As 2011 has come to an end, we are taking a look back at some of our favorite posts of the year by our guest editors.
With a major-label distribution deal right out of the chute, Candy Butchers seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of other smart, song-focused, melody-driven, ’90s outfits like Ben Folds Five and Fountains Of Wayne before the proverbial window of opportunity slammed shut circa 1997. Since then, seemingly unflappable leader Mike Viola has kept plugging away, fending off adversity in his personal life (his first wife died of cancer) and overall public indifference to get his music out there, whether as himself, under the Candy Butchers moniker, on film soundtracks or elsewhere. Viola’s new solo release, Electro De Perfecto (Good Morning Monkey/Hornblow), is a slickly produced celebration of a versatile songwriter in his prime, one who deserves a little more love. Viola will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.
Viola: … and coloring them in with my six-year-old daughter Izzy. Vintage coloring books are so much better than newer coloring books, which look like they’re all done by computer. The old ones were drawn by hand. Crude and terse. Hard outlines of pop culture. I recommend The Planet Of The Apes series. There’s like four volumes. Get ’em all. Some animal went ahead and scanned them, and they’re online if you just wanna puss out and print them up. But I suggest going through the virtue of the hunt. It’s worth it all; the anticipation of delivery. The hand-written scrawl on the poorly packed envelope from wherever USA. Then the musty scent of decay … the yellowing paper … the faded ink … that magical combination that also comes from old vinyl records and baseball cards. (Or in my case Beatle cards, monster cards, King Kong cards … I’m a total dork for that stuff). Then the cool thing is, you’re the parent. And this parent says it’s cool to color in that vintage coloring book. Go ahead. You earned the money. You paid for it. Have fun with your kid. Just don’t try too hard at the coloring … don’t make it look too good. That would be weird.
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPvFdBgutgI
