The Everybodyfields - "Worth Keeping"

I keep sticking by these guys (and gal) and you know, I am not dissappointed. I think they offer a unique sound. Sure, the music is depressing as hell, but don't we all need a little of that in our life to keep us level? Their sound keeps evolving and I will be curious to see where it ultimately takes them. I also wonder if they Sam and Jill will remain co-singers, co-musicians. Their harmonies make the other's voice richer. If they were to go solo, I think they just would not have as much to offer. Here's to hoping they stay together.

Blind Pilot - Go On Say It

Alan and I saw these guys at Studio B in downtown Greensboro last Thursday. They're from Portland, Oregon and seem to be gaining some momentum. Aimee Mann has called them her favorite band. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but they put on a good show and I think this album's going to grow on me...

Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come

In case anyone needs a little more motivation to kick some ass today, I give you Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come."

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Buriedfed

Forget about his background of drugs and homelessness in NYC (or don't), Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson has one of the cooler voices I've heard in a while. His tone matches his grim lyrics perfectly. It's just hard to believe that it's all coming out of a guy who looks so young.

Andrew Bird - Skin, is My (live)

Say what you will about the digitization (is that a word) of music, but what I like is the fact that all of my music is located in one place. So, when I shuffle all, I end up rediscovering songs and artists that normally might get pushed out of heavy rotation and forever abandoned to the second music shelf (aka the album annex). Periodically Andrew Bird pops up on my shuffle mixes and I am always pleasantly surprised. Its okay that this music is not in heavy rotation, but I don't think I should abandon it all together. So, imagined this selection is a shuffle all selection.

Neko Case - Hold On, Hold On

Sorry I have been a way for a while in the island paradise known as Boracay. Back on it now. Here is a number from Neko Case. For some reason her music reminds me of mid-90s alternative - not that that is bad. Just saying. Worth a listen.

Sleater-Kinney - Modern Girl

This video is from the Burn to Shine series where filmmakers Christoph Green and Brendan Canty (ex-Fugazi drummer) choose a city and a house in that city that's slated for demolition. They tell the story of the house, recruit bands from that particular city to perform one song each inside the house and then film the demolition. It's kind of a cool way to document the current music scene in each city. Other bands that have been featured include Wilco, the Shins, Bob Mould, Tortoise, etc. I can't say that I was ever a huge Sleater-Kinney fan but they've got a handful of songs that I really like. I've started coming back to them after hearing Carrie Brownstein's contributions to NPR's All Songs Considered.

Run-D.M.C.-Peter Piper

I can't let 80's week go by without some Run-D.M.C...

Early hip hop took its cues from disco and funk. The on-stage costumes (fur vests, rhinestones and big boots) were just as funny as the stuff the glam rockers were wearing. That all changed when Run-D.M.C. came along in their black hats and laceless Adidas (a nod to prison inmates who aren't allowed laces). More importantly, their beats and lyrics were head and shoulders above anything being put out by Africka Bambaataa, Gandmaster Flash, etc. They took the cheese out of the backing tracks and made record scratching sound heavy.

Raising Hell was one my favorite albums in elementary school. Its success obviously had a lot to do with MTV and videos for Walk This Way and It's Tricky, but this song was, and still is, the standout track for me. The lyrics play off of nursery rhymes, which was probably what first drew me in as a little kid. The sparse beats are what make it though. I love those bells and Jam Master J's scratch breaks are just awesome.

Madness - One Step Beyond

There is no way on earth I would have ever come across Madness if it were not for early MTV. They were in high rotation with "Our House" and "One Step Beyond." My best guess is that early on MTV needed any videos they could get and the new wave / ska / post-punk bands were some of the few that were producing videos. However it happened, I am pleased with the results.

80s Week!

Who can resist an 80s party? If they're a girl? (Or me.) Hmmmmm......could it be.....The Smiths?

Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson - Say Say Say

All 80s all week. The epitome of bad ideas that no one would say no to. You have to love it.

Was this before Michael bought up the rights to the Beatles catalog? Best move ever.

Big Country - In a Big Country

Growing up in the 80s afforded me an awesome opportunity to be part a decade in which excess, superficiality, and image stamped a lot of the cultural production of the time. I can remember that my family was the first one on our street to get cable - I think it was 198w. One of the first channels my family switched to was MTV. I can remember it like it was yesterday. Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science" was the first video I saw. It was a near transcendent experience. The visual with the music changed the music landscape and altered bands who might not have ordinarily embraced the spotlight. This keenness for stylized videos and styled hair also gave opportunities to less musically and more ego driven bands - Duran Duran comes to mind. Through all of this, there was some interesting music that was produced. Sure we can look back and see definitive artist from the time, but the today's selection. Big Country - "In a Big Country" is my favorite "80s" song. By "80s" I mean bands that were forced or encouraged to attempt success through this tumultuous new music industry. I would be curious to see who others would select at the top of their list. Remember, it is not bands that were critically acclaimed, but rather bands that attempted to work through the promotional machine that was/is MTV.

Sidenote - this is an abbreviated form of the song. I could not find the actual video. Have to love the dancing though.

Cramer vs. Cramer

After rejoicing in Jon Stewart's smackdown of CNBC and Jim Cramer, I got sad again when I realized it won't change a thing.
(It's worth seeing in full; read play by play and see unedited video of the whole interview here:
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/03/13/cramer_interview/index.html )

The next day, Cramer was back at his show doing the same old thing. Like EPMD says, it's Strictly Business.

Morrissey in Durham

Matt McNees and I saw Morrissey last night. His voice was in great shape (he's nursing a cold in the clip below) and his band is really tight. He played four Smiths songs (This Charming Man, How Soon Is Now, Ask, I Keep Mine Hidden) and he was hilarious. He recited the chorus to I Keep Mine Hidden: "I Keep Mine Hidden, But it's so easy for you, you display yours for public view," paused, looked at us, and said, "Shakespeare." He then started laughing and went into the next song. I guess you had to be there, but the show was just amazing. We were about 12th row and were surrounded by women and men swooning, overcome. I think I may have swooned myself.

The Pretenders - Middle of the Road

Simply put, Chrissie Hynde rocks. What is perhaps most impressive about Hynde / The Pretenders is that in an era of unprecedented commercialization of music, she maintained a grit and integrity that few popular musicians in the 80s can claim.

Menomena - Muscle'n Flo

The recent warm spell has had me putting away the bummer albums to make space for music that feels a little more like spring. This song passes the "driving-with-the-windows-down" test and I've got the sunburn on my left arm to prove it.

Bogtrotters

Laura and I just saw the New Ballard Branch Bogtrotters play in a five band bluegrass/old-time music lineup. The Bogtrotters were the only old-time band, and they blew everyone else out of the building. Bluegrass is to me a corporate, commercialized and watered down version of old-time, so I may be partial. Laura was in love with the guitar player.

Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel

Living far from the familiar confines of the great north state, I like when songs can bring me back there. Now, some might find that Petey Pablo's "Raise Up" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6789uITvfUM might be North Carolina's song, but for me, I have to stick with "Wagon Wheel." Watch in the video for a cameo by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch. I believe Rawlings produced this album.

Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan

So, I am not totally sure how I feel about these guys, but I thought I would test the waters to see some other reactions. In some ways, they seem to be another one of those bands who show up on TV show soundtracks and have an indie / catchy vibe. They have been around a little while and I know there are some loyal followers, just not sure I am one yet.

Little Joy - Next Time Around

I got this album in the mail yesterday. I think I'm officially ready for spring break...

Late entries for 2008 songs of the year

I'm biased, of course, but I submit songs from Nick Cave's "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" for my favorites. Cave has been my favorite since I first heard a Birthday Party reissue on Rollins's label. The Bad Seeds are the best band in the biz, and Cave's voice has gotten stronger and stronger each year. The latest album jettisons the stateliness of previous ballad-heavy albums and gets back to rock and roll basics, except the songs are about Lazarus and the Odyssey.

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!



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Night of the Lotus Eaters

Lucinda Willams - World Without Tears

I've been meaning to post something by Lucinda Williams for a while. I've lost count of how many times I've seen her play live and I continue fork over the money whenever her tour stops within a 2-hr drive. Having said that, it was really nice to only drive 10 minutes to see her at the Carolina Theatre last year. Someone once told me that this song is a little too sappy but I don't care. It's worth it just to hear the way she sings the word "scars" with that Louisiana drawl...

The Sandals - Theme Song for "The Endless Summer"

I know the southeast is recovering from some winter weather, so I thought I would add a tune that will take you far away from the cold. I can remember watching this documentary as a child and thinking to myself - what a way to live life. While they may have been searching for the perfect wave, the thought is pretty universal - being open to the wonders of the world. We should all be so lucky.

The Phoenix Foundation

Somebody has been watching MacGyver. Anyway, I listened to this band a little bit while I was in NZ a few years ago. They have continued to put out some pretty good music. I don't think they will be stopping by Greensboro or Chapel Hill any time soon, so you will have to check them out through their videos. This one is pretty amusing. Enjoy.

Balls to the Wall

Marty and I saw The Wrestler today, so I don' think there's any way I could post any thing except Accept. Balls to the F'n Walls. Sony won't let anyone embed the video, but it's worth clicking to see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph8kGPXOoUw

The Hold Steady - Atlantic City (cover)

While I do like this cover of Springsteen's "Atlantic City," mainly because it keeps some of the grittiness of the original (both vocally and instrumentally), I am even more pleased about the album this appears on. It is part of the War Child: Heroes project in which legendary artists select contemporary and up and coming talents to cover their work. On this, the fifth incarnation, in addition to this song, you have a cover of The Clash's "Straight to Hell" by Lily Allen, TV on the Radio does a cover of David Bowie's Heroes, and Beck does great cover of Bob Dylan's "Leopard-skin Pillbox Hat." The organization, War Child, works to protect children whose lives are torn apart by the brutality of war. For more information, you can go to http://www.warchild.org.uk/heroes/about_war_child . This album is well worth the purchase not only for the great songs, but also for the work this organization is doing.