In many ways there is little to say about this film that hasn’t already been said. It is as good as you’re all hoping. (more…)

Sickening.  Sickening and maddening. (more…)

Dax Riggs is an interesting guy. He started out in a metal sludge band called Acid Bath that had a pretty dedicated (if small) following. When Acid Bath broke up he formed Agents of Oblivion, a band that managed to be both heavy and hauntingly beautiful, but definitely not sludgy. Agents of Oblivion also had a dedicated if small following. Then came a band called Deadboy & the Elephantmen, which is more roots-rock. Their first album had a full band, but their second only a drummer and Dax on vocals/guitar. He now records under his own name and when he performs live will also do Deadboy material.

I’ve never seen him before. Missed him plenty of times. He’s one of my favorite vocalists, though, so I have really wanted to catch him. And his voice is just as awesome live as it is on record.
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“Asses will be rocked.”

-Justin Pierre, Motion City Soundtrack

The Honda Civic Tour delivered on Justin’s promise at Salt Air  last Wednesday night (mostly through the valiant efforts of his own band), with a lineup that featured Phantom Planet, Panic at the Disco, Motion City Soundtrack and The Hush Sound.  (more…)

This past weekend, I went with my wife and two oldest daughters to see The Old 97’s perform at a hometown in-store performance at Good Records in Dallas. The band, half of whom have relocated to the West Coast, was in town playing the House of Blues at the front end of the tour in support of their new album, Blame it on Gravity. I picked up the new album at the store and have listened to it through a couple of times. It’s a good mix of Old 97’s twang and power-pop. I think fans will like it. I’ll post a few songs to the Radio.blog. If I have time, I might write a full review after I’ve had a chance to listen to it more carefully.
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There’s some music that makes me want to gather it up in my arms and squeeze it so tight that it sinks into my body. I want to absorb into my bones, so I can carry the feeling it gives me around with me forever. Ladyhawk’s music is like that.
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DCFC blew into town Monday and played at Thanksgiving Point in a beautiful outdoor setting under skies that cleared just in time for the show. (more…)

News of the Death Cab album got me to looking at tickets for their Birmingham, UK gig in July.

Tickets are £15. Except they’re not. They’re £17.60 (with booking fee). Except they’re not. They’re £22.40 (with transaction fee). Now, if I can dig deep for £15, I can dig deep for an extra seven quid ($14), but something about the whole system bugs the hell out of me. So much so that I can’t bring myself to cup the balls of these ticket pimps. Alas for Pearl Jam’s failed crusade.

Salt Lake City gave Augustana its usual adoring welcome last Friday at the Avalon, but this concert was markedly different from the others that have featured this great young band from Greenville, Illinois and San Diego, California.

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 Last night was the Elbow/Air Traffic show at the Depot in SLC.  I can’t begin to tell you how incredibly amazing this show was (Oh, Ok, I’ll try).   (more…)

You know, I go to a lot of shows, and I take videoclips at almost all of them. And I upload those clips to youtube. I have quite a collection going—over 150 live band clips. My camera somehow does really well with the ultra loud sound at shows. It doesn’t come out all distorted like a lot of live footage you see on youtube.

What’s funny is what my most viewed clips are.
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Meat Puppets, live, Pomona, CA, March 20, 2008.
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Elbow is a band from Manchester that has made some fantastic music in the past and has a new album (their fourth), The Seldom Seen Kid, which has just been released in the UK and comes out in the States in April. (more…)

Not to brag or anything, but my Oscar ballot reads 13 categories correct out of 24.  How about yours?  My favorite win was Best Original Song: Falling Slowly from Once.  My secret weapon was The Bourne Ultimatum, which I correctly picked for best sound mixing and best sound editing.  You may now grovel at my film genius.

I haven’t seen Built to Spill in years, and I’ve never seen the Meat Puppets. What an awesome, awesome show.
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I took my 11 yr old daughter to Colbie Caillat’s concert on Friday night.  I went dragging my feet, but I left in a much different frame of mind.  I now must confess.  I feel so guilty.  The shame is almost too much to bear.  But, yes, it’s true:  I… Love… Colbie. 

Confession is good for the soul. So, who’s your guilty pleasure?

 

Here’s a band you may want to check out Clark:

Every once in a while, you catch a band that seems ready to take the next big step and launch into the stratosphere. The Bravery seems like that kind of band right now. (more…)

Here’s my top 5, based purely on objective and unassailable criteria:

5: Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem
4: Gomez
3: Mute Math 
2: Interpol/Shout Out Louds
1: Fall Out Boy/The Academy Is…/+44

This was a difficult list because all of these shows were fantastic.  But FOB and friends deserve the top spot because of the bands they toured with, the quality of the show, and let’s face it: they rock.

 Your thoughts?

The Swell Season is Marketa Irglova, the 19 year old Czech piano prodigy and singer, and Glen Hansard, frontman of the Irish alternative band the Frames (strictly speaking, “The Swell Season” is the title of the album the two released). They’re backed up by a bass, a cello, and a violin, which makes for the same distinctive, slightly folky sound that the Frames have. However, the Season is on the whole quieter and more contemplative than the Frames are. They recorded the album before beginning work on the film Once, which starred Irglova and Hansard as two musicians beaten down by the dreariness of Dublin life who inspire each other to seek happiness and make music. Much of the work on the album was used in the film. They played Washington DC the night of November 18. (more…)

It’s been two weeks since the concert, and I still smile when I think about it. A dynamic, fun-loving group, The Go! Team combines hip-hop, sampling and old-fashioned beats with cheerleading. It’s a great band for dancing, and their shows are famous for their energy and drive.

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“This next song is about curling…”

Lesson one in how to detect that the band is Canadian. (more…)

I only went to this show because my son wanted to go, and he only wanted to go because Bang Camaro have a song he really likes on Guitar Hero (one of the bonus tracks).

I’m really glad we went, even if the opening bands were pure torture.

Bang Camaro are great, feel-good, party-on heavy rock, with three guitarists, a bassist and a drummer. Before they came out, there was some build up music playing, with stage lights flashing, other lights circling the crowd—all this at the little Troubadour. I thought, there’s no way they’ll live up to this sort of build up. Boy was I wrong.
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I haven’t seen the Melvins and Mudhoney share a stage since I was a teenager (I’m assuming I saw them play together at some point but can’t really remember). This show was a weird trip down memory lane. But such a rad one.

The Melvins were an early Seattle grunge band, but they moved to San Fran right when the scene was exploding nationally. Mudhoney were one of the Seattle greats that never really made it very big, but Mark Arm (singer) was never really in it to be famous, I don’t think. Both bands are still alive today and putting out great music. Both are in top form live.
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I was really looking forward to this show. Good thing it didn`t disappoint.
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