most folks complain about how lackluster saturday night live is these days, but this hit the spot!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Devendra's 'surprise' guest...
Tomorrow is the release date for the latest from freak-folk artist Devendra Banhart. Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon will be released by XL Recordings in a regular jewel-case edition and a limited edition digipak with bonus artwork and a booklet (though I've yet to see this booklet to see if it's worth the extra scratch).
Last week I caught Banhart at the First Avenue in Minneapolis. He played a fantastic show that lasted nearly two hours and featured material from his previous releases and many of the songs from the new album. Backed by a five-piece band, and calling themselves Spiritual Boner, Banhart and co. were particularly impressive on "Shabop Shalom" and "Freely" - two of my favourites from Smokey, but perhaps the most impressive song of the night came from a 'surprise' guest.
I'm using quotation marks there because I'm still not convinced what happened was as spontaneous and capricious as Banhart would have the audience believe. About three-quarters of the way through the show, Banhart asked if anyone in the audience had written any songs lately and a few people put up their hands, including a woman a couple people back from the front. He then asked her to come up on stage and play a song - giving her his guitar, stool and mic to do so.
The woman said she had driven from Cleveland to attend the show and proceeded to sing a song called "The Moon and I," which can be found here. It was one of those moments that before she sang, one thinks "oh god, this could be terrible." But as the song went on, trepidation turned to astonishment at what a good song it was and what a crazy moment to be witnessing in the middle of another artists' show. That's what leads me to believe Dina Rae was a plant of sorts - she just seemed too good to be true, and very at ease for someone who was just given the spotlight in a very packed First Avenue.
But if she wasn't a plant then what an incredible performer to have seized the opportunity - and to be quite frank, if she was a plant, do I really care as long as she was good? What could have been a car-crash in the middle of an incredible show ended up being one of my personal highlights, and as a music fan I guess I shouldn't be too picky about whether I saw something that was rehearsed or entirely spontaneous, because the basic fact is, I saw it.
If you want to hear some of the new Devendra Banhart record, he's posted a few songs on his web page.
Last week I caught Banhart at the First Avenue in Minneapolis. He played a fantastic show that lasted nearly two hours and featured material from his previous releases and many of the songs from the new album. Backed by a five-piece band, and calling themselves Spiritual Boner, Banhart and co. were particularly impressive on "Shabop Shalom" and "Freely" - two of my favourites from Smokey, but perhaps the most impressive song of the night came from a 'surprise' guest.
I'm using quotation marks there because I'm still not convinced what happened was as spontaneous and capricious as Banhart would have the audience believe. About three-quarters of the way through the show, Banhart asked if anyone in the audience had written any songs lately and a few people put up their hands, including a woman a couple people back from the front. He then asked her to come up on stage and play a song - giving her his guitar, stool and mic to do so.
The woman said she had driven from Cleveland to attend the show and proceeded to sing a song called "The Moon and I," which can be found here. It was one of those moments that before she sang, one thinks "oh god, this could be terrible." But as the song went on, trepidation turned to astonishment at what a good song it was and what a crazy moment to be witnessing in the middle of another artists' show. That's what leads me to believe Dina Rae was a plant of sorts - she just seemed too good to be true, and very at ease for someone who was just given the spotlight in a very packed First Avenue.
But if she wasn't a plant then what an incredible performer to have seized the opportunity - and to be quite frank, if she was a plant, do I really care as long as she was good? What could have been a car-crash in the middle of an incredible show ended up being one of my personal highlights, and as a music fan I guess I shouldn't be too picky about whether I saw something that was rehearsed or entirely spontaneous, because the basic fact is, I saw it.
If you want to hear some of the new Devendra Banhart record, he's posted a few songs on his web page.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
It's time to redouble my efforts to post on this blog more often. I've even subscribed to it in Google Reader, which is ruling my life right now. Give me an RSS feed, and I'll subscribe to it. I can't wait until google runs the world. All of their shit is so hot.
Speaking of hot, did you see on stereogum that some loser got Jenna Fischer, aka Pam from the office to star in his video. I was just thinking today about how I should probably get cable in time for the next season of The Office. Karen's great, but Pam is what's really good.
I love that The Big O is in the background. Another reason to get cable. Baseball. Howaboutdem Cubbies!?
If you follow lolcats as closely as I do, then you should be just as floored as I am to learn of The Laugh Out Loud Cats. (Via The Stencil, of course.)
Tay Zonday goes 8-bit like woah.
And finally, I was going to send this to Matt, but why not just give it to teh entire innernets? Non-Prophets - All word No Play. Good music is cool music.
Speaking of hot, did you see on stereogum that some loser got Jenna Fischer, aka Pam from the office to star in his video. I was just thinking today about how I should probably get cable in time for the next season of The Office. Karen's great, but Pam is what's really good.
I love that The Big O is in the background. Another reason to get cable. Baseball. Howaboutdem Cubbies!?
If you follow lolcats as closely as I do, then you should be just as floored as I am to learn of The Laugh Out Loud Cats. (Via The Stencil, of course.)
Tay Zonday goes 8-bit like woah.
And finally, I was going to send this to Matt, but why not just give it to teh entire innernets? Non-Prophets - All word No Play. Good music is cool music.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Stop The Insanity and Vote Yes to this very important bill on election day!
Live From Congress: The Skull Fucking Bill Of 2007
Live From Congress: The Skull Fucking Bill Of 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Eagle-eyed Dave Leibl found this one and passed it on and I can't not pass it on in turn. Bluegrass artist Dawn Landes does a wonderful interpretation of Peter, Bjorn & John's "Young Folks" that comes across as an honest - not joke-y - rendition. I absolutely love the harmonica/fiddle line that replaces the whistling of the original and the old-cat chorus singers.
Step aside Kanye West, your version pales in comparison. (Although, I admit I'm looking forward to your Graduation on September 11)
Monday, August 13, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Best Things I've Seen Today.
Okay, yesterday's blog was all about something I'm utterly serious about - great music and solid reissues.
Today I bring you the lighter side of things with a couple of videos that are the best things I've seen today.
This one's just a link - Kanye West's official site features this brilliant spoof.
The other I'm embedding here for your viewing pleasure - apparently this was choreographed/performed by inmates at a prison in the Phillipines. And ended up on youtube for everyone in the world to be astonished at. While we run the risk of prison riots and 'guest MCs' from Stony on 101.5, they've got some sort of "High School Musical" inmate rehabilitation program running in the land of Tagalog.
Okay, yesterday's blog was all about something I'm utterly serious about - great music and solid reissues.
Today I bring you the lighter side of things with a couple of videos that are the best things I've seen today.
This one's just a link - Kanye West's official site features this brilliant spoof.
The other I'm embedding here for your viewing pleasure - apparently this was choreographed/performed by inmates at a prison in the Phillipines. And ended up on youtube for everyone in the world to be astonished at. While we run the risk of prison riots and 'guest MCs' from Stony on 101.5, they've got some sort of "High School Musical" inmate rehabilitation program running in the land of Tagalog.
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