Jack Johnson - Live iTunes Festival 9-16-2013 London

Jack Johnson introduced many of his new songs to the world via the Internet and the iTunes Festival App.  Playing on, Monday, September 16th to a packed crowd at The Roundhouse in the Camden area of London.

He came out and played a few solo acoustic songs telling the story of how he locked his bike to his now wives bike so that he could meet her.  This song Do You Remember started it off then going into a story about there being a hail storm in London and went into I Got You from the new album.  He then jumped into a story about how he was asked by a reality tv show to use one of his songs and didn't find that to be a good idea and jumped into Good People.

Shortly after he brought the band out to sing a mix of songs from new to old.  Zach parked himself on the right side with his piano, keys and glockenspiel dancing around during the songs having a good old time.

People were yelling requests but Jack said he couldn't hear them or that he would get to it.  Switching between acoustic and electric through out, we got a mix of fun songs like Bubbletoes, Flake & Bannana Pancakes.  Merlo rapped out as JRadio during Staple It Together.

Mixing up verses and various lyrics throughout, Jack adapted as he went along and made it seem like it was just a part of the show.  He also brought out the opening band Bahamas to play a few tunes.

Overall a really fun night of music that you can rewatch on demand through the iTunes Festival App.

Jack has a new album out this week, you can pick it on iTunes, Amazon or at http://jackjohnsonmusic.com/ 

Setlist:

Do You Remember

I Got You

Good People

Washing Dishes

Taylor

Sitting Waiting Wishing

Flake

Shot Reverse Shot

Fortunate Fool

Radiate

Bubble Toes

Wasting Time

Don’t Believe A Thing I Say

Banana Pancakes

Tape Deck

Staple It Together

At or With Me

Encore:

Gone

Ones And Zeros

Angel/ Better Together

Home

Steve Martin, Edie Brickell & Steep Canyon Ranger Live in Omaha, NE7/21/2013

On Sunday, July 21st at the Holland Center in Omaha, NE, Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers played an evening with Edie Brickell and what a fabulous night it was.

The night started out with Steve & Steep Canyon Rangers playing a series of songs and joking about as they played showing that it was going to be a fun night for all. 

The Holland Center in Omaha, NE is a very beautifully designed building with fantastic acoustics.  There isn't a bad seat in the place and the sound was amazing.  The crowd was a mix of fans and those with season tickets.  All seemed to really enjoy the show.  It was a sold out show.

Edie joined the guys after about four songs to play a series of songs off the new album Love Has Come For You as we'll as several other classic songs.

There was a lot of fun bantering going on through out the show from Steve, the guys in Steep Canyon Rangers and Edie.  It was a really fun night of great music the band was really on.  

I loved seeing this show with them all together playing some amazing songs, but the guys from Steep Canyon Ranger were all so talented, I would live to see them on their own.  Each and everyone of the guys were amazing.

We had the opportunity to meet Steve after the show and took a picture good time.

Here was the set list from the show.

Setlist:

• Katie Mae

• Rare Bird Alert

• Yellow-Backed Fly

• The Crow

• Get Along Stray Dog

• When You Get to Asheville

• Yes She Did

• Love Has Come For You / Knob Creek

• Atheists Don't Have No Songs

• Jubilation Day

• The Great Remember / Sun's Gonna Shine

• Fighter

• Sarah Jane and the Iron Mountain Baby

• Pretty Little One

• Auden's Train

ENCORE

• The Dance at the Wedding

• Remember Me This Way

• Another Round / Pitkin County Turnaround

We had the opportunity to meet the guys from Steep Canyon Rangers as well.  They were all a great bunch of guys and very welcoming to us visiting.

This was a picture of us with Edie after the show, my son kept hiding and missed out.

Steve Martin & Edie Brickell - Love Has Come For You - Album Review

After The New Bohemians. A solo career, collaboration with Harper Simon and a couple albums with The Gaddabouts, Edie Brickell has now teamed up with Steve Martin for a great new Bluegrass album.

Over all the years of the different styles of music, I really think Bluegrass really suites Edie well.  It brings out a certain beauty in her voice.  

There are a lot great stories and  catchy riff as well as some great banjo playing by Steve.  Edie & Steve met years ago and somewhere along the way decided to collaborate on some song.  Steve emailed Edie some songs and she added  lyrics and it all started there.

My favorite song on the album is the first track When You Get To Asheville.  It seems funny that a Bluegrass song would start, "When you get to Asheville, send me an email". I always think of Bluegrass as unplugged old time music.  Well, now it has been modernized.

There are a lot of fun songs and catchy tunes that make you want to get up and dance around or just clap your hands.

Sarah Jane in the Iron Mountain Baby is an interesting song.  A sad but happy as well.  It's about a boy thrown out a train and surviving for a man to pick him up and delivered him to Sarah Jane.

Lots of great songs and beautiful music.  Edie has a brilliant way of writing and an amazing voice to add to the songs.

I highly recommend going out and picking this album up.  You will live it.

Track List:

 1.  When You Get To Asheville 3:15 

 2. Get Along Stray Dog 2:10 

 3. Love Has Come For You 3:08 

 4. Friend Of Mine 2:36  

 5. Siamese Cat 2:57  

 6. Yes She Did 1:34 

 7. Sarah Jane And The Iron Mountain Baby3:12 

 8. Fighter 2:40  

 9. King Of Boys 2:51  

10. Sun's Gonna Shine 3:05  

11. Who You Gonna Take? 2:40

12. Shawnee 2:29

13. Remember Me This Way 3:31

Grateful Dead - Sunshine Daydream (Veneta, OR 8/27/72)

Another one of the many live Grateful Dead live releases releases that have come out over the years.  This one is accompanied by a full DVD of the show.

There are many great comments throughout this show.  Much talk about how hot it was out and Bobby even says that it's hard to keep his guitar tuned because of the heat and sun.

The fans were reminded to keep cool and take breaks from time to time to drink water.  There were also quite a few from the kids tent where many people left their kids as they watched the show.  

The show started off with a nice version of Promised Land that wend into a nice but short version of Sugaree.

Although you could tell they were hot and miserable through the show, they just played on and had some really nice jams.  I could always do with a little less Donna, but still some great jams including a really nice Dark Star.  Playing into He's Gone into Jack Straw was a nice set of tunes as well as the China Cat > Rider was pretty awesome.

Overall this 3 cd set compares to many of the other great 1972 shows that have been released.

I highly recommend picking up this set which is available next week in stores as well as at www.dead.net.

Track List:

1. Intro (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 4:00

2. Promised Land (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 3:23

 3. Sugaree (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon)7:30

 4. Me And My Uncle (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 3:15 

 5. Deal (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 4:55

 6. Black-Throated Wind (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 7:01 

 7. China Cat Sunflower (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 7:58 

 8. I Know You Rider (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 7:02

 9. Mexicali Blues (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 3:49

10. Bertha (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon)5:59  

11. Playing In The Band (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 19:56

12. He's Gone (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 9:32

13. Jack Straw (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 5:06 

14. Bird Song (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 13:16 

15. Greatest Story Ever Told (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 5:36

16. Dark Star (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 31:27 

17. El Paso (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon)5:04

18. Sing Me Back Home (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 10:50  

19. Sugar Magnolia (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 8:45 

20. Casey Jones (Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon) 6:25 

21. One More Saturday Night ( Live - 8/27/72 Veneta, Oregon)

Jack Johnson - From Here Now To You - Album Review

Jack Johnson puts out his first studio album in 3 years following up To The Sea.  In similar fashion Jack mixes both acoustic and electric guitars into this album.

The album brings back the usual suspects Adam Topol, Merlo Podlewski and Zach Gill to create another amazing album with a great mix of catchy lyrics tied to a compliment of great music.

Jack really likes to tell fun stories through his songs, some a little darker and some about love for his wife and others about silly things his kids do, that spark songs out of him.

At first listen there are a lot of similar tunes to the style of To The Sea, but nothing wrong with that at all.  I Got You was the first single release, a good fun tune.  Shot Reverse Shot is a catchy tune with a nice beat.   Those who listen to a lot of Jack will recognize the song Home as he's played it on the En Concert album and DVD.

Another fine piece of work by Jack and crew.  They will be heading out on a tour, hopefully we will get the opportunity to see him here in Kansas City again like on the last two tours.

Track List:

1.  I Got You 2:59

2.  Washing Dishes 3:23

3.  Shot Reverse Shot 3:10

4.  Never Fade 4:02

5.  Tape Deck 3:21

6.  Don't Believe A Thing I Say 3:14

7.  As I Was Saying 3:45

8.  You Remind Me Of You 2:24

9.  Radiate 4:15

10.  Ones and Zeros 4:27

11.  Change 3:14

12.  Home 3:02

Paul Simon - Live In New York City (2012)

Filmed for a PBS/BBC Special last year, Paul Simon - Live in New York City captures a special evening live at Webster Hall with Paul and his band from June 6, 2011.  Webster Hall is a smaller intimate setting which to me would have been an awsome place to see Paul perform.  I was fortunate enough to see him perform in December on this tour in Kansas City and it was a brilliant show in a nice venue as well. 

This performance was released as a 2CD/DVD set in 2012.  The performance contains 20 great songs from over the years and starts off with a great version of one of my favorite, The Obvious Child.  Paul and the band do a great version with a really nice jam on the drums.

I love the versions of everything from Mother & Child Reunion, Hearts and Bones, Gumboots, Diamonds and a bunch more.  Even at 70 years old, Paul still plays the guitar and sounds as great as he has over the last 30 years I've seen him.

One of my favorite live performance of any band has always been Simon & Garfunkel Live at Central Park.  I wore through the double vinyl and and the cd versions.  What an amazing performance that was.  Now in 2012 we get a really nice solo collection of the best of all the years live.  This one is a must for all Paul Simon fans, pick it up.

Track Listing:

Disc: 1 
1. The Obvious Child 
2. Dazzling Blue 
3. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover 
4. So Beautiful or So What 
5. Mother & Child Reunion 
6. That Was Your Mother 
7. Hearts and Bones 
8. Crazy Love, Vol. II 
9. Slip Slidin' Away 
10. Rewrite 

Disc: 2 
1. The Boy In The Bubble 
2. The Only Living Boy In New York 
3. The Afterlife 
4. Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes 
5. Gumboots 
6. The Sound of Silence 
7. Kodachrome 
8. Gone At Last 
9. Late In the Evening 
10. Still Crazy

Jason Mraz - 09/12/2012 Starlight Theater, Kansas City, MO

I was doing a volunteer gig with Headcount to get folks to register to vote for the 2012 presidential election as well as just to register to vote in general.  We are there to answer questions and encourage people to register who are not.  So if you haven't registered or you have moved since you last registered, I would go out to Headcount and get it done.

It was a really nice night out at Starlight Theater in Kansas City.  There was a pretty sizable crowd of people mixed with young and old.  But everyone was into the show from the start and Jason really interacted well with the crowd and his band.

He started off the show with some classics, Ray of Sunshine and then into Remedy.  Throughout the set the crowd was singing and dancing along throughout the whole show.  The band really jelled together from beginning to end.  There was certainly a lot of talent within his band with a great horn section. 

I found it to be pretty entertaining show from end to end and would highly recomment seeing him play if you get a chance.

Set List:
Ray of Sunshine, The Remedy (I Won’t Worry), Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Make It Mine, Butterfly, Lucky, Up, Plane, You and I Both, Living in the Moment, 5/6, Frank D. Fixer, You (expletive) Did It, Love Looks Like, I’m Coming Over, The Woman I Love, A Beautiful Mess, 93 Million Miles, I’m Yours, Three Little Birds, All Dialed In, Distance, I Won’t Give Up

The Gaddabouts - Look Out Now!

The Gaddabouts second album Look Out Now is a follow up to the original self titled album release in 2011. The Gaddabouts are Edie Brickell, Steve Gadd, Andy Fairweather-Low and Pino Palidino. Formed out of a meeting between Steve and Edie that turned into this band that has given us some beautiful music.
The new album contains 17 songs on two cds. There is quite a variety of music styles brought out in this cd that go from soulful to bluesy to a real jazzy feel. That's really the only way I really can descripe the style as it's all over the place because of the different styles that each musician brings to the table.

Meat On Your Bones is a wonderful start to the cd with a short one minute track that gets you hopping around and then it kicks into the really jazzy style of Look Out Now, which in itself is a brilliant tune with fulll interaction of the whole band.

Wicked William was started with Edie working on her finger picking techniques and evolved into a wonderful full band version that I really enjoy as my son's name is William even though he isn't wicked. This is by far my favorite song on the double album.

House on Fire was originally played by the New Bohemians live I believe, but certainly is a song that fits really well with the style of The Gaddabouts. Very blusey and the style of the song really brings out with Edie's beautiful voice. I'm A Van is slow paced tune with a really nice beat.

This album is full of great songs from funny tunes like The Horses Mouth to the soulful tune Blessed Day as well as Down and we haven't even gotten to the second cd of music.

The second cd starts off with a sort of samba style beginning tune that sounds like something you'd hear in a lounge bar. The song Free mixes piano, horns along with some really nice beats. Then is continues on that softer style with the song The Mountain mixing again a nice acoustic guitar in with a great compliment from the piano.

The album continues with a nice acoustic jazz feel with the mellow sone Don't Take All Day. This tracks into a really nice acoustic pop style song called How I Love You that keeps a real nice clapping type beat through the song.

Things pick up with a really nice upbeat song Can You Feel It that has a nice Sax solo and Steve Keeps you with a bouncing beat on the snare that keeps your foot tapping. Younger Woman is really sort of bluesy tune that seems like something that should be in one of those old mystery movies or that's how I picture it.

The album finished off with the song Corruption which has a nice beat and seems to tell a little story about the corruption of the world and where does the money go. But has a good message about the good people. This whole album has a great feel from end to end. I love to play it while sitting on the porch on a nice night with a fire in the fireplace and a cold beer in my hand. Scotch would actually fit this album a little better I think.

For more information about The Gaddabouts you can go to
www.thegaddabouts.com and to learn more avout what Edie Brickell is up to thise days check her website out at www.ediebrickell.com. Pick this new album up today and if you don't have the first one I would suggest getting that one as well.

 

Track Listing:

1. Meat On Your Bones 1:01

2. Look Out Now! 3:41
3. Wicked William 2:56
4. House On Fire 4:31
5. I'm A Van 3:49
6. River Rises 5:50
7. The Horse's Mouth 3:34
8. Blessed Days 4:01
9. Devil's Story 5:47
10. Down 4:04
11. Free 4:22
12. The Mountain 4:29
13. Don't Take All Day 4:37
14. How I Love You 3:00
15. Can You Feel It 3:14
16. Younger Woman 4:08
17. Corruption 4:36

Dave Matthews Band - Away From The World

Dave Matthews Band’s new CD was produced by Steve Lilywhite, who produced their first three cds as well as the unreleased Lilywhite Sessions that eventually became Busted Stuff. The new CD goes a bit back to the style of the first 3 CDs that Lilywhite produced. Broken Things is a nice start to the CD kicking in with a typical Dave style with the horns, strings, drums all predominate in it.

Second song Belly Belly Nice to me is a big funky and odd. It really doesn’t fit the style of what I would expect. Mercy has been released early to get tested as well as being played live for the past year. Pretty mellow, soft style but a nice blend to the CD. Gaucho as a nice mix of the guitar and violin slowly building up at the start and building the song up. A really nice one to have on this collection. A little electric guitar kicks in there as well.

Sweet is a nice little tune that kicks off with a nice acoustic sound and moved out to full band. I haven’t seen Dave Matthews Band in many years as he really seems to sound the same and plays the same tunes every time I attend. I used to really enjoy seeing him until there was a rash of young 13-16 year old girls yelling out the lyrics to every song at the shows and awfully out of tune. But getting back to this CD I like the style and the sound a bunch. The Riff is a sweet soulful tune and Belly Full is a nice acoustic tune that could be one of those nice tunes to throw on in the car as you are driving at night or just sitting and looking at the stars. Sort of Paul Simon like. Actually I would love to hear Paul record that one.

If Only is a nice back to the standard slow style DMB tune that you would hear off Under The Table or Crash. Rooftop gets a really funky feel to it, great beat and pretty cool. Snow Outside is a nice acoustic style mixing in the horns and drums to give it a nice feel throughout. There’s a nice slide guitar in there as part of the mix. The last song is called Drunken Soldier – you hears some guitar play at the beginning with low volume vocals that kicks into the typical jam sound of DMB. It is about a 10 minute tune with some nice instrumental parts as well as vocals. Nice finish to the CD.

This CD has a deluxe bonus version that has 3 live versions of Gaucho, Mercy and Sweet from the 2012 tour.

Dave Matthews Band is Carter Beauford (drums), Stefan Lessard (bass), Dave Matthews (vocals, guitar) and Boyd Tinsley (violin).

Track Listing:

1. Broken Things

2. Belly Belly Nice

3. Mercy

4. Gaucho

5. Sweet

6. The Riff

7. Belly Full

8. If Only

9. Rooftop

10. Snow Outside

11. Drunken Solider

12. Gaucho (Hartford, CT- 5.25.12)

13. Mercy (Bristow, VA-6.12.12)

14. Sweet (Cleveland, OH-6.3.12)

Phish 8-22-2012 Starlight Theater, Kansas City, MO

It's been quite a while since Phish have played in the KC area and it was really good to have them back.  The Starlight Theater is a nice venue with a capacity of around 7,800 people.  It has a nice sloping grade from bottom to top so everyone can see the show and from all angles.

Phish came on just before dusk to kick off the night with a Chalk Dust Torture and the crowd erupted.  There wasn't a single space open in the venue, the isles were crammed with dancers and the whole from area was as well.  I started off the night about 10 rows back just joining in the one big dance that was going on.

There were some really good highlights flowing through the first set with The Momo Dance getting everyone dancing.  From end to end there was hardly a person sitting in a seat anywhere at the show.  I love a nice Bathtub Gin and is was good to hear one tonight at the show along with a Stash getting everyone interacting with some clapping.  I feel like every time I see them they play Kill Devil Falls and this was no exception.  Still a great energetic version.

Finally I found my way back to my seat at the intermission of the show.  They took about a 30 minute break inbetween the two 90 minute sets.  When they came back out they ripped it into a Tweezer which only meant that they were going to reprise it at some point, probably the end.  They did a few other newer tunes along the way with a classic harmonizing Bouncing Around the Room to get the folks stirred up.

The best of the show was still to come as they tore into a Weekapaug Groove and continues to get the crowd going with a Harry Hood and into a Suzy Greenburg where somewhere in that tune the was an added line "Todd Akin's a neurologist" yes a nice close to the set to come out and really finish strong with a cover of Loving Cup that was hot and right on as it flowed into the reprise of Tweezer and it was goodnight!

Great energetic show from end to end.  the venue was amazing as it was easy to get in and out of and loads of people just hung out, had beers and talked about previous shows and what they wanted and didn't want to hear that night.  I was quite satisfied with what I heard from end to end.

If you are interested in hearing this show live, you can pick a copy up at LivePhish.com KC Show.



Setlist: Chalk Dust Torture; Skin It Back; The Moma Dance; Rift; Bathtub Gin; Stash; The Ballad of Curtis Loew; Kill Devil Falls; Funky Bitch; Run Like an Antelope. Intermission. Tweezer; Piper; Mike’s Song; Bouncing Around the Room; Backwards Down the Number Line; Heavy Things; If I Could; Weekapaug Groove; Harry Hood; Suzy Greenburg. Encore: Loving Cup/Tweezer Reprise.

Steve Martin - Born Stanfing Up - A Review

As he prefers to call this a biography even though it's his autobiography.  This is from a period in Steve Martin's life where he broke into comedy and made a name for himself as one of the best out there.  This is a great story of how he got started in stand up from working at Knotts Berry Farm to getting gigs at various clubs throughout the Los Angeles area.

The other thing I like about this book is that there is no fluff he talks about when he bombs or struggles. He even talks about an issue he had dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. It's great to see that he was able to get past the issues and how it can really affect you day to day life.

There's some good insight into how he had to go from using borrowed type materials to all original. Taking a 5 minute bit turning it into 20 and more.

Somewhere along the line Steve wrote a movie called The Jerk and that took him from a world of standup to acting and performing music with his band.

I never knew Steve was an accomplished banjo player, but from it being a part his comedy act all the way to selling loads of CDs and touring all over the US.

Great book to read. I highly recommend picking it up.

Death Cab For Cutie 07/08/2012 Crossroads KC

Sunday night prior to the MLB All Star game one of the many events happening in KC was the Death Cab For Cutie show at The Crossroads KC right behind Grinders.  I've heard their music over the past 10-15 years and was there as part of headcount.org volunteering to get people registered to vote who have either moved recently or have never registered.

It was a good experience walking around before the show talking to people who were in town for the show and those who were in town for the MLB All Star game.  The band certainly has a diverse group of followers from young 15-17 year olds all the way up to the 40+ crowd.  I found the crowd of approximately 2000 to be very friendly and supportive of getting people to register to vote for the upcoming elections.

As far as the performace it started out with Ben Gibbard doing a solo tune "Will Follow You Into the Dark" and then set into a full band session the rest of the way through.  The band had a lot of enery and really sounded good on a hot KC night.  The crowd was energetic as well and really sang along and took part in the show.

It was a good night for Headcount in collecting some new voter registrations and a good night of music.  I would recommend checking them out if they play near you.

Set list:

Will Follow You Into the Dark
Home Is a Fire
I Will Possess Your Heart
Crooked Teeth
Why You’d Want to Live Here
Photobooth
Doors Unlocked and Open
Grapevine Fires
Lightness
You Are a Tourist
The New Year
A Movie Script Ending
Pictures in an Exhibition
Cath
We Looked Like Giants
Soul Meets Body
Blacking Out the Friction
Marching Bands of Manhattan

Fiona Apple 07/17/1012 Midland Theater, KCMO

Fiona Apple played Kansas City on her new tour supporting her new album with a name so long I couldn't remember it if you asked. It was an almost full venue with a lot of women and a lot of true fans who knew the songs and sang along.

Fiona herself looks like she could put on a few pounds, cheeks are sunken and way too skinny.  Still her voice sounded as good as always.  She danced around, played some drums and had little interaction with the crowd over her 90 minute set.

The best thing to me about the show was her drummer Amy Wood.  She kept a great beat and was quite impressive in her small kit she played.  Amy is from LA and plays with The Donnies and The Amys as well as The Broken Remotes.  Check out her stuff for sure - I bet she will be a top drummer.

A show well worth seeing as this tour will cross over the whole US.

Set list:
Fast As You Can; On the Bound; Shadowboxer; Paper Bag; Anything We Want; Get Gone; Sleep to Dream; Extraordinary Machine; Werewolf; Tymps; Daredevil; I Know; Every Single Night; Not About Love; Carrion; Criminal; It’s Only Make Believe.

The Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2

Mike "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad Rock" Horovitz and Adam "MCA" Yauch have completed their eighth studio release Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. The Beastie Boys have been at it for a long time and continue to put out some quality music. The new CD is a good collection of tunes. They seem to have taken a mix of styles from the years and combine them to make the new album.

With a little help from NAS the first single released last year was Too Many Rappers. A pretty killer tune that keeps a great beat as they all rap throughout it. The whole album has some great beats and really rocks you to it. Keeps you pumped up through out. They use many of the old effects that they used with some of the fuzz noise as well as various others. Still there is a lot of regular instruments being played and is in classic form.

Santigold joins in for the song Don't Plan No Game I Can't Win. A nice beat with a little bit of a reggae sort of feel to me. It's great to hear the boys back at it and to hear MCA rapping again after his battle with cancer. Sounds just as good as he did before.

It's been a few years since I've seen them live, but they would certainly be on the list of bands I would really love to see live this coming year. Pick this album up for sure!

Have a listen to the stream here: http://beastieboys.com/preorder/

Track List:

1. Make Some Noise
2. Nonstop Disco Powerpack
3. OK
4. Too Many Rappers [new reactionaries version] (featuring NAS)
5. Say It
6. The Bill Harper Collection
7. Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold)
8. Long Burn The Fire
9. Funky Donkey
10. The Larry Routine
11. Tadlock's Glasses
12. Lee Majors Come Again
13. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
14. Here's A Little Something For Ya
15. Crazy Ass Shit
16. The Lisa Lisa/Full Force Routine

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light Album Review

The new Foo Fighters album was produced by Butch Vig and was recorded fully on analog tape in Dave Grohl's garage in San Fernando Valley, CA. There's a really good mix of songs on this CD, from some songs that sound like classic Foo's to some new sounds with a different touch. They certainly put their time into putting together a really nice collection of tunes for this one.

"Bridges Burning" starts you off with a really good pumped up song that keeps you rolling from the start with the heavy guitars and beats. The first single off the album was released early on iTunes, "Rope" has a different feel to it. Sort of a funky rock feel to start and gets into a really good rockin' song. There are a few ballad type songs as well as a few really all out rock songs that might make your head spin.

"Dear Rosemary" is a slowing song with a nice tempo and then you kick into "White Limo" which is more of a screaming metal type song that seems a bit out of place for this album, but still has a bit of a entertaining Rob Zombie feel to it. "Alandria" goes back to a typical Foo Fighters song with Dave starting out with a little yelling voice into the slow melodic sound that kicks it in with a jam. Quite an awesome song.

"These Days" is like the ballad song that goes from mellow to the rocked out chorus and back to mellow. Great tune for sure.

Most of the album follows a typical format of the Foo's over the years. It really is another really nice to hear summer CD. I would guess that we might even see them out on a tour this summer to support the new CD. Hope they come back to Kansas City. Last show here was a total blast.

Track Listing:
1. Bridge Burning 4:46
2. Rope 4:19
3. Dear Rosemary 4:26
4. White Limo 3:22
5. Arlandria 4:27
6. These Days 4:58
7. Back & Forth 3:51
8. A Matter Of Time 4:36
9. Miss The Misery 4:32
10. I Should Have Known 4:15
11. Walk 4:16

Radiohead - The King of Limbs Album Review

Radiohead is Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Philip Selway and Thom Yorke.

Here we go starting it all off with the old electronic drum machine repeating the samples for a minure before Thom Yorke joins in to the first song "Bloom". He does bring it together really well with a melodic sound playing as he sings in a really mellow tone. Still I would much prefer to hear the boys get out some instruments and play like a band! After three years since their last album, Radiohead started this one out as an electronic copy for sale on their site and a limited edition package as well. It has been officially released on all other media outlets as of April 5th.

There are only eight songs on this collection and about 36 minutes of music. I would have hoped that after the gap in time they would have put a few more together for the fans, but I certainly will take what i can get. They are all relatively mellow tunes and lots of repeating beats through the songs. Overall I really enjoy the feel of the whole album and really hope we will see a tour come out of this one. Please make your way to Kansas City!


Track Listing:1. Bloom 5:14
2. Morning Mr Magpie 4:40
3. Little By Little 4:27
4. Feral 3:12
5. Lotus Flower 5:00
6. Codex 4:46
7. Give Up The Ghost 4:50
8. Separator 5:20

The Gaddabouts - The Gaddabouts Album Review

The Gaddabouts are Edie Brickell, Steve Gadd, Pino Palladino and Andy Fairweather-Low. Their first CD has been 10 years in the making and now in 2011 finally is officially released. From the stories and interviews it sounds like Edie ran into Steve and they decided to get together and do some songs. I for one can certainly say that I'm happy that they have done so. This is an allstar band in my mind having work with so many accomplished artista over the years.

Edie's lyrics tied into the music writing skills of these guys really all comes together in this eleven song collection. There's a great vibe about this whole cd from accoustics playing, blues, jazz and so many other styles hit this album. You can check a little more about the band out at www.thegaddabouts.com. They will be playing their first and at this point, only show on Friday, April 8th at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. It's all sold out, but if you have a ticket, enjoy something you may never see again.

This album is fun, everything from slow paced songs to bouncing up and down songs. My favorite of the bunch are "Mad Dog", "Let It Slide" "They Say Everything". "Mad Dog" is really a good old fun song and makes me want to get up and clap along and dance every time I hear it. The bluesy guitar of a song like "Gonna Hold On" is another one of those that make you want to dance around as well.

There's a lot of maturity in this album. I think there is in many of Edie's songs but this album really shows a nice touch of the different flavors of what she is capable of putting out. "Feelin' Better" just finishes it off with some great energy.

I say go get this NOW! What an awesome collection of songs.

Track Listing:
1. Never So Far Away
2. Let It Slide
3. Remind Me
4. My Heart 5:07
5. They Say Everything
6. Mad Dog
7. Gonna Hold On
8. Good Day
9. Good For Me
10. More Than Anybody
11. Feelin' Better

Edie Brickell - Edie Brickell Album Review

I keep hearing it's good to see Edie making a comeback! Well from what I see she's been around the whole time or at least actively writing and releasing music since 2004's Volcano. In 2006 she put out an album with New Bohemians called Stranger Things and then in 2008 it was Heavy Circles with Harper Simon under the name Heavy Circles. In 2011 we get two releases and a handfull of live performance dates. The first is the self titled album Edie Brickell and the second in The Gaddabouts.

Edie's first release this year the self titled album Edie Brickell is produced by Charlie Sexton and contains many songs that were written over the past ten or so years. She originally started writing the songs with Carter Albrecht, a close friend and member of New Bohemians. Carter was killed near his home in Texas and Edie put down the tracks until she felt ready to get back to them. The Album is dedicated to Carter and he performs on most of the tracks.

Edie worked with Charlie Sexton, Dave Monsey, Jim Oblon and Carter in making this album. She currently is performing several shows with Charlie Sexton, Dave Monsey, Dave Palmer and Aaron Comess as her backing musicians. This includes a date in Austin on May 4th at The Continental Club as well as two nights in New Orleans on May 6&7th. Last January Edie played a sold out at Radio City Music Hall opening for Iron & Wine as well as an appearence on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

The new cd is filled with fun upbeat songs and really catchy tunes. The CD itself has 10 songs and Amazon.com has an exclusive download of the song "Go". "Give It Another Day" starts it off with a really nice song to get you hopping along and some good guitar play. "Pill" has a good message about how crazy our world has become that you can take a pill for everything.

"Been So Good" has a nice soulful beat and is one of my favorite song on the CD. Good old rock song that just makes you feel good. "Always" has a pretty funny start, not sure what's going on exactly, but it's a fun song and really has some great Carter piano in it. "2 O'Clock" slows it down a bit with a nice mellow beat starting it off and just flows really well.

"On the Avenue" is a fun upbeat song starting off with some good bass and drums and comes along really nice. Makes you feel like you are hanging out on the porch on a really lovely night in the city. Reminds me of the house I grew up in back in Milwaukee, WI. "Waiting For Me" has good vibes from the start, quite enjoyable from the start. Really nice guitar play through out the song.

"You Come Back" adds a bit of a pop feel with the piano at the start and the drums. Sort of a romantic sound about it that I can't quite hit. The next song is quite a beautiful song, "It Takes Love" is a nice ballad that really brings out Edie's beautiful voice with her brilliant writing abilities. "Bad Way" keeps a bluesy beat and is once again a really fine song. I love Edie with the songs that start a little slower and work into a nice beat.

The bonus track is a song called "Go" that I believe might be from The Gaddabouts but put on this as an exclusive bonus. It might actually be one that they, but really seems to fit along with the Gaddabouts. Still I really like the rocking feel and the guitar playing as well as the drums are really prominant in this one. A good way to finish off the album. A brilliant album in my mind and well worth going out and getting or downloading on iTunes. Follow what Edie is up to on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ediebrickell with the latest on performances as well as interviews and other stuff.

Track List: 1. Give It Another Day 4:18 2. Pill 3:48 3. Been So Good 4:17 4. Always 2:58 5. 2 O'Clock In The Morning 5:01 6. On The Avenue 4:38 7. Waiting For Me 3:25 8. You Come Back 5:57 9. It Takes Love 3:19 10. Bad Way 5:03 11. Go (Exclusive Bonus Track) 3:53

Soundgarden - Live On I-5

Soundgarden was on a 13 year abscence from the music scene as a band. They reunited in 2010 for a couple of shows and a CD release of various songs as well as one unreleased new recording "Black Rain". Now they have released their first live recording from various shows on the 1996 tour that were played on the West Coast along I-5. This collection of live recordings hits a good mix of the different cds as well as a couple of covers they did.

There are the ever classic songs like "Black Hole Sun", "Spoonman" and "Burden In My Hand" as well as some other really rockin' stuff like "Jesus Christ Pose" and "Slaves and Bulldozers". The covers they did were The Beatles "Helter Skelter" and The Stooges' "Search & Destroy".

It's good hearing the band at the height of their carrer and when they sounded their best. Chris Cornell is hitting the highs and lows without losing his voice. From what I heard about some of the shows of the past, it was hit or miss when you saw them, but these songs are really the hits in the sense that they picked a good collection of songs where the whole band is on. They collectively sound great and as much as I want to see them come back and do some tour dates, I sort of like to keep the sound of old in my head. Still a great CD and hope we do hear more from them in the coming year.

Track Listing: 1. Spoonman 4:23 2. Searching With My Good Eye Closed 4:13 3. Let Me Drown 4:10 4. Head Down 6:25 5. Outshined 5:13 6. Rusty Cage 4:39 7. Burden In My Hand 5:02 8. Helter Skelter 2:09 9. Boot Camp 3:16 10. Nothing To Say 4:25 11. Slaves & Bulldozers 9:16 12. Dusty 4:32 13. Fell On Black Days 4:55 14. Search And Destroy 3:10 15. Ty Cobb 2:42 16. Black Hole Sun 3:01 17. Jesus Christ Pose 6:24

Stone Temple Pilots - CD Review

I'm not sure when the last time a Stone Temple Pilots CD came out and I'm surprised to actually see them get back together and put something out after such a long time. It certainly is a typical sound for them with the heavy guitar and drums playing while Scott Weiland does his typical vocal tracks and sounds like he did 15 years ago.

I would say that overall this is a relatively average CD when it comes to comparison of what has been coming out this year. There are a few songs that do make it worth a listen. "Take A Load Off" has a good beat to it and "Dare If You Dare" is pretty good as well. I think "Hazy Daze" is a good rockin' tune as well.

There's one song that really doesn't make sense to be on this CD and that's "Cinnamon". It really doesn't fit and sounds like something out of an 80's band and not STP. "First Kiss On Mars" must be some sort of tribute to David Bowie. It's different in style, but not so bad as a song.

Overall I think this CD was an attempt to see if they still have it and I would say the answer is no. Just continue to tour off your old classics and stick to those and only play a couple of the songs from this CD and people will still be there in support.

Track List:

01. Between The Lines 2:50
02. Take A Load Off 3:11
03. Huckleberry Crumble 3:10
04. Hickory Dichotomy 3:22
05. Dare If You Dare 4:29
06. Cinnamon 3:33
07. Hazy Daze 2:59
08. Bagman 2:45
09. Peacoat 3:29
10. Fast As I Can 3:33
11. First Kiss On Mars 3:03
12. Maver 4:52