10) Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Columbia)
Writer-director Judd Apatow (remember that name loyal reader) tackles the deluge of Oscar-hopeful musical biopics of recent times with his latest flick Walk Hard. I think the film is probably the funniest movie of the year, but I haven’t seen it yet as the list goes to press. (I always wanted to write that.) If the film is as half as funny as these songs, I think my gut feeling will be dead on. John C. Reilly showed his vocal chops a few years ago in the movie version of Chicago and he’s a revelation as the pipes of Dewey Cox. Reilly has no problems mimicking or paying tribute the styles of (get ready for this list) Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Bob Dylan, The Beatles—and ’70s disco singers? (You have to hear the disco remake of David Bowie’s “Starman.”) For me the highlights of the album are the back-to-back spot-on parodies of protest folkies like Phil Ochs. “Dear Mr. President” is the most patently offensive political song ever written, where Dewey stands up for “the injun all hopped up on booze” and “the cripple who lives in my street in a box.” And “Let Me Hold You (Little Man)” made me cackle so loudly on the subway one evening that every single person in the car turned and looked at me. How could anyone not laugh at lines such as these:
“All the elevator buttons
All so incredibly high
I stand today for the midget
Half the size of a regular guy
Let me hold you little man
As the parade passes by
Let me hold you little man
We’ll make believe you can fly
You shout for me to put you down
But I’m marching today for your cause
I’m banging the drum
Your big day will come
When they remake the Wizard of Oz.”
It took me 20 minutes to transcribe those lyrics because I kept laughing and would lose my place. Is it wrong to like a song about midgets that much?
9) Bridging the Distance: A Portland, OR Covers Compilation (Arena Rock Recording Company)
Bridging the Distance isn’t a tribute album per se, yet it what makes it so appealing is exactly what makes a tribute album worthwhile. Almost all of the 22 artists aren’t afraid to take the song’s original structure and reinvent it in their own style. The Minus 5’s take on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “That Smell” focuses in on the dark lyrics away and strips away the muscle-bound riffs that somewhat diluted the original’s impact. Lackthereof reimagine the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes” as an OMD-styled synth pop groove. (I think Michael McDonald might approve it’s so well done.) Spoon’s Britt Daniel makes Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home” an example of how shakers, handclaps and tambourines can carry a song all by themselves. The only close-to-the-source covers come from the two best known artists on the album, The Decemberists (Fleetwood Mac’s “Think About Me”) and Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla (Jimmy Hates Jazz’s “Shattered Dreams”). And even those remakes are pretty decent. It seems like Portland has more going for it these days than just rose gardens and well planned-public transportation.
8) Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 - Sex, Food, Death and Tarantulas EP (Yep Roc)
On this mostly live EP The Venus 3 (a.k.a. 60% of the R.E.M. touring lineup) prove yet again that they’re the best band Robyn Hitchcock has worked with since his days in The Soft Boys. Peter Buck’s chiming Rickenbacker intertwines perfectly with Hitchcock’s always masterful playing, while Scott McCaughey’s melodic McCartney-like bass playing and sweet harmony vocals shine on take on the Soft Boys classics “The Queen of Eyes” and “Give to the Soft Boys” as well as “A Man’s Got to Know His Limitations (Briggs)” from 2006’s Ole Tarantula. The two studio tracks included on the EP, “Luckiness” and “Copper Kettle,” show that this band also knows how to bring out the best of Hitchcock’s acoustic side. R.E.M. has a new album due out in 2008 (which I am cautiously optimistic about) yet I hope they find time to explore more of what could come out of this fine collaboration.
7) Elliott Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)
The second posthumous from the incredibly talented yet troubled Smith focuses on his time on the Kill Rock Stars label from 1994 and 1997. These unreleased tracks, demos and radio recordings show his songs in their most basic form—just Smith’s voice (with some help from his haunting double-tracked vocals), a lone acoustic or electric guitar and some occasional percussion. (That being said, “New Monkey” rocks as much as anything on his last two studio albums.) Knowing his tragic end, it’s hard not to listen a bit closer to Smith’s lyrics and look for clues. Overall, the songs are depressing yet have a bit of lightness that is missing from Figure 8 and From a Basement on a Hill. The final version of the Oscar-nominated “Miss Misery” ends with the line “Do you miss me, miss misery like you say you do?” In this original version Smith hints at a different ending. “’Cause it's all right, some enchanted night I’ll be with you.” There’s a tiny window of hope in that last line, something that seems to run through many of these songs that was lacking later in his career. One more highlight worth mentioning is the cover of Big Star’s “Thirteen” that was recorded in a DJ’s basement and later played back on the air. It’s the best cover of this song I’ve ever heard. Smith’s vocal captures the aching innocence of adolescence that every 13 year old has ever gone through.
6) Guster - Satellite EP (Reprise)
Guster obviously hit a new creative peak when they were recording Ganging Up on the Sun if they felt like they could leave the three unreleased tracks on this EP on the cutting room floor. “G Major,” “Rise & Shine” and “Timothy Leary” are three of the catchiest songs this band has recorded and all of them were stuck in my head after a couple of listens. However, I can see why the band had a hard time figuring out where these tracks would fit into Ganging Up on the Sun’s sequence. “I’m Through” is also an unreleased track, sort of. It shares a similar form and melody during the verses as “C’mon” from the album. And while the band obviously took what they thought was the best parts of the track and reshaped it into something different and stronger, “I’m Through” is still a decent song. The EP’s title track appears in a remixed form that isn’t exactly my travel mug of iced tea. (I don’t drink cups of hot tea.) I can wholeheartedly support the two covers that follow—The Beatles’ “Two of Us” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” That last track is “sung” by drummer Brian Rosenworcel (if you heard it you’d know why I used quotes around sung), it’s nothing sort of a classic that obviously is the highlight of the night for the audience in Portland, Maine. And hearing Brian’s voice go over that well makes me think I’ve got a chance of having a hit band in Maine.
5) The Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop and Roll (Foxborohottubs.com)
The Hot Tubs are a trio from the Bay Area who obviously have listened to a truckload of great rock from the ’60s. This six song EP (available for free from their website) echoes songs from the great Nuggets collection, early period Kinks and The Who and—at one point—The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.” The guitars on “Highway 1” capture that gritty sound that came back into vogue when garage rock was the new trend for 15 minutes. And the healthy dose of farfisa in half of these songs is a sound that’s welcome in my iPod anytime. Oh, almost forget to mention that you’ve heard of this band when they play as their side project—Green Day. Yup, Billie Joe Armstrong and company took a vacation from themselves to create (and give away) an EP that would leave many fans of American Idiot and Dookie puzzled. It’s obvious that guys are just letting off some steam with the pressure of following-up an album that’s sold almost six-million copies hanging over their heads. And while I’m sure Green Day would never admit to being the Foxboro Hot Tubs, they should be proud of creating a stellar tribute to a style of music from the 60s that never got its proper respect from mainstream America.
4) Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973 (Elektra/Rhino)
Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973 surveys a decade of releases from the label that brought us everyone from Judy Collins to The Doors and Carly Simon to The MC5. This five CD set is packed with some so-so folk songs, some so-so early ’70s singer-songwriter tracks and a whole bunch of weird shit. One night while doing some laundry I listened to the second and third CD discs and I had to look down to make sure my iPod hadn’t suddenly tuned in WFMU. (For those outside NYC, WFMU is the great community station based out of Jersey City that serves up some of the best garage rock and other oddities put down on wax.) One great '60s gem after another made for perhaps the best night of laundry ever. I have to point out one specific band and song on this box that blew me away—Earth Opera’s “The Red Sox Are Winning.” The liner notes say this Boston band got caught up the “Bosstown Sound’ hype of the mid-to-late ’60s. I just think these once and soon-to-be-again bluegrass musicians just got their hands on some great drugs to make this tracks. There's a xylophone solo, weird lyrics about wars and arranging hair while looking in a mirror, a bridge that sounds stolen from a Gershwin tune and a hook about the 1967 Sox “Impossible Dream” team. Whew, it's almost too much for a brain unaddled by drugs to take. I suppose I shouldn't have been shocked to find that one of the main forces behind Earth Opera's everything but the mushroom-filled-kitchen sink sound was David Grisman, who later went on to make bluegrass recordings with Jerry Garcia. Oh, and did I forget the over-the-top lyrics at the end of the song? Here you go:
“Let’s make Boston America’s number-one baseball city. Kill the hippies! Kill the hippies!”
Wow. I’m glad I was born in the '60s, but even gladder I wasn't old enough to be aware of anything until 1973.
3) The Figgs - Continue to Enjoy The Figgs Volume Two (Stomper Music)
This disc makes me want to paraphrase a line from a Herman’s Hermits’ song: “Second volume, great as the first.” Recorded over Labor Day weekend 2005 at guitarist Mike Gent’s Providence, Rhode Island home in front of friends and family, Continue to Enjoy the Figgs Volume Two, like its predecessor, captures everything that makes a Figgs live show one of the only things that keeps me going on this planet. It’s got one of their best unreleased tunes is finally captured (“Who’s Your Mother Out With Tonight?”), aggressive jamming within their tightly focused pop tunes (“One Hit Wonder”), proof that their great drummer is also a great songwriter (“Je T’Adore,” “Come On Tonight”) and some laugh out loud funny moments (especially when Gent starts singing “How do you play this song?” when he’s trying to figure out the chord progression to “Gonna Get Out” and then he starts playing a guitar line that he mimics with his vocal and sings “you’re busting out with some George Benson shit.”) Continue to Enjoy The Figgs Volume Two, like Volume One, is essential for any Figgs fan, and is a great place to start for the uninitiated. Now pardon me, as I have to go listen to it for the third time today.
2) I’m Not There Soundtrack (Columbia)
I’ve heard widely divergent opinions on this film where six different actors portray Bob Dylan’s life. (I have a feeling that Cate Blachett probably does a kick ass mid-’60s Dylan.) In the end, it doesn’t matter how good the film is since it inspired perhaps the best Dylan tribute ever. There are some truly masterful performances in this two disc set. Ex-Pavement singer Stephen Malkmus is a revelation as an interpreter of Dylan material as his takes on “Ballad of Thin Man” and “Maggie’s Farm” are as passionate and bile-filled as the originals. It also helps that Malkmus (and four other vocalists) is backed by the Million Dollar Bashers, an all-star band that captures the essence of Dylan’s work on Highway 61 Revisited without doing an exact copy. As much as I don’t need to hear yet another version of “All Along the Watchtower” their version backing Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder is pretty damn good, with three guitarists (Nels Cline, Smokey Hormel and Tom Verlaine) trading great yet contrasting solos. Calexico serve as another house band for this album, and their distinctive sound produces great results with My Morning Jacket’s Jim James (“Goin’ to Acapulco”), Iron and Wine’s Sam Bean (a radically rearranged “Dark Eyes”) and Willie Nelson. Their take on “Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)” is so good that I’d suggest Nelson get into the studio with Calexico and cut an album as soon as possible. Finally, what makes I’m Not There a fitting tribute is that like the man’s career there are some absolute clunkers worth hearing once and never listening to again. So if you pick up this album, think of John Doe and Tom Veraline’s vocal contributions as I’m Not There’s Self Portrait or Down in the Groove.
1) Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall (Reprise)
In the late spring I thought I knew what would be at number-one on this reissues, etc list—Neil Young’s Archives Vol. 1. There were full articles online and in print about exactly what the set would contain. Young himself said that this was the year it was coming out. Even Reprise, Young’s long-time label, set up a website with a trailer promoting the release in the fall. I was practically drooling on my keyboard with anticipating. The 20 year wait was over! Then good ol’ unpredictable Neil decided to make a sequel to an album that was never officially released using an all-star lineup drawn from his various backing bands over the past four decades and release it two months later.
Fuck.
Chrome Dreams II isn’t as good as the original Chrome Dreams. (This, honestly, would be a major achievement in itself. That album contained five genuine Young classics that ended up as highlights of five other albums.) The sequel is average Young album. The best track, the epic “Ordinary People,” had been sitting in Young’s vaults for 20 years and would have been a centerpiece of the second Archives set. On Chrome Dreams II, it’s a great song that sticks out like my gut after Thanksgiving dinner. Fortunately not all was lost in this fan’s never ending pursuit of unreleased material. Live at Massey Hall is an incredible document of Young playing solo during two really good nights in Toronto. Recorded between After the Gold Rush and Harvest, it presents a fascinating look at Young before he’s fully crafted the songs that would be his biggest commercial success. “A Man Needs a Maid” had different lyrics and then segues into what would become the first verse and chorus of “Heart of Gold.” “See the Sky About to Rain” wouldn’t be released until three years later as part of On the Beach and this solo take just might be better than the recorded version. Oh, and there are three songs that never made it to any album and Young cracks a bunch of jokes about himself and the songs. Taken with last year’s Live at Fillmore East, I can’t help but think everything in those tape vaults must be of mind-blowing quality. Alright, now I am really, really, truly am ready for the Archives Neil. Please, please, keep to the spring 2008 date. Please?
Friday, December 21, 2007
--2007 Concerts
10) Hoodoo Gurus, BB Kings, New York, NY 3/20
The Police. Genesis. Hoodoo Gurus. Okay, the first two sold hundreds of thousands of tickets because they reunited for the first time in many years. But I was absolutely ecstatic to see the third act return to the U.S. after a 14 year absence. I was so excited that I even went to B.B. King's (bleech) in Times Square (double blech) to see them. For a band marking the 25 year anniversary of their debut single, they rocked just as hard as groups half their age. And seeing “Like-Wow Wipeout” in a New York club was thrilling. I couldn't help but scream along to these words frontman Dave Faulkner penned about the band's first trip to the Big Apple: “I kiss the ground on which you walk/I kiss the lips through which you talk/I kiss the city of New York where I first met you.” And with the crowd’s reaction to that song, I’m pretty sure New York’s love affair with the Gurus could continue for another couple of decades.
9) The Figgs, The Parlor, Philadelphia, PA 2/23
When this show popped up on the Figgs itinerary, I knew I had to make it down there somehow. It had been eight months since I had seen the band play anywhere, which is the longest I have ever gone in between Figgs gigs in 12 years. (12 years!) I scored a ride down to the show with Figgs drummer Pete Hayes. I had to meet Pete at his office before we went to his car, so on my train ride in I listened to a great bootleg from the second leg of the Sucking in Stereo tour. Recorded at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco in March of 2001, the show is just smoking. They were in the middle of a lengthy tour, they were feeling ragged and the generator in their truck was on the fritz—yet they still deliver a great gig. I chuckled out loud on the C train when bassist Pete Donnelly said, “We can play that, and I know Mike [Gent] wants to do a guitar solo and he can do it in this song.” The band breaks into “Reject,” which at the time was the template for any lengthy jamming the guys did. And oh does Gent rip one balls-to-the-wall solo. It’s a work of sonic riff art.
Now back to the story of this gig. The Parlor is a former funeral parlor turned into performance space/dance studio. The gig was a release party for a local band Pete D knew and The Figgs were headlining. And this was a par-tay—a great appreciative crowd into all of the night’s music; free food, beer and wine; a girl wearing a low cut shirt that almost made me and my buddy Dave snap our necks staring at her; and a drunk (and I think kinda insane) woman yelling in my ear while I was trying to dig the guys cover of Talking Heads’ “Love->Building on Fire.”
The show was a blast, even if the guys were a bit sloppy at times. But the best part was when Mike said he wanted to solo (and yes, I did laugh to myself, recalling my subway trip early in the day) and he started playing the riff to “Gonna Get Out.” This version (which I estimate clocked in at around eight minutes) was the best performance I have ever seen of this song. And I mean ever. Here's what we saw:
--Mike singing along to the slowed down riff of the tune, stating that he was doing it “like George Benson.”
--Mike changing the line “we’re not gonna be here” to “we’re still gonna be here” as if it was a statement of defiance.
--Mike and Pete D jumping off the stage into the crowd during the solo, in which they did a kind of dueling riff battle in front of a bunch of worshiping fans.
--While that was going on, one of the people working the event brought a six pack of beer up to the stage. Pete H started yelling at the guy to get his attention and then motioned repeatedly for this dude to open the beer and then put it up to Pete's mouth. At first this guy was kind of thick—Pete had to yell what he wanted at least five times before the guy caught on. Once the precious beer was in Pete’s mouth, he proceeded to keep playing and at the same time downed more than 2/3 of the bottle. As a fellow beer drinker, it was a sight to behold. The crowd started yelling, which in turn caused Mike and Pete D to turn around and see what caused all the commotion.
--After Mike and Pete D climbed back on stage, Mike suggested that they switch instruments and that Pete do a solo. So we were treated to a great guitar solo from Mr. Donnelly, this one a wall of noise that made me think of Sonic Youth, of all bands.
Finally they switched back to their regular instruments and they brought the song to a thrilling conclusion. After that performance, I think The Figgs should just retire “Gonna Get Out.” It's never gonna get more entertaining than that night.
8) The Music of Bruce Springsteen, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY 4/5
(Ed note: For this entry, I’ve decided to link to my Hold Steady-heavy take on this tribute to The Boss I wrote for Stereogum that I penned a couple of hours after the show, riding high on a 24 ounce can of Bud and great rock.)
7) Bright Eyes, Town Hall, New York, NY 5/30
One of the best decisions I made in 2007 was getting tickets to two shows during Bright Eyes seven night stand at Town Hall. One of the worst decisions I made was not getting tickets to more shows during Bright Eyes seven night stand at Town Hall. The shows I saw on May 28th and 30th were damn entertaining. Like the entire run, both nights had great special guests (the 28th, Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis; the 30th, Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard), great live versions of songs from the fine new album Cassadaga (“Soul Singer in a Session Band” kicks ass live), a great mix of covers and older tunes and frontman Conor Oberst in a really great mood. Props go to the Bowery Presents folks who convinced Oberst to do this run and try to make it something special every night. I thought the show on the 30th was slightly better because of the closing song, a shake-the-rafters-and-rip-the-seats-out-of-this-joint take on “Road to Joy.” When Oberst yelled, “Let’s fuck it boys, make some noise,” the 17 people on stage (yeah, that's right, seventeen) made a cacophony of sound that was still ringing in my ears and my brain the next day. I was so pumped after “Road to Joy” that I forced my fellow Bright Eyes fan Moria the concert pal to high five me. (And yeah, it was kind of awkward looking, as women generally don’t high five as much as us dudes.) When we got on the F train to head to Brooklyn, I couldn't help but think I had witnessed an artist taking a leap up to a higher level and that fans will be talking about these Town Hall shows in the same way Bruce Springsteen fans reminisce about those legendary shows at the Bottom Line in 1975.
6) Wilco, ACL Festival, Zilker Park, Austin, TX 9/16
What a difference six years makes. The last time I saw Wilco in Austin was back on September 22nd, 2001. Flying down to visit my friend Stacy would have been nerve-wracking at any time (my fear of flying was at its peak then), but 10 days after watching the towers fall was almost impossible. (Thanks to my other friend, beer, I was able to do so.) Once I got to Austin I was still in a daze from all that had happened the previous week and a half. And when Wilco hit the stage the next night, they seemed like they were in a daze too. They were playing only their second ever show as a four piece and the hole left by Jay Bennett's departure seemed too vast for them to overcome. It’s still the worst Wilco gig I've ever seen. This time Wilco in Austin was a joyous experience. (Well, except for the three stupid kids who bullied their way in front of us and insisted on talking and hitting beach balls. They stopped when I yelled at them, “What are you, 12?”) The band was having a blast, feeding off the crowd’s energy that was still very up for the third day of the festival in the Texas sun. And when Jeff Tweedy and company broke out “Too Far Apart” from A.M., I was dumbfounded. It took until the chorus to register that I was seeing Wilco do a song I had never seen them do live. And this is a band I have seen over 20 times the past 10 years. I looked over at Stacy and we both broke into huge smiles and started singing along. Three songs later, they unveiled a four song set closer we hadn’t heard since the days of Summerteeth: “Red-Eyed And Blue” into “I Got You (At The End Of The Century)” into “Casino Queen” into “Outtasite (Outta Mind).” As much I have enjoyed the Wilco of the 21st century, those four songs are the shit as far as I’m concerned. I was so happy I almost forgot I could barely walk because of my back pain. Yeah, I can see the slogan now—“Wilco, better for back pain than Doan’s Pills.”
5) Buffalo Tom, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY 7/13
In the nine years between their last two studio albums I’ve seen almost every Buffalo Tom gig that’s happened in New York. They were all good. This one was great. The trio blended new songs and their classic material effortlessly. Well, that’s perhaps a wrong choice of words. There was nothing effortless about singer-guitarist Bill Janovitz’s performance. The guy has always looked like he was leaving everything on stage by the time he was done—his soul, his sweat, his guitar picks, everything. At the Bowery when the trio broke into the Big Red Letter Day track “Treehouse,” it was as if the song had possessed him and he had to get every lyric and note through every part of his body and get it all out to the crowd. He threw his head back, closed his eyes and sang as loud as he could until all of the energy in his body had been expounded. It was one of those magical moments you hope for at every concert yet rarely ever see. The rest of the show was fantastic, yet after that mid set moment, it all felt like one long encore.
4) LCD Soundsystem, ACL Festival, Zilker Park, Austin, TX 9/14
Right before flying down to Austin for my second Austin City Limits Festival I looked over the schedule and made a mental plan of the five acts I needed to see--Wilco, Cold War Kids, Spoon, Crowded House and LCD Soundsystem. Crowded House and LCD Soundsystem were both on the Friday and they were right after each other. The two bands played on stages placed conveniently near each other so you could watch one band and then when their set was over turn to the right and watch the next band. After Crowded House’s energetic hour I slowly walked down towards the LCD stage. The first song didn’t do much for me and I considered walking away to go score some prime real estate for Spoon’s set across the park. Then LCD frontman James Murphy started talking to the crowd and he made me laugh. Loudly. I scribbled down some of his wit once I got back to Stacy’s house later that night. As the band was playing on the AT&T Blueroom stage, Murphy cracked, “When I was a punk rocker in 1983, all I dreamed about was playing here, with five bars of rock. Then the band went into their next song (the title escapes me) and it rocked and made me want to dance at the same time. I wasn’t the only one, as I could see on my perch from the top of the hill that thousands of people were pogoing and dancing ecstatically to this great beat. Then Murphy started screaming like a punk rocker over it and these people went apeshit in the Austin sun. And it proceeded to get better from there. Murphy kept making cracks about the sponsorship (at one point yelling, “Free phones for everybody!”) and his crack band kept delivering these intoxicating rhythms that just mesmerized me. By the time they broke into most folks favorite Sound of Silver track “All My Friends” I had snuck down to the edge of the dancing mass, soaking up a tremendous amount of energy the band and the audience had created together. Of course, I paid for my fun the next two days (actually, the next two weeks—getting old sucks) when my back hurt when I moved, breathed or even thought about breathing or moving.
3) The Figgs, Magnetic Field, Brooklyn, NY 12/16
Let’s add up the factors that clinched this gig a spot on this list: My favorite band + my favorite bar + I got to introduce them + their sound guy (thanks Mike Moore!) made them sound better than any band I’ve ever heard in that club + a packed house on a Sunday night + my beer glass seemingly always filled + they did my favorite Pete Hayes composition (“1000 People Grinning”) + they did that Small Faces cover again (“Song of a Baker”) + the best ever version of “Cheap Cassettes” + a couple of my friends being converted into fans = a fantastic night.
2) Electric Six, The Temptress, Hudson River and New York Bay, New York, NY 7/19
It seemed simple enough at the time--my friend Dave from Philly emailed and said, “Electric Six are playing on a boat up there. Do you wanna go? I’ll buy the tix.” Little did I know that a simple “yes” would bring about one the craziest concert experiences of my life. These rock bands on a boat cruises have grown in popularity here in New York over the past five years. There are now two competing companies shoving off from different piers in Manhattan, plying fans with tons of expensive beers and the chance to enjoy nature and rock at the same time. When Dave and I stepped aboard the Temptress, I immediately felt seasick for the first time in my life. We quickly determined it was the waves slamming the boat into its dock that was making me nauseous. After one overpriced Red Stripe filtered through my system, I felt better. I felt so much better than I didn’t even realize the boat had left the pier. After an interesting opening act (they played a very odd arrangement of “Purple Rain” as their closer) Dave and I moved up closer to the stage. Ha, stage--it was basically a place where the band set up on the floor behind some metal barricades. The way the performance area was laid out you couldn’t see the band at all unless you were within five to seven feet of the stage—I mean playing area—because the second deck of the ship hung over the edge of that area, blocking any good looks at the antics of frontman Dick Valentine. So the band climbs behind the barricades, breaks into “I Buy the Drugs” and the crowd gets a bit rowdy. Not that bad, just some people jumping up and down and pressing those of us up front just a bit closer to the barricades. The band’s second song was “gay bar.” And the boat exploded into a ball of human energy. A huge mosh pit (well, as huge as a pit could be on a boat) broke out next to me. For the first time in ages I found myself picking up kids from the floor and pushing them back into the pit. The crowd was whipped into such a frenzy that I lost sight of Dave for a while. I honestly thought he had been crushed. Just when I thought the scene couldn’t get any more insane, I looked up above me to the left and saw someone climb over the balcony and dive right into the pit. I swear, I looked like this kid (well, dude in his early 20s) was practicing to be the next Greg Louganis. It was—to put it bluntly—fucking crazy. I don’t know if it was the water vapor from the Hudson or the overpriced drinks or the fact that people could be stupid as they wanted without being kicked off that made this crowd ignite. I doubt I will see such a frantic scene at a concert ever again. (Well, unless they do another show like this next summer.)
1) Egghead., Lost and Found, Brooklyn, NY 7/5
Back on June 5th, 2006 I wrote this on the Top 20 blog when I tapped Egghead.’s “Donna’s Always Mad at Me” as the Song of the Week:
“Egghead. was a band comprised of three of my best friends in the world—singer-guitarist Mike Galvin (a.k.a. Johnny Reno), singer-bassist John Bowie and drummer Mike Faloon. Part of my reason for moving to New York was so I could see them play more often. They played smart punk/power-pop songs, were lots and lots of fun to see and pretty much were always in my musical thoughts. ‘Donna's Always Made at Me’ was instantly one of my favorite songs when I first heard it. And listening to it the past week was like welcoming an old friend back home, one that was a bit less jaded and had a lot less damage done to his liver and couldn't stop smiling and laughing at every Egghead. show. I paid a lot to see the Pixies reunite—I'd pay a lot more for one more Egghead. show.”
So on July 5th of this year the unthinkable happened, as Egghead reunited for a New York show. (And it was for free!) It couldn't have been any better. (Well, if the beer was free I guess, and it was happening closer to my house.) It was, simply put, about as life-fulfilling a night as I’ve ever had in the five boroughs. I recall saying to someone during the show that it was like going to a high school reunion, but you actually were happy to see everyone and spend a night in their company. Time usually drains bands of their flair and their passion for performing. Not these guys. In fact, I think it’s safe to say I’ve never seen them play finer as a unit. I never thought I could approach musical nirvana (the concept, not the band) in Greenpoint. Somehow I did.
The Police. Genesis. Hoodoo Gurus. Okay, the first two sold hundreds of thousands of tickets because they reunited for the first time in many years. But I was absolutely ecstatic to see the third act return to the U.S. after a 14 year absence. I was so excited that I even went to B.B. King's (bleech) in Times Square (double blech) to see them. For a band marking the 25 year anniversary of their debut single, they rocked just as hard as groups half their age. And seeing “Like-Wow Wipeout” in a New York club was thrilling. I couldn't help but scream along to these words frontman Dave Faulkner penned about the band's first trip to the Big Apple: “I kiss the ground on which you walk/I kiss the lips through which you talk/I kiss the city of New York where I first met you.” And with the crowd’s reaction to that song, I’m pretty sure New York’s love affair with the Gurus could continue for another couple of decades.
9) The Figgs, The Parlor, Philadelphia, PA 2/23
When this show popped up on the Figgs itinerary, I knew I had to make it down there somehow. It had been eight months since I had seen the band play anywhere, which is the longest I have ever gone in between Figgs gigs in 12 years. (12 years!) I scored a ride down to the show with Figgs drummer Pete Hayes. I had to meet Pete at his office before we went to his car, so on my train ride in I listened to a great bootleg from the second leg of the Sucking in Stereo tour. Recorded at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco in March of 2001, the show is just smoking. They were in the middle of a lengthy tour, they were feeling ragged and the generator in their truck was on the fritz—yet they still deliver a great gig. I chuckled out loud on the C train when bassist Pete Donnelly said, “We can play that, and I know Mike [Gent] wants to do a guitar solo and he can do it in this song.” The band breaks into “Reject,” which at the time was the template for any lengthy jamming the guys did. And oh does Gent rip one balls-to-the-wall solo. It’s a work of sonic riff art.
Now back to the story of this gig. The Parlor is a former funeral parlor turned into performance space/dance studio. The gig was a release party for a local band Pete D knew and The Figgs were headlining. And this was a par-tay—a great appreciative crowd into all of the night’s music; free food, beer and wine; a girl wearing a low cut shirt that almost made me and my buddy Dave snap our necks staring at her; and a drunk (and I think kinda insane) woman yelling in my ear while I was trying to dig the guys cover of Talking Heads’ “Love->Building on Fire.”
The show was a blast, even if the guys were a bit sloppy at times. But the best part was when Mike said he wanted to solo (and yes, I did laugh to myself, recalling my subway trip early in the day) and he started playing the riff to “Gonna Get Out.” This version (which I estimate clocked in at around eight minutes) was the best performance I have ever seen of this song. And I mean ever. Here's what we saw:
--Mike singing along to the slowed down riff of the tune, stating that he was doing it “like George Benson.”
--Mike changing the line “we’re not gonna be here” to “we’re still gonna be here” as if it was a statement of defiance.
--Mike and Pete D jumping off the stage into the crowd during the solo, in which they did a kind of dueling riff battle in front of a bunch of worshiping fans.
--While that was going on, one of the people working the event brought a six pack of beer up to the stage. Pete H started yelling at the guy to get his attention and then motioned repeatedly for this dude to open the beer and then put it up to Pete's mouth. At first this guy was kind of thick—Pete had to yell what he wanted at least five times before the guy caught on. Once the precious beer was in Pete’s mouth, he proceeded to keep playing and at the same time downed more than 2/3 of the bottle. As a fellow beer drinker, it was a sight to behold. The crowd started yelling, which in turn caused Mike and Pete D to turn around and see what caused all the commotion.
--After Mike and Pete D climbed back on stage, Mike suggested that they switch instruments and that Pete do a solo. So we were treated to a great guitar solo from Mr. Donnelly, this one a wall of noise that made me think of Sonic Youth, of all bands.
Finally they switched back to their regular instruments and they brought the song to a thrilling conclusion. After that performance, I think The Figgs should just retire “Gonna Get Out.” It's never gonna get more entertaining than that night.
8) The Music of Bruce Springsteen, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY 4/5
(Ed note: For this entry, I’ve decided to link to my Hold Steady-heavy take on this tribute to The Boss I wrote for Stereogum that I penned a couple of hours after the show, riding high on a 24 ounce can of Bud and great rock.)
7) Bright Eyes, Town Hall, New York, NY 5/30
One of the best decisions I made in 2007 was getting tickets to two shows during Bright Eyes seven night stand at Town Hall. One of the worst decisions I made was not getting tickets to more shows during Bright Eyes seven night stand at Town Hall. The shows I saw on May 28th and 30th were damn entertaining. Like the entire run, both nights had great special guests (the 28th, Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis; the 30th, Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard), great live versions of songs from the fine new album Cassadaga (“Soul Singer in a Session Band” kicks ass live), a great mix of covers and older tunes and frontman Conor Oberst in a really great mood. Props go to the Bowery Presents folks who convinced Oberst to do this run and try to make it something special every night. I thought the show on the 30th was slightly better because of the closing song, a shake-the-rafters-and-rip-the-seats-out-of-this-joint take on “Road to Joy.” When Oberst yelled, “Let’s fuck it boys, make some noise,” the 17 people on stage (yeah, that's right, seventeen) made a cacophony of sound that was still ringing in my ears and my brain the next day. I was so pumped after “Road to Joy” that I forced my fellow Bright Eyes fan Moria the concert pal to high five me. (And yeah, it was kind of awkward looking, as women generally don’t high five as much as us dudes.) When we got on the F train to head to Brooklyn, I couldn't help but think I had witnessed an artist taking a leap up to a higher level and that fans will be talking about these Town Hall shows in the same way Bruce Springsteen fans reminisce about those legendary shows at the Bottom Line in 1975.
6) Wilco, ACL Festival, Zilker Park, Austin, TX 9/16
What a difference six years makes. The last time I saw Wilco in Austin was back on September 22nd, 2001. Flying down to visit my friend Stacy would have been nerve-wracking at any time (my fear of flying was at its peak then), but 10 days after watching the towers fall was almost impossible. (Thanks to my other friend, beer, I was able to do so.) Once I got to Austin I was still in a daze from all that had happened the previous week and a half. And when Wilco hit the stage the next night, they seemed like they were in a daze too. They were playing only their second ever show as a four piece and the hole left by Jay Bennett's departure seemed too vast for them to overcome. It’s still the worst Wilco gig I've ever seen. This time Wilco in Austin was a joyous experience. (Well, except for the three stupid kids who bullied their way in front of us and insisted on talking and hitting beach balls. They stopped when I yelled at them, “What are you, 12?”) The band was having a blast, feeding off the crowd’s energy that was still very up for the third day of the festival in the Texas sun. And when Jeff Tweedy and company broke out “Too Far Apart” from A.M., I was dumbfounded. It took until the chorus to register that I was seeing Wilco do a song I had never seen them do live. And this is a band I have seen over 20 times the past 10 years. I looked over at Stacy and we both broke into huge smiles and started singing along. Three songs later, they unveiled a four song set closer we hadn’t heard since the days of Summerteeth: “Red-Eyed And Blue” into “I Got You (At The End Of The Century)” into “Casino Queen” into “Outtasite (Outta Mind).” As much I have enjoyed the Wilco of the 21st century, those four songs are the shit as far as I’m concerned. I was so happy I almost forgot I could barely walk because of my back pain. Yeah, I can see the slogan now—“Wilco, better for back pain than Doan’s Pills.”
5) Buffalo Tom, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY 7/13
In the nine years between their last two studio albums I’ve seen almost every Buffalo Tom gig that’s happened in New York. They were all good. This one was great. The trio blended new songs and their classic material effortlessly. Well, that’s perhaps a wrong choice of words. There was nothing effortless about singer-guitarist Bill Janovitz’s performance. The guy has always looked like he was leaving everything on stage by the time he was done—his soul, his sweat, his guitar picks, everything. At the Bowery when the trio broke into the Big Red Letter Day track “Treehouse,” it was as if the song had possessed him and he had to get every lyric and note through every part of his body and get it all out to the crowd. He threw his head back, closed his eyes and sang as loud as he could until all of the energy in his body had been expounded. It was one of those magical moments you hope for at every concert yet rarely ever see. The rest of the show was fantastic, yet after that mid set moment, it all felt like one long encore.
4) LCD Soundsystem, ACL Festival, Zilker Park, Austin, TX 9/14
Right before flying down to Austin for my second Austin City Limits Festival I looked over the schedule and made a mental plan of the five acts I needed to see--Wilco, Cold War Kids, Spoon, Crowded House and LCD Soundsystem. Crowded House and LCD Soundsystem were both on the Friday and they were right after each other. The two bands played on stages placed conveniently near each other so you could watch one band and then when their set was over turn to the right and watch the next band. After Crowded House’s energetic hour I slowly walked down towards the LCD stage. The first song didn’t do much for me and I considered walking away to go score some prime real estate for Spoon’s set across the park. Then LCD frontman James Murphy started talking to the crowd and he made me laugh. Loudly. I scribbled down some of his wit once I got back to Stacy’s house later that night. As the band was playing on the AT&T Blueroom stage, Murphy cracked, “When I was a punk rocker in 1983, all I dreamed about was playing here, with five bars of rock. Then the band went into their next song (the title escapes me) and it rocked and made me want to dance at the same time. I wasn’t the only one, as I could see on my perch from the top of the hill that thousands of people were pogoing and dancing ecstatically to this great beat. Then Murphy started screaming like a punk rocker over it and these people went apeshit in the Austin sun. And it proceeded to get better from there. Murphy kept making cracks about the sponsorship (at one point yelling, “Free phones for everybody!”) and his crack band kept delivering these intoxicating rhythms that just mesmerized me. By the time they broke into most folks favorite Sound of Silver track “All My Friends” I had snuck down to the edge of the dancing mass, soaking up a tremendous amount of energy the band and the audience had created together. Of course, I paid for my fun the next two days (actually, the next two weeks—getting old sucks) when my back hurt when I moved, breathed or even thought about breathing or moving.
3) The Figgs, Magnetic Field, Brooklyn, NY 12/16
Let’s add up the factors that clinched this gig a spot on this list: My favorite band + my favorite bar + I got to introduce them + their sound guy (thanks Mike Moore!) made them sound better than any band I’ve ever heard in that club + a packed house on a Sunday night + my beer glass seemingly always filled + they did my favorite Pete Hayes composition (“1000 People Grinning”) + they did that Small Faces cover again (“Song of a Baker”) + the best ever version of “Cheap Cassettes” + a couple of my friends being converted into fans = a fantastic night.
2) Electric Six, The Temptress, Hudson River and New York Bay, New York, NY 7/19
It seemed simple enough at the time--my friend Dave from Philly emailed and said, “Electric Six are playing on a boat up there. Do you wanna go? I’ll buy the tix.” Little did I know that a simple “yes” would bring about one the craziest concert experiences of my life. These rock bands on a boat cruises have grown in popularity here in New York over the past five years. There are now two competing companies shoving off from different piers in Manhattan, plying fans with tons of expensive beers and the chance to enjoy nature and rock at the same time. When Dave and I stepped aboard the Temptress, I immediately felt seasick for the first time in my life. We quickly determined it was the waves slamming the boat into its dock that was making me nauseous. After one overpriced Red Stripe filtered through my system, I felt better. I felt so much better than I didn’t even realize the boat had left the pier. After an interesting opening act (they played a very odd arrangement of “Purple Rain” as their closer) Dave and I moved up closer to the stage. Ha, stage--it was basically a place where the band set up on the floor behind some metal barricades. The way the performance area was laid out you couldn’t see the band at all unless you were within five to seven feet of the stage—I mean playing area—because the second deck of the ship hung over the edge of that area, blocking any good looks at the antics of frontman Dick Valentine. So the band climbs behind the barricades, breaks into “I Buy the Drugs” and the crowd gets a bit rowdy. Not that bad, just some people jumping up and down and pressing those of us up front just a bit closer to the barricades. The band’s second song was “gay bar.” And the boat exploded into a ball of human energy. A huge mosh pit (well, as huge as a pit could be on a boat) broke out next to me. For the first time in ages I found myself picking up kids from the floor and pushing them back into the pit. The crowd was whipped into such a frenzy that I lost sight of Dave for a while. I honestly thought he had been crushed. Just when I thought the scene couldn’t get any more insane, I looked up above me to the left and saw someone climb over the balcony and dive right into the pit. I swear, I looked like this kid (well, dude in his early 20s) was practicing to be the next Greg Louganis. It was—to put it bluntly—fucking crazy. I don’t know if it was the water vapor from the Hudson or the overpriced drinks or the fact that people could be stupid as they wanted without being kicked off that made this crowd ignite. I doubt I will see such a frantic scene at a concert ever again. (Well, unless they do another show like this next summer.)
1) Egghead., Lost and Found, Brooklyn, NY 7/5
Back on June 5th, 2006 I wrote this on the Top 20 blog when I tapped Egghead.’s “Donna’s Always Mad at Me” as the Song of the Week:
“Egghead. was a band comprised of three of my best friends in the world—singer-guitarist Mike Galvin (a.k.a. Johnny Reno), singer-bassist John Bowie and drummer Mike Faloon. Part of my reason for moving to New York was so I could see them play more often. They played smart punk/power-pop songs, were lots and lots of fun to see and pretty much were always in my musical thoughts. ‘Donna's Always Made at Me’ was instantly one of my favorite songs when I first heard it. And listening to it the past week was like welcoming an old friend back home, one that was a bit less jaded and had a lot less damage done to his liver and couldn't stop smiling and laughing at every Egghead. show. I paid a lot to see the Pixies reunite—I'd pay a lot more for one more Egghead. show.”
So on July 5th of this year the unthinkable happened, as Egghead reunited for a New York show. (And it was for free!) It couldn't have been any better. (Well, if the beer was free I guess, and it was happening closer to my house.) It was, simply put, about as life-fulfilling a night as I’ve ever had in the five boroughs. I recall saying to someone during the show that it was like going to a high school reunion, but you actually were happy to see everyone and spend a night in their company. Time usually drains bands of their flair and their passion for performing. Not these guys. In fact, I think it’s safe to say I’ve never seen them play finer as a unit. I never thought I could approach musical nirvana (the concept, not the band) in Greenpoint. Somehow I did.
--Discovery of the Year
Cold War Kids
I had the Cold War Kids debut Robbers & Cowards firmly placed in my Top 10 for this year. And then I did a little research as I was sorting out the list…and discovered the album was released in October 2006. (Oops. That messed up my calculations for a while. And yes, next time I do plan on doing a little more research.) I guess it took a while for singer Nathan Willett’s vocals to get into my brain. Willet’s voice comes from the same DNA as Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Conor Oberst and those guys from Okkervil River and Modest Mouse—it’s high pitched, kind of whiny at times and definitely can rub people the wrong way. That being said, you’ve probably realized by now that I love all those voices, so Cold War Kids are right up my alley. I think what I dug most about this band is that they fill in some of the spaces in their music with a healthy dose of percussion. Tambourines and shakers are all over the place, adding accents to these oddly rhythmic and (dare I say it?) very dancy tunes. (Now that I look at that line, I guess I could say the same thing about my beloved Spoon.) I spent an early spring day wandering around downtown Manhattan listening to Robbers and Cowards and the herky jerky songs were a perfect fit the beat of that still evolving part of city. I was pretty impressed that a bunch of kids from the LBC could make such a fitting soundtrack to an island 3,000 miles away from there studio.
I had the Cold War Kids debut Robbers & Cowards firmly placed in my Top 10 for this year. And then I did a little research as I was sorting out the list…and discovered the album was released in October 2006. (Oops. That messed up my calculations for a while. And yes, next time I do plan on doing a little more research.) I guess it took a while for singer Nathan Willett’s vocals to get into my brain. Willet’s voice comes from the same DNA as Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Conor Oberst and those guys from Okkervil River and Modest Mouse—it’s high pitched, kind of whiny at times and definitely can rub people the wrong way. That being said, you’ve probably realized by now that I love all those voices, so Cold War Kids are right up my alley. I think what I dug most about this band is that they fill in some of the spaces in their music with a healthy dose of percussion. Tambourines and shakers are all over the place, adding accents to these oddly rhythmic and (dare I say it?) very dancy tunes. (Now that I look at that line, I guess I could say the same thing about my beloved Spoon.) I spent an early spring day wandering around downtown Manhattan listening to Robbers and Cowards and the herky jerky songs were a perfect fit the beat of that still evolving part of city. I was pretty impressed that a bunch of kids from the LBC could make such a fitting soundtrack to an island 3,000 miles away from there studio.
--Rediscovery of the Year
Bruce Springsteen
I feel like I’m cheating here. How can a guy who’s recorded one of my favorite albums of time, performed two of my Top 20 shows of all time and placed an album in the Top 10 in 2002 and made the reissue list in the past two years be a rediscovery? It’s not like I went long periods of time without listening to his music. I’ve probably played Born to Run at least three times a year for the past two decades or more. Yet The Boss’s last two projects, 2005’s Devils and Dust and 2006’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, felt to me forced and faked. It’s as if the success of the E Street Band reunion and The Rising tours empowered Springsteen to do other music just to prove he was more than just the guy who entertained and enthralled arenas. I can understand that from and artistic standpoint, but left turns like Nebraska or Tunnel of Love always felt real and part of Springsteen’s musical (and with Tunnel, real) persona. Devils and The Seeger Sessions didn’t. What washed away my distaste for the past two years was covering the Music of Bruce Springsteen show at Carnegie Hall. The joy the Hold Steady showed that night reinspired my respect for his music. I found myself listening to his entire catalog throughout the next few months—The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle was essential for those late nights as I waited for the F train at Bergen Street. Darkness on the Edge of Town was great for when I was ticked at something. Greetings from Asbury Park was perfect for work, as it’s one of two albums from his catalog I can play without putting headphones. And with Magic being such a great album, I guess my rediscovery came during a perfect year.
I feel like I’m cheating here. How can a guy who’s recorded one of my favorite albums of time, performed two of my Top 20 shows of all time and placed an album in the Top 10 in 2002 and made the reissue list in the past two years be a rediscovery? It’s not like I went long periods of time without listening to his music. I’ve probably played Born to Run at least three times a year for the past two decades or more. Yet The Boss’s last two projects, 2005’s Devils and Dust and 2006’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, felt to me forced and faked. It’s as if the success of the E Street Band reunion and The Rising tours empowered Springsteen to do other music just to prove he was more than just the guy who entertained and enthralled arenas. I can understand that from and artistic standpoint, but left turns like Nebraska or Tunnel of Love always felt real and part of Springsteen’s musical (and with Tunnel, real) persona. Devils and The Seeger Sessions didn’t. What washed away my distaste for the past two years was covering the Music of Bruce Springsteen show at Carnegie Hall. The joy the Hold Steady showed that night reinspired my respect for his music. I found myself listening to his entire catalog throughout the next few months—The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle was essential for those late nights as I waited for the F train at Bergen Street. Darkness on the Edge of Town was great for when I was ticked at something. Greetings from Asbury Park was perfect for work, as it’s one of two albums from his catalog I can play without putting headphones. And with Magic being such a great album, I guess my rediscovery came during a perfect year.
2007's Top 10 Visual Aids
10) NY 77: The Coolest Year in Hell (VH1)
I was all of seven-years-old when the “Son of Sam,” the first great blackout, Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and the Boss I heard of before Bruce Springsteen, George Steinbrenner collided all over the cover pages of the Daily News in the summer of 1977. So this other production based upon Jonathan Mahler’s Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City was a good way to fill in the gaps in my childhood memory. Unlike the ESPN series The Bronx is Burning (starring John Tuturro’s prosthetic ears), NY 77 gives a wider cross section of all the events and scenes that breathed life (and a hefty body count) through the city. The Koch-Cuomo-Beame-Abzug mayoral contest, Studio 54, the birth of rap and the great lineup of bands from CBGB are all told with insightful commentary from the people who were there. I certainly didn’t know about Studio 54, hip-hop and punk when I was seven, so much of what is described I discovered for myself years later. But NY 77 still delivered some great surprises, such as turntable crews in The Bronx exploding after the blackout because everyone stole DJ equipment during the looting and the, um, swinging time to be had at Plato’s Retreat. The ads for this club are a must see on YouTube. And the most amazing part about NY 77? It was aired on the same channel that delivered reality shows with Scott Baio, Brett Michaels and some woman who sparred with Flava Flav. Whoever got the budget to make this film (the archival footage they dig up must have cost a bit) from that Viacom property is one smooth talker and is the person I want in more corner when I pitch the reality show about my office.
9) Superbad (Columbia Pictures)
The office of comedy producer extraordinaire Judd Apatow will soon be the place for actors who starred in critically acclaimed sitcoms shot down by network execs before their time. Case in point: the comedic genius that is one Michael Cera. His entire run on the late (sigh) Arrested Development was shining example of the comedy of uncomfortablity (and I know that’s not a word but seems perfect to describe it). Cera doesn’t stray too far from that type of comedic tone in this exceedingly filthy film, giving costar Jonah Hill a wide berth to be completely over the top. Some of the lines that come out of Hill (the stand in for co-writer Seth Rogan) are so dirty I was surprised this movie made it out as an R film in this uptight age. I was also shocked I didn’t pull a muscle laughing.
8) Lost (ABC)
Where to place Lost on this list? Do I subtract about 1000 spots due to perhaps the lamest first half of a season of any show I’ve ever enjoyed? Or do I move it all the way up to the top because of the stunning set of four episodes that closed out the series third season? I tell you, dear reader; it’s a question I pondered for at least two subway rides as I read over pages of fan postings discussing the mind-blowing season finale. I must admit I had no idea until the last five minutes that the usual flashback spots were actually flash-forwards. After hating what the writers did to Matthew Fox’s character all year, Jack’s complete breakdown in the future redeemed him as well. The twist and turns and deaths (sorry Charlie) and (gasp) actual plot points that explain some questions but opening up others...wow. It might be the best season finale I’ve ever seen. And now with the eight months wait in between seasons almost over, I have no idea what the show runners are going to do next. (Well, besides picking up more “On Strike” signs.) They could go almost anywhere with this flash forward premise. And having a set number of episodes left to produce, they really could map out a series finale in 2010 that will actually live up to its billing and won’t just stop in mid--
7) How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Except for The Late Show with David Letterman, I haven’t regularly watched anything on CBS since the days of Northern Exposure. The network always seemed like the home for clean cut old folks shows. (Touched By an Angel was a Top 10 show in this country for four years—God bless the Midwest, indeed.) So imagine my surprise last fall when I was flipping through the channels and heard a snippet of Nada Surf’s “Inside of Love” being played on Ch. 2 (the local affiliate here in New York). I dropped the remote and got very close to the TV just to make sure I hadn’t gone completely insane, and sure enough two of the characters were having what looked like a Friends-like conversation on a fake New York rooftop. The idiot box (wow, I can’t believe that old expression just came into my head) certainly doesn’t need another rip-off of Chandler and crew, so I didn’t expect to come back the next week. But I did and stayed attached to the show because it’s not a Friends rip-off at all. It’s a fast paced comedy that plays with reliability of its narrator (the love seeking Ted as played by Josh Rador) who’s explaining the events of each episode to his kids, relies on the audience to store nuggets about previous episodes (such as ending last season in the middle of a line and having the new season pick up right where they left off) to further the story and has two of the best comedic actors working in TV today—Jason Segal (from the criminally overlooked Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared and a member of the Judd Apatow posse) and Neil Patrick Harris. Yes, Doogie Howser has taken the self-parody he played in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and channeled it into ladies’ man who never fails at delivering some of the most over the top lines I’ve ever heard on a sitcom. Get this guy an Emmy. Oh, and did I mention the Ted of future is voiced by Bob Saget. If a show can overcome that unfunny and incredible filthy man, they must have some inventive and funny people behind it.
6) Knocked Up (Universal)
If I mention Judd Apatow one more time in this list, I think I get a role in one of his films next year! Seriously, the guy and everyone he’s associated with seem to be able to do no wrong. He covered virginity with The 40 Year Old Virgin, pregnancy with this film, raising kids in Freaks and Geeks and sending them off to college with Undeclared. What cycle of life will be next? Maybe a comedy set in a funeral home is on deck for 2009. And if it is, I’m sure Seth Rogan could make it incredibly funny. He’s perfected his everyman stoner persona since starting on Freaks and Geeks and in Knocked Up he gets to show off a wider range of his acting skills as the emotional center of the film. The supporting cast is stellar, especially Paul Rudd. He delivers one of my favorite lines of the year with the perfect look of disdain mixed with comfortable resignation—“Marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only it doesn't last 22 minutes. It lasts forever.” And any film where a crucial scene takes place during a baseball fantasy draft would secure a place in my brain forever. As does the surprisingly graphic birth scene near the end of the film. If I ever had second thoughts about not wanting children, those 10 seconds erased them permanently.
5) Burn Notice (USA)
I believe USA has taken over from HBO as the king of new summer shows. Monk, The Dead Zone and Psych are all great for watching when I have to have the A/C at about 60 degrees so the paint doesn’t peel off the hallway near my bathroom. Burn Notice just might the best this network has offered up yet. The plot seems taken from a ’70s or early ’80s action show—Michael Weston (played by the sly Jeffery Donavan) is a spy disavowed, a.k.a. given a burn notice, by the U.S. government and dumped in Miami after his final flawed mission. Weston then uses his training to help others in trouble with prodding from his Mom (Cagney & Lacey’s Sharon Gless), and ex-IRA gun runner (the amazingly attractive Gabrielle Anwar) and an old C.I.A buddy (played by the man, the myth, the chainsaw toting legend Bruce Campbell). These four actors know they’re not breaking any ground with this show, so they play the numerous light-hearted moments to the hilt and seem like they are having a genuinely good time. Campbell is so perfect as a retired spook that it’s a wonder someone hasn’t come up with a starring vehicle for him in the past seven years. (At least he’s had work in those Spider-man films.) Burn Notice has echoes of Magnum P.I. and MacGyver (especially all the homemade devices Weston comes up with) and that’s perfectly fine with me. I loved watching those shows in summers past. Burn Notice goes perfect with a huge pitcher of iced tea, a cold sandwich and a pint of Ben and Jerrys. Dammit, now I’m hungry. Time for a lunch break.
4) Chuck (NBC)
Now I’d like to put my doctorate in TV (okay, okay, my bachelor’s degree) to work with a new theory I’d like to call the Adam Baldwin Factor. This actor has a knack for appearing in shows that I absolutely love. (Or he’s got a damn good agent who happens to have a camera hidden in my living room.) Baldwin first caught my eye playing a bad guy on The X-Files. When I say bad, I mean able to kill everything in his path bad because he was “super soldier.” (That whole “super solider” thing was a plot development I still don’t quite grasp.) The next season he was cast member on overlooked Western set in space Firefly playing a trigger happy crew member who had a knack for one liners. After Firefly went to the DVD box set in the sky, Baldwin moved to another show run by Joss Whedon, Angel. Again Baldwin played someone purely evil…who had a way with one liners. After that show’s demise, he did voice work for Cartoon Network’s Justice League Unlimited (yes, I liked it too) the video game Halo 3 (don’t have Xbox 360) and was a regular on two other series, The Inside and Daybreak (in my mind neither shows exist, and I’m sure FOX and ABC execs would agree with me). Now here comes Chuck, a story about a highly intelligent nerdy guy (a well cast Zachary Levi) who accidentally holds all of the government’s secrets in his brain. He’s guarded by a sexy CIA agent (Yvonne Strahovski, who wears a hot dog vendor’s outfit better than any other human in history) and a gruff, trigger-happy NSA agent, who has a way with one liners…played by Adam Baldwin. This guy has found his niche and has worked it well. Baldwin notwithstanding, this latest show from the creator of The O.C. is the best new program on network TV. Its chock full of funny supporting characters that have become deeper and more nuanced as the season has rolled on. (It’s hard not to like a show where one character’s name is Captain Awesome.) I hope this strike is settled at some point soon so the Adam Baldwin Factor, I mean Chuck, can return to the airwaves.
3) The Simpsons Movie (20th Century Fox)
Remember how good The Simpsons was during seasons 4 through 7? Well, this movie recaptures all of that and more. Seeing my favorite characters ever on a big screen was simply a blast, and the way director David Silverman took the Springfield template and made it even bigger than I ever imagined before was no small feat. The multitude of writers that worked on the script got back to what I always thought was the heart of the series—the struggles the family would go through and how Homer and Marge’s love for each other would win out in the end. The best Simpsons episodes were never the ones that had gag after gag that didn’t really relate together. They always had the family’s troubles at the core, and the movie solidly plants itself into the dynamics of the family. Oh, and it’s also kind of funny. I mean barely able to sit up and catch my breath and sweat through my shirt and draw looks from other people in the theater because I’m guffawing at the top of my lungs at inside jokes that only me, my old roommate and fellow Simpsonsaphile Joe and four other people in the audience caught because we have seen every episode and own every DVD of every season they’ve released so far. (Whew, gotta catch my breath after that run on sentence.) And I’m surprised to say it, but I think that storytelling and that mindset of expanding the scope of Springfield visually has bleed into the current season of the show. I’ve enjoyed this season more than any of the past three. It’s good to know that Homer and company aren’t done yet.
2) Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
What Spinal Tap did for heavy metal acts, Flight of the Conchords does the same for comedic folk duos…or something like that. More than a few critics compared this HBO series to another one that debuted a decade ago, Tenacious D. While both shows feature the trials and tribulations of less than successful duos, the Conchords’ subtle humor ages better than the in your face acting of Jack Black and Kyle Gass. It helps that Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie write songs that would be catchy even if they didn’t have absurd lyrics about David Bowie, Frodo and being a part-time model. Each of the videos they made for these songs are hysterical by themselves, but how they carry along the storylines is pure genius. In fact, my favorite episode of the entire season, titled “What Goes on Tour,” featured no videos at all, just a horribly bungled “tour” booked by their manager Murray. Rhys Darby has a breakout role here as Murray, a grunt worker at the New Zealand consulate who calls band meetings and takes attendance when its only the three of them and is perhaps the least qualified band manager in history. And Kristen Schaal is a scene stealer as their one fan, Mel, a stalker who conveniently runs into the guys everywhere. Stalking has never been this funny. This first season of the show used most of the songs Clement and McKenzie had written for their act when they took it on the road, so my only fear is that they won’t come up with enough good songs to drive next season’s plots. But as long as their fictional selves keep failing at success, I’ll be watching.
1) No Country for Old Men (Paramount Vantage/Miramax)
For most folks you could boil down this latest project from the Coen Brothers as Fargo meets 1980 Texas. That would be giving this year’s best film a short shrift. Based upon the Cormac McCarthy novel (and ripping pages and pages of dialogue directly from the book), No Country is an amazing meditation on good, evil, our penchant for violence and the changing state of morality in America the past 25 years. And it does so without offering a tidy ending, just one of the main characters ruminating upon the state of our world. That character, Tommy Lee Jones’ Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is the closest link to Fargo. He spins out some folksy lines about crime with a bit of a twinkle is his eye. When Jones and a deputy encounter a gory scene (I don’t want to give away any more plot than I already have), the deputy says, “It’s a mess, ain’t it, Sheriff?” and the sheriff answers, “If it ain’t, it’ll do ’till the mess gets here.” Jones is joined in his Oscar-caliber acting by one-time Oscar nominee Javier Bardiem, whose Anton Chigurh is one of the most evil characters to appear on the big screen, and Josh Brolin, who deserves an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a cowboy whose moral dilemma puts him directly into harm’s way. As I write this it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen No Country and I’ve been tempted to go back just to watch the acting clinic these three put on. As cliché as the phrase is, I have to say this is a must see movie. It’s the rare film that will leave an impression upon you for a long time.
I was all of seven-years-old when the “Son of Sam,” the first great blackout, Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and the Boss I heard of before Bruce Springsteen, George Steinbrenner collided all over the cover pages of the Daily News in the summer of 1977. So this other production based upon Jonathan Mahler’s Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City was a good way to fill in the gaps in my childhood memory. Unlike the ESPN series The Bronx is Burning (starring John Tuturro’s prosthetic ears), NY 77 gives a wider cross section of all the events and scenes that breathed life (and a hefty body count) through the city. The Koch-Cuomo-Beame-Abzug mayoral contest, Studio 54, the birth of rap and the great lineup of bands from CBGB are all told with insightful commentary from the people who were there. I certainly didn’t know about Studio 54, hip-hop and punk when I was seven, so much of what is described I discovered for myself years later. But NY 77 still delivered some great surprises, such as turntable crews in The Bronx exploding after the blackout because everyone stole DJ equipment during the looting and the, um, swinging time to be had at Plato’s Retreat. The ads for this club are a must see on YouTube. And the most amazing part about NY 77? It was aired on the same channel that delivered reality shows with Scott Baio, Brett Michaels and some woman who sparred with Flava Flav. Whoever got the budget to make this film (the archival footage they dig up must have cost a bit) from that Viacom property is one smooth talker and is the person I want in more corner when I pitch the reality show about my office.
9) Superbad (Columbia Pictures)
The office of comedy producer extraordinaire Judd Apatow will soon be the place for actors who starred in critically acclaimed sitcoms shot down by network execs before their time. Case in point: the comedic genius that is one Michael Cera. His entire run on the late (sigh) Arrested Development was shining example of the comedy of uncomfortablity (and I know that’s not a word but seems perfect to describe it). Cera doesn’t stray too far from that type of comedic tone in this exceedingly filthy film, giving costar Jonah Hill a wide berth to be completely over the top. Some of the lines that come out of Hill (the stand in for co-writer Seth Rogan) are so dirty I was surprised this movie made it out as an R film in this uptight age. I was also shocked I didn’t pull a muscle laughing.
8) Lost (ABC)
Where to place Lost on this list? Do I subtract about 1000 spots due to perhaps the lamest first half of a season of any show I’ve ever enjoyed? Or do I move it all the way up to the top because of the stunning set of four episodes that closed out the series third season? I tell you, dear reader; it’s a question I pondered for at least two subway rides as I read over pages of fan postings discussing the mind-blowing season finale. I must admit I had no idea until the last five minutes that the usual flashback spots were actually flash-forwards. After hating what the writers did to Matthew Fox’s character all year, Jack’s complete breakdown in the future redeemed him as well. The twist and turns and deaths (sorry Charlie) and (gasp) actual plot points that explain some questions but opening up others...wow. It might be the best season finale I’ve ever seen. And now with the eight months wait in between seasons almost over, I have no idea what the show runners are going to do next. (Well, besides picking up more “On Strike” signs.) They could go almost anywhere with this flash forward premise. And having a set number of episodes left to produce, they really could map out a series finale in 2010 that will actually live up to its billing and won’t just stop in mid--
7) How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Except for The Late Show with David Letterman, I haven’t regularly watched anything on CBS since the days of Northern Exposure. The network always seemed like the home for clean cut old folks shows. (Touched By an Angel was a Top 10 show in this country for four years—God bless the Midwest, indeed.) So imagine my surprise last fall when I was flipping through the channels and heard a snippet of Nada Surf’s “Inside of Love” being played on Ch. 2 (the local affiliate here in New York). I dropped the remote and got very close to the TV just to make sure I hadn’t gone completely insane, and sure enough two of the characters were having what looked like a Friends-like conversation on a fake New York rooftop. The idiot box (wow, I can’t believe that old expression just came into my head) certainly doesn’t need another rip-off of Chandler and crew, so I didn’t expect to come back the next week. But I did and stayed attached to the show because it’s not a Friends rip-off at all. It’s a fast paced comedy that plays with reliability of its narrator (the love seeking Ted as played by Josh Rador) who’s explaining the events of each episode to his kids, relies on the audience to store nuggets about previous episodes (such as ending last season in the middle of a line and having the new season pick up right where they left off) to further the story and has two of the best comedic actors working in TV today—Jason Segal (from the criminally overlooked Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared and a member of the Judd Apatow posse) and Neil Patrick Harris. Yes, Doogie Howser has taken the self-parody he played in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and channeled it into ladies’ man who never fails at delivering some of the most over the top lines I’ve ever heard on a sitcom. Get this guy an Emmy. Oh, and did I mention the Ted of future is voiced by Bob Saget. If a show can overcome that unfunny and incredible filthy man, they must have some inventive and funny people behind it.
6) Knocked Up (Universal)
If I mention Judd Apatow one more time in this list, I think I get a role in one of his films next year! Seriously, the guy and everyone he’s associated with seem to be able to do no wrong. He covered virginity with The 40 Year Old Virgin, pregnancy with this film, raising kids in Freaks and Geeks and sending them off to college with Undeclared. What cycle of life will be next? Maybe a comedy set in a funeral home is on deck for 2009. And if it is, I’m sure Seth Rogan could make it incredibly funny. He’s perfected his everyman stoner persona since starting on Freaks and Geeks and in Knocked Up he gets to show off a wider range of his acting skills as the emotional center of the film. The supporting cast is stellar, especially Paul Rudd. He delivers one of my favorite lines of the year with the perfect look of disdain mixed with comfortable resignation—“Marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only it doesn't last 22 minutes. It lasts forever.” And any film where a crucial scene takes place during a baseball fantasy draft would secure a place in my brain forever. As does the surprisingly graphic birth scene near the end of the film. If I ever had second thoughts about not wanting children, those 10 seconds erased them permanently.
5) Burn Notice (USA)
I believe USA has taken over from HBO as the king of new summer shows. Monk, The Dead Zone and Psych are all great for watching when I have to have the A/C at about 60 degrees so the paint doesn’t peel off the hallway near my bathroom. Burn Notice just might the best this network has offered up yet. The plot seems taken from a ’70s or early ’80s action show—Michael Weston (played by the sly Jeffery Donavan) is a spy disavowed, a.k.a. given a burn notice, by the U.S. government and dumped in Miami after his final flawed mission. Weston then uses his training to help others in trouble with prodding from his Mom (Cagney & Lacey’s Sharon Gless), and ex-IRA gun runner (the amazingly attractive Gabrielle Anwar) and an old C.I.A buddy (played by the man, the myth, the chainsaw toting legend Bruce Campbell). These four actors know they’re not breaking any ground with this show, so they play the numerous light-hearted moments to the hilt and seem like they are having a genuinely good time. Campbell is so perfect as a retired spook that it’s a wonder someone hasn’t come up with a starring vehicle for him in the past seven years. (At least he’s had work in those Spider-man films.) Burn Notice has echoes of Magnum P.I. and MacGyver (especially all the homemade devices Weston comes up with) and that’s perfectly fine with me. I loved watching those shows in summers past. Burn Notice goes perfect with a huge pitcher of iced tea, a cold sandwich and a pint of Ben and Jerrys. Dammit, now I’m hungry. Time for a lunch break.
4) Chuck (NBC)
Now I’d like to put my doctorate in TV (okay, okay, my bachelor’s degree) to work with a new theory I’d like to call the Adam Baldwin Factor. This actor has a knack for appearing in shows that I absolutely love. (Or he’s got a damn good agent who happens to have a camera hidden in my living room.) Baldwin first caught my eye playing a bad guy on The X-Files. When I say bad, I mean able to kill everything in his path bad because he was “super soldier.” (That whole “super solider” thing was a plot development I still don’t quite grasp.) The next season he was cast member on overlooked Western set in space Firefly playing a trigger happy crew member who had a knack for one liners. After Firefly went to the DVD box set in the sky, Baldwin moved to another show run by Joss Whedon, Angel. Again Baldwin played someone purely evil…who had a way with one liners. After that show’s demise, he did voice work for Cartoon Network’s Justice League Unlimited (yes, I liked it too) the video game Halo 3 (don’t have Xbox 360) and was a regular on two other series, The Inside and Daybreak (in my mind neither shows exist, and I’m sure FOX and ABC execs would agree with me). Now here comes Chuck, a story about a highly intelligent nerdy guy (a well cast Zachary Levi) who accidentally holds all of the government’s secrets in his brain. He’s guarded by a sexy CIA agent (Yvonne Strahovski, who wears a hot dog vendor’s outfit better than any other human in history) and a gruff, trigger-happy NSA agent, who has a way with one liners…played by Adam Baldwin. This guy has found his niche and has worked it well. Baldwin notwithstanding, this latest show from the creator of The O.C. is the best new program on network TV. Its chock full of funny supporting characters that have become deeper and more nuanced as the season has rolled on. (It’s hard not to like a show where one character’s name is Captain Awesome.) I hope this strike is settled at some point soon so the Adam Baldwin Factor, I mean Chuck, can return to the airwaves.
3) The Simpsons Movie (20th Century Fox)
Remember how good The Simpsons was during seasons 4 through 7? Well, this movie recaptures all of that and more. Seeing my favorite characters ever on a big screen was simply a blast, and the way director David Silverman took the Springfield template and made it even bigger than I ever imagined before was no small feat. The multitude of writers that worked on the script got back to what I always thought was the heart of the series—the struggles the family would go through and how Homer and Marge’s love for each other would win out in the end. The best Simpsons episodes were never the ones that had gag after gag that didn’t really relate together. They always had the family’s troubles at the core, and the movie solidly plants itself into the dynamics of the family. Oh, and it’s also kind of funny. I mean barely able to sit up and catch my breath and sweat through my shirt and draw looks from other people in the theater because I’m guffawing at the top of my lungs at inside jokes that only me, my old roommate and fellow Simpsonsaphile Joe and four other people in the audience caught because we have seen every episode and own every DVD of every season they’ve released so far. (Whew, gotta catch my breath after that run on sentence.) And I’m surprised to say it, but I think that storytelling and that mindset of expanding the scope of Springfield visually has bleed into the current season of the show. I’ve enjoyed this season more than any of the past three. It’s good to know that Homer and company aren’t done yet.
2) Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
What Spinal Tap did for heavy metal acts, Flight of the Conchords does the same for comedic folk duos…or something like that. More than a few critics compared this HBO series to another one that debuted a decade ago, Tenacious D. While both shows feature the trials and tribulations of less than successful duos, the Conchords’ subtle humor ages better than the in your face acting of Jack Black and Kyle Gass. It helps that Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie write songs that would be catchy even if they didn’t have absurd lyrics about David Bowie, Frodo and being a part-time model. Each of the videos they made for these songs are hysterical by themselves, but how they carry along the storylines is pure genius. In fact, my favorite episode of the entire season, titled “What Goes on Tour,” featured no videos at all, just a horribly bungled “tour” booked by their manager Murray. Rhys Darby has a breakout role here as Murray, a grunt worker at the New Zealand consulate who calls band meetings and takes attendance when its only the three of them and is perhaps the least qualified band manager in history. And Kristen Schaal is a scene stealer as their one fan, Mel, a stalker who conveniently runs into the guys everywhere. Stalking has never been this funny. This first season of the show used most of the songs Clement and McKenzie had written for their act when they took it on the road, so my only fear is that they won’t come up with enough good songs to drive next season’s plots. But as long as their fictional selves keep failing at success, I’ll be watching.
1) No Country for Old Men (Paramount Vantage/Miramax)
For most folks you could boil down this latest project from the Coen Brothers as Fargo meets 1980 Texas. That would be giving this year’s best film a short shrift. Based upon the Cormac McCarthy novel (and ripping pages and pages of dialogue directly from the book), No Country is an amazing meditation on good, evil, our penchant for violence and the changing state of morality in America the past 25 years. And it does so without offering a tidy ending, just one of the main characters ruminating upon the state of our world. That character, Tommy Lee Jones’ Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is the closest link to Fargo. He spins out some folksy lines about crime with a bit of a twinkle is his eye. When Jones and a deputy encounter a gory scene (I don’t want to give away any more plot than I already have), the deputy says, “It’s a mess, ain’t it, Sheriff?” and the sheriff answers, “If it ain’t, it’ll do ’till the mess gets here.” Jones is joined in his Oscar-caliber acting by one-time Oscar nominee Javier Bardiem, whose Anton Chigurh is one of the most evil characters to appear on the big screen, and Josh Brolin, who deserves an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a cowboy whose moral dilemma puts him directly into harm’s way. As I write this it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen No Country and I’ve been tempted to go back just to watch the acting clinic these three put on. As cliché as the phrase is, I have to say this is a must see movie. It’s the rare film that will leave an impression upon you for a long time.
Top 5 Songs Steve Should Have Never Sung (or Never Should Sing) With Bunnie England and the New Originals
Ed. Note: I thought it would be fun to poll my bandmates as to what their nightmare songs would be if I was on mic and focusing on our lyric book intently. Read on to see how the votes stacked up:
Host Steve Reynolds’ list:
1) Heart - "Barracuda"
I picked this song for them to learn, but I never thought I'd have to sing it. Shots of Jamesons are no excuse to sing in falsetto. I bet Ann Wilson rolled over that night, and probably killed someone in the process.
2) Journey - “Don’t Stop Believin’”
Steve Perry never had balls, right? That’s the only reason he could sing this. Women have a hard enough time covering it, and all I can recall after my take on it was I had strained every muscle below my belt.
3) The Scorpions - “Rock You Like a Hurricane”
I’m pretty sure the band next door to our rehearsal space took their own lives listening to this.
4) Janis Joplin - “Me and Bobby McGee”
I would never sing this song unless forced to be gunpoint, and even then I’d have to think twice about it.
5) Blondie - “One Way or Another”
I thought I knew this song very well until I had to help someone sing it one night. After singing some of the lyrics, I felt, well, very dirty.
Bassist Paul Gill’s list:
1) Janis Joplin - “Me and Bobby McGee”
Well, because Steve’s never menstruated and never been busted flat in Baton Rouge.
2) Led Zeppelin - “The Immigrant song”
Because the cops usually respond to his first two notes, looking for the bludgeoning victim.
3) Bad Company - “Feel Like Making love”
It arouses the cattle in the neighborhood too much.
4) John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John - “Summer Nights” (A special 2005 duet with former LBK co-hostess Michelle)
I keep picturing Steve gyrating his hips, a la Travolta—ugh.
5) Jimi Hendrix - “Fire”
Lots of fun, but reminds one of Chris Farley in Tommy Boy—and he’s dead.
Our former drummer (and current Louisiana professor) Troy Messina’s list:
1) The Scorpions - “Rock You Like a Hurricane”
Because no one should have ever sang this song, not even the Scorpions—EVER.
2) Janis Joplin - “Me and Bobby McGee”
It's the image of Steve and Bobby holdin' hands, ridin' bitch in a pick-up truck with some serial killer.
3) Psychedelic Furs - “The Ghost in You”
Has anyone ever sang this song at LBK? Why break the streak?
4) Counting Crows - “Mr. Jones”
Two words: train wreck.
5) The Go-Go’s - “Our Lips Are Sealed” or “We Got the Beat”
I can't imagine Steve jumping around like a teenage school girl, which is what the Go-Go’s conjures in my head. The paradox is if he didn’t jump around like a school girl the songs would be ruined for me. Actually, maybe Steve should sing these songs.
Guitarist Paul Crane’s list:
1) Aretha Franklin - “Respect”
I have a sneaking suspicion that Steve might be gay. [Ed note: He’s not] If he sang this song, that would prove it. [Ed note: It wouldn’t] Not that there's anything wrong with that, but then we would have to talk about Barbara Streisand and I might have the urge to flirt with him. [Ed note: Paul already flirts with Steve with his sexy guitar playing.]
2) Elvis Presley - “Burnin' Love”
Steve might have the urge to swivel his hips or do some Elvis kicks if he did this song and I can't stand that far enough away.
3) Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Freebird”
Steve's a bastard and he would make us play the full 12 minute live version just to spite us.
4) R.E.M. - “It's The End Of The World As We Know It”
Too many lyrics sung too fast. Steve's head might explode.
5) Tom Jones - “It's Not Unusual”
In the sick, twisted world that is Live Band Karaoke, some GUYS may throw their underwear on stage as a mocking tribute to Tom Jones. Dirty, smelly, skid marked underwear.......on second thought......
Our new drummer Scott Treude’s list:
[Ed note: Like many drummers, Scott didn’t follow the directions. He didn’t list single song on our song list.]
1) Rod Stewart - “Do You Think I'm Sexy”
Despite the fact that Steve is sexy, no one, including Rod Stewart, should perform this tune (especially at a benefit).
2) Rush - “Limelight”
When I was in elementary school, a rumor was going around that Getty Lee sang so high because he was struck in the throat by a volleyball. I always guessed that this rumor was started by the gym teacher, yet I've found no evidence to support this theory. Anyway, I'd hate to see Steve have an aneurism attempting this.
3) “Weird Al” Yankovic - Any song
As funny as he is, there's something fundamentally wrong with covering a parody song.
4) Any Song Sung by a Girl Under 21 Years of Age
I'm not sure that I really have to explain this one. I was going to include any song sung by a woman of any age, but I don't want to discourage Steve from trying “Barracuda” by Heart one more time.
5) Los Del Rio & The Bayside Boys - “Macarena”
Come on, really? Do I need to say “Why?” Forget it.
Host Steve Reynolds’ list:
1) Heart - "Barracuda"
I picked this song for them to learn, but I never thought I'd have to sing it. Shots of Jamesons are no excuse to sing in falsetto. I bet Ann Wilson rolled over that night, and probably killed someone in the process.
2) Journey - “Don’t Stop Believin’”
Steve Perry never had balls, right? That’s the only reason he could sing this. Women have a hard enough time covering it, and all I can recall after my take on it was I had strained every muscle below my belt.
3) The Scorpions - “Rock You Like a Hurricane”
I’m pretty sure the band next door to our rehearsal space took their own lives listening to this.
4) Janis Joplin - “Me and Bobby McGee”
I would never sing this song unless forced to be gunpoint, and even then I’d have to think twice about it.
5) Blondie - “One Way or Another”
I thought I knew this song very well until I had to help someone sing it one night. After singing some of the lyrics, I felt, well, very dirty.
Bassist Paul Gill’s list:
1) Janis Joplin - “Me and Bobby McGee”
Well, because Steve’s never menstruated and never been busted flat in Baton Rouge.
2) Led Zeppelin - “The Immigrant song”
Because the cops usually respond to his first two notes, looking for the bludgeoning victim.
3) Bad Company - “Feel Like Making love”
It arouses the cattle in the neighborhood too much.
4) John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John - “Summer Nights” (A special 2005 duet with former LBK co-hostess Michelle)
I keep picturing Steve gyrating his hips, a la Travolta—ugh.
5) Jimi Hendrix - “Fire”
Lots of fun, but reminds one of Chris Farley in Tommy Boy—and he’s dead.
Our former drummer (and current Louisiana professor) Troy Messina’s list:
1) The Scorpions - “Rock You Like a Hurricane”
Because no one should have ever sang this song, not even the Scorpions—EVER.
2) Janis Joplin - “Me and Bobby McGee”
It's the image of Steve and Bobby holdin' hands, ridin' bitch in a pick-up truck with some serial killer.
3) Psychedelic Furs - “The Ghost in You”
Has anyone ever sang this song at LBK? Why break the streak?
4) Counting Crows - “Mr. Jones”
Two words: train wreck.
5) The Go-Go’s - “Our Lips Are Sealed” or “We Got the Beat”
I can't imagine Steve jumping around like a teenage school girl, which is what the Go-Go’s conjures in my head. The paradox is if he didn’t jump around like a school girl the songs would be ruined for me. Actually, maybe Steve should sing these songs.
Guitarist Paul Crane’s list:
1) Aretha Franklin - “Respect”
I have a sneaking suspicion that Steve might be gay. [Ed note: He’s not] If he sang this song, that would prove it. [Ed note: It wouldn’t] Not that there's anything wrong with that, but then we would have to talk about Barbara Streisand and I might have the urge to flirt with him. [Ed note: Paul already flirts with Steve with his sexy guitar playing.]
2) Elvis Presley - “Burnin' Love”
Steve might have the urge to swivel his hips or do some Elvis kicks if he did this song and I can't stand that far enough away.
3) Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Freebird”
Steve's a bastard and he would make us play the full 12 minute live version just to spite us.
4) R.E.M. - “It's The End Of The World As We Know It”
Too many lyrics sung too fast. Steve's head might explode.
5) Tom Jones - “It's Not Unusual”
In the sick, twisted world that is Live Band Karaoke, some GUYS may throw their underwear on stage as a mocking tribute to Tom Jones. Dirty, smelly, skid marked underwear.......on second thought......
Our new drummer Scott Treude’s list:
[Ed note: Like many drummers, Scott didn’t follow the directions. He didn’t list single song on our song list.]
1) Rod Stewart - “Do You Think I'm Sexy”
Despite the fact that Steve is sexy, no one, including Rod Stewart, should perform this tune (especially at a benefit).
2) Rush - “Limelight”
When I was in elementary school, a rumor was going around that Getty Lee sang so high because he was struck in the throat by a volleyball. I always guessed that this rumor was started by the gym teacher, yet I've found no evidence to support this theory. Anyway, I'd hate to see Steve have an aneurism attempting this.
3) “Weird Al” Yankovic - Any song
As funny as he is, there's something fundamentally wrong with covering a parody song.
4) Any Song Sung by a Girl Under 21 Years of Age
I'm not sure that I really have to explain this one. I was going to include any song sung by a woman of any age, but I don't want to discourage Steve from trying “Barracuda” by Heart one more time.
5) Los Del Rio & The Bayside Boys - “Macarena”
Come on, really? Do I need to say “Why?” Forget it.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tri-Songs of the Week 12/14/07
Three Figgs shows, three Songs of the Week.
The Figgs - "To Be Announced"
Friday night guitarist Mike Gent surprised me by pulling out a new acoustic guitar and leading the band through an acoustic encore. I hoped that they would do this acoustic-tinged gem from For EP Fans Only and they didn't let me down.
The Gravel Pit - "Sucking on a Holiday Treat"
The Figgs learned a cover of this great Christmas song in hopes that Pit frontman Jed Parish might sing part of it at their Brooklyn show. Alas, he didn't show. I liked the version they did Saturday in Staten Island the best, mostly because I got to hold both lyric sheets.
The Figgs - "1000 People Grinning"
In my intro to the band Sunday night at Magnetic Field, I mentioned how this song written by drummer Pete Hayes never failed to make me smile. As a part of the acoustic set, it did once again.
The Figgs - "To Be Announced"
Friday night guitarist Mike Gent surprised me by pulling out a new acoustic guitar and leading the band through an acoustic encore. I hoped that they would do this acoustic-tinged gem from For EP Fans Only and they didn't let me down.
The Gravel Pit - "Sucking on a Holiday Treat"
The Figgs learned a cover of this great Christmas song in hopes that Pit frontman Jed Parish might sing part of it at their Brooklyn show. Alas, he didn't show. I liked the version they did Saturday in Staten Island the best, mostly because I got to hold both lyric sheets.
The Figgs - "1000 People Grinning"
In my intro to the band Sunday night at Magnetic Field, I mentioned how this song written by drummer Pete Hayes never failed to make me smile. As a part of the acoustic set, it did once again.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Song of the Week 12/7/07
Foo Fighters - "The Pretender"
I must admit I found myself stupefied as I watched the Grammy nominations being announced on Thursday. Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins had just finished reading two sets of nominations when producer Jimmy Jam announced that the guys had just been nominated for Record of the Year for "The Pretender." I knew the song had gotten a lot of alt rock and active rock airplay through the fall, but who knew that would actually sink into the heads of Grammy voters? "The Pretender" had already secured a place in my Top 20 Singles of the Year. (Ed note: coming to a mailbox near you the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.) It's another entry in a long line of catchy singles Dave Grohl has unleashed upon us over the past decade. Did I finally have something in common with the Recording Academy? I had to play it again to get a clearer view.
After a couple more listens "The Pretender" didn't seem that different from the patented soft-loud-louder-soft-loudest template that Grohl helped perfect during his time in Nirvana. Then I searched out the lyrics, and that is where I discovered what won over Grammy voters. "The Pretender" isn't about a girl keeping secrets--it's a spot-on indictment of our current administration. Get a gander at these lines:
"Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
Keep you in the dark
And so it all began
Send in your skeletons
Sing as their bones go marching in... again
The need you buried deep
The secrets that you keep are ever ready
Are you ready?
I'm finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole defense
Spinning infinity, boy
The wheel is spinning me
It's never-ending, never-ending
Same old story
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?
You're the pretender
What if I say that I'll never surrender?"
In light of the CIA destroying evidence and the revelation that we, the people, were being lied to about Iraq...I mean Iran, Grohl's words really take on a new meaning.
Well, that, and that it fucking rocks.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Song of the Week 11/30/07
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - "100 Days, 100 Nights"
You know great those Amy Winehouse singles sound? Well, here's the band that backs her up in the U.S.--and the woman producer Mark Ronson cribbed some attitude from for Back to Black. It's stunning to think soul this authentic could be recorded today. For those readers who remember the Ithaca days, this is the kind of music Bernie Milton wanted to make all the time, if only he had the resources and the top-notch players. I finally downloaded the first single and title track and I've not been able to get it out of my head for a week. I think its destined to become a mix disc staple for the next few months.
You know great those Amy Winehouse singles sound? Well, here's the band that backs her up in the U.S.--and the woman producer Mark Ronson cribbed some attitude from for Back to Black. It's stunning to think soul this authentic could be recorded today. For those readers who remember the Ithaca days, this is the kind of music Bernie Milton wanted to make all the time, if only he had the resources and the top-notch players. I finally downloaded the first single and title track and I've not been able to get it out of my head for a week. I think its destined to become a mix disc staple for the next few months.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Song of the Week 11/23/07
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - "Kitty's Back (live in Boston 11/19/07)"
After getting this news, and then reading this review, I needed to hear and see what I could of this show. I found a decent quality boot online, and kept returning to this part:
Just seeing Clarence, Nils and the Boss himself look on as Danny plays tells you all you need to know about the depth of love and respect within this group of musicians. There's thousands of people thinking of you Mr. Federici. They all hope to see you back real soon.
And hey, nice way to take a bow:
BONUS: This 2002 version of "Kitty's Back" is still one of the Top 5 TV performances of all time:
After getting this news, and then reading this review, I needed to hear and see what I could of this show. I found a decent quality boot online, and kept returning to this part:
Just seeing Clarence, Nils and the Boss himself look on as Danny plays tells you all you need to know about the depth of love and respect within this group of musicians. There's thousands of people thinking of you Mr. Federici. They all hope to see you back real soon.
And hey, nice way to take a bow:
BONUS: This 2002 version of "Kitty's Back" is still one of the Top 5 TV performances of all time:
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Song of the Week 11/16/07
Joseph Arthur - "In the Sun"
Sometimes I think I listen to WFUV too much. I heard Arthur's most popular (arguably) song once in the middle of the night when I woke up during a broadcast of that day's World Cafe. Then it was played during the morning show and then again that night when the "proper" airing of the World Cafe takes place. I've known the song for years but never felt compelled to own it, until now.
I played the song as I wrote the above paragraph, and during that time I realized that Michael Stipe really did an awful cover of it in 2006. But it was for a good cause (Katrina relief efforts) so I'll give him a pass.
But not for Around the Sun. There's no way to forgive him for that piece of crap.
Sometimes I think I listen to WFUV too much. I heard Arthur's most popular (arguably) song once in the middle of the night when I woke up during a broadcast of that day's World Cafe. Then it was played during the morning show and then again that night when the "proper" airing of the World Cafe takes place. I've known the song for years but never felt compelled to own it, until now.
I played the song as I wrote the above paragraph, and during that time I realized that Michael Stipe really did an awful cover of it in 2006. But it was for a good cause (Katrina relief efforts) so I'll give him a pass.
But not for Around the Sun. There's no way to forgive him for that piece of crap.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Song of the Week 11/9/07
Buffalo Tom - "Good Girl"
Geez, this Buffalo Tom album is a grower. Every time I listen to it I seem to have a new favorite. This week it was "Good Girl," which the band did a fantastic version of Saturday night at Southpaw. (Actually, the entire night was pretty fantastic. Bill Janovitz is still one of the most passionate frontmen in rock.)
I wonder what song I'll like more this week?
ALSO: My fellow concert attendee Eric Holland gives his take on the show in vlog form here.
Geez, this Buffalo Tom album is a grower. Every time I listen to it I seem to have a new favorite. This week it was "Good Girl," which the band did a fantastic version of Saturday night at Southpaw. (Actually, the entire night was pretty fantastic. Bill Janovitz is still one of the most passionate frontmen in rock.)
I wonder what song I'll like more this week?
ALSO: My fellow concert attendee Eric Holland gives his take on the show in vlog form here.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Song of the Week 11/2/07
Quicksilver Messenger Service - "Fresh Air"
Ah, the power of rediscovering an old tune. I woke up a little after 4 on Thursday morning when this song came on the World Cafe on WFUV. I got up and wrote down (Ed: hey, that could be a song lyric) "Fresh Air" on a piece of paper just so I would remember hearing the song when I got up for work that day. I'm confident in stating that I hadn't heard "Fresh Air" on the air since 1990, perhaps even 1989. And since downloading it (which I had to do as soon as I got into work) I've played it twice a day since then.
There's nothing revolutionary about the song (except that it seems incredibly dated-sounding 37 years later). It's just one of those tracks that have fallen through the cracks in the age of tightened and over-researched playlists. It does have a have a hard-to-resist chorus:
"Ooooooooooh, have another hit--of fresh air!"
Riiiiiight, that's exactly what a San Francisco band would be talking about.
Ah, the power of rediscovering an old tune. I woke up a little after 4 on Thursday morning when this song came on the World Cafe on WFUV. I got up and wrote down (Ed: hey, that could be a song lyric) "Fresh Air" on a piece of paper just so I would remember hearing the song when I got up for work that day. I'm confident in stating that I hadn't heard "Fresh Air" on the air since 1990, perhaps even 1989. And since downloading it (which I had to do as soon as I got into work) I've played it twice a day since then.
There's nothing revolutionary about the song (except that it seems incredibly dated-sounding 37 years later). It's just one of those tracks that have fallen through the cracks in the age of tightened and over-researched playlists. It does have a have a hard-to-resist chorus:
"Ooooooooooh, have another hit--of fresh air!"
Riiiiiight, that's exactly what a San Francisco band would be talking about.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Song of the Week 10/26/07
Talking Heads - "(Nothing But) Flowers"
This should be filed under Video of the Week actually. I was reading the great Lost in the 80s blog and they did an entry about True Stories and the "Love For Sale" video (which is damn great its own damn self). After playing the clip once, YouTube brought up other related clips. Among them was "(Nothing But) Flowers" and its use of text that predates Van Halen's "Right Now" by many years.
I watched this clip at least twice a day over the past five days. And wasn't even like I was trying to blow off work. I simply got hooked on it. Heck, I watched it yet again after putting in the embed link in this entry. I vaguely remember seeing the video on 120 Minutes in 1988. But 19 years of drinking made me forget that David Byrne was born in Scotland and that Kirsty MacColl and Johnny Marr with both in the clip. Just another brilliant piece of art from Byrne and company.
This should be filed under Video of the Week actually. I was reading the great Lost in the 80s blog and they did an entry about True Stories and the "Love For Sale" video (which is damn great its own damn self). After playing the clip once, YouTube brought up other related clips. Among them was "(Nothing But) Flowers" and its use of text that predates Van Halen's "Right Now" by many years.
I watched this clip at least twice a day over the past five days. And wasn't even like I was trying to blow off work. I simply got hooked on it. Heck, I watched it yet again after putting in the embed link in this entry. I vaguely remember seeing the video on 120 Minutes in 1988. But 19 years of drinking made me forget that David Byrne was born in Scotland and that Kirsty MacColl and Johnny Marr with both in the clip. Just another brilliant piece of art from Byrne and company.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Song of the Week 10/19/07
Josh Rouse - "Domesticated Lovers"
On Tuesday I caught Josh Rouse appearing with High Fidelity author Nick Hornby as part of the Upstairs at the Square series at the mondo-sized Barnes and Noble on the North side of Union Square. It was an entertaining evening (except for the host Katherine Lampert, who made me grit my teeth down to the bone with her condescending interview style) highlighted by Rouse performing "Domesticated Lovers" with his girlfriend Paz Suay. Rouse explained how the song sprung from watching two people eat dinner and not say a word to one another.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon. I'm in suburban hell just South of Albany at a Friendly's. My aunt picks out a couple, one of whom she used to work with at her hospital. And she says, "They've been eating without saying a word for the entire time."
I turn, and I see exactly whom Rouse was writing about.
On Tuesday I caught Josh Rouse appearing with High Fidelity author Nick Hornby as part of the Upstairs at the Square series at the mondo-sized Barnes and Noble on the North side of Union Square. It was an entertaining evening (except for the host Katherine Lampert, who made me grit my teeth down to the bone with her condescending interview style) highlighted by Rouse performing "Domesticated Lovers" with his girlfriend Paz Suay. Rouse explained how the song sprung from watching two people eat dinner and not say a word to one another.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon. I'm in suburban hell just South of Albany at a Friendly's. My aunt picks out a couple, one of whom she used to work with at her hospital. And she says, "They've been eating without saying a word for the entire time."
I turn, and I see exactly whom Rouse was writing about.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Song of the Week 10/12/07
Nada Surf - "Killian's Red"
Thanks to the good folks at Union Hall (You're the best Michelle! And Skippy, you're pretty awesome too) I got the chance to check out my favorite Brooklyn trio at their semi-secret tour warmup show last night. I went with Moria the concert pal, and when the band started this song, I had to lean forward and tell her that I always thought of her when I listened to this song.
For those who know the track, you must be thinking, "Damn, that's a pretty cold thing to say to a woman." That couldn't be further from the truth. My mind has linked Moria to "Killian's Red" because of a story she told me one time that involved the song. I won't go into any detail about the tale (I'm all for privacy, current administration be damned). All I will say that it is a bummer of a story, and that is something I can relate to on many levels.
As for the song itself (for those who have never heard it), it is perhaps the darkest set of words on Let Go. And considering this is the same album that contains "Inside of Love" that is really saying something. The ominous guitar figure that Matthew Caws lays down during the lengthy (more than a minute) intro foreshadows a tale of wanting, loss and cheap beer at a Brooklyn bar. There's a line that always, always gets me in this song: "I almost love this town/When I'm by your side." The second time that couplet comes around in the song you can feel Caws choking on his raw emotion when he delivers it. Then he when howls "siiiiiiide" directly after it, well, its one of those few goosebump moments encoded on a CD.
Eventually every track on Let Go will be a Song of the Week. You can bet on it.
Thanks to the good folks at Union Hall (You're the best Michelle! And Skippy, you're pretty awesome too) I got the chance to check out my favorite Brooklyn trio at their semi-secret tour warmup show last night. I went with Moria the concert pal, and when the band started this song, I had to lean forward and tell her that I always thought of her when I listened to this song.
For those who know the track, you must be thinking, "Damn, that's a pretty cold thing to say to a woman." That couldn't be further from the truth. My mind has linked Moria to "Killian's Red" because of a story she told me one time that involved the song. I won't go into any detail about the tale (I'm all for privacy, current administration be damned). All I will say that it is a bummer of a story, and that is something I can relate to on many levels.
As for the song itself (for those who have never heard it), it is perhaps the darkest set of words on Let Go. And considering this is the same album that contains "Inside of Love" that is really saying something. The ominous guitar figure that Matthew Caws lays down during the lengthy (more than a minute) intro foreshadows a tale of wanting, loss and cheap beer at a Brooklyn bar. There's a line that always, always gets me in this song: "I almost love this town/When I'm by your side." The second time that couplet comes around in the song you can feel Caws choking on his raw emotion when he delivers it. Then he when howls "siiiiiiide" directly after it, well, its one of those few goosebump moments encoded on a CD.
Eventually every track on Let Go will be a Song of the Week. You can bet on it.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Song of the Week 10/5/07
Lucinda Williams - "I Lost It"
I had forgotten how much I liked this song. I listened to it this week for the first time in a couple of years to prep for Williams' show Tuesday where she played Car Wheels on a Gravel Road in its entirety. Unfortunately for everyone in Town Hall (the audience, the band, the guys recording the show to sell as CD's afterwards), Lucinda was in one of her "moods," which meant her complaining repeatedly about her in ear monitors, whining about the show preview that was in Time Out and generally being on edge. It made the band tense (which was apparent from lackluster performance of the album opener "Right in Time") and made me annoyed enough to leave 3 songs into the second set.
Those complaints aside, "I Lost It" still rocks. And at least she didn't break into "Riders on the Storm" like she did a few weeks ago when I saw her at ACL.
I had forgotten how much I liked this song. I listened to it this week for the first time in a couple of years to prep for Williams' show Tuesday where she played Car Wheels on a Gravel Road in its entirety. Unfortunately for everyone in Town Hall (the audience, the band, the guys recording the show to sell as CD's afterwards), Lucinda was in one of her "moods," which meant her complaining repeatedly about her in ear monitors, whining about the show preview that was in Time Out and generally being on edge. It made the band tense (which was apparent from lackluster performance of the album opener "Right in Time") and made me annoyed enough to leave 3 songs into the second set.
Those complaints aside, "I Lost It" still rocks. And at least she didn't break into "Riders on the Storm" like she did a few weeks ago when I saw her at ACL.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Song of the Week 9/28/07
Bruce Springsteen - "Long Walk Home"
I stayed home a bit later than usual today to watch Springsteen and the E Street Band on the Today show. I made it through the cringe-worthy interview by Matt Lauer to see Bruce and the band looking pretty well rehearsed. The highlight was easily the double shot of "Last to Die" and "Long Walk Home." This one-two punch will likely become a highlight of the tour and is part of the closing quartet of songs on Magic that grow greater with each listen. "Long Walk Home" seems to be a young cousin to "My Hometown," with its description of a small town with its closed diners and flags flying at half mast over a courthouse. I really underestimated Magic in my first few listens. Now that my head is past the muddled production, the subtle message about the state of our country is revealing itself with each new listen.
BONUS: A longer version (with two extra verses) of "Long Walk Home" was unveiled near the end of the Seeger Sessions Band tour. I think that it's found a much better home as an E Street Band song, but decide for yourself:
I stayed home a bit later than usual today to watch Springsteen and the E Street Band on the Today show. I made it through the cringe-worthy interview by Matt Lauer to see Bruce and the band looking pretty well rehearsed. The highlight was easily the double shot of "Last to Die" and "Long Walk Home." This one-two punch will likely become a highlight of the tour and is part of the closing quartet of songs on Magic that grow greater with each listen. "Long Walk Home" seems to be a young cousin to "My Hometown," with its description of a small town with its closed diners and flags flying at half mast over a courthouse. I really underestimated Magic in my first few listens. Now that my head is past the muddled production, the subtle message about the state of our country is revealing itself with each new listen.
BONUS: A longer version (with two extra verses) of "Long Walk Home" was unveiled near the end of the Seeger Sessions Band tour. I think that it's found a much better home as an E Street Band song, but decide for yourself:
Monday, September 24, 2007
Song of the Week 9/21/07
Wreckless Eric - "Whole Wide World"
I'm not one to often fall for songs featured in climatic scenes in films (the use of Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" in Magnolia notwithstanding) but damn, the placement of "Whole Wide World" in Stranger than Fiction just floored me. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen the film but it proved to me once and for all that Will Ferrell is much, much more than a great comedic actor. Fiction is a great quirky film that I regret waiting to see until it popped up on cable. And how could I not like a film that uses the music of Spoon throughout?
I'm not one to often fall for songs featured in climatic scenes in films (the use of Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" in Magnolia notwithstanding) but damn, the placement of "Whole Wide World" in Stranger than Fiction just floored me. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen the film but it proved to me once and for all that Will Ferrell is much, much more than a great comedic actor. Fiction is a great quirky film that I regret waiting to see until it popped up on cable. And how could I not like a film that uses the music of Spoon throughout?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Song of the Week 9/14/07
Wilco - "Too Far Apart"
So I had to fly all the way to Austin to hear this song played live? And to see Jeff Tweedy wear a cowboy hat?
You know, maybe the hat was worth the trip alone.
When Tweedy and company broke out this track from A.M., I was simply stunned. It took until the chorus to register that I was seeing Wilco do a song I had never seen them do live. And this is a band I have seen over 20 times the past 10 years. I looked over at my friend Stacy with my mouth agape, and then found myself singing along.
"Too Far Apart" was part of a tremendous set that was miles away from the last time I saw Wilco in Austin, back on September 22nd, 2001. Flying down to visit Stacy would have been nerve-wracking at any time (my fear of flying was at its peak then), but 1o days after watching the towers fall was almost impossible. (Thanks to my friend, beer, I was able to do so.) Once I got to Austin I was still in a daze from all that had happened the previous week and a half. And when Wilco hit the stage the next night, they seemed like they were in a daze. They were playing only their second ever show as a four piece and the hole left by Jay Bennett's departure seemed too vast for them to overcome. Its still the worst Wilco gig I've ever seen.
This time Wilco in Austin was a joyous experience and easily slides into my Top 5 Wilco shows ever. Ah, what a difference six years makes.
So I had to fly all the way to Austin to hear this song played live? And to see Jeff Tweedy wear a cowboy hat?
You know, maybe the hat was worth the trip alone.
When Tweedy and company broke out this track from A.M., I was simply stunned. It took until the chorus to register that I was seeing Wilco do a song I had never seen them do live. And this is a band I have seen over 20 times the past 10 years. I looked over at my friend Stacy with my mouth agape, and then found myself singing along.
"Too Far Apart" was part of a tremendous set that was miles away from the last time I saw Wilco in Austin, back on September 22nd, 2001. Flying down to visit Stacy would have been nerve-wracking at any time (my fear of flying was at its peak then), but 1o days after watching the towers fall was almost impossible. (Thanks to my friend, beer, I was able to do so.) Once I got to Austin I was still in a daze from all that had happened the previous week and a half. And when Wilco hit the stage the next night, they seemed like they were in a daze. They were playing only their second ever show as a four piece and the hole left by Jay Bennett's departure seemed too vast for them to overcome. Its still the worst Wilco gig I've ever seen.
This time Wilco in Austin was a joyous experience and easily slides into my Top 5 Wilco shows ever. Ah, what a difference six years makes.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Song of the Week 9/7/07
Bruce Springsteen - "Radio Nowhere"
Yeah, I know, its not hip to like Bruce and the E Street Band, but I still do. I first heard "Radio Nowhere" four weeks ago when one of the promo folks at Columbia dropped by to play it for us. I thought it was okay, but certainly not a good as The Rising tracks "Lonesome Day" or "Further on Up the Road." Yet I found myself humming it again and again that afternoon.
Yeah, I know, its not hip to like Bruce and the E Street Band, but I still do. I first heard "Radio Nowhere" four weeks ago when one of the promo folks at Columbia dropped by to play it for us. I thought it was okay, but certainly not a good as The Rising tracks "Lonesome Day" or "Further on Up the Road." Yet I found myself humming it again and again that afternoon.
When the track leaked a week later I of course downloaded it and listened a few more times. It was then I realized its riff sounded suspiciously like Tommy Tutone's "867-5309 (Jenny)." I love that song, but I certainly don't need to hear Bruce ripping that off.
Then last week iTunes offered up a free download of "Radio Nowhere." Having the track in clear fidelity did something to my brain. I could not stop humming it at home, on the subway or at my office. Its not even that good of a song, yet there was no stopping my subconscious.
Oh well--we've had much worse choices for Song of the Week before, and I'm sure we will again.
As for Springsteen's new album Magic, I'd give it an early grade of C+; its slightly better than Human Touch and Lucky Town, but it sounds like any band could be playing behind him with Brendan O'Brien's muddled production.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Song of the Week 8/31/07
R.E.O. Speedwagon - "Keep On Loving You"
Sometimes there's nothing better than some good ol' drunken nostalgia at 3:30 a.m. Belting out "Keep On Loving You" across the bar to someone is a whole lot of fun.
A whole lot.
Sometimes there's nothing better than some good ol' drunken nostalgia at 3:30 a.m. Belting out "Keep On Loving You" across the bar to someone is a whole lot of fun.
A whole lot.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Song of the Week 8/24/07
Elvis Costello & the Attractions - "Blue Chair"
About two months ago I stumbled upon an Elvis Costello podcast titled The First 10 Years that was centered around the 800th reissue (okay, it's just the third, but it seems like more) of his catalog. Every week this brief feature (none clocked over 10 minutes) had some interesting interview clips from Mr. McManus talking about the various stops in the first decade of his career. Monday's podcast focused on Blood and Chocolate, an album best known for the epic, creepy, stalker-like love song "I Want You." Costello's frank discussion of the tension he felt with the Attractions at the time (echoed in his fine liner notes in the 2002 Rhino edition) compelled me to listen to the album on the way home from work. It was the second time I've listened to this bitter masterpiece this year (the first was, well, when I was bitter for some reason) and what struck me this time around is how loud it is. To paraphrase Spinal Tap, every instrument seems turned up to 15, battling to be heard over Costello's shouting. Blood and Chocolate has such a fascinating and unique sound that perfectly compliments Costello's blunt lyrics about divorce, breakups and comfy furniture. I think that's why its aged so well.
The next morning I rolled out of bed and when my feet hit the floor WFUV played the Blood and Chocolate track "Blue Chair." I like it when the SOTW is that simple.
About two months ago I stumbled upon an Elvis Costello podcast titled The First 10 Years that was centered around the 800th reissue (okay, it's just the third, but it seems like more) of his catalog. Every week this brief feature (none clocked over 10 minutes) had some interesting interview clips from Mr. McManus talking about the various stops in the first decade of his career. Monday's podcast focused on Blood and Chocolate, an album best known for the epic, creepy, stalker-like love song "I Want You." Costello's frank discussion of the tension he felt with the Attractions at the time (echoed in his fine liner notes in the 2002 Rhino edition) compelled me to listen to the album on the way home from work. It was the second time I've listened to this bitter masterpiece this year (the first was, well, when I was bitter for some reason) and what struck me this time around is how loud it is. To paraphrase Spinal Tap, every instrument seems turned up to 15, battling to be heard over Costello's shouting. Blood and Chocolate has such a fascinating and unique sound that perfectly compliments Costello's blunt lyrics about divorce, breakups and comfy furniture. I think that's why its aged so well.
The next morning I rolled out of bed and when my feet hit the floor WFUV played the Blood and Chocolate track "Blue Chair." I like it when the SOTW is that simple.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Song of the Week 8/17/07
XTC - "Grass"
Sometimes it is this simple--"Grass" was the first song I heard when I woke up Wednesday. And then by some stroke of fate, the World Cafe played it just as I went to bed Wednesday night. Great song, kind of freaky moment.
Sometimes it is this simple--"Grass" was the first song I heard when I woke up Wednesday. And then by some stroke of fate, the World Cafe played it just as I went to bed Wednesday night. Great song, kind of freaky moment.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Song of the Week 8/10/07
The Hold Steady - "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"
(Photo credit)
"I hope the Hold Steady plays rock and roll like Kent Hrbek played baseball." --The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn, while wearing an authentic Hrbek jersey, at Brooklyn's Prospect Park last night
I could go on and on about how great this show was, but Finn's Twins analogy is about as apt as a description as I can think of for the band and how much joy they have on stage. (Those in the audience who weren't baseball fans might not get what Finn was saying, but I understood it perfectly.)
Picking one song out of the set to be SOTW wasn't that hard -- I had played "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" the previous Thursday at the Klimpter album release party, and after it was done guitarist Michael Boyd shared a story about seeing the band play that song at Bowery Ballroom before Separation Sunday was released. After that story, I ended up putting the song in a mix I'll be using in a couple of weeks. And the band's performance of it included a very touching story from Craig Finn about Minneapolis.
Someday I gotta go back there.
(Photo credit)
"I hope the Hold Steady plays rock and roll like Kent Hrbek played baseball." --The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn, while wearing an authentic Hrbek jersey, at Brooklyn's Prospect Park last night
I could go on and on about how great this show was, but Finn's Twins analogy is about as apt as a description as I can think of for the band and how much joy they have on stage. (Those in the audience who weren't baseball fans might not get what Finn was saying, but I understood it perfectly.)
Picking one song out of the set to be SOTW wasn't that hard -- I had played "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" the previous Thursday at the Klimpter album release party, and after it was done guitarist Michael Boyd shared a story about seeing the band play that song at Bowery Ballroom before Separation Sunday was released. After that story, I ended up putting the song in a mix I'll be using in a couple of weeks. And the band's performance of it included a very touching story from Craig Finn about Minneapolis.
Someday I gotta go back there.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Klimpter's Release Party 8/2/07
I was honored that the guys in Klimpter (which includes three buds of mine from the bar) asked me to play some tunes at their album release party. Here's my pre-show playlist:
Buzzcocks - "Everybody's Happy Nowadays"
The Jam - "The Modern World"
The Replacements - "Color Me Impressed"
The Hold Steady - "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"
Dead Kennedys - "Bleed for Me"
Jawbox - "Breathe"
Naked Raygun - "Rat Patrol"
Soul Asylum - "Sometime to Return"
Gang of Four - "To Hell With Poverty"
Bloc Party - "I Still Remember"
Guided By Voices - "Game of Pricks"
Superchunk - "Hyper Enough"
Sugar - "Changes"
Husker Du - "Books About U.F.Os"
Firehose - "Down With the Bass"
Dinosaur Jr. - "The Wagon"
Mission of Burma - "That's When I Reach for My Revolver"
Interpol - "Heinrich Maneuver"
Nada Surf - "The Way You Wear Your Head"
The Undertones - "Teenage Kicks"
The Clash - "I'm So Bored With the U.S.A."
Ramones - "Pinhead"
Dead Boys - "Sonic Reducer"
The Minutemen - "This Ain't No Picnic"
Black Flag - "Rise Above"
Lackthereof - "What a Fool Believes"
Buzzcocks - "Everybody's Happy Nowadays"
The Jam - "The Modern World"
The Replacements - "Color Me Impressed"
The Hold Steady - "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"
Dead Kennedys - "Bleed for Me"
Jawbox - "Breathe"
Naked Raygun - "Rat Patrol"
Soul Asylum - "Sometime to Return"
Gang of Four - "To Hell With Poverty"
Bloc Party - "I Still Remember"
Guided By Voices - "Game of Pricks"
Superchunk - "Hyper Enough"
Sugar - "Changes"
Husker Du - "Books About U.F.Os"
Firehose - "Down With the Bass"
Dinosaur Jr. - "The Wagon"
Mission of Burma - "That's When I Reach for My Revolver"
Interpol - "Heinrich Maneuver"
Nada Surf - "The Way You Wear Your Head"
The Undertones - "Teenage Kicks"
The Clash - "I'm So Bored With the U.S.A."
Ramones - "Pinhead"
Dead Boys - "Sonic Reducer"
The Minutemen - "This Ain't No Picnic"
Black Flag - "Rise Above"
Lackthereof - "What a Fool Believes"
Monday, August 06, 2007
Song of the Week 8/3/07
The Figgs - "One Hit Wonder"
(Photo by Lynn Hanson)
I'd write more about how amazing this performance of the band's 1996 single about being screwed over by the record business was Saturday night at Bowery Ballroom, but I've written so much crap at work in the past few weeks that my brain has kind of short circuited. So this brief entry will have to do.
Holy shit, I never thought I'd see a guitarist and bassist jump off the stage and play amongst the crowd at the Bowery. It was about as rock n' roll and rock n' roll gets.
(Photo by Lynn Hanson)
I'd write more about how amazing this performance of the band's 1996 single about being screwed over by the record business was Saturday night at Bowery Ballroom, but I've written so much crap at work in the past few weeks that my brain has kind of short circuited. So this brief entry will have to do.
Holy shit, I never thought I'd see a guitarist and bassist jump off the stage and play amongst the crowd at the Bowery. It was about as rock n' roll and rock n' roll gets.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Song of the Week 7/27/07
Ryan Adams - "Goodnight Rose"
Sometimes I think to myself, "Gosh, for a 37 year old guy, I'm a bit susceptible to outside forces influencing my life." I could write a book about how that applies to various parts of my life, but for now I'll stick with how that applies to the Song of the Week.
When I first listened to Ryan Adams' Easy Tiger, I dismissed it rather quickly. "There's nothing new here and it sounds like some rejects from Gold," I thought. Then my pillars of public radio -- WFUV here in New York and WXPN in Philadelphia --changed my opinion bit by bit. It seemed like one station or the other were playing Easy Tiger album tracks for most of this amazing summer. And all these spins seeped into my head somehow. The second time I listened to Easy Tiger it still seemed familiar, yet now it was in a good "these chicken wings at Bonnie's are just as good as the first 200 times I've eaten them" kind of way.
The public radio brainwashing reached its apex last week as I heard"Goodnight Rose" every single morning. I kept thinking it was a track from one of the 200 other albums Adams has released this century. Nope, it was Easy Tiger again.
If I ever date a woman named Rose, she's going to get sick of this song really quick.
Sometimes I think to myself, "Gosh, for a 37 year old guy, I'm a bit susceptible to outside forces influencing my life." I could write a book about how that applies to various parts of my life, but for now I'll stick with how that applies to the Song of the Week.
When I first listened to Ryan Adams' Easy Tiger, I dismissed it rather quickly. "There's nothing new here and it sounds like some rejects from Gold," I thought. Then my pillars of public radio -- WFUV here in New York and WXPN in Philadelphia --changed my opinion bit by bit. It seemed like one station or the other were playing Easy Tiger album tracks for most of this amazing summer. And all these spins seeped into my head somehow. The second time I listened to Easy Tiger it still seemed familiar, yet now it was in a good "these chicken wings at Bonnie's are just as good as the first 200 times I've eaten them" kind of way.
The public radio brainwashing reached its apex last week as I heard"Goodnight Rose" every single morning. I kept thinking it was a track from one of the 200 other albums Adams has released this century. Nope, it was Easy Tiger again.
If I ever date a woman named Rose, she's going to get sick of this song really quick.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)