Archive: 2006

On the surface, with iPods selling in the millions, downloads becoming more and more accessible, and even the actual coining of the moniker, 'The MySpace Generation,' 2006 may appear to be a relatively quiet year for the album. But taken as a whole, it was actually another solid year for LP releases. Sure, there were less blockbusters and a few too many prematurely hyped 'next best thing' mp3s, but when we sat down to go over the piles of CDs, there were more than enough quality titles that had to be reluctantly voted off the island. What we ended up with was a list that offered a little bit of everything – a blurring of genres and styles, featuring artists who created definitive statements – easily identifiable as 2006, but timeless all the same.

I think it’s time to give our associate Chilly Jackwater a bigger platform ’round these here parts, maybe once a week. Nobody on the cyberwebs makes me spit milk out of my nose on a more consistent basis than this yuckster. And because I basically guffawed audibly in my boss’ face while reading his response […]

Some people might argue that a purple blouse may be a wardrobe malfunction in itself, but the master of androgynous style and ambiguous sexuality will be rocking Miami at the Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show anyway. That’s right, nothing symbolizes the brute force and awesome power of football quite like Prince. But what Prince lacks […]

Every once in a while, a new band arrives and breathes fresh air into a monotonous genre. Such is the case with Oneside, a talented pop-rock quartet from Boston. While incorporating banjo into pop-rock is hardly revolutionary – Béla Fleck, for instance, has been doing that for a while – Oneside combines bluegrass, rock and roll, and a catchy pop mentality into a sound that is distinctively their own.

Cheery, melancholic, bluesy, and rocking are all levels that The Kooks reach on their debut album. The songs move from introspective to out right party tunes and done with an abundance of youthful optimism.

ar from a sellout of the huge arena (complete sections were empty) those in attendance caught a master still on top of his game and with the encore of two of the greatest modern songs ever written – Like a Rolling Stone” and “All Along the Watchtower -few left unsatisfied.

Prepare to call your father from the road, hippies and hipsters. Unless you live on a farm in Tennessee, you won’t be celebrating Father’s Day with your pops this year. No, you’ll be down in the flood of heat and the stench of grilled cheese.   Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are proud to announce the dates for the Sixth […]

Midnight passed, and my only truly hip co-worker turned to me and said, “Where are we going tonight after the holiday party ends?” I’d been planning on returning to the loving embrace of my couch, the combination of mild drunkenness and all-out exhaustion settling in this Friday evening. But this co-worker and JazzFest veteran was in from out […]

As another work week begins, take solace in the fact that Christmas is a mere two weeks from today, New Year’s Day just three weeks from today. So keep your chin up and your mind entertained with the best the interwebs have to offer: Trey Anastasio’s Buried Alive from The Warfield on Friday night is even better […]

It’s not that we’re actively attempting to alienate as many newcomers to this site as possible, but I thought I’d throw some of this weekend’s glorious must-share soccer action on top of all this hippie music shit. Most people lament this time of year, when the lull in college football makes Saturday seem so empty, […]

You’ve likely seen the smiling faces behind the Rock the Earth booth at numerous shows and festivals across the nation. An environmental advocacy organization born from and serving the music community, with a staff of volunteers recruited from the music community, the projects upon which the legal and technical staff work are suggested by artists and their fans. Outreach, education, canvassing and membership solicitation is done in conjunction with the music community — at concerts and festivals throughout North America

Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment have announced the dates for the sixth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The four-day weekend will take place June 14 – 17 at the usual location, a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles southeast of Nashville. A limited quantity of discounted early-bird tickets will be available before the […]

In the below posting on Ween’s website, Gene and Dean are back at work on a new album, set for release sometime in 2007. we have a lot of demos of new material (and we’re  still writing more) and have pretty much picked  out the keeper songs with our producer Andrew  Weiss. Andrew is currently […]

Son Volt is preparing to release its fifth full-length, "The Search," on March 6 via Transmit Sound/Legacy. The follow-up to 2005’s "Okemah and the Melody of Riot," "The Search" was produced by frontman Jay Farrar, who suggests that the title is indicative of the band’s increasingly diversified sound. "The Search" finds Son Volt toying with […]

Loss and loneliness are at the core of Lucinda Williams’ eighth album, "West," slated to be released Feb. 13 via Lost Highway. The disc finds the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter coping with another painful breakup and the passing of her mother, whom she reminisces in songs like "Mama You Sweet" and "Fancy Funeral." In such songs […]

With the release on ‘The Trials of Van Occupanther’ earlier this year Midlake has been lauded as one of the most unique and refreshing bands of recent memory.   They’ve been widely held up as a favorite new band by the likes of Thom Yorke, Beck, Danny Masterson (of That 70’s Show), Jason Lee (My Name […]

Friday, December 08, 2006 The Crash So, we got on the bus after doing a show at The House of Blues San Diego as part of The Coup/Mr. Lif tour. As the bus took off, I thought that I would go lay in my bunk, listen to my Ipod, and write. But then Zhara, Mr. Lif’s […]

Thanks to the headiest message board in town, the glorious PhantasyTour, we’ve got a great sample of Mike Gordon playing bass with Victor Wooten’s band on 12/5/06. “What’s his name? What’s his name? Mike Gordon, Mike Gordon.” Cactus with Victor Wooten’s Soul Circus at Higher Ground I kinda wish Victor and Mike had a more […]

This week dragged on and on, but we’ve finally made it to Friday. I wanted to raise the bar higher this week with plenty of links, so let’s get down to business: Trey Anastasio is also trying to raise the bar with his latest round of shows Another preview of Trey’s weekend shows in San […]

If you’re looking for something productive to do today around noon, tune in XPN.org to stream a live performance from unsung singer/songwriter Chris Harford and The Band of Changes. Sitting in with the talented Mr. Harford today will be Dean and Gene Ween, Diamond Dave Dreiwitz, Scott Metzger and Young Eric Slick. Ya know, I was looking to […]