COMING WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH...
THE TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2009...SO FAR
Monday Night Return
13 years ago
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Music Thoughts of the Week
Thoughts of the Week Beginning July 26th, 2009
1. Next week's O.A.R. concert is going to be legendary. The group has gotten into the double digits. Still don't know if it can top last years debachle, but ya never know. Haven't seen these guys since last summer...maybe I will remember more of this years show. Don't count on it though.
2. I really miss having Fuse. I wanna watch the new Best of Bonnaroo's but unfortunately Comcast, like every other television service provider, is way too expensive. DirectTV was heli-expensive, but Comcast ain't much cheaper. When it comes down to it...it sucks you have to pay an extra 30 bucks a month for 4-5 channels more than you had before. Screw them all...make your own TV and watch that. Stupid expensive America.
3. Speaking of expensive shit, has anybody noticed how expensive it is to drink at a show? I mean even at Bonnaroo I was paying 5-6 dollars for a pint (16oz.), and that was cheap compared to the water-downed (20oz.) Bud Light you pay 8 bucks for at an arena show. I really think these bastards that set prices at arena shows need a smack in the face. So my advice to those of you going to shows in the near future...pre-game...that's the ultimate answer. Drink all you can before the concert and then save enough money for a beer halfway through the show if you start to get hungover. Make sure you hit the bathroom though if you pre-game so you don't have to fight your way out of those pits to take a piss...you'll never get your spot back.
4. Passion Pit is becoming a new up-and-coming favorite band of mine. Heard them perform "The Reeling" on Jimmy Fallon tonight and they put on an awesome performance. I was intrigued after seeing them at Bonnaroo and got a hold of their latest album Manners when I came back. It is a fantastic album. The Boston electronic-rock quartet is opening for the French rockers, Phoenix, for two nights in September in NYC...for those of you who are fans...you can catch them on September 25th and 26th at Central Park's Summerstage. For now, here's the song, "The Reeling"...
5. Has anybody else noticed how awesome the music bookings have been this summer on the late night shows? Dave, Conan, Jimmy (x2), and Craig have all had fantastic acts. For this week's guide of late night shows click here. The highlights this week include Cage the Elephant and DMB on Letterman on Thursday and Friday (respectively). Also, Jimmy Buffett and the CRB is on Jimmy Fallon Friday night.
6. I may have figured out a guitar riff I actually enjoy playing. Meaning I may be in the midst of writing my first song in 6 years. It's only a matter of time before I get frustrated with the song and throw it away anyway, but who knows?
7. I really need to get my computer back. The songs on my iPod have not been shuffled around since May. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to My Morning Jacket's Bonnaroo 2004 concert. I know it so well I can almost repeat verbatim all of Jim James' talking to the crowd in between songs. Lame...
8. Who the hell is playing on New Years Eve this year? MSG is still not announced...is it gonna be My Morning Jacket for the 3rd year in a row? Or is Phish going to try and take back their old NYE venue now that they're back in business? I hope MMJ gets to play again...last years show was legendary. However, with Jim having a new solo album out, and then touring with the Kings of Folk, we may not see MMJ back on tour again until 2010. The sooner the better.
9. Gathering of the Vibes took place last weekend in nearby Bridgeport, CT. From the review I read it sounds like the gathering was large and the vibes were groovy. However, I am glad I did not go because of the weather, which caused moe. to end their set early on Friday night. Other bad things were going on over the weekend including Levon Helm not singing because of laryngitis and State Radio cancelled their set on Saturday. However, some good things happened as well...such as State Radio's cancellation being filled by an extended set from Guster, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash playing "Rocky Mountain Way"...come on, everybody loves that tune. Anyway, rain seemed to ruin the weekend a bit. I would've gone to see moe. and then would've been highly disappointed...good thing I stayed home or I wouldv'e been very upset.
10. For those of you who are big into the music video games...Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles: Rock Band are both coming out in about a month (early September release dates). The Beatles RB has custom replica instruments (sold separately)...for those of you have an extra 300 bucks lying around you can get 4 plastic instruments that cost 20 bucks to make. As cool as The Beatles RB sounds (and looks...see below)...I can't shred any awesome solos playing Beatles songs, so I may wait on that one for a while.
The Guitar Hero franchise has gone severely downhill ever since GH:Aerosmith...but with my lack of interest in The Beatles RB I may give the franchise another shot. Either way...save your money for the latest installments of the 3 best video game franchises on the market...Mass Effect 2, Assassins Creed 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are all due for Christmas 2009 release dates.
Here's the E3 trailers for both games...
The Beatles: Rock Band
Guitar Hero 5
1. Next week's O.A.R. concert is going to be legendary. The group has gotten into the double digits. Still don't know if it can top last years debachle, but ya never know. Haven't seen these guys since last summer...maybe I will remember more of this years show. Don't count on it though.
2. I really miss having Fuse. I wanna watch the new Best of Bonnaroo's but unfortunately Comcast, like every other television service provider, is way too expensive. DirectTV was heli-expensive, but Comcast ain't much cheaper. When it comes down to it...it sucks you have to pay an extra 30 bucks a month for 4-5 channels more than you had before. Screw them all...make your own TV and watch that. Stupid expensive America.
3. Speaking of expensive shit, has anybody noticed how expensive it is to drink at a show? I mean even at Bonnaroo I was paying 5-6 dollars for a pint (16oz.), and that was cheap compared to the water-downed (20oz.) Bud Light you pay 8 bucks for at an arena show. I really think these bastards that set prices at arena shows need a smack in the face. So my advice to those of you going to shows in the near future...pre-game...that's the ultimate answer. Drink all you can before the concert and then save enough money for a beer halfway through the show if you start to get hungover. Make sure you hit the bathroom though if you pre-game so you don't have to fight your way out of those pits to take a piss...you'll never get your spot back.
4. Passion Pit is becoming a new up-and-coming favorite band of mine. Heard them perform "The Reeling" on Jimmy Fallon tonight and they put on an awesome performance. I was intrigued after seeing them at Bonnaroo and got a hold of their latest album Manners when I came back. It is a fantastic album. The Boston electronic-rock quartet is opening for the French rockers, Phoenix, for two nights in September in NYC...for those of you who are fans...you can catch them on September 25th and 26th at Central Park's Summerstage. For now, here's the song, "The Reeling"...
5. Has anybody else noticed how awesome the music bookings have been this summer on the late night shows? Dave, Conan, Jimmy (x2), and Craig have all had fantastic acts. For this week's guide of late night shows click here. The highlights this week include Cage the Elephant and DMB on Letterman on Thursday and Friday (respectively). Also, Jimmy Buffett and the CRB is on Jimmy Fallon Friday night.
6. I may have figured out a guitar riff I actually enjoy playing. Meaning I may be in the midst of writing my first song in 6 years. It's only a matter of time before I get frustrated with the song and throw it away anyway, but who knows?
7. I really need to get my computer back. The songs on my iPod have not been shuffled around since May. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to My Morning Jacket's Bonnaroo 2004 concert. I know it so well I can almost repeat verbatim all of Jim James' talking to the crowd in between songs. Lame...
8. Who the hell is playing on New Years Eve this year? MSG is still not announced...is it gonna be My Morning Jacket for the 3rd year in a row? Or is Phish going to try and take back their old NYE venue now that they're back in business? I hope MMJ gets to play again...last years show was legendary. However, with Jim having a new solo album out, and then touring with the Kings of Folk, we may not see MMJ back on tour again until 2010. The sooner the better.
9. Gathering of the Vibes took place last weekend in nearby Bridgeport, CT. From the review I read it sounds like the gathering was large and the vibes were groovy. However, I am glad I did not go because of the weather, which caused moe. to end their set early on Friday night. Other bad things were going on over the weekend including Levon Helm not singing because of laryngitis and State Radio cancelled their set on Saturday. However, some good things happened as well...such as State Radio's cancellation being filled by an extended set from Guster, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash playing "Rocky Mountain Way"...come on, everybody loves that tune. Anyway, rain seemed to ruin the weekend a bit. I would've gone to see moe. and then would've been highly disappointed...good thing I stayed home or I wouldv'e been very upset.
10. For those of you who are big into the music video games...Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles: Rock Band are both coming out in about a month (early September release dates). The Beatles RB has custom replica instruments (sold separately)...for those of you have an extra 300 bucks lying around you can get 4 plastic instruments that cost 20 bucks to make. As cool as The Beatles RB sounds (and looks...see below)...I can't shred any awesome solos playing Beatles songs, so I may wait on that one for a while.
The Guitar Hero franchise has gone severely downhill ever since GH:Aerosmith...but with my lack of interest in The Beatles RB I may give the franchise another shot. Either way...save your money for the latest installments of the 3 best video game franchises on the market...Mass Effect 2, Assassins Creed 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are all due for Christmas 2009 release dates.
Here's the E3 trailers for both games...
The Beatles: Rock Band
Guitar Hero 5
Friday, July 24, 2009
Pearl Jam's New Single Released
Here's a little present for those of you who have not heard the new single "The Fixer" off of Pearl Jam's upcoming album Backspacer (due in stores September 20th)...enjoy...
I've listened to the song probably 5 or 6 times. I like what I'm hearing so far. It seems a little dulled down for a PJ song, but I guess most of their radio hits are. The vocals are powerful, but the drums, bass, and guitar are very simple. But still very catchy. Love Eddie's vocals on the song. Hopefully there will be some more impressive stuff from Mike McCready on the rest of the album. Can't wait...good single to start an album.
I've listened to the song probably 5 or 6 times. I like what I'm hearing so far. It seems a little dulled down for a PJ song, but I guess most of their radio hits are. The vocals are powerful, but the drums, bass, and guitar are very simple. But still very catchy. Love Eddie's vocals on the song. Hopefully there will be some more impressive stuff from Mike McCready on the rest of the album. Can't wait...good single to start an album.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
SHOW REVIEW: STP at Mohegan Sun 7/17/09
Well kids...it's been a long week. I apologize for not having this up sooner. I know it was only 5 days ago, but it seems like a long time ago already... so hear we go.
THE OPENING ACT: The Meat Puppets
Okay, I was very excited last week (you can check in my last blog post) when I heard that the Meat Puppets were opening for Stone Temple Pilots. So excited in fact that I searched through a bunch of my old CD's to find the song "Backwater" on a mix CD...I was unsuccessful. That must be one of the many lost "O's Mixes" (their very low in value if you happen to find one...so feel free to return to owner. You might want to hold onto it though in case I ever become famous. Then people will be like, "Ohhh...this is what influenced O"...see how I used "O" twice there? tricky!).
My excitement, mixed with some good Italian food (gnocchi's...a personal fav), some fantastic company (my oldest friend), and a few beers (a few being 6)...had me ready to rock out to some Meat Puppets. As we took the escalator down to the floor section (we had to show our tickets twice...kind of a big deal) my ears began to tingle as I heard the song "Backwater" being played. I was a little confused as to why they would play this song in the middle of their show. If I had known then the crap that would spew out of their instruments I would have bought ear plugs before the show (ear plugs are for losers...if you wear them to a concert you're sitting too close for your comfort...and you're a loser...hands down. The guy in front of me wore them. He was a loser).
Anyway, they played a couple decent songs before their last two songs. At this point I was ranking them under the category "Not Bad, Not Good". However...the last two songs put them off my radar for good. It was the first song (which on the setlist on the STP fan club website is listed as ???) that made the audience begin to turn. It was just them making dumb noises with their instruments. When I say noise, I MEAN noise. Like there was no beat to be heard behind the awful squealing of an out of tune guitar. The bassist was just flailing his fingers up and down the fret in no particular fashion. This song was followed by audience members behind us beginning a "You Suck" chant...in all its WWE glory.
Finally, what put the crowd out of its misery was their finale...a sped up version of Nirvana's "Lake of Fire". When I say sped up I mean literally take a vinyl of Nirvana's version of the song, put it under the needle, and gradually spin it faster and faster until all you hear nothing because blood has filled your eardrums. I understand they were an influence to Nirvana, but Cobain knew how to make music...not noise. I was so relieved when they left the stage. I have nothing to say about them except if they're ever opening for one of your favorite bands, grab a few more beers instead of wasting your time.
THE MAIN EVENT: Stone Temple Pilots
After a 45 minute intermission the arena filled up to capacity. Which is awesome because the Mohegan Sun Arena doesn't hold that many people. It is a very intimate arena...almost like a theater with concrete floors. Take a large arena you know and cut it down to the floor and a lower and upper deck seating and that's about it. Anyway...on with the show.
Scott, Eric, Dean, and Rob take the stage and the crowd goes nuts! Scott is wearing sunglasses, which I take as a good sign because this means he's probably just really stoned...instead of his old heroin days. It seems like he has turned a page in his career and pulled back from the hardcore drugs, but then again, I've thought that a few times before.
They immediately start off their show with some of their oldest tunes off of their first album Core. "Silvergun Superman" kicks off the show, followed by one of my personal favorites "Wicked Garden".
Then they switch over to Purple and get the crowd fired up with a familiar tune "Vasoline" and then move onto "Lounge Fly" and "Army Ants". They stop for a brief second after this and honestly I have never heard a crowd so loud in my entire life. I've been to a lot of loud arena shows and sat close for shows like moe., Coheed and Cambria, and My Morning Jacket, but I have never heard a crowd as deafening as the one at STP. My friend who's seen them dozens of times even stated that Mohegan had one of the best crowds he's ever heard.
Anyway...on with the show. It's time to break out the Thank You album...the Greatest Hits. Their next ten songs were off the charts...the songs every fan of STP would know and love...check this out...
"Big Empty"
"Crackerman"
"Sour Girl"
"Creep"
"Seven Caged Tigers"
"Plush"
"Interstate Love Song"
"Down"
"Sex Type Thing"
"Sin"
[A personal favorite..."Big Empty"]
...then they finished up with "Unglued" and left the stage. CLEARLY they were not over. The chants of "S-T-P...S-T-P" began and finally they took the stage. Scott had a megaphone in his hand which meant only one thing...their encore was going to start with "Dead and Bloated". I went friggin nuts at this point because I had been waiting for this song...it's a great jam. There is nothing like a song that starts with distorted megaphone vocals. "I am spinnin like a rose that somebody gave me on my birthday death bed..."
YEAHHHHH! The crowd went nuts.
So before they started the encore some dude next to me asked what they were going to play and I nailed it on the head guessing "Dead and Bloated". When he asked me what the second encore was going to be I was completely confident...I guessed "Trippin On a Hole in a Paper Heart"...I was right. My buddy and I went nuts...as did the rest of the crowd. They finished the concert and of all things...they stood at the front of the stage arms around each other and took a bow in appreciation. Showmanship...that's what that is kids...learn from the legends.
Amazing show. Probably one of my favorite arena shows of all time (MMJ's New Years set last year at MSG will be hard to top, but it's REALLY close). Scott Weiland's vocals were fantastic (my buddy said the best he's ever heard him...which SAYS A LOT!). It's like he ditched the drugs and his voice came back to him. I was most impressed with guitarist Dean DeLeo. His lick's were perfect, his solo's were unique, but the coolest thing was the amazing riffs that he would play fooling around in between songs. All in all, an incredible night. It just got better after the show, but that's a whole different story altogether...
STP IS A MUST SEE! GO SEE THEM NOW! GOOOOOOO!
THE OPENING ACT: The Meat Puppets
Okay, I was very excited last week (you can check in my last blog post) when I heard that the Meat Puppets were opening for Stone Temple Pilots. So excited in fact that I searched through a bunch of my old CD's to find the song "Backwater" on a mix CD...I was unsuccessful. That must be one of the many lost "O's Mixes" (their very low in value if you happen to find one...so feel free to return to owner. You might want to hold onto it though in case I ever become famous. Then people will be like, "Ohhh...this is what influenced O"...see how I used "O" twice there? tricky!).
My excitement, mixed with some good Italian food (gnocchi's...a personal fav), some fantastic company (my oldest friend), and a few beers (a few being 6)...had me ready to rock out to some Meat Puppets. As we took the escalator down to the floor section (we had to show our tickets twice...kind of a big deal) my ears began to tingle as I heard the song "Backwater" being played. I was a little confused as to why they would play this song in the middle of their show. If I had known then the crap that would spew out of their instruments I would have bought ear plugs before the show (ear plugs are for losers...if you wear them to a concert you're sitting too close for your comfort...and you're a loser...hands down. The guy in front of me wore them. He was a loser).
Anyway, they played a couple decent songs before their last two songs. At this point I was ranking them under the category "Not Bad, Not Good". However...the last two songs put them off my radar for good. It was the first song (which on the setlist on the STP fan club website is listed as ???) that made the audience begin to turn. It was just them making dumb noises with their instruments. When I say noise, I MEAN noise. Like there was no beat to be heard behind the awful squealing of an out of tune guitar. The bassist was just flailing his fingers up and down the fret in no particular fashion. This song was followed by audience members behind us beginning a "You Suck" chant...in all its WWE glory.
Finally, what put the crowd out of its misery was their finale...a sped up version of Nirvana's "Lake of Fire". When I say sped up I mean literally take a vinyl of Nirvana's version of the song, put it under the needle, and gradually spin it faster and faster until all you hear nothing because blood has filled your eardrums. I understand they were an influence to Nirvana, but Cobain knew how to make music...not noise. I was so relieved when they left the stage. I have nothing to say about them except if they're ever opening for one of your favorite bands, grab a few more beers instead of wasting your time.
THE MAIN EVENT: Stone Temple Pilots
After a 45 minute intermission the arena filled up to capacity. Which is awesome because the Mohegan Sun Arena doesn't hold that many people. It is a very intimate arena...almost like a theater with concrete floors. Take a large arena you know and cut it down to the floor and a lower and upper deck seating and that's about it. Anyway...on with the show.
Scott, Eric, Dean, and Rob take the stage and the crowd goes nuts! Scott is wearing sunglasses, which I take as a good sign because this means he's probably just really stoned...instead of his old heroin days. It seems like he has turned a page in his career and pulled back from the hardcore drugs, but then again, I've thought that a few times before.
They immediately start off their show with some of their oldest tunes off of their first album Core. "Silvergun Superman" kicks off the show, followed by one of my personal favorites "Wicked Garden".
Then they switch over to Purple and get the crowd fired up with a familiar tune "Vasoline" and then move onto "Lounge Fly" and "Army Ants". They stop for a brief second after this and honestly I have never heard a crowd so loud in my entire life. I've been to a lot of loud arena shows and sat close for shows like moe., Coheed and Cambria, and My Morning Jacket, but I have never heard a crowd as deafening as the one at STP. My friend who's seen them dozens of times even stated that Mohegan had one of the best crowds he's ever heard.
Anyway...on with the show. It's time to break out the Thank You album...the Greatest Hits. Their next ten songs were off the charts...the songs every fan of STP would know and love...check this out...
"Big Empty"
"Crackerman"
"Sour Girl"
"Creep"
"Seven Caged Tigers"
"Plush"
"Interstate Love Song"
"Down"
"Sex Type Thing"
"Sin"
[A personal favorite..."Big Empty"]
...then they finished up with "Unglued" and left the stage. CLEARLY they were not over. The chants of "S-T-P...S-T-P" began and finally they took the stage. Scott had a megaphone in his hand which meant only one thing...their encore was going to start with "Dead and Bloated". I went friggin nuts at this point because I had been waiting for this song...it's a great jam. There is nothing like a song that starts with distorted megaphone vocals. "I am spinnin like a rose that somebody gave me on my birthday death bed..."
YEAHHHHH! The crowd went nuts.
So before they started the encore some dude next to me asked what they were going to play and I nailed it on the head guessing "Dead and Bloated". When he asked me what the second encore was going to be I was completely confident...I guessed "Trippin On a Hole in a Paper Heart"...I was right. My buddy and I went nuts...as did the rest of the crowd. They finished the concert and of all things...they stood at the front of the stage arms around each other and took a bow in appreciation. Showmanship...that's what that is kids...learn from the legends.
Amazing show. Probably one of my favorite arena shows of all time (MMJ's New Years set last year at MSG will be hard to top, but it's REALLY close). Scott Weiland's vocals were fantastic (my buddy said the best he's ever heard him...which SAYS A LOT!). It's like he ditched the drugs and his voice came back to him. I was most impressed with guitarist Dean DeLeo. His lick's were perfect, his solo's were unique, but the coolest thing was the amazing riffs that he would play fooling around in between songs. All in all, an incredible night. It just got better after the show, but that's a whole different story altogether...
STP IS A MUST SEE! GO SEE THEM NOW! GOOOOOOO!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Random Music Thoughts of the Week
Thoughts of the Week beginning July 12th, 2009
1. Amy Winehouse is divorcing her husband...slap yourself in the face if you honestly didn't see this coming.
2. Have you ever listened to the band Grizzly Bear? I'm still up in the air on this band. I really like some of their tunes, but others I absolutely despise. I've never been this 50/50 on a band before. I saw them perform last night on Letterman and the song they played was one of their songs I despise. However, when I saw them perform on Jimmy Fallon a couple weeks ago they played a dynamite tune. Judge for yourself...here's a sample of the song "Two Weeks" (their best)...
3. Lots of concert goings this week. My buddy Brandon attended the Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp concert last night in New Britain. Said Dylan was amazing. It reminds me that I need to see Bob realllllly soon. My other buddy Mike is off to what is sure to be a crazzzzzy fucking weekend up at Camp Bisco. 3 nights of bands like Disco Biscuits, Damian Marley, STS9, and The Orb would leave my brain fried. Disco Biscuits are headlining all 3 nights...I would love to see that because they are fucking outstanding in concert. Hopefully my tent comes back in one piece. However, if he destroys it I hope there is an outstanding story of suspense and hilarity that comes along with it. Tents are replaceable...festival stories are not.
4. Speaking of concerts this week I'm heading to see Stone Temple Pilots tomorrow night. They have been at the top of my list for years, but I've been procrastinating on seeing them because I always wanted to see them with my buddy Jay, who's seen them in concert several dozen times. So when he told me last month he was going to the show how could I pass it up? I haven't been this pumped up for a (solo) show since My Morning Jacket last New Years Eve.
5. I got even more excited about the STP show when I looked online today to see if there were any opening acts. To my complete surprise I recognized the opening band. The Meat Puppets! How sweet is that? For those of you who are saying, "where do I know that band name from, "...I shall indulge you. The Kirkwood brothers are the major driving force from behind the band. Nirvana fans would recognize them because they served as guest musicians on the famous MTV Unplugged album...particularly on the song "Lake of Fire". Kurt Cobain always cited the Meat Puppets as a big musical influence. As did other grunge rockers Soundgarden and Dinosaur Jr. You may also be familiar with their song "Backwater", as it had significant play time on MTV. Check it out...
6. I keep hearing great things about Wilco's new CD. I need to get my computer fixed ASAP. I've listened to the same tunes on my iPod shuffle at the gym for like 2 months.
7. Only a couple weeks away from O.A.R. Can't wait personally...I don't know if it can top last year though when Pat, Mudd, and I got to chill on the tour bus and drink some beers with the band. Got another big group going this year though so who knows what adventure it could bring?
8. Kings of Leon is coming up here on September 9th...this is probably going to be attended by me. Got into these guys last summer. Hopefully I'll get to see them this time around. If not, I could see them returning to Bonnaroo next year. It's been a few years since they've played.
9. Yim Yames (Jim James of My Morning Jacket) just came out with a tribute album to George Harrison. I've listened to it on his website. It's unbelievable! A little softer than the normal MMJ tunes he belts out, but he does have one of the "folk-iest" voices in rock today. What a fantastic listen. Check it out here.
10. Pearl Jam's first single of their new album comes out on MONDAY! The tune is called "The Fixer"...can't wait to hear it...hope to find it before Monday (hahaha!) if I can. It's quite a tease though as their 9th studio album (titled Backspacer) isn't scheduled for release until September 20th. So this new single will have to hold us PJ fans over for a couple months...unless the album leaks on the web of course...which has been known to happen (see: Chinese Democracy). But don't get your hopes up.
That's all for now...expect a show review coming to you Saturday or Sunday from tomorrow's STP extravaganza.
1. Amy Winehouse is divorcing her husband...slap yourself in the face if you honestly didn't see this coming.
2. Have you ever listened to the band Grizzly Bear? I'm still up in the air on this band. I really like some of their tunes, but others I absolutely despise. I've never been this 50/50 on a band before. I saw them perform last night on Letterman and the song they played was one of their songs I despise. However, when I saw them perform on Jimmy Fallon a couple weeks ago they played a dynamite tune. Judge for yourself...here's a sample of the song "Two Weeks" (their best)...
3. Lots of concert goings this week. My buddy Brandon attended the Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp concert last night in New Britain. Said Dylan was amazing. It reminds me that I need to see Bob realllllly soon. My other buddy Mike is off to what is sure to be a crazzzzzy fucking weekend up at Camp Bisco. 3 nights of bands like Disco Biscuits, Damian Marley, STS9, and The Orb would leave my brain fried. Disco Biscuits are headlining all 3 nights...I would love to see that because they are fucking outstanding in concert. Hopefully my tent comes back in one piece. However, if he destroys it I hope there is an outstanding story of suspense and hilarity that comes along with it. Tents are replaceable...festival stories are not.
4. Speaking of concerts this week I'm heading to see Stone Temple Pilots tomorrow night. They have been at the top of my list for years, but I've been procrastinating on seeing them because I always wanted to see them with my buddy Jay, who's seen them in concert several dozen times. So when he told me last month he was going to the show how could I pass it up? I haven't been this pumped up for a (solo) show since My Morning Jacket last New Years Eve.
5. I got even more excited about the STP show when I looked online today to see if there were any opening acts. To my complete surprise I recognized the opening band. The Meat Puppets! How sweet is that? For those of you who are saying, "where do I know that band name from, "...I shall indulge you. The Kirkwood brothers are the major driving force from behind the band. Nirvana fans would recognize them because they served as guest musicians on the famous MTV Unplugged album...particularly on the song "Lake of Fire". Kurt Cobain always cited the Meat Puppets as a big musical influence. As did other grunge rockers Soundgarden and Dinosaur Jr. You may also be familiar with their song "Backwater", as it had significant play time on MTV. Check it out...
6. I keep hearing great things about Wilco's new CD. I need to get my computer fixed ASAP. I've listened to the same tunes on my iPod shuffle at the gym for like 2 months.
7. Only a couple weeks away from O.A.R. Can't wait personally...I don't know if it can top last year though when Pat, Mudd, and I got to chill on the tour bus and drink some beers with the band. Got another big group going this year though so who knows what adventure it could bring?
8. Kings of Leon is coming up here on September 9th...this is probably going to be attended by me. Got into these guys last summer. Hopefully I'll get to see them this time around. If not, I could see them returning to Bonnaroo next year. It's been a few years since they've played.
9. Yim Yames (Jim James of My Morning Jacket) just came out with a tribute album to George Harrison. I've listened to it on his website. It's unbelievable! A little softer than the normal MMJ tunes he belts out, but he does have one of the "folk-iest" voices in rock today. What a fantastic listen. Check it out here.
10. Pearl Jam's first single of their new album comes out on MONDAY! The tune is called "The Fixer"...can't wait to hear it...hope to find it before Monday (hahaha!) if I can. It's quite a tease though as their 9th studio album (titled Backspacer) isn't scheduled for release until September 20th. So this new single will have to hold us PJ fans over for a couple months...unless the album leaks on the web of course...which has been known to happen (see: Chinese Democracy). But don't get your hopes up.
That's all for now...expect a show review coming to you Saturday or Sunday from tomorrow's STP extravaganza.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Led Zeppelin to Take Michael Jackson's O2 Tour Dates?...Not Bloody Likely
Well according to popular British newspaper, The Sun, Led Zeppelin has been called back to duty. But will they answer the call?
"AEG Live, the team behind the King of Pop's 50-night stint, want the rock
supergroup to alternate shows with Abba. Both bands - who have sold 600 million
albums between them - have been offered big money to reform.
Led Zep stars Jimmy Page, 65, Robert Plant, 60, and bassist John Paul Jones, 63, have been approached.
They played their only concert in 19 years at the O2 in 2007 and
are seen as one of the few acts who could rival Jacko. His This Is It tour was
due to start at the London venue on July 13. AEG face multi-million pound losses
if they cannot fill the slots.A source said: "Only Michael Jackson could sell out 50 nights at such a big arena, but Led Zeppelin and Abba combined might just rival him. There is huge money on the table." "
Ok...am I the only who thinks that quote is pretty lame sounding? I find the fact that this "source" thinks that Abba could sell-out as many shows as Led Zeppelin...offensive. Abba?! Really?! Come on! These are the same weirdos that performed the song "Dancing Queen" and have their own Broadway musical. That's just not right. Honestly, I think they need to take out the part of that sentence that says "...and Abba combined..." because in this writer's opinion, Led Zeppelin alone could probably out sell Michael Jackson in London...or at least come pretty damn close.
Think about it...when they re-grouped in 2007 for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert their tickets (selling at $250 face value...proceeds all going to charity) had to be sold in a lottery format. Over 1 million people put their names into the lottery (including myself) and only 20,000 were given away.
Although this announcement is exciting in substance...the chances of this actually happening are slim to none. Here's what will happen:
Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham would sign tomorrow if they could, but Robert Plant will never agree to this. Remember he kept stalling the reunion tour last time due to his touring with Allison Krauss. Then after all was said and done and the other 3 had been working on new material, he blackballed the reunion tour after the 2007 show with the following statement,
"The disappointment that could be there once you commit to that and the
comparisons to something that was basically fired by youth and a different kind
of exhuberance to now, it's very hard to go back and meet that head on and do it
justice."
(By "a different kind of exhuberance" I think he clearly means "lots and lots of heroin and other mind blowing psychadelics"...hahaha.)
Why would Plant not want a reunion tour?
1. Because Plant can't sing like he used to. Although, he's the youngest member of LZ, he's still 60 years old. When they played the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert they tuned down most of their songs to accustom his geriatric vocal chords. Yes...his voice is still amazing, but No...he will never be able to sing "Black Dog" in the high wail he used to.
EXAMPLE A: "Black Dog" in 1973.
EXAMPLE B: "Black Dog" in 2007.
2. He's trying out new platforms. Plant went from being one of the most idolized frontmen in rock history to becoming a soft, harmonizing back-up singer to Allison Krauss...a bluegrass/country singer. And, whether you like it or not, their voices do sound great together and they have a lot of chemistry on stage. He's crossed platforms and has done it succesfully.
3. Not only did he cross platforms, but he won awards while doing so. Allison Krauss and Robert Plant's album "Raising Sand", besides being critically acclaimed, has been certified platinum, and won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. A feat that was never accomplished with LZ. Another sign that he's trying to solidify his legacy as one of the top singers of all time.
So...after all is said and done would the public still shell out millions of dollars to see an aging Led Zeppelin?
The answer is YES! Without a doubt. If Led Zeppelin re-formed for a reunion tour they would sell more tickets in 20 minutes than the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and Paul McCartney did in the last 5 years of their careers. Their shows would sell out in record numbers.
Plant needs to take off his Depends and squeeze himself into his ripped jeans and ruffled shirts and quit whining about being too old, because there is an entire new generation of youth out there who still idolize Led Zeppelin for everything the accomplished. They are the greatest rock n' roll group of all time and they need to start acting like it. And although Page, Jones, and Bonham were willing to find a new lead singer...they failed miserably...because no one can lead Led Zeppelin on stage besides Robert Plant. He is one-of-a-kind...it's the same reason why Queen's reunion tour keeps failing...because they can't replace a rare vocalist the likes of Freddie Mercury.
We all know it sucks getting old, but I think the millions upon millions of devoted Led Zeppelin fans would put up with hearing their old favorites in a lower octave. Why not suck it up and try to stretch those vocal chords back out? They're a muscle...they have muscle memory. Just go balls to the wall...if he blow out his vocal chords on the last song of the last concert in the last city would his image be ruined forever? No...he would be remembered for giving it his all and going above and beyond what was expected of him. Surprise us all Robert, by all means, but if you can't hit the original octave we're not going to turn against you.
In conclusion...the thought of Led Zeppelin reuniting for more shows (whether in London or in Timbuktu) is exciting. It is a lifelong dream to see LZ live in concert, and you better believe that myself and many other Americans would make the trip across seas to catch one or more of their shows. Almost every rock band out there today is in some way influenced by Led Zeppelin, and who wouldn't want to go see the band that revolutionized rock n' roll forever...the fathers of heavy metal? All I'm asking Robert Plant is...what do you have to lose?
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Random Music Thoughts of the Week
So I've decided that when I can't think of anything to blog about I'm going to do a post like this...which is just a bunch of random music thoughts I've had this week...tell me what you think here...
Thoughts of the Week beginning July 5th, 2009
1. So I was a little dissappointed with the Rothbury webcast. First of all, the only headliner that they showed was String Cheese Incident on Friday night. My guess is that Bob Dylan and the Dead's record labels wouldn't allow live webcasts...get with the times dudes. Second, the webcast reset itself every 4 minutes. So you'd be in the middle of a rockin part of a song and the browser resets. Then you gotta hit play again and it'd take a minute to load. How fucking lame is that?
2. The best performance I saw from the Rothbury webcast was The Black Crowes set. After seeing their set I am definitely jotting them down on the Most Wanted Ticket list (coming soon...stay tuned). I never truly understood how great of a guitarist Rich Robinson was.
3. Pete Yorn performed a couple songs off of his new CD "Back and Forth" on Jimmy Kimmel last night. I'm liking what I'm hearing...and that's Pete. Dude has got a fantastic sound, and surprisingly, a great backing band.
4. Speaking of Pete Yorn...a friend of mine from work asked me if I wanted to see him play at the Webster Theater in NYC in a couple weeks. I think I'm going to take him up on the offer...cheap tickets...small venue...in the city...sounds like a good time.
5. In other concert news...I'm going to see Stone Temple Pilots next Friday down at the Mohegan Sun. Although I am adamantly against indoor concerts in the summer season...I will make an exception for STP since I have been waiting years to see them, and I finally get to see them with one of my oldest friends...who's seen them in concert dozens of times.
6. The Michael Jackson memorial on Tuesday went a bit overboard. Who knew it was going to last all day long? I wonder if advertisers bought spots for the 8 hour extravaganza? That'd be truly sick. I heard a rumor that the Jackson family is asking the city of L.A. to pay for the $4 million funeral.
7. Speaking of MJ...have you seen Ron Artest's tribute song/video to MJ? It's soooooooooo bad I laughed my ass off when I heard it. It starts off slow and turns into straight hip-hop halfway through the song. The lyrics are offensive and MJ would've never approved of such a song. Jim Norton from the Opie & Anthony show had some choice words about it, but I shan't repeat them here. I refuse to post the video on my website, but here's the link to it if you're brave (NOTE: this is absolutely 100% NOT work appropriate).
8. I've finally picked up the guitar again after a few months leave of absence. I think I finally have some inspiration and ideas in mind...I just wish I could afford a better guitar. Oh well...I'll make due for now. Jimi Hendrix learned to play on a pawned guitar...and then learned to play it upside-down...if that's not inspiring I don't know what is.
9. I turned on Paladia (great channel if you like live music...Comcast and DirecTV both carry it) yesterday and found a Foo Fighters concert from June of 2008. It was the largest show the band ever played. It took place in the storied Wembley Stadium in London with a soldout crowd of 86,000. Just to give you a point of reference...Bonnaroo had about 75,000 this year...so this crowd was everybody at Bonnaroo PLUS another 10,000. It was absolutely insane. And check out their stage (below)! It rotated and faced the crowd in 3 different directions.
Thoughts of the Week beginning July 5th, 2009
1. So I was a little dissappointed with the Rothbury webcast. First of all, the only headliner that they showed was String Cheese Incident on Friday night. My guess is that Bob Dylan and the Dead's record labels wouldn't allow live webcasts...get with the times dudes. Second, the webcast reset itself every 4 minutes. So you'd be in the middle of a rockin part of a song and the browser resets. Then you gotta hit play again and it'd take a minute to load. How fucking lame is that?
2. The best performance I saw from the Rothbury webcast was The Black Crowes set. After seeing their set I am definitely jotting them down on the Most Wanted Ticket list (coming soon...stay tuned). I never truly understood how great of a guitarist Rich Robinson was.
3. Pete Yorn performed a couple songs off of his new CD "Back and Forth" on Jimmy Kimmel last night. I'm liking what I'm hearing...and that's Pete. Dude has got a fantastic sound, and surprisingly, a great backing band.
4. Speaking of Pete Yorn...a friend of mine from work asked me if I wanted to see him play at the Webster Theater in NYC in a couple weeks. I think I'm going to take him up on the offer...cheap tickets...small venue...in the city...sounds like a good time.
5. In other concert news...I'm going to see Stone Temple Pilots next Friday down at the Mohegan Sun. Although I am adamantly against indoor concerts in the summer season...I will make an exception for STP since I have been waiting years to see them, and I finally get to see them with one of my oldest friends...who's seen them in concert dozens of times.
6. The Michael Jackson memorial on Tuesday went a bit overboard. Who knew it was going to last all day long? I wonder if advertisers bought spots for the 8 hour extravaganza? That'd be truly sick. I heard a rumor that the Jackson family is asking the city of L.A. to pay for the $4 million funeral.
7. Speaking of MJ...have you seen Ron Artest's tribute song/video to MJ? It's soooooooooo bad I laughed my ass off when I heard it. It starts off slow and turns into straight hip-hop halfway through the song. The lyrics are offensive and MJ would've never approved of such a song. Jim Norton from the Opie & Anthony show had some choice words about it, but I shan't repeat them here. I refuse to post the video on my website, but here's the link to it if you're brave (NOTE: this is absolutely 100% NOT work appropriate).
8. I've finally picked up the guitar again after a few months leave of absence. I think I finally have some inspiration and ideas in mind...I just wish I could afford a better guitar. Oh well...I'll make due for now. Jimi Hendrix learned to play on a pawned guitar...and then learned to play it upside-down...if that's not inspiring I don't know what is.
9. I turned on Paladia (great channel if you like live music...Comcast and DirecTV both carry it) yesterday and found a Foo Fighters concert from June of 2008. It was the largest show the band ever played. It took place in the storied Wembley Stadium in London with a soldout crowd of 86,000. Just to give you a point of reference...Bonnaroo had about 75,000 this year...so this crowd was everybody at Bonnaroo PLUS another 10,000. It was absolutely insane. And check out their stage (below)! It rotated and faced the crowd in 3 different directions.
10. Oh and I left out this little tidbit about that show. Towards the end of the show Dave Grohl got all emotional because the crowd was so awesome. So he said he wanted to do something special for the crowd...so the guitarist and bassist leave the stage...and out walk Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones...that's right 1/2 of Led Zeppelin on stage with Dave Grohl (now on drums) and Taylor Hawkins (now on vocals). I thought they were going to play a Foo song, but then I heard one of the most memorable drum lines to ever start a song (this is a MUST WATCH for any Foo Fighters or Led Zeppelin fan)...
How fucking cool was that? Yeah...go change your underwear!
And that wraps up my most recent random music thoughts....
Friday, July 3, 2009
Rothbury Day 2: Live Blog
8:45pm - Watching the live webcast on http://www.rothburyfestival.com/. Brett Drennen is on the stream right now...which I don't understand because he played at 2:00pm this afternoon at The Raneh Arena. Weird...maybe it's just fill as they set up for tonights headliner...String Cheese Incident. I'd be pumped for this show if I was there. Unfortunately I'm not. I wish I could at least have a beer and watch...unfortunately I can't.
8:49pm - I was right...String Cheese just took the stage. Good thing too because Brett Drennen is one of the ugliest individuals I've ever seen in my life.
09:02pm - It's been so long since I've seen these guys jam...their guitarist, Michael Kang, is sooooo good. He's totally rockin with the capo and everything. The only thing pissin me off is the webcast keeps resetting after every song...and then I have to re-load it. Bummer. Oh well...small price to pay. On another note...just saw Sarah Palin is resigning as governor...finally Alaska's oil reserves and natural beauty are safe.
09:08pm - This songs pretty funky...Bill Nershi is rockin the acoustic solo's. Speaking of funky...how about Brandon Paul? Hell of a guy for allowing me some free time tonight. Good man that BP.
09:16pm - Just found out from Bob (of Bonnaroo notoriety) that two of my old buddies from Erie, Justin and Eric, are VIPing this whole weekend at Rothbury. Truly the way to go...a lot more space for camping, electricity, and you get to premiere access to the stage and special parties at night where you can run in to band members. I hope to save up enough money in the next year to do VIP at Roo or Bury next year. This makes me really want to go to Gathering of the Vibes up in nearby Bridgeport, CT in a couple weeks. I have the days off, but no one to go with. Let me know if you're interested...hahahaha. Keller Williams, George Clinton, and moe. are playing on Friday!
09:24pm - Bill Nershi is a Minnesota Wild fan...and has season tickets at center ice. Apparently, he's never missed a game since their inception. He should probably give it up and follow a real hockey team...like the world champion Pittsburgh Penguins!
09:44pm - The Friends of Cheese are out in full force tonight. I wish they would get more crowd shots. I bet there are some people out of their minds at this show...hahahaha. Drunk, high, whatever...they have got to be having a good time. SCI plays effortlessly.
09:46pm - That was pretty awesome! Nersh just had the whole the crowd scream as loud as they could..."Let's see how much noise 30,000 some people can make!" Cool thing was he screamed himself...risking the vocal chords for the amusement of everyone is called great showmanship.
10:07pm - Still on their first set...Michael Kang is rockin some sweet solo's right now. Kyle Hollingsworth just pulled off some amazing work on the keys. He reminds me of a young Ray Manzarek.
10:16pm - Great song to end the first set...intermission time. Grab some beers or whatever. I imagine the line for the port-a-johns is getting pretty outrageous. Still...with 45,000 less people in attendance...they've got to be in a lot better shape than Bonnaroo's.
10:58pm - String Cheese back on stage for the second set. More funk riddled music...kinda diggin it. Cool thing about this band is that every member of the band contributes original works. So songs are written by every member of the band, which means a lot of their songs, while performed by the same musicians...can sound very different at times. I find this very unique and it adds a lot to their dynamic. I've definitely noticed the difference in their sounds tonight during the show.
11:01pm - Just noticed they have some Cirque de Soleil shit going on on stage. They're really making this an interesting show for the audience. There are about 40 or 50 me-sized inflatable balls bouncing through the crowd. It's funny...you can't even see the band on the long shots. The glow sticks are out in full force too. This set is gonna be something else.
11:08pm - The Cirque girls were smokin hot! Unfortunately they've left the stage.
11:14pm - Have you noticed that Kyle Hollingsworth mouths beats to his keyboards? It's very strange. But whatever helps you work, right? Maybe they should give him a mic and let him beat box too.
11:28pm - Fire dancers on the stage....awwwwwwwwwww shit!
11:50pm - They're starting to wind down. Playing a lot more fan favorites high on energy. What an amazing show so far. I can't believe the endurance.
12:06am - The rest of the band has left the stage except for Michael Travis on drums and Jason Hann on congas. One of the best conga solo's I've heard in a long time. Dude plays with some intensity. His hippie hair was flying...surprised he didn't break a head honestly. Duet played for 8 minutes. Band back on stage around 12:08am.
12:20am - I can hear the music...but I can't see it. I know the lights didn't go out so I'm guessing somebody tripped over a cord or something in their stupor.
12:28am - The first headliner of the weekend has wrapped it up. It was great to hear SCI...it's been years since I've heard them not on a live recording. Their stage show has improved ten fold since the last time I saw them back in Vegas. Good show...tomorrow should be even better. That's all for now...unless they're broadcasting the night shows...stay tuned...STS9 is scheduled at 1am.
8:49pm - I was right...String Cheese just took the stage. Good thing too because Brett Drennen is one of the ugliest individuals I've ever seen in my life.
09:02pm - It's been so long since I've seen these guys jam...their guitarist, Michael Kang, is sooooo good. He's totally rockin with the capo and everything. The only thing pissin me off is the webcast keeps resetting after every song...and then I have to re-load it. Bummer. Oh well...small price to pay. On another note...just saw Sarah Palin is resigning as governor...finally Alaska's oil reserves and natural beauty are safe.
09:08pm - This songs pretty funky...Bill Nershi is rockin the acoustic solo's. Speaking of funky...how about Brandon Paul? Hell of a guy for allowing me some free time tonight. Good man that BP.
09:16pm - Just found out from Bob (of Bonnaroo notoriety) that two of my old buddies from Erie, Justin and Eric, are VIPing this whole weekend at Rothbury. Truly the way to go...a lot more space for camping, electricity, and you get to premiere access to the stage and special parties at night where you can run in to band members. I hope to save up enough money in the next year to do VIP at Roo or Bury next year. This makes me really want to go to Gathering of the Vibes up in nearby Bridgeport, CT in a couple weeks. I have the days off, but no one to go with. Let me know if you're interested...hahahaha. Keller Williams, George Clinton, and moe. are playing on Friday!
09:24pm - Bill Nershi is a Minnesota Wild fan...and has season tickets at center ice. Apparently, he's never missed a game since their inception. He should probably give it up and follow a real hockey team...like the world champion Pittsburgh Penguins!
09:44pm - The Friends of Cheese are out in full force tonight. I wish they would get more crowd shots. I bet there are some people out of their minds at this show...hahahaha. Drunk, high, whatever...they have got to be having a good time. SCI plays effortlessly.
09:46pm - That was pretty awesome! Nersh just had the whole the crowd scream as loud as they could..."Let's see how much noise 30,000 some people can make!" Cool thing was he screamed himself...risking the vocal chords for the amusement of everyone is called great showmanship.
10:07pm - Still on their first set...Michael Kang is rockin some sweet solo's right now. Kyle Hollingsworth just pulled off some amazing work on the keys. He reminds me of a young Ray Manzarek.
10:16pm - Great song to end the first set...intermission time. Grab some beers or whatever. I imagine the line for the port-a-johns is getting pretty outrageous. Still...with 45,000 less people in attendance...they've got to be in a lot better shape than Bonnaroo's.
10:58pm - String Cheese back on stage for the second set. More funk riddled music...kinda diggin it. Cool thing about this band is that every member of the band contributes original works. So songs are written by every member of the band, which means a lot of their songs, while performed by the same musicians...can sound very different at times. I find this very unique and it adds a lot to their dynamic. I've definitely noticed the difference in their sounds tonight during the show.
11:01pm - Just noticed they have some Cirque de Soleil shit going on on stage. They're really making this an interesting show for the audience. There are about 40 or 50 me-sized inflatable balls bouncing through the crowd. It's funny...you can't even see the band on the long shots. The glow sticks are out in full force too. This set is gonna be something else.
11:08pm - The Cirque girls were smokin hot! Unfortunately they've left the stage.
11:14pm - Have you noticed that Kyle Hollingsworth mouths beats to his keyboards? It's very strange. But whatever helps you work, right? Maybe they should give him a mic and let him beat box too.
11:28pm - Fire dancers on the stage....awwwwwwwwwww shit!
11:50pm - They're starting to wind down. Playing a lot more fan favorites high on energy. What an amazing show so far. I can't believe the endurance.
12:06am - The rest of the band has left the stage except for Michael Travis on drums and Jason Hann on congas. One of the best conga solo's I've heard in a long time. Dude plays with some intensity. His hippie hair was flying...surprised he didn't break a head honestly. Duet played for 8 minutes. Band back on stage around 12:08am.
12:20am - I can hear the music...but I can't see it. I know the lights didn't go out so I'm guessing somebody tripped over a cord or something in their stupor.
12:28am - The first headliner of the weekend has wrapped it up. It was great to hear SCI...it's been years since I've heard them not on a live recording. Their stage show has improved ten fold since the last time I saw them back in Vegas. Good show...tomorrow should be even better. That's all for now...unless they're broadcasting the night shows...stay tuned...STS9 is scheduled at 1am.
Festival Season Continues...ROTHBURY WEEKEND!
For those of you who have been following my major festival posts...get ready for installment #3! Rothbury Music Festival kicked off today (Thursday) on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
This year is only the second year of the primarily jam band festival. It seems like Rothbury is the festival that took over Bonnaroo's vibe once Roo switched from the jam-band festival to the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink festival. If you don't think that Rothbury is the new true hipster fest you better check out the lineup. Here are 10 bands headlining this weekend's Rothbury Music Festival that true-ly make it the premiere jam band festival in America (sorry Roo, Coachella...these guys got ya beat):1. The Dead - The band that backed Jerry Garcia's brilliant mind for more than 3 decades. The Dead are playing their only summer performance after wrapping up a very long winter/early spring tour across America. Yeah it's not the same with Jerry gone, but the true spirit of the music is still there. Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann...they're all gonna be in the UP this weekend playing favorites like "Casey Jones", "Uncle John's Band", "Sugar Magnolia"...you name it, these guys will play it. After all...they're playing a 2-set headlining show on Saturday night. Sadly I've never seen them altogether. I've seen Phil Lesh & Friends twice and Bob Weir & Ratdog twice...both are great acts. Hopefully I'll get to see them some day.
2. Bob Dylan - The greatest folk singer/songwriter of all time. It's just simply amazing that at 68 years old the legend is still touring...for a new album that was just released a couple months ago. I bet they'll be a lot of guest stars that come out and jam with him...but that's still to be seen.
3. String Cheese Incident - Rothbury will be the only performance for SCI in 2009...which is a real treat for those attending the festival. I saw SCI back at Vegoose in 2005 and they were like nothing I had ever heard before. Little to no singing...just straight bluegrass/folk/rock/psychadelic jamming. These dudes know how to play their instruments...and for a long time at that (some of their songs will probably run 15-20 minutes long). What's surprising is to see them on the ticket at all since Billy Nershi left the band to pursue other projects a couple years ago. Hopefully this means the band is getting ready for another tour in 2010.
4. Willie Nelson - Come on...need I say more? The ultimate country/folk singer (and Texas Roadhouse co-owner) will be one of the top draws for geezers and youngins alike this weekend. Saw Willie last year at Bonnaroo...he still puts on a pretty good show for 76 years old. If there's anyone more accustomed to the road at this festival than Bob Dylan...it's Willie. After all...he coined the phrase "On the Road Again".
5. The Black Crowes - Finally a band for the younger generation. The first four acts above are all legends, but The Crowes are gonna bring some much needed energy to the weekend. They'll be plenty of hula-hooping (not as much as Phish at Roo), bongo playing, and glow sticks at the rest of the shows...but the true rock n' roll fans will come out to see Chris Robinson and the rest of the guys jam out some old favorites like "Hard to Handle", "Kickin My Heart Around", "Only a Fool" and my personal favorite..."She Talks to Angels". Still haven't gotten to see these guys...but it's on my list of priorities.
6. G Love & Special Sauce - Although I have never gotten to see these guys, I am a huge fan. G Love is a phenomenal guitarist and has a very smooth but up-tempo voice. G Love's lyrics are hilarious at times, serious at others, but always a great listen. He knows how to liven up a crowd with his laid back style of music and I'm sure his show will be one of the best of the weekend.
7. Gov't Mule - Mule kicks ass (get it?)! I've become a big fan of the band since first seeing them in '05 in Vegas. They're about the closest thing you can get to southern rock out there. Warren Haynes is the frontman of the band...which was originally just a side project on his time away from being the lead guitarist for the Allman Brothers. Haynes has become one of my favorite guitarists recently since finding out he plays a lot with Coheed and Cambria. Expect some great guitar solo's busting out in their set Sunday night.
8. Umphrey's McGee - Another great jam band of my generation. These guys play more prog rock than anything else...and they love to break out lengthy, wailing, guitar solos. I've seen these guys twice...and they put on a very up-beat show. What's cool about their Rothbury sets is that they're playing night shows on both Saturday and Sunday night...including closing out the festival on the latter. Couldn't think of a much better act to close out a weekend of jamming.
9. Ani DiFranco - The ultimate hipster feminist icon. Ani's ultra-leftist lyrics are a great fit for a jam fest. Her acoustic guitar skills are unmatched by any other female strummer I've ever heard. She's got a great voice too. I caught her down at Bonnaroo in between some other acts. She'll be a huge draw for the ladies down there, but she'll also draw a fair amount of dudes to her show. If you can get past her lyrics she's wonderful...I however am not THAT liberal. Still a great jammer that is big among the hipster scene.
10. The Disco Biscuits - The champions of electronic jam band music! The Biscuits are one hell of a good time. Their shows are very upbeat and loaded with barrages of glow sticks shooting everywhere. I've heard their style of music called "trance fusion"...if that doesn't sound like a defining genre of jam music, I don't know what is. They'll definitely be the big draw on Thursday night...as they're headlining the smallest drawing night of the fest.
So there are the 10 defining bands that make Rothbury the NEW Jam Band Fest Champs! Here are some other bands of note rockin this weekend in Michigan:
- Keller Williams
- Cold War Kids
- Damian Marley & Nas
- Les Claypool
- MSTRKRFT
- Girl Talk
- Guster
- Matisyahu
- Flogging Molly
- Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
- Zappa Plays Zappa
So to all of friends who are at the festival...by the time you read this I hope you have some good input for me. Enjoy! I will be watching the webcasts when I can...and all of you should tune in and see how things are going. If I get a chance I'd love to do some live blogging this weekend. Stay tuned on that one.
Check out the streaming webcast here.
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