Jesca Hoop Day

/ / rantings, review
In honor of Jesca’s new CD coming out tomorrow, I’m listening to Kismet, an awesome release that snuck under many a radar in late 2007. Oddly, her new CD tomorrow isn’t exactly new new; it was released in the UK back in October 2009. Someone please explain to me how a California-native artist releases a new CD overseas 8 or so months before its initial release in the US. how does THAT happen?
Anyway, if you have the Hunting My Dress import, then this new release probably won’t rattle your sonisphere too much. To be noted though … Amazon is selling the new CD with an additional EP. Not sure what all is included on the bonus CD, but hey … that alone my be reason enough to pick up the US version … IF you don’t already have the UK import.
The thing I like about her music is that it’s completely accessible from multiple angles. For one, there’s the genre-shattering sound. At once a glancing nod to an air of country with respect to some of the harmonics, a mix of alt-folk electronica … a strong influence of free-verse poetry with accompanying acoustic guitars (even as I type, “Enemy” plays on iTunes) … her music is definitely not to be missed. Enjoyable by anyone with an ear for haunting melodies and and voice. I love how there’s a slight sound of Joana Newsom to some of her vocals.
I’m sure that Graywhale will have a copy of the new CD tomorrow. Hopefully, it’ll have the new EP along with it.

Basking in the Afterglow: Yet Another Barenaked Ladies Concert Review

/ / Concerts, review

Again, wow.

Iron Maiden. Plant killing. Pre-show fun with new friends. Sound check hilarity.

What else …?

Oh, yes. The music. The always engaging, entertaining music.

My day began with a line wait of epic proportions. 9 am to 6 pm. That’s right–9 hours in the sun. Relief didn’t even show up until almost 3, but at that point, I wasn’t about to give up my parking spot, which was literally feet from the exit across the main road.

I got some sweet footage of the band sound-checking to “Some Fantastic.” I’ll post it as soon as I can trim it. Meanwhile, enjoy these pics posted on flickr.

The gates opened a little after 6. Because the venue allows for coolers and stuff, we packed in some sandwich materials, snacks and beverages. My cooler was weighted down with the ice and beverages, so it was pretty heavy. The venue is all GA, so we made sure the person with the least to carry bolted for a spot as close to the front as possible and laid down blankets, then the rest of us lagged behind with our loads and stuff.

Front row. Again. Ha.

This time, we sat directly in front of Jim’s mic and in front of the stage left stack. I still can’t hear out of my right ear.

Angel Taylor truly lived up to her name. Her band was a blast. A guy on guitar, guy on drums, and herself, who alternated between keyboards, guitar, and some shaky thing. She played her radio hit “Hey Soul Sister,” which is a Train cover from their 2009 CD, Save Me San Francisco. It was awesome. Very, very well done. I don’t know the names of the other songs she played because she didn’t announce them, but they’re all on her new CD, Love Travels.

Kris Allen also played a set.

Barenaked Ladies took the stage shortly after he left. They opened with “Who Needs Sleep?” off of Stunt. Here’s the set list:

  • who needs sleep?
  • old apt
  • falling for the first time
  • botanical garden song
  • every subway car
  • easy
  • raisins* not on set list!!
  • some fantastic
  • plant eating song
  • another heartbreak
  • ordinary
  • sound of your voice
  • all been done
  • i saw it
  • you run away
  • wind it up
  • 4 seconds
  • big bang
  • one week
  • too little too late
  • pinch me
  • million

    *encore*

  • brian wilson
  • when i fall

As you can see, some standards, but there are also some amazingly non-expected songs, like “When I Fall.” Always a great song to hear. “Who Needs Sleep?” is another great tune that doesn’t get played as much as it should.

Kevin did a fantastic job with “The Sound of Your Voice.” Basically just him and a guitar, while the other 3 backed him up doo-wop style.

The highlight of the night … no–the highlight of my concert-going career was meeting Celina. She and her mom were off stage right by a bit. My wife has a background in working with children with special needs, so it always warms us to see them in any location, but seeing her rocking out so far away from the stage just didn’t seem right. Someone went over and asked if they would like to come up to the front so she could get a better view. We started clearing a path so she could come over. Once people saw what was going on, EVERYone chipped in–moving coolers, blankets, chairs … it was awesome. She and her mom got to see about half the show right in front of Jim’s mic stand. It was … wow. It was sweet. So here’s to you, Celina! Thanks for joining us for the show!!

I’ve written some other reviews of past Ladies’ shows in the last few months, and really … this show was just as good musically. The thing that I always love about BNL is their truly sincere appreciation for their fans. They really do seem to have an affinity for Salt Lake. According to Tyler, we were the only city on the tour that sold out. That’s really disappointing to hear from a fan perspective, but it gives me great pride that our town supports them the way they deserve to be treated. 4 quality musicians who put everything out there for their fans each and every show … if you people only knew what you’re missing.

Next tour. And trust me–there WILL be another tour. 🙂

Boom Bip – Blue-Eyed in the Red Room

/ / Opinion, review

Since I haven’t really “reviewed” anything as of late, I flipped over to iTunes and hit the “random” button. I then clicked “next” 5 times. The first thing that popped up was Boom Bip’s Blue-Eyed in the Red Room CD. So, here goes.

Ummm … cool.

Interesting stuff. I like that it’s mostly instrumental. I also like that there are literally no samples used. There’s kind of a Postal Service sound to this, but no Ben Gibbard–just music. And it’s mixed really well. A lot of times with instrumentals, there’s an emphasis on keyboards, or bass, or drum beats. Not this–everything is well balanced and sounds great together. I’d be curious to know if this was all done on a keyboard, or whether actual instruments were used. It sounds like instruments, but with as accurate as some sound processors can be, it’s a bit difficult to tell!

The CD opens with “Cimple.” Keyboards, piano, drums, bass, something that sounds like a harpsichord, some other programmed sounds … kind of a mellow piece that kind of keeps you awake, but could easily lull you to sleep.

“The Move” is a little faster, with more keyboards, bass drums, something that sounds like it’s supposed to be a snare but isn’t … sounds more like a DJ scratching. Lots of layered sounds mixed in.

I’m liking this CD.

“Do’s and Dont’s” features utilizes the vocals of Gruff Rhys. “Thou shall not do this; thou shall not do that.” I like the lyrics–a classic back-and-forth between opposites. I’m also digging the water-pipe sounds. If you’re familiar with the STOMP dvd where they play pipes in an underground sewer line and they put them in water and move them up and down, yah–similar sound.

Kind of like Mike Oldfield, a little Owl City-ish… though in my opinion more diverse and a LOT more sounds than OC. I like this CD a lot.

Okay, that’s it for the song reviews. If you’re a fan of instrumental music and dig the whole electronica scene, this CD is for you.

Best of Both Worlds

/ / Opinion, rantings, review

So, U2 had to cancel their tour due to Bono’s back surgery. Crushing shame for fans all over the world, right?

Tell that to the Glastonbury audience.

In their absence, Muse was asked to fill the slot. Now … I have no problem admitting that I am a HUGE Muse fan, and I bask in their musical glory on a daily basis, but those are awesomely MIGHTY large shoes to have to fill. U2 is legendary. Their shadow is cast on just about every country. Is there a corner of the world that hasnt’ heard of them? I highly doubt it. Muse, by way of comparison, are on the rise, and they are comprised of some of the best musicians out there, but …  they’re not Adam, Edge, Bono or Larry.

Yet.

So the good folks at Glastonbury recognized the talent in Muse, asked them to headline the show. An honor in and of itself. However, Muse “filling in” for U2 is like asking the now LA Lakers to “fill in” for the Chicago Bulls of the 90s. You can’t do it.

Yet.

Muse knows PR. They know the fans got shafted out of seeing the legends. They also know that they have a good, strong fan base in the UK. So … how do you assuage the audience that feels cheated?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yX1avvACZM&feature=related

If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, you suck. Period. For one, it means you know next to nothing about either music history or current music, which begs the question: “Why am I even reading this blog?” Second, the energy these two bands have ALONE is enough to power a small country, like France. Together? I don’t know. We’re way past nuclear fusion or atomic energy. We haven’t even created that much energy yet.

Or maybe they have.

In any case, enjoy the video. I have at least a dozen times at this point.

iPhone Music App You NEED

/ / iPhone Apps, Opinion, review

Nifty.

That’s about the best way to describe Moodagent. This app ($4.99 in the App Store) will take all your songs, catalog them and assign them to one or more categories (up to 5), then you can select your mood–sensual, tender, happy, or angry, then select the tempo. All of this selecting is done on color-coded sliders. The higher you slide a particular mood, the more songs of that type will be added to a playlist. The playlist can be up to 50 songs, but the default is 25. 

With the new 2.0 version of the app, you can tweet or Facebook your playlist. I *love* that. I’m a big fan of sharing what I’m listening to (though once it got me in a bit of trouble with FB friends who wondered why I was posting every 3-5 minutes, “I’m listening to ‘X’ by Y,” but that was a different app, iShareTunes). I’m also a monster fan of helping others discover new music. Others better than I have done it for me; the least I can do is return the favor. “Pay it forward,” as it were, only with a musical twist.

There is a music profiler that you can download from their site, both for PC and Mac platforms, that allows you to “speed up” the process. I’ve noticed that quite a few of my songs (read: a few thousand) weren’t catagorizable because they weren’t in the profiler’s database, nor could the program cull the information from the internet. I’d say about 90% of my items were cataloged. Pretty good, considering the amount of indie and foreign/world music I have.

Things I’d like to see in future releases:

  • Longer playlists. Really, 50 songs is good, but it’s really only about 3-4 hours of music, if that. If all you have is Weezer, then it’s probably about an hour and a half of music. 🙂 And sure moods can swing in that 4 hour span, but … meh. At least it’d be another option.  
  • Better cataloging. This has to be a no-brainer. 90% is good, but … when you have a 30000-song repository, that means you’re lacking 3000 tunes. Not good. That’s approximately 300 CDs. WHAT?! Yes–you read that right. 300 CDs not cataloged. So, again, 90% is good. 100% … yah. That should be the target. Always (again, a no-brainer).

Other than that, it’s a *great* app. I like selecting the “angry” mood with the slowest tempo possible. I get some seriously brooding, bruising tracks. Conversely, selecting the “happy” mood with the fastest tempo could very easily cause me to swerve off the road from the sheer energy.

For example, here are the first 10 tracks that Moodagent selected for me, based on the “angry” mood being all the way at the top, and the tempo being set to the lowest setting:

  • Autolux – Turnstyle Blues
  • Phaser – Life and Illusion
  • Muse – Microcuts (a personal favorite)
  • Adult – Contagious
  • Land of Talk – Magnetic Hill
  • The Beautiful Confusion – Rain
  • Xandria (Casablanca)
  • Krypteria – Victoriam Speramus
  • The Music – Guide
  • The National – The Geese of Beverly Road

Here’s an uptempo happy playlist:

  • Niyaz – Arezou
  • Vas – Moshka
  • Mike Oldfield – Sunjammer
  • Nouvelle Vague – Dancing with Myself
  • Von Iva – Birds of Prey
  • Of Montreal – Oslo in the Summertime
  • Niyaz – Golzar
  • Dido (don’t judge) – Us 2 Little Gods
  • Straylight Run – Untitled
  • Azam Ali – I Am a Stranger in This World

Anyway, for all you iPhone users out there, get this app. I think it’s well worth the $5 it costs. There is a free version, but the only difference is that it’s not ad-supported. In other words, annoying ads appear at the top of the app. If you can live with that, by all means, download the free version. I loathe ads, so I ponied up the $5.

BNL concert in Boise ID

/ / Concerts, review

There have been many who questioned the Ladies’ ability to continue on as a band without Steve. Many wondered if the band would survive. “How can they sustain such a loss?”

Addition by subtraction, my friends. Less indeed can be more.

I have attended some great concerts by epic bands: Muse, Tool, Rush … all of them pale in comparison to BNL in their ability to command crowd interaction. If I didn’t know better, I would swear that Ed, Jim, Tyler, and Kevin were best friends with every single person in the crowd at every single show. In fact, let me amend that: they act as if they’re best friends with every single person in each and every crowd.

So we left town yesterday morning to drive up here to Boise. Got up here around 4, checked in, ran some pre-concert errands, then headed to the venue. The show was held at the Idaho botanical gardens, which just happens to be situated right next to the old prison to stage left. To stage right is this scenic view of some mountains. Kind of an interesting backdrop. There was a constant threat of rain the entire evening. Call it what you will–the act of a benevolent God, a sweet intervention on mother nature’s part … it did not rain one drop on the entire crowd. As Ed so aptly put it, “THANK YOU MOTHER NATURE!” to which we all cheered raucously.

Serena Ryder

To be honest, I has not done my homework on her prior to coming out. I’m glad I didn’t. She was an incredibly pleasant surprise. She took the stage with a mic and her guitar–no supporting band. Apparently she has one, but she’s touring on her own right now. She put on an incredible, all-too-short show, comprised of 6 songs, none of which I had ever heard, but all of which I’m glad I got to see in person.

Here’s her set list:

  • All for Love
  • Brand New Love
  • A Little Bit of Red
  • Weak in the Knees
  • What I Want To Know
  • Sing Sing

It seems like I’m missing one or two. I was keeping pretty close track, but … I dunno. So, she’s this incredibly stage-friendly girl who rips a guitar up and down while she belts out this incredibly soulful voice that has just a hint of Nashville in it but enough folk to keep the country haters at bay. “Weak in the Knees” was a duet with Ed Robertson. It was extremely cool to see them perform together. “Sing Sing” was far and away her best. No guitar, just her and the mic in a Stomp-style beat throw-down and clapping while she unleashed this acappella blast. Very cool chick.

People were yelling things to her and she’d respond with a polite and quippy answer. I decided to be polite and raise my hand, since we were just that close. Knowing that she’s from Ontario, Canada, I asked her if she was a Senators fan. She just kind of chuckled a bit, then sweetly and politically danced around it without commiting to a yes or no answer, which, in retrospect, is completely understandable. Can’t alienate one fan base or another, right? Stupid me. 🙂

After her set, she went back by the merchandise table to hang out and meet with the commoners. I got two of her CDs: one for my wife and me; and one for our friends who got us the tix. After apologizing for making the Senators comment, she just laughed and said she thought it was funny. Hey, it got me a picture with her! She seemed really genuine and down to earth. I can’t wait for her to come to the SLC!!

Barenaked Ladies

As previously mentioned, there have been detractors who questioned the band’s ability to move on. “Have they lost their essence?” “Are they capable of maintaining their fan base?”

To those who asked those questions, I hope you hang your head in shame. For the band to re-invent themselves by changing practically nothing is the mark of a dedicated group of musicians. The Ladies are fortunate to have 4 such individuals in their group. The wit, the humor, the mid-set city-inspired improvs, the excellent musicianship … all as if they had always been a 4-piece band.

I’ve noticed a distinct and more than likely very purposeful lack of any discussion of Steve. I imagine it’s hard on them to lose such a good friend and band mate, but at the same time, I don’t think it was as amicable a break-up as everyone thinks it was. Not that there’s any level of animosity between him and them … I don’t know. It’s hard to describe. I have to believe that their first single off the new album, “You Run Away,” is almost auto-biographical. I swear Ed teared up ever so slightly while performing that song. And who could blame him?

This is just my personal opinion … while I miss Steve’s voice and contributions, I do believe that the band has MUCH more creative potential now than it ever has. Jim and Kevin are more than equipped to contribute musically–not just in playing their respective instruments, but in contributing entire songs–music and lyrics. All in Good Time more than supports that idea. They provide 5 tracks on the new CD–about the same amount as they had in the rest of their previous discography.

As for the concert itself, it was great to see them on stage again, even though my wife and I had just seen them not 6 months previous in SLC at the Depot for their Christmas concert. They played a very solid set, mixing old with new (though the only two songs they played that were pre-Stunt were “Old Apartment” and “If I Had $1000000”). Here’s their set list.

  • Testing 1-2-3
  • Old Apartment
  • Falling for the First Time
  • Boise Rap
  • Wind It Up
  • Every Subway Car (with Serena Ryder)
  • Another Heartbreak
  • Never Is Enough (just Jim and Ed)
  • Polywog (yes, they played a Snack Time song!)
  • Sound of Your Voice
  • Ordinary
  • Big Bang
  • 4 Seconds
  • Kevin’s piano solo
  • Unfinished
  • Boise song: You Fascinate Me
  • You Run Away
  • I Saw It
  • Too Little Too Late
  • One Week
  • It’s All Been Done
  • Pinch Me (ugh … such a drunk concert chick story about this song that will forever haunt me)
  • If I had $1000000

encore

  • Alcohol (sung by Tyler)
  • Summertime
  • Easy

Here are the pics we took.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slgld/4632473713/in/set-72157623998039499/

The show was phenomenal. Everyone smiled and had a ton of fun. Being on the front row, it was a tad difficult to see to the back of the crowd, but from what I could see, everyone was standing and dancing.

One of the standout songs was Tyler’s rendition of “Alcolhol.” You can tell he doesn’t get out from behind the drums very often. 🙂 No offense, Tyler! It was an awesome performance. He was all over the place, adding his distinct Tyler personality to the song. I wish I could have gotten some video footage. It was great.

“Polywog,” off of their Snack Time CD, had the crowd jump jumping to the top of the stump stump. Ed’s little mid-song rap was even better live than it is on the CD. Ha ha!

My favorite song off the new CD–“Four Seconds,” is one of the best lyrically that they’ve done in a long time. Any time you can actually rhyme something with “orange” (albeit with an ounce of forgiveness), you know you have a winner.

If this concert did *nothing* else for me, it showed me that BNL is still BNL–that they enjoy their crowds and fans as much as if not more than just about any other band out there; that they enjoy putting on an awesome stage shows; that they will prove to you night in and night out why their live shows are some of the best around.

But this particular show did so much more for me than just that. They are truly friends. When they announced that Steve had left the band, I felt as big a void as I’m sure they did. Along with them, I am filling that “void” with their new music. Not to mention that we got to go on a road trip with our incredibly awesome friends, with whom we don’t get to spend nearly enough time. They enjoy the band as much as we do.

My most incredibly awkward concert moment was achieved when drunk chick (whose picture I didn’t even think to take) reached up and grabbed my left nipple while the band was playing “Pinch Me.” I was literally stunned into a motionless stupor. “Whu … I …… why ……. don’t ……….” followed by a full-body shudder that ended with the heebie-jeebies on a scale of which I had never before experienced. Just … blugh. I felt tainted. I also laughed about it hysterically when I told my wife and friends. It was seriously weird.

In summary, the concert was fantastic. The band is back and as strong as ever. Serena Ryder was an experience unto itself, and I hope she’ll come to Utah here in the near future. Thanks for the fun evening, lady and ladies!

Sleigh Bells – Treats

/ / New Music, review

So, I got an email over the weekend. An old friend asked me to listen to Sleigh Bells, with a caveat–“Don’t read anything about them before or while you’re listening to them.” So I didn’t. And now I’m listening to them.

Well, okay … about 8 songs in, I finally caved and wondered, “Who ARE these guys?!”

“These guys” are Alexis Krauss and Derek E. Miller. Miller was looking for a vocalist for his music project. Alexis’ mom actually recommended her while she was working in a diner in NYC. I bet Derek’s glad she did. They’re one of the hottest things hitting the music scene, and they’re doing it from pretty much out of nowhere. They’ve already played Coachella–before their first release hit the market (May 11th). That’s saying something.

Her voice is dynamic. At times, it’s breathy and child-like; other times, she belts it and lets you have it square in the face. Or ears, I guess. Heavy on the keyboards and distorted guitar, lots of bass that further distorts the other sounds. At times, it feels like the mixing was intentionally left unrefined. It doesn’t necessarily detract from the awesomeness of the overall sound, but there are some parts where it could have used a little touch-up.

It’s rare for a band like Sleigh Bells to surprise me like they have. At once  dance-style electronic, as the CD progresses, they branch out into more guitar-based songs (I’m listening to you, “Straight A’s”). Again, could be synthed keyboards, but … whatever. It sounds cool. I know this much–it has my attention, and I’m not much into … however you’d classify them. But these guys … whoa. Tommy likey.

At first brush, I’d say they’re kind of like Muse meets Chemical Brothers meets Cibo Mato. If you’re familiar with those bands, listen to this CD and tell me I’m wrong.

“Tell ’em”, the opening track, opens with some thundering bass and guitar mixed with keyboard and synth. I wasn’t ready for Allison’s voice. Keep in mind that I listened to this track before I did some poking around online. Can’t understand what she’s saying half the time, but there are moments when the lyrics are more clear than others.

The beginning of “Kids” sounds like the beginning of “Stinkfist” from Tool. Sort of. It kind of has that feel to it for about the first 5 seconds or so, after which you can hear some horn-type sounds. 

“Riot Rhythm” has a bit of a politcal message. “You gotta march!” At least, that’s what it sounds like. Maybe it’s “You gotta MARK!” I dunno.

“Infinity Guitars” actually has very little guitar work, and what there is actually sounds like a processed keyboard, and has precisely 4 chords. I think what they meant is that the song feels like it goes on for infinity, and every now and then there are some guitars.

Okay … I stand corrected. Big time. It heavies up at the 1:52 mark. A more accurate title would be “Infinite Bass with Some Guitar.” I bet that song sounds frickin’ hot on a high-end system.

Rill Rill has “single” written all over it. This could be a seriously great radio hit, if the band is interested in that aspect of marketing at all. Truthfully, the CD itself is enough of a marketing tool that “singles” are probably not necessary.

Truly, the treat of the CD is the last track, “Treats.” Think about the intro to the Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?” and beef it up with a lot more bass throughout the song, and mix in more keyboards and synth. I’m totally digging this song.

That’s all the more songs I’m going to review. I’ve already over-extended my normal quota of 3-4 songs per CD. If you want to know how great this CD is, get it. iTunes, Amazon … whichever. You will probably really dig this CD if  you like:

  • female vocalists
  • lots of bass
  • music to jump around to (yes, I ended with a preposition. so frickin’ what?)
  • out-of-nowhere song transitions
  • infectious, addictive songs

Just get this CD. Do it.

Time Stand Still

/ / review

Don’t I wish …

I’ve been swamped with work stuff. My boss quit a few days ago. All the projects got dumped in mylap. I had been asking to help with things so I would know what’s going on … but no. Everything was handled by my boss up until the last day. Kind of wanted to get my hands dirty with these projects so it wouldn’t be such a shock. No such luck.

So anyway, that’s been my life for the last 3-4 days. Before that, I had strep and a kidney infection. Lots of pain killers, lots of anti-biotics, lots of sleep. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.

So my wife and I were talking about everything we have going on this summer. Barenaked Ladies in a few weeks in Boise, U2 about 2 weeks later, and Rush in August. Pioneer Park’s concert series is gearing up in a few months, and the list is awesome. Among the performers are Modest Mouse, New Pornographers, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, She and He … good series!

More info here. http://www.slcgov.com/arts/twilight/

I’m most excited for She and He. I’ve liked Zooey Deschanel since hearing her in “Elf.” Yes, that really is her in the movie. Anyway, she and M. Ward have two CDs together, aptly titles Volume 1 and Volume 2. Not the most creative titles, but appropriate. Their music rather neo-50s doo-wop … sort of. Imagine todays pop music being heavily influenced by the late 5os. There you go. They’re fun stuff.

So they’re coming. I’d like to see Modest Mouse as well. Always been a fan of Johnny Marr, but … he’s not with the band anymore, as far as I can tell. Truly a travesty.

I met a guy who builds custom cabinets. Basically, my wife found a shelf on KSL that she liked, so she asked if I could go pick it up. When I picked it up, I started chatting with the guy. Come to find out he does all kinds of stuff–bed frames, cabinets, shelves … you name it, he can build it. I got to talking to him about how we need new shelves for everything we have media-wise: DVDs, blu-rays, CDs, etc. He said he could build us some for really cheap. After discussing dimensions and paying for the new shelves, he said he’d have them done by Wednesday of next week, POSSIBLY over the weekend.

“Dude. So what? Why is that such a big deal?”

Right now, our “extraneous” CDs are sitting on top of the one shelf we have. We have about 200 CDs with no home. Homeless CDs need love too, right? They need shelter. Our movies are scattered around the downstairs. Some have homes, others do not. Some are in a shelving unit with locking doors; others are in another room on a wall shelf; the rest are on top of our bar or on the old entertainment center for the TV. I wanted a one-stop shop for everything. Now we’re getting it. And for frickin’ dirt cheap. SWEET!

So here’s a shout-out to Brian Moore, who’s building the shelves. He is Mountain West Furniture in SLC/Park City. Great to work with, reasonable prices … you can’t beat his work.

I’m hoping to get some video footage of the upcoming concerts around here. I have a device that will do it, but whether I keep it is a big question. For one, the battery life is low: less than 2 hours for each charge. I’m keeping it until the BNL show on May 21st, but after that, we’ll see. If the quality is as good as the reviews say it is, then I’ll re-evaluate.

Rush Tix!

/ / review

Tickets for the SLC show go on pre-sale in about 50 minutes. I’m hoping to get front row, but after reading over some of the issues people have had, I don’t know if it’ll even be possible to get tickets at all.

And the prices … what?! $150 for premium seats in some locations, $70 for the same seat in other locations. Why the disparity?! And what is with the state fair gigs? New York AND Minnesota?! That’s … sort of comical. Bands like REO Speedwagon and Styx play state fairs–not Rush. At least it’s not a state fair tour.

Review: Drop Side Nine – A Perfectly Orchestrated Breakdown.

/ / New Music, review

So, the other day, I got a friend request on Facebook. I had no idea who this guy was, so I checked out his page. Turns out he’s a local musician. I sent him a message asking him how he found me, thinking he found this blog. In actuality, he found me on The Depot‘s Facebook page. I told him about this site, and he said, “Well, hey. I have some stuff. Wanna review it?” Downloaded it, listened to it, and … well, here it is.

Drop Side Nine is comprised of Scott Peterson and Brandon Larsen, life-long friends who grew up in the same small town, went their separate ways, and ended up doing exactly what they’ve always wanted – making music. The result is what we’re given in A Perfectly Orchestrated Breakdown.

The first thing I noticed was the sound quality. I like the garage recording sound. We’re not talking Garage Days Re-revisited, but there’s definitely an awesome vibe to the recording … like they’re seriously just having fun. Gives it a very raw, unaltered sound. Having said all that, I’m also extremely excited to see what some more professional recording and mixing can do for these guys. There is potential. Lots. And lots. And LOTS.

As for the instrumentation, I’m … wow. There are two guys, right? Just two? I mean, there’s synth, piano, guitars, strings (violins? cellos? maybe it’s synth … hard to tell), standard drums, drum loops … there’s a lot going on here. I’m guessing a lot of this is track layering. I can see the need of a full, 4 or 5 piece band to pull off this stuff live. Probably two guitarists, a keyboardist, bassist, and drummer. Obviously, some of the elements are already there.

Brandon has a kind of pre-trained James LaBrie-type voice going on that with some proper training could seriously take off. I like that it sounds completely unprocessed. I *hate* processed voices that sound great on a CD, but then you go see a band live, and come to find out, the singer really sucks. Such is not the case here. What you hear is what you’ll get live. Again, with a bit of vocal training, we could have the next Geoff Tate.

It’s fairly evident from lyrics that either Scott or Brandon (or, both?) have been through some painful experiences–the genesis for many of the songs on the CD. (from “Broken Down”) “Make this go away, turn a page–a brand new day. Now I’m so alive. I know this time that I’ll get it right. Broken down, I’ve begun to bleed.” (from “Take”) “I want you all to see it. I want you all to hear it, and this is what I’m screaming so maybe now you’ll feel it, and I will say it again: the walls are closing and, and I can’t take it no more.” (from Something New”) “I’ve awakened from my downward slide. I won’t be a victim anymore. Take a hard look at yourself cuz I’m coming out swinging. Ready to take your ugly world and turn it into something new–maybe a taste of the blues will help you secretly.” They’ve taken their experiences and turned them into this first offering.

Overall, there is serious potential for these guys. It’s obvious from Scott’s Facebook page that there’s already a growing interest. Now is the time to “get on board” and have the chance to say, “Hey … I knew them and saw them before YOU did!” If they keep plugging away (get it?! guitar and amp joke!), there’s no telling where they can go. We, the fortunate ones, get to watch the entire ride.

To Scott, who I know will read this, thanks for finding me. It’s been my privilege and pleasure to listen to your stuff. I’m serious … keep this up.

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