Sunday, October 29, 2006

Ambitious Brew book review


I recently finished the book Ambitious Brew by Maureen Ogle. The book runs down the history of American Beer. This is a book is very easy to read. It doesn't fall into the trap of many non-fiction books of burying each page in facts that slow down the narrative until the reader finally falls asleep. This well written piece keeps the reader engaged by following several of the large brewers from their arrival in America to the present day. The end of the book covers the recent craft brewing explosion that I know several of my friends would enjoy reading. In fact this book would make a great Christmas gift for some of my home brewing friends. The book also has its own website which is pretty cool. You can buy a copy here.
Download - Ryan Adams - The Bar is a Beautiful Place

Friday, October 27, 2006

Adidas related stuff

Adidas has a really cool Mashup Video thing going on for the MLS playoffs. My favorite is the Mates of State one. Check it out here.
Adidas is also the company that gave us the kick ass adicolor line that included this Tron shoe below. Ryan Adams recently updated his site again with new pictures. In one of them he is at the world famous Stonehenge wearing a pair of the Tron Adidas. My boy has style for miles.
In even more exciting news Willie Nelson is dropping his new album with the Cardinals that is helmed by Adams. A few tracks have leaked and they are very cool.
This picture has nothing to do with anything but that lady is painted up like a tiger.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Put it in the trash


I was tracked down at recess today to find out that my youngest had thrown up, twice. We ended up watching the Muppet Show on the couch most of the day. When I asked about him being sick he said "the chocolate milk made my stomach hurt so I threw it in the trash can with my mouth"... nice. He couldn't explain throwing up on the school nurse.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Drive By Truckers/ on the ipod

This song Space City by the Drive By Truckers keeps coming up on my ipod and I'm really starting to enjoy it. Check it out. To take it a step further the entire new album is pretty cool.
Download - Drive By Truckers - Space City
My favorite song is still Women Without Whiskey.
Download - Drive By Truckers - Women Without Whiskey

Photos are courtesy of ryan shot at ACL 2005.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Outside

This is what i see from our backyard.
This is what i see if i stand in the backyard and look left.
This is what i see from my computer desk.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Best Lyrics?

I picked up the new issue of HARP yesterday with The Mars Volta on the cover. HARP is far and away my favorite music magazine, they actually focus solely on music. They are celebrating five years and ask several musicians about the last five years. Ben Kweller was presented with the question "What are the best lyrics from the last five years?" he chose "Lua" by Bright Eyes as his answer. I think G! might agree.

No comments:

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Built to Spill/ NPR

G! reminded me the other day that NPR had some pretty good shows coming up. I often forget about their concert series but they usually have some pretty solid shows.
Built to Spill has a show up on the NPR website. Check it out. it's pretty close to the show i saw earlier in the month at Higher Ground in Burlington.
Later tonight NPR will be streaming a live show by Wilco, i'll be listening.

Check out the videos from the Spinto Band-Art Brut-We are Scientists showup at False 45th.

Staring at Sound

I just finished the book Flaming Lips:Staring at Sound by this guy.
The book is a pretty comprehensive history of the band and their many incarnations. It should be said that the author is admittedly a fan and friend of the band. That doesn't stop him from painting Wayne as a closet control freak but the criticism is short lived and sporadic with much of the book praising the bands dedication to creativity and underlining the work ethic of the core group. Most fans of the band are familiar with the bands story so I won't rehash it here but they do cover Steven's drug use and the book goes right up to the recording sessions for the Lips latest release At war with the Mystics. Overall this is a well written and engaging looks at one of my favorite bands.
Download - The Flaming Lips - Mr. Ambulance Driver
Buy - Staring at Sound

Married to the Mob


This is a new poster for the clothing line Married to the Mob. They are an overpriced trendy line but damn that's an original way to advertise. I think the best part of the poster is that the gorilla is wearing a pair of Jordan III's, classic.
I can't help but post this song.
Download - The Dead Milkmen - Gorilla Girl

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Back from Montreal

Ahh the great white north, Sunday I caught my first show in Montreal at a great little venue La Tulipe. I've got to send a big "thank you" to False 45th for letting me tag along. He was an excellent host and thank god he knew his way around Montreal(and he isn't an axe murderer).
We arrived at the club just moments late. Up here shows start right when they say they will, something that rarely happens in Oklahoma. In effect we missed maybe one song. The Spinto band put on a great show. I know I've said it countless times before but I love to see a band that enjoys themselves on stage. The Spintos have a very exuberant stage presence, lots of banter with the crowd, spastic dancing, bobble headed head bopping and one of the guitarists is fond of the mini windmill. Going in the Spinto band was the act I was most familiar with and they played a short set(maybe 40 minutes?) that felt longer. One of the highlights was a cover of ELO's classic Mr. Blue Sky that included the singer for W.A.S. and a guitarist for Art Brut on drunken backing vocals. They ended with Oh Mandy.
Download - The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy

I was looking forward to Art Brut's set for the simple fact that the internet has been full of reports on how great they are live and guess what, they are right on. Live Art Brut are the best kind of rock band, loud, fun and not at all serious. Songs that seem a bit repetitive and simplistic on disc sound like perfect rockers on stage. They truly make you feel like you could and should start a band immediately opened with the first few bars of Back in Black before launching into Formed a Band. The between song banter was largely about what each song was about, or good natured jabs at We Are Scientists. The show also sported a "mosh pit", something that I had seen the last of years ago. The pits at this show rivaled anything from the mosh pits early 90's hayday. Things got so wild that the crowd was admonished to dance safely. At one point the singer jumped off the stage and walked right past me singing as he made his way aound the club. They were a great act and I think I had a smile on my face the entire set.

Download - Art Brut - Formed a Band

Download - Art Brut - Modern Art

I really haven't listened to much from We Are Scientists so I wasn't expecting too much from their show, besides how do you follow a perfect set from Art Brut. With great songs, male nudity, synchronized dances, pies and a 15 minute 14 person cover of the Eagles "Hotel California", that's how. Musically W.A.S. had it wired, this was the last date of the tour for them and they went all out. They covered art brut's "Bang Bang Rock and Roll" with some help and synchronized dancing from the entire Spinto Band dressed in oversive W.A.S. shirts. They spent a lot of time between songs talking shit(good naturedly) about Art Brut. Towards the end of the set the basses jumped off stage, made his way throughout the still churning "mosh pit" and played in the middle of the floor in a circle of concert goers(false 45th and I were right on the edge of said circle). He then made his way back on stage and stripped down to a pair of pink underwear, apparently he had been wearing the same outfit for the past three weeks as part of a bet, which he won. The last song featured the Spinto Band(wearing W.A.S. underwear on their heads) throwing pies in the faces of all the band members. Then they were joined onstage by all of Art Brut and The Spinto Band for an excellent cover of "Hotel California". It was quite simply a great rock and roll show.

Download - We Are Scientists - The Great Escape

Monday, October 16, 2006

Spinto Band/Art Brut/We Are Scientists


The show last night was a rockfest. I'll do a proper post on the happenings tomorrow, for now check out the shirt I bought(the last one they had).

Sunday, October 15, 2006

The Dead Milkmen/Call to Arms



Sometimes at work I have time to check out the stock at the store and in so doing I made a shocking discovery... We don't carry any of The Dead Milkmen's discs except for their questionable greatest hits album(most of their best work isn't there). Not only that but we can't even order anything, it's all out of print! What is wrong with this world? One of the Greatest bands in the world is out of print? I have great memories of singing these songs at work during high school. Main and I had the intro to Bitchen Camero down cold and would do it all the time. The Milkmen are still a staple on my ipod even if G! usually rolls her eyes when they come on. The two times I saw them live were way back when I first started going to concerts. I still remember when Roddy Bottoms made fun of Jessica from the stage. Phil wore the Not Richard but Dick shirt for ever and I still have my Soul Rotation shirt even if it is falling to pieces. If anyone wants to get me or themselves on go here. I'll take the classic logo in white please.
Luckily you can still order most of the disc here. I don't know why we can't get them in the store. I have the first three albums on cassette and vinyl so I guess I'd better try to get them on CD.

I feel like I should find a guitarist and bassist and start a Dead Milkmen cover band. Maybe I will, first I'll try to think of a name, is The Bleach Boys too obvious? How bout Crystal Shit?

Download - The Dead Milkmen - Bitchin Camero
Download - The Dead Milkmen - The Woman who was also a Mongoose
Download - The Dead Milkmen - Bleach Boys

Friday, October 13, 2006

The Mars Volta...again


First impressions were correct, this is a good album. Remember I'm coming from the position of a big At the Drive-In fan. It was impossibto choose just one track since this is truely an album so i went with the first song.

Download - The Mars Volta - Vicarious Atonement

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Ken's Pizza Sapulpa/Burlington


How weird is this? This is in Burlington Vermont. I plan on checking it out. I'm hoping for a lunch buffett.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

National Coming Out Day

Since it's National Coming Out Day i've been checking Ryan's site all day long for any big announcements but it looks like another year in the closet for him. More power to ya big guy.

Mars Volta

I couldn't help it, i bought the new Mars Volta disc yesterday. As you all know At the Drive-In was one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time. Their break up was one of the worst things to hit the world of rock(and ryan and i were making plans to catch them the next time they were in texas). I haven't listened to the new album incessently yet(just one spin so far) but i can already tell you that the new disc is better than Deloused. I'll post some music later.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Built to spill quickie

My computer is still acting up, im being flooded by pop ups, any ideas? My nice long concert review was somehow deleated or something so here is a quickie.
I scored a cheaper than face value ticket from a guy who bought several in April.
I drank two long trails.
I liked the opening band the Prids enough to buy their album.
The middle band had a great first song and the rest wasn't.
Some drunk college kid took a picture with my beard.
Built to Spill was amazing. Doug sounded just like he does on disc(amazing) and the guitar solos almost knocked my socks off.
I amost hit two deer on the way home and was in bed by 2:00.

Download: Built to Spill - Goin against your mind

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Phil's request Mates of State


The mates of state's latest album has been in constant rotation since it was released. They played several numbers from this disc at last years ACL.
Think Long
Fraud in the 80's
Like U Crazy
Beautiful Dreamer
What it means
For the Actor
Nature and the wreck
So Many Ways
Punchlines
Running out

Ryan Adams At it again

You must hurry over to Ryan Adam's web site immediately. He has put put some ridiculously hilarious rap songs up. Yes I said RAP SONGS. One may be called "Drunk Santa", it's as awesome as the title implies. He has also put up some drunken country song snippits. Check them out before he realizes what he's done. I don't care what anyone says, that man is a genius.