Just got an email from the Mason Jennings crew announcing some limited tour dates in February (with Chad VanGaalen opening!). Unfortunately nothing so far in Denver, but I was thinking of coming to Cali in February anyway…so maybe I can catch him in San Fran. Rad.
Mason just signed to the new Glacial Pace label, which is the project of Modest Mouse singer/guitarist Isaac Brock. Mason has a new album coming out in 2006, so this tour will be in support of that.
If you aren’t familiar with him, listen to one of my favorite Mason Jennings songs – I really, truly, cannot get enough of it. AND I cannot stay seated while it is playing. I’ve tried.
Saw the preview for the new Curious George movie last night. Will Ferrell does the voice of the Man With The Yellow Hat, which means I will see it because Ferrell could make me crack up while reading the back of my cereal box.
Anyway, Jack Johnson is writing some songs for the flick, which seems like a nice pairing. Jack Johnson is a fairly new dad so I think he will have a unique viewpoint on non-sucky kids music. Here is a link to a video clip previewing some songs (you have to click play on the video once the page opens). The soundtrack will be released February 7, 2006.
The new Ryan Adams album “29” is released today, officially! Oh, it is KILLING ME, but I feel obligated to WAIT UNTIL AFTER CHRISTMAS to buy this for myself. Dang December 20 releases!
REASONING: I put it out there on my Froogle wishlist, and if, for instance, my mom has already bought it for me, I can’t very well go and buy it for myself five days before Christmas, can I?
ALTERNATE PLAN: I could go down to the Independent Records downtown this very day and covertly buy myself a copy and not tell anyone (except you). That’s an idea. I may not be able to wait until after Christmas. I have already waited longer than like 2/3 of the Ryan Adams fans in this world who have the whole leaked record in advance. Aargh!
Anyways, here is some non-rambling content. This is a great review of 29 over at Cokemachineglow. Rare the music review that is actually interesting to read. I felt that this one really gave me a sense of what to expect. His album is getting excellent reviews from every reviewer I have read or talked to. Can’t wait.
Here is Nightbirds, which is the third track on 29.
This live version is from the 2004 tour, and shows him getting back into the beautiful piano-based sound of Love is Hell. Very lovely. If you are not constrained by Christmas wishlists, as I am, head out to your local music store today and pick it up.
Following hot on the heels of 2002′s Spellbound (a documentary about kids competing in the National Spelling Bee) comes Mad Hot Ballroom, the most enjoyable movie I have seen this year.
This is an ebullient look at fifth graders in the New York City public school system learning ballroom dancing for a city-wide competition. Imagine yourself in the fifth grade. Now imagine yourself having to touch (and look in the eyes of! and smile!) someone from your class of the opposite sex for a ten-week session. It brought back so many memories of what that age was like, and it was just a really good-hearted film. So go Netflix it.
You’ll also find that it has a swinging soundtrack, too. Salsa, swing, merengue, tango, and jazz. You’ll be humming all night. Here is one of the best tracks:
BONUS LAUGH: I saw this cross-posted on some other blogs and just tried to read it while drinking my coffee and almost sprayed coffee on my computer, I laughed so hard. http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit/. My favorite is the heiroglyphics.
I stumbled upon local San Francisco-based artist Matt Nathanson as a happy accident when he opened for G. Love and Special Sauce last Spring. It was an interesting bill to be sharing since his music is nothing like G. Love’s (god bless G’s Booty Call soul). But Nathanson gave an excellent, hilarious performance (he is like half stand-up comedian, half guitar-wielding troubador).
You may have heard his cover of the James song Laid, but his original work far outshines it. After the show I bought his album Beneath These Fireworks, which is his major label debut with Universal (he has a string of indie releases over the years as well – building steam).
Beneath These Fireworks has a killer line-up of musicians playing with Nathanson. Matt Chamberlain drums (Pearl Jam’s first drummer), David Garza plays guitar, Matt Fish does cello (who’s played with Mark Eitzel and Alejandro Escovedo) and Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket, love them) does backing vocals on two tracks. But I learned all that after I got and loved the CD. So it’s just icing on the cake.
Here are two album tracks:
“Angel” (from Beneath These Fireworks) “Sad Songs” (from Beneath These Fireworks)
…And an absolutely awesome live Prince cover from the Spring tour. He covered this also at the show I was at, so I was all over the singalong action. I am not too cool for that.
Many other live tracks can be found on the Live Music Archive site if you like his sound. But buy the album, it is great. And then go see him live. He toured a ton in 2005, and no new 2006 dates are posted to the website, but surely he will head out again as I hear he is one of the most relentless travelling songsmiths in the business.
P.S. – He has also been known to cover Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” in concert, but don’t hold that against him. I also have been known to pull that one out of my back pocket in karaoke, but you all still love me anyways. So it goes both ways.
Time for the weekly fix. Here is some new music for you to enjoy. Let me know what you think. If something really tickles your eardrums I’d love to hear about it.
“For The Turnstiles” Josh Rouse This is another great track emailed to me by Adam, my new musical drug dealer. It is a beautiful cover of the Neil Young song, performed live on KCRW 2. It is a lovely rendition. I am digging Josh Rouse more and more of late.
“You Only Live Once” The Strokes I know that the new Strokes album First Impressions of Earth has been leaked and posted on practically every possible place on the internet, and that they have been on every magazine cover possible in recent days (exhibit A to right) but if perchance you HAVE NOT heard this song, I am posting it here because YOU MUST. This is one of my favorite tracks of the year, period. I love drummer Fabrizio Moretti, and on this track you can see why. Oh, to be like him someday. His loose and laid-back improvisations blow my mind all over this track. He’s just havin fun, doing his own thing, meandering back to the regular beat when he feels like it. Very fresh and compelling and infectious.
“On My Mind” Kalai Upon first listening to this, Kalai sounds like James Taylor or Ben Harper. This is a simple, agreeable little song that always makes me happy, and I love to sing along cuz it is right in my perfect range. It was released on Kalai’s 2001 album Acoustacism. Kalai is only in his late-twenties, born in Hawaii and raised in Alaska. He has an excellent grasp of the new-folk genre and has quite a fine little album here. His dad is Danson, a Hawaiian music legend. In addition to making good music, Kalai is also an expert fly-fisherman and enjoys the simple life. Wow, that sounded like a personal ad. Anyway, check out his website at http://www.kalai.cc.
“Nothing Compares 2 U” Stereophonics Well, Sinead O’Rebellion. This is a cover of another song that distinctly reminds me of my elementary past, this one of the fifth grade and my best friend Britt. We would sit around and listen to Sinead belt it over and over. (Wait, did you hear that? That was the sound of my street cred dissipating.) Anyway, this gruff cover by the Stereophonics is irreverent and surprisingly heartfelt. I heard this on KEPC, a local community college radio station which plays a superb selection of music. Yay KEPC!
“Which One Of The Two Of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down?” The Star Spangles Gritty garage rock, baby. The Star Spangles are out of New York City and in the vein of the NY Dolls and the Ramones, with some Stooges thrown in. It is clear who their influences are, not that that makes this cut any less enjoyable. I also find the vocals distinctly reminiscent of Paul Westerberg. This is off 2003′s Bazooka!!.
Speaking of The Replacements/Westerberg, I have been blessed with a largesse of rare tracks from them (2 CDs worth!) from a kind musical e-pal named Jerry, and I will be posting all the tracks here in the next few days, once I get time to upload the zip files! So if you are a Westerberg fan, stay tuned.
Hello dear readers. I am back from Phoenix, the land of sun and golf and old people and really cute new baby nephews. Here are a few odds and ends:
I replenished the links for the videos from the Ryan Adams post from the November concert (special request from Justin). It includes Hard Way To Fall, I See Monsters, Please Do Not Let Me Go, and Rescue Blues. See the original post (link above) for the videos.
I also refreshed the links to the first Monday Music Round-up (because Layne from London emailed to ask me to). There are some really good tracks on there, so I hope you get em and like em.
See, your wish is my command (within reason, eh?)
AND…
Here is a bonus laugh track, a cover of The Divinyls “I Touch Myself” live by The Bens (Folds, Lee and Kweller). Hey you know, that’s actually a dirty little song, ain’t it?
Matthew Sweet is The Man. He has the perfect golden, dulcet voice and writes radiant songs. I spent a good part of 1995 listening to Matthew Sweet (100% Fun is a gem in my collection), so here are two fine covers of his music that I have come across in the last few weeks and been duly pleased.
Name: Heather Browne Location: Colorado, originally by way of California Giving context to the torrent since 2005.
"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel." —Hunter S. Thompson
Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.
Name: Heather Browne
