Archive: 2006

James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73. Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, […]

Sure it ain’t Passover, but we’ve got four questions for you anyway… 1. What was your single favorite musical experience of 2006? 2. What band are you most excited to see in 2007? 3. What under-the-radar band didn’t get nearly enough buzz this year? 4. While everyone focuses on the “best of” this time of […]

“As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from indie purgatory springs.” –J. Tetzel The Arcade Fire announced today it will play five nights in Greenwich Village’s Judson Memorial Church from February 13th through 17th. I usually don’t pay much attention to bands that get more hype than Gabbo’s debut, but I […]

Let’s give thanks for three-day weekends. This Monday and next Monday are the only sniff of a vacation I’ll get, so I’m going to take full advantage. You should take advantage of these links here, full advantage: Great news, check out the best of the Bridge School benefits on iTunes Get this: Biff sings! There’s […]

Stephen Colbert slayed the competition in a "Shred Off" with the Decemberists tonight — or at least he claimed to have. Wednesday night’s "Colbert Report" on Comedy Central was dedicated entirely to a guitar-solo contest between the mock-news pundit and the indie-rock band, who were represented by lead guitarist Chris Funk. The special grew out […]

It’s the end of another year, another revolution. So far we’ve abstained from posting the usual Best Ham & Swiss Sandwiches of 2006 type of lists that most bloggers employ this time of the year, but that all changes today.

After checking out MSNBC’s Year in Pictures, I felt a pang of motivation to scramble through my own photo archive and pick out the 10 best shots I took this year. This exercise taught me that I’ve got an unsteady hand and I’m not a great photographer by any means, but I still think there’s a bumper crop for youse.

Let’s start with the best, and nothing tops the most inconceivable happenstance of a photo I’ve ever taken in my life. I figured my first trip to San Francisco would be a smashing success after bumping into the former keyboardist for the popular rock band Phish and a former geographically excitable presidential candidate: Page McConnell and Howard Dean, Chairman of the Boards and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, standing there like tourists waiting to be photographed together like old chums. Dean likes Page’s new shirt:

You never know what you’re gonna find in Washington Square Park. Sometimes it’s the acrobatic and comedic black twins doing flips and jumps and jokes simultaneously, sometimes it’s the French juggling unicyclist in the unitard, and sometimes it’s the old hippies that all meet up to sing Teach Your Children Well and pine for the days where longhairs ruled the world. And sometimes, or maybe just one time, it’s former Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron belting out Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong with Buzz Universe (click that link for a video):

Read on for the rest of My Year In Mostly Crappy Photos (w/ a few gems)…

On Thursday, December 21, 2006, at 11:15 am PST / 2:15 pm EST, Music Director Nic Harcourt host of the influential music program, Morning Becomes Eclectic on trendsetting public radio station 89.9FM KCRW/Santa Monica and KCRW.com presents a broadcast and webcast exclusive: the first live US performance in nearly three decades by singer/songwriter Yusuf, formerly […]

New Years Eve represents a turning point where one can reflect on the multitude of events of the past, immerse themselves in the bounty and beauty of the present, while contemplating the unknown path for the future. For this celebration of all things past present and future the String Cheese incident and Madison House, have […]

n her Matador Records debut, Over the Mountain, Across the Valley, and Back to the Stars, Jennifer O’Connor delivers a pleasant album full of hum-along melodies.

Chicago indie rock institution the Sea & Cake is eyeing a May release for its seventh Thrill Jockey studio album. Basic tracks were completed in a five-day session last month, and frontman Sam Prekop will spend the next week recording his vocals for the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2003’s "One Bedroom." To read more visit Billboard

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Silversun Pickups, El-P, Deerhoof and Tokyo Police Club will perform at the 2007 PLUG Awards, which will be held Feb. 10 at New York’s Irving Plaza. Each artist will play a 20-40 minute set at the event, which will be hosted by comedian David Cross. Malkmus will also receive PLUG’s […]

Photographer Brian Diescher counts down his personal favorite live concert shots of 2006.

Having spent the past two years on tour with the original lineup of Dinosaur Jr., Lou Barlow is now setting his sights on Sebadoh, which became his main musical outlet after exiting Dinosaur Jr. in the early 1990s.The influential indie rock group has announced an extensive spring tour of North America, beginning Feb. 26 in […]

Update: Click here for some video and photo sets from the Pelosi Jam Anybody got a thousand bucks for a heady heady trade, brah? The new Speaker of the House is trying to show up Uncle Bobo. Vendors get your shit together, showgoers prepare your tuxedos and classiest gowns (with shoes, folks). It sure ain’t […]

We don’t plug shit from the parent company often, so when we do youse should all probably assume it’s something special. Read the fucking book. Glide Magazine today published its 4th Annual Best of 2006: From the Artists’ Perspective, a comprehensive look at the year that was from the people you pay to entertain you. […]

Welcome back to another edition of Grousing The Aisles. There’s nothing like music to fight off the mid-week blues, so check out these fine live shows:

Gov’t Mule – December 16th, 2006 AUD (FLAC)

In quick fashion, this torrent features Mule’s headlining set from last Saturday’s Christmas Jam in Asheville. Since Warren Haynes has sat in on many a DMB version of Cortez The Killez, Dave returns the favor here by sitting in on a stellar version of the Neil Young classic. Branford Marsalis came out as well for Watchtower and a reggaefied Soulshine. The Mule only played two songs from their new album, and they even broke out old favorites Sco-Mule and Mule. While the link above is for an audience recording, I plan on buying the Mule Tracks soundboard version as soon as it becomes available later this week.

Read on for some Johnny Cash, MMW, kickass bluegrass and the old standbys…

Everyone makes their standard "best of's," top 10s" and "year in review" lists, but each December we like to take that model a couple of steps further. We go straight to the artists to see where they found inspiration over the past twelve months, and we don't stop with just album choices. We dig a bit deeper and go for a broader picture of the past year in art. From classic moments on the road to their guilty pleasure confessions, this is a panoramic snapshot of "the best of 2006," and a peek into what to expect in '07.

Warren Haynes' Christmas Jam has been around for 18 years, but was a strictly provincial affair up until the late 90’s. WarrenBase, the side project section of the indispensable MuleBase, reveals that it was still a loose gathering of acoustic and electric sets, local bands, and the appearance of only one or two major acts before it began to mushroom. Later it moved to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, and finally the main arena in the Asheville Civic Center, where it'll presumably stay.

Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes will release its next album, "Cassadaga," April 10 via Saddle Creek. As previously reported, the project features guest contributors like M. Ward, Gillian Welch and Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Quasi). "Cassadaga" will be previewed with the March 6 release of the six-track EP "Four Winds," the title cut of which is the […]

By now I’m guessing Jerry Garcia’s corpse is pretty well decomposed. But his skeletal remains must be rolling over in the grave today. His famous “When we’re done with it, you can have it” quip isn’t penetrating the Dead’s remaining organization like it should, nor has his advice been shared by the folks from Led […]