I Walk On Guilded Splinters

Rousing jam as we head into the weekend. Figures that the kick-ass guitar part came courtesy of Duane Allman, there's just something ferocious about it. Some will know this opening part too, famously borrowed in Oasis's classic "Go Let It Out".
Thanks to JB down south for hipping me to this one.


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Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

This show at MSG Theater last night was as beautiful an evening of music as you could ask for. The unusual yet effective mix of blue-grass pleasantry, solemn hymms and reworked rock-n-roll classics left the audience spellbound, and I had a hard time concentrating all the way through to this afternoon.
I never thought "Black Country Woman" from Physical Graffiti was one of Led Zeppelin's greatest songs but now I know that it is. And "Battle Of Evermore" seems like it can now finally be complete with Ms. Krauss' vocal backings.

Plant looked as god-like as his legend backs him up to be, and appeared to genuinely be enjoying himself with this project that nobody could have ever predicted to be so good. I was as excited as anybody about the prospect of Led Zeppelin touring this summer, but after seeing this show I can almost understand why he said no and went out to play the music that most inspired him. As for Alison Krauss, there wasn't one rocker who left this show not having declared themselves a new fan.

This record continues to carve out a very special place, and if you have a chance to catch this show live you do not want to miss it.

Eddie Vedder & My Morning Jacket

Filmed in 2006 when MMJ was opening for Pearl Jam in Europe, this cover of The Who's mini rock-opera "A Quick One" totally kills. Hang in there for this, runs 9 minutes long but what a JAM! This kind of performance makes you want to drop everything your doing and go join a band.



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Gideon

I'm starting to get psyched to hear MY MORNING JACKET'S new album, out next week, and have been playing their excellent 2nd album Z non-stop this week.
Favorite track on this is "Gideon", no question.

Dry The Rain

Do you know this wickedly awesome tune by the Beta Band?
Exposed to the masses in the great scene in HIGH FIDELITY?
What a jam. I had the same reaction as the dude in the movie the second I heard this too. Love the lazy beginning and how it just cruises to the 2 mintue mark before switching gears. Such a great build, like more band members kept entering the studio and picking up instruments to join in. The bass line steers this thing out. Even with the near-perfect hype-up from this film the Beta Band never really seemed to go over, but its not because they didn't have songs.



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RIP Bo Diddley

As he reminded us in those great 80's Nike commercials, Bo certainly did know diddley. What a pioneer of the rock-n-roll sound, what an animal!! Look at the way he rocked the house here and had the girls going apeshit. And who was this woman he had in has band??! Singing backup AND playing guitar. Could this guy have been any cooler? Probably not. He'll certainly be missed.



Millennium Collection

The Eagles

"city girls just seem to find out early
how to open doors with just a smile"

It’s a huge statement that the most popular album ever released is The Eagles Greatest Hits. I honestly don’t find myself reaching for their stuff that much but when I hear their classic songs I always seem to get that peaceful easy feeling they wrote about. Their body of work, career trajectory and phenomenal success cannot be denied.

Last night I caught them live as MSG and was amazed at how good they still sounded. The opening set was like having to drive through the Bronx to get to Manhattan as the first 4 songs from their new album couldn’t stand a chance against their hits. However, as soon as they hit the opening chords on“Hotel California” the arena temperature changed and the audience lept to their feet and started preaching along. I wish I had video of the air-guitaring, the singing, the hordes of people reliving the times in their lives when they connected with the band and their songs. It continued as they went into Witchy Woman, One Of These Nights all the way through to the Desperado finale. A totally different live experience, more subdued than high energy, but fulfilling nonetheless.
I was thinking of their recent 60 Minutes interview when Glenn Frey was asked about the band's extraordinary success, and his Clintonian answer was basically "It's the songs stupid". And there you have it. In the end, it really is pretty basic isn't it?

Please Read The Letter

"maybe baby, everything's gonna turn out fine"

Have you picked up RAISING SAND yet? You're seriously missing out if not. This thing just keeps giving, growing stronger with each play.
Robert Plant, what an icon. Turning down a zillion dollar offer to tour with the Zep to concentrate on what was more personally fulfilling. His range and vocal reinvention on this record is astounding, especially given his earlier work. This is the same guy who sang The Wanton Song for F's sake! And Allison Krause, I guess I never got the memo on her but what a beautiful talent. This is easily one of the best albums released in the last year, one you can play straight through, one I can't recommend enough.



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Refugee

"somewhere, somehow,
somebody must have kicked you around some
tell me why you wanna lay there and revel in your abandon"

Sooooooo good. Opens like a bolt of lightning and powers through with attitude. The guitars. The keyboard bridge in the middle. TP persuading her to check her baggage and move on.
Words like perfection come to mind when I hear this song.



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Memorial Day Weekend

Time to enjoy the weather and day off, and to be grateful that you can.


Bruce Springsteen, Devils and Dust.
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Box Of Rain

"What do you want me to do
To do for you, to see you through"

I couldn't even begin to count how many times I've played this song. Phil Lesh's defining moment on the Grateful Dead's insanely wonderful AMERICAN BEAUTY. It was here when the legendary road-warriors stripped themselves down to churn out some of their most famous songs. Can't say enough about this song or record so I won't even try.....

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Amidst the clamor of promotional and marketing opportunities afforded in the digital age, the conventional methods of artist marketing still apply.
Case in point, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. In review of what's shaping up to be a very exciting 2008 summer concert season I noticed that this band will be opening for The Black Crowes, Gov't Mule and the Dave Matthews Band this year. This endorsement was enough to make me want to listen and after only a few minutes on the band's website I've picked up the album. Click "media" to hear full-length streams from their latest album, This Is Somewhere.
Great tracks here.
Funny how once you join the club word-of-mouth also seems to come your way. Since getting the record my brother sent me an unprompted email telling me to check them out and I overheard 2 dudes on the 6 train talking about them. This is the process people. Will be interesting to see what happens with these guys.

The Black Keys

Thankfully there's bands out there saving rock-n-roll. The Black Keys are one of them. Saw them at Terminal 5 and they killed! The scene at the show reminded that even though rock may no longer inhabit the mainstream media, it is alive and well among the people to whom it matters.

I just started acquiring their albums and would recommend them all.

Music Tips for Ireland

If you ever get to Dublin, Ireland I strongly urge you to do 2 things:

1. Go to Cafe En Seine which was one of the most beautiful, cool bars I've ever been to. I went there twice and both times featured fantastic music, both DJ and live via spanish guitar quartet. Then go around the corner and down Grafton street to Bruxelles Pub which features 2 rock clubs inside, one for classic rock and the other for metal. The crowds in both were off the charts and completely consumed by rock-n-roll. In the rock bar the packed room sang along to classics by The Who, Hendrix and countless others like the songs were just released yesterday on at the top of the pop charts. It was incredible to witness, and fun to join the party.

2. Rent a car and drive to Galway, or anywhere for that matter. The point is to get on the road and explore the beautiful countryside. And when doing so bring along U2's The Unforgetable Fire and Van Morrison's Astral Weeks. These albums were played non-stop over the 4 hour drive and provided absolutely perfect backdrops to traveling throughout the rich Irish landscape.

Steve Winwood V

Rounding out the focus on Steve we come to his solo career which he concentrated on fully from 1982 onward. Somewhat oddly it was in this period that Steve achieved his greatest success, at least commercially. Great material here from the Roll With It, Back in the High Life and Chronicles albums. So many songs to choose from but in the end I always go to "Higher Love".
Just an incredible song, can't help but smile everytime you hear it.
Steve is one of the many artists' whose career received great benefit from the power of video, however looking back at this clip it was just too painfully dated. Check out a full length stream here, it's definitely meant for listening on your own....

Steve Winwood IV

After Traffic Steve went on to found BLIND FAITH whose initial members included Eric Clapton before he departed for another band. With a new set of collaborators Steve again seemed to top his earlier work with some diamond material that will listeners will forever cherish. I'm fond of so much of their work but have to pick this, probably their most popular hit, as my favorite.
Musically, a great example of less being more. How can you not love this?

Steve Winwood III

From the SPG Steve went on to form TRAFFIC, a power-house quartet that created some of the grooviest music ever made. With classics like "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" it was very tough to find a cut to play here today, but I had to go with one of my all-time favorite, desert island tracks that's fueled countless parties and air-keyboard sessions, and will always continue to....

Steve Winwood II

I've read that when Winwood's genius first debuted via the Spencer Davis Group people thought "Gimme Some Lovin" was a new song from Ray Charles. There was just no way to believe this voice was belting out of an 18 year-old white kid from the UK. Makes sense!!
What a tune. If this song was a movie it would open with a chase scene. From the moment the first bass riff hits you're immediately hooked, and when Steve falls on the Hammond and hits that first vocal the spell has been fully cast.
And talk about timeless: this sounds just as incredible today as it did when it hit the airwaves 42 years ago.

Steve Winwood

Last night at the Blender Theater in NYC I stood 20 feet in front of greatness.
How can you begin to talk about Steve Winwood's career? A prodigy who scored his first global hit at 18 years old with the Spencer Davis Group, and then went on to quarterback Blind Faith and Traffic, two bands at the top of any conversation about great classic rock. And then there was his solo stuff.

That amazing voice from another world is out touring in support of this new album NINE LIVES, and you're definitely going to want to check out both. More info on Steve's website., but the first single is "Dirty City" and features Eric Clapton on guitar. The first 5 seconds sets the tone here, just listen to that incredible guitar sound. Really enjoying this album, and will be taking a look at Steve's incredible career all week here at FM.

Mudcrutch: New Release of the Week

Buy it. Immediately if you're looking to get down this weekend. One view of this clip and I was hooked. The guitars, the musicianship, the wailing!!!
This is rock-n-roll. Where are all the new bands making music like this? What the F? Figures TP and the boys would remind us of what it's all about, straight up guitars and killer groove. Love the piano too, the essential ingredient for the ultimate rock jam.

The Verve Reunites

1-2; 1-2; 1-2
1-2-3; 1-2-3

So simple yet so grand. This orchestral riff was the powerful centerpiece to one of the last worldwide smash singles we’ll ever see. Last night at MSG theater, THE VERVE played their classic "Bittersweet Symphony" to a rousing crowd that instantly leapt out of their seats and sang along with every word.
These guys came out of nowhere over 10 years ago and on the back of this one song sold millions of records and achieved worldwide fame. You're talking serious connection when they can reunite after 10 years and sell out shows, without releasing any new material. That's the beauty of a hit single, though the days of focused media attention needed to create these are long gone.
What's particularly interesting here is that this song was from a credible, alternative rock band. There might have been hits since but none like this one - we're not talking beats and inane slang about ghetto cool and body parts, this was a piece of art coming from a deep place. The strength of this was the affect, the emotion that the music summoned in all who heard it. I'm not sure if we'll ever this this type of quality in popular music ever again, not that anyone seems to really care.
As for The Verve's masterpiece, I don’t know one single person who doesn’t love this song. At the heart of it is the universal truth everyone knows. It IS a bittersweet symphony that’s life. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just is. And I'm not sure if expressing and celebrating this idea has ever been done better.

Heroes by The Wallflowers

Came across this earlier in the week and rekindled an old flame as I always loved this take on Bowie's classic, something that's not easy to do. Although tied to one of the worst movies ever made The Wallflowers scored here bigtime.
These guys were actually a great band and put out some solid material over the years, even though from they were always saddled with the burden of inevitable comparison with their frontman's father's work, something no mere mortal could hope to compete with.

Rogue Wave

New favorite song = "Lake Michigan" by Rogue Wave.

Awesome. Among the vast heap of indie-rock bands, these guys really move. Heard the song once and have been hooked since.

Live At Massey Hall

When Neil Young released LIVE AT MASSEY HALL last year I spent a few straight weeks listening. On this tour he was debuting the material from HARVEST to the public for the first time, before these songs became bona fide classics.
Imagine seeing one of these shows, witnessing Neil's transformation from noted Buffalo Springfield collaborator to one of the most important recording artists of all-time. This record contains it all and is a must-own for its stunning document of this incredible tour. On it you'll hear classics like this, one of my all-time favs. The mood, the heaviness - check out Neil's delivery of the chorus, around the 1:55 mark. The jedi-like force of this lanky, longhaired Canadian; you've got to be kidding me here. I'll be playing this album all day today...

Swingin'

“moonlight on the interstate
she was cross the Georgia line
looked out the window, feeling great
yeah it had to come in time”

Tom Petty released ECHO long after his Greatest Hits album, otherwise this song would have definitely been included on it. It's easily one of the best things he’s ever done but never seemed to get the attention that his earlier hits received. It's no wonder when there’s so much classic material to choose from, but this is vintage TP and the Heartbreakers serving up what they’ve always done best.

Killer hooks, movie-screen lyrics, harmonica, piano, and that famous southern drawl. Pick this up and crank it, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear.