New contest for the weekend! I am in NYC still this morning, and thankfully the sun finally came out. I think we’re going to Central Park and a pass by the Dakota this morning, brunch at “Sarabeth’s” and then a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge? I’ve walked through about 8 or 11 or a million neighborhoods; feet are protesting but I am continuing to have my way with them, regardless of what they want. There’s just too much good stuff to see. We also may be on a frozen yogurt quest later since we enjoyed this all-the-rage sour kind yesterday in Greenwich Village and we pretty much just keep talking about it.
My friend’s Queens apartment is stocked with many shelves of fabulous books but no turntable, however, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on this sweet ‘lil prize pack that I’ll put up for today.
CONTEST: I’ve got two 7″ vinyl singles of the new Oasis tune “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down” to bestow on someone’s collection. The song is from their new forthcoming DVD by the same name, which includes both the feature-length documentary that screened in select theatres last year tracing their 2005 tour (and shenanigans) but also a second disc of straight live concert footage from their epic homecoming show in Manchester.
Listen to the song and watch the little video dealie here:
To enter your name to win seven inches of goodness, please leave me a comment, and to amuse me also include a favorite Gallagher brother quote. There’s no shortage of obnoxious, ridiculous, hilarious things these boys have said over the years, so you’ve got lots of options.
As always, make sure I have a way to contact you, and maybe spell out that email addy to avoid spamalot. I’ll wrap up this contest sometime after I get back from NYC, so early next week. Lookee what you win:
Oh, and an update: In all this travel excitement, I didn’t forget about you guys and that Dylan “I’m Not There” soundtrack CD contest that wrapped Wednesday. There were a total of 97 comments, and I wanted to pick a random pair of winners, so I went up to strangers in the airport and asked them to pick a number between one and 97. Um, a few strange looks later, I got my two numbers, and will be contacting the lucky winners. I will probably do a Dylan covers post at some point in the future, since you guys came up with some amazingly random and interesting-sounding versions.
The new Dylan biopic I’m Not There takes the interesting, surrealistic angle of illustrating Bob at different stages of his life through the rubric of six distinctively different actors (including a black man and a woman): Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw, and Christian Bale. I am very curious to see how this works itself out in the film – at least it’s a fresh angle (I mean, how many Dylan movies can you make?).
In addition to this creative lens used in the film to examine the man himself, the soundtrack is a double disc jamboree of some pretty cool Dylan covers, including disc 1, track 1 with Eddie Vedder & The Million Dollar Bashers covering “All Along The Watchtower.” Fuel/Friends is pleased as punch to get an exclusive stream for you guys to take your first listen of this!
EDDIE VEDDER & THE MILLION DOLLAR BASHERS “All Along The Watchtower”
And who are said Million Dollar Bashers? It’s Wilco’s god-like guitarist Nels Cline, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley (from Sonic Youth), bass player Tony Garnier, keyboardist John Medeski (from Martin, Medeski and Wood), and guitarist Smokey Hormel (onetime Beck guitarist, Smokey & Miho). I never thought I’d hear musicians from those bands all jam together. The guitar solo (assumedly from Nels?) is pretty blazing, and Vedder’s got the seething caged scream goin’ on.
Historical tie-in from last summer: there was an absolutely scorching live version of this song that full-band Pearl Jam did in San Francisco (when Sonic Youth opened), climaxing in a very rock n roll moment of Mike McCready giving his guitar the Townshend treatment and then surfing on it across the stage. PJ has played Watchtower 4 times live before, but that was my favorite. If you’d like to hear that one as well, the link over on that old post still surprisingly works.
You can also stream four other full songs from the biopic over on the soundtrack’s MySpace (the ones by Sufjan Stevens, Cat Power, Jeff Tweedy, and Jim James with Calexico). Among others, I’m also looking forward to hearing Mason Jennings’ two contributions, The Black Keys cover of Wicked Messenger, and The Hold Steady enticing me to climb out my window. The soundtrack is out October 30, and the film opens Thanksgiving weekend.
NEW CONTEST: Would you like to win one of two copies I have to giveaway of this lovely double disc? Of course you would. Leave me a comment to enter, make sure I have a way to contact you (might wanna spell out that email addy), and if you feel so inclined, please let’s talk about your favorite Dylan cover. So I can wrap this up before I head to NYC, this contest ends Wednesday at midnight.
I’M NOT THERE (FULL SOUNDTRACK LISTING) Disc 1 1. Eddie Vedder & the Million Dollar Bashers: “All Along the Watchtower” 2. Sonic Youth: “I’m Not There” 3. Jim James and Calexico: “Goin’ to Acapulco” 4. Richie Havens: “Tombstone Blues” 5. Stephen Malkmus & the Million Dollar Bashers: “Ballad of a Thin Man” 6. Cat Power: “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” 7. John Doe: “Pressing On” 8. Yo La Tengo: “Fourth Time Around” 9. Iron and Wine and Calexico: “Dark Eyes” 10. Karen O and the Million Dollar Bashers: “Highway 61 Revisited” 11. Roger McGuinn and Calexico: “One More Cup of Coffee” 12. Mason Jennings: “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” 13. Los Lobos: “Billy” 14. Jeff Tweedy: “Simple Twist of Fate” 15. Mark Lanegan: “The Man in the Long Black Coat” 16. Willie Nelson and Calexico: “Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)”
Disc 2 1. Mira Billotte: “As I Went Out One Morning” 2. Stephen Malkmus and Lee Ranaldo: “Can’t Leave Her Behind” 3. Sufjan Stevens: “Ring Them Bells” 4. Charlotte Gainsbourg and Calexico: “Just Like a Woman” 5. Jack Johnson: “Mama You’ve Been on My Mind” 6. Yo La Tengo: “I Wanna Be Your Lover” 7. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova: “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” 8. The Hold Steady: “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window” 9. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott: “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” 10. The Black Keys: “Wicked Messenger” 11. Tom Verlaine and the Million Dollar Bashers: “Cold Irons Bound” 12. Mason Jennings: “The Times They Are a-Changin’” 13. Stephen Malkmus and the Million Dollar Bashers: “Maggie’s Farm” 14. Marcus Carl Franklin: “When the Ship Comes In” 15. Bob Forrest: “Moonshiner” 16. John Doe: “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine” 17. Antony and the Johnsons: “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” 18. Bob Dylan: “I’m Not There”
Happiness is indeed a warm EP, so says reader Russell in his entry (one of 90) on my Ryan Adams contest to win the new EP Follow The Lights. I’ve randomly drawn 2 winners (I couldn’t possibly pick based on the “best” answer for this one) and contacted lucky readers Matt C. and Jon from Dance Hall Hips. Congrats guys, and I absolutely loved reading all the entries.
Wanna hear snippets of the two “new” songs on the Ryan Adams EP?
Now onto this “favorite EP” madness from the contest. Guess what, I made you a mix. These are lots of your suggestions, all songs that appeared on great EPs. One listen through this bad boy and you’ll see why I celebrate and love and adore the EP format.
For a full and robust appreciation of the impact these EPs have had in our own little corner of the music ocean, you gotta read the original comments from the readers who suggested them. And there were enough suggestions for a full second mix – sorry I couldn’t fit all of them on here. Maybe someday.
Follow The Lights EP tracklist 1. Follow The Lights (new song) 2. My Love For You Is Real (older song, never released) 3. Blue Hotel (first official Ryan release, recorded live in studio) 4. Dear John (from JCN, new version live in studio) 5. This Is It (Cardinals version, live in studio – originally on RnR) 6. Down In A Hole (Alice In Chains cover, live in studio) 7. If I Am A Stranger (originally on Cold Roses, live in studio)
Forget girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, EPs really are one of my favorite things. I love how the best ones possess that perfectly digestible sense of flow and pull throughout the six or seven songs. Like one of those mini-desserts in a shot glass, or tapas.
To win the new Ryan EP, let’s talk in the comments what your favorite EP is and why you love it. Make sure I have a way to contact you (and you may want to spell out the email addy — not sure if that fools the spambots, but it’s worth a try), and the contest will go until Tuesday, so the winners might even get the EP before the street date? We’ll see.
TWO winners will be chosen; I haven’t yet decided whether to pick winners on merit or randomly. But you can’t win unless you enter, so DO IT.
RYAN ADAMS TOUR DATES Oct 13 – North Charleston, SC – N. Charleston Perf. Arts Ctr Oct 14 – Atlanta GA – Fox Theater Oct 15 – Birmingham AL – Alabama Theatre Oct 17 – Mobile AL – Saenger Theatre Oct 18 – Houston TX – Verizon Wireless Theatre Oct 19 – Dallas TX – McFarlin Memorial Auditorium Oct 21 – Tulsa OK – Cain’s Ballroom Oct 23 – Nashville TN – War Memorial Auditorium Oct 24 – Indianapolis IN – Murat Theater Oct 25 – Columbus OH – Lifestyles Community Pavilion Oct 27 – Lakewood OH – Lakewood Civic Auditorium Oct 29 – Pittsburgh PA – Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland Oct 30 – Washington DC – D.A.R. Constitution Hall Oct 31 – New York NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
You all are The Hottest. I so enjoyed reading the batches of summertime recollections submitted for the contest to win the soundtrack and book for The Hottest State. It deeply pleases me to have such literate and aware and appreciative readers who can share wonderful memories that took me away to dozens of different locales along with you.
Here were the two randomly out-of-a-hat selected winners: a survivor of a sweaty Amazonian summer, and a tale of covert summertime swimming that reminds me of my own first kiss (and subsequent rent-a-cop bust) experience many Augusts ago — don’t worry Mom, with more clothes. Congrats to both winners and I need address info for you guys.
I encourage the rest of you to take a few minutes (and a mini-vacation) by reading all the great impressionistic memories of warm and sticky days.
Favourite hot summer memories have to do with my summer in the Amazonian rainforest… falling asleep in hammocks listening to the monkeys, bathing and doing laundry in the river, fishing for piranhas (take that, you nasty little fish!), sweating like crazy (small price to pay for my first acne-free summer since puberty), picking fresh guavas, drinking guarana, enjoying a tarantula infestation…. (Pardon me while waves of nostalgia break on the shores of my memory.)
I’m a faithful Fuel/Friends reader, so I’ll know it if you randomly choose me. (^_^)
At August 11, 2007 11:22 PM, Sal said… On an unbearably warm summer evening in South Florida, my girlfriend and I stripped down to nearly nothing, hopped a fence, removed the rest of our clothing and skinny-dipped in a golf course community’s private pool. Of course, security arrived shortly afterward and found us hiding in the pool behind a bush. Forced to leave, we asked the security guard to turn around so my girlfriend could get into her one piece of clothing – a short Detroit Red Wings hockey jersey. I then put on my boxers, and with our heads held high, and her tugging down on the jersey, we marched out the gate. The guard took down our information, and we were forever banned from the pool. But fortunately this was Florida, and all it took was crossing the street to find another pool to escape from the heat. And maybe the next security guard won’t pretend he doesn’t wish to be young again.
I am generally a really upbeat person but I can’t help myself — I truly despise heat coupled with humidity. This is why it is good that I don’t live in, say, Georgia or West Virginia because I would be the most grumpy person you know all through the month of August. Plus my hair would be very frizzy.
I am rambling about hot weather as a seamless tie-in to my newest contest: two lucky winners will win a soundtrack+book prize pack for the upcoming Ethan Hawke film The Hottest State. My first listens have been very enjoyable – it’s a fairly mellow and eclectic collection, and features the superb songwriting of new Fuel-favorite Jesse Harris. When forming the concept for the film adaptation, Hawke and Harris delved into the collection of 80+ songs that Harris had penned over the years, and then enlisted a dream team of folks like M. Ward, Feist, Bright Eyes, Cat Power, Black Keys, Willie Nelson, and Emmylou Harris to record them. You can stream the entire record here and then pop over to see the full tracklisting on their MySpace.
The movie is based on Hawke’s book (I didn’t know he wrote), so the two winners will each get a CD soundtrack plus the book for good end-of-summer reading as you lay by the pool and perfect that tan that will have to sustain you as the last vestiges of summer slip away.
So depressing, I know, stop it.
I’ll pick TWO random winners from all entrants by next Friday August 17th. If you’d like to win, please leave me a way to contact you (or promise to check here to see if you won, and then email me if you do) and answer this question: What is one of your favorite hot weather/summertime memories? Random, funny, serious, whatever – it just has to effectively include that “hot” business. Godspeed.
Eric said it best about halfway through the 80+ responses to the question, “What’s your favorite Ryan Adams lyric?” when he wrote: “You know, no matter who wins, I’m tickled by these responses, as I’m sure Heather is, too.”
Reading these responses was just fantastic for me — kinda like my favorite hypothetical situation which has not yet occured for me in real life: a bunch of us all sitting in a bar together, each taking a turn to share our favorite lyric and our reasons. Your entries made me spend the last, sheesh, two hours listening to Ryan Adams with a depth I haven’t done in far too long. Thank you for taking the time to share if you did.
Many of my favorite RA lyrics were represented in the contest entries, from Elizabeth, You Were Born To Play That Part (the whole song pretty much slays me), the line from Hard Way To Fall, “I could find her in a thunderstorm by the way that the rain would fall” that always gives me chills, the lyric from Oh My Sweet Carolina where he bitingly notes that “sunset’s just my lightbulb burning out…”
Then there was mjs who compared a line from My Winding Wheel to a favorite poem around these parts, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Jozef gave me ten sets of lyrics (including that excellent one from Halloween that always makes me smile a secret half-smile: “and the secrets that she’s keeping, they are really only dangerous to her“) and Stefan submitted a poem he wrote in NYC while listening to Ryan. There are stories of moving and missing, doubt and lust and drinking in a darkened room.
Several of you quoted the debated line that people either seem to hate or love (I love): “I would’ve held your mother’s hand on the day you was born” (from How Do You Keep Love Alive), and the perfect small Dear Chicago got a few deserved nominations (I always ache at the offhand way he tosses off the line “I been thinkin’ some of suicide…). Nathan‘s a sucker for girls who can sing and play the guitar (a common lament).
Jimmy Diggs quoted the fab unreleased Monday Night, and the best part was the way he wrote it out:
All I want is to roll through your fingers All I need is to make it alright All I want is to be your connection Win your affection, be your reflection On a Monday Ni-hi-yi-hi-yight On a Monday Ni-hi-yi-hi-yight
If you’ve heard the song . . . that’s funny.
But this entry was the first I thought should win, and I’m gonna stick with that (impossible as this decision was!). Steve emailed this to me, and I related exactly with what he had to say and his explanation of how twisted and backwards Ryan’s head is in these lines. I’ve been there too. So congrats Steve, who wins the lithograph and a copy of Easy Tiger with this:
La Cienega Just Smiled I hold you close in the back of my mind And raise my glass cause either way I’m dead Neither of you really help me to sleep anymore One breaks my body and the other breaks my soul
From reading your blog, I get the feeling that you’re a lot like me in the sense that we’re both generally happy people. Things have gone well in my life and different forms of success have come pretty easily – what I’m trying to say is that I don’t have much to complain about. Yet when it comes to pop music, I find myself being drawn in by the slow and contemplative songs where singers are depressed and at a loss in their life – the sadder the song, the better.
I want to be that character in the song who is at a bar by himself and walking the streets thinking about what could have been. I want to have the love of my life leave me and move away to Paris. I want to be sick and tired of my family and friends and sit alone in my apartment with the lights off looking down at the street I live on. I want to be Rob from High Fidelity (I really don’t want any of these things and that’s why it’s perfect that I can use sad songs and get that feeling for 3 or 4 minutes at a time).
This brings me to La Cienega Just Smiled and the lines written above . . . they just kill me. In four lines he pays a tribute to the girl he loves, and to his other vice, and then shatters them both and perfectly describes how they’re terrible choices for him. He uses the line “I hold you close in the back of my mind” throughout the song and it’s a haunting line. She is constantly there inside of him and he can’t escape her but it’s as if he needs that part of him to always be there or else he loses her forever. It’s a lose-lose situation because if he doesn’t keep her inside of him, then she will no longer exist yet it’s breaking his “soul”. The alcohol, on the other hand, is something that can presently help him and he might as well drink himself into oblivion because he doesn’t have the girl that he needs (either way he’s dead, broken heart or alcoholism). And not only are both the girl and the alcohol unable to help him sleep, one is breaking him down mentally and other is breaking him down physically.
I just love the image of Ryan at home in some NYC apartment at night drinking (not anymore!) a scotch while he’s thinking about his lost love and coming up with these lyrics. Like I said, I always think I want to be living this sort of life so I can be creative and write like this but I am perfectly content just living vicariously through the songs I love.
La Cienega Just Smiled – Ryan Adams fantastic live electric version from Brixton Academy in 2001, listen at 3:37 for the best portion of the song.
And Steve’s entry is really just a longer version of what Brandon said succinctly: “women and booze. my man got it right.” —————————————————————————- Oh and finally, a really close runner-up was Cara (love this gal):
wow, what a bunch of romantics. obviously the best lyrics come from “…Look who got a website“
my favorite: “Kevin Bacon Makin Waterworld 3 They ain’t even made 2 yet Yo that was Costner partner”
My contest #1 (for the Black Lips/YACHT 7″) from last week garnered six entries, but each was a wonderful story of a record player. You guys are fine, fine storytellers and it was hard to decide — reading those comments made my day. I would encourage all you guys to read them too if you hold a special warmth in your heart for vinyl.
My winner is gonna be Miguel with this fantastic tale — how could I deny someone whose very first vinyl ever was of the Black Lips, and who owns the entire Smiths catalog (singles included) on vinyl as a gift from what I would have to call the best girlfriend ever? He writes:
I was in posession of only one vinyl record, which, strangely enough, was the Black Lips first 45 ep that they had given me for letting them stay on my couch in Brooklyn while on their first tour. I desperately wanted to listen to it, but throwing down a wad of cash for a record player so I could listen to a solitary 7 inch seemed a bit frivolous.
One Christmas, my (ex)girlfriend took pity me and my solitary record. Underneath the tree I found a shiny new Technics and the entire Smiths catalogue, singles included. (I bought her a watch. So tactless.)
Since then the collection has grown hundreds fold, but that first 45 with Ain’t Comin’ Back and the signature firecrackers solo will always be my favorite.
That’s fantastic, Miguel. Thanks to all for sharing; I hope to have a few more cool 7″ contests in this series. The Ryan Adams contest will end sometime tomorrow, and with over 70 heartfelt entries already, how in the world am I ever gonna choose?
And here’s the second contest of today, this one to celebrate the official release of Ryan Adams‘ ninth studio album Easy Tiger (out today on Lost Highway):
That snarly, wild piece of wall art is a limited edition Ryan Adams lithograph, hand-numbered out of 100, that I have to give away. It would fit nicely if you live in Alaska, or maybe have one of those urban-wolf decoration schemes. It also showcases (assumedly) Ryan’s hand quite nicely, and . . . it’s cool.
The contest also includes a copy of the Easy Tiger album, which I have been enjoying quite often these last few weeks. Although it has not risen to “absolute gem” status for me yet, I definitely think that it is a familiar step into a very good direction for Ryan. There is, as you have likely read in any of a dozen other reviews, a greater focus from Ryan here and a tighter feel to the album.
It is still Ryan, though, so it wanders some (though not unpleasantly) and feels a little bit jarring to me in places. But all nine of his albums have always varied wildly in their style and mood from one to the next. From burnished alt-country, to gorgeously sad rock ballads, to humid Southern jams, to squealing punk, Ryan doesn’t stay the same and I do appreciate that creativity. I hope Easy Tiger does very good things for him; combined with a newfound sobriety, I also hope that he delivers a string of focused live shows to reinforce that talent and convert a new round of folks to his musically-winning ways.
TO WIN THE PACKAGE: Since I’ve been in a pensive lyric mood lately, I would like to discuss your favorite lyric ever penned by Mr. Ryan Adams. I will pick a winner this weekend, make sure to give me a way to contact you.
RYAN ADAMS TOUR DATES June 26 – New York, NY – Hiro Ballroom 28 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore 29 – Boston, MA – Somerville Theater
July 10 – Charlottesville, VA – Paramount Theatre 11 – Louisville, KY – Brown Theatre 12 – Germantown, TN – Germantown Performing Arts Center 14 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Wilshire Ebell 21 – Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst 23 – San Francisco, CA – Herbst Theatre 24 – Berkeley, CA – Berkeley Community Theater 26 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre 27 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre 28 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre 31 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden
August 2 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre (AAA Records & Radio conf) 3 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Okay kids, today is a Two Contest Day. This first one is my favorite kind because it involves vinyl (the record kind, not, like . . . the outfit kind or anything).
Side A: Wild Man – The Black Lips (cover of The Tamrons’ 1967 garage rock tune from Atlanta “flower punk” band)
Side B: No Favors Policy – YACHT (funky electronica from one-man band project of Jona Bechtolt, formerly half of The Blow)
To win this fine treat, please tell me the story of your record player. In other words, how will you enjoy this prize? I think you should have a record player to win it, but I guess anyone can enter. Your comment won’t hold the same oomph though, will it? I will pick a winner on Friday (be sure to leave a way to contact you).
Also, in conjunction with the contest, FADER’s gone ahead and put their whole latest issue in pdf for you to peruse. Check it here.
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.
New contest for the weekend! I am in NYC still this morning, and thankfully the sun finally came out. I think we’re going to Central Park and a pass by the Dakota this morning, brunch at “Sarabeth’s” and then a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge? I’ve walked through about 8 or 11 or a million neighborhoods; feet are protesting but I am continuing to have my way with them, regardless of what they want. There’s just too much good stuff to see. We also may be on a frozen yogurt quest later since we enjoyed this all-the-rage sour kind yesterday in Greenwich Village and we pretty much just keep talking about it.
That snarly, wild piece of wall art is a limited edition Ryan Adams lithograph, hand-numbered out of 100, that I have to give away. It would fit nicely if you live in Alaska, or maybe have one of those urban-wolf decoration schemes. It also showcases (assumedly) Ryan’s hand quite nicely, and . . . it’s cool.
Name: Heather Browne
