Monday’s Hors D’Oeuvres
I’m only at about 40 percent today following a fun weekend in Boston and my watching the Super Bowl last night. The first set was fun, but the real highlight was Prince’s guitar playing on a terrific medley that finished with a rousing performance of Purple Rain during a downpour. I wish today was a national holiday, but at […]
Purple Rain: Quite Accurate
Nobody symobolizes the testosterone-laced force and all-out aggression of football quite like Prince. But, seriously, what the man lacks in masculine facial hair and body type, he more than makes up for with sheer fucking incredible talent. Did you see him rip that shit up last night? Did you see that? In the driving rain of Miami, in a […]
Filler: Can’t Get Rid of Me That Quickly
Take a bow, Scotty, you’ve just done a week of yeoman’s work. Yes, whatever they do or whatever they did, you’ve just worked like a yeoman: Many thanks for a full half-fortnight of solid posting while your ol’ pal Ace embarked on a trip of a lifetime to football fantasy camp, my first ever trans-Atlantic […]
Friday’s Leftovers
Did this week seem twice as long as usual to anyone? I honestly thought it would never end. Friday has finally arrived, and you will all be pleased to know Ace Cowboy will soon be back from his trip to jolly ol’ England. To keep you occupied, here are Friday’s Leftovers: Trey Anastasio has been […]
Tell Us Some moe., Al
moe. Guitarist Al Schnier let the cat out of the bag about some of the band additions to the Summer Camp Festival at last night’s moe. concert in Chicago. Schnier mentioned that the following bands have been added to the lineup: Les Claypool Medeski, Martin, and Wood Tea Leaf Green Oteil and the Peacemakers Toubab […]
The B List: 5 Albums You Need to Hear for 2007
For this week’s B List we would like to introduce our friend Jon McLennand. McL works as the Street Team Coordinator for Umphrey’s McGee, and also produces the band’s incredible podcast series. But don’t let those credentials fool you: McL listens to an incredible range of music from many different genres. Jon has turned me onto some incredible new bands over the past few years so I asked him to prepare a list of albums we need to hear. Take it away McL…
Now that the bombastic orgy of year-end lists has passed and we’ve turned the page to a fresh month in the new calendar year, it’s time to look ahead into what’s going to be tickling your ears in the coming months. There are some big names releasing albums this year that everyone will be talking about (Radiohead, Wilco, Modest Mouse), but there’s also a slew of acts just underneath the surface, on the verge of making their mark and stepping into a little bit of that primetime light.
So, I’m here to catch you up on music pre-2006, so that you can be ready for 2007. Don’t worry, it’ll all make sense in the future. Let’s look at four earlier efforts from bands poised to make their mark this year. To make it a ‘list’, I’m going to throw in a “debut” album released last week. That’s why we kind of had to be shifty with the title.
LCD Soundsystem and !!! (pronounced chk-chk-chk) are the dance punk trendsetters. In 2007, they’re sure to storm major festivals across the globe, where I expect them to occasionally steal the show from some more established headliners. Dance punk certainly owes a lot to the spastic rhythms of the Talking Heads as well as the European club culture. Whereas LCD Soundsystem tends towards droning house rhythms and textures, !!! is more angled towards psychedelia with a pulsing rhythm section.
The Bees and Field Music hail from the U.K., an obstacle for some indie acts in propelling themselves into the US spotlight, even with their considerable songwriting talent. Both bands have an impeccable knack for melody and a keen ear for arrangements, which distance themselves from the pack. The Bees vintage soulful sound can drip with sexy horns or gently drift you into a trance with their hypnotic textures. Field Music takes the guitar pop of The Shins and XTC, and tosses in some clever arrangements and dynamics, as well as the occasional verse in 7/8.
Lastly, I take a look at The Good, The Bad & The Queen, one of the most curiously (mis-)matched “supergroups” to come along in a while. Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) is the brainchild, putting together a hodgepodge of musical styles and influences…Paul Simonon (bass, The Clash), Simon Tong (guitar, The Verve) and Tony Allen (drums, Fela Kuti) as well as the masterful Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, The Grey Album) manning the boards. It’s impossible to look at that lineup without projecting some expectations upon it.
Read on after the jump for McL’s full list of 5 Albums You Need to Hear for 2007…
Relix Hippie Danceoff
Relix Magazine has recently started a group on YouTube. In what could be the best idea since Steven Colbert’s Green Screen Challenge, the magazine has started a contest looking for the best (ie. funniest) dancers in the jamscene. I can’t wait to see what the wooks and spinners come up with. Does anyone remember the […]
Spring Treyning: Big Red at Langerado
Trey Anastasio has added a warm-up show the night before the Langerado Festival begins at Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida. Trey will perform on the inside stage at Revolution in Ft. Lauderdale, and this will be the first gig for the band since this past New Year’s Eve in Atlantic City. After some recent struggles, […]
Grousing The Aisles: Beginnings
One of my favorite parts of collecting live music is listening to shows from early in a band’s career. In yesterday’s Pullin’ Tubes, Ace featured a video of Phish playing Run Like An Antelope from 1987. While Phish wasn’t ready to conquer the world at that time you can tell the band had a special sound. I love listening to the progression of music from different phases of artist’s careers. This week’s Grousing The Aisles looks at early gigs by some of my favorite bands:
I can’t believe I’ve been writing this column for over three months and I have yet to mention John Cipollina. Cipollina is one of the better guitar players ever to hail from San Francisco. He got his start with the Quicksilver Messenger Service before going on to play with The Dinosaurs, Gary Duncan’s Revival, and finally Zero. With Zero Cipollina surprised everyone by taking a secondary role to an unknown guitarist, Steve Kimock. In listening to this early Zero show, you can see why Cipollina gave Kimock the lead role. Check out the Tangled Hangers for an example of Kimock’s chops and songwriting abilities. Other highlights include Cipollina’s understated playing on covers of Little Wing, Gomorrah, and Higher Ground. Sadly Cipollina passed away in 1989, but the band played on for nearly a decade.
Read on for more downloads from God Street Wine, Jimi Hendrix, Blues Traveler, and The Flecktones
Wednesday Intermezzo
It is only Wednesday, yet already I’m getting excited for the Super Bowl. I’m picking the Bears by a point, with Adam Vinatieri missing a potential game-winning kick. To help pass the time between now and kickoff, check out these stories: The Grateful Dead provide some free mp3 love in the latest Taper’s Section Alex […]