Rosh Hashanah begins this evening at sundown, and we’d like to wish our fellow friends of the Jewish persuasion a healthy and happy New Year. My Lawn Gisland-based mother was
Have you ever sat down with an instrument and tried to write a song? Needless to say, that shit ain’t easy (much like pimpin’). This week’s edition of Grousing The Aisles looks at gigs from four of our favorite songwriters of all-time. We begin with a recent show from Stevie Wonder’s first tour since Bill Clinton was in office. Next we check out what Jeff Tweedy and the boys of Wilco did with their summer vacation. Then we go back to the heady days of the ’90s to pay tribute to the extremely underrated Matthew Sweet. Finally, we finish with a just released soundboard from the legendary Paul McCartney. Less set-up, more grousing…
Stevie Wonder 09/04/2007 DAUD [FLAC, MP3]
Stevie Wonder has returned to the road with a career-spanning show after an absence of nearly a decade. A buncha recordings from the tour have surfaced, but this bootleg from last week’s show in Saratoga, California sounds the best. Wonder gives the people what they want by sprinkling a generous portion of hits throughout the 130-minute set, including Higher Ground, Sir Duke and I Wish.
Little Stevie isn’t a guy that just comes out to play his greatest hits without addressing his audience. Wonder opened the show with an anecdote about why he decided to return to the road, and he proceeded to chat with the crowd throughout the concert. The stories are great, but the music is even better. My favorite part of this show is the relentless sequence of Signed Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours), Memphis and Boogie On Reggae Woman. Wonder’s 11-piece band is so tight that it sounds like they’ve been on the road together for years. Hopefully Stevie enjoyed his brief return to the road and will book a full tour for 2008 so that we can all have a chance to see him own the stage.
Read on after the jump for three more sweet-ass-sweet GTA downloads…
We couldn’t make it to Randall’s Island on Sunday, opting instead to watch the Patriots cheat up — er, sorry, beat up — against the Jets. But our friend Some Dude from Hits from the Blog attended the Farm Aid festivities in our stead…
The closest most New Yorkers get to a farm is the produce section at Whole Foods, so the idea of holding Farm Aid in the Big Apple seemed to have many people scratching their heads. But if anything, Manhattan is an island full of foodies and music lovers, so for the first time in its illustrious 22-year history, the organizers chose Randall’s Island to stage a day of music and social eco-activism.
In the days leading up to the event, four-packs of lawn seats were being offered at a discounted rate. So the big question really seemed to be: Could a concert headlined by the likes of red state favorites with blue state ethos draw a big enough crowd? The answer was a resounding yes.
We arrived mid-afternoon to find the grounds already packed with concertgoers and a shocking lack of NASCAR gear and beer cozies. I’m pretty sure the words “Dave Matthews” near the top of the bill probably helped along sales to the suburban, visor-wearing set. Read on for much more on Farm Aid…
It’s time to fire up the Random Jamband Festival Lineup Generator once again: Umphrey’s McGee, Little Feat, Perpetual Groove and Rose Hill Drive have been tabbed to headline the Bear
The ascension continues for Chicago’s Umphrey’s McGee’s Live at the Murat (SCI Fidelity), their first official live release, is as impressive as anything they’ve recorded to date, with the power
Eat Me, Drink Me is fairly classic Manson, if perhaps lightened up a bit. His voice is every bit as crusty, dark, and angry as ever, and the synths, bass and drums pound out their usual aggressive anger, but the guitar work, in particular, seems to have lightened up, with occasional riffs that don’t sway too far from slack guitar while other guitar lines are straight-up rock ‘n roll.
The members of Umphrey’s McGee and the Disco Biscuits share many common traits: freewheeling attitude, outstanding musicianship, a penchant for complex, proggy song structures, the ability to seamlessly segue between songs. In an appropriate pairing, they shared the stage on 8/15/07 at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn, New York, the Williamsburg venue created from the crumbling remains of a former community pool.
Joy Division’s three albums each will be expanded with an extra disc of rare live material Oct. 30 via Rhino. The same day, the label will issue the soundtrack to
Legendary rock combo Led Zeppelin is reforming, but for one night only. The British band will play a one-off show at London’s 22,000-capacity O2 arena on Nov. 26 as part
Fans who purchase tickets to Neil Young‘s upcoming tour will be receiving a free copy of Young’s new studio album, Chrome Dreams II. Every fan who orders up to three tickets to
