Next Week = Next Big Nashville

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your planning.

Over the last four years, Next Big Nashville has turned into something of an early Christmas present for music fans from Nashville and beyond. The 2009 edition kicks off a week from today, and promises more of the same awesomeness that the last two years have had... 150 plus showcasing artists, film premieres, daytime panels, and nightly afterparties that by next Sunday will leave equal parts elated and exhausted. You can start plotting out your plan of attack by checking out the schedule, and if you haven't already bought your wristband or badge, you can fix that by going here.

I'll be posting previews and recaps here of course, but I'll also be tweeting live updates of the action on twitter, so if you're not already following @page300, now would be a good time to do so. See you out and about next week!

Rearviewmirror

For part two of my series about artists that I didn't like at first but then came to love, we'll talk about Pearl Jam, who just released their ninth album, Backspacer, last week.

I was born in Seattle, and even though it's been 25 years since I've lived in Washington, I still consider it my hometown. So I've pretty much got an unequivocal love for just about anything that comes from the Pacific Northwest (most notable exception... this guy). Even my favorite soulless corporate conglomerates (Starbucks and Amazon) call the Emerald City home.

So why did it take me so long to embrace Pearl Jam? I guess there were a couple of reasons. For one, Eddie Vedder just seemed too damn serious. And despite the fact that Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament had been part of the Seattle music scene for years, I kinda tagged them as bandwagon jumpers (the fact that Vedder had previously fronted a San Diego funk band helped this misconception). Mostly though I think it was Ament's stupid hats that turned me off. Whatever the reason, I just wasn't digging them when Ten first came out. My mind first started to change with the release of Vs. I absolutely loved "Animal," and the rest of the album just seemed a little more raw and real than their debut. And their ultimately futile battle against Ticketmaster proved that they weren't the hucksters I originally pegged them as. But it wasn't until I saw them live in Las Vegas, on what was the tenth anniversary of their first ever show, that I fully realized what a awesome band they were. They opened with a cover of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive," and within the first three songs, it was obvious that I had been selling these guys short for years. Anyone who's seen them in concert can probably agree that they truly are among the great bands of our time.

If I had to list my three favorite Pearl Jam songs, they'd be "Animal," "I Got Id," and this one. The original version was on the soundtrack to Singles, but this live version is from Disc 2 of the 3 disc Dissident:Live In Atlanta single.

Pearl Jam - "State of Love and Trust (Live)" (mp3)

The Comedown

The Church - Untitled #23

There was a time when I would always be at the record store on Tuesday when one of my favorite bands released a new record. There was always this palpable anticipation about picking up a new CD, getting home and throwing it in the stereo. Maybe you had heard a single that whet your appetite, but chances were that ninety percent of the album was going to fall on virgin ears. But it seems like those days are long gone. I don't remember the last time I made it a point to pick up a new CD on the day it was released. Maybe it's that I have less free time than I did in my twenties. Maybe it's the distractions of adulthood that have toned down the importance of music in my life (it's still way up there, but my world no longer revolves around it). Or maybe it's that in these days of Myspace sneak previews and online leaks, new release day just doesn't have the same magic that it used to. Case in point... The Church is definitely one of my favorite bands, and have been for twenty years now. They released their 20th album, Untitled #23, in May, and I didn't get around to picking it up until last month. Wow.

So what has taken me so long to post a review of it? I'd love to say it's because I've been so busy the past few weeks, but that's not it. I kept putting off doing the write up to give the album another listen, hoping that something would jump out at me. And I guess I've finally resigned myself to the fact that it's just not going to happen. It's not that it's bad, it's just that over the years I've come to expect Church albums to be better than merely OK. It's full of most of the things we've come to expect from the guys... trademark guitar interplay, heavy on atmospherics, and Steve Kilbey's surreal lyrics and languid delivery. But what makes the band so special is that they combine all those things with memorable hooks, and the ear candy is in short supply this time out. "Space Saviour" has a cool vibe that would sound great with more song written around it, but without a chorus to go to it feels aimlessly repetitive. And after a month of listening to the album, that's still the only song that has stood out to me at all. The other nine tracks seem to sort of blend together, despite the album being peppered with appearances by six different guest musicians. Apparently there were a couple of more upbeat tracks recorded during the sessions, but they were relegated to the Pangaea EP in order to maintain album's mood. In my mind, Untitled #23 could have used the variety. It's probably a great record to get baked to, but if you're not 420 friendly it comes of as a bit uninspired, making the non-descript title oddly appropriate.

The Church - "Deadman's Hand" (mp3)

First Day Of Fall

This is without a doubt my favorite Johnny Mercer song.

Nat King Cole - "Autumn Leaves" (mp3) from Sings For Two In Love

Happy Autumnal Equinox.

photo by my_southborough

A Splendid Time Is Guaranteed For All

Sgt. Pepper Live featuring Cheap Trick
Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, NV
Thursday, September 17, 2009

There was pretty much no doubt I was going to enjoy this show. I love Cheap Trick. I'm a HUGE Beatles fan. So put the two together and it's beer and pizza... how can you go wrong?

The night started out on a bit of a dubious note. The lights dimmed and from behind the curtain the orchestra started playing a medly of early Beatles hits that sounded a bit too close to Muzak for my tastes. But once the curtain came up and the show proper started, it was just ever increasing doses of awesomeness. The evening began with a seven song set of Beatles classics played by the house band (led by Nashville's own Bill Lloyd) and a couple of guest singers. Joan Osborne kicked things off with "Can't Buy Me Love" and "The Long and Winding Road," followed by an instrumental version of "Eleanor Rigby." Next up was Rob Laufer for a utterly faithful and fantastic version of "Across The Universe" that was accompanied by a children's choir. An instrumental take on "Something" and a gang vocal rendition of "Drive My Car" preceded what almost could have been the highlight of the entire show... Gomez singer Ian Ball leading the band through an incredible version of "I Am The Walrus." Hearing the psychedelic classic played with an orchestra was just amazing.

With an undercard as impressive as the first few songs of the evening were, expectations were even higher for the main event, and Cheap Trick came out with guns blazing. From the first notes of the album's title track, they were nailing every note with both passion and precision. Each song was true to the original, but they definitely added a bit of power to the Fab Four's pop. You'd think a song as perfect as "With A Little Help From My Friends" simply couldn't be improved on, but the extra bit of oomph they provided made the performance simply a magical experience. If it weren't for getting engaged this summer, hearing Robin Zander belt out "Lovely Rita" would be the highlight of my year.

With sound production overseen by former Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, the sound of the album was faithfully recreated, right down to the barnyard noises on "Good Morning Good Morning" and the circus carousel sounds of "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!" Several members of the shows prelude made cameos during the main set as well. Laufer spelled Cheap Trick halfway through, performing "Within You Without You" along with a six piece Indian orchestra, Ball sang John Lennon's chorus vocals on "She's Leaving Home," and Lloyd stuck around to play rhythm guitar the entire time.

Once they put the finishing touches on "A Day In The Life," the show closed with a absolutely killer take on the closing medley from Abbey Road before bringing out all the evening performers for a rousing and joyous romp through "All You Need Is Love." The audience stood up and sang along, confetti cannons blew pink paper hearts throughout the theater, and anyone who left the showroom without a smile on their face was surely among the world's most hardened cynics.

Cheap Trick have long been among the world's finest purveyors of power pop, and their own catalog is a veritable treasure chest of classics. They've worn their love for the Beatles on their sleeves for most of their career, so it's no surprise that in this setting they can easily claim the title of world's greatest tribute band. As Rick Neilsen put it himself mid-show, "Cheap Trick have a lot of great songs, but it's a real treat to be able to be playing these." It was a treat to see them played as well.

Cheap Trick - "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (mp3)

Sgt. Pepper Live is playing at the Las Vegas Hilton through this Wednesday, September 23. If you're not able to make it to Sin City on short notice, you can relive last year's performance at the Hollywood Bowl on both CD and DVD. For another take on the show, check out Tyge's review at The Opening Acts.

Photo courtesty of Las Vegas Review-Journal. See the entire slideshow here, or read their opening night review.

Rust Belt Heart

Red Collar - Pilgrim

When the press materials accompanying your album refer to you as "Bruce Springsteen meets Fugazi," that's almost a dare to a music blogger. The combination is so intriguing and tantalizing that is practically guarantees you'll be rising above the din of promo emails and mailings and at least get a listen.

The albums opener, "The Commuter," starts with a drumbeat and keyboards reminiscent of Springsteen's "I'm On Fire," so the comparisons to The Boss start right away. Once you get into songs intro though, you realize the similarities are more in approach than in sonics. It's storytelling sung with conviction. Produced by Brian Paulson, the album sounds closer to Superchunk than "She's The One." Full of infectious energy and spiky riffs, it's easy to picture why these guys (and gal) have a reputation for being great live band. Lyrically though, the songs follow a narrative of unrealistic expectations, days gone by and dreams unfulfilled. It's almost bizarre to have a band that is so energetic and motivated to be singing almost exclusively about people who didn't make it. I guess that's the thing about writing working class anthems though, you're either going to be Woody Guthrie or some hokey country hack like Toby Keith. Red Collar might be singing about the downside of life, but listening to Pilgrim is anything but.

Red Collar - "Used Guitars" (mp3)

Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Sometimes your first impressions aren't the lasting ones. Last week I was having a conversation with my fiance about bands that I didn't/couldn't/wouldn't get into at first, but then later came to love. And since a couple of these bands are recently in the news for various reasons, I figured it'd be a great excuse for a mini-series of monday morning b-sides. We'll start with U2, who just kicked off the North American leg of their 360° tour Saturday in Chicago.

I remember when I was 12 and we first got cable TV, "Gloria" was one of the videos that MTV used to show in heavy rotation. I hated it with a passion. Every time I'd hear that drumbeat, and see the band's reflection in the rippling water, I'd immediately reach for the remote and change the channel before Bono could bark out "Two three four!" I have no idea why I hated it so much. Maybe it was Bono's douchey dancing, or Adam Clayton's ridiculous blonde afro. Whatever the reason, I wasn't having it. But evidently I'm not the only one who wasn't a fan... neither the song or the video have appeared on any of the various compilations U2 has released over the years.

I wish I could say I changed my mind before 1987, but I'd be lying. My position did soften though... I remember watching the Live At Red Rocks concert in it's entirety when MTV used to show concerts every Saturday night, and the videos from The Unforgetable Fire didn't inspire the same kind of remote grabs that "Gloria" did. But it wasn't until The Joshua Tree that I really got onboard. Now they are definitely one of my favorite bands. I've seen them live four times, and the 1987 and 2001 concerts would both rank among my top five concerts ever.

The original b-side of "Gloria" was a live version of "I Will Follow" recorded March 6 ,1981 at The Paradise in Boston. This version of "Stories For Boys" is from that same show, and was released on the "Sweetest Thing" single in 1998.

U2 - "Stories For Boys (Live)" (mp3)

Gift Of Screws

Lindsey Buckingham - Gift Of Screws

The differences between Lindsey Buckingham's latest solo album and his previous one are evident before you even get to listen to the music. The cover photo of 2006's Not Too Late featured the Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist in sharp focus, standing in a sunny field, holding his beloved Turner Model 1 guitar. The cover of Gift Of Screws shows Buckingham looking tired and unshaven, and just to send the point home further, the photo is slightly out of focus. The liner photos are opposites as well. Not Too Late featured color photos of Buckingham and his family, and plenty of acoustic guitars. This time the photos are black and white, and show Lindsey playing a well worn Stratocaster. Even the two albums titles seem to point in opposing directions. The differences aren't just superficial. Gift Of Screws is definitely more of a rock album than it's predecessor. There are fewer acoustic based songs and more full band style arrangements, even though Buckingham plays all the instruments himself on half of the songs.

Ever since 1987's Tango In The Night, songs that Lindsey began as solo tracks have found their way onto Fleetwood Mac albums. Lately the opposite has been true as well. This time around Mick Fleetwood and John McVie appear on three tracks. "Wait For You" features a sinewy riff that recalls Mac's early blues days, while the title track features a raucous sound that befits the songs cynical lyrics. Buckingham's touring drummer Walfredo Reyes provides the beat for two of the album's other standout tracks,"Love Runs Deeper" and "Did You Miss Me." But the star throughout is Buckingham himself. His songwriting, his guitar playing, his gift for arrangements and his ear for hooks all highlighted here. Of his five solo albums, this is definitely my favorite.

Lindsey Buckingham - "Love Runs Deeper" (mp3)

All Together Now

Two things I learned last night hanging out at Best Buy while my fiance was buying a wedding dress...

1. The Beatles Rock Band looks absolutely amazing. Like so good you get distracted from actually playing the game.

2. You'd think that being a musician you'd have an advantage, and playing Rock Band would come easy to you. You'd be wrong. I was playing drums (my first instrument), on the easiest song, on the easiest setting, and still only scored an 86. None of the teenagers I watched play while I was there scored less than a 95, and most of them were playing on expert mode. Ouch.

The Rutles - "Get Up And Go" (mp3) from The Rutles soundtrack

I'd tell you about the dress, but obviously I'm not allowed to see it for another seven months.

Happy Labor Day

Remember how I used to (and still do on occasion) post songs for all the various holidays that occurred throughout the year? Well, apparently my friend Tyge does too. He's started a weekly series of posts at The Opening Acts called "Your Weekend Holiday" where he posts a song every weekend for whatever holiday is currently on the calendar. It kinda sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it? I'm sure he'd say he totally didn't rip off my idea*, because he's writing about obscure holidays you've never heard of. Fan's of VH1's Behind The Music know that that's the same rationale that Vanilla Ice used to explain how he didn't rip off "Under Pressure" because they added an extra beat. There's a word for it my friends... bullshit.

Anyway, today is Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. And so to celebrate, here is one of my favorite summer anthem of all time, from the greatest holiday movie of all time.

Bing Crosby - "Lazy" (mp3) from Holiday Inn

*because I'm the only music blogger in the history of the internet who ever did holiday themed posts, obviously.

When The Devil's Loose

A.A. Bondy - When the Devil's Loose

One of my favorite things about being a music blogger is when you come home and find an unexpected CD in your mailbox. What makes it even better is when that surprise package becomes one of your favorite new albums. That is definitely the case with A.A. Bondy's sophomore CD, When The Devil's Loose. It's been in heavy rotation around my place for the past month, and it shows no signs of giving up it's spot anytime in the near future.

Sometimes your favorite albums have to grow on you, and sometimes you love them from the moment you push play. And when the first plucked guitar notes of "Mightiest Of Guns" came drifting out of my speakers, I was immediately smitten. On most of the tracks, Bondy and his bandmates create a sound that is both sparse and soaring, recalling the ambiance of early Cowboy Junkies' albums, but with slightly more horsepower. The title track operates with the same kind of propulsive lethargy that the Velvet Underground used to specialize in, while "I Can See The Pines Are Dancing" is just a perfect folk-pop song. Bondy's voice sometimes makes me think of what David Gray might sound like if he recorded with a mobile unit in a run down juke joint instead of a bunch of Pro Tools powered computers in a London flat. It might get tagged as blues-folk due to the fact that it's being released on Fat Possum Records, but the blues seldom has the kind of hooks that get stuck in your head the way these songs do. It may be too somber to call it pop music, but that doesn't mean it's not catchy as hell

A.A. Bondy - "I Can See The Pines Are Dancing" (mp3)
A.A. Bondy - "When The Devil's Loose" (mp3)