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11.04.09Treasure Island – Tunes With A ViewIt's great to see music festivals popping up all over the country, and Treasure Island in San Francisco is filled with promise. And it has, arguably, the best view of any festival I've ever been to! With its indie minded approach Treasure Island is the closest you'll get to left of the dial when it comes to a music event of this size. Continue Reading...
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06.22.09Rob Gretton On The Record – 1 Top Class ManagerI just received this in the mail. 1 Top Class Manager is how Rob Gretton(January 15, 1953 - May 15, 1999) referred to himself as Joy Division's fifth member in the book. Through financial thick and thin, this amazing publication chronicles Joy Division's rise as one of the most influential bands of all time. 1 Top Class Manager is definitely for fans only - who else would care how much Stephen Morris (Joy Division's drummer) was owed for petrol from a late night gig? Rob was a dedicated hoarder, note taker and doodler. The compiled notebooks, memorabilia and business records have been ...
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05.28.09Playlist: May 23rd Sirius XMU Download 15Since all my time any energy was focused on Sasquatch this past weekend, last Saturday's Sirius XMU Download 15 playlist had to wait till today . Jake Fogelnest picks 'em and plays 'em, and I scribble down the track names and search for the links online. A match made in heaven. Here's the Download 15 for May 23rd. This is our nineth weekly installment. Thanks for the appreciative comments - keep 'em coming. Full track list after the jump. Previous Download 15 playlists: 05.16.09 | 05.09.09 | 05.02.09 | 04.25.09 | 04.18.09 | 04.11.09 | 04.04.09 | 03.28.09 Continue ...
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05.13.09Erik Blood: The Way We Live Exclusive!Regular readers will notice Erik Blood's name being dropped here and there. Erik is one of the dearest friends I have in my life. The day we met we knew we would get on well. For years, Erik has shared pretty much every demo from his band, The Turn-Ons and his own material. It's always a thrill to be the first person to hear some of his crazy and usually spontaneous pop gems. Erik recently sent me a new song called "Jet Inside You". It's an early demo for a new album - I won't tell you what the concept is ...
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05.07.09Death Cab on CNN: “the perfect marriage of four guys”So I'm home sick with the flu. It's amazing what you'll find trolling the web mindlessly for hours. Evidently Chris and Nick of Death Cab for Cutie stopped by CNN yesterday to chat about all things Death Cab. I really dig Nick's short new summer 'do, but seriously, don't you think the point on that beard's getting just a little out of hand? I've tried to embed the video in this post, but CNN must be under the weather, too, as their video embed scripts keep giving errors. You'll need to click here to see the CNN Death Cab for Cutie ...
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04.30.09Stephin Merritt: Off Broadway With CoralineStephen Merritt can't stand still. The amount of projects he's principled in the last 18 years are too numerous to recollect off the top of one's head. He's created some of modern pop's most memorable moments - the most noteable, The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs, made him a reluctant icon. The album celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The memorable 3CD set was a benchmark for the wider acceptance of independent pop music. For me, my favorite Stephin Merritt songs were from the first 6ths album, Wasps Nest, and Future Bible Heroes' Memories of Love. Those were both filled with a lot of female vocals which perhaps ...
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04.29.09The Bran Flakes: Play What You LikeI'm a huge fan of the Goodwill Dollar LP bin. You've seen those poor, deserted records - children's learning LP's, religious sermons and presidential speeches, hypnotism records to help you stop doing whatever it is you should stop doing. These records are more expensive at used record stores and usually have a post-it on them that says "hey djs" or "great for sampling." They are fun for a listen or two or maybe intros or transitions on your cool new mix tape. But who really knows what to do with them once you buy them? The Bran Flakes, that's who. The Bran ...
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04.29.09Review: Andy Warhol Live! at the de Young MuseumOver the course of his meteoric career, Andy Warhol (1928–1987) used the medium of music to transform himself from fan, to record album designer, to producer, to celebrity night-clubber, to rock star. Warhol Live presents the first comprehensive exploration of Warhol’s work as seen through the lens of music. Andy Warhol Live!at The de Young museum in San Francisco brings together a wide variety of works depicting pop music royalty, including Elvis Presley, the Velvet Underground, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, Liza Minnelli, Grace Jones, Deborah Harry of Blondie, and Aretha Franklin. My friend Shawn and I spent a leisurely ...
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04.16.09Review: Leonard Cohen at The Paramount Theater[caption id="attachment_757" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Leonard Cohen performs at the second of three sold out shows at The Paramount Theater in Oakland, CA."][/caption] It struck me last night when I was choosing which show to cover, that us San Franciscans are damn lucky to have so many fine live music choices on a Tuesday night. Who needs Coachella when you live in a place as brimming with great live music as the city by the bay. Case in point: last night one had the choice of Green Day's last minute secret show at The Fox, Fleet Foxes at Fillmore, Devendra Banhart at ...
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04.11.09Air France: Sort of Like A Dream. No, Better.“All this machinery making modern music can still be open hearted.”That line is from “The Spirit of Radio” by Rush and has always been sort of a guilty pleasure. Saint Etienne cleverly sampled the song’s intro for the track “Conchita Martinez” (from the LP So Tough). Rush’s lyrics speak of magic music at your fingers bearing a gift beyond price – almost free. The song explores the wonder of music and the integrity of the suits that profit from others success - all in hopes that the power of music is stronger. All of music today is supported by modern machinery ...
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04.02.09TEA COZIES: SERIOUSLY HOT PROBSI recently had the pleasure of enjoying an evening of music at The Comet here in Seattle. You never know what you’re going to get at some shows. I’ve been underwhelmed by some local bands lately. But there are great ones out there as well. Tea Cozies are a Seattle four-piece who play what they’ve adorably coined garagadelic janglepop, and I’m in love. Their debut album HOT PROBS is produced by none other than our dear friend, Erik Blood, and will drop in early May. Their infectious spirit and melodic songwriting will make your summer, I promise. HOT PROBS shows that their ...
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03.26.09Rock Photos Rock!The Color Awesome's own Paige Parsons has been asked to be a part of Crawdaddy!, an online music magazine. Their San Francisco roots date back to a fanzine started in 1962, preceeding the likes of Rolling Stone and Creem! Paige has been taking concert photos for over 20 years. Her recently unearthed photos of Morrissey's first ever solo show caused quite a frenzy. These days, she's taken her work to another level by putting it out there to share with others. I am so proud of her. Rather than hear me gush, please take a look for yourself! Selected images from Paige's personal collection ...
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03.24.09Penetration!I’ve heard it said that everyone in Seattle wants to be a DJ. I don’t see that as a problem! Anybody into music should try it once. At some of my first DJ gigs, I had promoters and future fellow DJ’s puzzled at my set up and technique. I’d precariously balance turntables in the wrong position on the coffin and couldn’t figure out a cross fader! It’s a good thing my taste spoke louder than these early flubs. My advice to anyone who wants to DJ is to really share your music collection with the listeners. Pretend you are in ...
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03.05.09Review: Andrew Bird @ The Fillmore[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="900" caption="Andrew Bird @ The Fillmore, February 19, 2009"][/caption] First off, props to the crowd at Andrew Bird's Thursday show at The Fillmore. Humanity is evolving. We all had some personal space, there was a minimum of chatter and a lot of enthusiasm for Mr. Bird as well as his opening band, Loney Dear. It's never easy as a tall photographer, especially when there's no photo pit. You know you'll be in someone's way, even if it is just for two songs. It really puts me in a great mood when the folks about me are friendly and ...
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11.24.08R.I.P. New OrderIt is fitting that I start this blog with a bit on my favorite band ever. I recently referred to the New Order reissues as "the most beautiful nail in the most beautiful coffin". Peter Hook, who sang the first song on the first album, MOVEMENT wants the last word regarding the end of New Order. The very public rantings on his blog and fan sites make him sound like a crazy person. He might be bummed to know that the newly issued digital remasters of the best New Order albums (aka "The Factory Years") may actually have the final, ...
