Nirvana vs Rick Astley

Ever since I first watched this video two days ago, I haven't been able to get Rick Astley out of my head. It's a fate worse than death. I've got to admit though, this is a pretty awesome mashup. As the friend who sent it to me said, "Kurt Cobain must be rickrolling in his grave."

Not So Quiet Nights

Diana Krall
Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN
Sunday, July 12, 2009

Usually when an artists tours to promote a new album, you can expect the setlist to draw heavily from their latest release, with a sprinkling of their back catalog thrown in for good measure. But anyone who went to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Sunday night expecting to hear a heavy dose of the bossa nova sounds of Diana Krall's new album probably left disappointed. Until the two song encore of the "Quiet Nights" and "The Boy from Ipanema," Krall and her quartet played just two songs from her Quiet Nights. Instead the sold out crowd got treated to a set that drew most heavily from her 1999 Verve debut When I Look In Your Eyes, and beyond that seemed to be designed more along the eclectic tastes of Krall herself rather than an audience that probably came to her the standards they are more familiar with. There were recurring themes of Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee (each had two of their songs performed), a bit of Burt Bacharach, and Tom Waits' "Jockey Full of Bourbon."

Though Krall has often been marketed to a more easy listening crowd, her quartet's performance Sunday night was about as pure jazz as you can get. Guitarist Anthony Wilson, drummer Jeff Hamilton, and bassist Robert Hurst all got multiple chances to shine throughout the set, and their take on "Devil May Care" was so fast that most speed metal bands would have had a hard time keeping up. After "I'll String Along With You" was bizarrely disrupted by the sound of crashing dishes, Krall joked about it being like the "good old days," when she made her living playing in piano bars. Obviously she's come a long way from the resaurants of Vancouver.

Diana Krall - "Where Or When" (mp3) from Quiet Nights

photo by Andrew Budwey

The State! On DVD! Finally!!!

This post is only marginally about music, but who cares... THE STATE HAS FINALLY BEEN RELEASED ON DVD!!! Hallelujah! I don't think I've ever looked forward to a DVD release as much as this one. I wasn't even this excited about the complete Twin Peaks boxset when it finally came out a couple years back.

You're probably familiar with the members of The State, even if you never saw their original series back in the mid-90s. Half the cast of Reno 911! got their start in The State, and other members have gone on to do Stella, Role Models, Wet Hot American Summer, and even Vin Diesel's The Pacifier (seriously).

This DVD set has been in the works for years, and apparently one of the things that held it up for so long was the music rights. And as you can see below, much of the original music unfortunately had to go. I'll admit that I like the original better, but if giving up Marvin Gaye means I actually get to see all these great sketches again, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

The Act You've Known For All These Years

Note: Tyge in our Las Vegas bureau chimes in with a preview of a show I'm insanely excited about seeing. There WILL be a trip to Sin City in my fall travel plans.

Cheap Trick should have been the first concert I ever attended. When they came to Nashville in the early eighties, my parents (who are both alright but just seem a little weird) wouldn't allow me to go to the all-ages show. I think they were unimpressed with the Dream Police album cover that was in my collection. It would be another fifteen years before I would finally see the band live.

The first time I saw them they shared the bill with Flock of Seagulls and Missing Persons at Las Vegas' Beach nightclub. I caught two of Rick Nielsen's guitar picks. The second time was at another Vegas nightclub, The Drink, where the foursome did their Live at Budokan tour commemorating the 20th anniversary of the event. Using a disposable camera, I took an awesome picture of Rick Nielsen. The third time was in Nashville during River Stages weekend. Seeing Cheap Trick and The Cult perform on the same day was sheer awesomeness.

Cheap Trick is one of those bands that stands the test of time. They're the Rock of Gibraltar of pop/rock music. Although often out of the limelight, they're still at it, turning out new music that gets little radio play, but still manages to find ears. If you've heard the theme song to The Colbert Report or That 70's Show, you've heard Cheap Trick.

This September, the band that Japan refers to as "The American Beatles" will perform a limited engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton. On the menu; the entire album of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, front to back. A twenty-five piece orchestra will also be backing the band. Cheap Trick has performed the album live twice to critical acclaim. When The Beatles' released the album, it was said the songs could never be performed live. Cheap Trick has managed to get by with a little help from their friends however, as Geoff Emerick, co-producer of the original album, will be over-seeing the sound when Cheap Trick takes the stage for those nine nights in September.

Needless to say, I'm rather excited.

Tyge blogs regularly at The Neon Lounge, and has also recently started contributing to The Opening Acts.