Blog: Metro Distortion

Worth checking out... Out Of A Forest from Tobias Gundorff Boesen on Vimeo . Music: The National - "Slow Show" [ more ] The National will be performing on Jimmy Fallon tonight. Looking forward to hearing a new tune.

I love Tom Petty and for whatever reason, I've never seen him live. I really need to remedy that this summer. He's back with a new album and is hitting the road. As if you need another reason to love Tom Petty, look at his openers...Drive-By Truckers and My Morning Jacket (as well as vets Joe Cocker, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and ZZ Top). Find me two better modern-day rock bands who would be a better fit for that gig. I can't come up with any. You can also stream the first single, [...]

"File that under holy shit." Josh Homme made that remark after a guitar solo from unlikely fourth member Alain Johannes but it summed up the entire show for me. I didn't think Josh Homme was ever happy about anything but he had a smile on his face the entire night and who can blame him. What other lead singer can join a band with one of the greatest drummers of our generation and a living legend and still somehow make it about him? Regardless, I spent the majority of the show gazing at JPJ and watching in [...]

I'm already signed up to travel down to Charlottesville (home) to see their February show but April 1 is a no brainer. The first single can be found here and true to their word, it rocks. The Big To-Do is out 3/16. Thu Mar 04 Wilmington NC Rox Nightclub Sat Mar 06 Augusta GA Sky City Fri Mar 12 Atlanta GA Variety Playhouse Sat Mar 13 Atlanta GA Variety Playhouse Thu Mar 18 Austin TX [...]

Looks awesome:

2009 was the hardest year of work, not surprisingly, that I've ever had. That's not necessarily a bad thing at all, I've been very fortunate, it's just an adjustment. Unfortunately, it's also meant that I haven't been able to keep up with this blog very often and I suppose that's unlikely to change either. Despite it all, I still managed to listen to a lot of music this year and the result was very promising. I can't say the same about live shows this year, aside from standouts such as Band of Horses/Arbouretum at Carnegie Hall [...]

I'm a sucker for these lists, especially when they come from sites that I have a lot of respect for. AV Club presents their list of the best films of the '00s , something that seems too overwhelming for me to attempt. Memento is my definitive favorite so it's nice to see that one come in at number 5. One thing that is clear is that I have not seen nearly enough of the films in the top 50. Top 10: 10. Children Of Men (2006) 09. The New World (2005) 08. [...]

I started putting this list together back in August, shared it with NF, put it aside for awhile, and finally put the finishing touches on it today...I think. Albums that came out this year are tough to consider because they've haven't quite set in yet. Then again, I'm listening to so much more music now than I did 9 years ago, it's hard to say how much I will come back to albums released this year. Here are my favorites: 50. Ryan Adams - Gold (2001) 49. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes [...]

Glenn Beck Praises New Muse Album – Muse Ask For Retraction If that wasn't enough, here's another example: An Italian TV show asks them to lip sync "Uprising," the band disagreed, so all three members switched places to "perform" the song. Unfortunately, the video has been pulled but Matt Bellamy on drums hamming it up for the camera was absolutely classic. The new album is growing on me. There are 3 really bad songs on it but I'm happy with the rest. I'm sure they picked up a lot of new [...]

A minute into the Morricone suite and the mob begins to push. Closer. "Omar coming. Omar coming." Ikey Owens initiates the mayhem and from the opening notes, the crowd knows its done for. Cedric in peak form, Omar on interstellar overdrive. Tighter and heavier than ever before. SETLIST: "Son et Lumiere" "Inertiatic E.S.P." "Goliath" "Cotopaxi" "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" "Viscera Eyes" "Halo of Nembutals" "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus" "Desperate Graves" "Eunuch Provocateur" "Ilyena" "Teflon" "Drunkship of Lanterns" "Luciforms" "The Widow" "Wax Simulacra"

Raw and unwound from the opening bars of "Runaway". Halfway through "Mr. November" and Matt Berninger's clawing his way to the middle of the art deco theater. A lone light searches. Camera phones float in the dark. The brothers Dessner come unglued at the strings in front of him. Behind him. Twisting through the crowd hitting every word on the way. Standing above the crowd. Screaming. Reeling. "I won't fuck us over. I'm Mr. November." SETLIST: "Runaway" (new) "Start a War" "Mistaken for Strangers" "Brainy" "Secret Meeting" "Baby, We'll Be Fine" "Slow Show" "Vanderlylle Cry Baby" [...]

How much longer until I can hear a damn song? 30 seconds is not enough, damn it.

Plug in the pieces here to join in on the treasure hunt. I can't find 4 and 7.

...can you literally walk outside of work to see Sir Paul McCartney performing live. I just caught the last 30 minutes of his performance on top of the Late Show marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theatre. He ended with "Back in the USSR." Awesome. Of course, I forgot my phone when I was on the street and could actually see him but I did take these photos from our office floor. Unfortunately, that tree is covering the stage. Letterman tonight.

Nothing in NYC...yet. Ben Harper and the Relentless7 will open the West Coast dates. That essentially guarantees a performance of "Indifference." Sept. 21: Seattle (Key Arena) Sept. 22: Seattle (Key Arena) Sept. 30: Los Angeles (Gibson Amp.) Oct. 1: Los Angeles (Gibson Amp.) Oct. 6: Los Angeles (Gibson Amp.) Oct. 7: Los Angeles (Gibson Amp.) Oct. 9: San Diego (Viejas Arena) [...]

AV Club staff weigh in on their favorites of the year . My favorites off the top of my head: Grizzly Bear Veckatimest , Mastodon Crack the Skye , Dinosaur Jr. Farm , Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz! , Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix , Brakes Touchdown , Doves Kingdom of Rus t, Harlem Shakes Technicolor Health , ...Trail of Dead The Century of Self , Dark Was the Night, Dark Night of the Soul, Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand , Silversun [...]

A new slow jam, tentatively called "The Runaway" via Q TV.

My first visit to Carnegie Hall and it's for a rock show. Why am I not surprised. As we were all exiting the venue I overheard an older gentleman say "looks like the dress code has changed with the younger crowd." Classic. We were there to see Arbouretum, who embraced the acoustic theme and turned down the "doom-folk" for a very good set. I really think this band is so close to putting out an amazing record. Dave Heumann is very talented and has an amazing voice. The Band of Horses performance felt [...]

This album is ridiculously good.

The steady rain last Friday was enough to scare away my lady and I was admittedly on the fence throughout the day. It only took the first few notes of "Love Dog" over a sea of umbrellas to know that I made the right decision. TV on the Radio have made great strides in their live performance since the last time I saw them . Having Antibalas on horns throughout adds a lot more depth and energy to the set and the band hit their stride early on and never let up. Then again, they [...]