This year was by far the best concert year I’ve ever had. I cannot remember the last time I saw so many great shows in one full year like this. Despite last year’s dredg concert and Glassjaw reunion show, this year was a concert year that was full of opportunities that were not missed. Whether it was seeing Wu-Tang reunite or seeing Incubus after 8 years or seeing bands (Woven, Division Day, etc) from the west coast that seldom tour in the east coast, this year freakin’ rocked. Here are 5 out of 10 of my favorite concerts of this year.
10. Incubus / Satellite Party / Black Rebel Motorcycle Club / The Bravery / Township at the Fleet Boston Pavilion, Boston, MA – I was fortunate enough to catch my beloved Incubus 8 years ago at their prime in Poughkeepsie, NY; this time around was completely different. First off I wasn’t a 16 year brat living for the moment and the band I was seeing did not playing all my favorites. However, someone else was; Perry Motha-F%#in’ Ferrell. Mr. Ferrell’s Satellite Party played all my favorite gems from Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros and completely blew me away. After that set I expected the entire album of S.C.I.E.N.C.E. to by played from Incubus. Unfortunately, I was left with only Summer Romance.
Download: Incubus – Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song) from the album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
Download: Porno for Pyros - Tahitian Moon from the album, Good God’s Urge
9. The One AM Radio / Animal Hospital at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Cambridge, MA – If you’ve ever heard One AM Radio, you know that you can not exactly stand-up while listening to their music. So what better place to see them than a small movie theater setting? The atmosphere was, for lack of a better word, perfect.
Download: The One AM Radio – Flicker from the album, The Hum of the Electric Air!
8. Minus the Bear / Subtle / ELA at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA – I’ve already seen the Bear twice and I wasn’t expecting much. It wasn’t that I was sick of them; it was just that the new album, Planet of Ice, had not struck me as a “live” album. I was pleasantly proved wrong.
P.S. – Subtle was brilliant and bizarre. It’s been 4 months and I am yet to form an opinion on them.
Download: Minus the Bear – Monkey!!!Knife!!!Fight!!! from the album, Highly Refined Pirates
7. Rock the Bells featuring Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and Cypress Hill at the TweeterCenter in Mansfield, MA – I know there were more artists, but since my ticket said the show started at 4:30pm when it really started at like 10am, all my brother and I were able to catch was those 3 artists. Nevertheless, this show was unbelievable. Wu-Tang in particular was full of energy and made the entire venue feel as if they were in the best seats. Plus Nas was smart to play nearly everything off Illmatic.
Download: Wu-Tang Clan - Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit from the album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Download: Nas – N.Y. State of Mind from the album, Illmatic
6. Wintersleep / The Slip / Phonograph at the SPACE in Portland, ME – I really didn’t find Phonograph or The Slip that entertaining nor did the crowd. Plus, It seemed that no one having a good time. But once Wintersleep took the stage, this kind of magic seemed to hit everyone the venue that night. Everyone knew that what they were experiencing and listening was something to remember. It's very rare that Wintersleep tours outside of Canada, so be on the look out; Wintersleep is not a band you need to ignore.
Download: Wintersleep – Jaws of Life from the album, Untitled
“The senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, is with us today.”
Applause follows.
Such is the greeting received for the junior senator visiting the land of Maine.
That Obama is considered a top contender for the Democratic Party’s 2008 nomination for president rarely needs explaining. I had the unique privilage to see Senator Obama at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, ME on the 25th of September. He wowed the crowd as he spoke with confidence and charm. Obama said that to truly effect change; partisan politics must be stopped and the people must have access once again to the federal government. "You've got young people and old people," he said. "You've got poor folk and not-so-poor folk. You've got blacks, whites, Asians, Native Americans. You've got gay and straight. You've got people with disabilities. You've got Democrats and independents, and, yes, you've even got some Republicans."
He received thunderous applause when he said many came to the afterneen rally because they are fed up with the Constitution being treated as a "nuisance" instead as of the foundation of the country, and with a war "that never should've been authorized and has cost us thousands of lives." Whether it's the poverty exposed by Katrina, the genocide in Darfur, or the role of faith in our politics, Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. That is why he has my vote.
If you want more information, I have posted a video of an exerpt of his speech in the Vlog section and photos of the rally in the Fotoes section. You can also click on the Obama '08 icon on this page to learn more about him.
Radiohead is back and royally f&%$ing the record company!
Okay people! Take a couple deep breaths, count to 10, switch the caps lock off, clean up the triple espresso you just spit all over the computer screen, and check this: that new Radiohead album, In Rainbows? The one that the world knew practically zilch about 24 hours ago? The one that drops digitally (DRM-free, no less!) in nine days, for a price of your own choosing? The one that's also coming out in a deluxe "Discbox" in December? Well, it's also coming out in good, old fashioned CD format early next year.
No word on when exactly or through which label-- if any label at all-- but that's the news thus far from the band's publicist.
So, let's sort this whole mess out, shall we? You will eventually have three ways to pick up the seventh Radiohead LP, the Nigel Godrich-produced In Rainbows. It all depends how much you want to pay, which goodies you'd like, and how soon you want the tunes. Observe:
1. As a DRM-free mp3 download, beginning October 10 (and available for preorder now), via www.inrainbows.com (interestingly enough, last week's RickRoll, www.radioheadlp7.com, now directs here as well). This version contains the 10 tracks that comprise In Rainbows, and you can pay whatever the hell you want for it. This is basically the band leaking the album and asking you for a donation to access it.
2. As part of a deluxe "Discbox", available for preorder now and shipping in December. In addition to the 10-track In Rainbows on CD, you also get the release on LP and as a digital download, plus an enhanced bonus CD packed with eight more tracks, photos, and artwork (and an LP of the bonus tracks), plus art and lyrics booklets and some nifty looking packaging. This thing costs £40.00/$81.00.
3. As a traditional CD, available in early 2008. This will presumably cost as much as traditional CDs tend to cost.
What Radiohead's doing here is actually pretty cool. Rather than preface their new album's release with the usual three months of press ballyhoo, only to have it leak at some random time before it comes out, they've kept it completely under wraps, then essentially gone and leaked it themselves. What's more, they've turned this into a moral question of sorts, by giving us the freedom to pay actual money for what amounts to an album leak.
Only a band in Radiohead's position could pull a trick like this. Well played, gentlemen.
Download: Radiohead - "No Surprises" from the album Okay Computer
Minus The Bear Is The Best Band You Haven't Heard Yet!
Minus the Bear's brightly appealing indie-pop may be dispensed with remarkable technical prowess — complete with precise guitar work and complex time changes — but it also benefits from the band's sweetly personal lyrics and flair for writing power-pop hooks...Planet of Ice, maintains an organic quality that allows the songs' innate catchiness to shine through.
Katie and I will be visiting the Middle East Club in Cambridge, MA to see our friend, Minus the Bear perform with Subtle and ELA. I hope you all can join us.
Download: Minus the Bear - Throwin' Shapes from the album Planet of Ice
Download: ELA - Checks Getting Cashed from the album Red Blood on Fake Trees
Whew. This is a long one. I've been busy for the past few days but I'll be posting again by the end of the week. Hope you enjoyed this one!
that's right my dogs. well okay they're not MY dogs but i keep a good eye at the while i volunteer at the MSPCA Animal Shelter. we have this big oaf of a dog named Kodiak; a Newfoundland with enough slobber to drown a small child. Fuck, this dog could eat a child. but he wouldn't, he's a sweetheart. i got to play with him one last time before he left for a nice home with 2 more Newfoundlands (i know, where do the live? in a barn?). apparently they put another dog down due to inability to get used to people who don't beat the living shit out of him. it's quite tragic. speaking of which, FUCK Michael Vick and his satanic crew of canine killers. these are the people i believe need to have the death penalty. if you have the nerve to kill something that has no other purpose in life but to love thy owner no matter what, you deserve to die. i can see why people kill other people. humans are evil, conniving, and naturally obsessed with violence. So save a dog, kill a person.
Random thought #1 - I want to see a person with down syndrome wearing a t-shirt that says, "I'd Fuck Me"
Free Music! You know that's why you're here, don't deny it. Fuckers. Well I just bought two of-the-hook albums from Minus the Bear and M.I.A. You should buy them too if you know what's good for you. Minus the Bear is one of those bands that you hear and instantly you're sure you've never heard anything like it. Their mix of hip-hop beats, rock, and electronica give the band an atmospheric sound that sets them apart for most bands in their genre (whatever that is). The new album is much more serious than their previous discs. But that does not in anyway deter them from their unique style. M.I.A. is a female nutcase electro-clash hip-hop singer from London, England. Her last disc was blaring out my windows for months and this one is no different. Actually it is, it's way better. Every track is dance worthy and beyond anything I expected from her. Just 100% awesome.
M.I.A. - XR2 from the new album Kala out now!
Minus the Bear - Ice Monster from the new album Planet of Ice out now!