We’re finishing up our second week on tour and now that we’ve got all the kinks worked out, it seems to finally be going smoother. The band is opening up to me, and I to them, and that’s the way I like it.

I’ve gotten used to the 18 hour days, the 7 hour sleeps, followed by the 18 hour days. We’re in California now. It’s the longest run in one state that we’re doing. So far, I haven’t seen the attraction to this place. It’s cold. And coming from a Canadian that’s saying something! Seriously California, get it together, I am not impressed.

The other day we were playing at The Mountain Winery in…Sarasota? Yes that’s a question mark. Yes I’m not sure whether it was Sarasota. You come on tour for a few weeks, than you judge! Anyway, so there we are, 8am(ish) driving up to this winery. The road keeps getting steeper and more windy. Obviously no one clued in on the name, MOUNTAIN Winery, because I swear to God, we almost died that morning. Driving up this big ass mountain, in a tour bus, pulling a trailer, trying to make turns that are almost 90 degrees. Absolutely crazy. Deb, the tour manager, had her hand on the door the whole time, she said “I was waiting to jump off that bus if it started going over.” I kid you not. Anyways, long story short, we didn’t die and the show went well.

On a lighter note, Keith (guitar tech) bought this AWESOME hat for $10. He said, and I quote, “This is the kinda hat that makes me look like I’m shopping for Mexicans.” We named the hat the Cowbrero – half cowboy hat, half sombrero. Here it is . . .

So I’ve had the opportunity now to hang out with the band more. Especially Tyler and Kevin. I gotta say that this band is made up of some of the nicest, and funniest, guys you will ever meet. They’re absolutely great. I rode the train into San Diego from L.A. with Kevin this morning. The guy is just funny. He doesn’t say much, he just laughs. It’s hilarious. He’s like a kid, but in a good way.

Safe to say I’m having a great time, more stories coming soon! (I promise)

(All times ET)

Monday, May 24

• Regis and Kelly: Bret Michaels [Syndicated - check listings]
• Prince: Purple Rain [Palladia 3PM]
• Def Leppard: Behind the Music Remastered [VH1 5PM]
• U2: At the BBC [Palladia 5PM]
• Jimmy Kimmel: Damian Marley w/Nas [ABC 12:05AM]

Tuesday, May 25

• Simon Cowell: Biography [BIO 9AM]
• Stone Temple Pilots: Live From Chicago 2010 [Palladia 10PM]
• David Letterman: The Black Keys [CBS 11:35PM]
• Jimmy Kimmel: Peter Frampton [ABC 12:05AM]
• Carson Daly: OK Go [NBC 1:35AM]

Wednesday, May 26

• Elvis Costello: Club Date [VH1 Classic 3PM]
• Hole: On the Record [Fuse 4:30PM]
• Duran Duran: Live at Wembley [VH1 Classic 4:30PM]
• Jimmy Buffett/Zac Brown Band: Crossroads [Palladia 9PM]
• David Letterman: John Prine and Yim Yames [CBS 11:35]

Thursday, May 27

• Robert Plant: Soundstage [Palladia 9AM]
• Tupac Shakur: Tupac Vs [Fuse 6PM]
• Janis Joplin: Biography [BIO 9PM]
• Film: The Harder They Come [Palladia 9PM]
• Craig Ferguson: Band of  Horses [CBS 12:35AM]

(All times ET)

Monday, January 11

• Tina Turner: Live in  Holland [Palladia Noon]
• Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music [Palladia 2PM]
• Film: That Thing You Do [VH1 Classic 4PM]
• Green Day: Storytellers [Palladia 10PM]
• Kiss: Extreme Close Up [VH1 Classic 1:30AM]

Tuesday, January 12

• John Lennon: Sweet Toronto [Noon VH1 Classic]
• Classic Albums: Cream, Disraeli Gears [VH1 Classic 4PM]
• Rush: Box Set [VH1 Classic 5PM]
• AC/DC: Live from Circus Krone [Palladia 8PM]
• Pink Floyd: The Wall [Palladia 11PM]

Wednesday, January 13

• O.A.R.: From Madison Square Garden [Palladia 9AM]
• Classic Albums: Nirvana, Nevermind [VH1 Classic Noon]
• ZZ Top: Live from Texas [VH1 Classic 5:30PM]
• Steve Vai: Where the Wild Things Are [Palladia 4PM]
• Spectacle w/Elvis Costello: Lyle Lovett [Sundance 10PM]

Thursday,  January 14

• Tavis Smiley: Rosanne Cash [PBS Check Local Listings]
• David Letterman: The Low Anthem [CBS 11:35PM]
• George Lopez: Snoop Dogg [TBS Midnight]
• Craig Ferguson: Vampire Weekend [CBS 12:35AM]
• Carson Daly: Pete Yorn [NBC 1:35AM]

(All times ET)

Monday, January 4

• Michael Jackson: Devotion [Fuse 5PM]
• Gnarls Barkley: Live at Roskilde 2008 [Palladia 5PM]
• Classic Albums: Queen, A Night at the Opera [VH1 Classic 7PM]
• Duran Duran: Behind the Music [Palladia 8PM]
• Paul McCartney: Live in St. Petersburg [VH1 Classic 10PM]

Tuesday, January 5

• Johnny Cash: Live at Montreaux 1994 [Ovation 1PM]
• Lou Reed: Live at Montreaux [Ovation 2PM]
• Film: La Bamba [Fuse 8PM]
• Gene Simmons: Biography [BIO 11PM]
• David Letterman: Vampire Weekend [CBS 11:35PM]

Wednesday, January 6

• Black Crowes: Unplugged [Palladia 9AM]
• Woodstock: Then and Now [VH1 Classic 1PM]
• John Lennon: The US vs. John Lennon [VH1 Classic 6PM]
• 50 Cent: On the Record [Fuse 9PM]
• Spectacle w/Elvis Costello: Mary-Louise Parker [Sundance 10PM]

Thursday, January 7

• Kiss: Kiss Symphony, Alive IV [VH1 Classic 11AM]
• Pink Floyd: Which Ones Pink? [VH1 Classic 6:30PM]
• Iron Maiden: Flight 666 [Palladia 9PM]
• Diana Krall: Live in Paris [Ovation 10PM]
• Queen: Live at Wembley [VH1 Classic 10PM]

Oh No – Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird keeps showing up on my radar lately, which is interesting since my last recollection of him was at least 10 years ago, when I read a Rolling Stone article about how he lived in his car and never showered. I think that was him.

Anyway, he’s usually referred to as a “multi-instrumentalist” or “musical polymath”, which are fancy ways of saying he plays more than one instrument and also writes songs in more than one genre. Bird has a degree in violin and considers himself a professional whistler (he’s really quite good, but then I’m easily impressed as I cannot whistle). His wide and deep range of musical interest has led him, most recently, into the sound of “Oh No” posted at right. I think it’s like Belle & Sebastian: wordy pop songs with texturally interesting tracks. Texture is definitely the key as Bird layers acoustic and electronic instruments, loops and his voice and whistling in ways that are not common to current popular music — which, it seems, is only interested in overwhelming the listener. Instead of overwhelming, Bird’s compositions are engaging. I was pleased to hear him on our local independent radio station, The River.

This is true of his earlier work as well. Below, “Imitosis” from his 2007 release “Armchair Apocrypha”.

For more about Bird, here’s an interview at AVClub and their review of Noble Beast.

Boggia’s songs (at least the ones I could find online) feel like classic 60s and 70s tunes, so in this respect he is a pastiche artist. However, while you can definitely hear all of his influences in each song, they are tongue-in-cheek lyrically and it would be easy to create fond memories to any of his tunes. “8Track” has a stadium rock vibe; “To and Fro” is the most Beatlesque (and if you search on YouTube, you can find a lot of Beatles covers in Boggia’s repertoire) but with “Bonanza”-like guitars in the middle. The newest release is “Listening to NRBQ” from Misadventures in Stereo. Lefsetz commented on the lyrics. I enjoy the narrative but the classic pop melody and chord changes are what draw me in the most — it’s like talking to someone for the first time but feeling like you’ve known them forever.

If you’ve felt disconnected from current music, Boggia might be worth a listen for you. He certainly was for me, and if he tours the northeast, I will certainly get myself down to Boston to hear him.

Fans discovered that Hicks had recorded two CD’s prior to AI, In Your Time, released in 1997 and Under the Radar, released in 2005. Both CDs were recorded independently and were made under very tight budgets. In Your Time was actually recorded live to save money. Neither CD was widely available, but ended up in the hands of fans through various channels. But now, songs from those two CD’s have been remastered and released by Hicks’ own Modern Whomp Records, under the title Early Works.

The compilation includes six songs from each of the previous CDs; all but two songs are Hicks originals. These songs have been in my possession for two years now, but I was anxious to hear these remastered versions. Would they lose that raw, stripped down, hard working musician quality that I found so attractive? The answer is no, they’ve just made them better, bringing out Hicks’ vocals and the great performances of his backup musicians. “Nostalgic” and “endearing” are the words Hicks uses to describe the compilation, but I’d like to add original, warm, creative, versatile, and passionate.

For those who did not follow Hicks beyond his AI performances each week, or may have heard Taylor Hicks, his post-AI release, Early Works may be a pleasant surprise. Though two of his original songs, Soul Thing and The Deal were included on Taylor Hicks, they were highly produced versions of the songs. What you get on Early Works are songs written and recorded by a young Hicks, taking all he had been exposed to from his immersion into the world of music, that started at the age of nine with the theft of a friends’ Otis Redding album. Hicks tries to set the tone of what it’s all about for him with the placement of Soul Thing on track one – “It ain’t no groove thing, it ain’t no country twang, it’s a just a simple refrain, it’s just a soul thing.” But it is all of those things and more on Early Works. You feel his love of music, no matter what the genre on this CD – the bluesy sound of Somehow, the country feel of West Texas Sky, the calypso beat of Hold Onto Your Love, the New Orleans vibe of My Friend, and the groove of Tighten Up. Most of all, what you discover is that not only is Hicks a great singer and performer, but a damn good songwriter.

Though not written by Hicks, one song on the compilation deserves particular attention. The cover of Georgia, with Billy Earl McClelland on guitar, is worth the over seven minute listen. Hicks eases into the song, handling it almost reverently as a nod to his idol, Ray Charles. But as the song goes on, he makes it his own, taking us to every corner of his vocal ability, from soul wrenching growls to smooth falsetto. For anyone needing an introduction to the vocal abilities and the creativity of Taylor Hicks, this is the song to listen to.

The release of Early Works makes this music more widely available, but it also sets the stage for Hicks’ next CD, which is in the works. According to Hicks, we can expect something more raw and more organic than his post-AI release. I see it as a possible continuation of where he was going before the sharp left turn of AI. At least all of us who are fans of that raw, bar singer side of Hicks hope so.

Early Works is now available exclusively at Target.

Weezer [the Red Album]
Weezer

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

I’m more interested in “Heart Songs” and “The Angel and The One”, which are ballads and really need more than the 30-second preview to analyze. They might actually dip back into Pinkerton territory if we’re lucky, or possibly Blue Album (”Sweater Song”) territory. But basically, it’s a bunch of tossed-off pop songs with noise guitars, drones, and a bouncy backbeat. And ain’t nothing wrong with that. (Mari)

Preview and download MP3s….

Perfectly Clear
Jewel

Anywhere I Lay My Head
Scarlett Johansson

Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
Tom Waits

I feel this cd is one of his best as it touches the different sides of him, his music, and style.

Oh and if you really like him you can see him on tour this summer. But only if you can afford 425.00 a ticket. Just try the lottery first, if you win please let me know. Because even if you could afford the tickets I’m sure they will sell out in 2 seconds. (Alicia)

Tumbleweed Connection [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED
Elton John

Classic Cuts: Country Comfort, Burn Down the Mission

Elton John [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Elton John