Birthday Boss – Bruce at the Shrine
In 1990, Bruce signed up for two intimate shows at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium to benefit the Christic Institute, along with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. This here is night two. On night one, he had premiered “Red Headed Woman”, “57 Channels”, “When The Lights Go Out” , and “Real World”. This night saw the debuts of “The Wish” and “Soul Driver”.
It’s pretty hard to describe in words how completely amazing this show is. Bruce is in optimal form. It’s interesting to note the differences between this acoustic show and the Ghost of Tom Joad tour 5 years later. Somewhere in between, Bruce picked up some twang (maybe all those Harley rides out West?). At any rate, I love both sides of the spectrum, but there’s something about this particular sound, this particular performance.
If someone put a gun to my head and forced me to name my favorite Springsteen song, “Brilliant Disguise” would be my reply. And this is the single best performance of the song I have ever heard. All of the heart-wrenching, soul searching doubt about love – bursting from Bruce and his guitar.
And each song is that high in caliber. Bruce pours his heart and soul into each lyric, and each strum of the guitar – something he does on a regular basis with his band. But it seems even more pronounced here. Maybe it’s the moment in time – just a year earlier he had disbanded the E Street Band and moved to L.A. And earlier in the year, he and Patty had their first child, Evan (an experience he details before “My Hometown”). It’s the Boss, coming out on his own. And he shines.
Happy 59th, Boss – I’m awfully glad you’re around.
Bruce Springsteen
Shrine Auditorium
Los Angeles
November 17th, 1990Intro – “If You’re Moved to Clap Along, Please Don’t”
Brilliant Disguise (mp3)
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Intro – “The address was 39 and a half”
Mansion on the Hill
Intro – “We all live with our illusions”
Reason to Believe
Intro – “You gotta watch those redheads”
Red Headed Woman (mp3)
57 Channels (and Nothing On)
The Wish
Tougher Than The Rest
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Soul Driver
State TrooperIntro – “when that side of you is set loose”
Nebraska
When the Lights Go Out
Thunder Road
Intro – “I caught his first tear on the tip of my finger”
My Hometown
Real World
Highway 61 Revisited (w/ Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt)
Across the Borderline (w/ Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt)Nighttime Missives with Kings of Leon
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.
Buy Only by the Night: Amazon
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: September 19, 2008
The mark of a truly great song is the ability to make minutes seem like seconds making time itself seem almost irrelevant. When used as a tool to make time fly it not only serves the purpose, but makes it all the more enjoyable. I’ve found myself counting units of time in measure of how many songs I can listen two. My commute to work used to be 6-8 tunes long depending on the traffic. My dentist appointment last week was 5 songs (one of which was that Miley Cyrus song “7 Things” which somehow made the work being done seem less painful by comparison). So it should come to no surprise to anyone that the Friday Five is my way of counting the minutes down to the end of the week and the start of the weekend.
Last weeks shuffle exposed my geeky soft spot for sci-fi soundtracks and confirmed that I’m not alone. Our regular cast of participants chimed in with everything from show tunes to a bit of heavy metal. How’s that for disparate genre representation? For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with a bit of insight for each track.
Then it’s your turn! Just share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments and see what your fellow readers are listening to as well.
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Black Sabbath – Paranoid (from We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll)
Pete may have his AC/DC but for me it’s all about Sabbath. Would you believe that this tune was intended to be a filler track after the record company complained about the records length? Not bad for a throwaway track, eh?
2. The Toasters – Johnny Go Ska (from Thrill Me Up)
100% Ska from NYC’s The Toasters. Much in the same way that Sabbath defines the roots of Metal, The Toasters are, in my opinion, the defining Third Wave Ska band. This Five is really taking shape!
3. Toad the Wet Sprocket – Pray Your Gods (from Fear)
I’ve written at length about my love of Toad the Wet Sprocket and this song is one of the finest examples of why.
4. The Roots – Rising Up (feat. Wale & Chrisette Michele) (from Rising Down)
I geeked out on this track when it first was hot and I’m still feeling it every single time it comes on. I have to stop to give thanks to The Roots for introducing me to the brilliant Chrisette Michele who’s record will definitely fill the top spot on my year end “Best ‘New to Me'” chart.
5. Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love (from Spirit)
I’ll admit that I really did not like this song when I first heard it. It’s inclusion in a brilliant number on So You Think You Can Dance brought me around though.
It looks like Billy Joel was denied the first Friday Five Triple Crown, maybe next time Billy! What’s passing the time in your neck of the woods?
Live AC Bleepin’ DC
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, 1979Live 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).
Real Soul Food: The Way I See It
Raphael Saadiq is Neo Soul plain and simple. His latest The Way I See It is the record that he’s been leading up to since his days in Tony! Toni! Toné!. The opening rave up “Sure Hope You Mean It” sets the tone straight out of the gate with vibe to spare. Joss Stone lends her sultry vocals to “Just One Kiss” and Stevie Wonder turns in a harmonica solo on the brilliant “Never Give You Up”. From Motown to Philly to Stax the influence is clear but this feels as real and relevant as anything in R&B these days. If you are a fan of soul and in need of a meal, this record is like mama’s cooking, warm and familiar and always your favorite. This is one of my favorite records of 2008 so far.
Buy The Way I See It: Amazon | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Blues from the Rush Soundtrack
Must be in a Bluuuues kinda mood. I’ve had the soundtrack to the movie Rush since it came out in December 1991 (Jason Patric, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Gregg Allman as – what else – the drug dealer). Eric Clapton scored the movie, and contributed some extra songs too, most notably “Tears In Heaven“, written for his son Conor, who died tragically in March 1991 from falling out of his mother’s 53rd story apartment window in Manhattan. He was 4 years old.
Eric invited Buddy Guy to help out with this one – Willie Dixon’s “Don’t Know Which Way To Go”, an 11 minute immersion into everything that is great about the blues.
Buy on Amazon.
Clapton Joins the Bluesbreakers, Mind-Blowing Solos Ensue
This is from John Mayall’s 70th birthday gig a few years ago. Buddy Whittington (from the Bluesbreakers) and Eric Clapton do things to their Fender Stratocasters that mere mortals like us can only dream of. Amazing. And a trombone solo to boot!
I just finished Pattie Boyd’s autobiography, and I’m just cracking open Clapton’s. I knew that drugs and drink played a role in Eric’s life, but holy schmoly batman, that is excess!
Here is “Talk To Your Daughter”:
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: September 12, 2008
Ah Friday it’s time to relax and you know what that means a glass of wine, your favorite easy chair and of course the Friday Five shuffling on your home stereo. So go on indulge yourself, that’s right, kick off your shoes, put your feet up, lean back and just enjoy the melodies. After all, music soothes even the savage beast….
Last week’s Five (and ½) brought back the straight shuffle with turns from every genre and era. For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with a bit of insight for each track.
Then it’s your turn! Just share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments and see what your fellow readers are listening to as well.
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Billy Joel – Matter of Trust (from The Bridge)
I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but this is hands down my favorite Billy Joel tune. It brings me back to being a young man and living for the radio on Saturday afternoons. I realize looking back at the last few weeks that Mr. Joel popped up last week as well. We’ll have to see next week if he can take the Shuffle Triple Crown.
2. City and Colour – The Death of Me (from Bring Me Your Love)
I just picked this up from emusic last week and have not had a chance to give it a proper listen. I was a huge fan of Dallas Green‘s first record Sometimes. For those not familiar City and Colour is the mostly acoustic and decidedly singer-songwriter slanted side project of Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire‘s singer/guitarist Dallas Green (the name comes from his own name as he felt uneasy “putting the album out under the name Dallas Green”).
3. Joey Scarbury – Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not) (from America’s Greatest Hero)
I wish I could say that I dislike this song. I don’t and I suspect that many of you dig it too.
4. John Williams – The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) (from Star Wars Trilogy: Anthology)
Performed majestically by the London Symphony Orchestra this is easily one of the most instantly recognizable sections of movie score ever. My sci-fi geek roots are certainly showing today!
5. Jshua – Forever (from The Rose Line)
Occasionally I get the opportunity to listen to music well before its release date, and this is one of those cases. Multi-Instrumentalist Jshua blends Soul, Funk, Beatlesesque progressions and a certain sense of grandeur usually reserved for compositions by a certain diminutive fan of purple. I truly cannot wait to share this one with the rest of the world.
May the Shuffle be with you…
I Listen to What Laura Says, and You Should Too
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 don’t 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…
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.
————————
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.
Thank you. Carry on.
How Keef Handles the Stage Crashers
Okay, granted that Noel Gallagher had no time to react to the idiot who bum rushed him [01:30 in] on stage a few nights ago in Toronto. But I must recommend to Noel and all performing musicians worldwide that they take preventive action, and watch this video.
Learn from the master. Here’s what happens when you try that business on Keef…
