Next up in today's concert twofer is the acoustic latin-metal duo Rodrigo y Gabriela . These guys have been making a lot of noise this year promoting their self-titled album at every festival the summer season has to offer, and wowing at every stop. Having missed them at Bonnaroo myself, I made up for it at a stop at Glasgow's Barrowlands. Unannounced, at least as far as I'd seen on the ticket or the website, David Ford opened the show in memorable fashion. [...]
Over the last few months I've seen a few concerts that I never got a chance to review, so I'll just shove 'em together in summaries. And I'll throw in some audio recordings to sweeten the deal. First up, my favorite new band of 2006, We Are Scientists . Their hook-filled brand of rock'n'roll is refreshing in a world of shoegazing, strange instruments, and angst. I hadn't had a chance to see them, but they took a night off from their tour supporting the Kaiser Chiefs for a headlining gig at the [...]
Yesterday Is Here: Tom Waits Covers Volume 2 Various Artists a the3penguins compilation Here's volume two of Tom Waits covers (volume one here ), with almost all new artists and almost all new songs. And we've got some great ones, with Bloodkin rocking out Clap Hands and the Boro Boogie Pickers doing just that (picking) out a bluegrass Jockey Full of Bourbon. All tracks are good quality, with many soundboard. I have done nothing to them except fading in and out in Audacity. If you have any ideas for other live unreleased [...]
"Welcome to Rimbaud's celebration, where we salute with great love and irreverence one of the greatest poems ever in the history of the universe." And with that, Patti Smith and her band kicked off the annual Rock'n'Rimbaud at London's legendary Shepherd's Bush Empire, one of the finest venues I've ever seen a show in. The crowd started slow, but grew in size into what must have been near capacity (how a Patti Smith show can not sell out is beyond me) by the start time. I was expecting Kimberly to kick off the set, thinking this [...]
With Tom Waits touring so infrequently, opportunities to hear his songs live are few and far between. However, Stewart D'Arrietta has been satisfying that need for the past few years with a tribute concert/theater piece, originally called Belly of a Drunken Piano, but in its most recent incarnation it's Tom Waits For No Man. With something like this there's much to be apprehensive about. Cover bands are one of the worst experiences in music, especially when they pretend to actually be the people. Kiss even has one with midgets and [...]
Tom Waits is a covered far more than name-familiarity with the average person would suggest. Indeed, the covers of his songs are invariably more famous than the originals. A long list of A-listers have had hits with Tom's songs, including The Eagles, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Seger. But there are plenty of Tom Waits covers you won't find on iTunes, the thousands that have been played live, but never released. This series is an attempt to give some of those covers wider-circulation, some by famous artists, others by obscure ones. Volume one [...]
Al hasn't toured since 2004, so excitement was high for this time out. And for good reason, as he's touring for a full year at the moment, and will probably continue into '08 with his unique type of concert where the visuals are just as important as the audio (hence the reason there are so many pictures/video links here). The Meadowbrook Music Centre was about as l ame as you might expect, with as much attention going to the sales of fai r food as to the concert itself. Reminded [...]
The first impression I had of tonight's concert was how bizarre the Agganis Arena seating arrangement was. In addition to all the sections with chairs around the side, the floor was divided into two sections, for no obvious reason, one up front and one that had a barrier halfway down the floor. That ended up working out well for me though, as I got there an hour before the show and ended up second row, dead center. If we'd reach, I almost could have shaken Jack White's hand. The first floor section wasn't near [...]
After seeing a good, but not great, Stripes show at Bonnaroo, I wasn't exactly sure how they'd stand up on their proper tour. After a string of dates encompassing every Canadian province and territories (yes, even the obscure ones) combined with a secret 50-person show each afternoon, the American tour that started in Portland seemed to be anti-climactic news-wise at least. Within their first notes at Portland, however, they pr oved that, though all the extra stuff was gone, the show itself had all the energy it ever had. [...]
In the list of underappreciated songwriters, Randy Newman has gotta be right near the top. He's probably more known for his pithy little Pixar soundtracks than anything (not too pithy though, he did win an Oscar), but his non-movie songs exhibit his real talent. Seeing him at in Northampton, we heard about topics from unrequited love to the failure of Marxism, stopping at a traveling one-man circus and the histo ry of the European military along the way. Dressed in a drab Hawaiian shirt and khakis, he looked like the aging frumpy tourist as [...]
I was disappointed to be half an hour late for Mavis Staples , but the half I did see was one of the most energetic shows I saw, and this from a senior citizen. The crowd, though few in numbers, made up for it by being more into the show than any other set I saw the whole weekend. And for good reason. She's not a classic gospel belter, but instead has a loud low rumble that occasionally rasps more than you might expect, but just adds to the passion. Backed by [...]
With nothing planned for the first few hours of the music, I wandered into This Tent to check out Dr. Dog , a band the Cold War Kids lead singer had recommended. I'm glad I listened to him. Their sound was very Beatles-esq, like side two of Abbey Road. Their sound would occasionally get experimental without ever getting too far from the main melody. Didn't know one song they did, but I'll have to change that. An unexpected highlight. The exact opposite was the case with Regina [...]
The sun wakes you up every morning by eight, so it's a little ridiculous that the first shows don't start until one, but Cold War Kids were worth the wait. They build a very unusual sounds with dissonance, unexpected rhythms and unlikely tunes without ever straying too far from a standard rock format, making the interesting while still accessible. Live they looked like they just rolled out of their mom's Kentucky basement, adding instruments like glass bottles to their arsenal. The leader switched back and forth from guitar to keys to simply vocals while the [...]
After a 16-hour drive from Connecticut, schlepping all out stuff twenty minutes from our car, and setting up camp in the heat, 7:30 rolled around and the music began. First up, The Little Ones . I had downloaded the only thing the band had released, a six-song EP, and enjoyed their breezy pop to a certain degree. However, the production left them lacking substance, resulting in the sort of songs you enjoy and then immediately forget when they're over. Not so live, where a little volume and a lot of thumping drums gave it the [...]
Just wanted to let you all know about my new site. Well, not really a site, so much as a host for a bunch of covers. A billion people have covered Dylan's songs and even buying the CD's of all the absolute best would break even the biggest budget. So here is a running list of my favorites, regularly updated. Mostly amazing renditions you might not have heard before (so don't keep checking for Hendrix's Watchtower). So if you see some you want, get them now, because they'll soon be gone. It's not all [...]
Despite a clunky title, this is a great fan-compiled set of one of Bob's underrated Never Ending Tour years, 1998. The band is tight and rocking, featuring the last stand of multi-instrumentalist Bucky Baxter (just as well, if you ask me - every song doesn't need swimming steel guitar). Disc 1 1. Absolutely Sweet Marie (May 21, LA) - Bucky plays the signature riff loud and strong, bringing a country tinge to the otherwise rock song. This concert also features the second (and last) Restless Farewell of the NET. 2. Million Miles (January 21, [...]
Hanover, NH doesn't have much of a music scene, so it had been over a year since I was at a legitamate rock concert (Guster being the closest I'd come), but I couldn't pick a better band to break my fast than Anberlin. A quasi-Christian rock band, I'd seen them in fall '04 opening for Relient K and, though I've followed them since, they were never on a bill I was that interested in. This, their first headlining tour ever, came two CD's and three years later, and they've only gotten better. Their new album Cities [...]
Dylan, Etc
Beck - 'I Just Started Hating Some People Today' [Listen]
[LISTEN] Gotye (Passion Pit Remix)
Princesse - Tell Me | MP3
