It is no secret that LCD Soundsystem will be calling it quits after their Madison Square Garden performance on April 2nd. I have to admit that I have not been this excited for a band to perform since I attended a small, intimate concert down in southern Florida. It is safe to say that LCD Soundsystem was a touring machine during 2010 and they were putting some of the best shows around. I was able to see them three times last year and their concerts topped my list of favorites.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tom Waits: Small Change
Tom Waits was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame this year. To say the very least, Tom Waits is an incredibly talented artist. He is someone that has been making music for the past 30 years and has had success as an actor on the small stage as well as the big screen, producing new fans with every move he makes. Small Change, recorded in 1976, is a jazz-influenced album about hard living. When Waits stepped into the studio to make this record he had developed a heavy drinking habit from the endless touring. It seems that writing about his personal demons paid off since this album helped Waits gain commercial success. Tom Waits is very talented in many ways and Small Change is, well, a small piece of a very long, successful career.
Blind Melon & Chris Farley
I came across a post on a message board recently regarding the relationship between the lead singer of Blind Melon, Shannon Hoon, and the comedian Chris Farley. From what it seems, the two created a strong bond when Blind Melon first played Saturday Night Live. It is no surprise that these two were close friends since they were both known to party excessively which, sadly, lead them both to die from a drug overdose. An interesting recording surfaced from a 1994 bootleg of Blind Melon performing at Roseland Ballroom in New York City. At the beginning of the song "Walk" you can hear someone come up to Chris Farley and ask if he is on SNL. He politely responds, lets out a laugh and before you know it the conversation is drowned out by the music. You can here the track here. After hearing the recording I remembered the bands performance of their song "Soup" from Woodstock '94. It is frightening to hear a song about "making it all go away" by a man who is no longer with us.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Future Islands
A great site was launched last week by the people over at Vice that has five clips showing what its like to catch a Future Islands concert. Hailing from Maryland via North Carolina, Future Islands is band that has been gaining momentum with their emotional lyrics, thumping bass lines and "post wave" drum-machine beats and synthesizers. If you have the chance to see this band I recommend doing so. You will not be disappointed. For an added bonus, my little blog reader, below is a recording from their july 4th show in New York.
Nathan Fake: Drowning in a Sea of Love
Fake, a United-Kingdom-based DJ, embraces the simplistic side of techno and incorporates an almost shoegaze feel to his music. Drowning in a Sea of Love, which came out in 2006, is Fake's first LP and it is more atmospheric than beat-driven. A highlight for me is "You Are Here", a song that makes me close my eyes as if the song is supposed to put you to sleep. Yet as the song progresses and becomes louder and louder, bringing you from a dreamy state to being wide awake. At times it feels like Fake is taking a less-is-more approach with his music but I do know this record is best swallowed whole rather than one song here, another song there.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have revived soul music, taking the genre from dusty record crates to sold out shows across the country. What seems like an endless tour, Sharon and her band are always on the road, giving it their all on stage each night. The magic that comes from seeing Sharon own the stage with a band that is as tight as Katy Perry's jeans is certainly a sight to see. Recently Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, as well as Daptone Records member Charles Bradley, were featured on the PBS program Sound Tracks. Be sure to check your local listings so you can enjoy some soul music while supporting public television.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Sam & Dave: The Platinum Collection
You may not be familiar with their name but I am certain you have heard their their music. This duo, who got their start in Georgia, hit the music scene in 1961. With their energy-driven performances combining soul and gospel, Sam & Dave were also known as the "The Sultans of Sweat", "Dynamic Duo" and "Double Dynamite". Gaining national attention in 1965, Sam & Dave joined the famous Stax Records team and became an influence to musicians ranging from Al Green to Elvis Costello.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Phish: Crosseyed & Painless
From February 16, 1997 in Colgone, Germany. Fishman forgets the lyrics at the beginning. Trey takes over.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Ween: 12 Golden Country Greats
Ween, a band that often tackles several genres one album, chose to stick to only one: Country. Dean and Gene went down to Nashville, hired some very talented studio musicians and made a record of country songs. This album is a wonderful straight-ahead country record with bizarre lyrics. Ween is a band that can take any genre and turn it on its head. This is just another example of this. On a side note, a song that Ween recorded during this session that did not make it on the album, "So Long, Jerry", is a tribute to Jerry Garcia after his passing in 1995. You can listen to it here.
Tiny Desk Concert: David Rawlings & Gillian Welch
David Rawlings & Gillian Welch
"I'm on My Way Back to the Old Home"
"Ruby"
"Method Acting/Cortez the Killer"
"Sweet Tooth"
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A New Professional Path
I have been working at the same company for the past five years or so. The reason I have stayed here for so long is, at the end of the day, I enjoyed who I worked with. To enjoy where you work is such a rarity with many people who dread their jobs day in and day out. Given the content of my work is not ideal, I enjoyed what I made because I was working with people I cared for every day. They started as strangers and became my friends. They became my extended family where we all know details of our personal life, what makes us happy, what foods we like and dislike, gifts we would enjoy when the holidays come around. But sadly the tide has changed and there are major changes occurring. It has become a place where it feels like we are walking around with crosshairs on our back since we all feel are going to get the ax. It is not that we are not delivering. It actually the exact opposite. Members of our team, myself included, have been nominated for awards. Since the General Manager was fired out of nowhere last month the people in charge do not like us for various reasons I will not go into. With that said, do you know of a job opening for very talented Emmy-Nominated Producer?
The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper
The complete title of this collection is, Diane...The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper. The good people over at Aquarium Drunkard (via the Roots Strata Blog) posted these earlier, something all fans of Twin Peaks should hear. Over 40 tracks of Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLauchlan) leaving audio memos to his assistant Diane, something he did consistently throughout the television series. Originally released on cassette in 1990 they are now digitized for your listening pleasure. This is not for everyone but for someone who loved this show these recordings are for you. Plus the first track is the theme song from the show which is up there with my favorites with Taxi in a close second.
Chris Wood Talks Food
I recently came across an interview with Chris Wood (Medeski, Martin & Wood / The Wood Brothers) discussing his love for food. Wood goes into how he got into cooking, the rituals of a good meal before a show and what he likes to eat while spending time in Japan. You can read the entire article by clicking here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)