For the uninitatied, Shooter Jennings is a musician, and the son of former outlaw country star Waylon Jennings.  I say “former” because Waylon sadly passed on about 8 years ago.  Nevertheless, his music continues to rock and roll me today.

But this post is really about Shooter, and his new concept album “Black Ribbons.”  SavingCountryMusic.com has a thorough and interesting review on the album, as well as some interpretations as to what Shooter was, well, shooting for in this opus. The author sort of vacillates between not really loving it and trying to acknowledge that Shooter was trying to do something big,maybe even something epic, with this effort.

I can’t do as good a job as they did in interpreting what Shooter was aiming for, why it’s important politically, socially, or to the annals of Country (and other) music.  What’s more, I don’t really care to analyze it that way.  I like Shooter’s music, particularly his 2007 album, The Wolf.  I like his voice, I like his arrangements, I like his melodies, and I like the fact that he cheerfully injects a bit of cheesiness into his rock.  He doesn’t didn’t take himself too seriously – that’s shone through his music like a ray of molten sunshine peering into the south end of a north-bound donkey.

Black Ribbons doesn’t feel like that.  According to SCM.com Shooter is intentionally leaving “Country” behind.  That’s cool – I like good music, of whatever stripe, flavor or variety.  And Black Ribbons isn’t bad music.  It just feels a little confused, a little angry, and sometimes a little boring.  I’m not trying to bash on Shooter (though I guess I kind of am bashing) or his music. Hell, I can’t make a rock album, angry or otherwise.  But I’m just not that into this one.  I’ll keep listening to it, but it’s probably not going on my iPhone. I only have 8 gigs after all.

In the end, this album (which is clearly a concept album) is a little too heavy on the concept, and  a little too lite on the album.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

A while back, when I first saw Steve Jobs announce the new version of the iPod shuffle, with integrated clip and super-small form factor, I was excited.  I exercise a lot, mostly running, biking and swimming.  Music (or “books on tape”) makes the whole experience a lot more tolerable, and the iPod shuffle with its light weight and built-in clip is a perfect companion.

For running and biking, the shuffle is brilliant, and I use it every day.  Every day.  However, I’ve been swimming a lot more lately, and most electronics don’t do well in water, chlorinated or otherwise.  And I’ll tell you something else.  Swimming laps is boring.  Really boring.  I find it slow, tedious, dull, and insipid.  I like the feeling of endorphin release, and the positive benefits of the exercise, but man swimming laps is uninspiring.

Enter Swimman:

Swimman.com is a service that will waterproof the iPod shuffle.  You can buy the iPod through them, or purchase it directly and send it to them.  The waterproofing treatment takes about one week, and then you’re ready to go.  They also sell waterproof headphones (which I bought) to use while swimming.

Here are the basics:

• They waterproof the shuffle
• The On/Off slider and the Shuffle/Continuous play slider are both locked in place
• The buttons become much stiffer

Otherwise it works the same as before.  If you want to shuffle your music you can set your playlist in iTunes to shuffle.  Once you get your device, you’ll want to clip your headphones and the shuffle to the headband, strap the excess cord under the headband, and then you’re ready to swim.

Swimman offers a number of packages to choose from, including just the shuffle itself, the headphones and the shuffle as a combo package, etc.  I went with package E, along with a pair of swimman headphones.  The waterproofing treatment is $100 plus $15 for shipping and handling.  The headphones are another $100.  And the 2GB shuffle is about $70.  So all told I’m down almost $300 for the luxury of waterproof tunes while lap swimming.

I’ve now used the waterproofed shuffle a total of 8 times.  I am stoked.  I switch back and forth between music and books on tape (nothing gets you pumped up like Joe Mantegna reading the Godfather.)  But I find that I can now swim longer and with less impatience.  Here are some pics of the shuffle in situ – (it looks just like any other):

On the whole I think this is awesome.  It ain’t cheap, so if you’re short of cash you might need to look at cheaper options.  But all of those options are considerably bulkier, heavier, and/or less convenient than the Swimman waterproofing treatment for the shuffle.

If I were forced to give the Swimman waterproofing system a numeric rating between 1 and 10, I’d give it an 8.  It would probably be a 9 or 10 if the price wasn’t so dang high.

This post is also available on LIVEdigitally.

Some other related posts:

Engadget

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

I love this song.  It’s funny, it’s poignant, it’s well written.  It’s written in 3/4 time and played as though it were a waltz itself.  I just think it’s brilliant.  Willie Nelson wrote it and published it first on his concept album “Shotgun Willie” in 1973, one of his very best albums in my opinion.  Cake covered it on their 1996 album Fashion Nugget, also an amazing album.

I really like both versions.  I’m running a poll to see which version people like better.

You can listen to the Cake version here.  You can listen to the Willie Nelson version here.   You can also listen to each in the Box.net widgets below, and the one on the right side.  The album art below links to Amazon’s MP3 store.  If you don’t own these albums already, you should buy them.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

I like muxtape.com.  Sol told me about it (more or less) when he sent me a muxtape that he had made.  It was good (we like similar music) and it inspired me to make my own.

The idea is super cool.  You can upload as many as 12 .mp3 files to muxtape, name the “set,” and even configure the header bar color.  Then you can share it with friends.  They can opt to buy the songs on your set list (presumably the founders are getting a cut.)  It’s neat.

However, it’s also sort of cumbersome.  It would be a huge improvement if you could pick multiple songs and do a bulk upload.  The current setup requires you to upload a single song at a time, which is annoying.  I also found that quite a few songs failed.  I don’t know if it was because the files were corrupt somehow, or if maybe the meta data was too ugly to deal with, or what.  There are clearly stated restrictions that it must be a .mp3 file, and that it must be under 10 MB (all the files I attempted met those criteria.)  Having my chosen songs be un-uploadable was annoying.

They have a blog up on Tumblr and seem very interested in and open to feedback.  I like that openness a lot, it’s the right way to go.

The UI is pretty plain-jane, but I kind of like that. It certainly wasn’t confusing, and that is a huge plus in my humble estimation.  I think the concept rules, the product is cool, and the implementation is pretty-ok-kinda-good.  A solid 6, though the idea is really an 8 or a 9.  Just needs some more work.

UPDATE:

You know what else would be sweet?  There should be some kind of “Number of times this mix has been played” hit counter.  Currently there is an RSS feed meter that tells you how many people have favorited your mix, but not a total number of times it’s been played.  Everyone thinks their own mix is rad.  Muxtape should take advantage of that.  Come on muxtape, feed my ego.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

In 1996, my first year of college, the musical RENT, by Jonathon Larson, came out on Broadway in New York.  I was lucky enough to go see it with my friends David Neufeld and Aliza Etlin nee Katz.

I loved this show.  I saw it in New York that year, and then again in San Diego two years later, with Neil Patrick Harris (go Doogie / Barney) playing the role of Mark, one of the lead characters.  He was great.

I think the music, the dialog, and the message in this play are outstanding.  Seasons of Love is an amazing song, just one of many throughout the play.  My friends may make fun of me for writing a post expressing my appreciation for (and love of) this play, but I can take it.  RENT gets an 8, and it’s worth every point.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

CBS recently started airing a television sitcom called The Big Bang Theory. The show centers on two physicists living in LA; both are nerdy and socially stunted. They live next door to a very attractive woman, and shenanigans ensue. The show is actually pretty funny, but it is not the subject of this review.

Rather, I wanted discuss the theme song for the show. The first time I heard it I said to myself “that sounds like the Barenaked Ladies.”

And I was right. BNL wrote and performed the song which describes the development of the Universe and the human race in one minute and forty-five seconds. I love BNL and have since I was 16 and Sol played Gordon for me for the first time. (Gordon is their first album, and probably still their best.)

So I decided I really wanted the song. I searched around a bit, but I couldn’t find it on iTunes or on my favorite Russian site. Then I remembered that my good friends at Amie Street had struck up a deal with BNL to sell their music through the site. Sure enough, I found the song there. Currently it is selling for $0.83. I believe I bought it for $0.79. The Amie Street model is a market-driven one; all songs start at $0.00 and each time they are purchased the price goes up a little bit, until it reaches the maximum price of $0.99. I love Amie Street.

I think the song is awesome. It reminds me of their older, more goofy style (similar to what you find on Gordon.) Today they are a very slick pop band. The music is still good, but I miss the more laid-back silly style. The song also reminds me a little bit of They Might Be Giants’s pseudo-educational music, songs like Mammals and Why Does The Sun Shine.

I uploaded the song to my box – if you look to the Box.net widget in the right hand column you will be able to listen to it. It is fast paced and the lyrics come rapidly. The content is fun and funny. I think the song deserves and 8 out of 10. So that is my rating. Listen and enjoy.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

I think Guitar Hero, the series of games from Red Octane, kicks motha-flippin’ ass. I love to rock out, it’s simple and fun. So I am not going to review Guitar Hero in general; everyone already knows that it rules.

Instead I am going to review, specifically, GH3 for the PC.

I don’t own a gaming console. I know, it’s crazy, my bad. For a techno-weenie geek-boy to not own a gaming console is like a Kansas City holy-roller only owning one bible. Not normal.

Nevertheless, I don’t own a gaming console. I’ve played GH2 on the Xbox 360 with friends, and played GH3 on the Wii. I had a lot of fun, but I didn’t want to sink $400-$700 into owning a console so that I could play one game. However, I did recently build my own PC. My buddy Jeff helped me put together a custom computer. This was my first time building my own machine. I bought all the components, installed everything, the works. Jeff helped. Here are the major stats:

• NZXT Apollo mid-tower computer case
• Antec Tru-Power Trio TP3-550W power supply
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz processor
• Asus P5E-VM DO motherboard
• Corsair XMS2 240-pin DDR2 memory (4 x 1 GB)
• 2, Asus 18x lightscribe DVD-RW burners
• Nvidia GeForce 8400 Graphics card w/ 512 MB dedicated video memory
• 2, 7200 rpm Seagate 500GB hard drives in a RAID 1 (hardware RAID)

Being as I have a brand-new bad-ass mother-jammer (three hyphenated double-words in a row, yes!) I figured maybe I should search for whether there is a PC version of Guitar Hero 3. Wouldn’t that be cool? Maybe it’s nicer to rock out in front of your television, but I do have a 22″ widescreen LCD monitor, so that’s not too bad. Since I already built the computer anyway, this seemed like a cheaper and more reasonable alternative.

So, 1 or 2 Google search results later, lo and behold there is a version of GH3 for the PC.

Aspyr, a gaming company, contracted with Red Octane to port a version of GH3 for the Mac and the PC. Sweet. Better yet, on my routine visit to Costco the next day they are selling the PC version. Right there at Costco. Life is good again.

So, now I have a sweet machine and the video game I’ve been drooling over. How does it all stack up? Not that great.

It’s not terrible, but I have some deep concerns. For one thing, it stutters a little bit. When you are playing a musical game that depends on your being able to follow the rhythm of the song, stuttering present a pretty big issue.

The minimum system requirements for the graphics card list a “Video Card: 3D Hardware Accelerator Card Required – 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible 128 MB Video Memory.” They recommend 256 MB video card. Mine is a 512 MB card, and it still stutters. The only way I could find to mitigate the stutter was to lower the graphics resolution in the game options to the minimum setting. This did not wipe out all the stuttering, but it did help enough so that the game is playable. Yay.

Now Guitar Hero is not really a graphics intensive game, and truthfully I don’t really notice the difference all that much. However, I think it is totally lame that it was necessary to lower the resolution to the minimum. My new computer meets or exceeds all the other system requirements in addition to the graphics card. That tells me that the problem is probably not my system. I think it much more likely that Aspyr did not make a very good port.

It is also possible that Red Octane did not do as good of a job with GH3 as they did with GH 1 and 2. Harmonix (who is now making Rock Band, a Guitar Hero competitor) did all the coding for GH 1 and 2. Red Octane contracted with a different company to code GH3 – that’s part of the reason that it looks significantly different from previous versions.  The new company coded it up pretty fast, and perhaps they didn’t do as good of a job.  I have seen stutters on GH3 even on the Wii, though not as bad as what I experienced with the PC.

Another bone I have to pick is the controller.  The guitars for all other versions of Guitar Hero 3 are wireless.  Not so for the PC version.  In fact, the guitar for PC is actually the Xbox 360 guitar for Guitar Hero 2, right down to the little Xbox logo.  That is pretty lame.  I can (sort of) understand using a wired guitar on the first version, probably simplified a few things.  But at least give me my own guitar, and not one that has Xbox symbols on it.

Apparently Aspyr has released a patch for the game, patch #1.1, and it is supposed to resolve certain issues. I am going to download it and try it out, but I am not overly optimistic.  I supposed any port is likely to work less perfectly than the original.  And it honestly  isn’t that bad.  It’s just not great either.  Not the experience I was hoping for anyway.  So, because it is mediocre, it gets a solid 5 out of 10.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

My Review: 8

I grew up listening to Neil Diamond. My friend Mike Baranov is a rabid Neil Diamond fan, has seen him more than 20 times in concert, and celebrates his entire catalog. Neil Diamond is iconic.

I am still mixed on whether he really fit in well on the lineup of guest musicians in The Last Waltz, but that is another review in itself.

From left to right: Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Rick Danko, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, and Robbie Robertson

Neil Young’s anthemic ballad, Coming To America, is a wonderful song. The buildup, the chorus, the crowd, the upwelling of emotion that the song can engender in the patriotic soul… they are spellbinding . Even the initial buildup, using strings, is a wonderful piece of musical production. It’s cheese, pure American cheese, but it is so wonderful.

Baranov (mentioned above) use to egg me on to play the song on my acoustic guitar when we were at summer camp together. There is no finer moment than leading 15 or more close friends in a rollicking chorus of “on the boats and on the planes, they’re coming to America…”

What a feeling.

But sentimentality and recollection are not the true basis for the rating. The songwriting is good. Not inspirational, but it is solid. The patriotic attitude and focus are those attributes which make the song great; the attributes which make it a haven for many immigrants and an inspiration for people all over the world, these attitudes are worth singing about. And the cheese. It’s artery clogging, but it is also excellent.

I think Coming To America is a great song. And America is a great country. I’m glad Neil Diamond wrote it, and I’ll continue to listen to this song till the day I die.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

A friend at work turned me onto a cartoon on Adult Swim, it’s called: Metalocalypse.

This show is awesome. It’s about a fictional metal band called Dethklok – they’re the greatest metal band ever and “represent the 12th largest economy in the world.” They are forever in search ways to make the world more “metal.” The lead singer, Nathan Explosion wants all of their music to be as “brutal” as possible.

The bassist (William Murderface) and drummer (Pickles) as well as the lead singer (Explosion) are all American. The other two members are Scandinavian: Toki Wartooth (2nd fastest guitarist in the world and group punching bag) is from Norway. Skwisgaar Skwigelf (the fastest guitarist in the world) is from Sweden.

In the show, fans of Dethklok are routinely maimed and killed – they sign “Pain Waivers” to release the band of all liability. In the first episode a giant metal box containing the band is dropped from a helicopter and crushes dozens of concert attendees when it misses the landing pad. Brutal.

I don’t want to focus on describing the show – there’s a Wikipedia entry that gives a good synopsis, and you can always join the official Dethklok MySpace page if you want to be friends with Nathan, Murderface, and the guys and learn more about them.

No, what I want to focus on is how much fun this show is to watch. Even if you don’t like Metal music it’s pretty cool. The plot lines are ridiculous, and that’s what makes them awesome. From recording an album under water (at the bottom of the Marianas Trench) to an interview with a thinly veiled Larry King (who dies in the course of the interview) the shows are sick, funny, and fun. They are bloody, raucous affairs that only last 11 minutes with no commercials, so even the worst ADD TV addict can still enjoy them.

Veoh has quite a few of the episodes up and available if you want to watch. One of my favorites (where we meet the band members families) is up here. I think you should watch it and judge for yourself. But I am of the opinion that this show kicks butt. It’s brutal. It’s metal. I think I’m in love.

Sweet.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

Rick Danko learned music as a young child, became an apprentice butcher at age 14, was a member of an American/Canadian Honky-Tonk Rock’n'Roll band at 17, an international Rock’n'Roll star with “The Band” by age 23, and died at age 56 of a heart attack.

Rick Danko was a kind, fun-loving, goofy man who used a distinctive and flowing style when playing bass (aided in part by his use of a fret-less bass beginning in the mid-70’s) and sang with a pitchy, falsetto voice on many of his lead-vocal tracks with the Band.

Rick Danko died in 1999 while I was in my senior year of college. I was just starting to understand the music of the Band at that point. The more I listen to the Band (and that activity occupies a significant portion of my daily routine) the more I realize how much Danko contributed to the sound of what I consider the greatest rock and roll ensemble of all time.

Lots of personal information about Danko (personal life, time with the Band, and solo work) can be found on this wonderful resource: http://theband.hiof.no/

There is also a Wikipedia article dedicated to Danko.

Two notable songs by the Band that Danko sang lead for included “Stage Fright” and “The Unfaithful Servant.” Both became staples for the group’s live performances, and both are among the best of the music the group recorded. Streaming examples can be found in the widget on the sidebar.

Rick was a wonderful musician, and by all reports a wonderful and generous man. The post is small tribute, but I want to honor this man who has had a very great impact on my life. Rick gets a 10, and he’s worth every point.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

They Might Be Giants.

The two Johns.

TMBG.

This rock band has written, produced, recorded and (mostly) released a new album, and I like it very much. The hoped-for suite of fun melodies, silly, well-informed lyrics and fun composition is very much present on this album. “The Else,” is set for release on Idlewild Recordings in stores on June 10th. However it was made available on iTunes May 15th and Sol snatched it up.

“The Else” Album Cover

I have now listened to it 7 times in a row. I’m not bored. Not at all. This album is as mch fun to listen to as “Apollo 18″ or “Flood,” though it is a little shorter than I’d like. The primary 13 song CD clocks in at 41 and a half minutes, and I could go for another 15 minutes of fun song writing. Wikipedia says a bonus CD will be included with the in-stores release; I guess I’ll have to get that too.

Some of the tunes are unusually mellow and even pop-ish for TMBG – notably track 5, “Careful What You Pack.” Which is not to say that I don’t dig it – it’s just a bit of a departure.

When he gave it to me Sol made me listen to track number 13 (the final track) first. This might account for why I now like the album so much: it put me in a good mood. Track 13, “The Mesopotamians,” is right there with Ana Ng, Istanbul, Mammals, The Sun, and so many other greats. But lots of tracks rocked here. A couple others include: “The Shadow Government” and “Contrecoup” (it’s awesome.)

I have been a comitted TMBG fan for many years, but they do not get an automatic good grade. I am maybe even more critical of a band that I care about, because my expectations are high. I’m relieved to report that “The Else,” the newest release from They Might Be Giants is a solid, strong, fun album. You should listen to it now.

“The Else” Track List:

1. “I’m Impressed” – 2:39
2. “Take Out the Trash” – 3:14
3. “Upside Down Frown” – 2:17
4. “Climbing the Walls” – 3:15
5. “Careful What You Pack” – 2:40
6. “The Cap’m” – 3:11
7. “With The Dark” – 3:17
8. “The Shadow Government” – 2:37
9. “Bee of the Bird of the Moth” – 3:31
10. “Withered Hope” – 2:54
11. “Contrecoup” – 3:11
12. “Feign Amnesia” – 2:29
13. “The Mesopotamians” – 2:57

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

“Wolfmother,” by Wolfmother, is sweet. I grew up listening to AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden. While these guys don’t pursue as much of the satanic rigmarole, they very much live and breath in that genre and style. Listening to these guys makes me feel like when I listen to Ozzy and the boys at their best.  The chorus in “Dimension” (track 3) is Black Sabbath as I live and breath, but it doesn’t feel like a cheap copy – quite the opposite.

This is no wannabe tribute band; Wolfmother has developed their own sound, and they are distinct. Fun riffs and worthwhile song writing beef up the overall presentation. Joker & The Thief is a great track off the album – it’s something of a single and it rolls with a great melody and and strong writing.

White Unicorn is another great track. It starts with a light electric guitar riff, and when the vocals come in it makes you feel a little… well, a little bit epic. And then the whole ensemble joins together and you feel like you want to kick some ass.

Wolfmother is formed of three guys from Australia who wanted to play music, and they’ve turned (almost in spite of themselves) into something of a sensation. There’s a review from Rolling Stone, and their website offers some more links to reviews, as well as photos and schwag. Wolfmother also has the obligatory MySpace page, find that here.

I think these guys are cool. They make cool music, and in a genre that was pioneered in the 60’s and 70’s, but doesn’t have a lot of good, modern adherents. In some ways they remind me of Dave Edmunds and Rockpile; not the style of music (far from it), but rather an ethic and sense of tradition and genre. Their full length self-titled album was released in 2006. I can’t wait for their next album.

A strong 7 for me.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

What’s not to like? A guy who goes by Jennings, in Boston, posts to a blog / FTP site that allows you to download unbelievably great live music, from indie to world famous artists, for free because that’s what he’s into. I think this is so cool, and this is what the best of the web is all about. Right now I’m listening to a great R.E.M. show recorded in July of 1983 in Toronto. He’s got a great Jayhawks show recorded in Sweden up right now, as well as lots of other cool stuff.

rbally (www.rbally.net) was up and serving music and for a long time (couple of years I think), but the site shut down a couple of months ago. At the time my understanding was that copyright infringement and other issues shut it down; Jennings seems to indicate that there was a data loss and some other issues… Whatever, I’m stoked that he’s back up, and I’m grateful for the insight he shares and the music he offers. Check it out when you have a moment. If you are a music lover, you cannot help but enjoy this site.

Levon says: 10, yo.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

The newest album by the Kings of Leon kicks ass.

It’s called “Because Of The Times” and it’s awesome. The whole album is full of catchy melodies and tunes, yet it rocks out hard. They introduced a lot of effects, reverb and dubs, but the album doesn’t sound overproduced. It sounds strong. I was a huge of fan of their break out album, “Youth And Young Manhood.” Their next full studio album, “Aha Shake Heartbreak” was not a real strong follow up. It had some good tunes, but it wasn’t as solid as their first. “Because Of The Times” though, manages to bring in some of the magic that made Youth so good, while still demonstrating new talents, new production, and new instrumentation.

The album starts strong with a seven minute ass-kicker called “Knocked.” It melts back and forth from quiet and slow to driving and engaged, and then settles back again. The song writing, lyricism and vocalization are all great.

There are kick ass tempos and driving rhythms in this album; the song “On Call” demonstrates this well. “True Love Way” also uses a cool, strong back beat as well as some really cool background vocals. I really felt like this was an ensemble effort, with many good parts coming from all directions.

“Black Thumbnail” was another highlight using lots of tempo changes and really cool instrumentation. Listen to the first half minute and then let it explode over you. Fun choruses and really fun song. “Ragoo” is another great one. Even if you’re not paying attention this one sucks you back in; that melody is awesome and it will stick in my head for 100 hours.
You can listen to this album while driving and space out to some cool music, and you can also focus in and rock on every part of this album. Whether it’s in the background, the foreground, or anywhere in between you can listen to this again and again. It’s pretty rare to get such a consistent, strong album , and no one is more stoked than I.

You can pick up “Because Of The Times” at any major etailer or retailer. I’ll link to Amazon just because Amazon is all right. Also a link to a good article from Rolling Stone. And a link to their website. Hooray for KOL, thanks for kicking ass again. My feelings: a 9+

http://www.amazon.com/Because-Times-Kings-Leon/dp/B000MRA3NU

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/13885771/review/13891139/because_of_the_times

www.kingsofleon.com/home

Some pics

Listen to track 10 (”Fans”) like 6 times in a row. It’s rad.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post