Phonetic guide: Ray La-Montaine (that’s how you say it, Nathaniel). You could also substitute the words “freaking awesome” or “I can’t believe how good he is” in a pinch. Same effect.
Billboard reports: “Ray LaMontagne is in the midst of finishing his next RCA studio album with hopes to release it in early August. The artist has been recording with producer Ethan Johns at Allaire Studios in Shokan, N.Y. The pair previously worked together on LaMontagne’s 2004 debut, Trouble, which has sold 239,000 copies in the United States.
According to a spokesperson, the as-yet-untitled effort will be preceded by a short North American tour in July, a month after he finishes a stint supporting David Gray in the United Kingdom. As previously reported, LaMontagne released the Live from Bonnaroo 2005 EP last December, which included the previously unreleased song “Empty.”
Because of the goodwill in my heart towards anyone who would also call Ray LaMontagne friend, I am opening my vaults. Here is a slew of unreleased tracks to sate you until the new album is released:
RAY LAMONTAGNE LIVE & UNRELEASED 01. Amy 02. Lesson Learned 03. Until The Sun Turns Black 04. Country Girl 05. Still Can’t Feel The Gin (I love this song, also posted back in December) 06. You Should Belong To Me 07. I Can Get High 08. Life Is Long 09. Can I Stay? – (also posted this as well, absolutely gorgeous) 10. Half Alive 11. Sarah 12. Write You A Letter 13. Lead Me On 14. Stone’s Throw From Lonesome 15. You Got What I Want (So Why Don’t You Give It To Me?) 16. Katie Belle (Gettin’ High) 17. Simple Consolation 18. Three More Days 19. Heaven is a Honky Tonk
THESE LINKS ARE DEAD, but I re-posted most of these (and more) here.
CONCERT ALERT: If you’re in Colorado, consider heading on down to the Springs tonight (Friday night) for the Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers show at the Black Sheep. Absolutely one of my favorite live acts, period – if you come, you will not be disappointed. We’ll all kick back some Mexican Moonshine together. And then tune in this weekend for the results of my first ever real interview for the Fuel blog – I will be talking with Roger Clyne about the future of rock ‘n’ roll and sharing the gems of wisdom with you. Wish me luck, I’m goin’ in!
Check out the cool Google logo today for Catalan surrealist artist Joan Miró, born today in 1893:
Miró was a master of the surrealist movement, along with contemporaries Dali, Magritte, and Kahlo. Of the approach, Miró said: “Rather than setting out to paint something, I begin painting, and as I paint, the picture begins to assert itself, or suggest itself under my brush. The form becomes a sign for a woman or a bird as I work . . . the first stage is free, unconscious. . .”
“Miró’s floating biomorphic shapes, hovering, vibrating, advancing, and retreating, are suggestive of musical tones made visible. The tempo is light and graceful, the mood playful and humorous.” – from Art Through The Ages, Gardner
Let’s all admit right now that 1990 was an embarassing year for a variety of reasons. Mariah Carey, Bel Biv Devoe, Vanilla Ice, and Whitney Houston: yes, I knew them all. I was 11.
Eddie Vedder took some time in 1990 to perform this rather unfortunate song: (with Bad Radio, Feb 11, 1990)
Thanks for the tip, Chad. You ROCK, you closet Pearl Jam stalker, you.
Day late and a dollar short again. Dangit! I intended to post this yesterday and I forgot, but you’ll forgive me:
As a lifelong born-and-raised resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, I feel compelled to recognize the 100 year anniversary of the Great Quake of 1906 (see, I even capitalized it, as if I remember it from days of yore). I am sure there was a lot of commemoration hoopla in the Bay Area about the anniversary, but not so much in Colorado. See, Coloradoans just don’t care about California. Or so I hear.
Here’s a song for you that fits the occasion by L.A. band Rooney (previous blog mention here), who is actually hitting the road with Kelly Clarkson between June 30 and August 6th. I can’t, again, condone this (as much as I secretly love American Idol). But in any case, this is a great pop song with an infectious riff.
“I’m Shakin’” – Rooney (yousendit link – open in new window. EZArchive sucks, as usual. EZ my ass.)
Excellent! Two new acoustic songs have surfaced from the Black Crowes. These were played just last Friday night (April 14) at their sold-out show at the Rose Theatre show in New York, the second night of their currently-in-progress acoustic tour, billed as “Brothers Of A Feather: An Acoustic Evening With Chris & Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes.” They’re in Austin tonight, followed by a three-night stint at various excellent San Francisco venues, and then ending with 2 shows at The Roxy in L.A.
Summer Tour News Update from their website: “On the heels of CHRIS and RICH ROBINSON’s three sold-out nights of acoustic performances in New York City to ecstatic fans and lengthy standing ovations, THE BLACK CROWES have announced a major summer headlining tour with their special guests Robert Randolph & The Family Band and Drive-By Truckers. Launching June 10 in Seattle, the nine-week trek will visit mostly sheds–including Jones Beach (New York), PNC Bank (New Jersey), Shoreline (San Francisco), Tweeter Center (Boston) and Cynthia Woods (Houston)–as it criss-crosses the U.S. into mid-August.
Each night of CHRIS and RICH’s “Brothers Of A Feather: An Acoustic Evening With Chris & Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes” has sold out within minutes after going on sale. The two-week trek marks the first time the brothers have ever performed full-length acoustic sets in their 16-year career.
“‘Brothers of a Feather’ is certainly a sight to behold and a sound to endear. Although there are only eleven dates booked for the tour, if Friday’s show is any indication, they will go down in rock and roll history as some of the greatest performances ever played,” reports the Stony Brook Independent (4/15/06) about the brothers’ show at Rose Theater @ Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Meanwhile, the band’s first-ever DVD FREAK ‘N’ ROLL…INTO THE FOG roared out of the box, debuting at #2 on Billboard’s Music Video chart. A film crew captured THE BLACK CROWES performing five sold-out nights at San Francisco’s historic Fillmore Auditorium in August 2005. Writing in the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE about one of the shows, Joel Selvin noted that “The Black Crowes never sounded better than it did Saturday at the Fillmore Auditorium, the peak performance of a sold-out five-night run…(the band) definitely staked a claim in these Fillmore shows as one of the last of the classic rock bands” (8/8/05).
Since reuniting and re-connecting with their loyal fans last year, THE BLACK CROWES have been performing what some called “the best shows of their career.” While they achieved a career watermark by headlining their New Year’s Eve show at Madison Square Garden, the band–Chris (vocals), Rich (guitars), Marc Ford (guitars), Eddie Hawrysch (keyboards), Sven Pipien (bass) and Steve Gorman (drums)–also played seven sold-out shows at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom, performed five-nights at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles and were headliners at three of the most prestigious festivals in America (New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits Festival). Summing up the allure of THE BLACK CROWES’ concert experience, Mikael Wood of The Village Voice (12/28/05) said the band “remain one of rock’s best live acts, as hard-grooving as during their heyday and caked with an extra layer of rambling-man soulfulness.”
THE BLACK CROWES with Robert Randolph & The Family Band and Drive-By Truckers summer tour dates (unless otherwise noted): “*” indicates shows that go on sale Saturday, April 22 “**”indicates show that goes on sale Sunday, April 23
DATE CITY, STATE VENUE * Sat 6/10 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre * Sun 6/11 Ridgefield, WA (Portland) Clark County Amphitheatre * Tue 6/13 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre Wed 6/14 Los Angeles, CA TBA Fri 6/16 Las Vegas, NV The Joint (TBC only) Sat 6/17 San Diego, CA Concerts in the Park ** Sun 6/18 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre Fri 6/23 St. Louis, MO UMB Bank Pavilion Sat 6/24 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion @ Northerly Island Sun 6/25 Pittsburgh, PA Chevrolet Amphitheatre Tue 6/27 Nashville, TN Amsouth Amphitheatre (TBC & D-BT only) Wed 6/28 Birmingham, AL Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Fri 6/30 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Amphitheatre Sat 7/1 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Sun 7/2 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Mon 7/3 Austin, TX The Backyard Thu 7/6 Atlanta, GA HiFi Buys Amphitheatre Fri 7/7 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre Sat 7/8 West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre Tue 7/11 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Wed 7/12 Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavilion @ Walnut Creek Fri 7/14 Virginia Beach Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Sat 7/15 Masontown, WV Allgood Music Festival (TBC only) Tue 7/18 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena Wed 7/19 Wantagh, NY Tommy Hilfiger @ Jones Beach Fri 7/21 Camden, NJ (Philadelphia) Tweeter Waterfront Sat 7/22 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center Sun 7/23 Boston, MA Tweeter Center Tue 7/25 Darien Center, NY Darien Lakes Amphitheatre Wed 7/26 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theater Fri 7/28 Cleveland, OH Tower City Amphitheatre Sat 7/29 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion Sun 7/30 Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC Tue 8/1 Columbus, OH TBA Thu 8/3 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre Fri 8/4 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Tue 8/8 Sturgis, SD Rockin’ the Ralley (TBC only) Fri 8/11 Billings, MT Magic City Blues Festival (TBC only) Sat 8/12 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
************************************************************ Oooh, Red Rocks. That would be a fine initiation for me to that particular venue. But I am still so skint – Note to self: STOP buying concert tickets you can’t afford! Maybe I can sell something (a kidney?).
As promised, here is the second disc of the 5th volume (What Will Happen Next) of the Ryan Adams Bedhead live series. Three more to come following this one. If you missed the first one, it’s here.
I’ve received some interesting feedback from y’all on the topic of seeing Ryan Adams live. Several of you have either commented or emailed to say how horrible he was when you saw him live, and how very disappointed you were. Others concede that when he does have a good show, it is really, really good (when all the celestial elements align for that perfect evening). My friend Chris in the UK made me laugh when he wrote that his wife will not go with him to see Ryan Adams ever again, that she thinks, “her summation – beautiful voice, depressing bastard in dire need of a good wash.” He also continues with “As the man says himself, ‘The sign on the door should read: variable quality – buyer beware.’
Here’s to hoping that all the stars are in alignment next week for the SF shows, that the variable quality is high, and that I get some gems like this:
Oh, and happy birthday to my brother Brian, somehow he is 24 already and I still picture him as being about 5, pronouncing his “r”s as “w”s. Go see the San Diego ocean for me and enjoy the California sunshine, lil brother! Love you.
So, I have pleasantly spent my weekend playing the tourist in Colorado because my Grampy is here to visit. I am doing the all the things I haven’t done yet, including ascending to the top of the world (aka Pikes Peak, to the right) by cog railroad (and let me categorically say now that there is no way in Hades that I am ever doing the real “Ascent” – the half-marathon to the top on foot!!) and visiting the breathtaking Royal Gorge in Cañon City. What a gorgeous state I live in!
I had some time with the iPod during the drives to whittle down a fine little set for all y’all this week, and I think the end result is somewhat evocative of the landscape that was rolling out before me, although unintentionally:
“Crazy” Ray Lamontagne In my mind, this man can nary do a wrong. Here Ray Lamontagne shows us all why I love him: reinventing the catchy Gnarls Barkley tune that is all over the cool British kids’ iPods into something wrenching and folksy-acoustic and great in its own right. When is he going to release a new album? I will go camp out for that (um, on iTunes? I don’t know). Son, there was a day when we camped outside record store for new CD releases and good concert tickets. Back before this newfangled internet jazz.
“Street Light Halos” Jeffrey Foucault I had never heard of this Wisconsin heartland artist until I randomly came across his superb “Buckets of Rain“ Dylan cover. That being one of my favorite Dylan songs, perfect in its simplicity, I downloaded the cover and listened to it about 5 times in a row as I slid silently through a gorgeous red rock canyon by train this weekend, and was pleased to discover the rest of his work when I got home. Miles From The Lightning (available on eMusic) is somber and atmospheric with sparse acoustic & slide guitars and a very quiet organic feel to most of the songs. Reminiscent of Springsteen (Devils & Dust or Nebraska) and Townes Van Zandt, I think it is going to become one of my favorite chill CDs. Foucault’s new disc Ghost Repeater is coming out next month.
“Weekend Soldier“ Gus Black From last month’s release Autumn Days, Gus Black is a Los Angeles singer-songwriter with a nice feel to this, his fourth studio album. I have read descriptions that liken him to Jeff Buckley, Pete Yorn, Eels, and David Gray; comparisons are helpful in narrowing it down, but Black has a shiny sound that is all his own and thoroughly enjoyable. Allmusic said that Autumn Days “often sounds like the perfect soundtrack to be listening to on your headphones while you go sight-seeing in the great outdoors.” The album ranges from lo-fi fuzziness to driving guitar ballads, to this track, which instantly made my ears perk up. With his vulnerable and dramatic vocals, lovely strings and keyboard backing, I really like what I hear from this guy.
“Miss You” The Concretes Pouty Swedish pop meets Rolling Stones swagger with fantastic results. This was featured on their b-side compilation Layyourbattleaxedown in 2005. Easy, loping, hazy.
“Bill“ Remate Songs:illinois had a nice little post up introducing me to this Spanish indie folk artist Remate. Born in Madrid, but educated in Wales, his English is pretty good but sounds just different enough to make me smile and remember my time abroad fondly. Lonely harmonica and banjo evoke wide open plains like the rural Colorado I saw this weekend. Slow, but with an interesting layered rhythm.
The fabulous Mr. Kevin from So Much Silence has the nice ‘lil KEXP set from Band of Horses last Thursday. I have restrained myself from posting anything on them thus far, but I will say that I am rather digging their fresh, jangly, Shins-y sound.
Also, INDIEBLOGHEAVEN has one of the new Springsteen tracks from the Pete Seeger tribute album, if you’ve been curious to hear how those came out. Springsteen sure turns the whole congregation out on this one.
The incomparable Al Green turned 60 last Thursday (April 13), and if I had been up-to-date on my Page-A-Day calendar, I would have posted this then. But, alas, I am always a few days behind.
The occasion gives me an excuse to post up my absolute favorite Al Green recording. It’s a cover of The Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” available on the 2003 compilation Soul Tribute To The Beatles. It is magnificent in its stylish, loose soul groove, and #1 in my book for several reasons:
#1 song to get that “unh” dancing action goin’ on in your living room to #1 use of syncopation (check around 0:52) #1 song to start a mixtape with #1 studio banter at the beginning of the track (“We got the FEELIN’ now!” “-Shut up, Al Green.”)
Perhaps this is some form of sacrilege to post this on Easter, but if you aren’t going to church today, maybe you can spend some time with Bono as he ruminates about Hallelujah (with the help of Leonard Cohen, of course).
At this moment in the evolution of U2 we were right smack-dab between Zooropa and Pop. While it is hard for me to nail down one era of U2 that is my “favorite,” I really liked both of those albums, as well as the pop-modernism of Achtung Baby (ok, that’s actually probably my favorite).
This song is a hybrid of the swanky falsetto of “Numb” and the smoooooth spoken word portions of “If You Wear That Velvet Dress.” It’s awesome.
Take a close listen and tell me how come it sounds soooo dirty the way he enunciates the last word of this line: “And from your lips she drew the hallelujah.” Makes me kind of guffaw and say “Ha haaaa!” in that delighted naughty way. Also, you practically have to wear your wraparound Bono shades when you listen to this. It’s THAT cool.
I do believe that Ryan Adams has some of the most dedicated fans in the music community. The folks over at the RyanAdamsArchive.com site have religiously compiled a bunch of live tracks from various tours and “released” them (for lack of a better word) as the Bedhead Series.
All are fabulous and available in torrent format at the archive site. But I was admittedly (and probably lamely) baffled because they came in flac format, and I listen in mp3. If you too are in my boat, I am happy to now have the fifth volume in mp3 format, called What Will Happen Next, which are songs from last year’s spring/summer shows for the most part. I’ll put up a new one every couple of days here, and you can get all 5 discs of live goodness with persistence and stick-to-it-ness.
What Will Happen Next is the 5th in the Bedhead Series which comprises: Bedhead (Volumes 1-3), Live Is Hell (Volumes 4-7), Live Rock’nRoll (Volumes 8-10), After The Fall (Volumes 11-14), and now What Will Happen Next (Volumes 15-19).
So, if I go to jail for 11 years (where all the evil Ryan Adams music posters go), will you write me? Send me mix CDs? (or do you think they just have cassette tape players in there?). Sigh.
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.
Phonetic guide: Ray La-Montaine (that’s how you say it, Nathaniel). You could also substitute the words “freaking awesome” or “I can’t believe how good he is” in a pinch. Same effect.
Miró was a master of the surrealist movement, along with contemporaries 
Name: Heather Browne
