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” [mp3] 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).

Pomegranates - Whom/Who (mp3)

Pomegranates - We Could’ve Escaped, But No One Was Interested (mp3)

Posted in Indie, Rock | 2 Comments »

Keef 999

September 1st, 2008 by Pete

Just because.

Posted in Rock, Video | No Comments »

Review: John Mayer Live at New England Dodge Center

August 27th, 2008 by Michael

Mayer leaves the paparazzi behind and delivers a heartfelt set to his hometown crowd.

“Here are the delays and cancellations of your problems…” promised an earnest John Mayer Saturday night, and for the two hours he occupied the stage, he delivered just that. He quietly walked onstage and kicked straight into his Continuum heavy set with a humble determination that shined though every note. And while his crowd may have proved quite lame (seriously, who sits for an entire show and texts for three quarters of it?) he delivered a solid and energetic show that will stick with me for quite some time.

Mayer kicked off the set with the mid-tempo burner “Belief” into the soulful “Vultures”. A quick guitar change later (seriously, the guy rolls with an obscene amount of gear) brought the first cover of the evening in the form of Robert Johnson/Cream’s classic “Crossroads” which had a decidedly funky twist to it. This was also the first opportunity that he took to let his guitar playing take the center stage. And say what you want about his pop-leanings and celebrity persona, Mayer knows how to throw down and can hang with the best of them.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am tonight. There’s nothing like coming back home to play a show” was his first spoken words to the crowd (at about 20 minutes into the show, no less) and it was clear that he was feeling the love and enjoying playing for family, friends and fans alike. The pairing of “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” and “Dreaming With a Broken Heart” lead my wife to the observation that he really does put the “Bad Boyfriend Material” warning out there.

The acoustic portion of the set featured a heartfelt dedication to his parents (who were in attendance) and the second and third covers of the evening in the form of Tom Petty’s “Free Falling” followed by an absolutely sick 12-bar blues based take on Duffy’s “Mercy”. Why it is that despite having a fairly decent amount of his own material he chooses to play covers is beyond me, but the crowd certainly ate it up.

From here Mayer sailed through a pair of early hits lamenting “you can only really play one place where you’re singing “I wanna run through the halls of my high school” and you guys know where that high school is”, leading up to the set closer “Gravity”. This was actually the second time that I got to hear this performed (the first being with the John Mayer Trio) and it still carries the power that it did then (and you can hear for yourself at the end of this post). The encore (which was chosen by the fans via his website) wrapped with his current single “Say” at which point my wife and I decided to trek back to the car.

If you’ve not experienced John Mayer live I can heartily recommend checking him out when he swings through town.

John Mayer
New England Dodge Center, Hartford, CT
August 23, 2008

Set List:

Belief
Vultures
Crossroads
I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)
Dreaming With a Broken Heart
Stop This Train
Daughters
Free Falling
Mercy
No Such Thing
Why Georgia
Find Another You
Stitched Up
Bigger Than My Body
Gravity

In Repair
Waiting on the World to Change
Say

Bonus Download!
John Mayer - Gravity (MP3)

Download the whole show here (Archive.org)

Buy Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles: Amazon | iTunes

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

Posted in Rock | 4 Comments »

Review: Huey Lewis & The News Live at Seaside Summer Concert Series

August 25th, 2008 by Michael

The Heart of Rock & Roll is still beating in Coney Island.

“New York, New York, is everything they say and no place that I’d rather be”, with these words Huey Lewis & The News kicked off the final show of the 30^th Seaside Summer Concert Series at Asser Levy/Seaside Park in Coney Island. The band wasted little time in bringing their West Coast flavor of blue-eyed soul to Brighton Beach.

The first highlight for me came early in the set when I finally got to see the band perform “If This Is It”. I’ve seen Huey and the boys no less than 4 times in the last 4 years and this tune has eluded me each time. Stef Burns (Y&T, Alice Cooper, Shelia E.) absolutely ruled the evening on the musical front letting loose solo after solo.  Next up was “The Power of Love” followed by the new tune “Pineapple Express” from the movie of the same name (check out Popdose for Jason Hare’s take on Soundtrack “Title” Songs). Personally I dig the tune, even if it is just “Hip to be Square” with different lyrics.

For the A Cappella portion of the show the band followed the concert staple “It’s Alright” with “Under the Boardwalk” which had the entire crowd on its feet and singing along.  The next highlight for me was the rarity “Walking On a Thin Line” which I last saw performed with Chris Berman (yes, that Chris Berman) on guest vocals.

For the encore the band rolled out it’s ‘other’ soundtrack hit “Back in Time” followed by a slower mellower version of “Do You Believe in Love”. The night ended with “Workin’ for a Livin’” and a dedication to “Brooklyn’s Finest”.

I also have to mention the opener Paul Thorn whom I will write about at great length in a coming post, but for now echo Huey’s sentiment that “there ain’t nothing not to like about Paul Thorn.”

Huey Lewis & The News
Asser Levy Park, Coney Island, NY
August 21, 2008

Set List:

The Heart of Rock & Roll
My Other Woman
I Want a New Drug >
Small World
If This Is It
The Power of Love
Pineapple Express
Jacobs Ladder
It’s Alright
Under the Boardwalk
Walking On a Thin Line
Heart and Soul
But It’s Alright
We’re Not Here for a Long Time

Back in Time
Do You Believe in Love
Workin’ for a Livin’

Bonus Video!

Huey Lewis & The News - If This Is It (Video)

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

Posted in Rock, Video | 1 Comment »

Let Me Introduce Myself

August 23rd, 2008 by Kelly

She’s from Ohio, she’s nuts about music, and she’s here to give this joint a woman’s touch. Please welcome Kelly - our newest contributor to Ickmusic! - Pete

Hello, Ickmusic readers! I’m thrilled to be contributing to Ickmusic, and I want to thank Pete for asking me to join the team. Some of you may know me as the commenter “Skittles” here on Ickmusic (most of my comments have been on the Friday Five). I am also the owner of the almost-defunct blog, Looking at Them. Because I am in the process of shutting my blog down, Pete’s offer to contribute to Ickmusic couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m excited to be able to still write about the music I love and not constantly have a guilt complex because I’m just too busy to post often.

Before I jump in with my first “real” post, I wanted to give you a little of my musical background, so to speak. I have been obsessed with music since I was a little girl, rifling through my parents’ modest, but excellent, record collection. I grew up on Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Chicago, just to name a few. Some of my fondest memories from childhood involve sitting around the turntable with my dad, listening to his favorite records and hearing him tell me why he loved a certain song so much.

As I got older, my music taste became more diverse. I loved almost all genres of music and always fancied myself a more sophisticated music lover than any of my friends. I remember one trip to the record store when I was 13. The friends I was with bought Color Me Badd and Vanilla Ice. I bought Prince & The New Power Generation’s Diamonds and Pearls. They were just as confused about my purchase as I was about theirs. There were times when I did follow the crowd and listened to what was popular, but when I strayed from the pack, I really strayed from the pack.

High school brought “alternative rock” to my attention and I think that time in my life had the biggest influence on my current taste in music. I started listening to WOXY (“97X…BAM! The future of Rock and Roll) and my discovery of some of the most amazing music I’ve ever heard came from the hours and hours I listened to that station. My collection now is more diverse than ever and I’m discovering new things to love every day.

I must tell you that I do tend to get obsessed with certain artists and won’t stop until I have everything they’ve ever done and every version of my favorite song I can get my hands on. I will see them live as many times as I possibly can (and, if finances and time allow, I have no problems getting on a plane or going on a long road trip in order to see my favorites perform) and I always do my best to meet the artist. So, don’t be surprised to see me post some of my tales of these adventures.

Now that you know a little bit more about me, I’d like to share some random songs I’ve been listening to a lot this summer. I hope you enjoy!

Betty Davis – He Was a Big Freak (from They Say I’m Different)

Edith Piaf – La Vie, L’Amour (from The Voice of the Sparrow: The Best of Edith Piaf)

Zach Galifianakis featuring Fiona Apple – Come on and Get It (Up in ’Dem Guts) (I believe this was all over the Internets a couple of years ago)

New Edition – My Secret (from New Edition)

Dolly Parton – Baby I’m Burning (from Heartbreaker)

Posted in Rock | 4 Comments »

LeRoi Moore 1961-2008

August 19th, 2008 by Michael

From the official Dave Matthews Band site:

We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

On a personal note, I’ve been a fan of the band since ‘93 and my wife and I have spent many, many summers with the band and this year was no exception. This is an incredible loss. Our hearts go out to family, the band and friends in this most difficult time…

#40 (Always)

Tables turned again
And you, my friend
You and I face each other
All time and time out
I know it’s sometimes hard
But knowing just, oh
That we will get along
Until we are old and gray
And huddled up
And doubled up, we’ll sit…
And laugh of times were hard
Laugh of times when we thought all
It would end it all, it’s over
And then again…
And though all I know is this way
And to leave you
Well, I’d die
Oh, my friend
It will be you until the end with me
Always…
Always
Always
Always

Posted in Rock | 2 Comments »

Ronnie Wood’s Journey

August 19th, 2008 by Pete

I just wrapped up Ronnie Wood’s autobiography, Ronnie. Now, I consider myself a pretty big Stones fan. Of course, I missed them in their prime (which I consider their career through 1981’s Tattoo You). I didn’t really learn to appreciate them until I was a senior in high school in ‘87-’88, when I came of age with albums like Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, and Let It Bleed.

I’ve only seen the Stones live once - high in the nosebleed seats at Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium during their Bridges of Babylon tour in 1997. The wind was swirling, messing the sound up, and I honestly was too far to get any true enjoyment out of it. Not big on stadium shows am I.

When you start to know a band’s music inside and out, you feel you have a pretty good understanding of their background and roots. But after reading Ronnie’s autobiography, I discovered that I had a lot to learn, and that most of my focus over the years has been on Mick & Keith.

Only over the last couple of years have I started to get into Faces, one of Ronnie’s pre-Stones bands (along with the Jeff Beck Group). And I admit to having no idea that Ronnie has a rich solo catalog, which started with 1974’s I’ve Got My Own Album To Do. Ronnie built a studio in his home at the time, called the Wick (I wish my house was impressive enough to name). This album’s recording took place before Ronnie was in the Stones, but he had already befriended Mick and especially Keith. So they show up on the album, as do Mick Taylor, Rod Stewart, Pete Townshend, and even George Harrison, for crying out loud.

One of the amazing things about the British music scene in the late 60’s and early 70’s is that every musician seemed to know eachother - it was a pretty tight knit club . They also knew eachother’s girlfriends. Pattie Boyd, who was married to George Harrison, and would go on to marry Eric Clapton, actually dated Ronnie in between. Ronnie tells some incredible stories about he and Harrison openly cavorting with eachother’s wives. Pattie Boyd must’ve been something - look at the songs she inspired: “Wonderful Tonight”, “Layla”, and “Something”.

If you want an entertaining read, and want some great behind the scenes stories from a legendary musician - not to mention an accomplished artist - check this book out. Obviously, Ronnie is not without his demons. The book details his struggles with cocaine and alcohol - a struggle which continues to this day. Ronnie’s currently in rehab in Woking, England. And the tabloids say he may leave Jo - his wife of 30 odd years - for a 19 year old Russian waitress. No, you can’t make this shit up.

Underneath all the vices though, is a sweet, funny, talented man. And it shines right through in the book. The guy is/was friends with seemingly everyone: from Slash to Kate Moss to Tony Curtis to John Belushi (who tried his best to steal Jo away from Ronnie).

So here’s one from his first album. You’ll hear Faces bandmate Rod Stewart singing background. I’m really enjoying this album. It’s like unearthing a hidden Stones/Faces hybrid. And over the coming weeks, I’ll be picking up the rest of his solo albums.

Get well Ronnie…

Ron Wood - Mystifies Me (mp3)

Official Site: RonnieWood.com

Buy I’ve Got My Own Album To Do….

Check Ronnie out on Amazon:

Any recommendations for top-notch music autobiographies?

Posted in Rock | 8 Comments »

For Elvis

August 16th, 2008 by Pete

Ickmusic salutes the King!
Elvis passed away 31 years ago today.

Elvis Presley - Run On (mp3)

Buy Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings.

C’mon Everybody! (and Ann Margret in her prime…yeow)

Catch up with all the action in Memphis at ElvisWeek.com.

Posted in Gospel, Rock | 3 Comments »

Olympic Ads: Brandi Carlile’s The Story

August 12th, 2008 by Pete

Say what you will about music in advertising, but I for one am happy I found this song - and I wouldn’t have heard it if not for a GM commercial. If you’re in the U.S., you’re hearing it about every 20 minutes during the Olympics.

Powerful tune…

BrandiCarlile.com

iTunes:

Amazon MP3 Store: The Story (Album Version)

Posted in Rock | 4 Comments »