Nerd Stalker

We recently received a pair of downbeats earplugs which could not have been better timed. This would be perfect for our Solids (a very loud next coming of Dinosaur Jr. from Canada) concert in San Francisco. Downbeats claims to be high fidelity hearing protectors whose catchphrase is, "cut the noise keep the sound". They are reusable, low-profile, 18 dB reduction, small and good. They are easy to use, simply gently push them in and give them a slight twist until the flanges seal the ear canal. The downbeat come in a cool little metallic case which can be attached to your key chain for the avid concert nerd. The Haight Street club was a small echo chamber so the downbeat's were worth their weight in gold. I'm a stickler for fidelity especially at live shows so I would only give these a short chance and if they did not live up to their claims I would've chucked them ASAP. But they really did enhance the live experience and actually made the band sound even be...

The music theme continues, we interview founder of BlueHaze Mark Shedletsky. At first glance I thought BlueHaze was a simple company that sends you concert notifications, but that was a gross underestimation. BlueHaze gives the concert goer a 360 degree beginning, during, and after experience. BlueHaze is getting quite a bit of buzz as of late, with an iPhone, Facebook, and web solution to: Find local concerts. Get tour alerts from your favorite artists. See what shows your friends are seeing. Post your concert photos and reviews Keep track of your own personal Tour History. Discover new music.

iConcertCal is a free iTunes plug-in that monitors your music library and generates a personalized calendar of upcoming concerts in your city. It is available for both Windows and Mac OS X and supports worldwide searches.