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DSE Aftermath, share we must

March 10, 2010 · Leave a Comment

It’s been a few days since Digital Signage Expo ended and we haven’t posted a re-cap on the event, but hey, its Vegas baby! So please grant us some slack, we needed recovery time. Now that we’ve slept it off we have to admit it was a pretty great event, and while what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, we’re just too excited by what we saw to keep it to ourselves. Share we must.

 Props to Karen Barone and the rest of the team over at ExpoNation for hosting the show.  Our techies were beside themselves with all the innovative ideas that were being shared amongst industry players big and small. A big theme on the show floor this year was interactive digital signage. There was even a sign at the show displaying the #DSE2010 Twitter feed (PlayNetwork is the top tweet ;)

  The DOOH industry has become a front runner in our “people driven economy” and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. It was the perfect time to unveil the C500 Media Player…we love having a crowd “oohhh-ing” and “aahhh-ing” at our services. Thanks to everyone who made it by our booth especially Shonan Nororha, Dan Ochwat and Peter Breen. It was great to catch up with all of you and we look forward to working with you in the future!

 We had a blast on and off the show floor, okay fine, we may have had a little more fun off the floor (they don’t call us PlayNetwork for nothin’). We have to thank all the guys and gals over at the DailyDOOH (you know who you are), and Dave Haynes for the awesome time at their mixer. All in all we met great people, learned a lot and had a blast! We came back to Seattle invigorated and ready to work. Which is what we are going to do….right….now…

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South Korea loves Iowa???

March 8, 2010 · Leave a Comment

My husband is a huge Iowa Hawkeye fan (and has converted me as well). So every day he reads about Iowa Hawkeye football, wrestling and basketball. When college football season rolls around he goes a little nuts. We dress up in our Iowa gear and head over to Buckley’s in Lower Queen Anne to meet with our fellow Hawkeyes, watch the game, drink, eat and sing the fight song with the trombone and an occasional sax and snare as our band!

Amongst our fellow Iowans, we stumbled across this gem of a video. It’s a Korean girl band called Girl’s Generation (who’ve topped the charts in South Korea) that apparently has some affection toward an Iowa Hawkeye football helmet. So random. But I love it—it’s so catchy! And who doesn’t love a good ‘I’m-having-so-much-fun-all-the-time’ Korean pop girl band?

Kym
PlayNetwork, Inc.

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Tz’s Daily Dose: Judas Priest

February 17, 2010 · Leave a Comment

So i found myself watching the Judas Priest ‘Behind The Music Remastered’ episode the other night, and it dawned on me that they may be the only Metal band worth listening to anymore. Back in the days of buying concert t-shirts from the local stoner at the arcade, Judas Priest were just one of the many on offer. However, all but they have fallen by the wayside, relegated to the bargain-bins, if you can even find a record store anymore…

Now, until the other night i wouldn’t have thought they’d have even survived my unpaid opinion, but while watching and listening, i realized that they have some fantastic songs! That’s the mistake most of the other dino-rockers made. Too much emphasis on flash and hairspray, not enough on the tunes. Though JP was one of the heaviest bands at the time, i suspect much of the catalog was actually written on acoustic guitar, though i can’t prove it…

Great song, but this was my jam back at the arcade…

Tony
Media Producer
PlayNetwork, Inc.

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Oh Canada!

February 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I just went up this past weekend to check out what was going on in Vancouver with the Winter Olympics being so close. Turns out it looks almost like Vancouver does usually but with more drunk Canadians, much more Canadian flags and some photo ops on Granville Street near Robson Square. They had some crazy sculptures lining the sides of the road and Winter Olympic themed “Hole in the Wall” type cut outs.

It also had a small ‘lantern forest’. Children colored paper lantern and hung them up in the ‘forest’ made of small bare fake trees.

We stayed and watched a laser light show in Robson Square.

It was anticlimactic at best. It was much too bright all around to really see the lasers and whoever picked out the music was living under a rock. But it was exciting to see people dressed up in the outfits of different sports zip lining close overhead.

The bars were packed full with lines on the outside for people waiting for others to exit so they could enter. We tried to peek into the Irish House which was a massive tent full of big screen TV’s, entertainment and VIPs. The line for that went all the way around the block.

One thing’s for sure—if you didn’t know the Canadian National Anthem before you get there, you’ll certainly know it before you leave.

Kym
PlayNetwork, Inc.

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Heather’s Song Of The Day – February 15, 2010

February 15, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The Knack – My Sharona

Doug Fieger in 2004

Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack, died yesterday after a long battle with cancer.  He was 57 years old.

The Knack formed in 1978 and had their biggest success with the ultra-catchy “My Sharona.”  The track features one of the most well-known guitar riff in pop music history and has been covered (or parodied) by countless artists.

I have always loved the song My Sharona, maybe because it was the number one song (it spent six weeks at the top of the charts) on the day I was born and so I probably heard it a lot in the womb.    Originally released in 1979, it hit the charts again in 1994 when it was featured in the movie Reality Bites and released as a single for the film’s soundtrack.

Here is the original music video for My Sharona.  RIP, Doug.

Buy – iTunes

Buy – Amazon

Heather

Producer, Branded Music

PlayNetwork, Inc.

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Heather’s Song(s!) of the Day – February 3, 2010

February 3, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Tonight, the long-awaited Elton John and Billy Joel Face To Face tour makes it to Seattle.  Two shows slated for early November 2009 were postponed when Elton fell ill.  Tonight, the rescheduled shows begin at Key Arena.

I am a huge fan of both Elton and Billy, so I am beyond excited for the concert tonight.  I haven’t seen either one of them live before, so it’s a big night for me.

To celebrate tonight’s dream come true event, there are TWO songs of the day!

Billy Joel has the first slot with the 1980’s classic “Uptown Girl.”

And of course, the other song of the day comes from Sir Elton!  Here’s a vintage clip from a 1970 performance of “Your Song.”

Enjoy!

Heather

Producer, Branded Music

PlayNetwork, Inc.

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Tz’s Daily Dose: Black Grape

February 2, 2010 · Leave a Comment

What makes a performer a legend? 1 Great song? 1 Great band? A Built in mythology? Possible alien lineage? Well, one man has more than one of the above, and he’s also got a dancing fool comrade. Mr. Shaun Ryder. Originally the leader of Happy Mondays, legends in their own right, he also went on to front Black Grape in the midst of Britpop hysteria. Co-existing while simultaneously taking shots at bands like Oasis, Pulp & Blur.

Black Grape are reuniting after 13 years apart, so let’s celebrate and relearn the BEZ dance!

It being a World Cup year, as well as nearing the MLS season opener, let’s have another;
and if it’s cool enough for Joe Strummer, it’s cool enough for you!

Tony
Media Producer
PlayNetwork, Inc.

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Tz’s Daily Dose of Drummers: Jimmy Chamberlin

January 25, 2010 · Leave a Comment

So, by the early 90’s i’d developed my style to the point that i was a mixture of all my prior influences, with a dash of youthful energy and rage. What it ended up sounding like was something very similar to Jimmy Chamberlin, drummer for Smashing Pumpkins. This was unintentional as i hadn’t even heard of them till ‘93 or so. That’s not to say that i was anywhere near as badass as Jimmy, just that our styles were similar, which is why when i finally heard his playing, i was so excited by it. Here was someone coming from the same place as i, but was 100 times the player i was. Another benchmark to reach for…

Wow! How 90’s was that? It’s hard these days to separate The Billy Corgan Show from the band know as Smashing Pumpkins, but once upon a time, they were a force to be reckoned with…

Jimmy Chamberlin is STILL a tornado…

Tony
Media Producer
PlayNetwork, Inc.

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Tz’s Daily Dose of Drummers: Loz

January 22, 2010 · 1 Comment

Enter the 90’s and England’s 2nd of 3 great movements; ‘Shoegaze‘. The best of these bands, and yes, better than MBV, was RIDE. They were the perfect band at the Perfect Time, and they had a secret weapon in their drummer; Loz Colbert. RIDE’s music was full of melody & angst, and Loz contributed just enough chaos to bring it all home. Imagine Keith Moon without the crazy…

Amidst the beauty and the noise, you can hear hook after hook! This next song taught me the ride/crash/ride/crash technique that i still love to use…

Sadly, RIDE broke up and for some reason refuse to reunite! One guy went solo, another joined Oasis, another quit music and Loz joined indie-Gods The Jesus & Mary Chain…

Tony
Media Producer
PlayNetwork, Inc.

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Heather’s Song Of The Day – January 22, 2010

January 22, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Journey – Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

So I could not let the day end without mentioning that it is Steve Perry’s 61st birthday.  61 years old!  Though he left the band in 1987 (and again in 1998 after a short three-year reunion) Steve was the lead singer of  Journey during their heyday.

Journey has given us many iconic pop songs; “Lights,” “Any Way you Want It,” “Faithfully,” “Open Arms,” “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” “Wheel in the Sky,” “Who’s Cryin’ Now,” and of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

Whether you’re a Journey fan or not, you have to admit that Steve has some serious pipes.  He’s certainly one of the best vocalists of all time.  To honor Steve’s birthday, today’s song of the day is my favorite Journey song.  It’s the song I believe features Steve’s best vocal performance, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).”  The video is also totally cheesy and unintentionally hilarious!  Watch how Steve gets so into the lyrics, he’s nearly doing a literal interpretive dance.  Enjoy!

Buy song:  Amazon iTunes

Heather

Producer, Branded Music

PlayNetwork, Inc.

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