Long Drive Home/Quarterly Round-Up

2010 is off to a bang, and my what a bang it is going to be when it's all said and done. In less than 90 days, I will be back in Tennessee with Boston in the rearview mirror. It's kind of sad, but not really. In truth, it's a relief and exciting to know that for the 1st time in 12 years I will be settled in one place with some permanence! For our cross country trek (Oregon Trail-style!), I couldn't think of a better soundtrack than what 2010 has already delivered. Can't wait to see what the rest of this year holds (IN EVERY ASPECT!).

Here are my favorite records for
the 1st Quarter of 2010:
(that I have PURCHASED)

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
I've already spoken ad-nauseum about this one. It's great. Enough said. It's the follow up that Fleet Foxes still hasn't released.




Download: Local Natives - "Sun Hands"


Harlem - Hippies
This AZ band via Austin is keeping my love of garage/retro rock alive. Their major indie debut on Matador is step up from their last outing, Free Drugs. Matador Records a stalwart of American Independent Labels is under the Beggars Group that also owns stake in Rough Trade, XL, 4AD, and the now defunct Beggars Banquet. All those labels are putting out some of the best music available right now. Harlem is the latest addition to a long list of legends in independent music.

Download: Harlem - "Gay Human Bones"

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
Is surf rock back? I think so. It is rising up along the same lines with the flower punk. Surfer Blood is NOT surf rock, though. It is something like a bastard child of the Pixies/Breeders with My Morning Jacket (don't attach too much to the MMJ reference - I say that only b/c the singer has vocals that are reverbed out the wazzoo - he is NO Jim James)
***THIS JUST IN*** - They are going on tour with Pains of Being Pure at Heart and will be coming to the Hi-Tone in Memphis and the Bottletree in the big, salty 'Ham. So you better get off your couch and check out what should be an amazing show. THERE!

Download: Surfer Blood - "Floating Vibes"

Spoon - Transference
One of my favorite bands is back for more with less. Scaling things back for a more raw/rough sound than 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference is more along the lines of Gimme Fiction without going fully minimalist like Kill the Moonlight. (I still like Ga and Girls Can Tell the best!)

Download: Spoon - "Mystery Zone"


Vampire Weekend - CONTRA
Saw the ol' VW last week at the Orpheum. I feel like I've seen it all. It felt like your umpteenth Dave Matthews Band concert in High School. I fear the next time I see them will be like the one DMB concert I saw in college (snore........). Regardless, the show was excellent and fun. Contra is of the vein of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Little studio tricks are toyed with (autotune), but it is still Vampire Weekend plain and simple. Spring has arrived and I believe it is time to put on my boat shoes!

Download: Vampire Weekend - "Giving Up the Gun"

She & Him - Volume 2
Zooey and M are back to sugarcoat your brains out! These little ditties are sappy as all get out, but they are good in their own simplicity. So, channel Phil Spector producing a Judy Garland/Patsy Cline duet album, put on your retro clothes (girls grab your favorite thrift store skirt and flats), prepare for a deadpan delivery and get lost in what sounds like music for a 70's Disney cartoon (Robin Hood, I'm looking at you....).

Download: She & Him - "In the Sun"

Let me tell you what let me down so far:

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
The Soft Pack
BOOO! You could do better!


There is plenty of awesome other music that came out that I really like but haven't gotten around to purchasing, yet:

The Morning Benders - Big Echo
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Los Campensinos - Romance is Boring
Beach House - Teen Dream
Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday

and on and on........

There is also a lot coming out soon to be fired up about:

MGMT
New Pornographers
The National
Avi Buffalo

and more!

It's gonna be a great year for us and for music!

They're So Money, Baby

So, I just stumbled upon this brother/sister trio from Camden Town, UK today. Apparently, I was late to the dance. They are in a time warp somewhere between 1930 and 1950 with Cab Calloway. They are cool cats for sure! I give you - Kitty, Daisy, & Lewis

Download - "Put the Kettle On" mp3

We Go To Some Concerts II

Fenway Park is an American icon. Paul McCartney is simply an icon. Put them together, and I just black out. We are Beatles freaks (I know. Who isn't? Joe Pat....). We had a freakin Beatles cover band for our wedding. Obsessed much? Paul did not disappoint. He played for 2 1/2 hours with 2 encores! Plenty of Beatles hits were sprinkled throughout along with Wings and solo stuff that LBH, I was not down with. Highlights for me were "Back In the USSR" with communist/cold war paraphernalia flying across the screen behind him, "Something" on mandolin with a tribute to George (that's his song ya know - but apparently they wrote it together on mandolin - the one he played that night!), a solo "Blackbird" and an abbreviated "A Day in the Life" albeit sans John but amazing. Whitney really loved "Live and Let Die" with all the explosions and fireworks, "Paperback Writer", and "Drive My Car" (even though she wasn't revved up yet). Even "Jet" and "Band on the Run" were pretty good as far as Wings songs go.

Set List:

Drive My Car

Jet

Only Mama Knows

Flaming Pie

Got to Get You Into My Life

Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady

Highway

The Long and Winding Road

My Love

Blackbird

Here Today

Dance Tonight

Calico Skies

Mrs. Vanderbilt

Eleanor Rigby

See the Changes

Band on the Run

Back in the U.S.S.R.

I'm Down

Something

I've Got a Feeling

Paperback Writer

A Day in the Life / Give Peace a Chance

Let It Be

Live and Let Die

Hey Jude

Encore:

Day Tripper

Lady Madonna

I Saw Her Standing There

Yesterday

Curtain Call:

Helter Skelter

Get Back

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band / The End

The man was bouncing around and playing with the crowd as if he was a Twentysomething. Pretty sure my wife would have left me for him in a heartbeat.
He's a charmer!
It was a magical evening, and one for us that we'll never forget!
Here are some highlights.

Hey Jude

(Please excuse the tone deaf people next to us)

Remember This One? Chasing Amy

I'll admit it. From 1995-2001, I was all about anything Kevin Smith put his hands on. His most critically acclaimed film was 1997's Chasing Amy. After the commercial flop of Mallrats, Smith went back to his indie roots with his dramedy about a comic writer (Ben Affleck) who falls for another writer (Joey Lauren Adams) who happens to be a lesbian. He's followed around by his inker buddy (Jason Lee) as he fights to get her to change teams. Adams even got a Golden Globe nod. It's on IFC right now. I used to own it. Another victim of the fraternity house.....David Zegley, I've got my eye on you.

The movie starts off at Comic Con (that's "Con-vention" you non-nerds) with a classic rant about racism in Star Wars by Black Panther comic writer, Hooper X.

Here's the scene - vulgar, wrong - hilarious.....

Not To Beat a Dead Horse....

As my Friday waned to a close the other day, it had been basically any other Friday. I had a surgery in the morning and had worked in the undergraduate dental clinic in the afternoon. At 4:30, I had a post-op with a patient to remove sutures from a surgery 2 weeks ago. He's kind of a quasi-retired Mr. Everything for his trade, but he also is a musician and actor in local theater. We always talk about 1960's music and guitars. He has about 15 or so guitars from what I remember? I've told him ad-nauseum about my Fender Strats and my Fender Jaguar. To complete my set, I always say there is one more Fender guitar in particular I'll get someday....

In the fall of 1964, Fender Musical Instruments introduced a new student model guitar reminiscent of their student models, the Duo-Sonic and Musicmaster, but made for the more advanced player. It was the Fender Mustang. While never the glory of the Stratocaster or Telecaster, the Mustang with its short-scale neck ideal for players with smaller hands received a mild renaissance in the 1990's as a staple amongst the Grunge revolution and Generation X movement. Kurt Cobain can be seen playing a Mustang in the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

As my patient came back to my operatory Friday, I noticed a backpack he was carrying. He sat it down and said, "I've got something for you". He opened his bag and pulled out the body and neck of a guitar and a ziplock bag full of screws, bolts and parts. My eyes lit up. He said,

"This has been sitting in my garage for 15 years. Someone gave it to me to put together, because they knew I liked working on guitars. I've never done anything with it. You always told me that you would someday buy a vintage Fender Mustang. This is an original 1964 Mustang. You, like me, like to work with your hands and things. So, I figured you'd get more out of this than me....".

(I do. Have I ever mentioned that since we've been in Boston I've replaced the LCD in my phone 3 times along with the vibration component all on my own via parts I got from Taiwan?)

Regardless, I nearly threw up on the guy. I am still speechless as I type this....This guitar is worth between $1500-$2000. Granted, this one is not in mint condition. The original baby blue paint has been sanded off along with the decal on the headstock, but the stamped date from the factory, "8 NOV 64 A", is still intact along with most of the wiring. With a long weekend with a sander, wood staining, flux, solder, and a soldering gun, I should be in business. Oh, the wonders of the internet. I've been able to find a full wiring schematic of the 1960's Mustang along with a step by step "how to" from some dude's blog. I am so excited and will never be able to thank this man enough.

Thank you, sir. So, so much...

Here are some photos of it...

Here it is all put together

Someday, I hope it will look like this...

What's My Age Again?

Blink-182 are back! They presented an award last Sunday at the Grammys, and announced they are gonna make music together again. Wow. Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus are putting away their swords (and attitudes) probably in wake of drummer, Travis Barker's, fatal plane crash (note: Barker was not killed though the pilots were along with Barker's friend and manager - Barker and DJ Adam "AM" Goldstein were the lone surivers...) last year in South Carolina. After side projects from each of them (Hoppus - +44, Delonge - Angels & Airwaves, Barker - The Transplants), they are going to do what was best - Blink-182. The side projects sounded like side projects. The one I liked the best was the Transplants. You've grooved to them un-beknownced to you if you've ever seen a Garnier Fructis commercial with the piano hook and the "woo hoo" chant that has been the products staple since 2003.

Now, I know you look at this like most people. Ughh, Blink-182? They're SO 10 years ago and beyond sophomoric. Yup. In the summer of 1997 (an awesome summer of music - remember all that ska and electronica? hilarious!) as my senior year of high school approached, I remember staying up late on the computer IMing on AOL working on my Buddy List while watching Conan and MTV. One night, a song called "Dammit" (click here for the classic video) came on. I was hooked. While now it all seems corny and immature, the gross out, goofy and lewd songs of Blink represent some fun years of my life that I will always look upon fondly. While this reunion is not like Fleetwood Mac or something and surely won't change the world, it may give you something to feel nostalgic or maybe just make you laugh. Welcome back, fellas.

Knowing Is Half the Battle

So, I meant to talk about this last week, but I have been way too busy with Holistic Detox (don't ask.....). Regardless, the highlight of the Super Bowl commercials for me had to be - THE G.I. JOE MOVIE !!!!!!!!!!!

GI JOE: The Rise of Cobra

G.I. Joe was only my favorite show and toy growing up. My weekly $3 allowance meant a trip to Target to get the $2.99 new action figure. Hold on to your socks, kiddos! It is like a G.I. Joe prequel before Cobra came up from the underground. Destro before he had his metal face, Hawk when he was just a General, Duke when there was no Lady Jay (which BTW is total crap that there is no Lady Jay in this flick, erghh!), and Cobra Commander when he was Duke's best friend. The Baroness, Zartan, Scarlet: they're all here. Who can't wait for the always classic Storm Shadow vs. Snake Eyes showdown? Me. I have chills. I'm sure it will probably disappoint and suck as we don't have a big name in charge ala Michael Bay or John Woo - not to mention some questionable casting calls (Dennis Quaid as Hawk?? No names everywhere else? Though Ray Park/Darth Maul is playing Snake Eyes). I can live with it. It will be here this summer. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Nothing Says Christmas Like Forgiveness !!!

One of my favorite bands and one of the most important to music in the 90's (in the UK), Blur appears to have settled their differences. In the big 90's Britpop boom, there were many players, but 2 bands were the title fighters. Like the Rolling Stones going head to head with the Beatles, Blur went toe to toe with a little band called - Oasis. While Blur was embraced in the UK and the rest of the world, they barely made a blip on the map in the U.S. short of some college radio and indie hipsters. America was enamored with Flannel and Grunge while the UK was dancing their pants off. They did experience a modest success in the Spring of 1997 with the release of their eponymous album and it's 2nd single: "Song 2". You know it. You hear it at every sporting event since the late 1990's. With its recurring "Woo Hoo!", it's instantly recognizable.

The boys of Blur are so much more!

Like 4 boys from Liverpool in the 60's, Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rountree grew up in Essex, England and formed Blur. After 5 or so albums, Graham Coxon, the lead guitarist, left the group with the release of "13" in 1999. Blur would go on to release "Think Tank" in 2003 as a power trio, but the spark just wasn't there. Lead singer and frontman, Damon Albarn was unable to achieve the heights that they had once reached. At teh same time, Albarn found himself pouring a great deal of his creativity into his trip-hop side project, Gorillaz, with cartoonist Jamie Hewlett and producer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura for their 2001 debut.

Blur seemed destined never to return at this point. With childhood friends, Coxon and Albarn, refusing to speak and make amends, Blur had headed the way of the Beatles before them. Albarn now threw all of his efforts into musical side projects. In 2004, Gorillaz released their 2nd album, "Demon Days", and firmly made their presence known with Jonathan "Danger Mouse" Burton behind the mixing board fresh off his Jay-Z/Beatles mixtape, "The Grey Album". In the summer of 2006, Albarn released an album by yet another side project, The Good, the Bad and the Queen, with the help of Paul Simonen of the Clash and again - Danger Mouse. On the other hand, Graham Coxon has had minimal commercial success and some critical acclaim for his 3 solo albums.

This past week, hell froze over. Coxon and Albarn announced that Blur in its original form would be playing together again this coming summer for at least 2 dates/festivals. Hurray! To bad it will all be in the UK, and I'll never get to see them. I almost got to see them in the fall of 1997 at 328 Performance Hall in Nashville (on their last U.S. tour), except the show was 18 and up, in the middle of October, and I turned 18 in November. Screwed Again!

If you don't know any Blur (other than "Song 2"),
feel free to check out these favorites of mine!

Blur - "There's No Other Way" (1991) - My Favorite

Blur - "Coffee & TV"

(1999 w/ Graham Coxon on lead vocals)
Their greatest video w/ the Milk Carton

Blur - "Girls and Boys" (1994)

Blur - "Look Inside America" (1997)

Blur - "Charmless Man" (1995)

Blur - "Parklife" (1994)

Blur - "Out of Time" (2003)

Blur - "Beetlebum" (1997)

Enjoy !!!
(to the 1 person who actually read this far...................Joy, are you there?)

Hope Your Weekend Is Absolutely Fab(rizio) !!!

While my favorite boys, The Strokes, are still on hiatus until next year, the various players are all doing their own thing. Rhythm guitarist, Albert Hammond, Jr. has put out 2 albums since the last Strokes record to much acclaim. Nickolai Fraiture, the bass player's, side project has no appeal for me. Lead guitarist, Nick Valensi, has been growing his hair out even further. Lead singer, Julian Casablancas, has made a commercial/song for Converse with Pharell and Santogold. This week saw the release of two albums featuring drummer Fabrizio Moretti (girls, you remember him as Drew Barrymore's former flame). Little Joy is Fab's side project named for their corner bar. Also released this week, was Fab's group, Megapuss with Devendra Banhart (again girls, yo know him as Natalie Portman's flavor of the week). Where most side-projects are regularly dismissable, these two are worth a listen. So, bend an ear to the albums: Little Joy - "Little Joy" and Megapuss - "Surfing".

That poster at the top was the flyer from the 1st time I saw the Strokes at 328 Performance Hall (RIP!) in the Fall of 2001. It hangs in the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC. Here they are performing the song that made it all happen for me in September 2001, when I saw it on tv at the cabin we rented in the mountains of GA. Enjoy!

I'm going to go all Whitney (by that I mean Interrogative).
They are MY favorite group.
Who is YOUR favorite group?

All the President's Men

Tonight, I'm watching one of my favorite movies on TCM - "All the President's Men". I own the commemorative special edition 20th anniversary etc. edition on 2-disc DVD. It's sitting 8 feet away from me, but I am still watching it on TV. Whitney and I are notorious for this practice of watching movies we own on TV. Regardless, it's a classic. If you have not seen, go watch it, then shoot yourself for not seeing it until now. It's the movie based on the book of the same name by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein that blew the doors off the Watergate burglary in the 1970's. I mean we are talking about "Deep Throat" here, the secret informant of Bob Woodward that went unnamed on "deep background" for his strories in the Washington Post. The movie is full of icons with Redford as Woodward, Hoffman as Bernstein, Hal Holbrook as Deep Throat, and my favorite, Jason Robards, as Washington Post editor, Ben Bradlee. I love a good scandal, and I know you do, too. This was one the biggest ever. What a flick!!!

If you are bored on the internet just get on wikipedia and read all about G. Gordon Liddy, E. Howard Hunt, Bob Haldeman, Chuck Colson and John Mitchell. You can learn all about Watergate and bigger scandals like Hunt's involvement with LBJ and Kennedy's assassination. History buffs unite!