ickmusic » Rock

Austin City Limits and a Band of Horses

October 1st, 2008 by Pete

I think I have enough energy to muster up an ACL post tonight. There’s so much to get transferred from brain to keyboard that it’s a little overwhelming. So I’m starting with baby steps, people.

First, who did I see? Well, it goes exactly like this:

Friday: The Jones Family Singers, Dan Dyer, Rodney Crowell, Yeasayers, Strange Boys, Vampire Weekend, Gogol Bordello, David Byrne, Antibalas, and Manu Chao.

Saturday: Old 97’s, the Fratellis, Back Door Slam, Erykah Badu, John Fogerty, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss

Sunday: Octopus Project, Against Me!, Blues Traveler, Band of Horses, Foo Fighters

I’ll give you a day by day breakdown later. Tonight, I focus my brainpower on the highlight of my weekend: Band of Horses.

BAND of HORSES

Okay, anyone who knows the music geek in me is aware of my fondness for this band, and therefore won’t be surprised when I say BoH was the highlight of my trip to Austin. Until Sunday, I had never seen BoH live, and quite frankly, this set stood out since I first saw the ACL lineup earlier in the year. So my expectations were pretty damn high. And? Well, they jumped leaps and bounds beyond those expectations with their Sunday night set.

I managed to squeeze my old(er) butt down to the front of the stage, about four rows back. Yup, nuts to butts. I was looking straight on to center stage. I was primed.

Just after the sun set, the band strode out on stage, and singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell - shades on - squatted on the stool before his pedal steel. The first song of the night was, well, “The First Song”, from their debut Everything All The Time. That was all the sitting Ben would do for the set. He grabbed his guitar, launched into my 2 year old’s favorite tune, “Is There a Ghost”, and we were off…

For the next hour, the band showed us why they’re so great - building up and launching into those great guitar-driven crescendos on songs like “The Great Salt Lake”, “The Funeral”, and “No One’s Gonna Love You”, and slaying the crowd with the gorgeous, ethereal harmonies of Bridwell and keys-man Ryan Monroe on songs like “Marry Song” and the new ditty “Why You Never Get Older” (see the video below).

We got Bridwell banging away on his tambourine for the fun “The General Specific”. And we got great tunes like “Island on the Coast” and “Ode to LRC”. I don’t have the set list yet. If anyone can help me track it down (or a recording of the show), I’d appreciate it.

The final tune was a great one called “Am I A Good Man”, a cover by an R&B group called Them Two, who have no web presence at all, it seems. In the final moments, Ben jumped down among us, right in front of me (the person holding the camera in this picture probably took this video).

The live Band of Horse experience was everything I wanted, folks, and left me and the thousands and thousands of others fully satisfied. There’s something about their energy - and Bridwell’s voice in particular - that taps into my soul. Sounds about as corny as you can get, but it’s true.

We stumbled over to the Foo Fighters with smiles on our faces.

The Morning After: So the next morning, I guess it was about 10am, I was sitting at my gate at the Austin airport. I put my feet up on my carry on bag, and launched into ‘Cease to Begin’ (the second and latest Band of Horses album) on my iPhone. I think I was listening to “No One’s Gonna Love You”, having some great flashbacks to the night before, when who walks by? Ben Bridwell.

Have you ever been sitting around listening to one of your favorite artists, when he walks by right in front of you? It’s pretty cool, let me tell ya.

So, I decided not to be shy, and I followed Ben, his wife/girlfriend (?) and cute little infant over to the food stand. I walked up and asked politely - and rhetorically, I guess - “Excuse me, are you Ben Bridwell?” I told him there were some cosmic forces at work, and showed him my iPhone with the ‘Cease to Begin’ album cover, telling him how strange it was to watch him walk by as I listened to his music. He really could not have been cooler. He was very gracious and appreciative, and was kind enough to snap a photo with me (taken by his wife/girlfriend).

It was the morning after ACL, so you have to excuse our exhausted demeanors…

Lots more to come on ACL, just a few things here…

Check out some live vid-action I shot of their unreleased tune “Why You Never Get Older” (which I’m only assuming is the title).

Check out some more photos of their ACL set at Brooklyn Vegan.

For the love of all that is good in this world, buy these two albums if you don’t own them…

If you want a great video introduction to Band of Horses, watch their entire in-store performance at Amoeba Records in Hollywood from last year.

Visit their web site: Band of Horses.com

Yes. I am a fan.

Oh, biggest regret of the weekend? Missing the Band of Horses surprise gig at the Parish on Saturday night - a club I walked by every night on my way back to the hotel! Bill Murray was there hanging out too (big BoH fan, I hear)…

Posted in Rock, band of horses | 2 Comments »

A Tortured And Wonderful Howl From The Heart

September 30th, 2008 by Markadelphia

In April of 2006, Billy Lunn, guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the Welwyn Garden City, Hertforshire, England trio The Subways, was diagnosed with nodules on his vocal chords. They canceled several appearances in support of their wonderful first album Young For Eternity, including one that I had tickets for here in Minneapolis. Doctors said that years of intense screaming during his songs may have damaged his voice permanently and it was entirely possible that he would never sing again. His scream, in many ways, is one of the best in the history of rock and roll. It epitomizes that Janovian wail that only true disciples of the medium can capture and convey. An excellent example of its supremacy can be heard in the song “Rock & Roll Queen“, from Young For Eternity, a high-octane, balls-to-labia shag tune that is a must for any playlist. Shortly after the diagnosis, Lunn and his girlfriend (and bass player in the band), Charlotte Cooper, broke up. The question of whether the band would even continue weighed pretty heavily on the band. With the future of the band in doubt, Billy started writing.

And what we wrote has become the album of 2008.

In fact, it may be the album of the decade and is, without a doubt, in my top 25 records of all time. To borrow from the late Heath Ledger from Brokeback Mountain, I can’t quit this album. It is absolutely infectious on just about every level. As I listened to it the first few times, I could smell the beer, the smoke (if not illegal in your city), the vodka-Red Bulls, the sweat, the women, and the absolute human glory that is the CLUB. Every time I listen to it I get the urge to be body passed in a slimy, hoard of humanity…my Chucks flailing uncontrollably…as I revel in the majestic splendor of the pit.

Much of this feeling is due to the stellar production work of Butch Vig (of Garbage and Nirvana fame), and one really gets the sense that this is the next logical progression from Nevermind… Brit-Style. The first four songs are like Ali’s fucking fist (”Girls and Boys”, “Kalifornia”, “Alright”, and “Shake Shake”), pummeling you with such might that you are immediately brought to your knees in gratitude for hearing such great music. The next track, “Move to Newlyn”, is a wonderful travelogue that brings you on a journey of self discovery around the United Kingdom. We get back into the power with the title track “I Won’t Let You Down” (his scream at the end…OMG!), “Turnaround”, and “Obsession”, the latter of which has a terribly haunting harmony vocal by Charlotte.

Then we get to the track of the album: “Strawberry Blonde”. To say that this song is gorgeous is the understatement of… history. It is three levels above gorgeous and there hasn’t been a word yet invented to define the truth and beauty of this instant top ten love song. The album finishes with “Always Tomorrow” and “Lost Boy”, another shovel-to-the-head stunner of a track.

All or Nothing was finally released in the US a couple of weeks ago. It has been available since June in the UK. I bought it a few weeks after the UK release date when I saw no US date on the horizon. The fact that it has taken this long to release it is proof positive that American record company execs have their heads firmly up their arses regarding what is and what is not good music. I have listened to it pretty much every day since I bought it and still have not grown tired of it. You won’t either. No one will.

Because Billy approaches life like I do…fucking mega or fuck you…All or Nothing….and it is magnificent. Thank God.

Buy All or Nothing…

Amazon:

Subways Links: Official Site | MySpace | Last.fm

Posted in BritPop, Rock | 2 Comments »

Austin Bound

September 25th, 2008 by Pete

Off I go for my second Austin City Limits Music Festival experience in as many years. I’m just - ohh - a tad excited. Because I am an über-music-nerd, I’ll be snapping pics with my iPhone throughout the weekend, and uploading them to my Picasa photo site. More pics will be uploaded from my camera after I get back.

9/27 Update: Greeting from the Dell buuble like structure at the ACL festival. Yeah, so apparently, intense heat, snapping pics, and uploading by email seems to drain an iPhone battery quite quicky. So, I won’t be able to post as many pics as I want to my Picasa site from the festy. Now, where’s my supersized can o’ Heineken?

Austin City Limits 2008

Watch the Festival live on AT&T Blue Room.
Check out the Official ACL web site.
See my Picasa photo album, updated throughout the weekend.

This widget has a rough outline of my schedule for the weekend. Let’s do this!

Posted in Miscellaneous, Rock | 2 Comments »

Nighttime Missives with Kings of Leon

September 22nd, 2008 by Michael

Kings Of Leon Saves Your Soul.

Rarely, if ever, does Saturday Night Live inform my music choices but this weeks episode did manage to serve as a reminder that a.) Kings of Leon just released a new record that I hadn’t picked up yet and b.) Kings of Leon kick about a metric ton of ass. Their latest release, Only by the Night, finds the band trying on arena size anthems and singer Caleb Followill finding his voice. The slow burn of opening track “Closer” sets the tone for the majority of record. The lead off single “Sex on Fire” brings the rock in the most grandiose way and is sure to have the crowds singing along. “Use Somebody” is nothing short of brilliant. While it has only been spinning on my iTunes for less than 24 hours, I’m calling this a contender for my record of the year.

You can listen to the entire record for free at Last.fm [here]

Kings of Leon - Use Somebody (Live on Later… with Jools Holland) (Video)

Buy Only by the Night: Amazon

Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace

Posted in Rock, Video | 2 Comments »

Live AC Bleepin’ DC

September 17th, 2008 by Pete

I realized something yesterday. Or actually I re-realized it. “Highway to Hell” is extremely gratifying to the soul when played at a very loud volume - which happened yesterday at work (earphones on, of course). I work in a techy environment where a lot of us often choose to plug into our tunes and get our work done. I’d love to have an electronic ticker up on the wall streaming all the the music playing at any one time around the office. It would make for an interesting study, wouldn’t it? Or am I really a geek? Don’t answer. Let’s move on.

So these are rough times in these United States - the financial world in turmoil, hurricanes, gun-toting Alaskan hockey moms, dead patches of grass in my front yard - it’s enough to make one wonder if we are indeed on the highway to hell (in a hand basket).

It’s live shows like this that can help get some of the aggressions out, and escape for a bit, if you will. We reach back here to 1979 when Bon Scott was still AC/DC’s lead singer. I won’t pretend to be an AC/DC aficionado, but I do know that I love ‘Back in Black‘, ‘Highway to Hell‘, and ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap‘ (great memories of listening to “Big Balls” as a guffawing 10-year old). Mr. Scott sadly left us in 1980, dying from acute alcohol poisoning after a night out in London town.

Enjoy every moment people. For it’s times like these when you need to go back to basics and Let There Be Rock!

AC/DC
Towson University
Towson, Maryland
October 16th, 1979

Live Wire
Shot Down in Flames
Hell Ain’t a Bad Place To Be
Sin City
Problem Child
Bad Boy Boogie
She’s Got the Jack
Highway To Hell
High Voltage
Whole Lotta Rosie
Rocker
If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)
Let There Be Rock

================

Unless your head’s been under a rock, you’ve picked probably picked up on AC/DC’s media blitz to promote their new album and tour, called Black Ice…

The album is available on ACDC.com and at Wal-Marts across this land beginning Oct. 20th (go the AC/DC.com route, mm-kay?).
SIRIUS XM Radio “announced that legendary rock band AC/DC will host their own music channel on SIRIUS. The channel celebrates AC/DC’s iconic career and the upcoming release of Black Ice, the band’s first studio album in eight years. AC/DC Radio will be broadcast on SIRIUS channel 29 and debuted on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 6 pm ET, to run through January 15, 2009.”
And you can check out the Tour Dates here (December 10th here in Phoenix).

Posted in Rock | 1 Comment »

I ain’t no glamour boy - I’m fierce!

September 12th, 2008 by Kelly

I’m working on a mix cd for a friend tonight and when I spotted “Glamour Boys” by Living Colour in my iTunes, I immediately ran over to YouTube to watch the video. Of course, they have embedding disabled on the original video, so you’ll just have to follow the link to go watch it. It’s in my top 10 favorite videos of the late ’80s. It’s making my Friday night a little more fun, and I hope it does the same for you.

Here’s a live version, which is fantastic, despite the lack of Ken dolls:

And, in case you want the song to play over and over on your iPod:

Living Colour - Glamour Boys

Posted in Funk, Rock, Video | 1 Comment »

I Listen to What Laura Says, and You Should Too

September 10th, 2008 by Pete

Buy this album today.

What Laura Says. A band from my neck of the woods, Tempe, Arizona (where every day I miss my home around the corner from Casey Moore’s). Looking at their pic here, you may be quick to judge. “Oh, hippie music! Deadhead muckety muck, don’t want it!” Ah, but dont ‘be so quick to judge. Sure, they have a side that will appeal to the psychedelic / jamband set. But there’s also a side that taps into late era Beatles. A side that taps into the Beach Boys. Little Feat. Canned Heat. Ben Folds. Dr. Dog…

But let’s stop the comparisons. What Laura Says manages to mix together a veritable tasty stew of genres. This album has followed me around for many weeks now. I’m so happy to have discovered “one of those” albums where you unearth something fresh and new with each listen. One of those albums where one song’s fabric weaves into the next, so if you pop one song on your iTunes, it doesn’t seem right without it’s companions. An album that is wholly original, quirky, and unique.

The album is an adventure - changing tempos and styles. The gentle harmonies of “Couldn’t Lose Myself If I Tried” kicks off the album with a banjo accompaniment and a happy go lucky lilt. Before you know it you’re off on a piano-driven, hand-clapping pop tune. Then comes “Fashionably Moral”, a haunting nod to raunchy Delta blues with a speeding freight train interlude. The clean joyous harmonies of “Illustrated Manual”. And how to describe “Wish I Could Fly”? Gorgeous harmonies, a melody that will have you singing along before the song ends - “boy I wish I could fly-y-eye-y-eye” - and a most-satisfying percussion frenzy toward the end.

There’s “Dot Dot Dot”, which you could easily argue owes to the likes of Simon and Garfunkel or Kings of Convenience. There’s “Waves” - a lazy summer daydreaming love song, which, for me, delivers the best 1-2 punch of the album with the next song- “Get Better Soon” - a down home double backbeatin’ backwoods jam. “Don’t worry about me, it’s you that needs the help”, it starts (and just gets better).

Harmonies and melodies. Melodies and harmonies. Gah! I love this album!

And then I saw them live. Two words I uttered to myself as I got in the car to drive home from their CD release party at the Rhythm Room a couple weeks ago: “Holy.” and “Shit.” These guys blew my mind live - charismatic, quirky, having a good time, but very serious about delivering a quality set. They seem light years more mature than a young, upcoming band. Their live show is an experience - and if you’re in Texas, California or Vegas, you have a chance to catch them within the next couple of weeks…

Sep 11 2008 10:00P

Stubb’s BBQ Austin, Texas

Sep 12 2008 8:00P

Rock Bottom Tattoo Bar San Antonio, Texas

Sep 19 2008 10:00P

Bar Pink Elephant San Diego, California

Sep 20 2008 9:00P

SPACELAND Los Angeles, California

Sep 21 2008 10:00P

Beatles Revolution Lounge Las Vagas, Nevada

Sep 23 2008 8:00P

Blakes on Telegraph *CANCELLED* Berkley

Sep 26 2008 8:00P

The Clubhouse w/DATH Tempe, Arizona

So listen, I’m not blowing smoke up your ass because I’m gaga over a hometown band. These guys are the real deal, and I’d be gushing just as much if they were from Nome, Alaska.

Buy this album today.

————————

What Laura Says - Jasper Corrine - this is a non-album track that sounds like a George Harrison-penned outtake from the White Album. I include it here because I’m not posting anything from the record except for “July 23″, which has the band & label’s blessing - and which you can still hear here.

What Laura Says is: Danny Godbold, James Mulhern, Mitch Freedom, Jacob Woolsey, and Greg Muller

Cruise over to their MySpace and say hi. And make sure to listen to “Wish I Could Fly” and “Couldn’t Lose Myself If I Tried”, which they have streaming.

BUY….

Thank you. Carry on.

Posted in Rock | No Comments »

The Wizard Returns to His….Roots?

September 8th, 2008 by Markadelphia

Old buddy and Todd Rundgren aficionado Mark (aka Markadelphia) checks out Todd’s upcoming release. Look for more from Mark here on Ickmusic! You can also check out his politics-centric blog, Notes from the Front. - Pete

The first time I listened to Arena, the new 13 track album by Todd Rundgren, I felt like I was listening to the album that record companies were begging him to make… in 1981. Thankfully, he never did and went on to make some of the best music of his career, solo and with Utopia. That’s not to say that I dislike Arena. It’s just that Todd was going to have to really put forth a Herculean effort to beat his 2004 release, Liars, which I think is one of his best records (everyone who ever wondered what happened to their jet pack or flying car should download the track “Future” from this release - very funny and cool). I always get excited when Todd releases an album of new material. I have been a fan of his since the beginning and the new ones don’t come that often anymore (one every 4-5 years) . So it was with this exuberance that I pressed play the moment I got the CD in the mail.

As I listened to the first four tracks I was seriously wondering if this was the new Scorpions-Foreigner-Loverboy comeback album. Or perhaps the “lost” Scorpions-Foreigner-Loverboy album. Track 2, “Afraid”, does have a very addicting guitar riff that evokes a certain melancholy, but by the time you get to track 4, “Gun”, one has to wonder what Todd is doing. Does he really think it is the year 1981? Then track 5, “Courage”, comes along and we enter familiar territory with that gorgeous wall of vocals/keyboard sound that Todd has mastered for all eternity. This song could have easily been on The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect.

Tracks 6 and 7, “Weakness” and “Strike”, move us back into power pop, with the latter sounding - and I am not kidding - like a cross between Joan Jett and AC/DC! Todd’s voice, always gorgeous - and this album is no exception - sounds just like Bon Scott. After listening to this track several times, I have to say that I have really grown to love it. Track 8 is where the album’s good stuff really begins. Everything after this point is wonderful - “Bardo” and “Pissin’” being two of the best songs Todd has ever recorded.

Arena, released on September 30, is not Todd’s best album, but die hard Todd Fans will love it, Scorpions-Foreigner-Loverboy-Joan Jett-AC/DC fans will love it, and it will make those A&R guys in the way back machine darned happy too.

Oh, and the cover (above) kicks major ass, dude!

7 (out of 10)

Hear the first single: Mad (streaming Quicktime)

Pre-Order Arena (release date: Sept. 30th):

Todd Links: Official Site | MySpace

Posted in Pop, Rock | No Comments »

Pomegranates are good for you

September 2nd, 2008 by Kelly

I have a love/hate relationship with my city: I love to hate it and I hate to love it. One of the things I do love about this place is that, on occasion, Cincinnati can produce some pretty amazing musicians. Like one of my current favorite bands, Pomegranates.

Even though these guys are local, and play out a fair amount, I hadn’t managed to catch them live until earlier this summer when they opened for Ra Ra Riot (also amazing) at The Gypsy Hut here in Cincinnati. My first thought during their set was, “these boys are adorable!” I don’t know if that’s necessarily the image they’re going for, but it’s the truth.

Adorableness aside, they are charismatic, talented performers and have put out some incredible music. Reviews I’ve read have compared them to early Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie (two bands I’ve been over for a long time, so I find that kind of funny). I was completely blown away by them and when I learned that they were one of the openers for Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s a couple of weeks ago, that was enough to get me to haul my lazy ass down to that show, despite the fact that no one would go with me (Margot was good, too).

You can find pretty much everything you might want to know about them on their MySpace, their blog or on their label’s site (incidentally, they are labelmates with two of my favorite Chicago bands, Baby Teeth and All City Affairs). They are touring quite a bit this month, including dates with Ra Ra Riot, French Kicks, Headlights and stops at the Monolith Festival and the Midpoint Music Festival (which I have to miss because I’ll be at a conference for work…grrr!), so you should check them out if they’re coming to a city near you. Besides recommending you buy their stuff, I also suggest you download their woxy.com Lounge Acts (they have two).