Lollapalooza 2010 and more….

 Nine To Five    Rawk Shows    Wanderlust   

I guess I’ve been busy these past few weeks...not a surprise but I kinda wanted to write a bit since I will be home for a couple of weeks and actually would like to catch up on some stuff while I am here. First things first - I am headed to Lollapalooza in August. I’ve spent a bunch of time in Chicago this year and am excited to be able to rock out and also get some good food and culture in while I am at it. I made a custom schedule here but if you have any suggestions on who I should see, let me know. I have a couple of conflicts and am not going to be able to head down to the festival too early on Friday so those are the limitations.

Next month is going to be crazy. After Lolla, I am home for the week to see My Morning Jacket and to check out North Park Music Thing. Yes, yes, I will be writing my preview to the sessions - expect to see that next week. After NPMT, I am headed to Honolulu for a week. I’m actually working for a client Mon-Fri, but I am staying a couple extra nights to get my swerve on. After that, I have trips to Michigan and possibly Ohio before I am home for a few weeks to get ready for SD Beerfest (I am coordinating the food vendors this year) and then my work’s big schmooze conference.

The rest of the year is shaking out to be just as busy with more travel - to Pittsburgh, Houston and San Antonio for work. I am hoping to swing a few days in NOLA in November - Russ is supposed to work a conference there and I may head over for a few days to hang out. Though the two of us in that town might be scary. Slightly. And in December, I am totally checking out of town the week after Christmas and staying in SF for the week. It seems like every time I head up there, it’s just such a limited time and I can’t see everyone (friends + family) so if I don’t catch people that week, it’s not my fault. Hahaha.

All righty....so I think that catches everyone up. Catch you guys again soon.

On Your Radio v.2.0

 Rawk Radio   

You might have heard me on FM 94/9 this afternoon with the illustrious Hilary as part of the station’s Coup d’etat. In case you missed my set, here is what I played:

Nine Inch Nails - Echoplex
My Morning Jacket - I’m Amazed
Kings of Leon - Slow Night So Long
Flaming Lips - Do You Realize
Tegan and Sara - Living Room
Stars - Bitches in Tokyo
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Soft Shock
Band of Skulls - Fires
Brand New - Play Crack the Sky

I originally had LoveLikeFire on my list, but the sets were all running long, so we had to cut a song. (Grab it via ysi link in the listen section if you want to check it out.)

Anyways, it was cool to be on with Hilary, because I was really, really nervous. But I had fun talking about these tunes and the shows that made me love them so much. Really makes me feel lucky to be me.

Stars at the Independent

 Rawk Shows   

Flew up to SF for a night so I could see Stars perform their new album in its entirety. Twas awesome as you might expect. After the played the new album, they did a 10 song encore. I know, right? Set list first and then we’ll get to the nitty gritty.

Stars
The Independent
San Francisco, CA
6/19/10

Encore 2:
My Radio
Ageless Beauty

First some orientation about the venue. I was very surprised at the size - a relatively small venue with a 500 person capacity. Not like that was bad, but I was expecting something closer to HOB capacity. We got there early and camped out on Amy’s side (stage left). On lieu ofan opening band, Torq came out and played tunes from his laptop while blowing bubbles. Kinda cool. But it got old quick, even if he did play Bobby Womack.

But all was forgiven as soon as the band came out. During the short set change, a roadie came out and set up all the roses that the band throws out during their set. After that, it really felt like I was at a Stars show. As far as the new album was concerned, I had heard a few tracks from it and it had been streaming on NPR last week, but I really wanted to hear all the songs in order for the first time during this show, so I skipped listening to the album beforehand, which I think was good. My favorites were definitely the opening track - “Dead Hearts” and the upbeat (and very sexy) “We Don’t Want Your Body”. I’m excited to really spend some time with the new album (which they were selling at the merch booth before street date on Tuesday, cha-ching....)

As for the encore, the songs they played were selected by the fans and apparently the SF fans have good taste, because it was AWESOME. Torq let us know that SF was the only city that chose “Going, Going, Gone.” There wasn’t a bad song in that set, though I would have liked either “The Night Starts Here” or “Bitches in Tokyo”. I got a bit emotional during “Calendar Girls”, which I thought was kinda weird, because that’s not usually a song I would get all weepy when hearing, but maybe it was just a cumulative effect of the emotion that these songs usually bring out of me. Between “My Radio” and “Ageless Beauty”, Torq got emotional on us, telling us “I don’t want this to end. That’s the kind of evening I’m having.” Trust me, Torq, we were with you.

Release Spotlight: The Like - Release Me

 Rawk Releases   

Out today!!!

Artist: The Like
Album: Release Me
Recommended if you like: retro girl band pop
From the press kit:
“the songs are melodic, even cinematic at times, relying on a fairly simply power pop base.  Elements of organ and a ‘60s girl band aura flesh out a sound that falls somewhere between Elastica and The Pipettes...Release Me will be a candy-coated guilty pleasure for you.” - snob’s music
Standout Tracks: “I Can See It","Why When The Love”
Worth a second listen?:
When we last had a studio album from The Like, they were a trio and I bought the CD at the now defunct Tower Records. Sigh. What a difference a few years make. You might also remember that they were all barely legal and now I actually think they can hang out when they play the Casbah! I was pretty excited to hear this new record - I’ve been following Z (their lead singer) on twitter and grabbed “Fair Game” by giving up my email addy. All good there. So the verdict? The Like v.2.0 is a bit more poppy, a lot more girl bandish but still has some edge to them. The album was produced by Mark Ronson, so if you’re a fan of his, that’s even more of an incentive to take this for a ride.
More info: official/myspace/Z on twitter
Listen: “Release Me” (click to stream, right click and save as to dl)

Release Spotlight: Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

 Rawk Releases   

Artist: Gaslight Anthem
Album: American Slang
Recommended if you like: east coast punk
From the press kit:
“Tracks...bristle and burn with the spirit of soul and the artistic adventurousness and impressive confidence of a band that has come into its own and found its own voice.”
“New Jersey’s most buzzed-over young band...scrappy, catchy and hyperpassionate.” - Rolling Stone
Standout Tracks: “The Queen of Lower Chelsea","Stay Lucky”
Worth a second listen?:
I’m not really sure why alt radio did not embrace this band’s excellent sophomore album The ‘59 Sound. Sure, a few stations played them here and there (the title track topped off at 35 on the alt rock charts) but they never seemed to really catch on. This album is a game changer for them. The title track is an instant classic - full on nostalgic power punk. Maybe I just like it because I can imagine my old punk rock boyfriends singing songs like these to me. Not a bad thing at all.
More info: fb/myspace/Brian on twitter
Listen (streaming until the album release on 6/15):

(individual tracks here)

Release Spotlight: Against Me - White Crosses

 Rawk Releases   

Out today - let’s get to it…

Artist: Against Me!
Album: White Crosses
Recommended if you like: punk rock produced by Butch Vig
From the press kit:
“White Crosses is a huge, mainstream rock album that draws as much from Bruce Springsteen and U2 as it does from their own folk-punk roots. Sorry, bitter old-school fans, but it’s really, really good.” - popmatters
Standout Tracks: “We’re Breaking Up","Rapid Decompression”
Worth a second listen?:
Against Me!’s 2007 album New Wave brought the band to the mainstream with a single (the inspired “Thrash Unreal") that reached #11 on the alt rock chart. By all accounts, Against Me! strayed from their hardcore punk roots on that album - how else can you explain such power pop goodness as the duet “Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart” with Tegan Quin? That is not a knock by any means - musicians get older, they grow up, they aren’t as angry any more. Deal with it. On White Crosses, again produced by Butch Vig, the band builds on that mainstream sound, but seems to yearn for their punk rock days. On “I Was A Teenage Anarchist”, Tom Gabel laments “Do you remember when you were young and you wanted to set the world on fire?” Why, yes, Tom, I do. A lot of the songs’ lyrics have that yearning for the past, but it is clear that the band is moving forward with their sound. Again, more mainstream ("Teenage Anarchist” is at #20 on the charts and rising), but with enough street cred to make you sit up and take notice.
More info: official/Tom Gabel on twitter
Listen: on spinner (for a limited time)

Release Spotlight: Nada Surf - if i had a hi-fi

 Rawk Releases   

I know, I should have done this review a couple of weeks ago when they were in town at the Belly Up....but since the official release date of the album is this week, I figured, better late than never…

Artist: Nada Surf
Album: if i had a hi-fi
Recommended if you like: indie rock cover albums
From the press kit:
“fizzing with energy and hope...and all of the songs sound as though they could have been written by the band themselves.” - drowned in sound
Standout Tracks: “Enjoy the Silence”,"Question"
Worth a second listen?:
I was very intrigued when I found out the new Nada surf album would be a covers album. When I looked at the track listing, I didn’t recognize any of the songs except the Depeche Mode cover so I didn’t have any pre-conceived notions on how these songs should sound. Like the reviewer from drowned in sound, I found the songs to sound like Nada surf originals. So for those of you who already like Nada Surf, you will be all over this. If you’re new to the greatness of this band, it’s still a pleasant listen.
More info: official/myspace/twitter
Listen: “Electrocution”