OK GO -- Here It Goes Again

Best video.

Tales of Eddie Van Halen

I was a huge Van Halen fan as a kid. And I stand by the quality of his music until the later Hagar albums. But, man, the guy's fallen on some hard times. Cancer left him looking rough and may have impaired his judgment.

First I find out he wants to play with David Lee Roth again. Yikes.

Then I learn that he scored a soft-core porn movie. Double yikes. Below are the YouTube clips for the porn songs. All safe for work.

Eddie Van Halen "Rise"


Eddie Van Halen "Catherine"


The tracks have moments of guitar virtuosity. But what's up with all the melodramatic imagery? Alas, Ed, we thought we knew ye ...

Prince and Prejudice

I have been blind to some great music in my life due to prejudice against popularity. Example A: Prince. When Purple Rain came out I couldn't appreciate the quality of the music because I was into metal, and Prince wasn't metal. A few years later I saw the movie and it completely changed my understanding of his music and his musicianship. I've been a fan ever since.

All this comes to my mind because I just saw a clip from the 1985 AMA (posted on ickmusic -- great blog). What a rock star peformance. Watch it!

Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ella Fitzgerald

Outtakes from a show featuring Parker with Coleman Hawkins, Buddy Rich, Lester Young and Ella Fitzgerald.

Brad Mehldau -- Exit Music (for a Film)

Pianist Brad Mehldau's version of a Radiohead song.

Jimmy Smith

This is one of the best quality videos I've found. This 25-minute show features the Jimmy Smith Trio playing several songs.

John Coltrane and Stan Getz

John Coltrane -- Every Time We Say Goodbye

The classic Coltrane quartet featuring Eric Dolphy. 1961.

Muddy Waters -- Got My Mojo Working

According to comments on YouTube, band is Otis Spann (piano), Paul Oscher (harp) Luther "Snake" Johnson (Guitar), S.P. Leary (drums), Pee Wee Madison (guitar) and Sonny Wimberley (bass guitar).

Mississippi John Hurt -- Lonesome Valley Blues

Willie Dixon -- Nervous

Bill Evans -- If You Could See Me Now

John Coltrane -- Alabama

From the television show Jazz Casual, 1963.
McCoy Tyner: Piano
Jimmy Garrison: Bass
Elvin Jones: Drums

John Coltrane -- Naima

Miles Davis with John Coltrane -- So What

I've been reading Ashton Kahn's book A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album. In it he talks about the relationship Miles Davis and John Coltrane had, especially during the last tour before Coltrane really broke out on his own. I think this clip illustrates their relationship well, and shows both as masters of their craft. But such different masters.
A must watch clip.

BoB Dylan -- Modern Times

Much has been written about Dylan's latest, but I have to tell ya: I can't get it off my playlist. Tracks like "Spirit on the Water" and "Nettie Moore" haunt me. They're mellow and confident and clever and catchy. A master at a renewed peak.

Why this album isn't receiving rave reviews is beyond me. I just read one where the author complains that its seems like a "placeholder" after the seismic shifts that Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft brought. While those albums dabbled in similar genres, Modern Times is a radical departure from them -- into a much more musically contemplative place. The depth of the music now matches Dylan's renowned lyrics.


Though he did look better back in the Sixties.

BMG Class Action Settlement

Someone sued BMG. I don't really know what it was about. BMG settled. I received an email saying I was entitled to a portion of the settlement. Works for me.

If you have been a BMG customer if the last 10 years, go get your 80% off coupons.

Out Louder: MMW and Scofield Together Again

In my inbox today: Medeski, Martin & Wood have recorded a new album with John Scofield: Out Louder due Sept. 29. The four collaborated on the great groove record A Go Go in 1998, an album that still sees some play time on my computer.

This time Scofield adds his name into the MMW mix, literally. They're billed as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood. That's MSMW, for those who love acronyms. I'll post a review when I get a copy.

No word on a tour.

A Go Go (via Napster)

I Love Hype

I've really been abusing the Hype Machine as a tool for finding music. Abusing in the best way possible, I mean. The Hype Machine is an MP3 blog aggregator -- basically it crawls MP3 blogs and lists the files that have been posted. You can search for tracks by artist name or track name.

When I hear about a new artist, I turn to the Hype Machine to sample. When I think about an old artist that I want to hear again, I search on the Hype Machine. I always get something. If I don't know what I want to listen to, I scan the popular tracks.

It's pretty hard to accumulate a full album worth of material, but if I want that, I should buy the album.

The site also offers cool features like a being album to listen to all tracks on a page -- whether that's popular tracks or a search you just performed -- with a single click.

It's a music addict's dream.

It's Carrboro

I can't get enough of this rap ode to Carrboro, the place I now call home.

It's Carrboro

The Blues of Geeshie Wiley

Geeshie Wiley is remarkable. Her haunting voice -- reminiscent of Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith -- makes her music memorable enough. But she's also remarkable in that she's the first woman Delta blues player I've ever heard. Her guitar playing is simple, but she tends to chose notes that aren't in many other Delta players' repetoires. Sorrow drips from her voice and strings.

Listen for yourself:
Last Kind Words (via Internet Archive)
Skinny Leg Blues (via Internet Archive)

Find out more about Geeshie Wiley.

Museum of Bad Album Covers

My eyes! My eyes!

See the badness for yourself.

Arcade Fire = Neil Young?

"What Neil Young album is this?" my wife asks as she listens to "My Heart Is an Apple." Only it's the Arcade Fire, not Neil Young. She is incredulous. I listen closely. It really does sound like Neil Young.

Have you ever seen Neil Young and the Arcade Fire in the same room at the same time?

Changing How I Listen

I like to listen to entire albums. I think there's an artistic message in the whole that in created from all the songs a group put onto a single disc. Even with digital downloads, I prefer to buy the whole album rather than single tracks.

I noticed last year that the young folks couldn't care less about listening to an album all the way through. It's all playlists compiled from similar (and sonetimes not-so-similar) artists. Temporary albums of their own making that they listen to for a few days, then trash and start a new one.

Now I find that I'm cherry-picking tracks from artists. I'm becoming a singles guy.

I've downloaded various tracks by the Rosebuds, Neko Case, the Raconteurs and Fiona Apple. Some Sufjan Stevens and some Arcade Fire, but I stop short of getting the entire album. Has digital music finally changed me? Am I better for it? The juxtaposition of singles paired on a playlist can create pleasing effects -- like going from a New Pornographers song to a Neko Case track. Similar and very different.

But will I miss out on the artists complete message? And is the artist's intended more important than the one I create with an assembled playlist?

Neko Case

My uncle turned me on to Neko Case about a month ago. Now she's everywhere I look (and listen). I'm going to her concert at the Cat's Cradle on Wednesday. Haunting and beautiful voice, compelling lyrics. Check out these links.

NPR concert from April 9
Album review from All Things Considered

Images in Audio

This is just freaky. Seems Aphex Twin hid images in his tracks that are revealed with a spectrograph program. Be sure to scroll down the page to seem the corrected image.

Jack White's New Story

Check out the Raconteur's Web site for two tracks from Jack White and Brendan Benson's side project. "Store Bought Bones" sounds very Stripes-like -- though the sound is bigger. And you have to love retro Web design!

CD Cover Image Database

Complete your track tags in iTunes with these album art images. Because you never know when you'll want to squint at your iPod to see the tiny image that goes with the song you're listening to.

Two-Word Review: Wilco, Kicking Television

Wilco
Kicking Television Live in Chicago


Two-word review: Ascetic Foxtrot

Two Great Things Together

David Pogue's review of the new Squeezebox 3 says that it will integrate Pandora.

I've waxed poetic about Pandora before. Squeezebox has historically been the best streaming music device for a home network that I've seen. I can't find any info on whether the free SlimServer software will support the Pandora feature, though. Here'

Two-Word Review: Arctic Monkeys

Artic Monkeys
Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not


Two-word review: Fullarock attitude

Today's Playlist

"Looking for a Way Out," Uncle Tupelo: I've been in a alt-country mood for a couple of days now. But my Wilco station on Pandora wasn't working for me. So I thought if I go back one step, maybe that would get better results. We'll see.

"Good Things," Sebadoh: No, Pandora, this isn't what I wanted.

"Served Lips," Dinosaur Jr.: Still not what I wanted, but maybe what I need.

Gold, Ryan Adams: I gave up on Pandora. Ryan Adams will do.

Tip: Think Different about Your Playlist

Getting tired of listening to your carefully crafted playlists? Is the random setting too much for you too cope with? Try this.

Sort your library by song name instead of artist or album. Select a letter and click play. A station I used to listen to in San Francisco would do an A to Z week every once in a while. This is like that. You'll discover songs that you'd forgotten, and the juxtaposition of artists creates fun segues like Ryan Adams' "(Argument With Rawlings Concerning Morrissey)" serving as an intro for REM's "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville."

Today's Playlist

Mood: Struggling

In the Aeroplane over the Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel: Reminds me at times of the Mountain Goats, but they offer more instrumental variety.

Come Away with Me, Norah Jones: Well, half of it anyway. I'm hearing to many flaws in Norah's songs today. I should stop before I say something I can't take back.

"Let's Cool One," Thelonius Monk

"Seven Nation Army," The White Stripes

"Baba O'Riley," The Who

"From the Ritz to the Rubble," Arctic Monkeys: Ahh, I've finally found something that I can get into today. This band seems to be worthy of the buzz surrounding it. I'm about to go on an Artic Monkeys run ...

"Space Invaders," Arctic Monkeys

"Fake Tales of San Francisco," Arctic Monkeys

"Mardy Bum," Arctic Monkeys

Happy Birthday, Wolfie.

Today is Mozart's 250th birthday. Celebrate by listening to a marathon of his music at The Classical Station.

Analysis: Steal versus buy music online

This started as a review of Rhapsody's Web-based service, but as I was using the 40 free credits that you can get, I got to thinking. "Hey, I wonder if how difficult it is to make an MP3 of this stream?" Which led me to conclude I needed a cost benefit analysis of buying tracks online version stealing them off a stream.

I used Audacity to record the audio off the sound card as it was played. I spend about 15 minutes adjusting the input level so it was loud enough. My first attempt at a capture went well. Click record in Audacity, click play in Rhapsody, and let it roll.

After the track finished playing I went back and edited out dead air before and after, a result of delay between clicking "record" and "play," and after the song ended, clicking "stop" in Audacity.

It was too easy, really. Sound levels were too low, but I have SoundCheck enabled in iTunes, so the app took care of that. Quality was as good as most of my files.

Second and third attempts just as easy. Why would I ever pay for a song again? Well ...

• E-mail: Unless I remember turn off audible e-mail and calendar alerts, I will have plenty of songs with "ding!" as a major refrain. Ran into this on a Dylan tune. I edited it out with little noticeable trace left, but now I've invested more time into a flawed final product.
  
• System Burps: I decided to close an application while a stream was being recorded. My system totally stalled the stream, but Audacity kept recording. I was left with a three-second deadspace in the middle of the song to edit out. I couldn't close the gap without leaving a noticeable pop, so I had to trash it after spending 15 minutes. If I could spend 99 cents to get that time back, I would.

So now the scales are tipping in favor the legal way. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. Free may sound good again after I get over the editing frustration.

Today's Playlist

Mood: Reminiscin' and forward thinkin'

"Angels from Montgomery," Susan Tedeschi: Saw her in concert last night, needed some more this morning. This beautiful ballad was probably my favorite from the set.

"Alone," Susan Tedeschi

"It Hurts So Bad," Susan Tedeschi

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: They're coming to town on March 9, so I'm getting ready for the show now.

iAttire: Your Music in Costume

Genius or the end of all sanity?



Check out more iPod fashion at iAttire's site.

Today's Playlist

Mood: Mellow

"Christmas Time is Here," Vince Guaraldi: It doesn't have to be the holidays to let Guaraldi's beautiful notes linger on my ears. The dude just chills me out. I prefer the instrumental version. The kids are cute and all, but their voices really get in the way of the delicate tones that Guaraldi is laying down.

"Strange Fruit," Billie Holiday: Devastating in its sorrow, Holiday delivers her classic performance in this tale of Southern race brutality. I saw a documentary on this song last year. It was written by a white guy in New York, I think, but Holiday would later claim she wrote it.

"There She Goes," James Moody

"In Your Own Sweet Way," Miles Davis

"Once in a While," Chet Baker

"Kathy's Waltz," Dave Brubeck: The first few notes fooled me -- I swore it was Monk. I hadn't noticed the debt Brubeck owes to T. Monk before. Similar staccato, rhythmic playing at times.

"Dinah," Chet Baker

"Softly. with Feeling," Count Basie

Lifehacker Pack

A great list of freeware from those helpful folks at Lifehacker ...

Looks like a good alternative to Google Pack. I use many of these, and now I plan to try the rest.

Today's Playlist

Mood: Alt-rock

"Give It Up," Hothouse Flowers: Reminds me of a friend from high school. He loved these guys. Good song, but definitely dated as late 80s.

"Crowd Control," Phish: I've never been much of a Phish fan, and this song isn't going to change my mind.

"My Darling," Wilco: I was late to the Wilco party, but I haven't left since I got there.

"I'm a Wheel," Wilco

"I'm Trying to Break Your Heart," Wilco

"Gutter Full of Rain," David Gray

Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs, Andrew Bird (entire album)

"Neighborhood #1," Arcade Fire

"Neighborhood #2," Arcade Fire

iPod Stats

Amount used: 19.2 GBs
Last added: Joe Thompson, "A Family Affair"
Last played: "Handshake Drugs," Wilco

Pandora

I've been listening to Pandora for a few weeks now. Billed as a way to find new music, it's also great if you want to hear familiar songs. I can't say that I've discovered too many acts yet, but Pandora offers a great alternative when my iTunes library gets boring.

Here's how it works: Enter the name of an artist or song that you like. Pandora will create a "station" that plays music from and similar to that artist. You can refine the system's selections by saying "I like it" or "I don't like it."

I find the sound quality is good enough for a work environment and that the system needs very little refinement to serve up tunes I like. The only downsides I've discovered is that it has no classical music and for some fringe acts you end up hearing the same songs often.

Pandora

Article on Pandora from the East Bay Express

Concert Review: Carolina Chocolate Drops -- January 7, 2006, ArtsCenter, Carrboro, NC

The Carolina Chocolate Drops play Piedmont-style "old-timey" music -- what I call bluegrass.

It was a show where the musicians drive the audience with their energy, and the audience amplifies the musicians' performance with its response. There was dancing on the stage and dancing on the floor. There was clapping and singing from the audience. The members all played several instruments -- swapping banjos, violins (I mean fiddles), and guitars. And the oversized personality of Dom Flemons kept us entertained even when he wasn't amazing us with his jug virtuoisity.

The Chocolate Drops are black and they're proud. "Taking back the music" was a definite theme. They even called out the audience for being mostly white. Few artists talk about race at shows that feature predominantly white folks listening to what has historically been black music.

The show was a sublime event, and I look forward to exploring the music of the Piedmont.

Check their site for sample MP3s.