Archive: 2007

Punk rock institution BAD RELIGION will begin recording the follow up to 2004’s heralded The Empire Strikes First next month at Grand Master Studios in Los Angeles, California. Slated for a July 10 release through Epitaph, the yet to be named disc will be produced by Grammy-nominated producer Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone […]

The 50th anniversary of the legendary soul label Stax Records will kick off with the release of a deluxe edition 50-song, 2-CD box set titled Stax 50: A 50th Anniversary Celebration – the most comprehensive Stax hits collection ever featuring for the first time all major Stax hit singles. Stax 50 will formally inaugurate Concord […]

Lats night’s episode of ABC’s hit show Grey’s Anatomy featured The Slip’s "Life in Disguise."   The song – off the band’s latest release Eisenhower – plays as Cristina consoles George, Alex and Addison spend time together, and Derek goes to sleep beside Meredith.  We don’t know who those people are, but it all sounds pretty […]

Back in November I posted a B List plugging 13 of my favorite instrumentals. This week, we revisit that concept — here are 13 more great ones to debate. I tried to be a little more obscure with this list, so check out these nuggets:

1. Groove Holmes – The Beastie Boys: This great Beasties tribute to acid-jazz legend Richard “Groove” Holmes was featured on 1992’s Check Your Head.

2. Freeway Jam – Jeff Beck: Jeff Beck solos over Max Middleton’s funky keyboards on one of the best tracks from 1975’s Blow By Blow.

3. Moti Mo – Medeski, Martin, and Wood: I get chills every time I hear MMW’s arrangement of this King Sunny Ade track. Chris Wood lays down a solid bass line, allowing John Medeski, Billy Martin and the horns a chance to build the theme to multiple climaxes. Just like a woman.

4. Star Wars Theme Song – Meco: Also Sprach Zarathrustra wasn’t the only symphonic song to get the disco treatment in the late ’70s. Meco Menardo, a famous music producer, attended the Star Wars premiere and was so impressed he rushed into the studio to make a dance version of John Williams’ theme song.

5. The Happy Organ – Dave “Baby” Cortez : Cortez entered a studio in 1959 to record a song called “The Cat and the Dog.” He was struggling with his voice and decided to just jam out with his band on an old standard called Shortin’ Bread. The recording engineer pressed record as Cortez turned the song into one of the first funky grooves. The rest is history: The improvised song that was recorded in one take hit number one upon its release.

Read on for eight additional instrumental classics from The Commodores, Santana, Joe Satriani, Tea Leaf Green and more…

I’m off to Miami for two days of beach-free work, but as always you’re left in the capable and sensitive hands of Scotty B. He’ll have his usual Thursday edition of The B List up shortly, and I’m sure there’ll be some debate in the comments. In the meantime I’ll leave you with a handful […]

The album Rick James was working on before his 2004 death will be released in early May, the artist’s business manager, Ron Kramer, tells Billboard.com. The as-yet-untitled set features tracks James wrote in the last two or three years of his life; it will be released by Stone City Records. "This is one he really […]

With impassionate lyrics, simple guitar compositions and his unusually high voice Santa Monica singer/songwriter Tom Brosseau has built a loyal following primarily centered on a solo acoustic format that is akin to Woody Guthrie.

Broken Social Scene side project Apostle Of Hustle will release its second album, "National Anthem of Nowhere," March 6 via Arts and Crafts. Led by Broken Social Scene guitarist Andrew Whiteman, the record finds the group expanding in players and sound, and includes contributions from BSS members Martin Kinack, Evan Cranley and Lisa Lobsinger.

Every film has a season and February 2007 is the season for films that document the life of a band, with narrative pictures like Half-Cocked and Radiation made by filmmakers Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley being released on their Brooklyn based Rumur imprint.

Much as The Grateful Dead did when they got psychedelic on the traditional folk music they grew up on, Toubab Krewe has blended the deep percussive sounds emanating from West Africa and straight ahead rock n’ roll, creating a style that is revolutionary and imaginative.

This week’s edition takes a look at bands as they hit their strides and delivered their best performances. Sure, determining when a band has reached its peak is totally subjective, but in this case I’m right, and there is no other correct answer.

The Police 4/7/79 FM (FLAC)

Talk around the Internets are heating up about a possible Police reunion tour this summer. In order to help you prepare, check out this incredible show from a Outlandos D’Amour tour stop in Bahston. Not many people had heard of The Police in 1979, and you can feel the energy as the band tries and succeeds in winning over the audience. By the end of the show the crowd goes nuts anytime Summers starts a solo, Copeland plays a luscious fill, or Sting steps to the mic.

Highlights of this show captured from WBCN radio include a jammed-out So Lonely and a desperate-sounding Roxanne. I’m a little confused as to why Born In The 50’s is performed twice, but I guess their repertoire was small at the time. I’m putting together my dream Police reunion setlist as we speak.

Read on for more peakariffic downloads from the likes of Alice in Chains, Jane’s Addiction, Jerry Garcia Band and Keller Willams…

Hey, look! It’s another clever name for a glorified link dump! Those two cats really know how to slip the easy ones past the goalkeeper…shut up, Richard. It took a couple weeks (who says gotta-publish-now blogs are the only game in town?), but the good people at JamBase have finally put up a super-comprehensive look […]

Bluegrass veteran Ricky Skaggs and pianist Bruce Hornsby have joined forces for an eponymous collaborative album due March 20 via Sony BMG/Legacy. The set includes covers of Hornsby’s prior hit "Mandolin Rain" and Rick James’ "Super Freak." Backing was provided by Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder. "Ricky Skaggs is a deep musical soul, one of the […]

New Line Records has announced the release of A DATE WITH JOHN WATERS, a heartfelt and touchingly bizarre compilation of love songs selected by the legendary filmmaker himself. Set for a February 6, 2007 release, this Valentine’s Day album is the follow up to Waters’ Christmas album, A JOHN WATERS CHRISTMAS, which The Associated Press […]

Land of Talk will release their acclaimed debut mini album Applause Cheer Boo Hiss in the U.S. on March 20th via The Rebel Group. The Montreal-based trio of singer/guitarist Liz Powell, bassist Chris McCarron and drummer Bucky Wheaton originally released their rock solid 7-song mini album in Canada in May 2006. Not long after, word […]

Not many bands allow their bass lines to be prominent, but This Day And Age have bass segments equally as bold as the guitar vibrations with atmospheric sweeps like “More Of A Climb Less Of A Walk.”

Check out this cool (not for them) clip of real-life bumper cars in Portland, Oregon, the incredible result of a crazy ice and snowstorm. And since this is a music blog, rock out to the title’s allusion in this instrumental version of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song by Bustle In Your Hedgerow.

So much has happened since Jack Bauer shaved his playoff beard and spoke his first word in two years…and in that time all of these videos came to my attention. Reunion rumors and innuendo — hints and allegations, notwithstanding — have captured the short attention of many music blogs, magazines and websites of late. Will The Police set aside their […]

After a slight delay, the clearly overwhelmed and oft-hounded winner of the Phish-Sirius “Live In Brooklyn” Barn Tour Contest has teamed up with the popular rock band’s management to offer the Headphones Jam on LivePhish, with the proceeds from the $9.99 FLAC track going to charity. Commendable stuff. To all the fonzanoons on Phantasy Tour, The […]

Back in November we celebrated Rhino’s decision to begin releasing great shit from the Grateful Dead archives that they acquired in a recent licensing deal.

Live at The Cow Palace: New Year’s Eve 1976 hits stores on January 23rd, but as part of our recurring Everybody Wins When I Plug Something And In Return They Offer Me Free Shit To Give Away contests, we’re riding in on our white horses with our assless chaps and giving one of these bad boys away. Yeah.

Even though I should just fake an entry and award myself the winner under an assumed non-affiliated alias, I guess we’ll just give this thing away instead. Some blogs like to throw trivia out there, but I’d rather get your creative juices flowing and allow everyone an equal opportunity to participate. We’re good like that.

So in order to win this stellar three-disc set, all you have to do is provide your answer to this thought in the comment section below: With strict parameters of 25 to 50 words, give us your most serious, headiest explanation for why anyone, however many years removed from the actual show, would ever want to listen to “Space” instead of just skipping from Drums to the next song. Convince me.

Follow these links below to stream some the tracks from the release, and read on for a full track listing and sveral YouTube teasers.

• Click here for the official Grateful Dead Live at The Cow Place E-Card
• Listening Party: Grateful Dead – Live at The Cow Palace NYE 1976 (click that link to stream Set II: Sugar Magnolia > Eyes of the World > Wharf Rat > Drums > Good Lovin’ > Samson & Delilah, Scarlet Begonias)