Daily Loaf

Photos by Eric Snider

“This didn’t have to happen,” says Rob Douglas, his 6-foot-4 frame slouched on a sofa in his south St. Pete condo, his raspy voice weary and tinged with bitterness. He’s a linchpin of the St. Petersburg concert scene, his tenure as a promoter, venue operator and production manager dating back to the early ’80s, when shows were put on by enterprising locals rather than megacorporations. He spent 25 years working at Jannus Landing, one of the Bay area’s most beloved concert venues, until August when he severed ties with the downtown St. Pete institution. Douglas, 54, had reached the end of his tether with then-owner Jack Bodziak. “Even with the wreckage of the economy, we could have survived this,” Douglas says. “It was due to piss-poor stewardship.”

When he spoke those words in late October, Jannus Landing had been empty for most of the prior three months, its last show having been the execrable Insane Clown Posse on Oct. 9. Several scheduled concerts had relocated to other venues, most to the Ritz Ybor. Bodziak was beset by financial and legal problems, the most glaring of which was his arrest by state agents in May on charges that he failed to pay more than $200,000 in sales tax on revenues from Jannus Landing. He also owed a reported $160,000 in back rent and faced eviction. A new guy, Jeff Knight, waited in the wings, a well-heeled businessman with grandiose plans and no experience in the concert business. Read the rest of this entry »

The weekend doesn’t officially end until you’re caught up on your music news.

• RollingStone.com has exclusive video footage of Maroon 5 recording the follow-up album to 2007’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long. The video also includes footage of the band lounging in Switzerland, where lead singer Adam Levine (pictured right) and company have been working on the album. Mr. Levine is truly my dream man, a beautiful, perverted poet. Isn’t that what all women want?

• Fuse will air the world premiere of Nirvana Live at Reading on Monday, Nov. 1, at 11 p.m. The concert is from 1992 and has never been released. Yes, everyone you know will be watching (and re-watching) this broadcast.
• Them Crooked Vultures have finally (finally!) announced the release date of their self-titled debut album to be Nov. 17. “No One Knows” for sure until the album drops, but I’d be a “Pretender” if I didn’t say this album could be a “Stairway to [Rock 'n' Roll] Heaven.”
• Artists like Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails have joined the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo after learning their music may have been used to torture detainees. Is Miley Cyrus on the list of musicians whose music aided in the torture? Seriously. I’m not trying to be funny.
• Weezer is teaming up with Chamillionaire, Sara Bareilles and Kenny G for tracks for an upcoming edition of AOL Sessions at AOL’s Beverly Hills studio. Well, Beverly Hills is where Weezer wants to be, but who knew it would be Kenny G that would get them there?
• Speaking of Weezer, the band released the video for “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” the first single off their new Raditude album, slated for release on Oct. 27. Enjoy the video — in your favorite undone sweater and with some pork and beans, of course — and more music links after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the course of its first eight studio albums, Pearl Jam had its share of miscues – usually due to self-importance or over-ambition – but the band was never guilty of being average.

That day has come. Which is not to say that PJ has devolved into just another average band. Far from it. But given the consistently high quality of its recorded output since 1991, Backspacer (Monkeywrench) can’t be accorded a higher evaluation than, yes, average.

Not one of the 11 songs would make its way into the upper echelon of the Pearl Jam canon. These are competent rock tunes, straightforwardly produced by Brendan O’Brien, many of which fall back on familiar PJ tropes, but which lack the menace and abandon that has made the Seattle quintet so compelling over the years. Compared to prior work, Backspacer is lighter and poppier – not a stance that suits the band. Read the rest of this entry »

VINYL:

Beastie Boys – Hello Nasty
Now available on HQ-180 gatefold double vinyl.

Fugazi – End Hits
Fugazi – Steady Diet of Nothing
Remastered reissues, with each containing a bonus download.

Mudhoney – Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge LP+MP3
Mudhoney – Mudhoney LP+MP3
Mudhoney – Superfuzz Bigmuff LP+MP3
Reissued on HQ-180 vinyl with MP3 download..

Willie Nelson – Phases and Stages
Nelson’s first “concept album,” the Jerry Wexler-produced (at Muscle Shoals) Phases and Stages, provides both a man and a woman’s viewpoints on a crumbling marriage.

Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band – Between My Head and the Sky
Between My Head and the Sky is resplendent with mind-melting blend of styles and sharpening themes while, like its forward-thinking author, plunging into the always-mysterious future.

Pearl Jam – Backspacer
Available on deluxe double vinyl.

Various Artists – Wheedles Groove: Seattle Funk & Soul 1965-1975
On the quality Light in the Attic label.

CDs:

Basement Jaxx – Scars
They have remixed the likes of Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliot, N.E.R.D, Daft Punk, and are back with a new album.

Beastie Boys – Hello Nasty
Digitally remastered. The CD includes a bonus disc of B-sides and rarities including seven never before released tracks. Read the rest of this entry »

You may have heard that Pearl Jam is set to reissue its landmark Ten album on March 24 in four versions. Originally released in 1991, the album was a watershed of the grunge movement that pushed alternative rock into mainstream consciousness.

The band’s MySpace page is featuring an unreleased track, “Brother,” from the sessions.

Pearl Jam’s official website allows you to stream six songs from the reissue. Hear stuff from MTV Unplugged, a live concert and some remixed versions of songs from Ten.

Here’s some scoop on the components of the reissue packages:

• Remaster of original Ten album + remix by producer Brendan O’Brien
• DVD of previously unreleased 1992 Pearl Jam MTV Unplugged performance with 5.1 surround sound audio remix
• LP of the band’s 1992 “Drop in the Park” concert
• Replica of Pearl Jam three-song demo cassette with Eddie Vedder’s original vocal dubs
• Recreation of Eddie Vedder composition notebook
• Never before seen memorabilia
• Bonus tracks and more.