JTM's Best of 2006, Part I

The Songs

50. Nature of the Experiment - Tokyo Police Club
49. Get Myself Into It - The Rapture
48. Letter to Bowie Knife - Calexico
47. Brother - Annuals
46. Rear View Mirror - Grandaddy
45. Midnight Voyage - Ghostland Observatory
44. Did I Step On Your Trumpet - Danielson
43. Yell Fire - Michael Franti & Spearhead
42. Broken Boy Soldier - The Raconteurs
41. Don't Take My Sunshine Away - Sparklehorse
40. Mr. Tough - Yo La Tengo
39. Cha Cha Cha - The Little Ones
38. Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives - Voxtrot
37. Violets - Candy Bars
36. Brace Your Face - Aloha
35. Cheated Hearts - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
34. Lazy Eye - Silversun Pickups
33. I Want You So Hard (Boys Bad News) - Eagles of Death Metal
32. Hospital Beds - Cold War Kids
31. The President Is Dead - Okkervil River
30. Postcards From Italy - Beirut
29. Don't Fade On Me - Magnolia Electric Co.
28. How It Ends - DeVotchKa
27. Road to Peace - Tom Waits
26. Game Theory - The Roots
25. Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above - CSS
24. Stadiums and Shrines II - Sunset Rubdown
23. Auto Rock - Mogwai
22. Pile of Gold - The Blow
21. Goin' Against Your Mind - Built to Spill
20. The Greatest - Cat Power
19. In The Morning - Junior Boys
18. Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake
17. Roscoe - Midlake
16. And I Was a Boy From School - Hot Chip
15. Insistor - Tapes 'n Tapes
14. The Funeral - Band of Horses
13. John Saw That Number - Neko Case
12. Funny Little Frog - Belle & Sebastian
11. Boy Soprano - Xiu Xiu
10. Free Radicals - The Flaming Lips
9. Swans (Life After Death) - Islands
8. We Share Our Mothers' Health - The Knife
7. European Oils - Destroyer
6. Incinerate - Sonic Youth
5. Harrowdown Hill - Thom Yorke
4. Southtown Girls - The Hold Steady
3. Sister Winter - Sufjan Stevens
2. Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio
1. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

Mark Mallman

Well guys, this is as close as I get to an 'exclusive,' so enjoy! Last Thursday night, I was lucky enough to hear about an unannounced, last-minute show by Mark Mallman at the 400 Bar. Lucky for my lazy ass (this WAS a worknight), the set time was 9pm.

I've been looking forward to Mark's publicized, headlining gig later this month at the 400 Bar (Nov 24th w/ Espionage! and The Alarmists). But apparently, this was one of those spontanteous "can you play tonight?" sort of gigs and Mark was happy to step in and fill a slot. Due to the short notice, instead of his usual full complement of musicians, Mark came with a pared down configuration: just him, the new touring drummer (an incredibly talented Aaron LeMay, formerly of Planes for Spaces) and a digital recording of guitar, bass, etc. cued up by Aaron prior to each song. Sounds like it wouldn't come across live, but believe me when I say it does.

Mallman is famous for his live performances, including the so-called 'Marathon 1' and 'Marathon 2' gigs at the Turf Club in which he played continuously for 26 and 52 hours respectively. The 52-hour show almost made it into the Guiness Book of World Records! Bottomline, any live show from Mark is highly anticipated around here. Most shows aren't marathons, but he typically puts on a highly stylized, multiple-costume-change glam-influenced bonanza. Or so I've heard. You see, this was my first time to see him live. This is a shaming fact coming from an avid Twin Cities live music junkie, but true nonetheless.

So this isn't the Mark of legend I was seeing on a Thursday night with 30 other people (set time of only 45 minutes!) but it gave me a good flavor of what's to come later this month. First and foremost, Mark is a very charismatic performer. Secondly, he is a stellar piano player, singer and songwriter. Think of a glammier Billy Joel. And speaking of piano man, damn, the abuse Mark gives his poor keyboard is impressive. One moment he'll be laying across it in a sultry pose of mock-seduction, the next he climbs atop and stands, teetering in balance, to sing from the rafters. All of this and he never misses a note. He pauses between songs only to offer self-depracating acknowledgement of the non-existant crowd and thank us for coming to see the "Aaron LeMay Band" all the way from Champaigne, Illinois for their first show in the Twin Cities. Meanwhile, Aaron cues the next track, plays the straight man in Mark's routine and expertly leads each song with a working man's ethic. Together, they seared through some great new material found on the recently released Between the Devil and Middle C, an album I'm now inclinded to purchase. So, an all-around great gig, albeit abreviated. I consider it a teaser for the show on the 24th. It can only get better from here.

Election Day

The setting:
A southern plantation estate, a rodeo, a bus of drunk frat boys, an evangelical mega-church, a business convention, Washington, DC;

The day after the election, with politics on our minds, I could be describing the heart and soul of the Republican party, red-state conservative strongholds, the voting base of one George W. Bush (Editorial note: a shame about those election results, guys). Instead, I'm talking about the playground of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat, a horny anti-Semitic journalist on loan from Kazakhstan to document the great American experience.

These two worlds couldn’t be the same thing, could they? This is the year 2006. Surely, we’ve moved beyond the days when our country was populated by the startling prejudice and idiocy that Borat encounters on his journeys. Right? Right.

Last night, election night, I saw Borat with a packed, lively crowd. I’m a firm believer in the communal experience of seeing movies on the big screen, sitting in a theater with strangers in the dark. Nowadays, most of us prefer Netflix DVDs on a flatscreen tv in the privacy of our homes. But I think we can all agree that a comedy is always best seen in a theater, or at least in a group setting. There’s just something infectious about a large crowd in synchronized fits of laughter.

Borat does nothing if not trigger hysterical laughter. This is comedy at its satirical best and outrageously offensive worst. You will marvel at Sacha Baron Cohen's tenacious performance. Borat’s ability to draw out the prejudice in his surprisingly willing subjects is jaw-dropping. These aren't actors, folks. I wish they were. I kept asking myself if this or that scene was staged. Did the person know this was a put-on? How could anyone say that with a camera on them?! Pamela Anderson surely was in on the joke, right? I’m not so sure. In any case, watching Borat interact with these people is constantly hilarious and often sobering. While the satire is sharp and intelligent, Borat also has some of the most brazenly obscene and offensive content I’ve seen in some time. I’m not giving any specifics here. I really want to. But I won’t. Don’t want to spoil anything. Needless to say, Borat is brilliantly subversive in its intent and hilariously juvenile in its execution. Most moviegoers will buy tickets for the absurd, gross-out sight gags but many will leave thinking about what Cohen is really up to, what he's saying, what's real, what's not. It's a low-brow comedy that makes you think.

So yes, all the hype surrounding Borat is dead-on. I don't know why I tried to resist. Borat is indeed one of the funniest movies ever made. The list-maker in me is already comparing it along side other comedy classics to see where it ranks, but why bother. There's no need. Just for god's sake, go see it if you haven't already. As for me, I'm still coming down off the high. If nothing else, it was perfect entertainment on election day and I’m looking forward to seeing it again.

Great expectations for Borat

I am just one of many who have been waiting with giddy anticipation for the release of Sacha Baron Cohen's feature-length epic Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. As a well-versed fan of Cohen's Da Ali G Show, I have a good idea of what to expect, but I'd be lying to not tell you I'm a wee bit worried about how things are shaping up. First of all, you have these reviews, the most glowing of which are written by some very elite and well-respected critics. Then, you have the phenomenal box-office results. Universal acclaim AND strong box-office is a rare feat, my friend.

Anyone with a pulse has to admit that Borat looks to be hilarious, and I'm sure it is. But how often do you hear that a film is the 'funniest movie ever made?' Let me repeat, 'The Funniest Movie Ever Made.' I'm prone to hyperbole myself, but even so, that is a very bold statement. And yet I've read that very claim in several professional reviews! This worries me. As with most things, it all comes down to expectations. Who are we kidding? At this point, my expectations are so ridiculously high that I fear they're impossible to meet. I'm just saying that it ain't looking good. Expectations are powerful filters and can have startling effects on our experiences. So my worry is simply that it could be all over for me and Borat. Let's hope not. I hope to see it this week and I'll let you know. If any of you have seen it already, I'm curious to hear your impression. Funniest movie ever?

Supergroups

The supergroup is an interesting but often sketchy phenomenon in pop music. I'd venture to say that most are nothing more than publicity stunts that result in sub-par material. However, sometimes the stars align and for whatever reason, the right people come together to create music that actually transcends their prior works.

In honor of the upcoming release Beast Moans by newly formed supergroup Swan Lake, I present a list of the most impressive lineups in supergroup history. This isn't a list of the best music per se, but simply the most star-studded lineups. I also tried to spread the wealth over different eras as best as I could. The music itself is hit-or-miss, most often miss. Let me know if I missed any big ones...

One important note...I don't count retroactive supergroups, or bands who later spawned huge artists (e.g. N.W.A., Wu Tang Clan, Genesis, The Yardbirds, etc.)

10. Swan Lake
Spencer Krug - Frog Eyes, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown
Dan Bejar - Destroyer, The New Pornographers
Carey Mercer - Frog Eyes

9. Temple of the Dog
Eddie Vedder - Pearl Jam
Jeff Ament - Pearl Jam
Mike McCready - Pearl Jam
Stone Gossard - Pearl Jam
Matt Cameron - Soundgarden
Chris Cornell - Soundgarden
(honorable mention in the supergroup grunge category goes to Mad Season)

8. The New Pornographers
Carl Newman - Zumpano
Neko Case - Neko Case & Her Boyfriends
Dan Bejar - Destroyer


7. The Firm
Jimmy Page - Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin
Paul Rodgers - Free, Bad Company

6. Blind Faith
Eric Clapton - Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream
Steve Winwood - Traffic

5. Oysterhead
Trey Anastasio - Phish
Les Claypool - Primus
Stewart Copeland - The Police


4. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
David Crosby - The Byrds
Stephen Stills - Buffalo Springfield
Graham Nash - The Hollies
Neil Young - Buffalo Springfield

3. The Super Super Blues Band
Howlin' Wolf
Muddy Waters
Bo Diddley

2. The Highwaymen
Johnny Cash
Willie Nelson
Waylan Jennings
Kris Kristofferson

1. The Traveling Wilburys
Bob Dylan
Roy Orbison
Tom Petty
George Harrison - The Beatles
Jeff Lynne - ELO

Liriano Update

Shhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitt.....

The headline reads: "Twins' Liriano likely to miss '07 after elbow surgery."
Enough said, but if you must, the story is here.

Happy Halloween??

What is going on here? I wish I had dressed up in some elaborately scary or hilariously inappropriate costume and gone to a party or gone to a show. Instead, I gave piles of candy to kids who don't say "Trick or Treat?" and weren't even in costume?! Now since when are kids just coming up to some stranger's door and asking for candy without fulfilling those very simple but also very necessary requirements? Because without those key pieces of the game, they're just fuckin' kids stealing candy from a stranger. Call me the Halloween grinch. Next year, we're turning off the porchlight and having a Halloween party of our own. You are invited!

Speaking of the grinch, now that Halloween is here and gone, time for X-mas season! If you didn't just throw-up in your mouth, come with me and celebrate the upcoming season with your pal Sufjan right here. You know you love Christmas albums. Admit it.

Xiu Xiu

Tickets went on sale months and months ago, but finally the time came for Xiu Xiu (pronounced "Shoe Shoe") to play their Triple Rock show on Saturday night. Not sure how these things work but Xiu Xiu ended up with the early all-ages time slot, before the later 18+ gig featuring Margot & the Nuclear So & So's with headliner The Elected. No matter.

My first note of commentary is on the audience. Other than a Low show from a few years ago when everyone on the main floor literally sat down to listen, I think this may have been the most still and silent crowd I'd ever witnessed at a rock concert. Eerily so. It was so quiet, I swore I heard a cat meowing somewhere near the back of the room. I'm just glad my phone didn't ring for fear of being yelled at. This is just not the sort of atmosphere you expect. So I couldn't get a read on the crowd. Was this silence in reverence for the indie avant-garde stylings of Jamie Stewart? Or a case of unenthusiastic concert-goers bored to tears? You got me. I'm thinking a bit of both. For example, Jay Flyer, my concert comrade on this evening, was unimpressed and decided a chicken sandwich was in order next door at the bar. But as you could probably guess, I was more on the reverent side of the spectrum. Still, the crowd sucked. Come on, people. It doesn't kill you to dance a little!

So anyway...Xiu Xiu is a fascinating band. They feature confrontational lyrics combined with some explosively violent sounds. But don't let that scare you. Add on Jamie's vulnerable voice and a surprisingly great sense of melody fighting through the chaos and you have some awesome tunes. The Cure is an obvious point of reference but there is no derivative aspect to the band. If you're interested, I strongly recommend Fabulous Muscles or their new release and one of the year's best, The Air Force.

So how are they live? Amazing and volatile. One moment, the music and lyrics are so delicate and hushed that you can barely hear the song; then suddenly, they explode in a fury of raucous (and often danceable) electronic beats and aggressive guitar. There's just three of 'em on stage, and each showcases multi-instrumental talents. But immediately, the first thing that strikes you is that frontman Jamie Stewart is one intense dude. Seriously. I thought he might break down at several points during the set. Whether "break down" meant pulling out a gun and blowing me away, or instead just crying his eyes out, I'm not sure. But that's the intensity I'm talking about. It's this dichotomy of violence and vulnerability that makes Xiu Xiu so damn fascinating.

Take these lyrics from one of their best songs titled "Fabulous Muscles" (which they didn't play unfortunately):
Break my face in
It was the kindest touch you ever gave
Wrap my dreams around your thighs
And drape my hope upon the chance to touch your arm
Fabulous muscles
Cremate me after you cum on my lips
Honey boy place my ashes in a vase
Beneath your workout bench
No romance no sexiness
But a star-filled night
Kneeling down before the now familiar flesh
Of your deformed penis
Wigging out before the unfamiliar flesh
Of my broken neck
So this is not exactly light reading, folks. Jamie Stewart is one serious fuckin' musician. And my god, he could kick my ass, too. Who knew he was some sort of weight lifter? Fabulous Muscles, indeed. Anyway, he is a passionate guy and it comes through in the music and the performance. I've been a fan for only a short while, discovering their music gradually over the last year. It isn't instantly accessible and can be downright frustrating at first but it really grew on me. For anyone who is already familiar with their material, all of this commentary comes as no surprise. But seeing them live really added to their punch for me, even if all this sounds a little too heavy for a rock show. I'm sure that chicken sandwich was good, too.

These postings go on way too long. I apologize. I could have just written this: Shitty crowd, awesomely intense performance, chicken sandwich.
I'll work on my brevity.

The Hold Steady

On Tuesday night, The Hold Steady was in town for the first of two big homecoming shows at First Avenue. By far the most Twin Cities-obsessed band on the planet, The Hold Steady throw out so many TC lyrical references that even the most jaded local listener feels in-the-know. Example: Best local reference of the night goes to Craig Finn's dedication of a song to obscure Minnesota Twins sidearmer Pat Neshek. So you can imagine how this highly geeked-out crowd might embrace these guys upon their return home.

First let me back up a sec. Robot Boy was the first of two opening acts. They sounded fine if not a little repetitive. But the real problem here was their stage presence which left something to be desired. Oddly, that something turned out to be an absurdly enthusiastic dancer who suddenly appeared on stage for two songs, quickly drawing the crowd's attention with his unapologetically flamboyant moves. Hard to describe but as the band continued to shoe-gaze, this dancer stole the spotlight for a fleeting moment. I hadn't seen that running-man move in years! He was wearing a First Avenue "Staff" shirt but I'm thinking you can just buy those anywhere and that he probably wasn't an actual employee. Anyway, once he left stage, so went the crowd's attention.

Next up was the always entertaining Sean Tillman (another local musician come home), tonight appearing with Sean Na-Na rather than as his more infamous, and scantily-dressed persona Har Mar Superstar. All the same, Tillman and his band rocked the house with some surprisingly accomplished tunes. But enough with the music already. The highlight of any Sean Tillman appearance is the between song banter, which doubles as an improv stand-up comedy routine. I could quote some of the better lines, but it wouldn't come off in text.

So back to The Hold Steady. I have been really loving their latest release Boys & Girls In America and looking forward to this show for months. Never short in enthusiasm, they played a consistently energetic set of songs mostly pulled from Boys & Girls and Separation Sunday. Hoodrats, Southtown girls, Lyndale, Rainbow Foods and Craig Finn's beloved Mississippi River. They all made an appearance on this night. Finn was in top form weaving story after drug-ridden-Minneapolis-story while branding an enormous dorky grin throughout. He clearly loved playing to such an adoring crowd. How could he not? My only complaint of the night was the surprisingly poor sound mix during The Hold Steady. Muddled is the word for it. Finn's words were hard to make out. My second complaint is that they didn't play "First Night" which is my favorite song from the new album. Or at least I don't remember them playing it. I ended up getting a little toasted by the end, no thanks to the over-sized bottles of beer they serve at First Avenue.

This leads me to another point. I'm beginning to truly dread weeknight concerts. I hate to admit something like this, because I sound like an old fart. I'm only 27. Still a young pup right? I should have the energy and the stamina but I'm finding that I often don't anymore. It's pretty sad. But honestly, who are we kidding? I have an intense passion for live music, but for better or worse, I feel just as strongly about sleep. Doors open at 8pm. After two opening acts, the headliner doesn't even get on stage until 11:30. Add alcohol to that long haul and you can just kiss the rest of the week goodbye. Friday and Saturday night fellas, that's all I'm asking.

Scare me

With Halloween on its way, I'm hoping to solicit ideas for scary movies. It has been a long time since I've experienced a truly frightening film...the last one that scared me in any significant way was probably Open Water and that should give you an idea of the type of horror I like. I tend to respond more to the psychological horrors in the vein of The Shining, The Vanishing, The Tenant and also the "real-life" horror scenarios like the aforementioned Open Water. Admittedly, I haven't seen the latest crop of violent slasher-type films (the Saw series, the new Texas Chainsaw films) nor the re-makes of the likely far superior Japanese horror films (e.g. The Grudge and Ring series) But at this point, I'll give anything a shot. So please speak up. What was the last film that scared the hell out of you? I'm talking nightmare-inducing, sleep-with-the-lights-on scary. And clowns! I am scared shitless of clowns!!

The Departed

The third film in the last five years pairing legendary director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed at last offers the exhilarating pay-off worthy of the Scorsese/De Niro collaborations of years past. Gangs of New York and The Aviator had their moments. Both were above-average pieces of filmmaking. Maybe just too epic, too dry and historical. But I'm here to tell you that the third time's the charm, because this is what I've been waiting for. The Departed, which I saw Saturday night, is the Scorsese of old. The legendary director returns to a recipe that has worked so well for the man. The ingredients: urban, immigrant neighborhoods populated by criminals who commit unrelenting violence, curse with amazing creativity and typically carry some hefty Catholic guilt. This time around the source material is the hit Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs and the translation has not been lost.

The acting is superb across the board. Jack is Jack. He damn near falls into caricature with his role as the devilishly violent Boston crime boss Frank Costello. He may chew the scenery but don't tell me it isn't fun to watch. Matt Damon and Leonardo are both fantastic. I have come to expect great acting from Matt Damon but I had forgotten that Leo had the chops. This is his film and he carries it all the way through, bringing a fiery intensity to the man of Billy Costigan, a cop deeply undercover within Frank Costello's crew. The supporting cast is filled with great actors and roles, but none more entertaining than the twosome of Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg. They play a pair of intense and enthusiastic police with some of the best lines in the film, save those of Jack's of course.

Although the movie is well over two hours, you'd never guess it. The plot is taut and the story fast-paced. Credit goes to the great editing to keep things moving along with such a brisk and intense rhythm. Like all of Scorsese's best films, the use of rock music is excellent featuring The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Dropkick Murphys, etc. Music plays almost constantly from beginning to end and adds a punch to many scenes. The violence is as graphic as hell but shows up only in short, explosive jolts. The film may not be particularly deep or emotionally stirring. You don't walk out of the theater with any sort of insight into these characters and the world they inhabit. So this fact keeps it from rising into the ranks with Scorsese's best work (e.g. Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas) But all the same, The Departed is a raucous and thrilling film and definitely one of the year's best. Welcome back, Marty.

Broken Social Scene

Thanks to guest blogger Jay Flyer for posting on Indianapolis BSS show...and damn them for skipping Mpls:

Last night’s show at the Vogue in Indy sounded great… Amy Milian was present, but no Leslie… boo. Anyway, there was a bit of tension on stage… in the midst of Almost Crimes the lead guitarist/backing vocals missed his queue… Kevin Drew immediately stopped the song waving his hands in the air demanding everyone to stop. He looks down the line at the unabashed guitarist (not sure who… face to name thing) and says something along the lines of, “I guess someone doesn’t want to sing his part tonight. Fine, that’s the end of the song.” They move on to the next. Drama!

Btw… I’m from Mpls and was at their show at First Ave. last year and the number of fans easily doubled the number in Indy. What’s up with Indy? Not aware of good music out there? Congrats to all who were there.

Do Make Say Think were there as an opening act. A few played with BSS. They are a young and talented band who can rock when they want to rock. I met Justin and Jimmy; Justin is by far the highlight of the act, his frail, tattooed body can wail on a guitar and steal the show… good thing for Jimmy, his level head can probably (hopefully) keep Justin in line.

Scott, they have never heard of Stereogum.com… they’ve been educated. Crazy Canadians.

Lates,
Jay Flyer

Early short films by Kubrick & Scorsese

Here is an awesome example of how the YouTube phenonmenon has profoundly affected media access. Essentially, it has opened up a historical archive of material that would have previously been impossible for the average person to view.

The new blog "...We're Going To The Pictures" features, via YouTube, early short films by Martin Scorsese and Stanley Kubrick. Amazing stuff.

Bonjour

Quebec is indeed a gorgeous gem of a city, exceeding all of my expectations. Vieux-Quebec (Quebec's old town), resides behind fortified walls and within, it's as if you're suddenly transported to Europe. Since French is the national language around here, you quickly forget you're in North America at all.

Every night so far, I've searched the streets and alleys with the hopes of finding a spot with some live music but such venues are either non-existant or simply too difficult to locate for a naive and unresourceful foreigner who knows no French. I'm assuming the latter to be the case. But all is good for the food is delicious and the sangria bountiful.

See below for a couple choice pics of Quebec in case you're curious. As my timing has it, I'm here during the peak fall colors.

Bound for Quebec

Forgot to mention, I'll be out of touch for a short while. I'm headed to Canada, to Quebec City actually, for a work-related conference. Heard it's a beautiful city (very French, very European) so I'm excited to take in some sights and discover some tasty food and drink. Wish I had time to take the quick trip over to Montreal, but that ain't gonna happen. If I see anything of even remote interest or aesthetic value, I'll post the pics when I return.

The Current's in-studio archive

MPR's 89.3 The Current, the local FM radio fav around town, is quickly building a sizable and impressive archive of in-studio appearances. The featured artists typically depend on who is coming through town, so the latest addition to the site is my recent fav TVOTR. Since you're surely sick of me talking about them, you'll also find unique performances by Yo La Tengo, Calexico, Asobi Seksu, Ghostland Observatory, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Walkmen...I could go on and on.

Grind House

Watch this fantastically grotesque trailer for Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's upcoming film Grind House coming out in April 2007. Quentin's half of the film is called Death Proof and Robert's is Planet Terror. You'll immediately get the idea. Nothing remarkable. Just more exploitation movie pastiche from T & R. Almost like the filmmaking equivalent of masturbation. It's gets old quick but with a little bit of creativity can be surprisingly entertaining. Problem is, when the show's over, it's never as good as you had hoped.

I do admire the spirited marketing on Grind House so far...the posters (see below) and now this new trailer are pretty striking. Usually this sort of thing doesn't do it for me, but I have a geeky soft spot for anything Tarantino. Rodriguez not as much...though Sin City had its moments. Love 'em or hate 'em, these two directors are experts in a particular kind of painfully shallow, obnoxiously self-aware entertainment. Is that a compliment or an insult? I don't even know but together again, it looks as if they are raising the stakes (maybe even competing against one another) to create an alternate universe of over-sexed, ultra-violent B-movie tropes of the sort I have never experienced firsthand. Not sure I want to either.

Sick & Tired

I've been out of commission since Friday night with a dreadful, life-altering flu bug. I'm just now coming out of the fog. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get out of bed and stand for longer than 5 minutes without breaking into a cold sweat and coughing up dead lung tissue. If I can do that, making it into work should be a breeze. On the bright side, I've decided to treat this experience as a subtle sign from my body to quit smoking. Haven't lit up in four days now so I'll see how far that gets me. Wish me luck.

The true tragedy of this story is how on this particular weekend I had tickets for two highly anticipated gigs. I missed Saturday's Yo La Tengo show entirely. It pains me to say it, but I didn't even consider leaving my bed for the show. It simply wasn't an option on that night.

Gig #2 was TV on the Radio on Sunday night...and it would take a lot more than a little case of the bird-flu for me to miss two shows in a row, especially one starring live favorites, TVOTR. And so, against all reasonable medical advice (and my wife's), we made it to First Avenue. Buzzed up on a casserole of legal, over-the-counter cold medicines, I planted myself in the usual prime spot behind the soundboard and somehow maintained consciousness through Grizzly Bear's opening set. They sounded great by the way. More psychadelic than expected (you can read into that what you will) but as my wife put it, "not very danceable." She's right, but in my state, dancing was not in order.

During the deadtime between sets, the meds wore off, my pain escalated and I coughed on everyone around us. We decided it was better to reposition ourselves to the outskirts in case of a quick exit, but I was willing to risk staying just a little longer to make it through TVOTR. In defense of my wife, all this time I had been minimizing my sickness, insisting that I was feeling better and would be ok, etc. And at this point, there was no turning back. We made it all the way down here, fought the sold-out crowd, saw the opening set and now TVOTR would be on stage any minute now. Any. Minute. Now. Instead, the time crawled by as it never had before. I mean, sure, we all hate waiting between sets, but this was getting ridiculous. So I finally gave in and admitted that I was in awful pain, soon to die and probably shouldn't be out in a club late at night. Right on cue, TV on the Radio came out on stage. Resisting her natural instinct to punch me in the nose, my wife agreed with my assessment, dragged me home and nursed me back to health. By the time we finally left, I did hear a couple songs of TVOTR's set and I could tell already it wouldn't top seeing them at Emo's last month. So it was really for the best.

In closing, I'd like to sincerely thank my wife, Annie, for putting up with her husband who is endlessly stubborn and has no tolerance for pain. I really don't. And I whine incessantly when I'm sick. It's pathetic.
Let's hope that this public acknowledgment of my idiocy and her wisdom will go a long way to prevent any resentment on her part...after all, she woke up with a sore throat this morning.

Three and out

In retrospect, perhaps I was a tad too optimistic and eager for our hometown Twins. I was excited, very excited but yes, maybe, could have, yes, I'm sure of it...I gotta little ahead myself with some lofty expectations. Thanks to very uncharacteristic play for three games (e.g. errors, poor bullpen pitching, bad baserunning), we've been swept by the Oakland Athletics. Last night, I drowned my post-season sorrows in pale ale. But this morning, I'm renewed and ready for next year. I'm sticking with the Twins as World Series Champs in 2007 (and 2008). In the meantime, with the Twinkies out, I'm rooting for the Cardinals to win it all. So it goes.

Half Nelson

Been a while since I've posted about a film..mostly because I haven't seen a good one in some time. But Fall is here and the crop of quality options is growing thicker each and every week.

This past weekend I saw Half Nelson directed by Ryan Fleck. The film first drew critical attention way back in January at Sundance, scoring a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize. Properly released a few weeks ago, this unassuming but powerful drama stars Ryan Gosling as Dan Dunne, a young, idealistic history teacher by day, a disillusioned coke-addict by night. One day after school, the teach is caught smoking a crack pipe in the school bathroom by one of his 13-year old students, Drey, played by the talented Shareeka Epps. After their mutually startling encounter, the two eventually develop a tentative father-daughter relationship. Their new bond is contrasted to Drey's interaction with her other father figure, Frank (played by Anthony Mackie), a polite and considerate drug dealer from the neighborhood. Although on the surface, Frank is easily the nicest and most watchful eye in Drey's life, he also has ulterior motives to recruit Drey into some of his unsavory errands.

The plot sounds like it could fall in all sorts of traps, most obviously the "white teacher/coach who shows the black kids how to find their inspiration within themselves." This ploy has been obnoxiously portrayed in countless films over the years. But writer/director Ryan Fleck and and co-writer Anna Boden take that seemingly insulting and worn-out premise and turn it on its head. Better yet, the film is politically and morally resonant, with insightful commentary on ideals and one's ability (or lack thereof) to change the world we live in.

But enough with the synopsis. This is a fantastic film, maybe the best I've seen this year. There are several arresting and emotional scenes in this film of the sort I long to see but rarely do. I should also note that the film strongly features Broken Social Scene music throughout. But I find it very surprising (and disappointing) that Half Nelson has not garnered more attention. I can't remember seeing a single ad upon its release and only through my incessant reading of online critics and blogs did I take notice. The reviews were outstanding across the board and Ryan Gosling (post-Notebook fame) is now an established name. So what's the deal here? Ryan Gosling kills in this role, proving that he is this generation's Sean Penn. The Oscar prognosticator's are charging full-steam with award-season predictions but Half Nelson is hardly registering. True, I haven't seen half as many films as most this year, but I find it hard to believe that Gosling's performance and Half Nelson wouldn't be up there in the top tier.

Subjectivity's a bitch. So go check out this great film...I promise you will not be disappointed.

This is just the beginning...
In case you're wondering, here are a few more films I'm looking forward to seeing over the next few months:
The Departed, Little Children, The Fountain, Fast Food Nation, Flags of Our Fathers, Borat, Babel, Volver, The Good German, Children of Men, The Good Shepherd and Dreamgirls. Check out trailers for most of these films on my release calendar link over on the sidebar.

And now the division!!

Holy shit! Unbelievable!! The Twins are AL Central Division champions! And Mauer's batting title (over that mofo Jeter) is icing on the cake.
Phew, what a finish...

And so, with this amazing turn of events, I have to quickly amend my post-season predictions:
ALDS: Twins will now beat Oakland in 5 games.
ALCS: Twins beat Yankees in 7 games.
I stand by the rest of my predictions as originally published.

Next up, figuring out how the hell I'm going to scrounge up tickets for Game 1 on Tuesday!!
More likely, I'll be leaving work early to watch from home.

Twins clinch playoff spot!!

I've been trying to stick to the music/movie postings, but I have to quickly give props to the absolutely amazing Minnesota Twins, who clinched a playoff spot last night, beating the Royals 8-1. And let's take a moment to thank Cleveland who wrapped it up for us by crushing the defending world champion White Sox by the score of 14-1.

I'm still in shock. The team started out terribly through almost 2 full months of the season, only then to have the best record in baseball since June. Turning point? A record of 17-24 on May 19th when Francisco Liriano made his first start. Since then, 76-39 through Monday night. One of the great turn-around seasons in history, if you ask me.


Why? For those of you outside of Minnesota, I'll briefly explain. It is simple, really. We have the best pitcher in the majors in Johan Santana, the 2nd best pitcher and easily the best rookie (before going down to injury) in Liriano, probably the best hitter in Joe Mauer, one of the best closers Joe Nathan and then there's the favored MVP candidate, Justin Morneau. That's not even mentioning Torii Hunter, Cuddyer and anonymous heroes like Punto, Tyner and Bartlett. Add to this the best bullpen in the league and top-notch defense.

But the big question is, who else other than Santana will be starting in the playoffs for the Twins? Assuming we can't convince Johan to pitch every game, I say Bonser gets the nod. And assuming Radke is out, I'd have to pick Garza. Two rookies who've earned it. It'll be interesting but man, if Liriano was healthy, we'd coast to the World Series.

Even with our one weakness in starting pitchers, I'm gonna make a prediction:
ALDS: Twins beat Yankees in 4 games.
ALCS: Twins beat Tigers in 7 games.
World Series: Twins beat the New York Mets in 6 games.
World Series MVP : Nick Punto!

That's right. You're hearing it here first. Twins are going all the fuckin' way. Better yet, the core of the team is so damn good and so damn young that you can expect them to repeat next year. Should I call the three-peat? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Another great song from Sufjan

Have you heard the new Sufjan cut Sister Winter? If not, listen right now. It’s another astonishing song and the occasion has me wondering how this man can be so prolific, and yet still hit it out of the park each and every time, with almost every song no less.

Since his Avalanche of Illinois leftovers came out earlier this year, the backlash train has been gaining steam and that’s fine with me. Anyone who puts out this much material over a short period of time, all with a similar distinctive style, is sure to wear on people. Plus I’m not exactly the first fella to rant about how Sufjan is God’s gift to indie rock. Exuberant praise is a sure-fire producer of backlash.

Well, consider yourself warned because you can expect more Sufjan-bashing later this year when he releases more material, this time a choice sure to roll eyes, a 5-disc Christmas set. 'Sister Winter' is a track culled from this upcoming release which includes 5 EPs of Christmas-themed songs recorded since 2001. And yes, I'm excited for it. I haven't reached my Sufjan threshold yet so maybe I don't have one. For my taste, this guy is the real deal and the best pure songwriter and melody-maker of the last few years. So how can I burn out on that? In fact, I’m now feeling a hint of regret for missing Sufjan when he played the Paramount in Austin over the ACL weekend.

Related note of interest: Sufjan, along with Cat Power, The Raconteurs, and others recorded live performances at the Austin City Limits studio for future episodes of the outstanding program. Look for these new episodes some time this fall/winter.

ACL '06 - Day 3 pics

View of downtown Austin from across the festival grounds. Notice the welcome overcast skies!

And yet another makeshift beercan flag is erected for our crew on Day 3. The audience response was overwhelmingly positive.

The Flaming Lips put on another sterling carnival-influenced show as the sun set on the final day.

After enduring the enormous crowds and pouring rain during Tom Petty, we went straight to Emo's for the TV on the Radio aftershow. A perfect ending to the best ACL fest yet.

ACL '06 - Day 2 Pics

A great start to the day, Murder by Death proved to be one of my ACL surprises.

Another day, another impromptu flag invented for our crew. In a sea of 70,000 people, flags are essential.

My most anticipated act of the fest, TVOTR did not disappoint at the Austin Ventures stage...except they only had 45 minutes.

ACL '06 - Day 1 Pics

Forecast be damned. It was hot as hell on Day 1 but the clouds provided some relief. Better yet, not a dust storm to be found.

Wolf Parade (less one bandmate who has E. Coli) rocked early in the day.

Our flag was confiscated at the gate, so we had to improvise.

"I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind..."

Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous gave one of Friday's best performances

ACL Prep

Just arrived in Austin, TX last night for the Austin City Limits Music Festival this weekend in Zilker Park. My brother, who recently moved back to town, is our gracious host. This year we have a large group going to the fest, including my bro and his family, a few old highschool friends and their significant others and even two more flying into town today from the Twin Cities. We'll definitely be needing a flagbearer.

The best news I've heard today is the weather forecast which is surprisingly mild compared to previous years. Now if only the suffocating dust is kept to a minimum.

Anyway, here's out my schedule shakes out. Obviously, I still have a few conflicts but I'll just have to deal...

Friday:
1:30 - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
2:30 - deadboy and the Elephantmen
3:30 - Wolf Parade
4:30 - Gnarls Barkley
5:15 - Okkervil River
5:30 - Cat Power
6:30 - Thievery Corporation
7:30 - Sparklehorse
8:30 - Van Morrison (if I'm not dead tired)

Saturday: (the day of many conflicts)
1:30 - Phoenix OR Ghostland Observatory
2:30 - Galactic
3:30 - Secret Machines
4:00 - TV on the Radio
4:30 - The Shins
5:30 - Calexico
6:30 - String Cheese Incident
7:30 - Iron & Wine
7:45 - Explosions in the Sky
8:15 - Willie Nelson
8:30 - Massive Attack

Sunday:
11:45 - Anathallo
12:50 - The Black Angels
1:30 - Sam Roberts
2:30 - Damian Marley
3:30 - Jose Gonzalez
4:30 - Ween OR Matisyahu
5:30 - The New Pornographers
6:30 - The Flaming Lips
7:45 - Muse
8:30 - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Whew. Not sure I'll make it to everyone but that would be the ideal schedule, especially if I didn't have to worry about silly, little things like food, drink and shade.

Then after the exhaustion of 3 full days in the sun, we've got tickets to an ACL aftershow at Emo's - TV on the Radio w/ What Made Milwaukee Famous.

See you on the other side.

The Bob Dylan Show

On Thursday night, we trekked an hour south to Rochester's Mayo Field, home of the Rochester Honkers. Bob Dylan and Friends were in town on their third annual minor league ballpark tour.

After some careful maneuvering, we planted ourselves at a perfect spot in the outfield about 20 feet from the stage. Now it ain't easy to maintain your spot up front with all those crazy, young whippersnappers out there. They push and they shove and they burn you with cigarettes, only for the tallest one of 'em to stand right in front of you and finally stay put. But on this night, we stood our ground and made out pretty well for old folk.

Bob's friends this year featured two acts from Austin, TX : 1) guitar extraordinaire and country singer Junior Brown and 2) Jimmie Vaughan, the highly influential blues guitarist, founder of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and of course, Stevie Ray's older brother.

Our evening opened with Junior Brown, who blew everyone away with amazing technique on the guitar that he invented, a double-necked steel guitar and Telecaster. Junior sped through a youthfully energetic set of classic country, surf and blues pieces. He has a fantastic voice to boot, reminiscent of Johnny Cash.

Not to be outdone, Jimmie Vaughan came on next wasting no time showing off his own impressive brand of distinctive Texas blues. Feeding off the lively crowd, Jimmie and his band performed an hour long set of fiery tunes, towards the end led by guest-singer Lou Ann Barton.

Having been satiated with a heavy dose of rootsy country and blues, around 9pm the man himself strolled out on stage. Obviously, Bob Dylan needs no introduction, but I will say he is looking mighty comfortable in his role as elder statesman. I mean, the guy defies all our expectations for the aging rock star. He stubbornly refuses to be influenced by today's trends both musically and aesthetically. He consistently puts out creative and satisfying material. Then he openly disparages the state of today's musical landscape but somehow Modern Times still hit #1 on the charts! I suppose at this point, he exists on a plane above the rest of us and we're all the better for it. In case you haven't noticed, I worship the guy. One of my all-time favorites.


The good news is that as weathered as Dylan may look, he remains a mesmerizing performer. And perhaps most importantly, he surrounds himself with talented musicians. This night's setlist featured vintage Dylan tunes, given new life with a more clasically bluesy, jazzy style as heard on his last three albums. Bob never once picked up a guitar, instead opting to play keyboard and a bit of harmonica as needed. He didn't say a single word to the audience until finally introducing the band during the encore. But who likes small talk anyway? However, Dylan didn't come off as cold or removed...rather he was obviously enjoying himself, and when the show ended, the band took a gracious bow and appeared sincerely grateful of our adoration. My personal highlights of the set included Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat, Highway 61 Revisited, Simple Twist of Fate, Forever Young and Ballad of a Thin Man. The encore featured an unbeatable one-two punch of Like a Rolling Stone followed by All Along the Watchtower. Hmm...I've just realized that Dylan didn't play a single song from his new album, Modern Times. Odd, but no complaints.

It was an ideal live music experience: perfect weather, a great outdoor venue, enthusiastic fans of all ages, fantastic music and Bob Dylan.

Farewell to Summer

Today, my bro-in-law moves out and heads back up to Duluth, MN for his fall semester. It's been great to have a guy and fellow music obsessive in the house. Lately, JB’s had a case of the end-of-summer blues so we decided to have him go out with a bang. In his final week in the big city, we went on a rampage of live music mayhem. Granted, ‘rampage’ may be an overstatement but we did catch three great live shows this week around town. A proper way to send him off, wouldn't you say?


1) Monday - Low @ Loring Park
One of JB's favorite bands played the final night in the summer “Movies in the Park” series held annually in Loring Park, Minneapolis.

Review: Quietly impressive set of songs from their entire catalogue. Relaxed, sunset-picnic-in-the-park vibe was a perfect setting.
Highlights: “Dinosaur Act” and thanks to JB’s Duluth connections, hanging out with Matt Livingston (Low's bass player) after their performance.

2) Thursday – Sonic Youth & The Flaming Lips @ The State Fair
Yes, you read that correctly: The State Fair. The very same ‘Great Minnesota Get Together’ that usually features a Toby Keith clone or even better, a butt-rock reunion band (e.g. Poison). Not on this night. Instead, thralls of unlikely fair-goers descended on the fairgrounds despite the evening's foreboding weather to watch a too-good-to-be-true pair of headliners. As ordered, the rain halted and the skies cleared just in time for the show.

Review: Sonic Youth played an energetic show featuring mostly tunes from their latest LP. A few too many obnoxious teenagers in the crowd whining about wanting to see the Lips and not this ‘noisy band’ …damn, I sound like an old man. Anyway, Kim Gordon is one sexy dancer, oh and she is a good musician, too. Sonic Youth's been around forever, but these guys are aging gracefully and their live chops are as good as ever.
Highlights: Opener “Teen Age Riot;” Thurston and Lee sword fighting with their guitars to wonderfully noisy effect.

Review: The Flaming Lips are well known for their live extravanganza and they did not disappoint in this regard. True their stage setup took over an hour but once they took the stage it was impossible not to get caught up in Wayne Coyne’s delirious antics, including his bubble crowd-surfing, endless explosions of streamers and confetti into the crowd, puppets, dancers in alien and Santa costumes, etc. The over-the-top show is truly a remarkable entertainment and unique from most shoe-gazing performers in the indie music scene. In fact, he is one of the most unashamedly gleeful rock stars I have ever seen and it is infectious. They also play music, too.
Highlights: Opener “Race for the Prize” and encore cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” with expected political video. Also, a quick two-song acoustic set by the Magic Numbers whose opening act was canceled due to stormy weather.

3) Saturday – Damian Marley and Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
I’ll preface by saying that I’m actually not too familiar with Ben Harper but I’ve always heard his live shows are not to be missed. This show was originally to be held outdoors in Somerset, Wisconsin but due to fire-hazard conditions it was moved to St. Paul.

Review: Opening act Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley set the bar high with an energetic show of flag-waving Jamaican reggae. A very danceable and lively performance, with two of his father’s songs included for good measure.
Then, Ben Harper. My expectations may have been mixed but the rumor was undoubtedly true: he is incredible live. I now know this first-hand. I had never heard most of his original material but I didn’t care. His stage presence is fantastic and welcoming. His musicianship is startling. Who knew Ben was such a mean slide-guitar player? I guess most people know but I didn’t until now. And each one of his Innocent Criminals is an incredible musician in their own right. They must have played for nearly 2.5 hours and I could have used at least another hour.
Highlights: The entire show. I don’t know the names of his songs except for the aptly titled “Burn One Down.” But I can say his selection of cover songs was impressive, including Prince, Bob Marley (with Damian joining in of course), Marvin Gaye and Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.”

The Perfect Trailer

Having recently posted on the art of the trailer, I now have a perfect example in the just released trailer for Todd Field's upcoming Little Children. No flash at all, just very simple...no music, minimal dialogue and only a suggestion of a plot surrounding marital infidelity. The standout here is the use of sound, which is incredible. You'll see what I mean. Amazing how such a simple trailer can pack such an emotional punch. The film hasn't really been on my radar for this fall's releases but I am now paying attention. Todd Field also directed the highly-lauded In The Bedroom and the tone of Little Children appears to be in the same vein as that surprisingly affecting domestic drama.

Babble

My brother-in-law and summer roommate, whom I have dubbed J. Barrington, is an aspiring songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. I thought I'd share a sample of what he's been up to this long, hot summer. Have a listen to this wonderful little tune of post-rock bliss titled "Lost in Self Destruction" streaming here.

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Last week we took in the superb double feature of Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes at 1st Avenue. Over the last few months, Frog Eyes has quickly become a favorite so I was very pleased to see Carey Mercer (a dead ringer for Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his bandmates in a live setting. They blitzed through a stellar set brimming with yelps, feedback and beautiful, buried melodies. If you're not familiar with their catalogue, proceed immediately to an online destination of your choice to download albums or at least a few tracks from The Bloody Hand, The Golden River or The Folded Palm.

Of course, the headliner of the night was Wolf Parade, who has endlessly toured in support of their amazing debut LP Apologies to the Queen Mary. Last year around this time, the Parade were opening for The Arcade Fire and here we are, a year later, and they're still on the road only now a well-deserved feature act. In retrospect, Apologies is one of two albums that should have easily earned a ranked spot on my Best of list from 2005 (for the record, Broken Social Scene's self-titled release is the other). I digress... Wolf Parade put on a fantastic set, featuring nearly every track from their LP plus around 4-5 new tracks led by the busiest man in Canadian rock, Spencer Krug. But you have to give props to that "other" lead singer Dan Boeckner. True, he is skinny enough to border on concern, but he does provide a welcome raucous rock 'n roll presence, that night proudly wearing a Metallica sleeveless t-shirt (ironic or not, who's to say). Maybe hinting at the next album, the new cuts feature Dan more than Spencer and less synth. It was a hell of a show and left me excited to catch their ACL set this September.

Art of the Trailer

Film editing is a hobby of mine, but anyone can clearly see that there is an art to the movie trailer. Obviously, they're a mixed bag. When poorly done, a trailer will spoonfeed you the entire narrative arc of the story. They often give away the 3rd act and show you the best shots. Comedy trailers are notorious for revealing all the best gags. Most trailers are generic and repetitive, one indistinguishable from the next. However, when expertly made, a trailer will capture the mood of the film through sound and image, only using moments of the plot to hint at the larger story. The best trailers provoke an emotional response and work as stand-alone short films in themselves. A bit hard to explain so let me find some recent examples...

Garden State: maybe the best trailer from the last couple years. And it is also a good example of a trailer that ended up much, much better than the film itself.

Requiem for a Dream: a fantastic trailer which skillfully captures the mood and style of the feature-length version. Still scares the shit out of me.

Jarhead: another good example of a trailer that far exceeds the film. The actual movie is boring in comparison.

Marie Antoinette: more a teaser than a fullblown trailer, but the use of unexpected pop music (New Order) makes this a standout.

Elephant: another perfect use of music to much different effect.

Syriana: in this instance, the trailer makes more sense out of the plot than the actual movie.

Kill Bill: an example of a great action movie trailer and yet again, awesome music.

Pearl Harbor: remove all memory of the actual film from your mind when watching this one. Yes, the film sucked but this trailer is amazingly effective and packs much more of an emotional wallop than the film ever did.

What Happened?

As a loyal Grandaddy supporter, I carried high expectations to the Fine Line on Monday night to see Jason Lytle perform in support of the now-defunct band's recent album, Just Like the Fambly Cat. In effect, this was Grandaddy's farewell tour, or as close as anyone was going to get.

About three years ago, I saw Grandaddy in their prime at the 1st Ave-Main Room. As a unit, they put on a fantastic show, expertly translating their heavily-produced tunes into a thrilling live performance, led by the bearded-Jason's melancholy crooning, retro keyboards and grinding guitar. So an unplugged Grandaddy...err...Jason Lytle, was sure to be equally great. I was excited to hear how Jason would reconfigure his songs into a more acoustic setting. But as it happened, the Fine Line show was altogether different than I had hoped: it was a resounding disappointment.

If I were to choose highlights, I'd pick the fittingly minimalist version of "Jed the Humanoid" or the slow-tempo "Hewlitt's Daughter." But highlights were few and far between. Jason, clean-shaven, was joined on stage by multi-instrumentalist and fellow-Californian Rusty Miller. The two sat in folding chairs facing each other from opposite sides of a card table. The table was littered with cables, Casio keyboards, Rum & Coke, microphones, a couple recorders and various electronic gizmos. A quirky and quaint sort of setup. But oddly, Jason and Rusty performed to each other rather than to the eerily quiet audience of around 60 people.

Overall, the entire set was sloppy, disconnected and seemingly unrehearsed. But not in a spontaneous and off-the-cuff-creative sorta way. Jason and Rusty, who I suspect were inebriated, appeared to be figuring things out as they went, a problem that could have easily been solved with...I don't know? Practice, maybe? I guess you could say it felt like watching their rehearsal, or better yet, watching what its like to see Jason fucking around on the keyboard with his friend. Sounds cool enough. And it had potential. I still think it could have been great, but in the end, the show was a swell concept, lacking in execution.

Furthermore, the sound was for shit, with incessant feedback buzzing through every song and filling the dead silence in between. We did have the pleasure of watching Jason and Rusty awkwardly swap places, back and forth around the table like musical chairs, tangling cords and passing their drinks after every song. Jason gave little in the way of conversation or even acknowledgment to the crowd. Boring is a word that comes to mind and I never thought I'd say that in describing the mesmerizing music of Grandaddy. To cap things off nicely, the set ended in anti-climactic fashion without an encore. Ta da!

This was not the Grandaddy...uh, I mean the Jason Lytle I had come to see. But perhaps that's my problem. One of my favorite bands broke up and I wanted to see one final triumphant performance. Instead, I saw the talented, but surprisingly uninspiring front man on his own. Or maybe it's just the beard? The beard was Jason's mojo and he lost it somewhere in Modesto, California.

Cookie Mountain

TV on the Radio's new disc Return to Cookie Mountain is my undisputed choice for best record of the year...true, we're only a bit over the half-way marker but I can say with confidence that this will be at the top (or damn near it) by year-end. The US release isn't until Sept 12th, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, I've been lovin' it for a couple months now in various versions.

In related news, this weekend the ACL Music Festival quietly added TV on the Radio to this year's line-up!!

MP3: Province
MP3: A Wolf Like Me

Everything In Its Right Place

Pardon the interruption...but excitement demands I post.

Late Monday night, we reluctantly returned from a quick and busy (2+ days) jaunt to San Francisco, which is now officially my favorite U.S. city.

A few highlights...

Saturday--
In the early afternoon, we took in a Giants-A's game at the fantastic AT&T ballpark which sits directly on the bay. As luck would have it, we were there to witness Barry Bonds hit his 719th homerun. The place went crazy. Giants fans may be the only people around who still cheer for this much maligned sports figure, but I can understand why. Regardless of one's opinion about Bonds, it is a thrill to see him play in person.

Back to the hotel to re-group, take a nap and allow anticipation to build for the featured event of the trip...Radiohead in concert at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA.

As dusk fell on the bay, we caught the BART (San Fran's train/subway) over to Berkeley's Univ of Cali campus. The Greek Theatre is a stellar outdoor venue, perched on top of a hill and surrounded by woods. The temperature was cool but comfortable and the atmosphere bordered on surreal as fog began to roll into the amphitheatre almost on cue.

Opener Deerhoof played a tight but brief set. Judging on the reaction (or lack thereof) among those around us, we were in the minority as Deerhoof fans; strange since they are a San Francisco band known for their blazingly fierce live act. But honestly, I was shamefully thankful for a quick opening act.

As Radiohead appeared on the stage, the crowd roared to life in a communal orgasm of excitement. Beginning with a stomping version of Airbag, Thom & Co. proceeded to blow us all away with an outstanding set of the familiar (2+2=5, Myxamatosis, Paranoid Android and Black Star to name a few of the more raucous selections) sprinkled with a teasing taste of promising new tunes (15 Step, Down is the New Up, All I Need and Arpeggi were my favorites). The gang of five were in a festive mood, full of energy and confidence but sincerely gracious of the reception. For me, the most goosebump-inducing moment came at the end of the first encore. Thom performed a haunting solo version of True Love Waits on a Fender Rhodes piano while Ed and Jonny sampled, remixed and regurgitated snippets and segments live on stage...as it reached a climax, the entire band joined in to seamlessly segue into Everything In Its Right Place. It was fuckin' amazing. A written description doesn't do it justice of course, but you can always download the show in its entirety via EZ Torrent (registration is required). Actually, we were pretty close to the stage and even managed to do a little amateur bootlegging ourselves with mixed results. So, yes, it was a brilliant performance. I had the time of my life. It was easily the best live show I have ever seen. Can't wait for the new album in 2007.

Setlist
1. Airbag
2. 2+2=5
3. Where I End And You Begin
4. 15 Step (NEW)
5. Kid A
6. Dollars And Cents
7. Down Is The New Up (NEW)
8. Nude (NEW)
9. Paranoid Android
10. No Surprises
11. The Gloaming
12. All I Need (NEW)
13. Climbing Up The Walls
14. Go Slowly (NEW)
15. Myxomatosis
16. Bangers 'N Mash (NEW)
17. How To Disappear Completely

Encore 1
18. Fake Plastic Trees
19. Arpeggi (NEW)
20. Black Star
21. True Love Waits (Thom only on Rhodes, intro to EIIRP)
22. Everything In Its Right Place

Encore 2
23. Bodysnatchers (NEW)
24. The Tourist

Sunday--
A host of walking excursions into fabulous (but sadistically slanted) San Francisco neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Nob Hill, Pacific Heights and then down to the Fisherman's Wharf district for a ferry ride around the bay (Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, etc.) and then back to walk along the many piers.

Another nap, only this time we awake after an alarm mishap with only 30 minutes to hike up Nob Hill and back down again to Bimbo's 365 Club to catch our 2nd highly-anticipated event of the weekend: Neko Case. Bimbo's is this great, plush dinner club with red velvet decor and just a very cool vibe unlike any club I've been to. Thankfully, we made it just in time to see Neko Case (for the fifth time) and she puts on a fantastic show each and every time out. I won't do a blow-by-blow for her but maybe I'll get my wife to write a post for us.

Now, honestly, what are the chances that my favorite band and my wife's favorite band are both playing in the same town on consecutive nights?! I don't know and I don't care. I just know that the live music Gods aligned the stars just right for us on two unforgettable nights in San Francisco.

Running on empty

Sorry folks, I got nothing. We've entered a dry spell, here, so bear with me. I'm struggling to find topics or subjects of any interest, to the extent that my sole idea is to write a post about how I have nothing to post about. And that is just obnoxious, so I won't do it again. I'll just keep to myself. I think I'm confused on what to do with this blog...it's become primarily a music blog which is not what I had in mind...I need to branch out and explore other topics...need to shake things up. So the site will be on a hiatus for a bit, a summer vacation... only to return refreshed and rejuvenated. Fitter, happier and more productive as it were.
However, I have been updating the sidebar and will keep doing so on a regular basis with links and recommendations.
I leave you with a couple pics of the kids. Have a great summer!!