If you’re here, you love music. And if you love music, you should be on LastFM - a free social music networking site. Especially with this morning’s news…

LastFM, which CBS bought last year, just announced a major deal with all four major labels, and thousands of indie labels, that will allow you - the music fan - to go to LastFM, and listen to any song you want, in its entirety. Pretty sweet, if you ask me.

Okay, so what is LastFM? What all does it do? I turned a few friends on to it over the last few months who had never heard of it, so there are probably bunches of you fine people out there who don’t know about LastFM. So here goes…

The first thing you want to do is sign up for LastFM. It’s free.

The next thing you’ll want to do is download their software (PC or Mac, it doesn’t matter). What the software does is it ties in to your music player, whether it’s iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player, whatever - and keeps track of the music you listen to.

When you go to your profile page, you’ll find “charts” of the music you’ve been listening to, your top artists, your top songs, etc. Pretty sweet in itself. But that’s just the beginning. This is where the networking part comes in to the picture. Based on what you’re listening to, it shows you other LastFM members with similar interests, and displays them as your “Neighbors”. You can check out their profile pages to see what they’re listening to. You can send them invitations to be your “Friend” too. Friends can send recommendations to other friends, send private messages, etc.

Then there’s the Recommendations feature. By just typing in an artist, LastFM will start playing full tunes of similar artists - a great way to discover new music. It’s pretty sweet. I know this sounds like an advertisement, but it’s not. I’m a music GEEK, and this is music geek heaven, in my opinion. And now that they’ve made a deal with virtually the entire music industry (refreshing to see), this takes LastFM to another level.

Just think, any song you want to hear - in its entirety - for free. I am GEEEKED!

So check out my LastFM presence. If you sign up, send me a friend invitation. The more, the merrier!

Pete’s LastFM Page

That was my LastFM pitch.

Next Up: I have a ton of friends who still visit web sites one by one to check them out. This cannot stand! So coming soon… “Bloglines, Google Reader, and RSS Feeds: Get Fed!” or “You Still Check out Web Sites One by One? WTF?”

Miscellaneous

Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Write a Year-End Best of Column

I’ll be honest, the thought of figuring out a ‘Top 10’ for the year is far more daunting a task than I had imagined. So much so that I found it difficult to pare down the list to ten. Why is it always the top 10, anyway? In the spirit of non-conformity and as a big nudge to ‘the man’ here’s my ‘Year in (Ick)Music’

Before we get started, I’d like to note that both Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen are not on my 2007 list as I obtained copies of the UK release of both Back to Black and Alright, Still in 2006. While they certainly got tons of play in 2007 they remain last year’s news to my ears.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, here’s…

Michael’s Year in (Ick)Music: 2007

Songs of the Year:

1. “F.U.N.K.”, by Prince - What “Chelsea Rodgers” should have been this is the funkiest track that His Royal Badness has graced us with in years. Hell, I don’t even care about the circumstances that it was released under. Here’s hoping that it’s not just another tease.

2. “No One Is Gonna Love you”, by Band of Horses – There is something so decidedly simple and beautiful about this tune. Ben Bridwell delivers the lyrics with such heartbreaking, self effacing honesty that you almost feel wrong for listening to his tortured soul.

3. “Just Fine”, by Mary J. Blige – This one snuck in at the close of the year. I’ll tell you that the first time I heard this I listened to it at least three times. Something about the lyrics really just grabbed me. This is a different Mary than we’ve seen in years and it’s a great to hear her belting out an upbeat track.

So I like what I see when I’m looking at me
When I’m walking past the mirror
Don’t stress through the night, at a time in my life
Ain’t worried about if you feel it
Got my head on straight, I got my vibe right
I aint gonna let you kill it
You see I wouldn’t change my life, my life’s just Fine…

4. “Good Life”, by Kanye West featuring T-Pain – Not many artists can get away with releasing three singles within a few weeks of each other and have them all blow up the way the first three tracks from Kanye’s Graduation did. And while I cringe at almost everything that has the tag “featuring T-Pain” this was the exception. It’s hip-pop at it’s best. And I’d be remiss if I did not give you guys the video. These are the type of videos that make me actually miss when MTV showed videos.

Cover Songs of the Year:

1. “Don’t Stop Believing”, by Petra Haden – This is an easy one. Take a beloved song that’s inclusion in the closing scene of “The Soprano’s” put it back in the hearts and minds of just about everyone and add the ethereal voice of Petra Haden and you’ve got a masterpiece.

As a bonus, this video is too good to not share

2. “Valerie”, by Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse – Nearly every track on Ronson’s solo debut is a smash, but this track stands head and shoulders above the rest.

3. “Hard Sun”, by Eddie Vedder – Though it stands on this list as the cover that almost no one knows is a cover, this track shows the power of Eddie’s voice.

Albums of the Year:

1. Cease to Begin, by Band of Horses

2. In Rainbows, by Radiohead

3. 100 Days, 100 Nights, by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings

4. Planet Earth, by Prince

5. Magic, by Bruce Springsteen

Honorary Mention: Finding Forever, by Common; Graduation, by Kanye West; Chase This Light, by Jimmy Eat World; Kala, by M.I.A.; Version, by Mark Ronson; Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, by The Foo Fighters; Sky Blue Sky, by Wilco.

Underground Hip-Hop Double Blast of the Year:

Ahead of the Curve, by Lateef & Z-Trip

From the Corner to the Block, by Galactic

Pete and I both fell upon the Lateef & Z-Trip release around the same time and he beat me to the punch featuring them here. Between that and the stellar release of the jam-band favorites Galactic (featuring many of the underground hip-hop communities finest) my faith in Hip-Hop was well and alive.

Best Live Show of the Year:

Dave Matthews Band at New England Dodge Music Center, August 4^th. – The wife and I make a yearly pilgrimage to see Dave and the boys and I’m not sure if it was the great seats or the overall vibe of the show but it was the best since MSG in Dec of 2002 (when the Godfather of Soul, James Brown joined the band for a 15 minute jam on “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine”).

Best New (to me) Artists

Alice Smith – I foresee her blowing up in 2008. With her soulful yet rocking tunes she’s sure to win over fans.

Amel Larrieux – I had loved Groove Theory and a last.fm friend pointed me towards he solo releases and I’ve since become a full on advocate.

The Brothers Johnson – One of two (realated) ‘digging in the crates’ finds for 2007, this act lays down some of the funkiest grooves ever committed to tape.

Saul Williams – I had heard his name before but never had the opportunity to listen and with the free release of “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!” I’ve become an instant fan. I’d highly suggest everyone taking the chance to listen as it’s still a free download.

Shuggie Otis – As Pete said in a previous post, this is like “Prince 1.0”. Shuggie not only displays great musicianship and songwriting but he is one of the more underrated guitarists of the last few decades.

In Conclusion

As Pete said in conclusion of his year in review, I can’t wait to hear what 2008 has in store and look forward to sharing it with you.

Happy New Year!

Miscellaneous

I know you’re probably all sick of the obligatory year end list mania sweeping the interwebs, but indulge me, if you will, as I throw in a few favorites myself. I give you….

Pete’s Year in (Ick)Music: 2007

Songs of the Year:

1. “Intervention”, by Arcade Fire – Win Butler and his band of gypsy maniacs known as Arcade Fire rocked my soul with this song. I had the heard the song in earlier incarnations, specifically on one of AF’s Morning Becomes Eclectic appearances. But it was after Neon Bible was released, when I was on a run with the iPod, when this song raised the hairs on my arms, brought tears to my eyes, and zapped me with an extra dose of adrenaline. In my opinion, “Intervention” is an epic masterpiece, joining songs like “Purple Rain”, “Thunder Road”, “London’s Burning”, and Steve Earle’s “Goodbye” on my mantle of all time favorites. The church organ, the lamenting lyrics that spotlight the brave and innocent soldier stuck in a unnecessary war:

“I can taste the fear
Lift me up and take me out of here
Don’t wanna fight, don’t wanna die
Just wanna hear you cry.”

“Intervention”s lyrics are a bitter reminder of our current leadership here in the U.S - an administration that continues to take a giant dump on a lot of the ideals of our forefathers. As of this writing, there are 390 days left of this god-awful president and his gang of deceivers. The door’s over there, fellas - don’t let it hit you in the ass.

Cheers to Win Butler and Arcade Fire.

2. “F.U.N.K.”, by Prince – Who knew? He still has it in him. All it took was a little passion and anger to get a great song out of him. Too bad his ire is directed at his most passionate fans – those who have carried him through his career. Finally, we get inspired, funky, creative Prince. Whatever it takes, I guess!

3. “City of Immigrants”, by Steve Earle

Though it’s still hard to adjust to the latest live incarnation of Mr. Earle (Steve, a guitar, two turntables and a DJ), he released a very solid album this year - Washington Square Serenade - and to me, this track stands out from the rest. NYC / Brazilian group Forro in the Dark back Steve up in this spirited homage to New York City’s immigrant roots. Steve’s delightfully upbeat mandolin playing, Forro’s Brazilian percussion, and the sweet backing vocals of Allison Moorer make this one of my favorites of the year.

It’s worth watching the Letterman performance of it too…

Albums of the Year:

1. Magic, by Bruce Springsteen

Refreshing. Like opening the windows on a cool, sunny morning. The man just has it, doesn’t he? His talent at songwriting and tunesmithing (not to mention performing) leaves me in awe. Bruce’s tip o’ the hat to Brian Wilson and sixties pop, “Girls in Their Summer Clothes”, leads the charge for me. But there is no shortage of excellent songs on this one: “Gypsy Biker”, “Long Walk Home”, and “Livin’ in the Future” to name a few. Now if only Bruce would book a date in Phoenix on his early 2008 tour. Still nothing, and it’s killin’ me!

2. Sky Blue Sky, by Wilco

This album reached out to the mellow, country-rock side of me, and wrapped its arms around me. I’ve enjoyed all of Wilco’s albums (particularly from 1999’s Summerteeth on) for their spontaneity and originality. You just never know where they’re going to head next. When I threw on Sky Blue Sky, it immediately connected, right from the opening notes of “Either Way”. It’s the opening salvo of songs 1 through 4 that move me the most: “Either Way”, “You Are My Face” (can there be a cooler song title?), “Impossible Germany”, and the title track. I could listen to Jeff Tweedy sing the phone book. His scratchy, smoke & whiskey-soaked voice makes jeff one of my favorite vocalists around.

Disappointment of the Year:

Planet Earth, by Prince

No one wants a great Prince album more than me. Every year I hope I’m going to hear it, but once again, Prince underwhelmed. Songs like “The One U Wanna C” and “Somewhere Here on Earth” were the highlights for me, and gave me some hope. But duds like “Mr. Goodnight”, “Lion of Judah”, “Resolution” and the title track pollute Planet Earth enough to make Al Gore pitch a huge hissy fit. And the song that had the highest funky Prince potential - “Chelsea Rogers” - is marred by Shelby J.’s mic-hogging, with Prince’s vocals just a footnote in the background.

The Throwing It All Away Award of the Year:

Amy Winehouse.

I discovered Amy’s music back in February when I heard the retro, soulful, yet still modern “Rehab” of hers. Then I picked up Back to Black. What a VOICE! Effortless and so rich with soul. Then it soon became apparent how troubled she was (and is). Her demons & addictions (and those ratty old ballerina slippers she insists on wearing) have been all over the tabloids and gossip web sites this year. Surrounding herself with folks like her hubby Blake Fielder Civil and chronic fuck-up Pete Doherty don’t bode well for her future. Of course Blake is locked up now for the foreseeable future, but it doesn’t look like she’s using it as an opportunity to straighten herself out.

Back to Black was recently nominated for six Grammy awards. We’ll see if she even turns up for the ceremony (by the way - Year 2 of Ickmusic Live Blogging the Grammy’s, comin’ up!). You can’t help but pull for her, though. So much talent. Get it together, Amy!

Underground Hip-Hop Double Blast of the Year:

Ahead of the Curve, by Lateef & Z-Trip

Rise Up, by Zeph & Azeem

These two joints were a breath of old school fresh air to my hip-hop starved lungs. If you’re looking for something - anything - to prove to you that real hip-hop is alive & well, pick up these two albums now.

Lateef & Z-Trip - “Get Down” (DJ Zeph Remix)

Zeph & Azeem - “That Type of Music”

Best Live Show of the Year: Arcade Fire at Austin City Limits Music Festival, September 15th. 90 minutes of adrenaline-filled bliss for me. They are one of a kind: inspiring, energetic, and grandiose. Like I’ve said before, there’s something powerful about Win Butler’s stage presence and charisma. The defining moment of this show was their encore finale, “Wake Up”… a sea of humanity singing along with the band, a collective of goosebump-filled arms raised in the air. To me, Arcade Fire are one of the defining bands of our generation. There’s something very special about these guys & gals.

Best New (to me) Artists

Music is all about discovery for me. Often times I don’t pick up on an artist until well into their career. Here are a few that I came across this year - some who have been around a while, others who haven’t.

Aceyalone - Acey has been a fixture on the LA underground hip-hop scene for years. I was finally brought into his world through his reggae/hip-hop album Lightning Strikes.

The Avett Brothers - These guys hail from Concord, North Carolina, and knocked me out with this year’s album, Emotionalism. Cool neo-bluegrass folksy sounds come out of this trio’s guitar, banjo and stand-up bass.

“Die Die Die”

Brett Dennen - Five words: “There Is So Much More”

British Sea Power - This powerful foursome from Brighton, England pushed me on a recent 10k race. I look forward to hearing a lot more, and seeing them when they come to town.

Cat Power - Thanks to an Austin City Limits TV performance, I have been turned on to Chan Marshall - aka Cat Power. Amazing singer, and completely and utterly unique. I’m loving this girl.

“Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” (from the soundtrack to I’m Not There)

Look out in early ‘08 for her latest album of covers, called Jukebox (click the cover to find out more)…

Damien Rice - One song sucked me in: “The Blower’s Daughter”. It led me to his two great studio albums, O and 9. Irish singing / songwriting at its finest.

The Felice Brothers - I first heard these guys on Vin Scelsa’s Sirius radio show. 21st century Dylan/Springsteen hybrids from the Catskills.

Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts - Catchy hooks and melodies, a smoking hot bass player. What’s not to like?

“Spacemen”

==========

So what will 2008 bring? No idea, but I look forward to finding out. Don’t be shy about sharing your favorites with me. I’m always interested in quality tunes, wherever and whenever they may come from. Drop me a line, or join my new forum.

Miscellaneous

Folks, my hosting plan renews on the 14th of this month, and - wellll - I could use some help. This is my first ever plea - if any of you have a few dollars you can kick in to help with the costs associated with running ol’ Ickmusic, I certainly would appreciate it. You can donate whatever you wish through this Paypal link.

So here are some classic Temps to sing me out of this one… Thanks everybody!

Miscellaneous

In April, I turned into an Apple guy when I bought a new iMac. I also have my iPod, and, as of a few weeks ago, an iPhone (can you say L-o-v-e?). So call me heavily biased in favor of Jobs & Co.

So next week, Microsoft will release 2 new models of their media player, the Zune. One is the 80 GB player, “available in any color you want, as long as it’s black *“. Haha - love that. The other is a flash based model with less space - either 4gb or 8gb. Zune has the capability to wirelessly share music with other Zune users - though they are limited to 3 plays of the song. And starting next week, Zune users will be able to wirelessly synch with their PC. Lots of other features too…

But the point of this post is this: I have never ever met anyone with a Zune. I haven’t even seen one. So I pose these questions to you guys and gals…

Is there anyone out there who has a Zune?
Or do you know anyone who has a Zune?
Or are you like me: iPods rule the roost among your family, friends, and co-workers.

Just curious.

Miscellaneous

With the cancellation of the White Stripes, Saturday’s headliner, many called this the weakest day of the festival lineup-wise. But for me, it turned out to be my favorite. Here’s why:

Raul Malo - What can be said about Raul Malo, other than he has the voice from the heavens and could sing the phone book and it would sound great. The former singer for the Mavericks kicked off the early afternoon with a fantastic set at the Dell stage, peppering in Mavericks classics like the barnburner “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” and “Dance the Night Away”, with the steamy Latin love song “Besame Mucho”, a cover of Dwight Yoakam’s “It Only Hurts Me When I Cry”, and the mambo classic “Sway”.

One of the great things about seeing Raul Malo live is his sunny disposition. The guy seems to always be in a great mood on stage, and it’s rare not to see that beaming smile throughout his set. He has a way of putting the audience in a good place, and that good nature comes through in his music. Dammit I feel all warm and fuzzy just talking about it.

Here’s some sweet vid I shot of Raul and band doing “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down”:

Watch an interview of Raul at the ACL festival.

Steve Earle - Having been tuned into Steve Earle’s new album with Dust Brother producer John King, I wasn’t surprised to see a couple of mic stands and a DJ rig set up for Steve’s ACL set. But it was a sight that probably made a few people go “hmmm.” The first few songs were just Steve and his gee-tars. He walked out and told his Townes Van Zandt / Amigo the Horse / Crested Butte story that prefaced Townes’ “Rex’s Blues” into “Fort Worth Blues”. Then he reached back to “Tom Ames Prayer”, “Rich Man’s War”, and “Copperhead Road”.

THEN, up crept DJ Neil, who laid down a funky lil’ beat which led into “Tennessee Blues”. I was front and center, and I heard some laughter and sounds of surprise from a lot of the crowd as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing: not Steve Earle & the Dukes, or Steve Earle solo, or Steve and the Del McCoury Band, but Steve Earle and a DJ. Two turntables and an acoustic guitar? Damn straight!

The Steve-DJ Neil portion of the set was dedicated solely to Steve’s new material from Washington Square Serenade (out September 25th). He played 8 of the 12 songs from the album. His wife Alison Moorer came out for a few songs (”Down Here Below”, “City of Immigrants”, and “Days Aren’t Long Enough”), looking radiant in green…

When the set ended, and we were shuffling off to the next stage, I overheard a young lady say “That was weird.” I don’t think she meant it in a good way. For me, it’s the weirdness and unpredictability that attracts me to artists like Steve Earle, and I know a lot of people agreed with me on that day. It’s the courage to try something new, instead of sticking with the same formula. The same courage that inspired Bruce to release Tunnel of Love after Born in the U.S.A. (or head off on tour with the Seeger Sessions Band), or Prince to follow Purple Rain with Around the World in a Day. It may shake off some fans, but those of us who are interested in following artists along on their journey - wherever they may go - are in for a thrill.

Steve Earle carries himself like he’s sporting a perpetual middle finger to “what’s expected” of someone. Watching him strum along with the manufactured beats and samples of the DJ certainly was different than my past Steve Earle experiences, but was a lot of fun to watch. I caught a couple of moments where Steve and DJ Neil were interacting, and you could sense genuine happiness on Steve’s face - the joy of kicking down the walls and trying something completely new. Keep on going, Steve - I’ll be following along.

Set List

1. Story About Townes Van Zandt
2. Rex’s Blues
3. Ft.Worth Blues
4. Tom Ames’Prayer
5. Rich Man’s War
6. Transcendental Blues
7. Copperhead Road
8. Intro
9. Tennessee Blues#
10. Satellite Radio#
11. Oxycontin Blues#
12. Down Here Below#*
13. City Of Immigrants#*
14. Days Aren’t Long Enough*
15. Steve’s Hammer#
16. Way Down In The Hole#

# w/ Neil McDonald a.k.a “DJ Duke”
* w/ Alison Moorer

Youtube snippet from ACL | Another one

Beausoleil - I regret not being better positioned for the Beausoleil set. We were off to the side, just far enough to miss out on the full Beausoleil experience. But we treated to some great traditional Cajun sounds, with leader Michael Doucet’s great voice and fiddle playing. I need to see them when they pass through Phoenix, but like a lot of the bands and artists I admire, Phoenix isn’t part of the tour itinerary. I think I need to be a promoter and pull in some of these acts. No Wilco? No Arcade Fire? No Beausoleil? And I could go on and on. I guess it has to do with the local radio market too, which is saturated with your run of the mill country, classic rock, “lite” jazz, and talk stations. And people are satisfied with this? Blechh… sometimes I feel like I live in a town with no fucking soul. I guess I feel especially sensitive to this right now because I just returned from Austin. But it’s always there. Of course, I’ve chosen to live out in suburbia in the land of cookie cutter houses, SUV’s, everybody and their uncle on their damn cell phones all the time (talking to their little bluetooth headsets), no sense of community. Did I say blechh? Let me say it again: blechh.

Arctic Monkeys - These Brits are a favorite of the music critics out there, and there are a lot of devoted fans - probably a lot of you - but they didn’t click with me. I can appreciate and admire the energy and creativity with their Brit-pop-rock-punk stylings, but I need a melody. I wasn’t hearing one. Not that they’re pitted against each other, but gimme Kaiser Chiefs!

Youtube snippet from ACL.

Arcade Fire - Many people have asked about who I enjoyed most at ACL. “Arcade Fire” is my answer. It’s often followed by “Arcade who?” or “What kind of music do they play?”. I never know how to answer the “what kind of music” question. That’s why I struggle with reviewing records. It seems in order to write an accurate review, you have to pigeonhole artists into categories. I’m guilty of it by lumping every post of mine into genre categories. But I hate to define music. It’s so subjective. And people like me who appreciate every kind of music under the sun have a hard time putting it to words. “What kind of music do you listen to, Pete?” - Um, everything?

So how to answer the Arcade Fire question? I try with words like gypsy rock, high energy, Montreal, indie, Epic (with a capital E)…. does that do it justice? No. For one person, I pulled out my iPod and had her listen to “Intervention”. That’s Arcade Fire.

Ever since I first heard “Old Flame” about three years ago, I’ve chomped at the bit to see Arcade Fire live. Win Butler’s amazing vocals and the unique instrumentation promised for a great live experience. And great it was. We weren’t too far from the stage at all - a little to the front and left of the soundboard. We were in a sea of people with not too much room to move (my bro wasn’t too fond of the sixty-something, writhing hippie with an affinity for pouring water on his head to cool off). But when the music started, it turned into an intimate, communal experience.

They’re a seven piece ensemble. And they’re not the reserved bunch. Richard Parry flails around like a wild banshee, banging drums, crashing cymbals, and I think I saw him hitting a motorcycle helmet with wild abandon. Régine Chassagne, Win’s wife, played some wild looking instrument with a crank, played keyboards, played drums, and acted out lyrics at different times. Holding them all together is Win Butler. There’s something about the guy. I don’t know, some sort of wise and spiritual aura. Whatever it is, I can’t get enough of his voice.

My highlight was “Intervention”, which has to be my favorite song of the year. Goosebumps.

And the communal craziness of their encore, “Wake Up”, is evident here:

But enough of my yakkin’, you can download the show here.

Thanks to the boys at Hidden Track for hipping me to the ACL Downloads Page at Largehearted Boy .

Miscellaneous ACL Festival, Raul Malo, Steve Earle

Here’s a brief recap of my first day at ACL: Friday, September 14th….

Jesse Malin - my bro and I walked in part way into Jesse’s set. Jesse gets instant cred in my book because he pulled the Boss in to his new album to sing “Broken Radio” with him. He’s got the east coast pure rock n’ roll vibe going, and he delivered with his set. One of those acts that I need to see in a small club. I’ll be catching him next time he hits Phoenix.

Youtube snippet from ACL.

Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts - far be it from me to be a superficial, “typical male”, but the bass player for Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts enhanced the show for me. Her name is Sybil Buck, turns out she’s a model for Yves St. Laurent, and she shakes and shimmies like she stepped out of a Robert Palmer video. The Astronauts set was a favorite of both my brother and I. Buck and the other female in the group, killer lead guitarist Jen Turner, laid down some sweet harmonies - making some of the tunes sound very ethereal and even Pixies-like at times. A great set, and it made me re-listen to their latest release, Let’s Just Be, with a new appreciation. Hail hail Joseph & the Astronauts…

Will Hoge - the mid-afternoon, post fire set by Will Hoge at the Austin Venures stage was a nice well kept secret among the throngs at the festival. A relatively small crowd got treated to some down home rock n roll, often reminiscent of the Black Crowes (at least to these ears). Hoge even busted out some trademark Chris Robinson moves at times, complete with some handclaps and mic-stand staggers. Good set.

Blonde Redhead -We only caught a couple songs before getting positioned for Crowded House, but what I did hear sounded interesting. I’ll have to dig into some of their stuff.

Youtube snippet from ACL.

Crowded House - my bro’s highlight of the weekend was seeing Crowded House, who he hadn’t seen since the early 90’s in Minneapolis. It was my first time seeing Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and the band. It was a solid, tight set that was the last of their six week North American tour. Hearing familiar tunes like “Weather With You” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over” was mighty nice.

Youtube snippet from ACL.

M.I.A. - We were stuck behind the soundboard for Maya’s packed set, so we cut it a bit short after a few songs. But I watched some video screen action of M.I.A. and her dance partner jump around to the likes of “Bucky Done Gun”, “Sunshowers”, “Boyz”, and “World Town”. I should’ve pre-positioned myself for this one, if you know what I mean (huh?)…

(photo courtesy of Mark C. Austin on Flickr)

Youtube snippet from ACL (”Bucky Done Gone”)

Spoon - okay we were about 2 football fields back and I laid down and closed my eyes for a while, then we were off to see the Kaiser Chiefs. But I did hear some cool tunes off the new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, like “The Underdog”, “Don’t You Evah” and “The Ghost of You Lingers”.

Youtube snippet from ACL.

Kaiser Chiefs - These guys tore it up. All I really needed was “I Predict a Riot”, in which lead singer Ricky Wilson scaled the scaffolding, came down, jumped around, and then proceeded to twist his ankle. That didn’t dampen his spirits though. He hopped around on one leg for the remainder of the show; a set list filled with high energy British rock from start to finish.

Reverend Horton Heat - I’ve seen the Rev a multitude of times over the years, so it wasn’t a priority to catch the whole set. But we did manage to catch the last several tunes, which gave us “Psychobilly Freakout”, “Bales of Cocaine”, “It’s Martini Time”, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, “Greensleeves”, and “Folsom Prison Blues”. It’s always good to see the Rev and his Gretsch, Jimbo and his stand up bass, and their latest drummer.

But I missed “400 Bucks“!

The Killers (from a diiistaaance) - We gave it a shot, but couldn’t get anywhere near the stage. So I can’t say I truly got to take in any of the Killers. We decided to head out.

Recaps of Days Two and Three coming soon.

Miscellaneous ACL Festival, Joseph Arthur, M.I.A., Steve Earle, Will Hoge

Well I’m back in the desert after a nice long, hot, exhausting, and thoroughly exhilarating weekend at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Crikey, do those folks at ACL know how to put on a festival… seven stages scattered throughout Zilker Park - an immense city park that accommodated 65,000 (!) of us each of the three days. The army of shuttle buses from downtown Austin to the park was a godsend - when we figured it out on the third day. For those who are curious, it takes an hour and 10 minutes to walk from Zilker Park, across Town Lake, and down Cesar Chavez Blvd. to downtown. I know from experience. Thanks to the Lavaca Street Bar for serving as a veritable oasis to me and my brother - two very sweaty & weary customers who emerged from the hot and humid Austin night. Your pitchers of Dos Equis are to be commended. Well played.

With 130 acts playing over the span of three days, it was impossible to see every act I wanted to see. Unfortunately, I missed Damien Rice, Stephen Marley, and Joss Stone - to name a few. But here’s who we did get to see over the three days.

Friday:
Jesse Malin
Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts
Will Hoge
Blonde Redhead
Crowded House
M.I.A.
Spoon
Kaiser Chiefs
Reverend Horton Heat
The Killers (from a diiistaaance)

Saturday:
Raul Malo
Steve Earle
Beausoleil
Arctic Monkeys
Arcade Fire

Sunday:
Yo La Tengo
The National
Sound Tribe Sector Nine
Ben Kweller
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Common
Lucinda Williams
Amos Lee
My Morning Jacket
Wilco
Ziggy Marley
Bob Dylan

I’ll spend some time focusing on each day over the next few posts, but here are some highlights…

BEST IN SHOW: The Arcade Fire - Win Butler and his band of crazed gypsies killed on Saturday night. Since discovering them a couple years ago, they are the one band I’ve been dying to see live. And they lived up to my high expectations. The moment for me was the emotional anti-war “Intervention“, which he dedicated to “Governor Bush”. The studio version gives me the chills every time as it is. But live, it’s taken to another level. The encore, “Wake Up”, was an amazing crowd experience, as everyone sang along to the epic “OOOOOWOOOOOO”s. It was a high energy assault on the senses, and for me, one of the best live music experiences of my life.

MIGHTY NICE TO MEET YA, v. 1: After Steve Earle’s hour long set (with his quite fetching wife Alison Moorer joining in for a couple), he headed over to the Waterloo Records tent to sign some CD’s. My brother, camera in hand, came through with what will be a prized possession of mine: me and Mr. Earle!

Steve has shaved off his long, grizzly beard that he wore for his role on The Wire, and he’s looking like one bad-ass mofo these days. I remember not too long ago that he would have been the one with the double chin. Oh how the tables have turned! (dammit Pete, no more ice cream for you!… but that Ben & Jerry’s Willie Nelson Peach Cobbler is so Good! …NO!!).

MIGHTY NICE TO MEET YA, v. 2: I had a chance to meet up with the mighty Ace Cowboy over at Hidden Track. We caught some Beausoleil, Arctic Monkeys, and Arcade Fire together (or Arcade Monkeys as we came to call them). Ace has some detailed ACL posts up. He was dedicated enough to post from the road. My lazy ass left the laptop at home. Nice to meet a fellow blogga.

MY RUNNERS UP FOR BEST SET: Steve Earle, Raul Malo, Amos Lee, Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts, and Common.

More details will emerge this week. For now, I rest!

Miscellaneous

In honor of Vinyl Record Day on Sunday (the 130th anniversary of Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph), JB over at The Hits Just Keep on Comin’ has organized a “blog swarm” of posts dedicated to the once dominant medium of vinyl records. I’m proud to be part of this swarm, so after you check out this post, be sure to click around to JB’s site for the main post, as well as the other great blogs involved (links down below).

Vinyl. LP’s. Records. Time marches on, and the music listening public at large distances themselves from the LP era, which covered the majority of the 20th century. For those of us older than, oh - let’s say 35? - a special little pocket of our music lovin’ hearts will always be reserved for vinyl records. Here are some random ramblings regarding my reverence toward the record.

First LP: As a bona fide music nerd, I can remember the very first album I ever bought. It was ZZ Top’s El Loco, which was released in November 1981. So it must have been about Christmas time when I walked into a Mankato, Minnesota mall and plopped down my hard earned allowance money for the record. The song that captured my fascination at the time, and inspired me to buy the record, was “Tube Snake Boogie”. I was 11 years old at the time, and while I didn’t know firsthand of what they were singing about, I had a pretty good idea. Having two older brothers didn’t hurt either. “I got a girl who lives on the hill, she won’t do it but her sister will.” Straight to the point.

Albums that soon followed were REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity, Foreigner 4, and the Scorpions’ Blackout.

Prince LP Mania: My vinyl collection grew significantly after September 1984, when I morphed into a Prince-loving animal. Many bus rides were taken to downtown Racine’s Mainstream Records to snatch up the latest Prince or Prince-related albums, 12″ singles, and 45’s. They’re still with me today. All of ‘em. In protective plastic wrap. I’m just waiting for the day that my daughters get old enough to start thumbing through my Prince records, and they’ll see the Lovesexy album, and turn to me with a quizzical and confused look on their faces (Lovesexy, by the way, is probably the last LP I ever bought new).

Proud Papa: I gotta say though, my daughters will be well versed in all formats of music. My three year old already knows what LP’s, cassettes and CD’s are. And she can fire up a song in iTunes like nobody’s business. I can also play her any Beatles, Springsteen, or Prince song, and 90% of the time she nails it. Strummer or the Clash? She has about a 48% success rate. But we’re working on it. My poor daughters… They have no choice, do they? But I guess there are worse childhoods than spending it immersed in your dad’s music! As long as they’re not singing “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” or “Revolution no. 9″ on their first day of kindergarten.

Hardware: My Yamaha turntable, which had served me since 1989, quit on me about a year ago. So by making good use of the Amazon Wish List feature, one of my birthday gifts last weekend was a new USB turntable. I’m back, baby! What’s more, my work buddy Jim up and quit his job and moved back to the east coast. But not before he handed over a couple of crates of vinyl to me.

So here are a handful of tunes ripped straight from vinyl, both from Jim’s collection, and mine. Though I’ve moved on to the digital age, and most of my music is in the form of mp3’s and CD’s (less and less), I’ll always be an album guy.

Vinylove:

• The feel.
• The artwork.
• The inserts.
• Placing the record on the turntable.
• Working for and appreciating your music.
• Flipping to side two.
• The art of putting the record back into the sleeve.
• Carefully handling the vinyl.
• Thumb on the edge, index and middle finger on the label.
• Appreciating your collection.
• Showing off your collection.
• Something to have and to hold…

A smattering of vinyl rips:

Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City (mp3) - Little Steven’s 1985 anti-apartheid project.

Dead or Alive - Brand New Lover (mp3) - The Dust Monkey’s Love Bubble Mix - thanks Jim for the crate of albums!

John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band - Tender Years (mp3) - From the Eddie & The Cruisers - Soundtrack. One of he quality tracks from Boss sound-alike Cafferty.

John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band - On the Dark Side (mp3) - oh hell, I have to include this too…

Check this cool video footage of a Duke Ellington record being manufactured, circa 1937:

Now on to the SWARM!

JB’s Main Post is Here.

The contributors:

AM, Then FM
Bloggerhythms
The “B” Side
Davewillieradio
Echoes in the Wind
Flea Market Funk
Fufu Stew
Funky16Corners
Good Rockin’ Tonight
Got the Fever
In Dangerous Rhythm
It’s Great Shakes
Jefitoblog
Lost in the 80’s
Py Korry
Retro Remixes
The Snack Bar
The Stepfather of Soul
Three-Sixty-Five 45s

Miscellaneous

To watch Larry King make an arse out of himself interviewing Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, go over to Krup’s I’m Just Sayin’ for full video coverage. Priceless…

Example: After asking Paul the question: “Where were you when John passed?”, Larry looks over to Ringo and asks: “George, where were you?”

Miscellaneous