¡Viva La Mainstream! has been on a temporary leave of absence this week, and will continue to be until round about August 27th.Till then, check up on entries you might've missed, or keep yourself amused by reading the bloggings of the fine folks over in the sidebar. See you Wednesday.
Charts will resume next weekend (they wouldnt have been that interesting this week anyways)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Jack's Mannequin Album Leaks...Maybe
I moved into the new apartment up at school today. After spending last year in a suite with seven other people with whom I had very little in common, I'm excited for the change in scenery. This time around its 3 people, all of whom I know fairly/extremely well, and we're all hella excited. For bonus points, we got a kitchen, so no more endless dining hall food.
In my musical universe not all that much is going on, making this post rather uninteresting. However within the last hour something broke that will lead to at least one future post sometime this week. Earlier today The Glass Passenger, the much-anticipated sophomore effort from Jack's Mannequin, leaked to the internet in some form. As the story appears to be going on PunkDisasters, promo copies were sent out, but since then the track listing has changed. Nonetheless, an album featuring new JM material is out in the open, 5 weeks before the slated September 30 release date.
I have no idea how close to the actual, final release the one I have is. I will keep checking and will post a review of the copy I have regardless later this week. Anyone with the actual leak (allegedly the REAL album leaked today) or more info should drop me a line.
==TJ==
In my musical universe not all that much is going on, making this post rather uninteresting. However within the last hour something broke that will lead to at least one future post sometime this week. Earlier today The Glass Passenger, the much-anticipated sophomore effort from Jack's Mannequin, leaked to the internet in some form. As the story appears to be going on PunkDisasters, promo copies were sent out, but since then the track listing has changed. Nonetheless, an album featuring new JM material is out in the open, 5 weeks before the slated September 30 release date.
I have no idea how close to the actual, final release the one I have is. I will keep checking and will post a review of the copy I have regardless later this week. Anyone with the actual leak (allegedly the REAL album leaked today) or more info should drop me a line.
==TJ==
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Doomsday Clock Moves one minute closer to Midnight
I'm listening to iTunes on party shuffle, and I willingly moved "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter to the top of the list, and am listening to it now.
I don't know what exactly this means, but I'm pretty sure little good can come of it.
Daniel Powter - Bad Day [iTunes]
==TJ==
I don't know what exactly this means, but I'm pretty sure little good can come of it.
Daniel Powter - Bad Day [iTunes]
==TJ==
Saturday, August 16, 2008
VLM Charts: Week of August 16
Thanks to the wonders of last.fm, and a longstanding desire to do something like this, I'm launching a weekly play chart on ¡Viva La Mainstream! The chart consists of the top 10 songs I played on either my iPod or iTunes each week. Every Saturday at noon(ish), I'm going to take the "Last 7 Days" stats from last.fm for individual tracks, and use that as the data for the charts. This weeks numbers aren't terribly interesting, but cut me a break, it's my first time out.
Weeks On (C)= # Consecutive Weeks on Chart
Weeks On (T)= # Weeks on Chart Total
*=Certain listings include multiple versions of a song (ie live and studio tracks). The chart reflects total plays for both versions.
As you can see this week was still very centered on stuff from Virgin Festival, but the new Jack's Mannequin song "The Resolution" ultimately took the top spot (mostly on the grounds that there was only one version of said track) So there you go. This'll get more interesting as time passes. This first one was just confirming that I can in fact make it happen.
==TJ==
|
Weeks On (C)= # Consecutive Weeks on Chart
Weeks On (T)= # Weeks on Chart Total
*=Certain listings include multiple versions of a song (ie live and studio tracks). The chart reflects total plays for both versions.
As you can see this week was still very centered on stuff from Virgin Festival, but the new Jack's Mannequin song "The Resolution" ultimately took the top spot (mostly on the grounds that there was only one version of said track) So there you go. This'll get more interesting as time passes. This first one was just confirming that I can in fact make it happen.
==TJ==
Friday, August 15, 2008
A Tale of Two Fuck-Ups; Lil Wayne and Stone Temple Pilots at Virgin Festival
So two days without posting means I'm all sorts of behind, so let's just go ahead and get started.
Sunday afternoon at Virgin Festival 2008 saw a fascinating subplot unfold. On the north stage we saw Taking Back Sunday and on the south, Lil Wayne. Having just seen Paramore (as described in the previous post) at the north stage, I decided to rejoin my comrades Matt, Adam and Brian a bit further away from the stage for Taking Back Sunday. I chose to stick around for TBS. Were any other story than the one I'm about to tell to take place, I'd say I made a wrong call.
There's no two ways about it; TBS were outright terrible live. Their albums are at best decent, albeit clearly heavy on production. With no professional mixing board to fall back on, Adam Lazzara was a horrible wreck on stage. The music was weak and the stage performance was hardly compelling enough to keep me interested. But lucky for TBS, at least they showed up.
[Note: The following paragraph is all taken secondhand from my fellow concertgoers and post-show reports]
Lil Wayne was slated to take the south stage at 3:50. By 4:00. he was a no-show. Shortly thereafter members of Weezy's entourage came out and started to attempt to keep the crowd amused. Finally, around 4:30, a full 40 minutes after his scheduled start time, Lil Wayne arrived on stage. Now, for the whole festival the Powers That Be were being pretty strict about set times (they made The Swell Season do their encore from the pit so the roadies could prep the stage for the next act). So in theory Lil Wayne should have only had a 20 minute set as a result of his tardiness. Not so much. Lil Wayne plays the full hour set that he was originally alotted, including a guest appearance by Kanye West and slightly less important appearances by the members of said entourage. Weezy fans loved the whole thing. But the fans of the Black Keys, who were waiting to see their favorite band take the stage...less so. Especially since the Black Keys were on the receiving end of the fiasco, having to cut their set significantly shorter. Keys fans showed their displeasure in the form of middle fingers and "Fuck Lil Wayne" chants. Perhaps not the most effective way to voice displeasure, but it got their point across.
Fast forward about an hour or so, to arguably the most tense point of the festival. In the week prior to the festival video from a Stone Temple Pilots show of Scott Weiland stumbling into the drummer's kit. At long last, we had visual proof that the STP reunion was coming apart at the seams. So as Iggy ended and Matt and I waited at the barricade for STP's set, everyone was on high alert. Matt told me about a show in Colombus that shows why people liked STP to begin with, so there was hope, but it was iffy. 6:20 rolls around and the roadies are still finishing up. A good sign, but I promise to believe nothing till I see Scott Weiland on stage. 6:25. Nothing. Guess the P in STP isn't for "Punctual". 6:30. We might all just be really early for Nine Inch Nails. The crowd gets a bit restless. 6:35. Cheers from front and center as the DeLeo brothers are seen on stage. Still no Weiland. A little before 6:40 Weiland makes it to the stage to thunderous applause. The band proceeds to plow through a brilliant, albeit abbreviated greatest-hits set. The setlist is below.
STP @ Virgin Festival, 8/10/2008
Vasoline
Wicked Garden
Big Bang Baby
Big Empty
Crackerman
Plush
Interstate Love Song
Down
Sex Type Thing
Dead & Bloated
Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart
So all in all the guy that folks were expecting a great performance from gipped all manner of festival-goers, while the guy that everyone was at Defcon 1 over put on a hell of a show.
That's rock and roll for ya.
Stone Temple Pilots - Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart [iTunes]
==TJ==
Sunday afternoon at Virgin Festival 2008 saw a fascinating subplot unfold. On the north stage we saw Taking Back Sunday and on the south, Lil Wayne. Having just seen Paramore (as described in the previous post) at the north stage, I decided to rejoin my comrades Matt, Adam and Brian a bit further away from the stage for Taking Back Sunday. I chose to stick around for TBS. Were any other story than the one I'm about to tell to take place, I'd say I made a wrong call.
There's no two ways about it; TBS were outright terrible live. Their albums are at best decent, albeit clearly heavy on production. With no professional mixing board to fall back on, Adam Lazzara was a horrible wreck on stage. The music was weak and the stage performance was hardly compelling enough to keep me interested. But lucky for TBS, at least they showed up.
[Note: The following paragraph is all taken secondhand from my fellow concertgoers and post-show reports]
Lil Wayne was slated to take the south stage at 3:50. By 4:00. he was a no-show. Shortly thereafter members of Weezy's entourage came out and started to attempt to keep the crowd amused. Finally, around 4:30, a full 40 minutes after his scheduled start time, Lil Wayne arrived on stage. Now, for the whole festival the Powers That Be were being pretty strict about set times (they made The Swell Season do their encore from the pit so the roadies could prep the stage for the next act). So in theory Lil Wayne should have only had a 20 minute set as a result of his tardiness. Not so much. Lil Wayne plays the full hour set that he was originally alotted, including a guest appearance by Kanye West and slightly less important appearances by the members of said entourage. Weezy fans loved the whole thing. But the fans of the Black Keys, who were waiting to see their favorite band take the stage...less so. Especially since the Black Keys were on the receiving end of the fiasco, having to cut their set significantly shorter. Keys fans showed their displeasure in the form of middle fingers and "Fuck Lil Wayne" chants. Perhaps not the most effective way to voice displeasure, but it got their point across.
Fast forward about an hour or so, to arguably the most tense point of the festival. In the week prior to the festival video from a Stone Temple Pilots show of Scott Weiland stumbling into the drummer's kit. At long last, we had visual proof that the STP reunion was coming apart at the seams. So as Iggy ended and Matt and I waited at the barricade for STP's set, everyone was on high alert. Matt told me about a show in Colombus that shows why people liked STP to begin with, so there was hope, but it was iffy. 6:20 rolls around and the roadies are still finishing up. A good sign, but I promise to believe nothing till I see Scott Weiland on stage. 6:25. Nothing. Guess the P in STP isn't for "Punctual". 6:30. We might all just be really early for Nine Inch Nails. The crowd gets a bit restless. 6:35. Cheers from front and center as the DeLeo brothers are seen on stage. Still no Weiland. A little before 6:40 Weiland makes it to the stage to thunderous applause. The band proceeds to plow through a brilliant, albeit abbreviated greatest-hits set. The setlist is below.
STP @ Virgin Festival, 8/10/2008
Vasoline
Wicked Garden
Big Bang Baby
Big Empty
Crackerman
Plush
Interstate Love Song
Down
Sex Type Thing
Dead & Bloated
Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart
So all in all the guy that folks were expecting a great performance from gipped all manner of festival-goers, while the guy that everyone was at Defcon 1 over put on a hell of a show.
That's rock and roll for ya.
Stone Temple Pilots - Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart [iTunes]
==TJ==
Paramore Turns Me Into A Little Fanboy
Skipping ahead to Sunday as I continue my bloggings on Virgin Festival.
As Shudder to Think left the stage, I made my way to the barricade on the south stage to see my favorite too-good-for-Warped band du jour, Paramore. Surprisingly I made it to about 4 rows from the barricade before the crowd gets too thick to pass. Said crowd was made up primarily of girls between the ages of 15 and 18 who clearly have better music taste than to sit at home and watch Hannah Frickin' Montana on TV*, and guys around my age who:
a) Think Paramore is a surprisingly fun band to listen to, despite being a touch juvenile, or
b) Think Hayley Williams is cute/attractive/hot/whathaveyou
I make no illusions about the fact that I fall into the latter category. The folks around me are dying to catch their first glimpse of Hayley Williams, concerned mostly about what color her hair is this week. With prime standing position, I can see other members of the band in the backstage area as they kill time before their start time. Then, in a stroke of luck and a touch of natural selection (I was the tallest in the immediate vicinity), I catch a glimpse of Williams joining the rest of the band backstage. In true fanboy mode, I shout "OHMYGOD THERE SHE IS!!!" and snap as many pics as I can. Eventually the actual music starts.
The thing I've always found about modern punk bands is that they sound great on their albums...but blow out the ass live. Fall Out Boy, The Used, even My Chemical Romance...all do good stuff in a studio, but in a live setting their at best average, at worst atrocious. The live bonus tracks I've heard from Paramore led me to think otherwise, but I was skeptical, as even live bonus tracks carry some production. In short, Paramore wowed me musically. The energy, the fun, and most of all, the quality of their performance comes through as well live as it does on both albums. Hayley Williams is a terrific performer who can work a crowd as well as people twice her age (for bonus points, she waved at me during the opener**). Paramore's set was mostly tracks from the newly platinum-certified Riot!, but as a bone to older fans, "Pressure" and "Here We Go Again" from their debut also popped up. I was hoping they'd play "Emergency", but due to the tween-friendly audience and the PG-13 nature of the song (it's about an abusive relationship), I see why it was passed over.
Paramore - Born For This [iTunes]
My only gripe about the show was as follows; look, I get the appeal of crowdsurfing. It's fun and it shows your enthusiasm. But there's a time and a place for it. The ballad is neither. To good music fans everywhere; pick your moments to crowdsurf wisely. You kill the mood otherwise.
I could go on and on about Paramore and Hayley Williams for pages (and I wouldn't really mind), but I think you get the picture. Paramore is winding down their tour soon and after that they're going in to record their third LP, but if you live in a city where they're slated to play, you'd do right to check them out.
Pics and a setlist are below.
Paramore @ Virgin Music Festival, 8/10/2008
Born For This
That's What You Get
Here We Go Again
Fences
Crushcrushcrush
Let the Flames Begin
When It Rains
Pressure
For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic
Misery Business
Hayley is the one backstage with the striped shirt.
Hayley Williams radiates awesome.
==TJ==
*If I ever mention Hannah Montana here again, you all have the right to throw something at me.
**I'm about 95% sure she really did wave at me. And don't crush my dreams by saying she probably didn't. That'd just be mean.
As Shudder to Think left the stage, I made my way to the barricade on the south stage to see my favorite too-good-for-Warped band du jour, Paramore. Surprisingly I made it to about 4 rows from the barricade before the crowd gets too thick to pass. Said crowd was made up primarily of girls between the ages of 15 and 18 who clearly have better music taste than to sit at home and watch Hannah Frickin' Montana on TV*, and guys around my age who:
a) Think Paramore is a surprisingly fun band to listen to, despite being a touch juvenile, or
b) Think Hayley Williams is cute/attractive/hot/whathaveyou
I make no illusions about the fact that I fall into the latter category. The folks around me are dying to catch their first glimpse of Hayley Williams, concerned mostly about what color her hair is this week. With prime standing position, I can see other members of the band in the backstage area as they kill time before their start time. Then, in a stroke of luck and a touch of natural selection (I was the tallest in the immediate vicinity), I catch a glimpse of Williams joining the rest of the band backstage. In true fanboy mode, I shout "OHMYGOD THERE SHE IS!!!" and snap as many pics as I can. Eventually the actual music starts.
The thing I've always found about modern punk bands is that they sound great on their albums...but blow out the ass live. Fall Out Boy, The Used, even My Chemical Romance...all do good stuff in a studio, but in a live setting their at best average, at worst atrocious. The live bonus tracks I've heard from Paramore led me to think otherwise, but I was skeptical, as even live bonus tracks carry some production. In short, Paramore wowed me musically. The energy, the fun, and most of all, the quality of their performance comes through as well live as it does on both albums. Hayley Williams is a terrific performer who can work a crowd as well as people twice her age (for bonus points, she waved at me during the opener**). Paramore's set was mostly tracks from the newly platinum-certified Riot!, but as a bone to older fans, "Pressure" and "Here We Go Again" from their debut also popped up. I was hoping they'd play "Emergency", but due to the tween-friendly audience and the PG-13 nature of the song (it's about an abusive relationship), I see why it was passed over.
Paramore - Born For This [iTunes]
My only gripe about the show was as follows; look, I get the appeal of crowdsurfing. It's fun and it shows your enthusiasm. But there's a time and a place for it. The ballad is neither. To good music fans everywhere; pick your moments to crowdsurf wisely. You kill the mood otherwise.
I could go on and on about Paramore and Hayley Williams for pages (and I wouldn't really mind), but I think you get the picture. Paramore is winding down their tour soon and after that they're going in to record their third LP, but if you live in a city where they're slated to play, you'd do right to check them out.
Pics and a setlist are below.
Paramore @ Virgin Music Festival, 8/10/2008
Born For This
That's What You Get
Here We Go Again
Fences
Crushcrushcrush
Let the Flames Begin
When It Rains
Pressure
For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic
Misery Business
Hayley is the one backstage with the striped shirt.Hayley Williams radiates awesome.==TJ==
*If I ever mention Hannah Montana here again, you all have the right to throw something at me.
**I'm about 95% sure she really did wave at me. And don't crush my dreams by saying she probably didn't. That'd just be mean.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Foo Fighters Show The Folks at Virgin Fest What's What
Let's all be real here. The Foo Fighters were the big money prize for me at Virgin Festival. Nothing short of getting shot in the kidney could've kept me from seeing the Foo Fighters, and seeing them as up close as humanly possible. I managed to get about a dozen rows from the barricade before the mass of people got too much to handle, but it was a prime spot nonetheless (to the guy that was next to me in the "Maryland Fucking Terrapins" T-Shirt; rock on, dude.)
The Foos took the stage a fashionable 5-10 minutes late, mostly due to roadies taking one last check of the stage (compared to other bands later in the fest, the Foos were actually quite punctual). The set was more or less a slightly abbreviated version of what they've been doing on the recent tour, with an acoustic set sandwiched between huge rock and roll openings and closers. The band played their first five tracks, an epic collection of their hits from this decade nonstop, with Taylor Hawkins counting off the next track as the final chords rang out. Needless to say the energy was ridiculously high, and despite a voice that was still recovering from the strains of a long tour, Dave Grohl kept up with the fans, even challenging the crowd to tell him when to call it a night.
The acoustic set, a new tradition picked up from 2006's Afoostic tour, was a bit shorter than usual, including new mainstays "Skin and Bones" and the Nirvana B-Side "Marigold", but left out stuff from the "Not So Loud" disc of In Your Honor and other favorites. If there's any bummer from the evening, it's the lack of "Big Me". Listen to the Skin and Bones live version below and you'll see what I mean.
Foo Fighters - Big Me (Live) [iTunes]
Dave Grohl showed why he's the most likable guy in rock and roll as he introduced the band, between the (apparently abbreviated, I'm told) stage banter between he and Taylor Hawkins and the introduction of the rest of the band, right down to threatening to take away touring percussionist Drew "playing all the stuff you did in 3rd grade" Hester's cell phone if he didn't give the crowd "a fucking triangle solo". Hester obliged. But everyone knew Dave Grohl was a classy guy. The true surprise came from Oliver Taylor Hawkins, between the incomprehensibly epic drum solo during "Stacked Actors", during which the rest of the band went to get a drink, singing lead vocals on my personal favorite "Cold Day In The Sun" and the aforementioned stage banter, all I can say is Oliver Taylor Hawkins (the crowd started chanting Oliver when we found out that was his real name) FTMF'NW*.
*For The Mother F'N Win
The surprises came in the closing tracks. For as long as I've known, the Foos have used "Everlong" to close out a show. Not so much here. "Everlong" closed out, and up came the lights and sounds for "Monkey Wrench", a track I didn't think got played much anymore. The evening of brilliant, balls-out rock and roll came an end as Dave Grohl asked the crowd, "You're not done yet? Don't you people have work tomorrow? No? How about church? Yeah, don't lie now...", then proceeding to scream the opener to "Best Of You" to thunderous cheers.
I've only mentioned a handful of great moments from this 105-minute set. Everything you could want from a rock and roll show, the Foo Fighters gave generously. I've waited nearly a year and a half to see the Foos live, and now that I have, I just hope its not another year and a half before they come around again.
A set list and pictures are below. Props to JCardinal18 for the pics.
The Foo Fighters @ Virgin Festival August 9th, 2008
The Pretender
Times Like These
No Way Back
Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running
Young Man's Blues (Who cover)
Long Road To Ruin
Breakout
Stacked Actors [massive drum solo by Taylor Hawkins]
=acoustic set=
Skin and Bones
Marigold [Nirvana B-Side]
My Hero
=end acoustic=
Cold Day In The Sun [as sung by Hawkins]
Everlong
Monkey Wrench
All My Life
Best Of You
==TJ==
The Foos took the stage a fashionable 5-10 minutes late, mostly due to roadies taking one last check of the stage (compared to other bands later in the fest, the Foos were actually quite punctual). The set was more or less a slightly abbreviated version of what they've been doing on the recent tour, with an acoustic set sandwiched between huge rock and roll openings and closers. The band played their first five tracks, an epic collection of their hits from this decade nonstop, with Taylor Hawkins counting off the next track as the final chords rang out. Needless to say the energy was ridiculously high, and despite a voice that was still recovering from the strains of a long tour, Dave Grohl kept up with the fans, even challenging the crowd to tell him when to call it a night.
The acoustic set, a new tradition picked up from 2006's Afoostic tour, was a bit shorter than usual, including new mainstays "Skin and Bones" and the Nirvana B-Side "Marigold", but left out stuff from the "Not So Loud" disc of In Your Honor and other favorites. If there's any bummer from the evening, it's the lack of "Big Me". Listen to the Skin and Bones live version below and you'll see what I mean.
Foo Fighters - Big Me (Live) [iTunes]
Dave Grohl showed why he's the most likable guy in rock and roll as he introduced the band, between the (apparently abbreviated, I'm told) stage banter between he and Taylor Hawkins and the introduction of the rest of the band, right down to threatening to take away touring percussionist Drew "playing all the stuff you did in 3rd grade" Hester's cell phone if he didn't give the crowd "a fucking triangle solo". Hester obliged. But everyone knew Dave Grohl was a classy guy. The true surprise came from Oliver Taylor Hawkins, between the incomprehensibly epic drum solo during "Stacked Actors", during which the rest of the band went to get a drink, singing lead vocals on my personal favorite "Cold Day In The Sun" and the aforementioned stage banter, all I can say is Oliver Taylor Hawkins (the crowd started chanting Oliver when we found out that was his real name) FTMF'NW*.
*For The Mother F'N Win
The surprises came in the closing tracks. For as long as I've known, the Foos have used "Everlong" to close out a show. Not so much here. "Everlong" closed out, and up came the lights and sounds for "Monkey Wrench", a track I didn't think got played much anymore. The evening of brilliant, balls-out rock and roll came an end as Dave Grohl asked the crowd, "You're not done yet? Don't you people have work tomorrow? No? How about church? Yeah, don't lie now...", then proceeding to scream the opener to "Best Of You" to thunderous cheers.
I've only mentioned a handful of great moments from this 105-minute set. Everything you could want from a rock and roll show, the Foo Fighters gave generously. I've waited nearly a year and a half to see the Foos live, and now that I have, I just hope its not another year and a half before they come around again.
A set list and pictures are below. Props to JCardinal18 for the pics.
The Foo Fighters @ Virgin Festival August 9th, 2008
The Pretender
Times Like These
No Way Back
Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running
Young Man's Blues (Who cover)
Long Road To Ruin
Breakout
Stacked Actors [massive drum solo by Taylor Hawkins]
=acoustic set=
Skin and Bones
Marigold [Nirvana B-Side]
My Hero
=end acoustic=
Cold Day In The Sun [as sung by Hawkins]
Everlong
Monkey Wrench
All My Life
Best Of You
==TJ==
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Swell Season at Virgin Festival
This weekend was the much-anticipated (for me, anyways) Virgin Mobile Festival at the Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore. The 31-band festival featured everyone ranging from the Foo Fighters to Lil' Wayne to Bob Dylan. I'm gonna take a cue from my comrade Matt over at Addicted to Vinyl and just try to cover one band at a time (I highly encourage you to go check out Matt's thoughts on the festival...but please do so after reading my own).
First on my docket of bands to blog about from this weekend is The Swell Season. The Swell Season is in fact the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, stars of the movie Once. If you've never seen once, go out and rent it. On my list of movies with musical themes and whatnot, it's only slightly below High Fidelity. Trust me, it's brilliant. The Swell Season were definitely one of the lower maintenance acts of the festival; Glen Hansard did his own soundcheck, complete with the old, wrecked guitar he's had since God knows when (pretty sure it's also the same one from the movie), and when he introduced Marketa Irglova they had to delay the show to get one last piece of equipment. I've never seen an audience for a singer-songwriter duo quite so pumped (previous audiences for Cat Power and KT Tunstall were far more subdued).
The Swell Season stuck primarily to tracks from the movie and/or soundtrack to Once, making a point to play favorites like "When Your Mind's Made Up" and "Lies", and of course the song that Glen described as the child they're oh-so proud of, the Oscar-winning "Falling Slowly". Further proving they don't really take themselves to seriously Hansard joked with the crowd, saying that "all I knew of Baltimore before coming here came from 'The Wire', so I was pretty scared. We got lost on the way here and I think we drove onto the set.". And in a moment amusing to everyone in the audience and on stage, Glen asked the intrusive camera guy if he could "just fuck off a bit". Well, everyone except the camera guy was amused at least.
The Swell Season - Falling Slowly [iTunes]
After their official set came to a close, the audience (myself included) called for one more song, so Glen and Marketa came back out, jumped down into the pit, and played one last unplugged, singalong track to everyone's enjoyment. Across the board The Swell Season played one of the more enjoyable sets of Saturday afternoon. Pictures are below. Anyone who was there and took notes on the setlist can feel free to post it.
You can check out the rest of my pics at my flickr site. I'll be adding stuff that other people posted to that set as I get time to, but right now all you see is what I posted.
==TJ==
First on my docket of bands to blog about from this weekend is The Swell Season. The Swell Season is in fact the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, stars of the movie Once. If you've never seen once, go out and rent it. On my list of movies with musical themes and whatnot, it's only slightly below High Fidelity. Trust me, it's brilliant. The Swell Season were definitely one of the lower maintenance acts of the festival; Glen Hansard did his own soundcheck, complete with the old, wrecked guitar he's had since God knows when (pretty sure it's also the same one from the movie), and when he introduced Marketa Irglova they had to delay the show to get one last piece of equipment. I've never seen an audience for a singer-songwriter duo quite so pumped (previous audiences for Cat Power and KT Tunstall were far more subdued).
The Swell Season stuck primarily to tracks from the movie and/or soundtrack to Once, making a point to play favorites like "When Your Mind's Made Up" and "Lies", and of course the song that Glen described as the child they're oh-so proud of, the Oscar-winning "Falling Slowly". Further proving they don't really take themselves to seriously Hansard joked with the crowd, saying that "all I knew of Baltimore before coming here came from 'The Wire', so I was pretty scared. We got lost on the way here and I think we drove onto the set.". And in a moment amusing to everyone in the audience and on stage, Glen asked the intrusive camera guy if he could "just fuck off a bit". Well, everyone except the camera guy was amused at least.
The Swell Season - Falling Slowly [iTunes]
After their official set came to a close, the audience (myself included) called for one more song, so Glen and Marketa came back out, jumped down into the pit, and played one last unplugged, singalong track to everyone's enjoyment. Across the board The Swell Season played one of the more enjoyable sets of Saturday afternoon. Pictures are below. Anyone who was there and took notes on the setlist can feel free to post it.
You can check out the rest of my pics at my flickr site. I'll be adding stuff that other people posted to that set as I get time to, but right now all you see is what I posted.==TJ==
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Coldplay Hook Themselves up to the Rejuvenation Machine
So based on the stats I get on web traffic here and the number of comments both on-blog and via email, I think it's safe to say that my most recent post regarding Chris Cornell and Timbaland (the one with the mp3s), is the most popular entry on ¡VLM! since it's creation. Combined the tracks have been downloaded nearly 1800 times, and to my knowledge it's been linked to by:
NY Magazine's Right-Click
Stereogum
The Official Foo Fighters Forum (in their section on non-Foo related stuff)
And a number of other blogs and such (my tracker only goes back about a week). So to everyone who's linked to that page, and are reading this now in one form or other, welcome!
So, I decided not to post Day 2 of Virgin Music Fest, primarily 'cause I'm gonna wait and see what the other guys I'm going with (among them Matt from Addicted to Vinyl...don't know if I mentioned that) are seeing and might suggest/insist I see. So there's that. But I am gonna post something else that's kind of awesome. Coldplay came through Philadelphia last week, and their tour has been getting press for all kinds of reason good and bad. THe two biggest stories have had to do with the two free shows they put on, one in Brixton in their homeland across the pond, and one in New York City. I am happy to report that below is a link to hear the complete Brixton show from earlier this summer.
If you're knowledge of Coldplay's live show consists primarily of their Live 2003 album, I highly reccomend this so you can clear that from your system. The stuff on Live sounded kinda tired and worn out, most likely because they'd played "Clocks" and "Yellow" about as many times as we had heard it on the radio, so thus both parties were sick of the tracks. Across the board Coldplay sound rejuvenated in this Brixton show. Chris Martin is genuinely joking and laughing with both the audience (who are thrilled to be seeing Britain's new darlings for free) and the rest of his band. The new songs sound as brilliant as they do on the record, and even the classics have a new breath of fresh air about them, like seeing an old friend for the first time since moving out of town. My only complaint is the lack of Viva La Vida ender "Death And All His Friends", which i think would make one hell of a way to end a show. Regardless, if you have or are going to see Coldplay in the near future, I encourage you to give this set a listen. I have three preview tracks posted and the zip file is at the end. I will post individual tracks upon request.
Coldplay Live At Brixton June 16th, 2008
Intro
Life in Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Viva La Vida
Chinese Sleep Chant
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
42
Square One
Trouble
Lost!
Strawberry Swing
Interlude
Yellow
If I Should Fall From Grace With God [Pogues Cover w/ Will Champion on vocals]
Fix You
Lovers in Japan
Complete Concert Here [via Mediafire].
==TJ==
NY Magazine's Right-Click
Stereogum
The Official Foo Fighters Forum (in their section on non-Foo related stuff)
And a number of other blogs and such (my tracker only goes back about a week). So to everyone who's linked to that page, and are reading this now in one form or other, welcome!
So, I decided not to post Day 2 of Virgin Music Fest, primarily 'cause I'm gonna wait and see what the other guys I'm going with (among them Matt from Addicted to Vinyl...don't know if I mentioned that) are seeing and might suggest/insist I see. So there's that. But I am gonna post something else that's kind of awesome. Coldplay came through Philadelphia last week, and their tour has been getting press for all kinds of reason good and bad. THe two biggest stories have had to do with the two free shows they put on, one in Brixton in their homeland across the pond, and one in New York City. I am happy to report that below is a link to hear the complete Brixton show from earlier this summer.
If you're knowledge of Coldplay's live show consists primarily of their Live 2003 album, I highly reccomend this so you can clear that from your system. The stuff on Live sounded kinda tired and worn out, most likely because they'd played "Clocks" and "Yellow" about as many times as we had heard it on the radio, so thus both parties were sick of the tracks. Across the board Coldplay sound rejuvenated in this Brixton show. Chris Martin is genuinely joking and laughing with both the audience (who are thrilled to be seeing Britain's new darlings for free) and the rest of his band. The new songs sound as brilliant as they do on the record, and even the classics have a new breath of fresh air about them, like seeing an old friend for the first time since moving out of town. My only complaint is the lack of Viva La Vida ender "Death And All His Friends", which i think would make one hell of a way to end a show. Regardless, if you have or are going to see Coldplay in the near future, I encourage you to give this set a listen. I have three preview tracks posted and the zip file is at the end. I will post individual tracks upon request.
Coldplay Live At Brixton June 16th, 2008
Intro
Life in Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Viva La Vida
Chinese Sleep Chant
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
42
Square One
Trouble
Lost!
Strawberry Swing
Interlude
Yellow
If I Should Fall From Grace With God [Pogues Cover w/ Will Champion on vocals]
Fix You
Lovers in Japan
Complete Concert Here [via Mediafire].
==TJ==
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Virgin Music Festival: Day One
Exactly one week from today I'm going to be in Baltimore, taking in copious amounts of sun and awesome music at the Virgin Music Festival. My blogging comrade Matt from Addicted to Vinyl procured an extra set of tickets, so I'll be joining him and his friends down there for a weekend of kickassitude. The schedule of events went up a couple days ago, so I've begun filling my dance card of what I'm gonna be seeing for the two days. Today I'll be sharing with you Saturday's lineup, while tomorrow I'll bring you Sunday's. Keep in mind both lists are subject to when I get into Baltimore and what time I have to go to make it back to Philly in time, but you'll get the picture. For the record I'm more or less ignoring the Dance Tent, since I don't particularly care about anyone who'll be there.
KT Tunstall vs. Cat Power
My knowledge of Cat Power begins with the songs from V for Vendetta and ends with the fact that indie blogs love her. I’ve actually heard KT Tunstall’s earlier stuff and am lukewarm on it, but I think a live show is a good start to see what the big deal is
Advantage: Slight edge to KT Tunstall, though someone with a good argument otherwise is welcome to dissuade me.
KT Tunstall vs. Cat Power
My knowledge of Cat Power begins with the songs from V for Vendetta and ends with the fact that indie blogs love her. I’ve actually heard KT Tunstall’s earlier stuff and am lukewarm on it, but I think a live show is a good start to see what the big deal is
Advantage: Slight edge to KT Tunstall, though someone with a good argument otherwise is welcome to dissuade me.
Duffy v. Gogol Bordello
Duffy’s album is still growing on me, while Gogol Bordello has yet to truly amaze me. It’s kinda cool, but perhaps just a bit too weird for my liking.
Advantage: Duffy
The Swell Season vs. Lupe Fiasco
I picked up both Lupe Fiasco albums for the sole purpose of knowing he’d be at this concert. I’m still playing “Superstar” pretty regularly despite it’s age. I hadn’t heard of The Swell Season, but upon further review, it appears to be Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from Once. I think my vote might be changing here
Advantage: Right now? Push. I’m probably going to decide this one when I get there. I think Lupe might be a fun show, but if The Swell Season are indeed the folks from Once, this could get messy.
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings vs. Bloc Party
What I hear of Bloc Party is kinda cool, but I’ve never been inspired to listen to a full album. But given that I’ve never heard of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings before, I think this one’s set. The Dap-Kings stuff I’m hearing on the iTunes previews reminds me too much of Duffy, too.
Advantage: Bloc Party
Rodrigo y Gabriela vs. The Offspring
And here we have another dilemma. Offspring have immediate name and song recognition in their favor. But odds are they’ll be playing stuff from the new album, which is not such a good pick. I like what I hear from Rodrigo y Gabriela, and it sounds like it’d be a definite change of pace from the current look of my lineup. Since I’ll be seeing some decent punk rock on Sunday, I may well take a pass on Offspring if I get a good word on Rodrigo y Gabriela
Advantage: For now I’m gonna stick with the Offspring, but that’s in no way a definite.
Wilco vs. Chuck Berry & The Silver Beats
Wilco is supposed to be pretty good, but since my former roommate would never stop singing their praises (and I hated my former roommate’s taste in music), they’re losing points here. Plus, it’s friggin’ Chuck Berry. Passing on this is like saying I’m planning to see Stone Temple Pilots over Bob Dylan…wait…oops.
Advantage: Probably Chuck Berry
Foo Fighters vs. Jack Johnson
Oh, come on. Are you seriously asking this?
Advantage: I’m gonna go ahead and surprise everyone here and say Foo Fighters.
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