Remember back in the day when it used to take something depressing like famine to bring all-star musicians together for a single? This summer, Converse has brought together some major musicians to help celebrate the 100th birthday of the Chuck Taylor! The first track to pop out of the Converse Music Collaboration campaign was the recently released “My Drive Thru” featuring Pharrell Williams, Santogold, and Julian Casablancas. Now the uptempo song has been given a Xeroxed paper cut-out motif in a video treatment courtesy of Pharrell. More rumored music collabos from other artists (such as rumored Bradford Cox of Deerhunter, YACHT, Kid Sister, MGMT, Does it Offend You, Yeah?, and Fiery Furnaces) are expected to drop sometime in the near future as part of Converse’s ongoing campaign.

MP3:
N.E.R.D. - “My Drive Thru ft. Santogold & Julian Casablancas”

VIDEO:
Produced By Pharrell - Santogold, Julian Casablancas, N.E.R.D.

If you live in or near Oklahoma City, The Flaming Lips are looking for homes for 7 puppies (the most adorable band merch ever!). The free pups already have their first shots and come with an instruction/owner’s manual. (All you have to do is decide between naming it “Yoshimi” or “Pink Robot”…) If you are interested and live near the 405, please send a message via the band’s MySpace page with your name, phone number, and the subject “I WANT A PUP!” You can check out the super-cute puppy pics here.

MP3:
The Flaming Lips - “Do You Realize??”

PREVIOUSLY:
Christmas On Mars @ deadCENTER (OKC, OK) 6/13/08

As his final project for a graphic design course, James Houston grouped together “a collection of old redundant hardware” to perform a remix of the stripper-tested, stripper-approved song “Nude” by Radiohead! The results are both visually and aurally inspired! James may have missed the online remix contest deadline, but he still gets Hypeful’s vote!

MP3:
Radiohead - “Nude” (Big Ideas (don’t get any) Remix)
Radiohead - “Nude”

VIDEO:

Big Ideas (don’t get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

If you happen to have an extra £250,000 lying around (that’s $486,802 to us Yanks), you may want to consider buying the 1965 Fender Stratocaster guitar that Jimi Hendrix famously set fire to at the London Astoria on March 31, 1967. That’s the price tag that is expected to be raised from the guitar, which had been kept in storage for the past 40 years and is set to be auctioned this summer. (It would also make a lovely gift for Hypeful…just sayin’…)

MP3:
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - “Jimi Thing (Live at Luther College)”

The best part of waking up, can now be Midlake in your cup! Eric Pulido, Midlake guitarist, has launched his own brand of coffee. Cappulido Coffee (not Roscoe Roast?) features six different blends of
fair traded coffee, which gives aid directly back to farmers in developing countries and lends them the financial support necessary to continue developing an excellent product and compete in the world market. Check out the Cappulido Coffee site for more info and to score a good feeling of giving something back with your next caffeine buzz.

MP3:
Midlake - “Roscoe”