out of all the acts we saw, I see these guys making a big wave in the coming year.

Lederhosen's Biergarten

A new addition to the festival this year was the German infused beer garden behind the Playstation stage. With huge screens playing live feeds from that day's performers and waitresses filling our pints, it was a nice way to relax in the hot hot heat. Of course the beer selection was limited to Budweiser products and the Windy City's microbrew, Goose Island.

Bloc Party

We skipped right to the big stage to guarantee a stellar spot for the night's closing act. I had never been a huge fan of the British rockers and was a little upset because we were going to miss Jack White's new explosion with The Raconteurs. But what I used to hate I'm now addicted. The band came out and destroyed to a quickly filling crowd, highlight tracks being "Banquet" and "Helicopters". And "Mercury" live was pretty sweet. I went home and bought one of their albums on Itunes. I spent more money – that's how awesome they were.

Big Ten Football as Lollapalooza Acts

"There are no losers in Flip Cup, let's be honest," said Scott, co-founder of Flip Cup Guys. A grassroots organization based out of Hoboken, New Jersey, FCG is led by Scott and his buddy Mike who came up with the idea after destroying the bar room competition in an impromptu tourney. "We looked around and saw how many people were playing and thought, this could be huge."

And huge it is. This October, Flip Cup Guys is holding the first ever professional 64 team Flip Cup Tournament at the M1-5 Bar in New York City. "It's the largest in the US, potentially in history," Scott told us. Winning teams at the October throw-down will receive a variety of prizes including professional flip cup tables courtesy of BPong.com, other big ticket items and a cash deposit to a charity of their choice. So far, Scott says they have signed up teams from California to Canada and still have spots available but they're going fast.

Scott pointed out to us the huge positives of flip cup in relation to other drinking games. "It's more of a team sport," he told us. FCG tournaments use 6-person teams so more people can get in on the action than the 2-on-2 testosterone battles of Beer Pong. "Plus, girls like it a lot more. They can bring their friends." Scott told us they average 60% female participation, making it a perfect way to not only unite the party, but unite the sexes as well.

  But don't for a moment think FCG is just an East Coast thing. Partnered with the Beer Pong Association of America (notorious for their World Championships every January in Vegas), the professional side of flip cup has pushed westward and FCG holds tournaments in cities across the country. Some venues have monthly social leagues and the game is a major hit between rival college Alumni Associations still trying to figure out which alma mater should reign supreme.

Interview with Olympic swimmer and world record holder, Jessica Hardy. Recent allegations of stimulants is not part of the interview.

Sampling (noun)
A usually digitized audio segment taken from an original recording and inserted, often repetitively, in a new recording.

Hip-hop producers, club DJs, and electronic musicians have been doing it for years. The art of manufacturing a solid new song using beats from some hit popular back in the 70s has been the key to a house on MTV Cribs for so many artists with downloadable ringtones. But there are plenty of people out there who lack the ear or the talent to really make something that can be considered 'music'. Just because you have speakers and an iTunes playlist doesn't make you a DJ, champ.

Enter Girl Talk. Known by day as Gregg Gillis, this biomedical engineer turned sample maestro hit the scene with his first release in 2002 while still enrolled at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Keeping his night gig under wraps from his coworkers, Gregg lived two lives: one as a pencil pushing number cruncher in the experimental development department of a biomedical company and the other as a dance-party conductor. In the past year, he has turned to music full time and toured the country taking venues by storm. Boosh talked to Gregg a couple days after he dropped his latest release, Feed the Animals (2008), about dance parties, mix tapes, and his college years.

The interesting sound of Girl Talk is created by Gillis' ability to sample from multiple sources to create one cohesive beast. "I haven't counted them up yet, but I can definitely say it's over 300," said Gillis, nonchalantly, when asked how many different samples were used in his newest album. "Wikipedia has compiled 270 different ones on a list. For Night Ripper someone started to [compile] and when this album dropped the list went up like an hour after it was online. From what I've seen it looks about right, but there are 50 or more that are less obvious, that I used the drum beats or something."

Feed The Animals, was released online in much the same fashion that alternative heavy-hitters Radiohead released their last album In Rainbows, allowing fans to pay whatever they wanted for the music whether it be $10 or zero. "With any album, it's immediately on the file sharing networks, you have to acknowledge that reality," Gillis told us. "Charging a set sum is ignoring the obvious. But when you're straight up with people, they respect that. Gets them excited to participate."

Summer is a time for cranking the radio, opening the windows, and cruising. And each season a couple bands are handpicked by the American public to blow up huge at beach sessions, backyard parties, and crowded bar rooms everywhere. Of course those lucky songs chosen to be the soundtrack for the warm months of '08 will be overplayed and kicked until the very mention of their chorus makes your ears bleed.