Monday, March 15, 2010

When the Angst Stops

Oh, Parker Gispert, you're all grown up now.

Friday, March 12, 2010

The Best of Bonnaroo '10 Part 5: Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers 13 weeks to go...

In this weekly feature, I will be counting down the weeks to Bonnaroo 2010 by exploring a group or artist that I am psyched to see. Check back each week for new updates, and be sure to check out past features you've already missed. Oh, and BUY YOUR F-ING TICKETS NOW!

This week's artist is Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers. Yes, that Steve Martin. The comedian. The Jerk. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Saturday Night Live. That Steve Martin. I'll give you a moment for that to set in.

Good? Good.

Apparently, in all the time Martin wasn't being the funniest person in all of Hollywood, he was spending time becoming awesome at playing the banjo. Martin has periodically mentioned his love for the instrument and used it for a time in his early stand-up acts in the 70's, but in recent years he has been collaborating with many musical acts, including bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs. For one of these collaborations, Martin was awarded a Grammy. NAVIN R. JOHNSON WON A GRAMMY. Sorry, I'm still reeling a little bit from this...



Martin released his first solo album, The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo, in 2009, where it made it to #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Album charts and stayed there for 12 weeks. The album features special appearances by such country and bluegrass talent as Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, and Earl Scruggs.

Bonnaroo, being held in central Tennessee, has always featured many country and bluegrass acts alongside the jam-bands, electronica, and heavy metal acts in order to feature the local musical stylings and highlight different genres. It will be an added delight to hear actual country-bluegrass music being played by one of my favorite actors of all time.

Check out these tracks: "Jubilation Day," "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," and "Saga of the West."

Bonnaroo will be June 10-13 in Manchester, TN and is one of the biggest music festivals in the country. For a complete line-up and to order your tickets, go to Bonnaroo.com.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Best of Bonnaroo '10 Part 4: The Black Keys. 14 weeks to go...

In this weekly feature, I will be counting down the weeks to Bonnaroo 2010 by exploring a group or artist that I am psyched to see. Check back on Tuesdays for new updates, and be sure to check out past features you've already missed. Oh, and BUY YOUR F-ING TICKETS NOW!

This week's artist is The Black Keys. The Black Keys are a blues rock duo who, along with fellow Great Lakes band The White Stripes, are almost solely responsible for the revival of blues music in the new millennium. Forming in 2001, The Black Keys' low-fi blues rock n' roll pushes the boundaries backward on recording technology, but in the most absolutely right way. Rather than recording in the most expensive studios, with top-of-the-line equipment, pouring over every meticulously mastered track after track, composing and compressing and auto-tuning until every note is just "oh-so perfect for radio," The Black Keys have recorded most of their albums either in low-tech independent studios, in drummer Patrick Carney's basement on 8-track, or in an abandoned warehouse.

The Black Keys play with a musical depth that some bands three times the size can't achieve. Carney, along with guitarist and vocalist Dan Auerbach combine into a bombastic exhibition, with the perfect balance of precision and stank. The guitar is hot fuzz, but every note makes you sway. The skins are loose, but they keep you bouncing. Many of the tracks consist of Auerbach ripping a basic riff repeatedly while Carney backs it up with a swaggering, sexy rhythm, then roaring into a just plain nasty chorus of overdriven mid-range licks. The track "Elevator," begins with a slow build as Auerbach croons, but then the chorus punches you in the heart and laughs while Carney kicks up the beats and Auerbach mocks your pain as you crumble: "going doooooooowwwnnnn."



In addition to the considerable commercial success and much more than considerable respect and critical acclaim The Black Keys have gained through their own albums, both Auerbach and Carney have worked on successful side projects; Auerbach's solo album Keep It Hid and Carney's band and self-titled album Drummer. And if that weren't enough, The Black Keys collaborated with a number of R&B and hip-hop stars such as the RZA, Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Mos Def, and Ludacris last year to record the independent album Blakroc. The album, which was recorded in only eleven days, featured tracks of The Black Keys laying down some of their sickest jams to the lyrics of many of the most respected talent in hip-hop. And Ludacris.

Having seen The Black Keys in concert before, I can safely say that they are one of the best live acts in rock n' roll. There may only be two white boys from Akron, Ohio up there on stage, but they put on a show that's sure to rock you to your cockles.

Check out these tracks: "Grown So Ugly," "Have Love, Will Travel," and "Strange Times."

Bonnaroo will be June 10-13 in Manchester, TN and is one of the biggest music festivals in the country. For a complete line-up and to order your tickets, go to Bonnaroo.com.

The Best of Bonnaroo '10 Part 2: Rise Against. 16 weeks to go...

In this weekly feature, I will be counting down the weeks to Bonnaroo 2010 by exploring a group or artist that I am psyched to see. Check back on Tuesdays for new updates, and be sure to check out past features you've already missed. Oh, and BUY YOUR F-ING TICKETS NOW!

This week's artist is Rise Against. Rise Against is a Chicago-born punk rock band who have been rocking since 1999. The band is the punk answer to such politically-minded artists such as U2 and Radiohead. Much of the subject matter for their music is social responsibility, humanitarian crises and fair trade. Though in the wrong hands, this would make for terrible rock 'n roll, Rise Against's hardcore punk riffs drive a Prius with spiked tires and a sick-ass sound system.



Animal rights and veganism aside, Rise Against seriously rocks. Protest anthems such as "Prayer of the Refugee" shift from a collared appeal of worker's grievances to a growling chorus of righteous proletariat fury (a bit wordy but it's a fun visual, I think you'll agree.)

Rise Against will definitely add a much-needed punk rock kick to the festival, in stark contrast to its laid-back jam band reputation, and with their straight-edge sensibilities, they will certainly fit in well with like-minded artists and festival-goers who generally shy away from the power chord and rock anthem crowd.

Check out these tracks: "Give It All," "Tip the Scales," and "Savior"

Bonnaroo will be June 10-13 in Manchester, TN and is one of the biggest music festivals in the country. For a complete line-up and to order your tickets, go to Bonnaroo.com.

The Best of Bonnaroo '10 Part 3: Julia Nunes. 15 weeks to go...

In this weekly feature, I will be counting down the weeks to Bonnaroo 2010 by exploring a group or artist that I am psyched to see. Check back on Tuesdays for new updates, and be sure to check out past features you've already missed. Oh, and BUY YOUR F-ING TICKETS NOW!

This week's artist is Julia Nunes. Julia is the internet success story. Since January '07, Nunes (pronounced 'noons') has been posting videos of herself covering various pop and rock covers, as well her own original compositions, mainly played upon her weapon of choice: the ukulele. Her covers of such tracks as "Survivor" by Destiny's Child, "Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger and "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers created a faithful following for Nunes. Using various recording and video editing techniques, Nunes often sings the harmonies for her own songs, layering several tracks of vocals, percussion, and other instruments to create a much richer sound than a single track would produce.

The video for her cover of Weezer's "Keep Fishing" not only established the trademark image of Nunes (clad in PJ's and a knit toboggan, recording from her dorm room), but gained the attention of piano-rocker Ben Folds. Folds invited Nunes to tour with him and open several shows, in which she would play the songs "Gone" (which she had previously covered) and "You Don't Know Me" with Folds himself. Since her touring stint with Ben Folds, Nunes has been touring on her own, promoting her own album and various EP's through Rude Butler Records, a company she herself started with her parents.



Julia Nunes is impossible not to love. As she finishes each song, she often will update her viewers with show info, personal stories, recording out-takes or whatever tidbits of information she feels like divulging. It's easy to connect with Nunes in a 'you were always a blast to hang with in high school' way. She feels like someone you've known for years.

It's truly rare to find anyone from teh Internetz that is blowing past their fifteen minutes of fame and doing something they love because they love it rather than trying to get the most views and five stars, and Nunes is clearly having the time of her life playing music. Whether she's touring, recording, or posting another one of her amazing covers, Nunes always shares the love with her fans and viewers for their support, and y'know what? I'm pretty sure she means it.

Check out these tracks: "Gone" (cover), "Maybe I Will" (original), and "It's the End of the World" (cover)

Bonnaroo will be June 10-13 in Manchester, TN and is one of the biggest music festivals in the country. For a complete line-up and to order your tickets, go to Bonnaroo.com.

The Best of Bonnaroo '10 Part 1: She & Him. 17 weeks to go...

In this new weekly feature, I will be counting down the weeks to Bonnaroo 2010 by exploring a group or artist that I am psyched to see. BUY YOUR F-ING TICKETS NOW!

This week's band is She & Him. She & Him is the pet project of indie rock artist and Monster of Folk M. Ward and the beautiful and infinitely talented actress/singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel. Deschanel and Ward met during the filming of one of Deschanel's films and collaborated on the film's soundtrack. Soon, Ward convinced Deschanel to record some of the songs she had secretly been writing for years, but had been shy about recording. The duo produced an album in 2008, and have been touring off and on in America and Europe, as well as performing at several music festivals.


The band's sound is a melodious throwback to original country and new indie-folk, as Deschanel channels Patsy Cline and Mama Cass. There is a nostalgic feel to most of their tracks, like you could here them on a 60's jukebox in a Missouri diner.

I fully intend on going to this show, meeting Zooey afterwards, falling madly in love with one another, getting married, and starting a beautiful family together just outside of Nashville.

Check out these tracks: "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?", "You Really Got a Hold on Me," and "Sentimental Heart"

Bonnaroo will be June 10-13 in Manchester, TN and is one of the biggest music festivals in the country. For a complete line-up and to order your tickets, go to Bonnaroo.com.