Late night music, July 27-August 1: DMB, Regina Spektor, the Fray and more (with video)

A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, July 27: Dave Matthews Band
Tuesday, July 28: Silversun Pickups
Wednesday, July 29: Elbow (The British alt rockers are currently on tour with Coldplay.)
Thursday, July 30: Cage the Elephant (They don’t have a new album out since their 2008 self-titled debut, but they did play a much-talked-about set at Bonnaroo.)
Friday, July 31: Dave Matthews Band (Two nights of DMB on Letterman. Woo fucking hoo!)

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, NBC
Monday, July 27: the Fray
Thursday, July 30: Regina Spektor (Check out my review of her new album and two of her new videos here.)
Friday, July 31: Ben Harper & Relentless7 Read the rest of this entry »

Late night music, May 18-23: Grizzly Bear, Tori Amos, No Doubt and more

A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, May 18: White Rabbits
Tuesday, May 19: Kenny Chesney
Wednesday, May 20: Grizzly Bear (pictured)
Thursday, May 21: Jean Redpath
Friday, May 22: Green Day

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC
Monday, May 18: Blink 182
Tuesday, May 19: Blink 182
Wednesday, May 20: Mandy Moore
Thursday, May 21: Lionel Richie
Friday, May 22: Tori Amos Read the rest of this entry »

Late night music, May 4-9: Animal Collective, Van Morrison, Jenny Lewis and more.

A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, May 4: Keri Hilson with Kanye West (pictured … “Make Love” or “Knock You Down,” I wonder?)
Tuesday, May 5: Franz Ferdinand
Wednesday, May 6: Ben Harper & Relentless7
Thursday, May 7: Animal Collective (can’t wait to see this one)
Friday, May 8: Chris Cornell

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC
Monday, May 4: Eli Young Band
Tuesday, May 5: Robert Randolph and the Family Band with the Clark Sisters (likely performing their gospel version of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” from the forthcoming WalMart exclusive compilation, Oh Happy Day.)
Wednesday, May 6: Van Morrison
Friday, May 8: Jewel (still doing the flowery country thing) Read the rest of this entry »

Late night music, April 27-May 2

A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, April 27: The All-American Rejects
Tuesday, April 28: Dolly Parton
Wednesday, April 29: Manchester Orchestra
Friday, May 1: Bat for Lashes (pictured)

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC
Monday, April 27: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Tuesday, April 28: Country Bones
Wednesday, April 29: Zac Brown Band
Thursday, April 30: Starsailor
Friday, May 1: Ziggy Marley

Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CBS
Wednesday, April 29: Antony and the Johnsons Read the rest of this entry »

Late night music, April 13-18

A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs,

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, April 13: A.C. Newman (pictured) with Nicole Atkins
Tuesday, April 14: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Wednesday, April 15: Neko Case
Thursday, April 16: Rascal Flatts

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC
Monday, April 13: Billy Ray Cyrus
Tuesday, April 14: the Airborne Toxic Event
Wednesday, April 15: Chris Botti featuring John Mayer
Thursday, April 16: Jonny Lang

Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CBS
Monday, April 13: Dwight Yoakam
Tuesday, April 14: Brett Dennen
Friday, April 17: Martina McBride Read the rest of this entry »

Songs about Love: the 21st Century Edition

We all know the standard classic mixtape love songs – “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton,” Lionel Richie’s “Endless Love,” Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady,” “I Will Always Love You,” (Dolly or Whitney, you pick the version), “At Last,” by Etta James, most of the Beatles’ early catalog. But what about modern, 21st century love songs, i.e., those that came out after January 1, 2001?

Up until I started preparing this, I never really thought much about it, but surprisingly, I came up with a wealth of ideas, almost too many. The songs I thought up are not necessarily traditional ballads (though there are several), are not always romantic or saccharine or even very nice, do not always offer bold statements of devotion or everlasting ardor. But in each, the meaning is clear even if it isn’t always spelled out clearly.

“Fell in Love with a Girl,” The White Stripes, White Blood Cells (2001)
The song made stars of pasty, Detroit-based indie alt blues duo Jack and Meg White, both because it was nice and short and tasty raw, and because it has a really cool Lego video. Check it out, if you haven’t already seen it a few dozen times.

Read the rest of this entry »

Late night music, Feb. 2-6.

A regular weekly bulletin on musical guests playing the five-nights-a-week late night talk shows; set your TIVOs or DVRs.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Wednesday, February 4: Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt
Thursday, February 5: Mark Olson & Gary Louris
Friday, February 6: Beirut (pictured)
Read the rest of this entry »

Late night music, Jan. 26-30.

As a service to those who like to know what bands are playing on the five-nights-a-week late night talk shows, I’ve decided to offer a regular update. Make sure to set your TIVOs or DVRs if you don’t stay up late enough to catch the performances on your own.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, January 26: Ben Kweller
Tuesday, January 27: Andrew Bird
Thursday, January 29: No traditional musical guest but Graham Nash sits in with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra
Friday, January 30: The Gaslight Anthem
Read the rest of this entry »

Releases to look forward to in 2009

Pitchfork recently ran a comprehensive guide to releases coming up in 2009. I’ve scaled it down to the highlights (no box sets, re-issues, vinyl, 7″ or overseas releases) and added a few as well. Click here to see Pitchfork’s complete guide.

JANUARY

06
*The Brighton Port Authority, I Think We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat (Southern Fried)
Glasvegas, Glasvegas (Columbia)
The Gourds, Haymaker! (Yep Roc)

13
Late of the Pier, Fantasy Black Channel (Astralwerks)
Lymbyc System, Carved by Glaciers (Magic Bullet)
My Dear Disco, Dancethink (Dancethink)
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Greatest Hits (Columbia Wal-Mart exclusive)
This Will Destroy You & Lymbyc System, Field Studies (Magic Bullet)
*Derek Trucks Band, Already Free (Sony Legacy)

20
*Andrew Bird, Noble Beast (Fat Possum)
*Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)
Antony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light (Secretly Canadian)
*Bon Iver, Blood Bank EP (Jagjaguwar)
Calexico, Live From Austin, TX (New West DVD)
John Frusciante, The Empyrean (Adrenaline Music)
Ice-T, Live in Montreux 1995 (MVD DVD)
Matt and Kim, Grand (FADER)
*The Modern Skirts, All of Us in Our Night (Modern Skirts Recordings)
A.C. Newman, Get Guilty (Matador)
Ben Nichols, The Last Pale Light in the West (The Rebel Group)
Or, The Whale, Light Poles and Pines (Seany)
Public Enemy, Revolverlution Tour 2003 (MVD DVD)
*Squarepusher, Numbers Lucent EP (Warp)
*Umphrey’s McGee, Mantis (Sci Fidelity)

27
*The Bird and the Bee
, Ray Guns Are Not the Future (Blue Note)
Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun (Capitol DVD)
Circlesquare, Songs About Dancing and Drugs (!K7)
*Cotton Jones, Paranoid Cocoon (Suicide Squeeze)
*Dan Deacon/Adventure, Split 12″ (Carpark)
*Franz Ferdinand, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Domino/Epic)
Hot Chip With Robert Wyatt and Geese EP (Astralwerks)
Kylie Minogue, Boombox: The Remix Album (Parlophone)
of Montreal, Jon Brion Remix EP (Polyvinyl)
Owen, (the ep) (Polyvinyl)
Rush
, Retrospective 3 (Atlantic CD/DVD)
*RZA
, Afro Samurai: The Resurrection (Wu Music Group)
Duncan Sheik
, Whisper House (Victor)
Bruce Springsteen, Working on a Dream (Columbia)
*The Sway Machinery
, Hidden Melodies Revealed (JDub) Read the rest of this entry »

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