Charlemagne

This is a band out of Canada and I can only say that they rock. I've known little about them for almost 2 years now and wish I knew more. It's a bunch of young guys just out of high school writing interesting indie rock with mature lyrics, good changes, memorable melodies, and apparently great live shows. Unfortunately all they have is a Myspace page so it's hard for those of you unfamiliar with them to really catch up of their total body of work but please do visit the page and listen to the tracks. My favorite there is "Oh The Boss Is Coming" followed closely by "The Ballad of Hugo..."

It seems they are gathering a following in their haven up there among our neighbors to the north. I think they have what it takes to get big. All they need is an opening spot on a tour with say BRMC, CYHSY, or some other acronymic band.

Voodoo Fest!

Well it's Halloween again and for the first time since 2003, I didn't go to Voodoo fest. I was there, but not to see shows. No, this year I had the golden opportunity to work with local radio station WWOZ to record some of the fest. It was good times. They have two killer mobile recording trucks and go all over the country doing recordings. It would be fantastic to work for them at some point (perhaps some time very soon...).

I did hear good things about the music though:

Kings of Leon put on a pretty good set but they really need to be in a small indoor venue to do justice. They're just much better in an intimate atmosphere. Rage Against the Machine did not have Trent Reznor or Robert Plant sit in, thank goodness, so I didn't miss anything there. Billy Corgan was off-key and just doesn't have the same energy he once did. Perhaps its time to hang them up. Wilco was apparently fantastic and I believe it. Despite those of you who loved A Ghost is Born and didn't care for Sky Blue Sky, I liked it very much because it returned to my favorite Wilco record: Being There.

Congratulations on another great year, Rehage. You've got some big planning to do for next year...Voodoo's tenth anniversary.

Lars and the Real Girl

Ryan Gosling has surprised me. After seeing The Notebook for the first (and only) time, I vowed never see another Ryan Gosling film again. I relented, seeing Murder By Numbers and, more recently, Half-Nelson. Half-Nelson was great and has a killer soundtrack with a lot of Broken Social Scene on it. Gosling's ability to play so many different characters well is really refreshing today when Steve Carell is cast in so many movies playing the exact same character in all of them and his sitcom The Office.

Anyway, Lars and the Real Girl is a touching story about a lonely man who buys a Real Doll--an extremely lifelike anatomically correct silicone doll that is completely customizable by the end user. However, it seems that he is only seeking for companionship, not carnal pleasure. He speaks and answers for her: Bianca. His community, in seeing such a void that is filled with delusion supplied by an inanimate object rallies together to treat her as well as Lars does.

It is filmed in a cold Wisconsin winter and as the snow melts, so do his social anxieties. Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer both shine in this comedy/drama. Personally, it's hard for me to make up my mind on what it should be: dramatic or comedic. During the film, there were many laughs in the theater seemingly because of the ridiculousness of the idea that a) such a doll exists and b) people actually spend money on such a thing. However, I have seen a documentary I'm sure not many have about men around the world who have Real Dolls for sex, for companionship, for quality of life. These men find it extremely hard to find a partner in life and have not necessarily reduced themselves to these dolls, but have accepted their plight. I highly recommend viewing the documentary while Lars and the Real Girl is fresh on one's mind. It is 47 minutes long and some viewer discretion should be advised.

As mentioned before, please go out and support indie movies. For those of you in New Orleans, keep abreast of the schedule at Canal Place theater.

The Darjeeling Ltd

Wes Anderson's new film has been released. On a lazy Sunday, I went to the only theater in New Orleans showing independent films for it. It stars Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, and Adrien Brody as three estranged brothers on a train traveling across India to reconnect perhaps against their wills. I've been waiting on pins and needles for this film (and any other Wes Anderson film) and I have good and bad things to say.

Firstly, it's a beautiful film. The colors, locations, the backdrops are all fantastic. The costumes are great and the sets are very much like Life Aquatic. The actors playing the three brothers seemed not to have that great a chemistry, but it may be that their chemistry was so perfect it was an exact replica of feuding brothers. And who would know more about that than Owen Wilson?

The story was good and dialogue driven again though the dialogue I feel wasn't as strong as in previous movies (most notably in Royal Tenenbaums). Darjeeling was written by Anderson, Schwartzman, and burgeoning director Roman Coppola. I long for Wilson to help in the writing again as he did with the first three films (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and Tenenbaums).

As with all Anderson films, this one will also require a second viewing to search for all the subtleties that typically abound in his movies. I will say it's not his strongest film, but it certainly will hold up over time. I'm not sure Brody fits in as a castmember of an Anderson film, but we'll see next time (since he typically uses many of the same actors). Scenes occasionally drag on like there is an improvisation gone boring or the actors are struggling to remember their lines in a timely manner.

Therefore, after one viewing, I'll give it 3 (of 5) stars with a caveat emptor. In English, know what you're getting into when stepping up to the box office.

On Tuesday, I believe I will be going to see a sneak preview of Lars and the Real Girl starring Ryan Gosling. After his fantastic performance as an inner-city teacher in Half-Nelson, I'm thrilled to see this.

Gregg Allman and Friends

So last night Gregg Allman played in New Orleans. Figuring I may have a way in, I gave my friends from the Allman Brothers crew a call inquiring about tickets. Sure enough, these guys pulled some strings and got two backstage passes for me and my lady. There are a lot of tough road crews out there and while the Allman Bros. put on a great show every night with a tight road crew, they are still the nicest guys I've run across.

The show was really good. It's interesting to see Allman to take the lead since Warren Haynes is definitely the band leader for the Bros. He was up playing guitar, talking to the crowd, calling out different songs to play, etc. And, as a special treat for me, they even played "Dreams."

I felt a little bad before the show when some tapers were ejected from the venue even after pleading their case ("hey man, the Allman Brothers allow tapers, go ask Gregg") which fell short of the official House of Blues policy and the wishes of tour manager Vid Sutherland in small venues like that.

All in all, good experience. I must say I was happy to see a few familiar faces last night and can only hope I'll have the opportunity to go out on the road with them again.

New Orleans Film Fest

Tonight I attended a film at the 18th annual New Orleans Film Fest. Though I do like film fests very much, I must confess that this was the first time I had been much less even heard of the fest. For shame. The fest goes on from the 11th-18th of this month at three different theaters around the city. Check out the website for locations, showtimes, and movie description.

Tonight I saw King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, a thrilling documentary about the conquest for world domination via the official high score on the original Donkey Kong arcade game (think Mario, the Princess, rolling barrels, elevators, fireballs, etc.).

It stars 35-year-old Steve Wiebe, a science teacher from Redmond, WA, who was on a quest to beat the world high score in an effort to accomplish something definitively meaningful in his life. Before then, his life had been a story of near-championships, near-promotions, near-successes. As an avid athlete, musician, and fill in the blank hopeful, he found solace sitting in his garage on a barstool in front of the soft glow from the screen of this 1981 Nintendo classic.

Enter Billy Mitchell: reigning world champion from his original competition in 1982. He holds (held) numerous world gaming records and is a self-proclaimed perfect man in everything he does. The movie goes on to show tears of defeat, tears of victory, a bunch of gaming nerds, a hilarious helmet-like mullet, and one very courageous Steve Wiebe.

This is definitely a film any independent movie fan should see. So get your NetFlix queues ready, people. Also, stay posted on the NOFF website for more films. Go support indie filmmakers.

Royal American - Don't Waste Water

Last Friday the members of Royal American walked into the store to rent some stuff and generally shoot the breeze. Apparently they're an indie pop band based out of Brooklyn and New Orleans. When they returned the stuff, they dropped off a couple copies of the new EP Don't Waste Water. Today I threw it in not knowing what to expect and it turns out it's really good. They played here at Checkpoint Charlie's on Friday and I wished I had heard this CD last week because I'm betting it was a good show.

Don't expect them to change the world or become blog stars, but if you're in the mood for 6 strong pop songs then check out either the Royal American MySpace page or the official website.

My personal favorite is "Fire One Down." The CD sounds good, the songs are just the right length (something that is incredibly important to pop), and the band members are ridiculously nice guys. Give them a listen. Maybe even buy the EP from iTunes.

Royal American - Fire One Down

Voodoo Fest News!

Though it's just a rumor, I couldn't help but spread it if only to add a little fuel to the fire.

At a recent event, I overheard Steve Rehage (founder and promoter of Voodoo Fest) say he was working on getting Rage Against the Machine to open their set with "When The Levee Breaks" and bringing in Trent Reznor and Robert Plant to play with them. That would be huge. That would be bigger than huge. If it happens it will be monumental and will create such a huge buzz that Rehage is going to have a very hard time next year booking talent good enough to bring people from all over the country again.

Don't get me wrong, the fact that both RATM and the Smashing Pumpkins are coming this year is amazing but how can that be topped? Zeppelin reunion (WITHOUT JASON BONHAM)? Sabbath? I don't know. Either way, keep your eyes and ears peeled!

Elton John - Friends

In 1971, writer/director Lewis Gilbert made Friends and, in a moment of what would turn out to be genius, chose Elton John to do the soundtrack. The movie did poorly in theaters both in the US and its native UK while the soundtrack went on to do fairly well. The title track rose to #34 on the Billboard charts and put the names Elton John and, to a lesser extent, Bernie Taupin into the minds of their future adoring American fans.

To my knowledge, this soundtrack has only been available on hard to find vinyl in the US. It had a limited CD release in the UK and is just as rare as the vinyl recording. This week, however, I was lucky enough to lay my hands upon a copy.

It is a typical soundtrack with its dramatic and emotional music and instrumental pieces with moments of dialogue. On a side note, after hearing some of the dialogue it's easy to understand why the film didn't do so well. The album is 10 songs of hit or miss music. When it hits, it's dead on. When it's miss, it's the dialogue-riddled long-winded instrumental pieces (which may be just fine for some). The pleasant exception is the too-short ballad "Seasons Reprise," beautifully constructed around his voice. It reminds me of Rufus Wainwright's fully orchestrated album Want One, which is also fantastic.

Either way, it's interesting to hear the early music of Sir Elton and lyrics of Mr. Taupin. One of my favorite records of all time is the 5-star 1972 masterpiece Honky Chateau so hearing the music that was leading up to his peak is a bit of an adventure. His vocal melodies (especially in the chorus of "Michelle's Song") are actually more similar to the songs he has written in the past 10 or 15 years. "Can I Put You On" and "Honey Roll" are easily the greatest b-sides he has ever recorded and belong alongside their peers on either Tumbleweed Connection or Honky Chateau. It certainly doesn't hurt that the band that made him famous was full constructed at this point (most notably to me Nigel Olsson).

I know this is a rare find, I know it was released some 36 years ago (which is straying far from my normal reviewing period), and I know many of you may think of Elton John as the man wearing funny glasses, singing "Bennie and the Jets," and responsible for the Lion King soundtrack, but his early stuff really is amazing. So, if you can't find Friends anywhere (which is a guarantee), then try to pick up either Honky Chateau or Tumbleweed Connection. Don't do it for me, do it for you.

In Rainbows

I got home late last night after some birthday celebrations for yours truly and was thrilled to see the download code awaiting in my email inbox. I immediately downloaded the album and listened to a couple of tracks before sleeping. I woke up early this morning to listen again and am listening again now after work.

I can't figure it out. Is it the best album or the second worst (the worst obviously being Pablo Honey...what an embarrassment that was)? I'm really having a hard time figuring it out. I love (like everyone else) The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A but thought Hail to the Thief was boring. Thom Yorke's Eraser was fantastic but he hired long time Radiohead and Beck producer Nigel Godrich to help him shape the record. According to some reports, there would be no album without Godrich's songwriting, producing, arranging, etc.

Having said that, it's obvious that Radiohead as a band was strongly influenced by The Eraser and perhaps used a similar method while recording In Rainbows. They are fairly similar albeit less electronic. Either way, they drift in and out of a heady psychedelic rock and into their normal could-be soundtrack music. It's very eclectic and different. There was much speculation as to which album it would sound like and the answer is none of them. It has elements of many of them and I think it will only grow stronger with each listen. Kudos Thom and co.

The only thing wrong with it, of course, is its availability and packaging (or rather its lack thereof). I'm upset I can't get a hard copy or a VBR version (it's DRM-free 160kbps). But in early 2008 that's rumored to change.

Verdict: Buy a hard copy in 2008 but download it now from inrainbows.com

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

For starters let me begin by saying that I love the first Band of Horses record. I love it. When I first got it I was really into My Morning Jacket so it was right up my alley. However, I found that it took me a while to really get into it. The same seemed to be true for the second one. The reverb is back, as are the almost whiny vocals and the hints of country. New to this record: organ, 50's pop, percussion (hand claps, tambourine, bells, etc).

Cease to Begin starts fabulously with "Is There a Ghost" which is just as good as any track on Everything All The Time (except maybe the blog star "The Funeral" or my two favorites "Weed Party" and "The Great Salt Lake").

From there, the album becomes a little more somber. It is not as energetic as the first one and may take a couple of listens to get into. On the first listen "No One's Gonna Love You" really caught my ear as well as the playful Beach Boys-esque "General Specific." I have found that I like the album very much. Every song has a little something to it that makes it memorable. However, in true BOH fashion, the vocal melodies don't exactly stick the first time through.

Are the songs better? Maybe. Maybe not. Is the album more consistent and better themed? Definitely. The loss of one of the founding members during the songwriting and early recording sessions may have at first seemed disastrous, but I like the way it turned out. Now a trio, Band of Horses is out touring in support of their new album.

The final verdict: big BOH fans will really like it, moderate BOH fans will appreciate it as background music. I bought a hard copy. Maybe you should too.

Radiohead!!

So it seems that Radiohead has finished their newest album. They announced just yesterday that the album was complete and that they were releasing it in...10 days. 10 days?! How? They are releasing it themselves online via their website.

There are two ways to score the upcoming record. One: buy the massive box set that will arrive to your doorstep for a mere $81 (shipped on or before Dec 3, 2007). It will include the two-disc CD, two heavy vinyl records, a lyric and artwork booklet, and a book of photography/artwork all wrapped up in a collector's box. Two: download the record straight from website. Cost? However much you want. £1 or $100. Apparently they intend on releasing a hard copy available in stores everywhere sometime in 2008 but haven't announced the label or distributor. Anyone running a label would be fool not to take a few less percentage points on the deal.

Many websites are claiming that this will completely revolutionize the model but I must disagree. Not many bands could pull this type of distribution off. Radiohead can, Tool could, Dave Matthews Band might be able to, along with Wilco, Bright Eyes, and Beck, but very few bands could. You have to consider the demographic of these bands: superfans. Only blog-savvy fans that are ravenous for new music will be aware of such a promotion. Radiohead will certainly be able to reach gold status using this method because they have such loyal fans, but changing the industry? I don't think so.

The people this is really hurting are the advertisers, non-technological people, and mom and pop stores. While I appreciate the whole marketing concept and 100% support mom and pop stores, this won't kill either one of them.

I applaud Yorke and company for having the cojones to pull such a stunt and am perched on the edge of my seat for the new record (praying it is better than Hail to the Thief). Stay tuned to Pitchfork and the Radiohead website in the coming week and make sure you buy (or just download for free straight from the website) the album on October 10th!

Finding Forever today.

Once again, Common has released a great album. Finding Forever came out in July under my radar and I have only now come to really dig into it. It's a great album full of intelligent lyrics, thoughtful samples, and catchy hooks. Also, he finally got the credit he deserved by debuting at number one on the Billboard 200.

I first came under Common's spell on the De La Soul record Stakes is High and have tried to keep up as best I could. His 2005 record Be was the pinnacle of his career. It was a soul/R&B record that deserved record of the year for its socially conscious lyrics, its fantastic hooks, and its surprisingly widespread appeal. His new record is more in the hip-hop vein, which is fine, but I was really hoping for a Be sequel to be honest. This one is more like his previous records (Electric Circus, Like Water for Chocolate but without a pop masterpiece like "Come Close" from EC). The lyrics are less socially conscious and more appealing to a larger crowd. What I mean by a more widespread appeal is the references buried in them.

For example, he makes reference to, among others: Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn's relationship, astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak's very publicized breakdown, and Dreamworks Pictures near-masterpiece Finding Nemo. While my generation may now get a kick out of reminiscing about these events today, where does that put these lyrics in 10 years? Will those in kindergarten today know who Nowak is or remember that Aniston and Vaughn had a short-lived relationship following their $100+ million film The Break Up? I hope not.

His music is always catchy and very well constructed. His tracks could easily stand alone, thanks again to Kanye West (producer of Be as well), which reminds me of some of my favorite other hip-hop groups. His lyrics are memorable enough to sing along (for the most part) but I can't get over the fleeting nature of his pop references. Tracks to check out: "The People," "Forever Begins (featuring the easily recognizable drum track from Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover")," "Break My Heart." Either way, I'll still give it...

Rating: Buy it.

Just another week at One Eyed Jacks.

In recent months, One Eyed Jacks has become one of my favorite venues in town. This week along I saw two great shows. They always offer great music that no one else in the city seems to attract.

Heartless Bastards
On Wednesday I saw the Cincinnati trio rock for the second time. The first time I saw them (also at One Eyed Jacks) I was absolutely blown away by how tight they were, how great they sounded, and how shy but simultaneously powerful lead singer Erika Wennerstrom was. This show was much of the same. There were many many more people in the crowd this time which was great to see, and Erika had a little bit of a buzz on.

Ok, that's stretching the truth. She sat at the bar during the entire opening band (Pearlene, also from Cincinnati and pretty good) and by the time she got on stage she was allegedly "very drunk, but hey, ain't New Orleans the place to be drunk? wooooo!" Surprisingly, she still put on a great show, albeit dropping picks, stopping songs because she's out of tune, etc.

They played a new song which was very mellow. This is a little worrisome to me. Listening to the first and then second album, it's obvious that they did a lot of songwriting and innovating between albums. However, I hope that doesn't mean that they will continue to mellow out. Songs like "Brazen" and "Into The Open" are fantastic and some of my favorite. Either way, good show.

The Comas
The Comas opened for the Meat Puppets. The only reason I mention them is their stage antics. They weren't great. They weren't unlistenable, but it was few and far between those in the crowd that were really paying attention much less getting into it. They played sloppily, they ignored the crowd, it was just not a well run show. Before the second to last song the singer decided to announce to the crowd that we sucked and we're nothing but dead weight that was pissing him off. Forget those guys. Avoid the Comas. That's what happens when you take a regional at best band out of their region.

The Meat Puppets
Great great great show. Both Kirkwood brothers were present and they were both obviously having a good time. They went all over the place: punk, country, psychedelic rock, and everywhere in between. I was never able to see the Minutemen or fIREHOSE so it was awesome to see the Meat Puppets, who typically fall between these two bands and bands like Sonic Youth and The Pixies. The crowd was interesting. It was full of hipsters, older guys, frat guys, young guys, and hippies. I can explain most of them, but I don't understand the frat guys. Either way, I have now seen the Meat Puppets. Great show.

Galactic - From the Corner to the Block

I first fell in love with Galactic in 8th grade on the way to summer camp. Their debut album, Coolin' Off, is awesome. I didn't know it then, but I know now that it is an homage to the original funksters, The Meters. Either way, it's a totally decent funk R&B record and I still give it a spin once in a while. I further fell in love with Galactic drummer Stanton Moore with the release of his first solo album All Kooked Out! when it was released. I was just getting into the New Orleans style of drumming and it is an amazing record. The fact that the basslines were played by tuba and renowned weirdo Skerik played his fool head off on the album certainly helped.

Having worked in a local music store (instruments, not CDs) for a couple of years now, I've seen all sorts of New Orleans musicians flow in and out. From George Porter and Mem Shannon, both of whom appear weekly, to Ani Difranco and some of the Neville Brothers (a more rare occurance), they all stop by.

More recently, I've met Stanton Moore and some of the other members of Galactic. For the most part, I will say that they are humble..for the most part. The album they released in 2003, Ruckus, was the first thing that made me scratch my head. There were loops, beats, and other generally confusing things on the record. It was the first time I was let down by a Galactic album.

The most recent one, From the Corner to the Block, is another one of these Galactic albums that involves a kind of general confusion on the theme of the record. It's premise is Galactic funk under MCs laying down their respective gifts of gab. Being such a huge fan of Tribe Called Quest and Jurassic 5, I figured I would dig the New Orleans rhythms under the eloquent stylings of many a guest rapper, but how wrong I was. First of all, the funk is lacking. The syncopations are not what they should be, the melodies are lacking, and the rapping, while perhaps strong otherwise, gets lost over the music. Why they decided to innovate instead of seeking out their roots I'll never know. This is the first time I can safely say that not even their usually killer live shows can save this one.

Rating: Skip it.

Last Light

Matt Pond PA: Hardest working band in indie pop show business? Once again, Matt Pond and co. has released a totally decent album both my mother and I can enjoy. He has, year in and year out, put out good pop records that he can be proud of. These same records have, year in and year out, failed to wow any A&R executive. I've seen them live once and was actually pretty impressed. It was the first time I had even heard of them and I found myself wishing I was able to sing along with the rest of the rather moderate crowd.

With each album put out, I find I am torn between buying another copy for my Mom (who likes pretty decent music, to her credit) or telling my friends that this could be the one for the band. The latest offering, Last Light, offers more of the same sing-a-long mom pop we've come to expect and even wait for. He's found his niche and he's sticking to it. The David Bowies and Becks of the industry are more than welcome to adapt and evolve to their liking, Matt Pond has found his style.

This offering is a little more solid and reminiscent of Several Arrows Later (2005, Altitude Records) which has been my favorite album until this point. This is the album that college coeds will share on their various P2P programs promising a perfect pre-class and/or pre-game record. Long live Mr. Pond.

Rating: Burn/Buy it.

Want to grow up to be, be a debaser!

Having returned from the tour, I'm not quite sure what to write about in these blogs. The only music news I've heard recently is that Frank Black has disappeared. Black Francis has returned. That is correct Pixies fans: the arguably most influential band (with Sonic Youth) to the grunge era's singer's alter-ego has resurfaced. What does this mean?

Most probably, it means that the albums he put out under the Frank Black name (self-title, the near perfect Teenager of the Year, all the Catholics releases, etc) are officially shelved and the music he wrote on the records we know and love (Doolittle, Trompe Le Monde, Surfer Rosa, etc) is back! Upon first listen, the first track is exciting and really moving. It's exactly what I expect out of the lovely Charles K. Thompson.

However, I'm disappointed to say that the melodies that the Pixies records were so thick with seem surprisingly absent. There's not as much to sing along with even though the vocals are more Pixies and less Frank Black. Hearing this album, I'm ok with the Pixies not releasing a new record yet. I want their upcoming record to be the ultimate resurgence of teen angst and grunge and power pop and all the thing I love about them. The recent Dinosaur Jr. record was pretty good, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the hell out of it. I recommend this record to all of you superfans, those of you who love later Pixies and later Catholic stuff.

That's not to say it doesn't have the potential to be great. I said myself I've only given it one good listen. I was just too excited about it to wait and absorb it before posting about it.

Rating: Borrow and burn

End of the Roadie

I have officially reached the end of my roadie days. I had a great time but it sure is nice to be back in New Orleans in my own bed driving my own car and having my own fridge. I made some friends that I will hopefully run into again soon. The last show I recorded was a pretty good one. Scoop up a copy at the Hittin' the Note website or download it at ABBlive.com. They played neither of the songs I wanted to hear nor "Gambler's Roll" which would have been so appropriate for a casino show, but oh well.

After the show in Council Bluffs, IA, I caught a flight out of Omaha and back to New Orleans. Neither the Omaha nor the Houston airports have free or even cheap wireless so I was instead reduced to doing something more useful with my time anyway: reading. I picked up a book called The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times journalist Thomas L. Friedman.

It is an LP, if you will, of an essay about a increasingly shrinking world. In it, he argues that the world, with its outsourcing, offshoring, multinational corporations, and ever increasing numbers of knowledge centers is getting smaller. Our cultures are slowly merging and as more and more countries advance, it forces the world leader, America, to innovate at an astounding rate. Really interesting read.

In other news, the Gregg Allman Band is coming to New Orleans in October and I've been asked to at least stop by and visit my new found friends in the roadie world, which is fairly exciting. Also, tons of great music is coming to New Orleans in the next two months.

9/12 Heartless Bastards at One Eyed Jacks
9/15 The Meat Puppets (with both brothers!) at One Eyed Jacks
9/16 Indigo Girls at Tipitina's
9/18 Arctic Monkeys at House of Blues
9/20 Biz Markie and the Roots at House of Blues
9/21 Henry Rollins at House of Blues
9/23 Interpol at House of Blues
9/30 Turbonegro at One Eyed Jacks
10/4 Rilo Kiley at The Republic
10/5 George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic at House of Blues
10/10 Blitzen Trapper at The Parish
10/17 Gregg Allman Band at House of Blues
10/25 The Hives at One Eyed Jacks

And that doesn't include Voodoo Fest, which I will cover in full at a later date.

The Great State of Iowa

Dave Thomas: philanthropist, restaurateur, orphan, and a passionate hater of Iowa. Today I woke up at a rest stop somewhere East of Des Moines. After a few minutes on the road, it was decided that Wendy's and Wendy's alone would satisfy our appetites. McDonalds? No thanks, Morgan Spurlock. Burger King? Not after that child molester in the King mask made all those commercials. Taco Bell? Yeah right...we need to make good time without stopping every 30 minutes. Therefore it must be the delicious 5 piece chicken nuggets, the original Frosty (I don't know what this new vanilla flavor is), and the square burgers. That's right, square burgers. While other fast food places may cut corners on their meat, Wendy's is committed to giving you the beef, the whole beef, and nothing but the beef.

However, every exit came and went without a single Wendy's advertised. Over 100 miles we traveled, our bellies begging for respite, before we happened upon Des Moines. It was there we saw the one and only Wendy's since leaving Illinois.

Now, why do you think there is a noticeable absence of this land's favorite fast food chain (in this case, good food quickly instead of reheated cardboard)? I have two theories, as usual.

1) Dave Thomas hates Iowa. He never warmed up to corn in his adult years after his foster parents were never able to afford it, instead propagandizing him with anti-corn sentiment. The soft, rolling hills slowly waving back and forth with the stalks made him nauseous. He suffered from motion sickness as an adolescent and he couldn't have any of his restaurants in any city in which he could not stand still without vomiting.

2) Small business owners in Iowa are terrified of Wendy's. They know as sure as the rapture in this Bible belt extension that Wendy's will knock the socks off any other in and out eatery. They have prayed and meditated over the issue. The answer, of course, is bribes. They have been putting members of the Chamber of Commerce into homes well beyond their means for years. Every additional bedroom, every 10 additional horsepower, every additional Italian cut suit these men have, the fewer and fewer commercial lots available for Wendy's.

The zoning committees will give in. They will. Burger King just ain't that good. Get ready Iowans. Dave Thomas has passed on and his minions will prevail.

Hawaiian Shirt Tuesday

Once again, it's Hawaiian Shirt Tuesday. Once again, I am without this dubious attire. Not to be left out again, I was treated to something special: a cheap Hawaiian lei. I was literally forced to wear it all night even though I was in the dark in deep stage left. Without it, I'm told, I'm nothing but a stage hand with special privileges. It's just a shame cameras are not allowed on stage, otherwise my adoring public would be graced with a photo of yours truly in full lei get up.

In other news, my hard work seems to be paying off. At the end of every night, I dutifully help load the trucks even though I'm not really supposed to. While they still don't call me by name Christian name, they know it. Instead, they refer to me by my MunckMusic given name: Opie. Either way, the crew seems to accept me now. Not as one their own, mind you, but instead as a semi-integral part of the show.

With only one show left (with most of the crew), it's about time. It's been a great trip so far and it can only end with favor. Thanks to the great folks of the Allman Brothers organization.

Iron & Wine - The Shepard's Dog

The newest offering from Sam Beam out September 25th on Sub Pop is going to surprise long time fans and win over new ones. The songs on this album are more orchestrated, more diverse, and more fun. His vocal stylings have hints once again of Elliot Smith's drawl and some of the longing made famous by Red House Painters and Sun Kill Moon singer Mark Kozelek. Most of the people familiar with Iron & Wine know the group for its inclusion in the Garden State soundtrack with his cover of Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" but I'm hoping that The Shepard's Dog will expand his fame and notoriety.

The first track "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" begins with a picked guitar, some sloppy (and wonderfully so) drums, and a choir of Sam Beam. The way it begins lends itself to morph into a track with over driven guitar and pounding drums. However, it never really picks up, but it's the type of track you never want to. It's great. My other favorite track is "The Devil Never Sleeps." The tenth track of the nearly 50 minute album is an early Elton John song through and through. Other tracks to check out: White Tooth Man, House by the Sea.

Rating: Get a hard copy.

(Disclaimer: my rating system is as follows: skip it, listen, borrow and burn, buy it, get a hard copy)

Minnesota

Our day's travels have placed us in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have already heard the phrase "don't ya know" and have only just reached the hotel. I knew it was going to happen, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. Along the road from Milwaukee today, I drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time I was awake, there was the local classic rock station coming in over the speakers in the bus. It made me realize something.

Middle America loves classic rock. Middle America's classic rock DJ's are feeding their listeners with more music than they can seemingly handle. Thankfully, it's all music they've heard before. They have heard each and every song hundreds of times. Each DJ, whether we are in Newark, NJ or on the University of Minnesota campus in the outskirts of Minneapolis tends to love the same songs. They play Bad Company, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynard (especially "Simple Man" and "Free Bird"), the Steve Miller Band, the Eagles, and Journey.
This is a crime. It is the equivalent of taxation without representation. These listeners have no choice in cheap entertainment on the way home from work. They are forced to hear the same 200 songs over and over. This sort of thing is the reason this great country declared independence in the first place, right? Once upon a time, I thought the yearly premium for satellite radio was too expensive to catch on. Now, I'm literally jumping at bit to enroll for my next long road trip if I hear one more hour's worth of music featuring "Jamie's Got a Gun," "Don't Stop Believing," and "Hotel California."

Tomorrow the Allman Brothers are playing the grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair. It almost makes me want to seek out a Blockbuster so I can rent a copy of That Thing You Do! to prepare. I bet the fairgrounds will be full of idiots humming Foreigner and Styx songs under their breath. I can only hope that the enthused weight guessers on the main strip can drown out their misquoted lyrics.

Sick...

I'm officially sick on tour. At Bonnaroo in June, I laughed in the face of a sinus infection claiming invincibility. Now when I'm expected to work and work hard until midnight (which is when it is normally at its worst), disaster has struck. I hate sinus infections and will give anyone who helps me $1500 to rip my sinuses out. In addition, I arrived a full 5 hours late to the venue which means I'm in the worst spot without room for all my cases. Today is about a 1 on the wow scale.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band

I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with the delicacy known as an Arnold Palmer but I assure you that it is one worth knowing. To create the delicious mixture, take 45% sweet tea (only moderately sweet tea), 45% lemonade, 10% ginger ale, and 10% love. I guarantee you will not believe your taste buds. Upon arriving at a venue I embark on a nearly religious journey for these ingredients. Today, bless my lucky stars, I was honored with three of the four ingredients—I had to supply the love myself (it’s all in the mixing). Therefore, I insist that you run, don’t walk, to the nearest grocery store to pick up these beverages. If you’re feeling short on love stop into the Hallmark Greeting Card aisle and write a love letter to yourself. It’s not narcissistic if it’s all true, right?

Tonight was the first night of the tour with Robert Randolph. What a showman. His band puts on a terrific show while giving him plenty of room to work his pedal steel all night. I'm not sure I'm love with his studio albums, but his collaboration with the North Mississippi All-Stars and John Medeski in the instrumental gospel jam album under the name The Word. I implore everyone I know to pick this up. It is one of my "must have" albums.

Tonight’s Allman Brothers set was the first 2 ½ hour set I have experienced. It went by very quickly most likely because I was able to sit for this show. Standing hunched over the board for 2 hours is not an entirely good time, as you may imagine. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.

Tonight’s set list:

Midnight Rider
Trouble No More
Firing Line
School Girl
Wasted Words (one of my personal favorites)
Statesboro Blues
Desdemona
Into the Mystic
No One to Run With
Melissa
Same Thing
JaBuMa
Jessica

Encore:
Love Light with Robert Randolph
One Way Out with Robert Randolph

Clarkston, MI

Today my station has moved from Stage Left to Stage Right. Tonight I bond with the light crew. The light guys are the stage equivalent of Delta House. They work hard, they play hard. My sides hurt already from laughing. They seem utterly obsessed with Borat and fitting his voice and accent into most sentences. Brian Farmer (Warren's guitar tech you might remember) enjoys the company of these guys too and loves to interject with his Cartman impressions. Though, to be honest, it's less Cartman and more Anne Ramsey in her Academy Award nominated performance in Throw Momma From the Train. Tonight I am also blessed with a new opening band: Robert Randolph & the Family Band. I'm very excited to see this spectacle again.

This morning during my hitched ride on the crew busses (which are extremely, extremely nice by the way) I learned something odd. It seems that 60 year-old Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks is hopelessly obsessed with the World of Warcraft. Two years ago, he had no email address, no computer, and no clue. Last night his computer crashed at midnight and he made an emergency call the production manager needing a computer tech to get him up and running again by this afternoon so he can continue his quest through the magical land of Warcraft. Mr. Trucks has a fever. Apparently the only prescription is to level up. I wonder if he takes offense to the charmingly satirical South Park episode addressing WoW as it's called by players.


Moving on, it is currently 83 just north of Detroit. In New Orleans, the heat index is hovering somewhere around 103. Suckers.

Michigan

I have officially arrived in Michigan. The ride today was extremely long but was met with a much needed hotel bar at the end...the first of the tour. Last night's show was a great set though I believe the limiter was set a little too hot (not that the previous sentence will make much sense to most of you). I would highly recommend getting last night's show--especially those of you who are either Ratdog or Allman Bros. historians. The set list was killer and most of Ratdog sat in with the Brothers for a wonderful rendition of "All Along the Watchtower" (a cover of the Hendrix version). Sadly, it was the first thing I have seen Ratdog do that I actually enjoyed. They ended the show last night with yet another awful rendition of "Come Together."

Tomorrow, I will be hitching a ride with the crew on their bus to the venue largely because my compadres are lazy and don't want to wake up before noon. I'm not sure how big the venue is but hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised with the Detroit area crowd's appetite for CD's of the show.

On the road today I read one book and started another. I wish I had the foresight to bring more reading material as I have but 150 pages left of my last book. I'll either have to stretch it out with cat naps during my days off or make a stop at a bookstore. I would strongly prefer the latter. While I'm on the subject, I highly suggest those of you looking for some light reading (by light I mean easy to digest in a single sitting, not Dean Koontz crap. I recommend either IV or Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs) to pick up any number of Chuck Klosterman's books. They are broken up into many short essays that he has written over the years and, to be honest, I strive to write like he does.

My favorite part of the tour so far is not the shows (since I have to spend them on pins and needles listening intently to the mix through headphones) but spending time with either the light and sound crew or just shooting the breeze in the bus with my traveling partners Damon and Brad (both at least 12 years my senior). I can always anticipate a smiling face greeting me from the crew in the mornings because that is when I hand out complimentary CD's from the previous night's show.

The smiling faces usually accompany a genuine appreciation for the discs but most always come with some sort of generic nickname for the youngest person on tour. To my fellow MunckMix mates, I am most often Opie or Skippy. On stage, I am Tiger, Sport, Brother/Man or just "Hey you." One day I'll lose my baby face, gain some seniority, and have a real name. Either that or I'll have to start wearing a name tag. Perhaps some flair will help people to remember me.

Set List from last night (Holmdel, NJ)

Les Brers in A Minor
Can't Lose What You Never Had
Statesboro Blues
The Weight
Dreams
Done Somebody Wrong w/ Jr. Mack and Bruce Katz
All Along the Watchtower w/ Ratdog
Jessica
JaBuMa

Encore:
Melissa
Whipping Post

Mother Nature hates the Yankees.

She does. George Steinbrenner sheds a single tear every time his field crew sprints across Yankee Stadium pulling an oversized blue tarp. Today Mother Nature rained herself upon the seemingly infinite Long Island from sun up to sun down. To use Forrest Gump parlance, it was prime example of “a tiny stinging rain” that drives into your shirt collar and sneaks up your pant legs. Due to the rain, the Hawaiian shirts were seemingly put on hold for drier and warmer attire much to my mounting dismay. As if the rain wasn’t bad enough, it is also about 55 degrees—a solid 50 degrees colder than it was in New Orleans the day before I left. Needless to say, I was cold both in body and spirit.

In addition, my station this evening was way off stage with a solid sheet of tarp blocking my line of sight. Therefore, for those of you that will hear the Jones Beach disc, I apologize if the track markers are off by a few seconds. It’s very hard to guess transitions when you can’t see the band.

Sadly, I was told that this venue was devoid of all the characters I wished for. This is the Long Island crowd: ambitious suburbanites who find acts like the Allman Brothers “smart” and “a great example of solid Americana this country can really get behind if only they would discard newer music made by computers and other devices lacking the soul of a true American like Gregg Allman.” In summation, it’s a good thing I was backstage and not in the crowd this evening. These people would probably abhor my Southern accent, my Boston Red Sox hat (specifically chosen for today though in retrospect it may have been a bad move as the stagehands didn’t pay me much attention except to ridicule my obviously superior headwear), and my desire to stay in the city of New Orleans.

My day did take a turn up when I arrived backstage after dinner. There, like a couple of high school girls milling around before senior prom, were all of the Allman Brothers crew in all their Hawaiian glory. After such a let down this morning, my eyes were met with vividly hellacious polyester and silk shirts draped eloquently over sweatshirts, ponchos, and one bare chest. I was disappointed to see only flowers and leis but thrilled and excited by the colors. O! the colors how they swam, chasing one another across these wearable canvasses. There were no NASCAR shirts, no band shirts, no other vegetation of any kind but it was a feast for my eyes anyway.

The set itself was very good. Great set list and many tracks I haven’t heard yet. Overall, quite a successful night.

Trouble No More
Ain’t Wasting Time No More
Statesboro Blues
Rocking Horse
Gambler’s Roll
Black Hearted Woman
Stone Me
Stand Back
Why Does Love Have To Be So Sad?
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
JaBuMa

Encore:
Don’t Want You No More
Southbound w/ John Hall (of one hit wonder band Orleans with their hit "Still The One" why they invited him to sit in is beyond me...he's now a congressman or something)

My First Day Off

Today marked my first day off. Some people would consider this a perfect time for a little “R & R” but it has been marked with boredom and procrastination (though certainly not on my part). I awoke at 10 this morning in a parking lot somewhere in New York state and began working on re-mastering the past three shows on a company laptop. A couple of hours later, my companions awoke and decided that it was perhaps time to get on the road seeing as we have a 6 hour drive ahead of us excluding traffic surrounding New York City.

Simple math would put us at our destination around 8pm, right? Wrong. It is now 8:30pm and I write as we speed down the interstate towards the Big Apple. Our estimated time of arrival: midnight. Our departure in earnest was delayed by a stop at Friendly’s, a chain mixed with Denny’s, Cracker Barrel, and Baskin Robbins, and a detailed hands-on lesson in a motorhome’s holding tank unsoiling, as it were. Both experiences were about the same if you catch my drift…

Tomorrow is Tuesday. Tuesdays among the Allman Brothers Band crew means Hawaiian shirt day (so if you want to go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and, uh, jeans). Rumor has it that the uglier the shirt the better. FOH assistant Michael Jackson reputedly got his Hawaiian shirt for $4.99 in a gas station in West Virginia. Therefore, I believe the prized Hawaiian shirt just may have a NASCAR theme. The reason this does not bode well for yours truly is that I do not own a Hawaiian shirt. Even if I did, I would never have found any reason to pack it among the jeans and t-shirts I did choose to bring along. I will apparently be very out of place and may very well receive ridicule tomorrow for it (how ironic).

I’ve spent years of my life distancing myself from this fashion faux pas and now I will be committing one without such an article. How embarrassing, though for whom I’m honestly not sure. If cameras were not viciously banned from the stage at all times, I would sneak as many photos as I could but alas, I will have to rely on the one thousand words instead.

Stay tuned for stories of Long Island, NY. Hopefully it is as funny to a Southern boy as I’ve dreamed. I’m praying for gold chains, slicked back or spiked up hair, muscle tees, huge sunglasses, and tans that would make George Hamilton seem pale. If that doesn’t happen, then I suppose I’ll tell stories of funny shirts from our nation’s youngest state.

O Captain, my Captain.

Tonight was the night folks. I am officially wearing the skipper hat now. First of all, it was a great show. They finally played Mountain Jam (at least since I've been with the tour) and it was killer. It was so nerve racking knowing that the real time changes I was making would make or break a recording for the 300 CDs we sold tonight (the most so far!). Needless to say, I didn't have a moment's rest during the two-hour set.

Being behind the board, it's so interesting to hear the interactions between guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. They have such different soloing styles and can mimic one another very well. They trade off bars, entire solos, even single notes. I'll be doing my best to perfect the mix between them during the next show (Tuesday at Jones Beach, Long Island).

If any of you have any interest in getting a hand on CDs that I mixed, feel free to stop by abblive.com and scoop up a copy of a CD from 8-19 through 8-31. Or I suppose those of you that know me well, you can just wait long enough for me to make you a copy (or two or three). I'll definitely be putting together a best of compilation when I get back.

That said, I've got the day off tomorrow. That means sleep, it means a real shower, it means a bed that is not a couch the other 18 hours of the day. I'll be spending it fighting traffic in NYC. Of course, I would rather the traffic of New York than the Walgreens-less and nearly gas station-less town of Pembroke, NY that I experienced today. So drop me a line, leave a comment, give me a call. Goodnight all.

Here's the set-list from Darien Center:
Les Brers
Revival
Statesboro Blues
Midnight Rider
Don't Know Who to Believe
The Sky is Crying
Come and Go Blues
You Don't Love Me
Who's Been Talking
Every Hungry Woman
Mountain Jam

Encore:
One Way Out

Perks and Pitfalls

On the tour, there are many rules to follow, many rules to break, and benefits for both. One of the great benefits of the tour is catered breakfast, lunch, and dinner on show days. This is not your run of the mill sandwich meat and day old macaroni folks. Friday night the menu consisted of grilled pork chops, orange roughy, Thai curry vegetables and many side dishes.

Breakfast yesterday, I found out was ham and eggs, grits, bagels, crossaints, etc. Of course, I couldn’t find breakfast because it was located outside in a tent at this venue. Inside, I suffered stale donuts and the worst coffee ever made. Lunch was hamburgers, salad, veggies, fruit, chips, sandwiches, cookies, brownies, pretty much everything the body needs to carry on the most in your face classic rock jam show there has ever been.

Some of the pitfalls are being in the way at any point during set up and take down on stage. This can not only be dangerous to your person, but also to your self-esteem. Big Earl (monitor engineer) and Michael Jackson (FOH assistant) will not hesitate to send you off to recording world (basically anything on a stage is “x” world such as guitar world, monitor world, etc) with a tongue lashing over the loudspeakers. You can get around such a dismissal by volunteering to help which is both tiring and fun. The characters you meet, both local and traveling, are always entertaining.

After each show, you have a choice: either chug some Redbull and start driving behind the tour buses and equipment trucks and sleep when you get there (we arrived at the destination at 5:30am yesterday) or crash and wake up at 5am to arrive for the 9am load in every morning. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve only been with the group for 48 hours afterall. There’s plenty more to come.

Quite possibly the biggest pitfall will occur tonight. I am officially behind the wheel as it were in 7 hours. Wish me luck, I'll need it.

And, as promised, last night's set list:

Done Somebody Wrong
Southbound
Ain't Wastin' Time No More
Hot 'Lanta
Woman Across the River
Melissa
Nobody Left to Run With
Dreams
Stoned Me (with Steve Kimock)
Leave My Blues Alone plus JaBuMa
Jessica

Encore:
Don't Want You No More
One Way Out

Tour Stops

Hey all,

Just finished the second show. This one certainly ran much more smoothly though I may not have been as happy with the mix. Tomorrow I will be in charge of the mix the whole way through and I've got ideas boys and girls. Ideas. Warren Haynes (who is in charge of approving the mix) will not believe his ears come Monday. Anyway, it's 2am and we're just wrapping up before driving 6 or 7 hours to Buffalo, NY.

I figured someone would be interested in knowing where I'm going on this thing. Here's the stops:

Camden, NJ (Philly)
Bushkill, PA (middle of nowhere)
Darien Center, NY (Buffalo)
Wantagh, NY (Long Island)
Holmdel, NJ (more Garden State)
Clarkston, MI (between Flint and Detroit)
Petoskey, MI (upper "mitten")
Milwaukee, WI
St. Paul, MN
Chicago, IL
Council Bluffs, IA (Omaha)

On the tour...

Greetings from Bushkill, PA--home of no cell phone service...period. The tour has officially begun. Last night was the first show and went pretty smoothly. I arrived in rainy Philadelphia yesterday afternoon and took the slowest cab ride ever over the Ben Franklin Bridge to smoggy New Jersey, more facetiously known as the Garden State.

Upon arriving backstage, I realized that the road crew traveling with Allman Brothers Band is nothing but a bunch of big kids playing with some extremely expensive toys. Those of you who are familiar with Gov't Mule as well as the Allman Bros may know of Brian Farmer. He is Warren Haynes' look-a-like/guitar tech. This stout bearded man is the epitome of someone completely in love with his job.

After watching a little bit of Keller Williams and eating the fabulous catered dinner, it was time to head backstage to prepare for recording. Unfortunately, this meant sitting through the insufferable Bob Weir and Ratdog for nearly two hours. How these guys sells records and concert tickets is beyond me. I just don't understand.

Finally, they wrapped up their less than stellar set with a horrible cover of the Beatles' "Come Together" and it was time for the main attraction. The Allman Bros started strong and ended stronger. One of the best parts of my job is listening to the headphones and hearing the interactions between songs on stage. Even in the thick of it, everyone on stage is joking around, having a great time.

The recording was going very well up until the encore and disaster struck: the CD burner decided it no longer wanted to record. So, after a panicked rearrangement of hard drives, computers, and headphones, we had to remaster the second half of the show on the fly...in less than 10 minutes. All in all, the 225 customers that preordered CDs before the show had the discs in hand within 45 minutes of the last note. All's well that ends well I guess.

The perks of the tour are fantastic, but I will get into that later on along with the unfortunate bus ride times and conditions (though there has only been one thus far). I will do my best to post set lists for every show:

Don't Want You No More / Ain't My Cross to Bear
Statesboro Blues
Midnight Rider
The Weight
Black-Hearted Woman
Dreams
Franklin's Tour feat. Bob Weir
Into The Mystic
Don't Keep Me Wondering
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
JaBuMa (Drum solo named for Jaimoe, Butch, and Mark)

Encore:
Whipping Post

Until next time...

The rumors are true!

I spoke personally with John Fischbach, head engineer and manager of local New Orleans studio Piety Street and he confirmed the upcoming project: OK Go!'s Damian Kulash and My Morning Jacket's Jim James are coming to New Orleans to each work with Bonerama. Why is this important? Because I love My Morning Jacket and I love Bonerama (sorry to the members of OK Go!).

For those who have never seen or even heard of them, Bonerama consists of four trombones, a tuba, guitar, and an amazing drummer (currently). They flow seamlessly from straight ahead New Orleans funk to classic rock. For those not into the whole RealMedia thing, please check out their MySpace for music samples here: Bonerama Myspace and definitely give Bap Bap and the Ocean a listen. If you ever have a chance, go see them live. You won't regret it.

"How did this all come about?" you may be wondering. Well a few months ago the New Orleans non-profit Sweet Home New Orleans (please consider donating as they are really doing the city well) threw a shindig called Musicians Bringing Musicians Home. It featured major artists playing at world famous Tipitina's to raise money for SHNO so that they could, in turn, pass it along to the musicians needing a hand in getting back into the city and playing the music that makes it famous.

Among these artists were headliners Indigo Girls, Jim James, Damian Kulash, Bonerama, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, and a few others. It was a great night and as far as excitement goes, Bonerama stole the show. James and Kulash were apparently both blown away.

I'm assuming both these artists will be doing something for an upcoming solo record, but that remains to be seen. I'll certainly keep everyone posted.

New Music

Recently I've been even more ravenous for new music than normal. I have scoured the popular indie blogs (Pitchfork, My Old KY Blog, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan), read reviews in all the music magazines [Rolling Stone (don't bother), Spin (buy one in an airport), Paste (get a subscription at your earliest convenience)], and most disappointingly, in local alternative weeklies (Where Y'at, Offbeat, Gambit Weekly).

Doing so, I've found lots of new (and not so new) music. I wanted to share some of it with you folk. These artists range from the ordinary to the extraordinary, solo to orchestral, crooned to screamed. Check out a couple of them and let me know what you think. In the coming weeks I'll be doing in depth reviews of the newer albums (and some that are less well known).

Sanders Bohlke - Solo artist hailing from Oxford, MS. His first and only album (released 2005 on Ampere Records) features soulful songs for a rainy day. His voice carries the album and complements his minimalist accompaniment extremely well. The production is good on the album with the sounds of the Mississippi Hill Country throughout though it is mastered rather poorly and with very little dynamic range. Either way, I love it and my friends are tired of hearing me trying to evangelize about him. It touches on Christian values but I wouldn't call it Christian music. Great for fans of Damien Rice, Elliot Smith, and New Orleans' own Blair Gimma.



Jason Reischel - Another solo artist from NYC. His lyrics range from heartache to new love and are usually interesting though not always exactly educational. I first saw him in a small Irish pub in Jackson, MS and liked his live show very much. I recently got his album Brown Bridge & Green Bridge and am happy with the first half. The second half may take a second or third listen. Good for fans of acoustic folk rock pop.


St. Vincent - The brainchild of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark, Dallas TX's St. Vincent is fantastic. The first album, Marry Me, was released on July 10th and it is a fantastic female driven pop album. Clark handles guitar, programming, keyboards, bass, percussion, nearly everything you hear. She handled lead guitar duties for both the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens before striking out on her own. It's a great road trip and early morning needing a pick me up CD. A little like Regina Spektor's new record but without the playful lyrics. Check out her track "Jesus Saves, I Spend."

Soon I will be posting a full review on the newest Iron & Wine record (due out next month). For fans of Sam Beam, be very excited. For those who are only familiar with his fantastic rendition of Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" from the Garden State soundtrack, prepare to have a new favorite CD.

Jazz Fest Live

I guess it my be helpful to explain how such a wonderful opportunity came about.

During my time at Loyola New Orleans, a professor approached me with a volunteer opportunity that was right up my alley: recording shows at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival with a company out of metro Chicago: MunckMusic (dba Jazz Fest Live!). It entailed sitting side stage and recording tracks from the monitor board of artists that agreed to the terms associated with the recording.

From there, the recordings would be ushered to the mixing trailer where one of a diligently working group of staff members would mix feverishly in order to get those CDs to shelves the day.

Basically, festival attendees would be able to purchase CDs of shows they saw the day before. It worked fabulously well and I ended up working with the company each spring for the past three years.

At first I was but a worker ant, sitting in the sun behind the musicians making sure the recordings went smoothly, but this spring I moved into the mixing trailer. Apparently, the gentlemen from MunckMusic saw something in me during these sessions and led to the upcoming Allman Brothers stint.

Among some of the shows I've recording the past three years:
Ani Difranco
The Meters x2
New Orleans Social ClubCowboy Mouth
Papa Grows Funk
Rebirth Brass Band
Warren Haynes
The Radiators
Hot 8 Brass Band
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk
Neville Brothers
Little Feat
Henry Butler

It's been wild. If the boys from Chicago come back this year (which I'm sure they will) I'll get to do it all again.

Welcome!

Welcome to my first blog. I'm starting this thing up for my friends and family to follow my journey more closely when it begins.
As many have heard, I've been extended the opportunity to travel with the Allman Brothers Band on tour for a few weeks (Aug 17-30th) later this month. I, of course, jumped on the chance and am now looking forward to departure for smoggy New Jersey (my first stop).
While trying to avoid the strictly technical terms, I'll, in essence, be sitting side stage for 10 shows whilst recording and mixing live. The end result will be CDs of the concert available for purchase about 15 minutes after the last note rings out. It will be hectic, it will be stressful, it will be a hell of a lot of fun.
I'll be traversing across the Northeast and into the Midwest in a 31' motorhome (piloted occasionally by yours truly) getting little sleep and even fewer showers. All this is made possible by the production company MunckMix out of the greater Chicago area.
If you will be in the areas of any of the shows on tour, feel free to give me a call. If I have time, I'd love to see you folks. There's more news to follow counting down to the big day (August 17th) so stay tuned.