Download - KT Tunstall - Fake Plastic Trees
Download - MC Hawking - E=MC Hawking
Download - MC Hawking - The Dozens (Yes it is what it sounds like.)
I thought i'd post a little show from one of my favorites Iron & Wine. I'll never forgive Ryan for getting married and making me miss his show in Tulsa. Anyway this is from the Amstel Festival on June 28th 2003.
I don't know how long this has been out but I just came across it. What a great video for a powerful song. I can't believe the stars involved in this video. It's a real testament to how far reaching his popularity was. A good argument for never compromising on what's important.
Chloe and I spent a lot of time in the kitchen on Friday where I have a small speaker system to hook up the ipod to. While fixing lasagna Jane's Addiction's Ain't no right came on so I sang it while she danced. Afterwards she wanted to know how I knew all of the words. I explained to her that I had probably listened to that album hundreds of times, her reply, "You must like them", simple understated.
Later on tin the Lasagna preparation Regina Spektor's song Samson came on and I sang along. Chloe's comment, "I like that song but you usually like stuff that's more rockin".
Download - Regina Spektor - Samson
Let me take a moment to say that the Metropolis is a great venue. Nice sound and not a bad seat in the house. All three shows that I've attended since moving north have been in very cool spaces. You can tell from the picture above that the Decemberist's stage set was decidedly Asian flavored. It's nice to see that the band has put some thought into every aspect of the show.
The set list was dead on. They kicked it off with something from each album before playing the bulk of their new release The Crane Wife and then finished up with a new track and some old favorites. While Castaways is still my favorite album the new offering is a great solid effort. The Decemberist have managed to keep their string of interesting and engaging albums alive.
The band's energy was amazing. Having never really seen them(across a field while waiting for the Arcade Fire at ACL) I expected the show to be a little more sedate. Colin makes a great frontman, engaging the crowd, ironically rocking out and making ample use of his high school level French. The crowd seemed to like the "crooked French-Canadian" line from July! July! Above you can see Colin singing into a fan's cell phone. He also grabbed a few cameras from fans and took pictures from the stage before handing them back.
The band also acted out a battle between the red coats the huganots and the Indians during a break in the song "A Cautionary Song". You can see the new member Leslie in front of the mallet held by Chris, They were right there beside us. Overall it was another great concert experience in a city that I am beginning to like more and more. A big thanks to False45th for the ride(I owe you gas money) and Bill and Emily from Candleblog for the company.
Download - The Decemberists - July! July! - from Castaways & Cut-Outs
Download - The Decemberists - The Perfect Crime #2 - from The Crane Wife
Candleblog has a short post on the show.
False 45th took some good video that I'm sure will be posted soon.
I took a pretty decent video of A Cautionary Tale that is too big for youtube, any suggestions?
Download - Willie Nelson - We Don't Run (Classic)
Download - Willie Nelson - Sad songs and Waltzes(One of Okryan's favorites)
Aquarium Drunkard has an even better review of the album as well as an mp3 of the song Ryan wrote for the album.
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.
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.
Photos are courtesy of ryan shot at ACL 2005.
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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.
