I Love Tuesdays

Picked up a couple of things off of iTunes last night....

Annuals - Be He Me

Howlin Rain - Howlin Rain

Music Video Mondays

So it's the first "official" day of summer, so let's go with some great beach music. Here's Jack Johnson with "Breakdown"....

Bloggy Goodness

Here's what other people have going on....

!!! rock, rock, rock according to Whitperson (LMB) who caught them at Metro and has a full review with photos - head here.

Phish & Chips has the scoop on some of the songs that will be featured on Guitar Hero III - find out who'll you'll be able to play along to here.

I'm From Barcelona makes SuperDee smile, so she thinks you should check them out as well - head here.

Guess the remaining members of Led Zepplin are feeling a bit left out of the recent reunion mania that is sweeping the summer of '07. Head on over to The Weight to read about what Jimmy Page said on a recent radio interview - here.

Can You See The Sunset From The Southside? has a couple of tracks off the new Ryan Adams album Easy Tiger (which I can't wait to hear) as well as some from his short-live band The Freightwhaler - check it out here.

And finally over on Hidden Track this week's edition of The B List features Second Generation Rockers - find out who made the list here.

Free From The Black Keys

Few days late on this, but the other blues-based, guitar-drums duo out there that doesn't pretend to be brother and sister The Black Keys are offering up a free live EP for download off on their MySpace page - head here and thanks guys!!

Happy 66th!

Let's a take a quick moment to wish one Robert Zimmerman a Happy 66th Birthday!!! To celebrate here's a rockin' version of "Shelter From The Storm" from the Rolling Thunder Revue Tour - and don't ask me what's on his head, I have no idea....

Bonnaroo Schedule Now Up

For those of you that are headed down to Manchester (like me) Superfly has released the official Bonnaroo schedule - head here to start your planning.



I'll post some thoughts and my ideal schedule over on Bonnawho's Who.

"Rehab" Is The New "Crazy" Update

Ok so about a week ago I proclaimed Amy Winehouse's song "Rehab" to be the new "Crazy" of this summer - see here. Well I may have picked the wrong Winehouse song as the Arctic Monkeys have chosen to take on "You Know I'm No Good" - give it a listen here (via Stereogum).

Also if you're strolling around Central Park you may stumble onto this....

(photo via BWE)

Billboard Confirms That Stevie Wonder Is Blind

Paul Simon received the inaugural Gershwin Award from the Library Of Congress last night in Washington, DC. The people on hand at the show not only got to see Paul and his buddy Art sing a few songs, he also reunited with Ladysmith Black Mambazo for the first time in a number of years for "Graceland" - read about the festivities here. Others on hand that performed were James Taylor, Allison Krause, Stephen Marley and Stevie Wonder - who thanks to some top notch investigative reporting by Billboard has uncovered the reason why he wears those sunglasses all the time....

"Simon teamed with Stevie Wonder and the gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds for a rollicking version of "Loves Me Like a Rock."

Wonder, who is blind, missed a vocal line, made a crack about his cue cards, flipped up his dark glasses to peer at the audience in jest, and dove back into the song."

Seriously do they think that people reading Billboard don't already know that fun fact?

Anyway check out this 80s-tastic video for "Boy In A Bubble"....

Take Me Out To The Ball Game....

It's no secret that Craig Finn the lead singer of The Hold Steady is a pretty big baseball fan, and even bigger Minnesota Twins fans. See exhibit #1, lifted from this....

That maybe one of the coolest band t-shirts ever.

Well today over at I Am Fuel, Your Friends (if you're not heading there on a daily basis, you should be), Heather has a fantastic post up about The Hold Steady which includes some lots of MP3 - head here.

But more importantly she also posted this killer MP3 of The Hold Steady's version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame". Head here for the full story behind it and as well as some video on the recording session.

Now if could only get the Yankees to be as hip, I think we're all pretty tired of Cotton Eyed Joe and the YMCA by now.

Fillmore At The Fillmore

I guess changing your name to The Fillmore New York At Irving Plaza (on 13th Street on the South West corner) does have some perks, as the venue will be screening Fillmore: The Last Days of the Closing of the Fillmore Auditorium, 1972 - which has only been screened once since it's initial theatrical run. Here's the full story from Jambands.com....

New York’s Irving Plaza is one of a handful of venues across the country to be recently be branded the Fillmore. And, on June 12, the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza will look back at its predecessor, the Fillmore West, through a the rare showing of the film Fillmore, The Last Days of the Closing of the Fillmore Auditorium, 1972. The event, which is produced by the Bill Graham Foundation in association with The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, has only been shows once publicly since its original theatre run. The occasion will include a memorabilia silent auction, after party dancing and a light show by the Fillmore’s famed J.O.E.

The documentary, which was shot during the weeks leading up to the closing of San Francisco’s Fillmore West in 1971, features performances by a number of seminal groups, including Santana, Grateful Dead, Boz Scaggs, Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane, Elvin Bishop, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Beautiful Day, among others. The film also offers a look at Graham himself through interviews and rare backstage footage. The June 12 benefit will also feature commentary by Director Ely Bleich, as well as original staff from the Fillmore East and West. As is Fillmore tradition, a commemorative poster has been commissioned for the event.


Good stuff, I think I might have to check this out.

Music Video Mondays

Don't know a lot about the much buzzed Tokyo Police Club, but loved their video for "Cheer It On"....



Haven't seen a video involving children's toys this good since "Fell In Love With A Girl".

Blind Faith Reunion

Head on over to Hidden Track for a post on last night's partial reunion of '60s supergroup Blind Faith. Check out here, which includes YouTube links to the performances.

So not to steal their thunder here's some vintage Blind Faith with "Can't Find My Way Home" off thier recently release live DVD London Hyde Park 1969 - which I clearly need to purchase....

M. Ward & Friends On Conan

As promised here's the M. Ward performance from the other night with Jim James and Neko Case - it's a must watch, enjoy.....

Bloggy Goodness

Here's what other people have going on....

Dave The Butcher caught Kings of Leon the other night in Cincinnati - check out his review of the festivities here.

Apostle of Hustle is doing a residency in Chicago (as well as New York) this June. Justin at Live Music Blog is "beyond excited" and offers up an MP3 of their song "National Anthem of Nowhere" - head here.

CSVMIAD thinks you should pick up the newly released Rufus Wainwright album Release The Stars - check out their thoughts on it here.

Have you been over to Partyin' Peeps yet? They've been doing a weekly series called WeTube Wednesdays - this week they're featuring a version of "Plane Crash" from moe.'s recent 5 night run at the Highline Ballroom - here.

The Weight Staff (like myself) attended the Arctic Monkeys show earlier this week at the Hammerstein Ballroom - read their review here.

Rob Sheffield's Love Is A Mix Tape knocked Heather's socks off - check out her thoughts on the book as well as a mix she's complied from the songs mentioned in the book, great work! Check that out here.

And as always head over to Hidden Track for their great weekly features - Friday Mix Tape, The B List, Grousing The Aisles and the now daily Pullin' Tubes.

M. Ward All Stars

Anyone else out there catch the indie-rock all-star band M. Ward recruited for his performance of "Chinese Translation" on Conan last night? Matt was joined by none other than Jim James (who now has a buzz cut) and Neko Case - this could be my dream band. Hopefully some video will surface today - I watched it twice this morning before heading off to work and it was simply fantastic.

In the meantime you can just watch the video instead....

Pool Parties Return!

On the heels of the announcement of the lineup for Siren Fest comes the initial list of dates and bands for jellyNYC's Pool Parties - which will once again be returning the McCarren Pool. Check out what they've got so far (lots of spaces to filled in) - via Brooklyn Vegan.....

June 24
Superchunck
Oakley Hall
Special guest

JULY 1
MAN MAN
Dengue Fever
Illinois

JULY 8
OCTOPUS PROJECT
ERASE ERRATA
Dan Deacon

JULY 15
Details coming soon!

JULY 22
Details coming soon!

JULY 29
Details coming soon!

AUGUST 5
BLONDE REDHEAD
I’m From Barcelona
Special guest

AUGUST 12
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
The Thermals
Birds of Avalon

AUGUST 19
Ghostland Observatory
Plus special guests

As with last year all these shows are FREE. Hopefully I'll make it out there one of them this year, paid for a couple of shows there last summer and loved the space.

MTV Trying To Connect With People Other Then Teenage Girls

I rarely if ever turn on MTV these days, but when I do it's usually to catch the brilliantly funny at times show Human Giant. In an effort to connect to an audience other then 16 year old girls, the folks over at MTV are handing the channel (as well as MTV2) over the Paul, Rob and Aziz for 24 hours starting this Friday at noon to do with it what they please - read about it here.

As of now they've lined up some great guests as well as getting a bunch of bands to perform too - Tapes 'N Tapes, Tegan & Sara and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, so be sure to tune it in from time to time over the course of their stay should make for some interesting television.

Check out their spoof on To Catch A Predator.....



For more on Human Giant head over to their blog and be there friend on MySpace.

Siren Fest Lineup

The initial lineup for the 7th Annual Village Voice Siren Festival has been announced and it's quite good.....

New York Dolls
We Are Scientists
Matt And Kim
The Black Lips
Dr. Dog
Lavender Diamond
Noisettes
The Detroit Cobras
Elvis Perkins
The Twilight Sad

Unfortunately I'll be at a wedding that day and will be missing out on the festivities - which are FREE, so no excuses if you don't go. Lots of people are speculating that this may be the last year for the event out in Coney Island with the demise of Astroland, though don't worry the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel aren't going anywhere.

Rehab Is The New Crazy

Remember last summer when it was hip to cover "Crazy" (here, here, etc.) . Well I'm officially declaring Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" as the new "Crazy" for the summer of '07. First up on the bandwagon Paolo Nutini, check out his version....



So sit tight and we'll see if my prediction comes true.

Something Else

Despite the lack of anymore big name additions to Bonnaroo, (seriously anything at this point for me would just be gravy) they have just announced this....

We are proud to announce that have teamed up with Blue Note Records to present Somethin’ Else, a dedicated Jazz club curated by Blue Note Records.

The first event of its kind, Somethin’ Else aims to create an authentic Jazz club atmosphere in the middle of the largest outdoor rock festival in the United States, and to introduce the Bonnaroo audience to Jazz through live performances by legendary and up-and-coming artists, panel discussions about Jazz History, and exhibits of classic Blue Note Records photography and album artwork.

The legendary jazz label along with festival organizers selected an outstanding line-up from the Blue Note Records artist roster and beyond. Performers will include legendary artists such as saxophonist Lou Donaldson and Hammond B3 organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, established artists such as pianist Jacky Terrasson, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, clarinetist Don Byron, and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, up-and-comers such as pianist Robert Glasper and guitarist Lionel Loueke, and crossover artists such as the Scott Amendola Band featuring Nels Cline, Stanton Moore, Billy Martin and John Medeski, and The Philadelphia Experiment.

DownBeat magazine will also present afternoon panel discussions on the Somethin’ Else stage in between music sets on June 15 and 16, with various prominent musicians from the Jazz world and beyond discussing the music and its legendary figures, including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and John Coltrane.

The Somethin’ Else, which will be designed to resemble a downtown New York City Jazz club, will be housed in an air-conditioned tent with table seating and bar-service for patrons. The tent will be decorated with the classic Blue Note Records photography of Francis Wolff and album artwork of Reid Miles.

SOMETHIN’ ELSE 2007 LINE-UP:

SCOTT AMENDOLA BAND FEAT. NELS CLINE
DON BYRON PLAYS JUNIOR WALKER FEAT. CHRIS THOMAS KING
RAVI COLTRANE QUARTET
LOU DONALDSON & DR. LONNIE SMITH QUARTET
ROBERT GLASPER TRIO
STEFON HARRIS & BLACKOUT
LIONEL LOUEKE
MAGO FEAT. BILLY MARTIN & JOHN MEDESKI
STANTON MOORE TRIO
DAVID MURRAY QUARTET
THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT
JACKY TERRASSON TRIO
DOUG WAMBLE TRIO

The idea of a jazz club tent with table service in the middle of a rock festival is just amazing - where do I get in line.

For more on who's playing head on over to my Bonnawho's Who site.

I Love Tuesdays

Only one purchase this week, and I'm sure you can guess what it is.....

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Ryan's Reckoning

While Ryan Adams new album Easy Tiger is still about a month away from release that hasn't stopped Rock Daily from claiming it his best work since Heartbreaker - check out their preview here.

It also seems as if Ryan hasn't shaken his affinity for the Grateful Dead, check out this excerpt from his recent website ramblings....

Gotta say that the new tunes are feelin real sweeeeet at rehearsal. We (the cardinals) have worked up an entirely new set list of never before heard tunes (with the new ET tunes) for our new set up, which is more or less based on the GD "reckoning" set up- (me and neal on acoustics- JG on a single steel, B on his awesome new compact drum kit percussion thing (its actually the size of a small boat considering he is 7 ft 16) SWolf on the hollybody and our friend producer and sepcialist Jamie on piano (really great vibe having Jamie rocking that with us- totally awesome having him in the fold). Jamie likes italian food and his turn on's are sky-diving, undersea exploration and map collecting. he is an aquarius with some capricorn and virgo on his brother randy's side.

Sounds good to me, can't wait to hear the new album and for the rumored fall tour. Check out this live performance of "Goodnight Rose" (which appears on the new album) from his appearance on the Henry Rollins show.

Still hoping that Ryan is a late addition for the 'Roo, but he would just be gravy for me at this point.

Do The Right Thing

Wilco is asking you (quite politely) to go buy their new album - which hit stores tomorrow....

Greetings to you all from the east coast branch -- where we've been burning the midnight oil for months getting ready for May 15. And it is finally upon us.

By now, you know that next week is the official release date of Wilco's 7th album (or 9th depending on how you count). Hence the slightly serious tone of this note. Tuesday, to be precise, marks the US release of Sky Blue Sky on Nonesuch Records. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the on-demand stream, by all means click here and take it for a spin. We're pretty sure you'll enjoy the ride.

But once you've done that we hope you'll take a moment to reflect (see, I told you this was serious) on how this dynamic has worked over the years -- the dynamic between us and you. We (and this "we" means the band, first and foremost) expend a lot of time, energy and other resources trying to make this something you are not just a witness to, but a participant in and we genuinely hope you can feel that.

We've been asked many times if we'd consider changing the way we do things, usually by people who are convinced we'd be more successful if we did. And either out of stubbornness or something else, we keep refusing. Instead, we just do what we do and somehow it all works. We continue to make lots of music available free to all in the road case, continue to allow taping/photos at shows, and basically just try to keep the things we do charge for of a quality that make you feel like you got a bargain. You know, mutual respect and all that. We like the way it works... a lot. We really do believe in trying to keep as much of it as free and open as is humanly possible. That seems pretty obvious... but somehow it remains a slight novelty in the modern day music business. So much so that people continually mention it in their stories when they write or speak about the band or the somewhat sad state of the music business.

Anyway, what we're getting at here is that right now we need you to participate in a way that is part of what has made this nice little story work. We're actually asking you to please go out next week and do the right thing for Wilco. That is, vote with your feet and prove the band's faith well-placed and buy the record. It's available from Tuesday at all kinds of retailers everywhere. Ask for it by name. It's also available here, and for those of you who are more digitally inclined, here.

Okay, enough campaign speeches. You get the message. And we trust that you'll act on it as you always have.

So do Jeff a solid tomorrow and go pick it up. I think it's a quite good album, but seems like critics will be giving a lot of mixed reviews - Rolling Stone gave it 4 Out of 5 Stars (Rob Sheffield mentions about 50 different bands in the review) while Pitchfork gave it a pretty modest 5.2 Rating.

Buy Sky Blue Sky here.

Also Jeff's mug graces the cover of the May/June issue of Relix which is on newsstands now.

Finally Your Chance To See Grace Potter In A Bikini

Here's the first of a few news items from last week that I meant to post about. The initial line-up for Jam Cruise 6 has been revealed, take a look....

Warren Haynes, funky METERS, Yonder Mountain String Band, Galactic, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Dark Star Orchestra, Soulive, An Everyone Orchestra line-up that includes Matt Butler, Jon Fishman, Steve Kimock and Jeff Coffin, Perpetual Groove, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Toots & the Maytals, Karl Denson, New Monsoon, Toubab Krewe, The Motet, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Lotus and DJ Harry

Judging by the quote below from a review on HT last week I think a lot of guys out there will be enticed into buying a ticket for this just for the idea of maybe getting to see Grace Potter sitting poolside in a bikini....

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that Grace Potter and the Nocturnals played in between Tea Leaf Green and the Neville Brothers. All I can say is that I want to fuck her and her talent really bad — yeah, that’s pretty much my review of her set. I came away extremely impressed by her, but is it possible for a heterosexual male to leave her show and not feel that impulse?"

While the pre-booking is over, public on-sale date is June 6th - for more info head here.

Music Video Mondays

I've been really ignoring my duties here of late, promise more posts this week. But first things, first let's start the week off right with some music and by also giving a plug to my friend's band The Affair. Their debut album Yes Yes To You got a 7.0 from the Pitchfork last week, so without further ado here they are with "Honey"....

Music Video Mondays

Let's go with one by The Features today. Caught part of these guys set when they opened for Kings Of Leon back in '04 at the Bowery, bought their CD and loved it then they sort of seem to disappear (at least for me). Well they are now back on tour with KOL and have a new EP out (ok it's been out for awhile, but I'm just finding out about it) called Contrast - which I plan on picking up today. Here's "The Way It Meant To Be" off their debut Exhibit A.....

Help On The Way

Read about it here.

Grateful Dead - "Help On The Way" - 1990-03-24

Kielbasa, Perogies & Wilco

As it seemed to be rumored a few weeks back when tickets went on-sale for their Hammerstein show, Wilco is indeed playing a show out in Brooklyn the next night. The obvious choice of venues pointed towards McCarren Pool, but instead it's going to be the bit more intimate Polish National Home/rock club Warsaw. Here's the ticket info....

WILCO Pre-Sale begins Wednesday, May 9 at 10 a.m. EDT. Click here for more info. 2 Ticket Limit.

Public On Sale begins Saturday, May 12 at 1 p.m. at the Warsaw and Irving Plaza Box Offices Only.

YOU MUST HAVE PHOTO ID TO PURCHASE TICKETS. AND MUST PRESENT THAT SAME ID AT THE DOOR.

2 TICKET LIMIT - CASH ONLY

Good luck in getting ticket, and don't forget Sky Blue Sky hits stores on May 15th.

New York City I'm Coming Home Again.....

For those of you that are headed the moe. show Thursday night at the newly opened Highline Ballroom couple news items for you. First up the band will be offering direct soundboard patches on a first come, first serve basis - no special ticket is required. Secondly the band will be appearing at a LIFEbeat after party at the Cutting Room that night after the show. Tickets are on-sale now and are only ten bucks! Not sure if this means that band will performing or what - I'm guessing so, but for ten bucks it's a great cause and a chance to possibly see the band in very intimate setting.

I'm hitting the show on Saturday night - looking forward to seeing them after the so-so show that I saw at Irving Plaza back in December.

Here's a few recent shows for your downloading pleasure....

moe. - 2007-04-22 - Shibuya AX, Shibuya-ku - Tokyo, Japan

moe. - 2007-03-13 - Hal & Mal's - Jackson, MS

moe. - 2007-03-03 - The Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA

Also couldn't resist giving you their ode to my hometown, as they set-up residence here for 5 nights.....

I Love Tuesdays

Here are the purchases for the week....

Feist - The Reminder

BRMC - Baby 81