2008

[Grateful Dead Converse via The Daily Swarm] Previously on HT: Someone Must Stop Courtney Love

iClips is at it again! Last weekend they webcasted three full days of Summer Camp performances (with minimal technical difficulties) and starting now, they move about 900 miles to the east to broadcast Mountain Jam live from Hunter Mountain.

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If you’re anything like me, you’ll be creating a personal multimedia presentation combining the likes of live music and playoff sports starting tonight.

READ ON after the jump to see the schedule. It’s starting right – meow.

Earlier this week, I watched the new HBO movie “Recount.” The movie tells the story of the 2000 presidential election and the debacle that occurred in the great state of Florida. It’s a great depiction and even though it did have it’s obvious democratic leanings, it stuck to the story pretty well.

This week we also saw the release of former Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s tell-all book entitled “What Happened” which apparently highly criticizes the Bush Administration and their actions with everything from the war in Iraq to the handling of Hurricane Katrina.

The movie, along with the news of McClellan’s criticisms on our current administration got me thinking – what if Al Gore had won the presidency in 2000? Well, for one, he certainly wouldn’t be living in Nashville…

“No matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.” – Al Gore

READ ON for more about what Gore and Bush accomplished since 2000…

I always viewed We Are the World as America’s crappier, soft batch answer to the UK’s far more awesomer and – let’s face facts here, people – BETTER famine-ending tune,

In just a few short hours Mountain Jam kicks off what should be the first rain-free festival in the history of the event. (Jinx!) If you can’t make it up

“If you don’t have a ticket, you ain’t getting in tonight,” proclaimed the burly bouncer at the door of the sold out Bowery Ballroom last Saturday night.

Starting the evening off was the white-faced-but-naked-to-the-waist, duo of the Awesome New Republic. With their indie cover versions of Thriller and Eye of the Tiger, they held the crowd’s attention as they waited for the New Deal to appear. Finally with the lights going low Darren Shearer appeared on the stage and announced, “Thanks everyone for coming out tonight, you always make this place feel like home” and you knew something was about to go down.

For the first time since December ’06, Darren, Jamie Shields, and Dan Kurtz put aside their other projects and returned to the Bowery stage with their original livetronica sound. With quick hand gestures, subtle eye movements, and an uncanny ability to improv, The New Deal weaved the jams through a handful of songs and teases during their two sets. The crowd responded with yells of encouragement, fist pumping, and grinding to the beat, while shaking the dance floor and bar below.

READ ON for more of Jeremy’s review and photos from the Bowery Ballroom…

It looks like Trey Anastasio can’t wait until the Newport Folk Festival to get back on stage for his own gig for the first time in 17 months. Big Red

What was it about the Summer of 1993 that led a number of alternative bands to deliver the best single of their careers? Perhaps it was the musical climate of the times when you had MTV broadcasting both 120 Minutes and Alternative Nation, or the fact that nearly every major market had a rock radio station that propelled alt acts into the mainstream. Whatever the reason, that summer rocked.

R.E.M., The Replacements and The Cure opened the doors for crossover hits, but the Grunge movement led every major label A&R rep to try to find the next Pearl Jam. Fifteen years later alternative has turned into indie, and many of the bands that were big in ’93 are still drawing fans by playing the songs that broke them big that summer. This week’s B List takes a look at my favorite songs from the Summer of ’93. READ ON for 10 fantastic tunes from the likes of Primus, Cracker, the Juliana Hatfield 3, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and many more…