Today is a day I’ve been waiting for since July 9, 2002 — the day that Counting Crows‘ last studio album Hard Candy came out, and the last time I heard anything new from them (Shrek soundtracks notwithstanding). It’s a NEW SONG from this Berkeley band that I’ve long adored!
Usually I close pop-ups, I block them outright, I don’t look at them. But thanks to a little tipster in my inbox, I visited CountingCrows.com and let the pop-up of a Cracker Jack box advertising their summer tour appear and do its flash animation thing and wait and wait . . . until finally I got the prize – the first listen mp3 download off their upcoming album, Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings (due November 6th)! The opening notes sound bit Maggie May-ish, no? After listening to it seven times, I’m gonna fall firmly into the “love it” camp:
Come Around – Counting Crows (link removed due to band request – apparently there was some miscommunication about what to release to the masses and I got caught in the middle, cozy with the RIAA. Stream the archived track on Hype Machine)
Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings was recorded as a two-part concept album. The Saturday Nights half was recorded New York City, and Adam Duritz says, “Saturday night is when you sin and Sunday is when you regret. Sinning is often done very loudly, angrily, bitterly, violently.”
Sunday Mornings (the acoustic regretful half) was laid down in Berkeley with Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Josh Ritter), and the whole shebang is currently being mixed and finished in NYC. The producer for this album is Gil Norton, who also worked with them on Recovering The Satellites.
Here’s a live version of one other new song that will be on the album, and old b-side that’s been kicking around for years. It’s an acoustic ballad called “Washington Square” (a lovely, lovely place in San Francisco, also immortalized in the Chris Isaak song of the same name, one of my favorites by him). This will be the first song on the Sunday Mornings half of the record:
If you’ve attended conferences for work before, surely we’ve all collected the same array of doodads and logo-covered items over the years. But I’ve never experienced quite the excitement that I get tucked inside a nondescript canvas bag at the registration table for the Boulder music summit. Instead of letter openers and stress balls, I find enough sampler CDs and random little EPs to sate me for quite a while (even a Modest Mouse 7″! Yeehaw).
Many of these artists are buzz bands that I keep hearing about, and going through them for myself was a kick. I also came back just chock full of word-of-mouth recommendations from all the fellow music nerds there.
I’ve done some culling and here are five of the best for this week’s Monday goodness:
Gravity Sara Bareilles This gal was the opening act for Ryan Adams on Thursday night at The Fox, and I was really taken by her. Sara Bareilles is 25 years old and from Eureka, California (way north by Oregon). She was signed to Epic in 2005 with no formal musical training after singing in an a capella group at UCLA. She says the following, “I write mostly on piano and I’m a girl, so lots of people say it’s Norah Jones, or Fiona Apple. That’s fine. I love Norah’s subtlety and Fiona’s fierce lyrical prowess. But I also have an affinity for the playful and intelligent-pop of people like Elton John and Ben Folds.” She closed her set with this song, which she said was about a particularly intense relationship that took her six years to get over. You truly could have heard a pin drop in the room. I was moved by the mournful realization written all over her face as she sang these stinging lyrics. Her album Little Voice is only $6.99 on iTunes.
Crown Victoria Robbers on High Street Recommended for fans of The Beatles, Harry Nilsson, or the “where, exactly, in the UK is he from? Oh wait, it’s Chicago” accent of The Redwalls’ Logan Baren. Robbers on High Street are actually from New York, but my friend Josh and I spent several minutes during their lunchtime set discussing where “The Accent” was from. It’s not, apparently. I dig their sound — check “The Fatalist” on their MySpace, it’s also ridiculously catchy. These guys are in LA tomorrow night, and breeze through San Francisco’s wonderfully snug Cafe Du Nord on Thursday. The album is called Grand Animals and just came out two weeks ago.
Broken Strings The Cobbs Raw and rough rock from unsigned under-the-radar The Cobbs from Philly, this has a distinct fuzzy Black Keys feel to it. I hear that they absolutely kill it in concert — they’ve just finished a run with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and share some of the same ’60s guitar pop/garage rock vibe with a hint of the Stone Roses thrown in. This was a word-of-mouth recommendation to me that I’m glad I heeded, I look forward to spending some more time with their album The Cobbs Sing The Deathcapades this summer. You can stream the whole album over at http://www.apolloaudio.com/.
House of Regret Wild Sweet Orange With a duet-tastic chorus reminiscent of the harmonies on one of my favorite Bright Eyes songs – Landlocked Blues with Emmylou Harris – this track is the closing romp a little EP from Birmingham, Alabama band Wild Sweet Orange. Here’s the story of how I heard of these guys – last year after the Boulder summit I wrote about Joshua Radin, and posted my most, most favorite version of his “Only You” cover, recorded live at Reg’s Coffee House. Well, that Reg guy who runs it passed me this one as well — with his recommendation, I think you should take a listen. According to pal Dodge, they’re on tour soon with The Whigs and The Broken West, both of whom I have spoken highly of. That’ll definitely be a shared bill to catch.
Elusive Scott Matthews This weekend I sat down and re-watched the Jeff Buckley: Live in Chicago DVD. Actually, watched is an understatement; I was more glued back into the couch cushions, unable to breathe. I’m serious, not trying to be melodramatic — that voice, in the flesh, does something to my ability to move. I tell you this because there’s most definitely haunting echoes of Buckley in the voice of British artist Scott Matthews, that much is clear from the first notes. He’s got a gorgeous silvery range with melancholy tuning that brings Nick Drake to mind. I hear he’ll be huge, but you should just listen because he’s good. His album Passing Stranger is out now as an import, and will tentatively be released in the U.S. on Sept 25 (Universal Republic).
Adios KMFDM I’m amazing myself with how much I am liking the new KMFDM I’m just bummed that their name doesn’t really stand for “Kill Motherf*cking Depeche Mode” because that was the most awesome anagram ever. All these years I thought that, when really it means “Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid” a scary-looking German sentence which means something about no mercy or pity for the masses. We will all be destoyed. Plus, that lady on the cover? She’ll totally suck your brains out. Tohuvabohu, the chaotic new studio album by KMFDM is coming from KMFDM Records/Metropolis Records on August 21.
Jamie Lidell? On The Speakers Will StrattonJenny Owens Young Seth Lakeman New Pornographers Beloved Minnie Driver (with Ryan Adams) This lady gets around. And I mean that in a non-character-assassinating way, just that she’s been associated with all these great musicians. I saw her open for Chris Isaak at the Mountain Winery 2 years ago and I kept saying to my friend, “Minnie Driver? Like, from Good Will Hunting?” She was okay, kind of a surprise At the risk of this being an all-Ryan-Adams, all the time blog, this particular track off her new album Seastories (??) caught my eye because Ryan is “featured” on it (I’m thinkin’ guitar?)
SETLIST Why Go, Corduroy, Save You, Do The Evolution, Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town, Severed Hand, Education, Even Flow, Given To Fly, World Wide Suicide, improv: Don’t Go BP/Amoco, Lukin, Not For You, Daughter/Another Brick In The Wall, State of Love and Trust (!!), Wasted Reprise, Alive. ENCORE 1: Betterman/Save It For Later (!!), Crazy Mary, Life Wasted, Rearviewmirror (!!) ENCORE 2: (new song) No More w/ Ben Harper, Rockin In The Free World w/ Ben Harper and “a bunch of people on stage” [thx and thx]
Thanks to a fantastic UK pal who shall remain nameless, my Sunday of struggling with re-tiling my shower (seriously and hint: don’t try it) has been significantly brightened. Behold a bonanza of White Stripes b-sides AND three songs from Jack White’s stint in The Upholsterers (a circa 2000 project with Brian Muldoon).
I find the White Stripes fascinating and brutal and talented, with their minimalistic rawness and fierce bluesy rock always hitting the spot. As an aspiring female drummer myself, I like Meg’s work, as simple as it is. I remember reading someone’s celebrity playlist on iTunes a good two years ago and whoever it was said of the White Stripes single “Blue Orchid” that it made their balls tingle (sorry Mom). Although I have no firsthand experience with that particular sensation, I’ll agree that it sounds pretty apt for most of these songs as well. Get ready for . . . a sea of red and black.
Freshly back from the annual summit of record label and radio folks up in Boulder (I didn’t fit into either category; I just happily observed and chit-chatted, gratefully partaking in a bunch of good showcase shows).
First up was the side-achingly-hilarious Matt Nathanson, rocking through a solid set of mostly new material which sounded fantastic. Even though he had to face an oddly pugilistic audience, he handily slayed them all with his sharp wit, leaving one golf-shirted middle-aged heckler kind of speechless (the guy made some random crack about Matt “giving it up” in prison, to which I believe Matt called him a big hairy beast and told him to wear something frilly so he had something to grab on to).
Despite all the distractions (or maybe because of them), I thought it was a great show. The full band sounds tight and energetic, and the new material has a razor-sharp emotional edge to it that smacks with a welcome realism about long-term relationships. I hope to have a little interview-dealie with him sometime this week, for those of you playing along at home. Matt’s new album Some Mad Hope comes out August 14th — here’s one song off it that alternately sounds like his own special Prince nu-wave ditty, mixed seamlessly with the Ryan Adams song “Gimme A Sign.” I like it.
MATT NATHANSON: To The Beat of Our Noisy Hearts (new, live 8/1/07)
And this one always, always gets me. A perfect little song, which the audience appreciated and sang along with:
MATT NATHANSON: Angel (live 8/1/07)
After Matt Nathanson the place kinda cleared out to go across the street to the sweet little digs of Lulu’s Kitchen, a teensy venue with a warm vibe from the owner of Albums On The Hill. Fionn Regan had just completed his set (all I can say is he looked the rockstar part with floppy satin vest and skinny jeans) and Willy Mason was performing an affecting little tune that I understand is new, called “I’ve Been Waiting For You” (maybe). I’d seen him back at Noise Pop (come to think of it, on a night where I also saw Josh Ritter and ran into Matt Nathanson. WHOA glitch in the matrix).
So yes, then Josh Ritter had a late-night set back at the spa/hotel thing where the conference was based, in the Xanadu conference room no joke. I was extremely excited to see this show as the new album is rocking my socks. I sat there all barely-contained with friend Bodie, who was just as excited as me. Bodie lavishes credit upon me for helping to introduce him to Josh’s music with Thin Blue Flame back in 05. He owes me.
So Josh was circulating through the crowd (dapper, as usual, in his white suit — he said he likes to “dress for the occasion”) and I got a chance to talk to him. What a wonderful, happy human being. He glows with excitement about what he is doing.
He also TOTALLY copped to the similarities between new song “Rumors” posted in last week’s Monday Music Roundup) and Britney Spears’ Toxic. I wouldn’t have believed it –I thought it was just me hearing things and being a little too fond of the video– but I asked and he concurred. His new album The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter is out August 21 and Amazon just wrote that it “may be the best album of 2007, hands down, by the most under-accorded American musical genius.” He blew the crowd away with a set of mostly new material (aka rocking) but also the fantastic “Wolves” and desired “Kathleen” — oh, and “Girl In The War,” which I never tire of.
JOSH RITTER: Rumors (new, live 8/1/07)
In addition to Some Velvet Blog‘s Bruce Warren enjoying all the conference festivities alongside me (from the astoundingly good WXPN radio station out in Philly), Wednesday ended with me staying the night, coincidentally enough, at a hotel in Denver with lovely blogger C from Scatter O Light. She was taking a break from her Bono-spotting in NYC to come to Denver for work. It was a blogger bacchanalia.
Thursday brought more good live performances, first a luncheon with Robbers on High Street (more from them on Monday) and melodic and wistful Australian rockers Augie March. I mentioned Augie March this past Monday, and they were excellent live – nuanced and passionate and inventive. Their song “One Crowded Hour” fairly takes flight in live performance, and I absolutely adored it and the feelings it evoked in me. I think that song could be huge this summer (it was incidentally re-recorded for the U.S. release at the same studios in San Francisco that Creedence used to work at).
After the show Glenn Richards from Augie March used my cell phone to call my little brother at work in San Diego, as he’s a huge fan. “Hello Brian? This is Glenn, from Augie March.” Officially consider me the world’s best big sister now.
And finally, why not a third Ryan Adams show in two weeks? Why not. This one was shortened, acoustic, and OPENING FOR PAULA COLE. How did that happen? Maybe the artist with the most underarm hair got the top billing. Or something.
Ryan and The Cardinals delivered a very musically solid, professional, enjoyable set which is exactly what I think he needed to show these folks. Although the concert was open to the public, probably at least half the audience were records and radio folks, many of whom saw Ryan last in Louisville at another convention where he was apparently Silent Ryan again, not speaking, wearing a hoodie and allegedly a shower cap for the whole performance in the almost-complete darkness. So I was really glad that he demonstrated (again) for the doubters how good he can be. The setlist (thanks Mandy!) was:
Let It Ride kicked in the gorgeous slow way and I didn’t start recording fast enough, but look how well the band gels together for the rest of it:
RYAN ADAMS: Let It Ride (live 8/2/07)
The setlist was many of the same songs he’s been playing lately, none of The Big Hits. There was no face melting, no extended jams, but we did get some wonderfully self-effacing banter — this clip picks up with Ryan talking about some of the traits that have been associated with him over the years: “Professionalism, happiness….”:
I was bone-crunchingly exhausted after the event was over, partly from the many shows and partly from just the constant talking to interesting people, but I am recovered now. Let’s do it next year.
Maybe you’ve never really “gotten” jazz. Maybe the very mention of jazz makes you think of that weird male nanny (“I prefer child technician“) in Jerry Maguire, always trying to pass off jazz mixtape cassettes to friends, and waxing rapturiously ecstatic at the mention of his favorite bass solos. Although I am too unfamiliar with the depth of the genre to be called an actual “jazz fan,” I’ve developed a level of appreciation for the great voices of jazz, and the pathos and the richness rolled up in their songs. Ella Fitzgerald is one I particularly love, and the third memorable moment in music in the WXPN series I am contributing to is the cool story of how Ella was discovered.
Other jazz singers that I appreciate each brought something unique to their recordings. Billie Holiday was mournful and smoky. Nina Simone was the boss and always sounded like she felt a sin coming on. Etta James was gonna come and love you, honey, and it was a whole lot of woman to love. But whenever I hear Ella, I am always struck by how classy and elegant her voice was, how pitch perfect and pure, just floating above the music and not mucked down in it. It always makes me smile.
Here’s the story: In 1934, the United States was limping back from the Great Depression. Ella Jane Fitzgerald was 17 and living in Harlem. Her mama had recently died in a car accident, and where Ella has previously been a pretty good kid, she was now losing interest in school, working alternately as a bordello-lookout and a runner for Mafia-affiliated tasks (come on Ella). She had grown up deeply loving her records, listening over and over to artists like the great Louis Armstrong and The Boswell Sisters.
On the night of November 21, 1934 Ella went with some girlfriends on a lark to compete at one of the famous “Amateur Nights” at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. At the time, the competition was only a few months old, but since then it has grown to give exposure to artists as varied as James Brown, Lauryn Hill, Ben E. King, and the Isley Brothers [see full list] who were just getting started in their career.
Ella’s name was pulled from the many entrants that night for a chance to compete. She originally intended to sing and dance, but was intimidated by some earlier performers that she felt danced well, so she decided to just sing – two covers. She couldn’t believe it, but she won that night. From that performance she went on to form a band and tour the country, eventually being signed to Decca and causing the creation of the Verve label essentially around her and her music. Called “The First Lady of Jazz,” and a woman who could scat like no other (check the lesson), I love how it all started from such inauspicious, total indie-rock-dream-discovery-scenario beginnings.
Flying Home – Ella Fitzgerald I think that scatting is rad
Knowing how much she idolized Louis Armstrong when she was growing up, I also enjoy hearing their playful work together. In stark contrast to Armstrong’s raspy struggle against the song, Ella’s parts kick in with such grace:
Even though she died in 1996, Ella definitely leaves her legacy in today’s music. One concept that’s especially dope is the whiz-bang remix series that Verve has been releasing. Everyone wants a piece of Ella and her fantastic voice, a sound that still sounds fresh:
Actress Zooey Deschanel has a swanky cabaret-tinged lilt to her voice that’s resonated well with me ever since she cautiously sang along with Will Ferrell in the movie Elf, and you know how much I love the humid crackle of M. Ward.
Now they’ve joined forces to record a cover of the Richard and Linda Thompson duet “When I Get To The Border” for the new independent film The Go-Getter. The film is directed by Martin Hynes (Stealing Harvard) and stars Lou Taylor Pucci (Thumbsucker), Jena Malone (who sings now too) and Zooey Deschanel. It was debuted at Sundance this past February and is on the hunt for a distributor to bring the goodness to the masses, hopefully by the end of the year.
M. Ward apparently scored the whole film, and the soundtrack also features Elliott Smith (“Coast to Coast”), The Black Keys (“10am Automatic”), and The Replacements.
M.’s been on a soundtrack kick lately (such expressive atmospheric tunes add richness to any film) — note his performance of the Jesse-Harris-penned tune “Crooked Lines” for the new Ethan Hawke film The Hottest State. That soundtrack is out next week, August 7th, on the newly-resurrected Hickory Records.
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.
Today is a day I’ve been waiting for since July 9, 2002 — the day that Counting Crows‘ last studio album Hard Candy came out, and the last time I heard anything new from them (Shrek soundtracks notwithstanding). It’s a NEW SONG from this Berkeley band that I’ve long adored!
Ryan and The Cardinals delivered a very musically solid, professional, enjoyable set which is exactly what I think he needed to show these folks. Although the concert was open to the public, probably at least half the audience were records and radio folks, many of whom saw Ryan last in Louisville at another convention where he was apparently Silent Ryan again, not speaking, wearing a hoodie and allegedly a shower cap for the whole performance in the almost-complete darkness. So I was really glad that he demonstrated (again) for the doubters how good he can be. The setlist (thanks Mandy!) was:
Let It Ride kicked in the gorgeous slow way and I didn’t start recording fast enough, but look how well the band gels together for the rest of it:
Name: Heather Browne
