Daily Loaf

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Last season, The Florida Orchestra performed the music of Pink Floyd with a full band and psychedelic lights. This weekend, conveniently close to the release of the re-masters and a resurgence of interest in the Fab Four, TFO pays tribute to The Beatles with Classical Mystery Tour.

Actor/musicians from Broadway’s Beatlemania – Jim Owen on rhythm guitar and piano, Tony Kishman on bass and piano, Tom Teeley on lead guitar and  Chris Camilleri on drums as John, Paul, George and Ringo, respectively – perform note perfect renditions of Beatles hits Read the rest of this entry »

Stay up-to-date on your music news.

• Green Day hit the studio to re-record 21 Guns with the cast of the American Idiot musical, and also plan to shoot a new video to accompany it. This could be the next big hit on Glee.
• Jennifer Lopez has released her new single, “Louboutins,” which she will perform at the American Music Awards on Sunday. Her stilettos were made for walking, and she wants you to know about it.
• Eminem is pushing back his Relapse 2 album release to 2010, but on Dec. 21, he’ll re-release his fifth studio record as Relapse: Refill with seven bonus tracks. If I had to have some sort of relapse, I’d be stoked to have Slim Shady by my side.
• Paul McCartney joins Ringo Starr for a duet on Starr’s forthcoming album, Y Not. Ringo + Macca + new song = something that everyone will listen to and support because nobody talks shit about the Beatles.
• The ninth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will be taking place June 10 – 13 next summer in Manchester, Tenn. Those are also the only dates in 2010 when I will actually wish to be in Tennessee.
• The Decemberists are releasing an iTunes-exclusive “full-length video album” next month, and have just released its drug-induced trailer. Check out the video and get more music news links after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

This Friday at the 21st edition of Ribfest, JET proved once and for all that they are no longer a garage rock band but full-fledged rock ‘n’ roll professionals.

The Aussies headlined opening night of the three-day waterside barbeque at Vinoy Park, wordlessly hitting the stage in T-shirts and jeans, kicking off their set with the chart topping “Cold Hard Bitch,” and generally pumping up a crowd of both diehard JET fans and spectators simply there to enjoy a side of music with their racks of ribs.

After “Bitch,” lead singer Nic Cester (third from left) thanked the audience with a boyish grin and asked, “Alright, people, how ya doin’!?” And we were doin’ good, because we knew we were about to be treated to some more of JET’s classic-rock inspired music. Read the rest of this entry »

Does Friday the 13th equal a freaky news day in the music world? Find out here.

The Who are scheduled to perform at Super Bowl XLIV, which will be held Feb. 7, 2010, in Miami. This will be the band’s first North American performance since 2008. The biggest night in pro football and the Who? My dad (and probably yours, too) can now die happy. (But let’s hope they don’t! Die now, that is.)

Right now, I’m sitting in a dark, one-bedroom basement apartment in the uptown section of New Orleans. To my right is Catman , a 28-year-old heavy metal fan who got the nickname two decades ago from some cruel children after his Tourette syndrome caused him to lick his hands repeatably and wipe them on his shirt. (These days, he’s lost the habit but still wears the moniker proudly.) On the table next to him is a small studio: mixers, drum machines, two guitars including a Lyon series Washburn electric, a microphone — all connected to a Dell Inspiron 530 desktop. In a thick British accent, Catman describes his musical tastes, his past bands (from the Nundown to Albino Spiders) and the first album he ever danced to (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band). He briefly stands up and hits a button the drum machine filling the room with a techno remix of the old Super NES game, Battletoads.

On my left, two music fans hover over Catman with three video cameras. One of them, Phil Bardi, probes Catman with questions, slowly getting the musician to open up while operating two cameras on a tripod. The other is Terrence Duncan, who pans and tilts and zooms around the room, catching Catman’s musical history on HD. These videographers are with me.

We’re Routes Music – a documentary film acting as a roving music census, taking in the true musical passions (and disgusts) of folks like you and me, and folks like him and her, all across a place we like to call America.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Skipperdome was packed this past Sunday, October 11, for WMNF’s Woodstock Flashback. Having been to Skipper’s Smokehouse more than anywhere else in Tampa, I was shocked to find so many people there, both in the restaurant and the outdoor venue. The parking lot was packed to overflowing.

Due to the lack of parking and the fact that we had to pay $5 for the spot we found, we didn’t see the opener, Soul 2 Earth, playing Jimi Hendrix, though we heard it the tail end of their set on our way in. We got our wristbands as they were exiting the stage.

It was practically standing room only at the ‘Dome, patrons with drinks and food in hand, and wearing smiling faces. Indeed, the WMNF regulars I’d spotted at previous events were in full attendance, but like always, the audience was a diverse bunch, ages ranging from infant to senior, and everyone was there to have an amazing Woodstock Flashback experience. Read the rest of this entry »

My parents played me The Beatles while I was still in the womb and in the end, I was compelled to make a break for the light so I could hear those sweet melodies all the better. (It was perfectly warm and comfortable in there, but the acoustics were simply awful.)

I don’t ever remember living without the Beatles. I grew up playing my mom’s vast collection of LPs, got to know the early, uncomplicated incarnation as a child, moved through the catalog to their later albums as I matured, and gained a new appreciation of songs I’d avoided or just didn’t get when I was younger: the morbid humor of “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” the not-so-subtle sexual innuendo of “Happiness is a Warm Gun,” the intense, simplistic beauty of “Across the Universe,” the ahead-of-its-time experimental flourishes and rhythms of “Tomorrow Never Knows,” the drawn-out groove and swagger of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” the psychedelic nonsensicalness of “I Am the Walrus.” John, Paul, George and Ringo were always there, and I’ve returned to the comfort of their music time and time again. (Pictured: The Beatles, 1969, [c] Apple Corps Ltd. 2009) Read the rest of this entry »

The debate on file-sharing continues in earnest, with UK artists Radiohead and Lily Allen taking opposite sides. From a September 10 article in the Times Online, about musicians speaking out against a British government proposal to cut illegal file-sharers’ internet connections: “Every generation has a different method,” said Radiohead guitarist and FAC Board of Directors member Ed O’Brien. “File sharing is like a sampler, like taping your mate’s music.” From a blog post on Lily Allen’s Myspace page: “I think music piracy is having a dangerous effect on British music, but some really rich and successful artists like Nick Mason from Pink Floyd and Ed O’Brien from Radiohead don’t seem to think so. Last week in an article in the Times these guys from huge bands said file sharing music is fine. It probably is fine for them. They do sell-out arena tours and have the biggest Ferrari collections in the world. For new talent though, file sharing is a disaster as it’s making it harder and harder for new acts to emerge.”

Flaming Lips debuted a new video on Myspace for “I Can Be a Frog.” The song is kind of slow and ambient for the Lips, and I can’t figure out if the animal sounds are genius or an effing nuisance. Check it out: Read the rest of this entry »

As someone whose formative years were profoundly influenced by The Beatles, I just assumed that their music was so indelibly etched in my consciousness that I would never hear it in a new way. The songs — all of them, or nearly — had taken on such a mythic quality that spinning them every so often and letting their magnificence wash over me would do just fine. (Pictured: The Beatles circa 1967, (c) Apple Corps Ltd 2009.)

Then on 9.09.09 came the remastered catalogue — 22 years after the initial CD issue — and an opportunity for a new perspective. I was sorely tempted to plunk down the 200-some bucks for the boxed set, but ultimately found the purchase a bit too dear, so I’ve vowed to scrimp and save and acquire as many of the 14 individual CDs as I can.

Which titles to start with is a source of great debate among Beatles devotees, but for me it was easy: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver. (Pepper wins as my favorite in a photo finish.) I was excited, of course, about the chance to hear “Getting Better,” “And Your Bird Can Sing,” “Lovely Rita,” “She Said She Said,” “Good Morning Good Morning,” “Tomorrow Never Knows” et al in crisp new sonic dimensions that took an elite group of engineers four years to accomplish.

But I didn’t expect a revelation. Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t think of another game that combines the utterly familiar with the intricately unique as well as The Beatles: Rock Band. The Fab Four’s music transcends fame, and everyone knows it (whether from growing up with it, discovering it as classic rock in their youth or hearing it in commercials). The game play is straight forward, Rock Band/Guitar Hero rhythm game stuff, modified only enough to make it more accessible and fun for new players. The resulting product may never be repeated. With it’s dedication to historical detail, its treasure trove of behind the scenes pictures and rare footage and its stunning visuals, this game celebrates The Beatles with every pixel. What other band’s story offers such a journey? What other band’s music has had such impact? What other band deserves such a great game?

The game’s Story Mode offers a glossy, cartoonish, and utterly engaging overview of The Beatles’ storied career. Divided into chronological stages representing different performance venues and recording sessions, The Beatles: Rock Band gives players all the highlights and none of the controversy. As musical history unfolds on screen in rhythm to your button presses and strum-bar clacks, it’s hard to imagine someone not coming away impressed or even moved by the Beatles’ evolution as both pop culture icons and rock and roll musicians. With each stage, the Beatle avatars change, from suit-wearing teen idol youngsters to bearded 60’s icons. The early sections feature the band in famous performance venues like the dingy Cavern where they got their start or Shea Stadium where they played for tens of thousands. Afterwards they move into a series of Abbey Road studio sessions, and players are treated to trippy, dream-like interpretations of songs like Yellow Submarine and I Am the Walrus. Of course it all comes to an end on the roof of Apple Corps. (A video preview of the game after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »

Who the fuck is this person? you think with disgust as you read my apathetic reaction to Steely Dan’s performance at Ruth Eckerd Hall. You find yourself compelled to school me on my apparent lack of knowledge, compose an angry response listing all the reasons I am wrong, berate my abilities as a journalist and my failure as a music critic overall. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW AND WHY THE FUCK SHOULD I CARE? you conclude in all caps so I can’t ignore your ire. I can almost hear your self-righteous click of “Submit Comment” button. (Photo by jamesostrand.com)

You have a valid point. Who the fuck am I and why does my opinion matter so much more than those other idiots who came before me who you also thought were chattering out of their asses?

I am a near-native who’s covered all aspects of Bay area culture for Creative Loafing for nearly six years. While I never aspired to be the paper’s music editor, my love of music eventually and naturally led me to write about it, to attempt to put those intangible moments of joy and sorrow to paper and describe the seemingly indescribable, to relay a sound or a feeling or a mood or a texture with words, to try and offer an objective look at something inherently subjective, something based on experiences and background and taste and even my mood at any given time. I’ve been writing and listening to music for a long time. I don’t pretend to know everything but I approach all music with an open mind and a willingness to build upon what I already know. Read the rest of this entry »

Uh oh, the 40th anniversary of Woodstock is about a month and a half away. Did you remember? If not, it’s probably due to the distinct lack of buzz, seeing as there is no official concert scheduled, although boosters keep adding “as yet” in hopes that original co-producer Michael Lang will manage to put together a show in New York’s Prospect Park.

A handful of mostly lame events are planned for different parts of the country, and a tour called Heroes of Woodstock — featuring Mountain, Jefferson Starship, Tom Constanten (repping Grateful Dead) and others — has 16 dates on the books (none in the Southeast). In all, though, it would seem as if folks have other things on their mind than memorializing the watershed cultural event.

That doesn’t mean it’s a complete wasteland. Sony Music has released a well-thought-out group of reissues called The Woodstock Experience, five two-CD packages pairing a classic 1969 album and a complete Woodstock performance. Sony catalog artists Santana, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Jefferson Airplane and Sly and the Family Stone got the treatment.

Thirty-three acts performed at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair from Aug. 15-18, 1969, including such long-forgotten names as Quill, Sweetwater, Keef Hartley Band and Bert Sommer. (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Byrds and a handful of lesser-knowns declined invitations. Jeff Beck, Iron Butterfly and Joni Mitchell canceled.)

Read more.

Check out CL’s main music site.

The President-Elect put a modern-day spin on the old radio address to the nation by becoming the first President (or soon-to-be President) to post their radio address straight to YouTube.

• First order of business for President Obama: dumping the Crackberry.
• Japan officially in a recession.
• Almost two weeks after election day, Missouri is still a toss up.
• Free tuition!
• Former Buc safety John Lynch retires today.
• The packaging of the President.
• McCartney angles to release 14-minute Beatles track.
• Don’t look now, but the Bucs are 7-3.
• The LA Times fondly remembers the Star Wars Holiday Special.
• Bond knocks them dead at the box office.
• Helen Mirren said what?!!?

Barack Obama aired his half-hour “Obama Infomercial” as the candidate called it on last night’s Daily Show. (Time called it a “mini-convention six days before the election.”) The production leaned heavily on tug-at-the-heartstrings profiles of “real Americans” and some very specific policy proposals. In case you missed it:

• Florida gets much love as the candidates crisscross the state.
• Millions vote early, immediately smash televisions…
• …but not necessarily the Youth Vote.
• Bill stumps with Obama in Kissimmee. Three words we enjoy in any sentence: Bill, stumps and Kissimmee.
• McCain to LAT: Screw your journalistic principles, gimme that damned Obama video.
• Larry King was in town yesterday? I knew there was a reason I felt really icky all day.
• One of the 2,466 keyboardists who ever played with Jerry Garcia is dead.
• The worst part is that I had a ticket for game 6.
• There you go again, Sarah Palin.
• Can someone explain how the U.S. faces deflation after the Fed has created all this money?
• Trouble ahead for Facebook?
• 15 technologies that are about to change everything.
• God help us all: The Beatles go digital with their own edition of Rock Band.