One of the surprise debuts of last year had to be Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... , a talk show featuring Costello pulling off the rare triple threat: host, performer and bandleader. Equal parts interview and jam session, the Sundance series relies upon Costello putting the artists at ease, getting even the prickliest of artists to open up and speak warmly about their influences. But, as Martin Mull once famously quipped, "talking about music is like dancing about architecture," and so it's the tremendous musical performances sprinkled throughout [...]
Early morning view from my room in Shanghai. 2004. Brilliant year! This blog is born! Back in London! Good year. My favorite song was, without a doubt, Keane's swoony epic, Your Eyes Open , which reminded me of Ultravox and hits like Reap The Wild Wind . This was the return of the romantic male singing voice after years in the growling butch wilderness. My other favorite song was unlikely: Nancy Sinatra's performance of a song Morrissey wrote for [...]
Phoenix Play Night Two of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas Gibson Amphitheatre 12/12/09: KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas – AFI, Rise Against, Alice in Chains, 30 Seconds to Mars, Three Days Grace, Anberlin, Dead By Sunrise (presale Thursday at 10 AM, password = KROQX; on sale Saturday) 12/13/09: KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas – Muse, 311, Slightly Stoopid, Phoenix , the Bravery, Metric, Vampire Weekend, Cage the Elephant, White Rabbits (presale Thursday at 10 AM, password = KROQX; on sale Saturday) El Rey 12/19/09: Christmas Sweater Party: The Deadly Syndrome / The [...]
This month, while finishing up work on his next full-length album, Rufus Wainwright booked 5 solo U.S. performances. He performed in Scottsdale, Seattle, Fort Worth, and then played the last two nights of the tour at the historic Paramount Theatre here in Austin, Texas. I have seen Rufus play several times over the years, but last night's show (the second of his Austin gigs) was undoubtedly the most intimate. Keeping in line with his upcoming record (revealed during the show to be All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu , coming in March 2010), the show was [...]
Puddle of Mudd , the Los Angeles quartet known for their hard-rock radio hits, have just released a video for their single "Spaceship." The sci-fi video directed by Petro ( The Academy Is, Rufus Wainwright ) channels the best in space travel with alien strippers and an homage to Star Wars and its scrolling text intro. Rounding out the rockstar antics are the daredevils of Nitro Circus , including Travis Pastrana on his signature [...]
There's a great story about Dame Judi Dench, in which a London cabbie yells at her, "You stupid cunt !" and Dench replies, "That's Dame Cunt to you!" Brilliant, whether it's true or not. The dame/diva brandishes wit as a weapon. Shirley Bassey's brilliant new album - more on it soon - has a track written for her by Rufus Wainwright . It's [...]
HERE ARE OUR concerts recommendations for this week in Austin. Monday (11/16) : Rufus Wainwright at The Paramount Theater [ Purchase Tickets ] $31.50-$57.50 | Doors @ 7, Show @ 8 Jookabox, Hotel Hotel at Mohawk (inside) | Show @ 10 Tuesday (11/17) : Rufus Wainwright at The Paramount Theater [ Purchase Tickets ] $31.50-$57.50 [...]
Sometimes it's the little things. As a recent student of the speech and hearing sciences department, I'm constantly reminded about hearing damage and thus the important need for hearing protection. I'm pleased to report Benaroya Hall is an exception to your average concert experience: no ear plugs required. The massive grand piano, of stage-filling proportions in a smaller venue like Chop Suey , looked almost lonely in center stage. Simple lighting, simple dress: Rufus Wainwright demonstrated that you don't need any flashy business to awe the crowd (ok, maybe his tie/scarf [...]
Austin City Limits veterans Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel team up for this week's episode of the legendary PBS program. The two acts collaborated for the recently released Willie and the Wheel LP which features classic songs hand picked by famed producer Jerry Wexler. Friday , November 13 [all times Eastern] Jay Leno : Sheryl Crow [NBC 10PM] Conan O'Brien : Kris Allen [NBC 11:35PM] Jimmy Kimmel : Huey Lewis [...]
Filed under: News , New Music , Exclusive Rufus Wainwright has written an opera ('Prima Donna'), recreated one of music's most famous vocal performances ( Judy Garland 's 'Judy at Carnegie Hall') and shared a stage with U2 , Courtney Love and more. With those accomplishments, you'd think a piano and vocal record would be a breeze for the singer-songwriter. "I'm recording my next album, which is a solo piano/voice record and it's oddly enough turning out to be the most difficult thing I've ever [...]
I was about to say that I don't even remember anything about 2003, but I think I blocked it out. My one image of that year is breaking the phone in absolute frustration and anxiety. So dramatique. But about the music, 2003 was a great year: I was passionately obsessed with every song below, all of them. More than any other year in the 00s. The top three are, by the way, truly the top three songs. XO's Favorite Songs of 2003 Turin Brakes [...]
Yes, it's Veterans Day, a "bank holiday", as the brits like to say; like so many other bloggers, I should be posting songs on the topic. But a recent bout of the dreaded H1N1 flu has left me late for end-of-term grading, perhaps one of the biggest sins a teacher can commit. As such, instead of taking advantage of the fine fall day outside, I find myself hunkered down over the dining room table, slowly making my way through a huge pile of previously-unseen papers and midterm exams. The post below was originally [...]
Prepare yourself. Super producer/genius Jon Brion is probably going to work with Of Montreal on their Skeletal Lamping follow-up. This came to the music world's attention via the band's twitter page where the following message was posted: Just had a rad meeting with sir jon brion.looks like were gonna work together on the new album! Dreams do come true:•) I feel like someone just dunked my head in cold water and if this goes down, I'm going to lose it. I love Jon Brion [...]
With its breathtaking setting and it's eclectic choices in artists, the American Songbook at The Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center is one of New York's best annual concert series. This year, the American Songbook series is digging deep into the indie canon once again with shows by the likes of: Nellie Mackay, Dirty Projectors, St. Vincent, Gabriel Kahane and a Hal Willner curated evening featuring Rufus Wainwright (ahem, he's Canadian), Bill Frisell , and Van Dyke Parks . Sure, you can see some of [...]
With its breathtaking setting and it's eclectic choices in artists, the American Songbook at The Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center is one of New York's best annual concert series. This year, the American Songbook series is digging deep into the indie canon once again with shows by the likes of: Nellie Mackay, Dirty Projectors, St. Vincent, Gabriel Kahane and a Hal Willner curated evening featuring Rufus Wainwright (ahem, he's Canadian), Bill Frisell , and Van Dyke Parks . Sure, you can see some of [...]
Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , New Music , Exclusive Last month, Rufus Wainwright , who recently released the CD/DVD 'Live in Milwaukee,' took part in Gavin Friday 's 50th birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall. It was quite the extravagant affair and Wainwright found himself on stage at times with Scarlett Johansson (with whom he dueted), Courtney Love , U2 and more. Wainwright confesses to Spinner that being around that level of fame can mess you up a bit. "One does [...]
Seating Tickets Sold Out!!! Wainwright/McGarrigle Family Christmas Concert Royal Albert Hall, December 9, 2009 Limited Number Of Exclusive VIP Packages Released With all seating tickets sold out for the hotly anticipated first Wainwright/McGarrigle Family Christmas concert in London, 'A Not So Silent Night' - a limited number of exclusive charity VIP Packages have been released. These rare packages include excellent seats for the concert, entry to a post-show cocktail with all the performers, and [...]
Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News The talents of Sonic Youth 's Thurston Moore and singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright aren't just limited to music. Moore and Wainwright have contributed to " Cold Water ," an exhibition featuring visual art created by performers from New York's "East Village, downtown, CBGB's" scene. The event, curated by singer-songwriter Justin Bond and New Yorker theater critic Hilton Als, kicks off Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7PM at New York's La MaMa Galleria and runs through Nov. 22. In addition to [...]
Jemina Pearl & Fucked Up @ a 'Pool Party' in July ( more by Bao Nguyen ) tonight in NYC * NY Comedy Festival * Glenn Tilbrook @ Maxwell's * Rufus Wainwright @ New York City Opera Gala * Takka Takka @ Smack Mellon * Herman Dune, Julie Doiron @ The Bell House * Amy Millan, Bahamas, Blair @ Mercury Lounge [...]
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