July 2008

After attacking the crappy music played at stadiums and arenas last week, I figured this would be a good time to talk about some music that brings joy instead of cringes. So as you crank up the BBQ and break out the Roman Candles for the Fourth of July, here are five albums that are bound to make you smile:

1. Juno Soundtrack

I defy anyone to listen to the Moldy Peaches’ Anyone Else But You (which is also covered by the stars of the movie – Michael Cera and Ellen Page) or Barry Louis Polisar’s All I Want is You and not feel good. Throw in classic rock gems such as Velvet Underground’s I’m Sticking With You, the Kinks rocking Well Respected Man and Mott the Hoople’s cover of All the Young Dudes and you’re bound to be smiling. Good movie taboot. READ ON for more of Luke’s list of smile-inducing albums…

If the remaining members of the Dave Matthews Band believe in the theory that “bad things happen in threes,” they should be extra careful during the rest of their Summer

The one and only Mike Gordon unveiled his new rock band last night at the Iron Horse in Northampton. According to a report on Jambands.com Mike’s quintet debuted most of

Conde Nast’s Portfolio magazine recently settled many bar room bets when they researched the value of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven. According to Portfolio’s analysis the total value of Stairway

Do you know what makes Music City so great? Well, I couldn’t tell you for sure until last week. That’s right ladies and gentlemen — we finally got Fat Tire in the great state of Tennessee! And on Thursday of last week I enjoyed said beverage while watching one of my favorite acts on tour today — Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit. The performance was stellar. The show kicked off with Sway and then quickly moved into one of my favorite tracks on Sirens of the Ditch — Chicago Promenade. “If I die now before I’m old my story will be less than told” are some of the simplest words, yet so meaningful — it gets me everytime.

[All photos by Jennifer Kirk]

The majority of the set was from Sirens of the Ditch. Eventually came Psycho Killer and I don’t know about you, but I love when bands cover the Talking Heads in any way, shape or form. It got the Mercy Lounge dancing that’s for sure. One of the highlights of the evening was a performance of It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue with Isbell on acoustic. Shortly after that Dress Blues was played and the performance left me with goose bumps. No, I’m serious. The song is a great story-telling piece and inspired me so much that I wrote a piece abou a couple of months ago. Overall, the show was a great one and I can’t wait to see Isbell the next time he’s in Music City — who knows maybe I’ll buy him a Fat Tire, or two.

READ ON for more pictures of Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit in Nashville…