If only every band’s fans were as devoted to compiling setlist information like this site is for Neil Young’s current tour, the world would be a better place (though, perhaps there’d be more “Kick Me” signs on backs). I guess it’s safe to say if you see Neil play this week or next, Cinnamon Girl will be the first encore.
The past few weeks have been crazy for your old pal Scotty B, leaving me little time to review some of the concerts I’ve recently attended. So allow me to kill two birds with one stone for this week’s edition of Grousing The Aisles.
We’ll start by looking at RAQ’s first-ever performance at the beautiful new Highline Ballroom before moving onto Ween’s Friday night gig at NYC’s newest shitty venue, Terminal 5. Luckily high-quality recordings of both shows have surfaced, so you can listen to the shows I’m reviewing. You gotta love modern technology.
RAQ 11/24/2007 DAUD [FLAC, MP3, STREAM]
Photo by Dave Vann
It isn’t hard to have fun at a RAQ show. While they may not be breaking any new ground sonically, the Vermont quartet plays a mix of quirky originals and killer covers that keeps the crowd both entertained and dancing. The energy that the crowd gave the band and vice versa at Highline Ballroom a few weeks ago was pretty cool to watch. Everyone in the venue (besides me) seemed like longtime RAQ fans, and they consequently hung on every note the band played.
Keyboardist Todd Stoops is a guy most people either think is the best thing since sliced bread or the most annoying musician they’ve ever heard. Personally, I think Stoops’ spastic style adds some originality to both the jams and songs themselves. Check out Shirley Be A Drooler for a taste of Stoops’ hyper organ-playing or Clamslide for a sample of what he can do on the piano. Guitarist Chris Michetti shredded his way through the evening, starting with rapid-fire runs during the cover of AC/DC’s It’s A Long Way to The Top that opened the show before exhibiting a more melodic side of his fretwork on Carbohydrates Are The Enemy > Freya > Carbohydrates Are The Enemy. Read on for much more…
Here’s a shocker: Stewart Copeland’s big mouth causes trouble again.
Copeland apparently disparaged current Chilean president Michelle Bachelet back in October, comparing her less favorably to another leader: “Look, the future President of Argentina would be good for one beer; yours [would be good] for four.” Copeland + beer goggles reference = international incident.
Not surprisingly, the people of Chile took The Police drummer’s words to mean he found Bachelet less attractive than Argentina’s hot president. Copeland apologized for the slight, and invited Bachelet and her party to see tonight’s concert in Santiago. If you haven’t seen The Police yet, be sure to see them next summer, because we’d be surprised if Sting ever goes on tour with Stewart again.
Scotty and I are a little busy with our day jobs and pressing HT issues at the moment, so it’s time to turn to the greatest song and video from
With The Pixies’ reunion fading into memory, the time’s finally come for Kelley and Kim Deal to get The Breeders back together. The Deal sisters have teamed up with producer Steve Albini to record Mountain Battles, an album that was put on hold in 2002 when Kim entered rehab. Mountain Battles hits stores on April 8th, and for Fuse’s sake we hope they don’t use any bong references on this album.
Let’s see what else is goin’ on ’round the world wide web this week:
Finally, be sure to watch on Friday night when Page McConnell names his favorite songs for ABC’s Nightline. He’s totally gonna pick Jennifer Dances.
After a rumor that Led Zeppelin and Metallica would headline the 2008 Bonnaroo festival caused an Internet frenzy in the past 48 hours, the event’s promoters have spoken out to
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will play the coveted halftime slot at the Super Bowl in Arizona on Feb. 3. This year, nearly 140 million Americans watched Prince play at
Marco Benevento is riding a creative surge. Case in point is the 30-year old keyboardist’s debut studio album Invisible Baby, scheduled for release February 12 on HYENA Records. The collection
Adam Green has completed work on his fifth album, and it’s being released in March. (bass), ‘Sixes & Sevens’ was recorded at New York’s Threshold Studios with Dan Myers and
he problem with making a really great sophomore album is that the question later becomes, "How long can they keep this up?". Unfortunately for Zach Rogue and Co.,the two years since the release of their stellar second album, Descended Like Vultures, were not only rough on their personal lives, but it also resulted in a sprawling, less focused third effort, Asleep at Heaven's Gate.
