Elitist Hacks

This is refreshing.

2006-11-04T01:41:00.000-06:00

How I love the flamenco guitar! Click on "Tamacun" after heading over to Rodrigo y Gabriela's site. You won't regret it!

http://www.myspace.com/rodrigoygabriela

some new music....september 2006

2006-09-23T21:02:00.000-05:00

audioslave - it kind of sucks. what are they thinking? can they just make a hard rock record all the way through?

john mayer - smooth. very good. you want to buy it.

jars of clay - i had given up on them a few years ago, but i really like this disc.

that's all for now. if you have not yet seen nickel creek, go see them.

why do i like this band? (family force 5, 8-27-2006)

2006-09-04T11:12:00.000-05:00

a few months ago, i was riding with jacob on the way back from seeing our friend jacob play a show. i had heard of this band, family force 5, through my friend jeff, and saw the cd on the floor of jacob's truck. it looked ridiculous, with the skull and guitars, and a good amount of bling bling. we popped it in, i was hooked. its so over the top, party rock, but i LOVE it.

fast forward to late august, i had hooked my sister on the band, i had told my friend lisa about them, so the day of the show in baton rouge, we met up and went. it was some festival for the new school year or something, with another band called crossfade. never heard of them, but apparently they've had a hit on the radio.

about 7:30, FF5 hits the stage and they pretty much played the same set jacob and i saw them play back in may. they did however sing "put ur hands up" which they omitted earlier, but it was great! the sound kind of sucked cause we were out in some field, and i guess the guys controlling the sound were new or something. the stage performance was great, they jumped around, breakdanced, the bassist even did the worm. they are so much fun to watch, its amazing. after the show, my sister wanted to get a shirt, but they didn't have any of the particular kind she wanted. so then we went over to the side of the stage to see if we could snag a picture. we got one with the lead singer and the bassist, soul glow activator and phatty, respectively. talking to them was different, because when jacob and i had interviewed them back in may, it took about 10 or 15 minutes for them to drop the act and talk serious. seeing them the 2nd time, it was almost like they knew i knew what was going on. so i talked to them a couple of minutes and thanked them for coming, that sort of thing. they even introduced themselves as their real names. my sister wanted a picture with their roadie/tech guy, xanadu, but it was taking too long, so we left. there will be another opportunity in october though since they've scheduled some more tour dates.

more updates to come...

updating soon...

2006-08-23T14:18:00.000-05:00

so i know i've been slack with the writing (sorry fellow EHers). i've been to a ton of shows over the summer. in fact, i'm going to one on sunday. i will be reviewing it for sure, as well as trying to talk about the other shows too. in the meantime, check out the band here.

Band Ink.

2006-04-23T19:07:00.001-05:00

Not too long ago, I graduated from college and went to Hawaii with my family. After snorkling above a gigantic sea turtle, the memory became etched in my mind forever. I recognized this as a special moment, content as I took a mental picture of the aquamarine water and this seemingly wise, old tortoise. Later in the afternoon, while walking past a tattoo parlor, my sister and I discussed what type of tattoo we would ever consider getting. Sarah liked the idea of a bamboo shoot on the back side of her heel. A Hawaiian memento, if you will. I thought a petroglyph of a sea turtle would be rad. (On the small of my back, too. Common?) Thank goodness I never did it- because these days I see my fair share of sea turtle petroglyph stickers on plenty of SUV rear windows. That would have more than likely, led me down a long, long road of embarrassment and regret. So. This brings me to the following website, which was linked over at DMB's Warehouse. The tattoo thread:

http://www.dmbtattoo.com/

What do you think? These are a bunch of die hard fans that ink tribute to their favorite band. I can understand why people like to get inked with something that is very meaningful, very personal, and how these intimate things would make a great tattoo, if you're into that sort of thing. At this point in my life, I don't think I can do it. Within days I'd probably want it off my skin. So I am not a good tat candidate. Does Dave Matthews see these photo's and trip out? I imagine he just sketched his firedancer while playing around one day. Now it's permanently saved on countless feet of skin. I suppose their are far less talented band options for musical tribute tattoos. Tons, even. Like O-Town, for instance. It's just fascinating to me. Anyway, enjoy the link. Open discussion.

Peace, Love, and DMB always.

Best night in music cost me a whopping 8 dollars!

2006-03-09T21:27:00.000-06:00

My faith in up and coming bands has been restored! Let me preface this story by saying that the bay area's local rock radio station, "Live105" plays "alternative" rock. Live 105 had a music makeover in 2002 or so, when new management (or a miracle) changed their ugly, Limp Biscuit band types to the newer stuff that sounded unique and different. It was like we finally exited the 90's, once and for all! This got to be really exciting a few years back, when a new buzz in music came along. Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, and the Strokes started up something new and exciting. But lately, all the bands coming out trying to emulate similar musical styles are tired, and have completely bored me. When I got my new car with a 5 disc cd changer, it was such a blessing. My own preferred artists and albums protected my ears from a lot of the shit that is blasting on the radio waves these days. In particular, I'm talking about the stations that are geared more towards new alternative rock artists. The classic KFOG manages to find new stuff that I really enjoy, like Amos Lee. That being said, KFOG also promotes "classic" rock, and the newer tunes they play are by the mellow dudes, like Jack Johnson or James Blunt. So it's a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Anyway, I'm getting off track here. While discussing the sudden depressing drop of new talent in rock and roll with my friend Sofia a couple weeks ago, I was able to defend one group that my sister introduced me to, a band called Birdmonster. My sisters' random encounter with them leads to my good fortune and story.

On a drive back to UC Santa Barbara last year, my sister stopped at In n Out for a burger. While in line she found herself talking to a few dudes in a band who were on their way down Highway 5 to Southern California for a Battle of the Bands gig. They were from San Francisco and so my sister starts chatting away and they offered her an EP. She took the CD and to her ears' delight, she really liked them and thought that I'd approve. (I can't stress enough how endearing I think it is that my sister still likes to impress me with her musical finds. I hope that never changes.) As it turns out, Birdmonster is pretty great. While looking up local shows in town, I saw that they were coming and since I loved each song on the EP, I invited Sofia along.

So, (for eight bucks!) we saw three bands at Cafe' Du Nord, one of my favorite little venues in San Francisco last Friday:

the 88
Street to Nowhere
Birdmonster

The 88 came out first, and they were excellent from the get go. Each band member wore a suit, and the lead singer had a very retro Elvis Costello look, glasses and all. Very similar to what Elvis looked like on the "My Aim is True" album. The singer had a bit of a cold but Sofia said she actually preferred the rougher edges to his voice. I agreed. Being hoarse and feeling a bit like death, worked well for him. Bass, two guitar players, a dude on the keyboards and kick ass drummer, they all did their thing in sync. It sounded tight, and they absolutely know how to run a fun pop rock show. Lyrics were a little dark but the melody's were upbeat. They pulled it off the same way the Cure can, and does. I enjoyed them so much that when they were done, I headed to the back table to grab their CD. The bass player was there to greet anyone interested and he explained how they got their name (88 keys on the piano, 88 mph in Back to the Future.) I told him that they were a breath of fresh air and he seemed very appreciative. Good band, check them out if you get the chance, or at least check them out on the web. (They have their own site: www.the88.net or you can catch them over at the wonderful world that is Myspace.)

The second band was decent. Streets To Nowhere's lead singer definitely has a Conor Oberst.... thing going on. I didn't ask him if he was a big fan of Bright Eyes, but that was the impression I got. Similar sounding. I am probably a really unfair reviewer of Streets to Nowhere, because they were the middle band. I was pumped and impressed after the 88's set, and excited for Birdmonster, so I found myself wandering over to the bar to look at so many pretty people. (Seriously, it was one of San Francisco's better looking nights. The crowd was beautiful. Sofia agreed.)

...ON TO BIRDMONSTER! Please, please, please... check these guys out. I had a fantastic time watching them move around, they've got endless amounts of energy and smiles for the crowd. I can't pigeonhole them to any particular category other than to say that they're loud and rock and roll. While they have some influence that feels reminiscent of Modest Mouse, they aren't trying to BE Modest Mouse. They've got an extra planet rockin' sound that is their own creation, infectious tempos that tend to throw you for you a loop as they sometimes start out slow and pick up into crazy, drop kick, ADHD kind of beats. "All the holes in the walls" is a perfect example of this, as it starts out with slower alt-country rhythms then really picks up to the point that you feel it's like their anthem song. I didn't know the words but I wanted to shout them out with the lead singer, Peter Arcuni (who by the way, resembles a younger and cuter version of Billie Joe Armstrong). "FREE BIRD!" a tall guy hollared between songs. "I knew we'd get 'free bird' requests when we named the band Birdmonster!" a band member responds. They played for a good hour and fifteen minutes or so, including two encores. I had a great time, and felt excited for them. There's no reason they won't make it to bigger venues and have one hell of a trip along the way...

Birdmonster is playing at the SXSW festival in Texas this week. If you can go, GO! I would. They are one of the hyped bands worth the hype, and gets me excited about local artists. This experience was so refreshing because I've been to a few shows that have failed to impress that costs a whole lot more than 8 dollars. More like 8 times 8 dollars. To see artists in such a small venue before they make it "big" is a pleasure. You're up close and personal, able to really get a sense of who has the real talent, which artist carries the rest of the band, or in the best case scenario, which band gets the job done together. Birdmonster accomplished the latter and won a new fan in the process. Oh yeahhhhh. I love it. Call me, Birdmonster.

Ring, ring.

show review: coldplay with fiona apple, houston, tx 2-25-2006

2006-02-27T22:44:00.000-06:00

let me start off by saying that i went into this show with a chip on my shoulder. due to the unfortunate events involving weather systems last september, i was unable to see coldplay on the cheap with some friends of mine. not once, but twice. so what am i left with? higher priced arena show tickets...GREAT! and even then, i bought two pricey tickets in hopes of taking a certain girl...the joke was definitely on me. however, i was able to recruit my friend jacob, and off we went to houston for the weekend. having fiona as the opener was great, i really enjoyed her debut, tidal, and was looking forward to seeing how she was in a live setting, even if it was in the gigantic arena aka the toyota center, where last week they had the nba all star game. we arrived at the arena and immediately checked out the merch table. my bad, since when did concert t-shirts start costing $35? i can understand those cheaply made sweatshirts going for $50 (the coldplay track jackets were going for $70), but we're talking t-shirts here. wtf chris? there's all these 'make trade fair' people running around asking you to sign some petition in hopes that little anyon in china can make nikes for minimum wage or something, and yet he's letting his people charge $35 for a damn t-shirt? THE NERVE! you marry a movie star and you sell out, is that how it is? after standing in the merch line for no less than 25 minutes (they had a merch line, at a concert, already it was more organized than i'm used to) for jacob to buy a fiona t-shirt, i broke down and got a shirt. what? i was already paying over $70 for a ticket!

onto the show....we get to our seats, which are opposite end of the arena from the stage. we're going to have a perfect view of the alledged super great light show that coldplay has. the show's sold out, and surprisingly, a good amount of people settled in at 8 sharp to catch ms. apple herself. she led off with a couple of new songs that i really liked, so i'm going to have to pick up the new album, extrordinary machine. i'm going to admit here, that the album cover for when the pawn..., i think its the happiest looking cover i've seen. no puppy dogs, no ice cream, just a girl who looks like nothing could get to her that day at that moment. anyway, she then gets up from the piano to let one of her keyboard guys play while she takes it back to 1996 and a couple of songs from tidal. 'shawdowboxer' is first of the pair, and it was pretty decent. i had noted to jacob, that i was aware that her voice was to sound sultry and seductive, but i didn't expect the smoker voice coming through so much. i was certainly in for a shocker...next up was 'criminal' and she about killed the ending. wow, i was amazed, it was rough. but you have to love her, she's gone through a lot of record company hell over the past couple of years, and she's still out there giving it her all. she was one of the more dedicated openers i've seen, most times bands just come out, play, promote their record, and leave. she never once said she had a new record, and she said her name right before the last song which was pretty funny i thought. good for her.

and now, the main event...i have to admit, some of the anticipation was taken away since they've been playing virtually the same set at every show. who do they think they are, u2? so the lights go down and i know they're starting with 'square one', a song i've been waiting to hear open a show in a dark arena for months and here's the moment. the stage lights come up dimly and the music starts, with the bright video screen behind them displaying a counting down digital clock. it was rather impressive, esp when the guitars hit...wow. they dove right into 'politik' and the lights were at that point going crazy. it was really great, i have to say i was sucked in. 'yellow' came third actually, but all the hoopla surrounding it made me think it should have come later. they had these giant yellow balloons come down from the ceiling that were filled with gold confetti. cute...or something. instead of batting a few of the balloons up into the stands, the people on the floor batted them toward the stage. oh well, so much for that ploy to get everyone in the crowd working together. all the songs sounded amazing, and the light show went right along with them in near perfection. the only hole i noticed was the setlist choices of 'God put a smile on your face', 'x&y', and 'how do you see the world' right in a row. they just kind of killed the crowd after the opening. they got the crowd back into it though by playing 'don't panic' and 'white shadows'. i sat there just in awe, it all sounded so good and looked fantastic. during 'the scientist', i just sat there listening and thinking, it was good. then the moment i had been waiting for, 'til kingdom come' (the song they wrote for johnny cash to record) and then the cover of 'ring of fire'. now, let me preface what i'm about to say by telling you, i like johnny cash. he's the ultimate rock star and would kick someone's ass for booty dancing to his music. so imagine my horror when the lady next to us is club dancing to 'ring of fire' with her husband. ugh. people need to have more respect for the man in black....'ring of fire' is not 'cottoneye joe', much to the shock apparently of probably a third of the toyota center crowd, but i digress. it was a great cover, and it met my expectations. they finished out the main set with 'trouble', 'clocks', and 'talk'. i was floored with how great 'talk' was. i would say that it was their strongest song of the night, just the emotion, the music, the lights, the crowd, melded into a great performance.

they come out for the encore and led off with 'swallowed in the sea'. a.ma.zing. the stage went dim except for the band, and on the video backdrop was a collage of written setlists of x&y, so it kept flowing, getting bigger until the entire arena was bathed in the backdrop. and then the best part happened, we had this girl behind us who kept yelling things like "i love you chris!" and "coldplay, YEAH!" and at the end of the song, she screams out "you belong with ME! not swallowed in the SEA!" lol. i should have gotten her number or something. 'in my place', it was good, but the best part was chris jumps off the stage and says "i need to share some love with the people in the back", so he comes running down the edge of the floor toward our section and stops in front of our section and sings a verse. of course, multitudes of people race down to touch his golden locks. i thought it was cool that he'd remember, usually singers just hang out with the front row and maybe the people on the sides. no, chris martin included the people in sections 114 and 115. A-MEN! i commented to jacob that 'fix you' was really going to be good, because the crowd was electric pretty much from the opening notes, but especially at that point. and the band did not disappoint...'fix you' sounded tremendous. its not really one of my favorites off x&y, but saturday night it sounded so good, esp when the crowd was singing along acapella.

i was impressed with how the show went, i was expecting to be left wanting more, but the only thing was that 3 song set in the early part of the show. other than that everything was great, i couldn't have asked for better. so i guess when you're expecting the best, and you get the best, you can't be unhappy with it. now if they could just work on that setlist....

Holy Bonnaroo, Batman!

2006-02-09T20:17:00.001-06:00

Beware. I am about to sound like the squeakiest clean, most modest, sterile (and pessimistic) music fan EVER.

I am a little weary of these larger than life music festivals. Large crowds, overpriced bottled water, stinky people, crazy people, drunk people, people on drugs, etc.,etc.,etc. The hotels are all conveniently located as far away from the venue as possible, which helps boost the economy of rental car agencies in the area. If you're adventurous enough to pitch a tent, you're destined to find a spot amidst a million other crazy campers. The odds seem to be in your favor of camping next to hippie love makers that decide to get crazy in the wee hours of the morning and as you step out of your tent crabby and ill, you find yourself standing in a lake of natty ice that trickled down to your 'hood from a neighboring winnebago. Am I exaggerating a bit? Probably. But these are the types of images in my head that deter me from wanting to travel far for big show like this. Clearly, if I am ever to attempt such an event, I will definitely be sleeping in the comfort of the nearest Marriott hotel.

Now, Bridge School is tame. Neil Young starring in this act means that half the audience is in the same age range as my parents, and for the most part, all the kids that go are respectful and courteous of each other. But is Bonnaroo tame? Have any of you ever been? Another big, looming question is, are the number of immature jack asses present at this event small enough so that it would be easy for me to let that go and have a good time anyway? Alright, I'm not a complete square. I'm not talking about the folks who shout out, "Free Bird!" or "I love you, enter rocker's name here!" That's cake. It's not as though the crowd should be silent, we're not attending a classic Mozart Concerto. But it should at least be civilized. I don't want some rude, drunken idiot ruining everyone elses' good time. I am never the type to pipe down if other concert goers' are being out of line, but if it's too obnoxious, it could take away from the whole experience. Bottom line is, I'd love to attend, and this would be the year to do it.

The line up is stellar.

So. What's a girl to do?

http://www.bonnaroo.com/2006/

Ten Songs You NEED to Experience in 2006

2006-02-06T15:51:00.000-06:00

Marika’s Report Card: TARDY. New Years Assignment: F.

I was supposed to write up my top ten albums of 2005 back when the new year arrived. Technically, I could still do it now, but considering the Hallmark holiday known as Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I wanted to do something different. So after some thought, I decided on discussing songs that have been on my play list frequently so far this year. None of these tunes are new, all were released in ’05 or earlier, but they may be new to you, and that’s all that counts. Try something new! Why not? Or if you already know these, relive them again. Let me know what you think. Feel free to comment with your suggestions, too. Now, let’s do this.

1. Jets to Brazil, “Sweet Ave.”

Feeling like I was ten years late to the prom, I learned of this band a few years after they broke up. It’s a disappointment because the chance to see them live is gone forever, but this song in particular is a favorite of mine. It seems like the type that would fit perfectly on a Cameron Crowe soundtrack, or replace the song that John Cusack played for his lady in “Say Anything”- you know, the famous scene where he stands beneath his girl’s bedroom window and just holds the stereo up over his head? Acoustic guitar, beautiful melody, etc. There are sensitive men in this world, and those that can portray themselves as such are very, very appealing to a gal like me. This song has both sounds that resonate in the heart and lyrics that read like poetry, lines like these:

“tasting you and rain I walk down to the train
try not to look down
this could one day be an anniversary
everything is light and sound
facing forwards going slowly wait for you to show me
where this train wants to go
living for the hour I stop for every flower
everything is soft and slow
now all these tastes improve with the view that comes with you”

Marry me now, ex-lead singer of Jets to Brazil!

2. Bear Vs. Shark “Bloodgiver”

Almost 180 degrees opposite from the previously mentioned song, this number is hardcore, with lyrics that seem to be… off. Askew. Random. Bizarre. But lets put that aside for right now. Who cares about lyrics when a song has a catchy and raw blend of rock and punk sounds combined? It works. It’s infectious and feels great driving fast. Check it out.

3. Modest Mouse, “Gravity Rides Everything”

It’s not considered cool to like songs that become hits after being played on commercials. I hated that Jet song after iPod adopted it for that neon colored commercial. And my jaw dropped to the ground when I turned on the TV one day to discover the one and only BOB DYLAN was being played during a Victoria’s Secret “Angels” ad. Corporate dollars seems to run the world, and before we know it, high schools will get corporate names too. I’m sure my old school may very well one day become “SBC High School”. Can’t you picture it?

“Where does your daughter go to school?”
“Dell High. Yours?”
“Verizon Middle School, but that’s not technically in our district. She’s supposed to go to Cingular.”

Despite my jabs, Modest Mouse is just plain cool... and although I’m 99% sure that this song was used for a car commercial last year, front man Isaac Brock has such a unique voice, and the song has been on a mix cd in my car since the beginning of the New Year, so it goes on the list.

4. Mason Jennings, “The Light”

This song is not new. Mason Jennings is gaining in popularity, I just know it. In years past I've seen him headline for as much as eight or nine bucks. This time round, ticket prices were around seventeen dollars, but I can't complain. (That's still what, like 70% lower than the average cost of most concerts these days?) I’m lucky enough to get to see him again this Thursday in San Francisco. This man follows his own path, a powerful and convincing folk sound, he's got lyrics with heart. Also refreshing is the fact that he is not a jaded, pretentious “rock star” in the slightest. He is soft and acoustic for many, many of his songs, however one time when I saw him live he shocked me by rocking out to a cover of “Bulls on Parade”. He pulled it off. To put this song on my little list is just a way to try and get people to recognize this man’s talent and natural ability to play. It’s also one of my favorites. Here are the lines, simple and beautiful enough to include here.

"So Glad I found you
God is around you
And all that's about you
Shines with the light
Love won't deny you
Love won't confine you
Free what's inside you
Shine with the light"

5. Fat Lip, “What Up Fat Lip”

Some hip hop songs (rap in particular), seem intent on intimidating. Life on the street, hard cash, bling, pulling a gat on someone, you know the type. Fat Lip, once a collaborator with Pharcyde, does the exact opposite. The song doesn't portray him as a thug, but the rhymes are entertaining and the beats flow. I roll with this one on, windows down and bass turned up. Way up.

6. Blues Traveler, “Amber Waits”

I think of John Popper as a giant harmonica playing teddy bear. He seems like a genuine, sweet man. This song is the lastest single off the latest and impressive album “Bastardos!” I recommend the entire cd, but this song is the one that will reel you in and pull on your heart strings with it’s universal emotion of self doubt that usually creeps in on all of us throughout our lives. That makes it real. The bass player on this song stands out too. I adore this song!

7. Talib Kweli, “Get By”

Anytime an artist is able to get Jay-Z to collaborate with him/her on a record, I am automatically interested in checking it out. This song has a vast array of instrumentals and it’s catchy as hell. If it ever comes on as I’m working the elliptical machine at the gym, I’m suddenly inspired work it as hard as I can. Busta Rhymes also guests on this single. I wish I could sing just to be a candidate to sing back up vocals for this song. You can’t go wrong!

“Some people try to be fly 
They fake and they lie 
The snakes'll see the hate in their eyes
 Look at the sky to survive 
People try to get by 
Fightin force, slice of the pie
 Tryin to eat and be high 
How you know you really alive if you don't reach for the sky?”

…I don’t have the answer to that, Talib. Keep reaching, though.

8. Ryan Adams, “29”

Oh my sweet, melancholy favorite Ryan Adams... I could go on forever about this man. He is controversial, he is eclectic, he is unstoppable (released three albums in 2005 alone). This album as a whole is not my favorite, but “29” is the first track and it is the best, in my opinion. I really have to move on to the last two songs, because I literally could spend an entire article dissecting what I think about this man. So, I’ll leave it at that.

9. Fingers Cut MegaMachine “Shadows in the Dark”

Fear not! The name of the band is odd and may give you images of a scary, Insane Clown Posse’ mask wearing type of band, but that would be entirely misleading. Devon Williams is the lead singer, already a genius in my opinion, and I don’t think he is even in his mid-twenties yet. This song is an acoustic, mellow one. What I love so much about Devon is that he is confident enough to really allow his voice to be heard. You can decipher each and every word in his lyrics, the guitar does not overpower his voice. He is amazing. The song is relatively short but the chords stay with you for a long, long time.
Just to make sure you don’t miss this one, I’ll give you the MP3 link right here and now:
http://www.fingerscutmegamachine.com/mp3/02%20Track%2002%201.mp3

10. Bonnie Raitt, “I Don’t Want Anything To Change”

It is well known to my family and closest friends that I prefer male singers over most woman artists. There are a few exceptions, of course. I try not to discriminate, but it’s just my preference. I can't help it! I don’t want to apologize or defend my position, so I’ll just say that Bonnie Raitt is one of my idol singers. I listened to her growing up. In my opinion, she is the most talented female guitar player in the world, with a voice that is wise, feminine, strong, forgiving, and sensitive all at once. She’s a blues and rock legend. Her songwriting talent is remarkable, but for the entire album“Souls Alike”, she picked some of her favorite songs from new and upcoming artists and covered them. (“I Don’t Want Anything to Change” is written by Liz Rose, Stephanie Chapman, and Maia Sharp.) In the music industry, I can’t imagine a greater honor other than having someone as great as Bonnie Raitt calling to say, “Hey, I love your song, and want to use it on my album…” Bow down and hand it over. This song is delicate and lovely, and a perfect way to end my list.

That's all I got. Any feedback is welcome and would be appreciated! Keep it real, I'll catch you on the flip side.

*** Editor's note: So, it just dawned on me- the song that Cusack blasted on his boombox was one of the most famous love songs of ALL time, Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". Ok, I have to backtrack here. No other song in the world is worthy of replacing those famous lines, "In your eyes, I see the doorway to a thousand churches" ... but the imagery seemed so sweet at the time. "Sweet Ave." is still wonderful and worthy of a download. In another twist, I just recently learned that Cameron Crowe was actually the writer AND director for the film "Say Anything", which is funny because when I made both comparisons, I wasn't aware of that at the time. C'est la vie.

a pletheora of goodness...

2006-01-12T23:21:00.000-06:00

so its no secret that i am a big fan of ryan adams. one of my friends had asked me where to start because she wanted to get into his music. so i typed her an email with a few sentences about each album. i was re-reading that email today, since she ended up getting some mp3s and a couple of albums off itunes. seems i was right on with some of my song suggestions. anyway, it just occurred to me how many songs there are that are quality. he's put out more albums in 5 years than say my old favorite band pearl jam has put out in their entire 15 year career. jacob said it best in his recent 2005 top ten...

Prolificacy like that should be illegal.

anyway, marika's also a fan. last year she went to a show in NYC for her birthday and typed this great blog entry. i must credit her and my sister for opening my eyes to the greatness of ryan adams.

tonight i was asked by my other friend jacob whether or not i had progressed in liking wilco. i told him i have not. i've been listening to a lot of x&y lately actually, along with david crowder and ryan adams. so i haven't really given wilco their proper time to shine. i need to give them a few more spins. i don't think the more recent albums i picked up are nearly as overrated as yankee hotel foxtrot, but i'm still not 'there''. i'm working on it though.

my 10 for 05 (part 2)

2006-01-03T21:31:00.000-06:00

5. ryan adams and the cardinals - jacksonville city nights
i bought this album in the midst of living in baton rouge and dealing with the ramifications of hurricane katrina. it was pretty much one of the few bright spots of september, but that has not really tainted my opinion. i had heard a couple of these songs at the show i had seen in june, so i was awaiting this release quite a bit. i had not been prepared for what i heard though. the record itself was very country, very honky-tonk, very divergent from cold roses, the previous release. i really enjoyed the use of the steel guitar on cold roses, and that instrument was used even more on JCN, as well as the use of a string section. upon first listen, i really didn't know what to make of the album. i grew to very much love it though, and it was hard for this record to not crack the top 3 of 2005. as it stands, it makes it in at number 5.

tracks to check out on this release: 'the hardest part', 'my heart is broken', and 'hard way to fall'

4. coldplay - x&y
this was probably the most highly anticipated album of the year to start 2005 in my book. moreso than even the 3 ryan adams releases. the last coldplay studio album, a rush of blood to the head, was an all time classic album in my opinion. there are so many songs on it that carry more weight than most whole albums have these days. so i guess with these vaulted expectations, there was not much of a chance for this new album, x&y, to live up to them. as i look back at it, it does and does not meet expectations. the band seemed to set out to create the perfect album. they sound more like u2 on this release than their other two, and there are some definite big arena songs (see: 'square one' and 'speed of sound') but there's definitely a shortage of piano driven songs that made a rush of blood to the head so fantastic. i think with this record they are trying to prepare themselves to becoming the biggest rock band in the world, at least i think chris martin has alluded to that idea in interviews i read leading up to the release of x&y. i say all of that not to point it out as a bad thing, there's nothing wrong with expecting big things from yourself, but i guess i think its a bit arrogant to publicly acknowledge that your goal is to be bigger than u2. the album itself has its very strong points and some not so strong points, but its nowhere near the power of the previous two studio albums. still, it stood above many releases in 2005 which lands it at #4.

tracks to check out on this release: 'talk', 'til kingdom come', 'low'

3. the white stripes - get behind me satan
this album came out the same day as x&y, and i was able to pick up a copy of it. this album also had to grow on me since i didn't really enjoy it much the first few times i listened to it. i fell hard for 'elephant' and had reasonably high hopes for the new record, even though i don't consider myself that much of a white stripes fan. i don't have any of the previous albums before elephant. anyway, with the 2005 release, i think jack white is definitely pushing the boundaries of where rock music can go. can a rock song be made up of only mandolin and drums ('little ghost') or be based on piano alone ('i'm lonely (but i ain't that lonely yet)')? the genre lines are definitely blurred on this record, which is not necessarily a bad thing. jack white pretty much said "screw following the rock music formula, i'm making songs i want to make", and it totally works. it may have been panned by some critics, but this album has remained in heavy rotation 6 months after its release and i've grown to really enjoy it, almost as much as i like 'elephant'.

tracks to check out on this release: 'take, take, take', 'the denial twist', 'my doorbell'

1-tie. david crowder band - a collision (or 3+4=7)
i don't even know where to start to describe how much i love this album. i had not even heard one song off of it until i went to the show back in october. the lyrics really impacted me, and the music is great too. i'll just repost what i typed shortly after getting the full album in november:

"I’ve listened to this album everyday for a week. It is tremendous. I came home one day and jumped around when I was able to hear one song on the big stereo. I don’t know if I was near an emotional cliff or what, but I was even near tears during one of the songs. The lyrics are so powerful on some of the songs, and I think this album is a big step forward from Illuminate."

tracks to check out on this release: 'foreverandever, etc.', 'you are my joy', 'i saw the light'

1-tie. ryan adams and the cardinals - cold roses
this was my 2nd most anticipated album of 2005 after x&y, and this one did meet all my expectations. i was salivating after having heard many new songs on RA's website during the winter and early spring, and eagerly awaited the first new studio album since 2003. i remember the afternoon i purchased the record sitting in my car waiting for my family at a local restaurant just listening to the new songs and reading the lyrics. the music was so good, the different use of instruments, the haunting steel guitar, the driving rhythm section, the great lyrics. it completely lived up to my expectations and then some. definitely the best record i heard this year.

tracks to check out on this release: 'let it ride', 'if i am a stranger', 'sweet illusions'

my 10 for 05 (part 1)

2006-01-02T19:00:00.000-06:00

jacob posted his top 10 over on circle six today so i figured i'd post mine here. for some reason i don't feel mine's that great, because its got a lot of bands that are reasonably popular, but still, i remain committed to these 10 as being the best albums i heard in 2005. here we go.

10. eisley - room noises
i had seen this band at voodoo fest '04 when they were winding down the tour opening for snow patrol. i was mesmerized, and i had never heard one of their songs before that sunny day in marconi meadows. i quickly snapped up their two eps and eagerly awaited their full length debut. it did not disappoint. while i don't like how they changed up one of my favorites ('telescope eyes') i like how they improved some of the other songs ('marvelous things', 'i wasn't prepared'). i saw them live back in july and it was great. i couldn't even think of how to start typing a review of the show.

tracks to check out on this release: 'plenty of paper', 'i wasn't prepared', 'golly sandra'

9. john mayer trio - try! john mayer trio live in concert
most of the reason i like this album is how much it impressed me. i literally thought i had pressed the number for the wrong disc the first time i listened to it. could this really be the schmay? it sounded great. the entire disc really is a great new direction for him and his new trio. they have really put together a very good live album, and i'm anxious to hear the studio album when it comes out. hearing this album really upset me considering i had tickets to the show in late september that was later cancelled due to katrina. oh well, live and learn.

tracks to check out on this release: 'who did you think i was?', 'vultures', 'good love is on the way'

8. andrew peterson - the far country
this is a pretty late addition to my list considering i did not actually get it until the middle of december. i was very impressed hearing 'lay me down' live, and bought the album on the spot. i've been very impressed by the sound, much more in the vein of 'carried along' in my opinion, which is my favorite AP album. i think his collaboration with ben shive is definitely paying off. and actually, i just noticed a narnia reference in 'little boy heart alive', nice.

tracks to check out on this release: 'queen of iowa', 'little boy heart alive', 'lay me down'

7. oasis - don't believe the truth
this album took a bit of time to grow on me. when i first heard it, i wasn't really all that taken with the sound. the more i've been able to hear it though, i've liked what i've heard. i absolutely love the song 'a bell will ring'. they still might be the wannabe beatles, and they may not be nearly as popular in the U.S. as they once were, i think they can still put out a good album that will stick with you.

tracks to check out on this release: 'a bell will ring', 'turn up the sun', 'love like a bomb'

6. sandra mccracken - the builder and the architect
i bought this the same night as 'the far country', and it impacted me even more. i love sandra's voice, and i'm a sucker for old hymns redone so this album was right up my alley. i saw her do a newer version of 'thy mercy' at the show in december, and it was excellent. i bought a few albums that night, mostly cause i wanted to support the indie christian artists that were playing, and i also knew that i'd love this cd, which i have.

tracks to check out on this release: 'rock of ages', 'grace upon grace', 'thy mercy'

1-5 will come tomorrow. i want to write something better than from the perspective of "i'm so sick of trying to fit these pictures and just get this list over with." the five that are left have seriously been big this year in my rotation...i need to make sure i do right by them.

the state of dmb: the third and final installment

2005-12-02T22:53:00.000-06:00

much like marika and robbi's articles, i'm going to write about how i was once a fan of the dave matthews band and how that's all changed. and somehow, we basically all have the same story. weird, huh?

there i was, summer of 1995 in san antonio, texas at the hard rock cafe. i was with my mom on another college visit trip, checking out the university of texas in austin. on the tv in the restaurant, the video for 'what would you say?' came on. i was interested. it was different, and i finally saw this band i had been hearing about on the radio. so the next order i made through bmg, i picked up 'under the table and dreaming'. i was sucked in. next thing i know i'm buying 'crash' on release day and the dave matthews band has become my second favorite band behind my favorite back then, pearl jam. the bad part of liking dmb at the time was they never really toured around new orleans much, and if they did it was for jazz fest. my senior year in high school, we had gone on a senior trip to disneyworld and got back the day of the band's performance at jazz fest. i didn't make that show.

so i go off to college and still, i'm unable to go to any of the shows even though i now lived right between atlanta and charlotte. i still was pretty hard core for the band. i bought the 'recently' EP and went to the midnight sale for 'before these crowded streets' at the local indie record store (i still have the flyer). when the fan club was formed, i jumped at the chance. maybe i'd finally be able to go see them live, and if the fan club was anything like pearl jam's, then i'd have really great seats. $30 at the time was expensive, but i figured it'd be worth it. and it was.

the summer of 1999, i saw them three times. i had front row center (FRONT ROW!) for the charlotte show that year, and was mesmerized. i remember thinking being able to see the small brand name on boyd tinsley's violin was the coolest thing ever. i had gone to see them two nights before in atlanta, and that show remains my favorite ever, so the charlotte show was me just being amazed at how close i was. i'm not real good when it comes to being up front for big arena shows. you are literally making eye contact with these rock stars, so do you totally freak out and be all fan boyish, or do you play it cool and act like you've been there before? i think about these things. i found the warehouse chat room that year and met robbi and marika. maybe my cynicism started then. my user name seemed to get some unwanted attention in the early days. people thought i was actually dave matthews. i played along, because i could. who wouldn't? if someone is dumb enough to think dave matthews would create a username and join a chat room, then they deserved to have me keep the act going for as long as i could. one guy took it so far to ask me if i was really dave matthews, then what was my blood type. talk about freaky. robbi even acted as dave's g/f at the time and we really tricked some of 'the sheep'. i coined that term because i met so many people who would follow dave matthews off a cliff if he jumped. one of the things i remember from being up front in charlotte, at the show, dave would just mumble into the mic, completely incoherant, and yet, the crowd would eat it up like he had told a grand joke. i thought it was really funny, he knows they can't understand him and still laugh, he's totally playing these people, and i was in on the joke.

the summer 2000 tour was probably the last tour where dave matthews band was still the dave matthews band. they played several songs which ended up being leaked as 'the lillywhite sessions' later that winter, really building up some high anticipation for the new record. i remember going to the atlanta show and hearing the new songs and being stoked, a new direction for the band, but maintaining the same feeling.

and then 'everyday' came out, and everything changed. they left their long time producer steve lillywhite for alanis' producer and pop producer, glen ballard. i had a copy of the lillywhite sessions, so i was not all that motivated to go get the new album, especially after i had friends tell me how it was bad. i went and bought it about a week after it was released, and yes, indeed, it did suck. bad. it was awful. i couldn't believe how they could put out such a crappy album. and i let the warehouse chat room know it. the sheep hated me for it. how could i say anything bad about dmb? i wasn't a real fan. blah blah blah. they went from having a unique sound to having a very pop oriented sound. it was hard to categorize previous dmb efforts, that's why they always ended up on alternative radio. now with the new disc, they had sold out i thought. sold out to the idea that they had to fit their style in a box to be cool. and the sheep ate it up. i felt like i was still in on the same joke, but now it wasn't as funny. i went to a show in the summer of 2001, and it just didn't feel the same. there were more radio type fans there, and the songs just sounded too structured. where did the sax go? where did the violin go? more importantly, where did the solos go? seeing "i did it" performed live was insulting. am i supposed to believe that was a dmb single? are you kidding?

the release of 'busted stuff' really wasn't that much of an improvement. yes, a lot of the songs were originally leaked on the lillywhite sessions, but now they had been overproduced and were not really improved at all. i never really liked listening to the new versions, i just thought it was like repainting a ferrari. its good enough, why change it?

i still went to the shows since the live show still was where the band was the best. i went to two in 2002, and in 2004 went to both shows at the woodlands, TX with my friend chrissy. it was amazing, we had a lot of fun, they played a lot of the older songs, and it felt like 1999 all over again. they even had new songs that were great. but just like before, they toured new songs and then released an album that had little or none of the material they had toured with. it was pretty disappointing, and the release of 'stand up' just pretty much signaled the end for me. i got it, and listened to it, and i thought "eh, is this the best they could do? really?" it came as a dual disc, so there was a dvd side to watch where they explained how the opening of 'american baby' was taken from some random strumming violinist boyd tinsley had been playing around with. not only that, they had gotten a producer who made the band even more pop/generic sounding than they had already been. glen ballard be damned, at least he kept the guitar turned up. i guess that's where i started to doubt why i was still hanging on. when the main two band members, boyd and saxophonist leroi moore, started taking a back seat in favor of the guitar/pop sound, dmb started to lose their uniqueness. they were able to be categorized, and it was sad. i saw some of the setlists from the 2005 shows and they had way too many of the 'new' songs.

popping in the old albums gets me remembering those drives up to charlotte for the show, driving past people who were also going to the show, and seeing them hold up cds to their window. the old songs make me remember driving down to atlanta with no tickets with my friend amanda and scoring obstructed view tickets for face value from the box office. and that's just what the old music means to me, memories with old friends. is it possible to 'outgrow' the same music you had gone through high school and college listening to? apparently so. now, i'm into other music, and dmb's moved into that group of bands i used to listen to. and that's a whole other post.

The State of DMB: Part Deux

2005-11-29T09:03:00.000-06:00

The Dave Matthews Band. Where do I begin? I guess from the beginning. Here goes:

So, I first became acquainted with the Dave Matthews Band the summer before my senior year of high school (the summer of 1996). I remember the exact moment, too. I was in my friend’s car, and she pulled out a CD, popped it in her player and tuned to track #7 entitled ‘Ants Marching.’ I listened to it, and I loved it. I made her play it over again. I made her play the CD every time I was in her car or at her house. The band came to town later that summer, and a group of us skipped marching band practice to go to the concert. (This was during the time it cost $20 for a lawn seat at Deer Creek Ampitheater. These days, it’s $45 - $50 for a lawn seat.) I honestly don’t remember much about the show itself, but Dave was wearing flannel pajama pants and a yellow t-shirt. After that show I finally purchased the CD ‘Under the Table and Dreaming’ and listened to it over and over again. I remember the moment I fell in love with the song ‘Warehouse.’ We were driving to my grandparent’s house in Mississippi (from Indiana), and I had fallen asleep in the front seat of my mom’s navy blue Ford Explorer listening to the CD. I woke up to this eerie tune that almost frightened me, but as I kept listening, the melody changed into this very unique, rhythmic song. From that moment on, I was hooked on the Dave Matthews Band.

I attended the show at Deer Creek the following summer on the Crash tour in 1997. I had purchased the Crash CD and ‘Two Step’ became an instant favorite. I anxiously awaited the release of Before These Crowded Streets my freshman year of college. The summer of 1998 is when my tour frenzy began. That summer, I attended back to back shows at Deer Creek, and then drove to Birmingham, Alabama (where I was in school at the time) for a 3rd show. Something extraordinary happened at that show. Something exciting. Something crazy. Something that doesn’t happen to people you know and certainly not yourself. My friend and I were sitting on the lawn (my usual seats at the time) and a man with back stage credentials walked up to the people in front of us. He asked the people in front of us if they would like to exchange their lawn seats for second row seats. They were hesitant so I jumped up and began shouting “I’ll switch my seat! I want to sit in the second row! I’ll switch!” Then they ask why this man was offering to switch tickets and he said “Dave likes to see a variety of people in the front rows.” I immediately began jumping up and down shouting “We’re variety! We are variety!” The next thing I know, we had exchanged our lawn seats for second row seats. I called my mom, I called my sister, I called anybody I could think of to tell them what had just happened! Second row seats for a Dave Matthews Band concert! Does life get any better than this?

The few years following that experience were spent obsessing over the Dave Matthews Band. I knew the history of the band, I knew the band members birthdays, I knew their musical influences, I knew their family status. I knew everything about this band. I couldn’t get enough. In December of 1998, I joined the DMB fan association properly entitled ‘The Warehouse.’ The initial reason for joining was to gain advanced access to tickets and the few other perks that were promised with membership. Little did I know what was to come.

In June of 1999 I discovered the warehouse chatroom. The chatroom was a place to go to talk about the band, the shows, the experiences we had, etc. But it evolved into something different over the course of the summer. It turned into a place to go talk with friends. Friends who didn’t think you were crazy for being into the band, because they were into them as much, if not more, as you were. People in the chatroom began meeting up with each other at shows. I, myself, met up with other fans at shows during summers, and often went far out of my way to see the band. It was just this incredible atmosphere with a very specific group of fans. It was truly unlike anything else that I had ever experienced. The fan following, of which I was part, was compared to that of the Greatful Dead or Phish (but with fewer hippies). We met at shows and would camp out, or we would pile 14 people to a hotel room to save money so everyone would be able to buy that ticket for the third show in a row at the closest venue. Most of us saw between 7 and 10 shows a summer, if not more. We were having the time of our lives.

And then Everyday was released.

The release of Everyday changed the entire course of the band and had a major effect on the fanbase. All of the sudden DMB went from this independent jam band with a very unique sound to an everyday, run-of-the-mill pop group. (Which, I suppose, makes the title of the CD quite appropriate.) Once that CD was released, the feel of the warehouse changed. The feel of everything changed, really. Most of the ‘old crew’ (as we liked to call ourselves) stopped chatting, because the people now attracted to DMB were kids who claimed to love the band simply because it was the cool thing to do and were annoying to the rest of us. The fanbase turned into a large group of teeny-boppers, fraternity members, and kids who thought they were cool. Phrases like “I love Dave! Dave is so hot! I am going to marry Dave!” and the attitude that ‘anything Dave does is cool because he’s Dave and he plays guitar and he growls into the microphone and I like Dave because everyone else likes Dave’ turned a lot of ‘old crew’ fans off. People kept joining the warehouse making it impossible for long-term members to enjoy the perks once available simply because it was becoming unmanageable. Good tickets became harder and harder to obtain through the Warehouse, the special packages stopped coming, too many people had taken an interest in this band and joined the fan association because it was ‘the cool thing to do.’ What was once something special and unique to the few of us who had discovered this band in the early years was now incredibly mainstream and not unique in the least.

Most of the older fans hung on for a while, hoping the band would overcome this and return to their old selves. We longed for the days when we knew we had a secret that most of the world didn’t know about, and we could enjoy the music with fellow fans who liked the band for the music itself. DMB did make an attempt to return to their roots with the release of Busted Stuff, but for some reason it just wasn’t the same. The secret was out, and the entire world was in on it. I don’t know if it’s that the fans have changed, that the band has changed, that I have changed, or a combination of the three, but the experience just isn’t the same as it once was.

I don’t criticize the band for evolving. Every band experiences growth and change over time. They do what’s best for them. Their music is influenced by their lives, and their lives change over the years. But as those things occur, the fanbase changes, and that is what has happened to my DMB experience.

At one point in my life, I was willing to fly anywhere to see the Dave Matthews Band perform. I would pay any price to meet up with my ‘Dave friends’ and catch a show in any city in the country. Today, I won’t see them if they’re not in a few hours driving distance. I listen to my DMB CD’s once in a blue moon. Perhaps eight years of hard core obsession and touring have burned me out on the band, or perhaps it’s that the experience isn’t what it once was.

Is this the end for me and DMB? Not at all. It is, however, the end of something incredibly unique and special that will never return.

The State of DMB: Part 1

2005-11-21T01:25:00.000-06:00

Recently driving with my window down, I came to a stop light at San Pablo Boulevard and Dwight Avenue in Berkeley. An elderly man stood at the edge of a cross walk. Singing a tune, he paused and tossed out his finger in the air, as if cuing a drum beat. He began to whistle, and as my light changed to green, eyes bright and brown, he gave me a wink and a smile. A fall day in the Bay Area is quite a treat. It’s chilly in the early mornings and at night, but a fall afternoon day is warm and inviting. I enjoyed the street sounds, windows rolled down and radio off. Suddenly, I began whistling an old, old favorite of mine, a song by Dave Matthews Band, “Let You Down”.

This was slightly fascinating for three reasons. First off, I don’t listen to Dave Matthews Band anymore. Hardly ever really, for the past couple years. (I’ll explain why that is soon enough.) The second reason I was intrigued at catching myself in the middle of that melody was due to the fact that during my last anatomy lecture, the teacher explained how the human brain functions. There are certain lobes that serve as holding tanks for our memories. Certain smells, tastes, and sounds can trigger old memories. This is a very cool phenomenon, and explains why you can break down and cry listening to a song that highlighted a highly emotional moment during your life, say, your grandfather’s funeral or a break up with an ex... even years after the event initially occurred. I have a feeling seeing the old man whistling reminded me of the song, particularly after my pal Scott invited me to write up an article on “The State of DMB” for his newly created music and film site. Of course I agreed, I love to write, but this also had me questioning how the hell I would approach such a subject.

I actually became very intrigued with the Dave Matthews Band music by complete accident. I was a sophomore in high school, and my dad’s birthday was coming up. I had no clue what to get him, and refused to get him what he requested: “boxers or handkerchiefs”. A local bay area radio station named KFOG was the primary station my dad listened to in the car, and driving home from Monterey one day, he told me I may really like “this band, they play this song called ‘Ants’ something or rather”, he explained. So, I decided just to get him the entire album since he brought it up. A bonus for me, I figured I’d find out if I liked them or not while my dad listened to it. Oh, but I did. My poor dad’s birthday gift pretty much found a permanent home in my own cd player. Happy Birthday, Pops! Thanks for sharing. After all, sharing is caring! I listened to the album frequently. I enjoyed the layers and rhythm of the music. Dave’s voice was unique, and lyrically, the tunes were very interesting. i.e. “I was there when the bear ate his head, and thought it was a candy”? Rightio. I want to go camping where ever Dave does. Bears eat their own heads!

After “Crash” and “Before These Crowded Streets” came out, I was old enough to get myself around to shows without Mom and Dad shuffling me and my friends around. So I took my baby blue ford escort to my very first Dave Matthews concert on Halloween, 1998. We were way up in the nose bleed section, but we enjoyed every second of it. Freaky fans dressed up as aliens screamed, “WE LOVE YOU, DAVE!” Dave looked back at Carter Beauford and calmly responded, “Ehhhhheyyy...Take me to your leader”. This had the crowd in near hysterics. Dave Matthews, a tall and handsome drink of water, could belch in the mic, and girls and guys alike would swoon and scream.The set lists were varied and fantastic. After that show, I was sold. Generally, every time the band came back to play in my area, I’d go.

When the Warehouse started up, I hesitated to enroll in the “official” fan club, but eventually did. I started going on the boards to find out who else enjoyed the band as much as I did. WOW. What a world. Some fans traveled all over the country for concerts. I started posting and in the process weeded out the overzealous/frightening stalker type of fans from folks I could relate to. (Scott and Robbi being two of the latter, they remain my friends to this day.)

Anyway, all the while my three favorite albums were out, “Under the Table and Dreaming”, “Crash”, and “Before These Crowded Streets”, I was the deeply intent and devoted to loving the band. It’s an interesting mix of instruments; an acoustic guitar, violin, bass, drums and sax. The band had some type of magic formula for putting all these together and making it work. Leroi Moore, the sax player, offers a decent explanation of the bands’ success: “We take a lot of different influences and make something out of them by playing each song the best that we can play it. It is this blend of influences that creates the bands’ rich texture.”* I suppose that’s a decent and good way to explain it.

In the year 2000, the band scratched their “Lillywhite sessions” and went with a new producer. They quickly put together an album called “Everyday”. The first time I listened, things sounded and felt very different. The songs were short. The songs lacked a special rhythm, soul, it lacked... whatever the first three albums had that I loved! It was mediocre, it was... sad. Suddenly the songs were always on the radio, but it left me with a sour taste in my mouth. That year, the concerts were not as enjoyable as they had been in years past. The fan base grew more and more outrageous. As any Dave Matthews Band fan knows, there’s a plethora of different types of fans at the shows, different ages, different styles, etc. Just this last August, I was surrounded by Abercrombie and Fitch girls to my left, an older couple behind me, and a drunken hooligan of a frat boy two rows in front of me. He literally jumped up and down, pumping his fist in the air with the same intensity throughout the concert, regardless of the song. They could have been playing “Ants”, a very poppy and catchy, upbeat tune, or the jazzier, slower and more romantic “Crush”, it didn’t matter. The guy was on a Dave Matthews Band high. He clearly lived for the band.

How would I rate myself as a fan? I’d say you could almost classify me as a retired vet. I’ll always enjoy certain songs, and thanks to the memories and friends I’ve made because of this band, I could never dislike them completely. Even one song off the latest “Stand Up” album called “You Might Die Trying” gives me the impression that the band hasn’t lost it’s originality. They’ve been together a long time and don’t seem to be going away any time soon. Despite this, I’ve certainly mellowed out though. I’ve made room for other “favorites”. There’s an actual rotation in my cd player now.

I think “Busted Stuff” and all the DMB albums underneath it has collected quite a bit of dust by now, with the exception of one. After my fall drive in the Berkeley hills, I did crave to hear the album version of “Let You Down”. So I put it on the right track, and whistled along. It’d been awhile. I have to admit, to hear that song again, felt very comforting.

...It felt great.

*Leroi Moore quote, http://www.rockthenet.com

introducing a series...

2005-11-20T19:41:00.000-06:00

so i had this idea to get a couple of my friends to write their thoughts on how the dave matthews band was doing right now. we had met online in early 1999 after dmb started their fan club, the warehouse. we've still remained friends, and i thought of no two better people to help out with this new project. it'll be 3 articles all written by different people. so join me in welcoming two of the newest elitist hacks...marika and robbi.

Show Review: Hootie & The Blowfish in Houston, TX

2005-11-15T10:48:00.000-06:00

11/11/05

Oh what a difference 11 years makes. After the 1994 release of Cracked Rear View, Hootie & The Blowfish went from a college cover band to a national hit machine, putting out some of the biggest pop/rock hits of the 90s. So here I am, seeing them perform in a small, no-name club (Meridian) in Houston, promoting their new CD, Looking for Lucky. The show was not even sold out, so I rolled up and scored a ticket for $15 outside the door. Not only was that $10 off the normal price, it sure felt good screwing Ticketmaster out of their $8.

I am sure most of you know HTB’s hit songs by heart, and you’ve probably even seen HTB in concert before, so it is no surprise to hear they are awesome in concert. So what I will aim to do here is comment on some interesting (to me at least) tidbits that I noticed during the show.

Since this was a general admission concert, I got to the venue around 7:45 to try to score a good spot. Boy, did I ever score! There were only a handful of people at the stage, so I staked out a spot right at the rail, about 6 feet from the stage.

Django Walker, son of the 70’s Jerry Jeff Walker, opened the show at 9pm, and played for 45 minutes. They are a young band from Austin, whose style is not far off from HTB. Their sound is more simple but solid, with good guitar work. Most of their songs are about Texas and college life, so that kind of got old after a while, but their talent was evident. I bought their 2002 independent CD, and Walker even signed it for me. That was cool. After further reading on Hootie’s website, I found out that Mark Bryan has produced a new CD for Walker, which hasn’t been released yet.

HTB took the stage about 10:15, and led off with “State Your Peace”, the leading song off the new CD. Following that was their hit “Time”, and this set the pattern for the show, which is playing a new song and then an older hit. This worked well.

One interesting thing I noticed about HTB on stage is that the lead guitarist Mark Bryan does all the talking/commentary. Matter of fact, I don’t remember Darius saying a word the entire concert. Weird. As it turns out, I enjoyed Mark’s performance more than anyone’s, I guess because he was so laid back, his goofy attempts at dancing (wow, what a white boy!) and his interaction with the crowd. At one point he got down and danced with a few ladies in the crowd. And the ladies weren’t even pretty. Lol. BTW, Mark’s old Gibson guitars were awesome. I want to learn to play just so I could get guitars like those. I’m sure they are cheap too. Yeah right.

Toward the end, they performed a few notable cover songs. One was David Allen Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me by My Name”, (voted the perfect country western song). They also performed a melody of rap songs, which included “Gold-digger”. Very humorous.

They finished up their regular set at about 11:45, then proceeded to come back for three encores. At the very end, I caught a pick from Mark, and a drumstick from Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, which was beat-up from playing all night. Cool.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. And to think I almost didn’t go. Thanks, Scott, for making me go!

-Chad

what i've been listening to...(scott)

2005-11-14T07:59:00.000-06:00

Jacob runs a monthly article over on Circle Six called “what would Jacob listen to?” and most times its good, and then he’ll say how he’s listening to a band like Disturbed. (yeah, I know). Anyway, I thought I’d type something about what I’ve been listening to the past week or so.

David Crowder Band – A Collision

I’ve listened to this album everyday for a week. It is tremendous. I came home one day and jumped around when I was able to hear one song on the big stereo. I don’t know if I was near an emotional cliff or what, but I was even near tears during one of the songs. The lyrics are so powerful on some of the songs, and I think this album is a big step forward from Illuminate.

Elvis Presley – 30 #1 Hits and 2nd to None

Since coming to know the perfect combination of hoaky and quality that is Elvis, I’ve been listening to his music a lot. ‘Burning Love’ is still in heavy rotation, and ‘Suspicious Minds’ is creeping up. Even if I had not gone to Memphis recently, I might still be interested in buying a copy of the 1968 Comeback Special dvd. If I end up purchasing a shirt with his face emblazoned on the front, you have my permission to slap me.

Ryan Adams – Demolition

I had gotten this album a while back, maybe about 8 months ago. I heard ‘Nuclear’ first and was hooked. So much so that liking Ryan Adams became one of my non negotiables for a girl. I made mix cds with songs from this album on it, but I had never really listened to the whole thing. I’ve been coming to appreciate the songs like ‘Gimme a Sign’ and ‘Desire’, this is definitely a great album. How shocking the idea that Ryan Adams can put out an album of b-sides and have them be so good.

Johnny Cash – Live at Folsom Prison

I’m prepping to see “Walk the Line” on Friday. I still like Live at San Quentin better, but Folsom also has some amazing qualities.

Intro #2

2005-11-01T11:48:00.000-06:00

I'm Jacob, the other elitist hack. I'll have something to say soon enough. Until then, you should be listening to Wilco.

show review: david crowder band in mobile, AL

2005-10-30T01:17:00.000-06:00

so tonight i went over to mobile, alabama (about 90 miles) strictly by faith and because i knew if i didn't go, i'd regret it. i'd never seen dcb live, and i regretted not even trying to go last year when they came through with mute math. anyway, so my sister and i were going to check out the david crowder band show, but the show was sold out. funny thing, a little known fact about christian concerts, there are almost ALWAYS tickets available. why? because they sell group tickets, which means there's always some kid in a youth group that bails at the last minute, so there's youth leaders out front selling tickets. the tickets were about $23 after the ticketmaster charges, so i had brought enough cash to cover at least that just in case. we rolled up right at 7:00 and find a guy out front selling tickets. i ask him how much, he exasperatedly says to me "$10 each". score. being that it was a sold out show and all the seating was GA, we ended up in the nosebleeds in the upper balcony, but we had a decent view, and we just got in to a sold out show for half price, so neither of us minded that much.

the opening band was the robbie seay band. i heard they were don miller's favorite christian band, but i cannot confirm that. they were pretty good, sounded musically a bit like u2. not sure if they were going for that or not, but that's what i thought. they were okay, i'd check them out again maybe.

2nd band was shane and shane. i've heard of these guys, and even have one of their records, but i really hadn't ever listened to it. i had gotten it as part of some bmg sale, you know the ones where you need to order 3 to get so many free or something? anyway, they were good, although i thought a bit too serious to be opening for crowder. i mean, lighten up a little! it was good acoustic/folk type with a message. so it wasn't bad, i just thought playing right before crowder, they seemed out of place. i did really like their last song, but nothing impressed me enough to drop money on a cd.

and finally, the main event. david crowder band put on a great show. lots of fun. i don't know if i can remember a show since when i'd seen barenaked ladies where i was truly laughing at what was being said up on stage. they have a fantastic stage presence. and the music wasn't bad either. lots of stuff off the current record, collision, obviously, and all those songs sounded great. i had actually not heard any of those songs before, but i was not disappointed. i found a lot of the new songs have a building intensity in them, which came across great live. especially when they'd get to the crescendo and everyone is up on their feet cheering. the songs from illuminate were rocking, as well as a few of the older songs such as the cover of 'come thou fount'. the 'come thou fount' cover was amazing, they tagged it with 'amazing grace' and the crowd sang both songs in their entirety and it was truly a great worship experience. i had gone to see third day one time and they were able to get that closeness of a small worship service translated into enough for 10,000. tonight david crowder band did that for about 5,000. all in all, it was a great show. the time flew by. i think they were up there close to 90 minutes, but the end felt like it was maybe an hour. on the way out, we took the street near the tour buses, and i was able to grab a picture with the rock star, david crowder, himself. and remembering how jacob doesn't really like dcb, i promptly sent him the picture. camera phones are cool. and being a fan of tour shirts, i picked up a shirt for only $12. i wish more bands would follow that kind of pricing.

first post

2005-10-27T23:00:00.000-05:00

this blog came from discussions between jacob and i that we should start our own music discussion website. i don't even know what to type right now, but i just wanted to welcome you to a new website where you'll be able to learn new bands and reminisce about good old bands. and maybe, just maybe, after reading some of what we write, you'll be able to answer that age old question "who's your favorite band?" with more than the overused (and very lame) answers "i just listen to whatever's on the radio" or "i don't really have a 'favorite'".