The Avett Brothers perform Glory Days:



This performance is from Bruce Springsteen's website. They're currently featuring other artist covering Springsteen songs and talking about how they were influenced by the Boss. Totally awesome.

Labels: playlist

I totally missed M.Ward on Letterman last night. Man, that guy can do it live!

Labels: playlist

I was less than impressed TV On The Radio's performance on Saturday Night Live. Something was lost in the translation. Here they are on The Colbert Report, though, being interviewed and making a much better musical showing, I think:

Labels: found, playlist

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Labels: playlist

Gerald, the bass player for Sunday Valley, linked to some pictures from their reunion show up on Facebook.  Check out this one and see if you recognize anybody in the crowd...

Labels: found, playlist

Reading:

Labels: playlist, reading

The video below is apparently of Ryan Gosling's band Dead Man's Bones.  I found the video on my friend Cameron's blog.  She didn't like the song, in spite of wanting to.  Oddly enough, there's nothing about the phrase "Ryan Gosling's band" that fills me with any kind of hope - but I'll be damned if I didn't kind of like it.  It's got a pleasantly dark Nick Cave feel to it.  And the creepy little children's choir with the masks is a nice touch.  I don't know that I'm ready to buy an album, but I at least want to hear a little more.

In The Room Where You Sleep (live video version)

Labels: found, playlist

Saturday night Sara, Charley, ET, Dirty, Dan, Jen, and I headed over to the new Dame to see Sunday Valley reunited for the first time in what? A year? More?

The new Dame still feels a little too much like the old A1A to me and I can't shake the feeling that I'm in somebody's basement - but I'm glad they found a place to set up shop.

Sunday Valley did two sets. The first one was good, but as I've pointed out here before, the older I get the more trouble I have ignoring my fellow concert goers and concentrating on the show. A few rowdy idiots can really distract me a good concert.

The crowd calmed down by the second set, though, and I really enjoyed myself. The band really seemed to be having a good time too, so that made it especially nice. It's a shame that Sunday Valley isn't still together, but if I can get a once-a-year reunion show as good as the one we got this weekend, then I'll be fine. Here's some pics and a video:






Sunday Valley reunion show from Patrick Drury on Vimeo.

Labels: local, playlist

SUNDAY VALLEY REUNION SHOW!!!!

Labels: local, playlist

My brief foray into the world of album reviewing taught me one thing: I'm not good at reviewing music. At best I can think of a couple of snarky jokes about a band and then pepper them into four paragraphs of the most ambiguous pablum you've ever read. So this year I thought I'd get Shticky and write superlatives for the albums that got my attention this year. WHAT A GREA IDEA!!

Okkervil River - The Stand Ins: Most likely to be followed up by an album in which dirty is mentioned in the liner notes.
I love me some Okkervil River. And so does Dirty. Wanna know how you can tell? Because he stopped ogling a bartender in a really short skirt long enough to tell the guitar player what a fan he was one night in Cincinnati. He doesn't do that for just anybody, you know. The Stand Ins was a follow-up to last years The Stage Names. Both albums probably represent the band at their most accessible, if you care about that sort of thing. If you're a music snob let me instead direct you to one of their obscure earlier albums that's 12 tracks of an old man reading a dish washer warranty over a bed of ukulele music

Conor Oberst - self titled: Most likely to start using his real name, get his hair out of his eyes and start wearing cowboy boots. Okay, I know Oberst's last album as Bright Eyes, Casadega, really represented the seemingly obvious transition from folky-emo dude to alt-country dude, but the superlative works better if it seems like his first album without the Bright Eyes moniker was the one where he quit whining so much. This album housed possibly my favorite song of the year: I Don't Want To Die (In A Hospital). It's a great song and it's true - I totally don't want to die (in a hospital).

TV On The Radio - Dear Science: Most likely to be so totally awesome that if you can't find at least one song on the album that you like then you and I probably should reconsider our friendship. The best song on the album is Crying. There I just did the hard work for you. Now go buy the album and enjoy it without all the pressure of having to think for yourself. Honestly, this was such a good album that it should be a crime. TV On The Radio strikes me as such a creative and original band that if they didn't exist I imagine the universe would have to create them in order to fill the abhorrent void.

Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride: Most likely to have a really long career. John Darnielle and company earn their superlative not because they're awesome and deserve a long career (but they totally do) but because It's hard to imagine Darnielle not making music. There are plenty of artist out there who are probably more prolific than the Mountain Goats (Ryan Adams and Robert Pollard come to mind) but the way the MG's catalogue spans the kooky to the uncomfortably vulnerable seems to imply compulsion. There's something in John Darnielle and it needs to get out. That's what she said.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges: Most likely to suggest that in an alternate universe The Allman Brothers could have been Prince's back-up band. Think about it!!!!!


Albums that were enjoyed but didn't earn superlatives:
Ben Folds - Way To Normal
Avett Brothers - Second Gleam
Wolf Parade - At Mt. Zoomer

Labels: playlist

Check out The Colonel's video of Bonnie Prince Billy doing Sam Cook's A Change Is Gonna Come:


Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "A Change Is Gonna Come" from Bret Foster on Vimeo.

There were some sound issues so he and his band did the first three songs with no mics and no amps. It was hard to hear obviously but made you really respect his dedication.

Labels: local, playlist

Dr. Pepper is making good on it's promise to give everyone in the country a free soda as a result of Chinese Democracy dropping before the end of 2008. Details here.

Labels: found, playlist

Ray Charles does Elenor Rigby:

Labels: found, playlist

Jeff Mangum played in Lexington this week and I missed it. Like my friend Dan put it last night, "It's like having a chance to see John Lennon and missing it."

Labels: playlist

Watch the video to the Avett Brother's Murdered In The City here.

Labels: playlist

Like a good album when he hears one. Go here to hear him sing the praises of Dear Science.

Labels: playlist

The best track on the new TV On The Radio album:



Song's called Crying, album's called Dear Science. Good stuff!

Labels: playlist

Go here to read the awesome true story behind Guns & Roses' Welcome To The Jungle.

Labels: found, playlist

New song from Ben Folds and Regina Spektor. Folds' new album, Way Too Normal, hits stores in late September.

Labels: playlist

Just read on their website that TV On The Radio is coming to Bogarts in October.  They're one of a small handful of bands that I really want to see live but haven't had the chance to yet.  Looks like I might be making a drive to Cincinnati in a couple of months!

Labels: playlist

New Okkervil River track available from iTunes here.  Youaintnopicasso.com has a cut from their upcoming album, The Stand Ins, as well here.

Labels: playlist

Some string theorist have developed a theory that our universe exists spread across a vast flat membrane, floating peacefully through a gelatinous hyper-dimensional void. Within that void exist countless other universes similar to our own.

It is my own theory that these alternate universes began much like our own, but that their histories diverge from our own at both vital and mundane moments. For instance in one of these alternate universes JFK was never assassinated, therefore sparing the country much of the disillusionment that resulted from the events surrounding his death. In another dimension you don't stop at Starbucks every morning for a caramel macchiato and therefore aren't dreading swimsuit season like you are in this reality.

The most incredible divergence of all, though, happened on a world seemingly no different from our own. In this world southern rockers The Allman Brothers, through some strange cosmic domino effect, became Prince's back-up band.

This bizarre turn of events changed both the musical and socio-economical landscapes of the late 20th century. Fans of widely diverse musical styles were brought together in appreciation for the Purple One and the architects of southern rock. This union ushered in a new age of harmony and musical brotherhood in this parallel universe.

While no such union ever occurred in our reality, our universe sensed the discrepancy and tried to fill the abhorrent vacuum by creating My Morning Jacket.

The Louisville born band is the closest thing to the Allman Brothers backing up Prince that our planet will ever see. And nowhere has this description been more apt than on their latest album, Evil Urges.

Evil Urges continues to prove that My Morning Jacket are greater than their jam-band, hippie-noodler origins. Where their last studio album, Z, showcased the band's ability to mix their southern rock stylings with a more progressive rock vibe, this album shows they can blend their style easily as well with a soulful R&B sound. And since R&B music is all about the hot sexin', MMJ doesn't skimp on the dirty talk. Take for instance these lyrics from the blush-inducing Librarian, "simple little bookworm/buried underneath/
is the sexiest librarian/take off those glasses and let down your hair for me." I'm not going to lie; after hearing those lyrics I headed straight to the library to try and find a hot librarian to stare at. For a report on how that went, google, "Patrick Drury, Lexington Public Library, police reports." It should be the second or third result.

For those philistines in the crowd who may not dig the whole sexy R&B vibe, there are still songs on Evil Urges that hearken back musically to My Morning Jacket's earlier days. The slightly anthemic I'm Amazed could fit easily on the bands break-out album It Still Moves. Likewise, Aluminum Park bears some of the bands earlier trademark guitar sounds. Not to say that they sound stagnant or like throwbacks, but rather they'll tickle the ears of fans who latched onto the bands less experimental days.

Highly Suspicious may be the weakest point on the album. It's obvious the band was having fun recording the song with it's inter-cutting falsetto verses and Cameo-like chorus, but I'm not sure that fun translates completely to the listener. I fear if you're like me, you'll find yourself skipping it altogether more often than not.

The real beauty of any My Morning Jacket album, though, whether it's flirting with prog rock or Prince, is the sheer amount of fun vocalist Jim James seems to be having. Blessed with a distinctive and powerful voice (which he's not afraid to fool around with - see previously mentioned Highly Suspicious), James punctuates his verses with exactly the kind of rock and roll screams and yelps that you know you would totally do too if you were in a band. It's fun and infectious. Like an STD that produces Skittles instead of bumps.

All in all Evil Urges is a very satisfying album. Full of new sounds and interesting tracks, but with a little something there for the less adventurous fans. So thanks to the universe and whatever course correction lead to My Morning Jacket being created. We may never see the Allman Brothers on stage with Prince, but we've got the next best thing. It's nice to see cosmic forces get something right for once!

Labels: playlist

I was recently given two different album review assignments for The Burnside Writer's Collective. Through some strange cosmic conspiracy both albums have had their release dates pushed back by months. So, to fill the void, I've written a couple of unsolicited reviews. Both of these albums were already assigned to other writers, so I don't think Burnside has any use for them - so I've decided to throw them up here.

First off, the new Counting Crows album, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings:

You know how everybody has that one relationship in their past that none of their friends understood and that, on paper, made no sense whatsoever, but for some reason they still kind of look back on fondly? Like maybe you dated a girl who always wore mom jeans and your friends would always point it out and laugh at you. And, yeah, you knew she looked silly, but somehow you saw past her ridiculously high denim equator, into her heart. You knew she was a good person, and loved animals, and always let you pick the restaurant, so you didn't care about her fashion problems.

The Counting Crows are my girlfriend in mom jeans.

I know everything that's wrong with the band. Seriously, I do. I realize a lot of my friends don't get my intense love for their music. In spite of all of their flaws and foibles, though, they are a band that followed me through my twenties and served as a soundtrack for a lot of the high points and low points of my life. So, I love them and there's nothing you can say that will change my mind.

It's because of this intense love that I kept putting off listening to their new album Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings.

See, I'm a big believer in leaving people wanting more; knowing when to get off the stage. Hard Candy, the band's previous studio album, was a great time to get off the stage. It was a good album, but was begining to show signs of the bands eventual descent into self parody.

Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings is a runaway train down that hill.

The album is cut into two pieces musically and thematically. It is, in lead singer Adam Duritz' words, "the story of what happens when all the bright lights start to burn instead of glitter and you become more of a part of the shadow they cast behind you than the person you are in front." And, "It's about a flood of sin and liquor and dissolution and insanity and it's about trying to rebuild the life you wrecked in the wake of that flood. It's about the way it feels. It's about me."

Duritz has been struggling with fame and the price it demands on people for over a decade and a half now. I don't begrudge the man his struggles, lord knows I've got my own, but I don't need another album from him about it. What originally felt like a guy making a bold statement about wanting something that he knew would ultimately screw him up on the band's first album, fifteen years ago, now feels like your dad, drunk off his ass and telling your friends stories about how bad his life is.

All the old tropes are pulled out for this album. "You Can't Count On Me" revisits the classic Duritz theme of being completely unreliable,"Los Angeles" has him once again running away from a girl to go find himself, and "Almost Any Sunday Morning" revels once again in his tendency towards self-destruction.

This beating of dead horses is made worse by the fact that musically, the band doesn't seem to have really grown any. It's not a bad album musically, on the contrary, it's really well performed. The Counting Crows have all the polish and precision of a really good studio band. There's simply nothing innovative about what they're doing.

Nowhere are the sins of this album more prevelant than in the song "I Dream of Michelangelo." When my fiancee heard it for the first time she actually thought they were covering one of their own songs.

In reality the song appears to be a knowing sequel to "Angels of the Silences" from their Recovering the Sattelites album. Recurring lyrics and themes are nothing new for Counting Crows. Sometimes it seems like Duritz writes songs using a mad-libs book, going through writing words like "California," "angels," "believe," and "lonely" in the empty spaces. This song, though, is such an obvious throw back to an earlier time that it leaves the listener feeling a bit awkward. Like your drunk dad stopped telling your friends how bad his life is, but went and put on some of his clothes from high school and is now walking around the living room.

Maybe everything I've written here says more about me than it does the Counting Crows' new album. Maybe I've just come to the point where I can't appreciate the band anymore and I'm blaming them for it. Maybe I've just seen the movie one too many times and I should just shut up and let other people enjoy it. Maybe I just miss the way the band used to make me feel.

Maybe not as much as Adam Duritz does, though, it seems.

Labels: playlist

This weekend sees the closing of Lexington's most popular live music venue, The Dame. I'm beginning to feel a bit cursed in that every bar I love, eventually closes. First it was High On Rose, then Kitty O'Shea's, and now the Dame. If the owners of Shamrock's are reading this, they may want to start worrying.

The Dame was a great club. Since it's opening 5 years ago I got to see a lot of great bands on their stage.

I saw Sunday Valley play there more times than I can count. I got to see them play their final show, get back together for a while, then play another final show. You don't get to say goodbye to many bands twice.

I saw Old Crow Medicine Show at the Dame. It was so crowded that night that I wanted to punch people. Most nights the people who weren't at the Dame to see a show would at least stand in the back and talk. That particular night the talkers stood in the front, scattered throughout the people there for the music. It was infuriating.

I saw Caitlin Carey (formerly of Whiskeytown)play there the night Sara and I admitted that we liked each other.

I saw Chris Whitley play the Dame before he died. Dirty and I were the only two people in the club that night who weren't either college professors or lesbians. We contemplated running out and buying tweed coats with elbow patches so we'd fit in.

I saw Frank Black. What a great night that was. I had dinner out on the sidewalk at the Thai place across the street from the Dame with ET and Vlad, then got in line for the show. It's a really vivid memory for some reason.

I saw Over The Rhine there with Sara a couple of times. For one show the staff had set up tables on the dance floor. It was a nice touch and a nice change from the usual standing-shoulder-to-shoulder stuff.

I saw the Avett Brothers play there last summer. That was a dream come true - to see my favorite band play in a little local bar. It was the best Avett Brother's concert I've ever been to.

I even got to see Charley The Intern and his band Pistol Report play there. I'm glad that got to happen before the place closed.

I saw lots of other little bands and local acts. I'm sure I'm also forgetting some really awesome show that I should remember. My biggest regret is not getting to see Arcade Fire when they played back in 2004.

With the exception of the Frank Black show, I was always at the Dame with people that I loved, so all my memories of great music are accompanied by memories of me and my friends having fun together (and at least one memory of Dirty vandalizing a car).

I hear stories that the Dame is going to relocate. I hope they do and I hope they achieve success they never dreamed of in their old location. If they move, I'll happily attend shows wherever they end up settling. In the meantime, though, I mourn their loss, however long it last.

Goodnight Dame.

Labels: local, playlist

Wolf Parade's new album doesn't hit stores until Tuesday, but you can stream it off their Myspace here.

Labels: playlist

JC sent Sara and I the gift of an early release of the new Weezer album last week. Now I'm not the best guy to judge a good Weezer album. I liked the blue album, but everybody liked the blue album, right? After that I noticed a stray song of theirs here or there. Passive fandom.

The new album seems to be getting panned a lot by critics. Of course who cares what music critics think, right?

I like several of the songs so far. The first single Pork and Beans is fun. I even like the extremely cheesy, somewhat self-indulgent Heartsongs.

But the best track on the whole album has to be The Greatest Man That Ever Lived. It's ten songs in one. It's every terrible awful pop music cliche' that ever existed, forced to live in a house where things stop being polite and start being real. It's kitschy and overblown, but so what? Anyone who demands complete seriousness from their music probably spends way too much time on Pitchfork and is completely insufferable at parties.

Listen for yourself: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived

Labels: playlist

Check out the new song Murder In The City from the upcoming Avett Brother's EP, The Second Gleam.  Really like this one a lot.  I can remember hearing them do it live last May in Louisville and scouring their albums trying to find it.  Glad to know it'll be available soon.

Labels: playlist

My good friends the Colonel and Ian both took a second to drop me emails letting me know that Okkervil River have announced a new album and new tour dates. The album is entitled The Stand Ins and was originally conceived as the second half of a double album (the first half being The Stage Names, released last August). The Stand Ins drops in September. More info here.

And a little personal note to myself - subscribing to the RSS feeds of sites like Pitchfork and Paste is useless if you don't actually READ THE DAMN FEEDS.

Labels: playlist

From Paste Magazine:

Avett Brothers fans have something to look forward to (beyond the 4.5 quillion tour dates the group is working through currently, natch).

The band of brothers will cap off months and months (and months and months) of touring with a brand new EP on July 22, entitled The Second Gleam. Conveniently enough, it will provide Avettaholics with six brand-new songs just before the siblings headline the Koka Booth Ampitheatre in Cary, NC. Tickets for that show go on sale May 9.

Labels: playlist

There was one point during the show where the room was just filled with noise. It was like a piano being pushed down a flight of stairs, but somehow controlled and purposeful. The ghost of every pot and pan in the world was snaking through the crowd, picking people up by their chest and suspending them above the ground for a few seconds. Dirty and I both admitted to closing our eyes and just kind of letting it all wash over us. I don't do that. I don't close my eyes at rock shows. And if I do, I sure don't talk about it afterwards.

Labels: playlist

Yesterday my highly neglected Myspace page informed me that Okkervil River is playing in Covington on Thursday night. Dirty, GG, and I are gonna drive over and see them. Thank you Myspace. You may be ugly as hell and full of spam but you are not without your uses.

Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe mp3 (via You Ain't No Picasso)

Labels: playlist

One of Patchdrury.com's favorite bands is Wolf Parade. According to Stereogum, their new album drops on 6/17. Hooray!

Here's a cut from their new album. Click on the title to play it in a seperate window, or click the arrow to play it on this page.

Call It a Ritual

Labels: playlist

It'd be Austin City Limits. Here's the lineup, bands I'd be particularly interested in are bolded:

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Spiritualized, Beck, Foo Fighters, Gnarls Barkley, N.E.R.D., David Byrne, Jamie Lidell, Man Man, Jenny Lewis, the Raconteurs, Band of Horses, Stars, M. Ward, Drive-By Truckers, CSS, Okkervil River, Iron & Wine, Hot Chip, Neko Case, John Fogerty, Roky Erickson, Vampire Weekend, the Black Keys, Del the Funky Homosapien, Silversun Pickups, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, the Swell Season, José González, Yeasayer, Octopus Project, Against Me!, Erykah Badu, MGMT, Manu Chao, Tegan and Sara, the Mars Volta, the Kills, Mates of State, Antibalas, Gogol Bordello, What Made Milwaukee Famous, and White Denim.

Labels: playlist

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Labels: playlist

The Burnside Writer's Collective is a weekly online magazine that deals with faith, culture, and social justice. It's most famous contributor is Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz and To Own A Dragon. I recently submitted a review of the new Vampire Weekend album to them and they published it on the site. Go here to check it out. I'm really proud.

I also received a very nice email from their music editor inviting me to be a part of future reviews - I'll post links as that begins happening.

Labels: elsewhere, playlist

As reported earlier, Charley The Intern's band, Pistol Report, played Thursday night at the Dame.  It was an awesome show.  Charley and his guys get better and better every time I hear them play.  They're easily better than half the bands that ever make it on stage at the Dame.

Labels: jerks, local, playlist

Charley The Intern's band, The Pistol Report (formerly Have Gun Will Travel) is playing tomorrow night (Thursday) at the Dame at 10:00. If you haven't heard Charley play his own stuff before, you should definitely come check it out. It's a completely different experience than seeing him at St. Awesome's. You can check out his music over on his Myspace page.

Labels: jerks, local, playlist

Back when I was in high school I was a big fan Christian music. Since then my taste have changed and a lot of the things I appreciate about music these days I find sadly lacking in most Christian music I hear.

As a former fan of Christian music I was sad to hear that Larry Norman, the man pretty much universally considered to be the father of Christian rock music, passed away.

The news inspired a little googling on my part - which led me to this surprising Pitchfork Media story. Apparently Frank Black of the Pixies is a huge Larry Norman fan - even going so far as to cover his songs and appear on stage with him a couple of times.

Turns out that Black and Norman were working on an album together - along with Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. What an awesome, yet strange combo. The album's due out later this year. Should make for interesting listening.

Labels: found, playlist

Labels: playlist

According to their email newsletter, the Avett Brothers's song, "If It's The Beaches" (one of Sara's favorites) will be featured on NBC's Friday Night Lights this friday. I dont' watch the show myself, but I know James and No Nick Name Fred do. So keep your ears open guys.

Labels: playlist

Last FM is a social networking site that revolves around music. You can see my page here. It uses scrobbling software to keep track of what music you listen to on your computer and generates stats based on that information.

As of a few days ago Last FM made it possible for you to listen to full tracks and full albums on their site. They also started paying artist for their music. I'm sure you don't care if some millionaire rockstar gets a few more bucks in his pocket - but apparently Last FM has also developed a means of paying independent artist directly. Theoretically, I could record a song, upload it, and get paid for every time it gets played. I say "theoretically" because I have no musical talent whatsoever. Anyway, that's pretty frickin' awesome.

So kudos to Last FM. If you dont' have a site, you should get one. It's a great way to sample new music. They have "If you like this, then you'll like this" functions to help you find stuff you'll enjoy.

Labels: playlist

Here's a video featuring a minute or so of every song Sam & Nathan's band played at their gig in Florida. Special note to No Nickname Fred: There's two songs in their set from Juno - specifically Anybody Else But You and Loose Lips.

Labels: playlist

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Labels: playlist

For those of you who don't know, Sara and I are in St. Petersburg, Florida right now visiting her brother. St. Pete was the first extended stop on Sam Handwich and Nathan's tour of these United States.

We made the trip because Sam, Nathan, and a new friend of theirs got an opportunity to play a gig at a local lounge/hair salon called Star Booty (performing under the name The Pygmy Rattlers).

They did awesome. Sara and I were really impressed and proud. I took a little video of each song and I'm gonna compile them into one big clip and post it. In the meantime, here's the only clip small enough that You Tube would let me put it up without compressing:

Labels: jerks, playlist

The Colonel's top ten albums of 2007 is up over on his blog. Go check it out. Then tell him he doesn't know anything about music because he doesn't like John Mayer. He'll love it. Seriously.

Also, can you believe the Colonel listens to Radiohead? He doesn't look like he'd listen to Radiohead.

Labels: jerks, playlist

Go here to download a free ep of Okkervil River doing cover songs. It's called Golden Opportunities. You can also download a jewel case cover and liner notes. Merry Christmas!

Labels: playlist

So you might have read some stuff I wrote here on my blog about Matt Fraction before. He's totally my favorite comic book writer. He's the only one I've ever felt compelled to write an email to, even though I felt dumb and awkward after doing it. You might have seen me list his book Casanova as one of my frequent buys on my pull list posts. I just really like his stuff.

Reading a recent issue of Casanova I noticed a couple of lines of dialogue that appeared to be lifted from a Mountain Goats song that I love. I went over to Fraction's website and, like a nerd, asked him if they were indeed taken from the song. He confirmed that they were and I had a nice little inside moment where my favorite writer borrowed from a band I like and I recognized it and blah, blah, blah...

Anyway, Fraction was recently asked to create a playlist of his five favorite Mountain Goat songs by a website called Cable and Tweed. He spends a little time unpacking why he picked each song and how the band has made their way into his work. It's a really interesting read and showcases a lot of the reasons I love Fraction's voice.

Read it here. And as a bonus, learn about babies and the Startle reflex.

Labels: nerd, playlist

I talked a lot about TV On The Radio's album, Cookie Mountain, when it came out. The first single released from the album was Wolf Like Me. This song appears on the Halloween party playlist and has been dubbed Thriller for new millennium. Well, just by me. Nobody else has dubbed it that, but if you don't care what I think why are you coming here in the first place.

Labels: halloween, playlist

Thrill as The Arcade Fire perform Keep The Car Running with Bruce Springsteen:



Gasp as they also perform one of Sara's favorite Springsteen tunes, State Trooper:

Labels: playlist

I didn't get any pictures of the Okkervil River show for two reasons:

1. My camera battery died and I forgot my charger.
2. There was a nigh-impenetrable wall of tall hipsters between the stage and I.

There were some pictures of the show on the NPR site, though. The pictures were taken by Joel Didrikson and are copyright NPR. I'm posting them here and linking back to the site they can be found on. If NPR or Mr. Didrikson would like them taken down, email me at patchdruryatgmaildotcom.









Apparently the entire band was getting sick prior to the show but you couldn't tell. They still shook, and screamed, and flailed about like rock & roll stars in perfect health.

Labels: playlist

Finally got some Avett Brothers videos from earlier in the summer up on youtube:

Labels: playlist

Decided to put up an actual playable playlist (I used to post playlist all the time - what happened to me? I used to be cool...). Really digging Seeqpod's embedable player. It's had just about every song I've done a search for so far. Of note on this playlist: I heard Where Is My Mind by The Pixies for the first time in years last night and fell in love all over again. Also - for The Colonel, that's not a typo on that Pete Yorn song. That's actually Pete Yorn doing Young Folks by Pete Bjorn. Weird, huh? Enjoy. Or don't. Whatever.


SeeqPod Music beta - Playable Search

Labels: playlist

Thanks to BP for pointing out that Okkervil River is gonna be on Conan tonight. Double thanks to him for pointing out the video section on the Okkervil River website.

The following video may represent the best thirty seconds of concert footage of any band ever. I've seen Okkervil River play in a small little dive before - but this... this... with the full horn section, the cramped quarters, the framed pictures on the wall, the flashes freezing the room over and over again like a strobe light... You couldn't have staged that any better if you'd tried. It's like a band playing in the middle of a murder mystery. Magical:

Labels: playlist

You can download a new track called Is There A Ghost from Band of Horses' upcoming album (goes on sale in October)from their Myspace page.

Labels: playlist

If you see Sara sometime over the next... oh... I don't know, lifetime... and she won't stop smiling, it's because tonight she got her picture taken with Scotty Avett of the Avett Brothers.

They played at the Kentucky Theater tonight as a part of the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour. A lot of things that had nothing to do with The Avetts conspired to make it not the greatest show ever. It was all redeemed afterwards when Sara got to share a few words and snap a picture with the other bearded object of her affection.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also got a picture with my favorite Avett:


If you're unfamiliar, check 'em out:

Labels: playlist

Everybody, including Sara, loved this song by Feist months ago. I am slow and stubborn to jump on the band wagon when it comes to songs that involve counting, though. I blame it on the Count from Sesame Street. He was a vampire for crying out loud! Why would I want an undead, blood-sucking monster to teach me how to count? Screw you Sesame Street!

Anyway, this song is awesome. It followed me around all weekend like the learning-impaired little brother I never had.

Labels: playlist

Grouchy comic book writer Warren Ellis delves a little deeper into John Allyn Smith Sails from the new Okkervil River album. He's right in pointing out how well the track works, but completely wrong in his short analysis of the band as unremarkable and overwritten.

Labels: nerd, playlist

Gave the new Okkervil River a listen last night while Sara and I cooked dinner for her family. On the first pass it's fantastic. I need more time to sit with it and drink it in before I can really talk about it in the context of their past albums, but I could see this easily becoming my favorite of their albums.

The nicest bit was listening to the last track, John Allyn Smith Sails, and all of a sudden hearing Sara singing along even though she'd never head the song before. Turns out the last half of the song homages Sloop John B by the Beach Boys. I thought it sounded familiar but wouldn't have been able to put my finger on why as I never really listened to much Beach Boys.

Anyway, good stuff.

Labels: playlist

The Avett Brothers were awesome last night. I've got pictures and video to put up, but my camera battery died during the show and I was too tired last night to mess with it when I got home. I've seen them three times since April and last night was far and away the best of the three shows. Especially the electric part of the encore. Seeing the almost exclusively acoustic guitar/banjo/upright bass trio move into a drum kit, an electric guitar, and an electric bass was unexpected and really cool.

The crowd was pretty rowdy and made things rough for a couple of the folks in our crew. Even obnoxious morons can't completely ruin an Avett Brothers concert, though, so everybody had a good time ultimately.

Prior to the show I had to speak at a children's retreat in Cincinnati. I was a little worried about making it back in time. Turns out my fears were ungrounded, though, because I was actually at the Dame in time to wait in line with everybody else. Coming back from Cincinnati I drove past Riverbend, where the mystifyingly popular Jimmy Buffet was playing a show. So last night I was momentarily caught in the yin-yang of the concert world. Avett Brothers = the bright, happy word of excellent musicianship and energy. Jimmy Buffet = the dark world of 40-something business types wearing khaki shorts, grass skirts, and smoking their yearly bowl. It almost ripped a whole in my personal space-time continuum.

Labels: dear diary, playlist

The Avett Brothers rock The Dame! Banjoy!!

Labels: playlist

From the Avett Brothers mailing list:

Tickets for our show on July 26th at The Dame in Lexington, KY are going really fast. The promoter of the show has let us know that he thinks the show will sell-out. So please get your tickets now! The Corduroy Road kick off the show at 9:00 pm.

Thanks,

The Avett Brothers

Labels: local, playlist

Wahoo! David Bazan comes to Kentucky in November! To celebrate, enjoy his cover of Radiohead's "Let Down."

Labels: playlist

Mastercard is using a terrible version of the awesome M. Ward song, To Go Home.

Here's what it's supposed to sound like:

Labels: playlist

Just bought tickets for Sara and myself for the Avett Brothers at the Dame on the 26th. If you're planning on going, you should get your tickets soon. This is an incredible opportunity to see a fantastic band on our home field. You don't wanna miss it.

That night's gonna be like the Cannonball Run for me because I'm speaking at a camp outside of Cincinnati and am gonna have to drive like Tom Selleck to get back in time.

In honor of the proceeding Cannonball Run reference, here's the outtakes from the movie. I wouldn't recommend watching them unless you've already seen them and, like me, have some kind of strange nostalgic fascination with them.

Labels: local, playlist

Seriously, how come I've never done anything this cool with my nerd-power?

Labels: playlist

Last night Sara, Sam Handwich, Nathan, Michelle, Charley The Intern and I drove up to the Southgate House in Newport to see The Avett Brothers.

It was an awesome show. Sara even said it surpassed the Damien Rice show that had previously held the title of "Favorite Concert Ever" for her. Michelle and Charley were only peripherally aware of the Avetts but I think they left the show as new devotees.

Here's some pictures.

First up, the Southgate House:


The very fancy marquee:


Charley and Sara waiting for the show to begin:


The Colonel told us to try and get the seats right above the stage on the right side. We snagged them with no problem. At first I was a little concerned that we might be staring at the back of their heads all night - and Charley was concerned about the sound. Turns out, though, we had a really nice view because they didn't stand still very much. And the sound was awesome because we were getting their monitor mix and the actual stage sound. We also got to see a lot of the stage business you miss in the crowd:







The real reason Sara loved the show was because at one point Nathan yelled out a request and the Avett's noticed us above them for the first time. Scott Avett said, "Hey y'all!" and waved at Sara:


As awesome as our seats were, I also thought it'd be nice to see them from the front, so I went to the back of the room to snap a picture:


There was some instrument abuse at the end of the encore:


Including a particularly risky move by the bassist, Bob Crawford, I thought:


There are more pictures on my flickr page. We got shots of Bob and Seth looking our way too, but I'm gonna try and lighten them up a little when I get home today because they're kinda dark. I also got a couple of videos that I'll post once I get a chance to compress them.

It was a rockin' night. Dirty and the Colonel had both planned on going, but had to bow out for various reasons. Suckers!

Labels: playlist

After downloading the Okkervil River track on youaintnopicasso.com tonight (see the post below this one) I poked around a bit and found an mp3 of M.Ward doing Let My Love Open The Door (the Pete Townsend song). Nice.

Labels: playlist

The Colonel is awesome because he pointed out that youaintnopicasso.com had a new Okkervil River track up. I just listened to it and it's incredible. Even if you've never heard of Okkervil River you should follow the link above and check out the song. It's called Our Life Is Not A Movie. If you don't like it I'll give you your money back. And by "give you your money back" I mean "hit you with a hammer."

Labels: playlist

Sara and I have been making it a point to spend some alone time together this week. Last night we got to do one of our favorite things in the world - drive around and listen to music.

Since the new Avett Brother's album came out on Tuesday and neither one of us had listened to it yet, we decided to hop in my truck and give it a listen on the open road. We also had rocket pops. And Sara took pictures.




The word for the day is idyllic.

Gas prices would seem to make driving around listening to music a bad idea, but I figure we spent less than we would have on going to a movie. Or paying bums to fight.

Also - here's the Avett's from Conan last friday:

Labels: playlist, random

Love, Love, Love - The Mountain Goats
Old Woodstock - Van Morrison
Missed the Boat - Modest Mouse
Paranoia in Bflat Major - The Avett Brothers

Labels: playlist

For one thing, the new Avett Brothers album, Emotionalism, comes out today!

In addition to that, the Avett Brothers are playing the Southgate House in Newport on the 31st.

For another, the oversized, hardcover collection of Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba's Casanova comes out next Wednesday.


And finally on the 26th, Sunday Valley plays at the Dame!


The 26th is also my nephew Zach's birthday party, but the vast majority of you aren't invited, so don't get too excited.

Labels: dear diary, nerd, playlist

The Avett Brothers will be on Late Night with Conan O'Brien this Friday. You should totally watch it.

Labels: playlist