March 21, 2007

Odds & ends

It’s been a long time since I compiled one of these odds and ends posts, but there were several little things today that caught my eye:

Ûž Brian Deck is on board to produce the new Counting Crows record, according to Adam:

March 16, 2007 12:53am
Berkeley, CA

Rehearsals have been going really well the past few days. I’m pretty excited about the 2nd half of this record. I really dig the producer we’ve chosen. His name’s Brian Deck. He produced “The Moon and Antarctica” for Modest Mouse, “Our Endless Numbered Days” for Iron and Wine, “The Animal Years” for Josh Ritter, and this album I love by the Fruit Bats called “Mouthfuls”. We’re getting really cool weird twisted folksy sounds.

Ûž Paul McCartney is set to release a new album this summer, the inaugural release for new Starbucks label.

I drink Starbucks. I love McCartney. But why does this just feel so dirty and somehow depressing?

Ûž Mason Jennings has a new blog post that starts with the sentence, “Did you ever just get so high that you wrote on your arm never to smoke weed again? Me neither.” It goes on to discuss music he likes and life in general lately for him, but opening sentences don’t get much more engaging than that one.


Ûž I truly love the new Hold Steady video for “Stuck Between Stations.” That is a dang fine song, and since I haven’t caught them live yet, I’ve never seen it performed, seen the way they jolt out their music.

Incidentally, I think their piano player may actually be Oliver, Kat‘s husband from Miami Ink. Rock the ‘stache, dude.

Ûž SPIN tries to deconstruct the method behind Ryan Adams‘ crazy, internet-facilitated, musical-diarrhea madness.

Ûž Pete Yorn‘s cousin/merch man/video whiz Maxx updates Pete’s MySpace friends with setlists and excellent pictures from the road. The most recent post has a haiku to match each photograph, and is a must-read. I laughed out loud at a few:

sid is funnier
when he’s not wearing his clothes
but someone else’s

simon is undead
he will eat your flesh
even from the stage

Ûž SXSW. Most of the SXSW coverage from my fellow bloggers seems like drinking out of a firehose, and I am not able to fully absorb all of it yet (although I am trying). This, however, was one show that I had read about and found video for — very cool. Pete Townshend was at the fest to speak at a panel and joined British buzz band The Fratellis for a cool little cover of The Who’s “The Seeker”:

And the best picture that I’ve seen so far from SXSW was taken by my friend Brian H., who has been regularly updating me with more pics and details than you can shake a stick at (thanks!). I don’t know the story behind this shot, but I thought it was cool how it speaks to the environment of total musical domination in Austin these past few days:


Rock ‘n roll.

10 Comments

  • oh paul, why.

    THANKS FOR THE PETE VIDEO!!

    also: hi. i was directed here by a friend. :-P

    stateless — March 21, 2007 @ 5:11 pm

  • I don’t know…. At the forefront of my thoughts is “Paul can do no wrong.”

    I mean, I’ve bought everything, even the limp Press To Play album.

    He could sing a ballad about serial killer John Wayne Gacy and I’d buy it. Oh wait, didn’t someone already do that? :)

    I don’t think Paul’s ever been the most idealistic guy in the world. Not like John or George, certainly. At least he isn’t aligning himself with McDonald’s.

    Phil — March 21, 2007 @ 7:17 pm

  • If John Lennon were alive, he’s write a nasty song about the unholy alliance of McCartney/Starbucks and release it on YepRoc. While I too drink Starbucks – ‘cuz they have drive thrus – and love McCartney – pre “Ebony and Ivory,” anyway – this doesn’t feel right.

    Jeff C. — March 22, 2007 @ 12:25 am

  • Perhaps it feels dirty because the man did not sign to an established label. He signed to a coffee shop. I mean, a very rich coffee shop, but does that mean that he will sink to singing purely coffeehouse music? That is dirty.

    Amy — March 22, 2007 @ 1:54 am

  • Brian H here…the band pic is from 6th St in Austin one night….that band just set up in that little corner and rocked out (that area is usually taken by some guy that does mystical spray paint paintings)…very cool band…

    Brian — March 22, 2007 @ 9:29 am

  • thanks Brian! I meant to email you and ask, but got inundated…and kind of thought it was cool regardless. Thanks for the background. Very cool.

    heather — March 22, 2007 @ 9:41 am

  • thats so funny, i was walking by that band as they played in between buildings!

    (they were not very good)

    hunter — March 22, 2007 @ 2:51 pm

  • I was at Pete Yorns’s show Tuesday night, the first of two nights at the 930 Club in D.C. It was a great show, and my first time seeing him. Blew me away!

    Thanks for the link – aims

    aims — March 23, 2007 @ 6:52 am

  • Starbucks records…it should be strictly 190 bpm drum and bass

    myspace.com/jessecastrojr

    Jesse — March 26, 2007 @ 2:09 pm

  • Is it better for Paul to stick with major label and not having his LP promoted like his last albums?

    let the music do the talking :-)

    Bartek

    Anonymous — March 26, 2007 @ 6:30 pm

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Bio Pic 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
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