Over the Rhine: 20th Anniversary Celebration - The Taft Theatre/Cincinnati 12.19-21-2008

friday, december 19th - reunion of the original over the rhine (karin bergquist, linfird detweiler, brian kelley, ric hordinski)

there is so much to say about this band, this weekend, this show, their fans (my friends) that i know i won't do justice to it all.

first of all, what a brilliant, wonderful, and rocking evening of music. i think many "lesser" bands, that hadn't played together in over 12 years might have played it "safe" on this kind of "one-off" reunion gig.

OtR, did not play it safe. in fact, they stepped out.

they covered the bases with the tunes that were "expected" (ie: "required") by long time fans, but surprised many with the inclusion of; "conjectures, daddy, i painted..., a gospel number." in an evening of highlights, for me the standouts were; how does it feel (w/reprise), june, like a radio, and the incredible second set ending "if i'm drowning" with the classic one-by-one stage exits.

the band sounded excellent, it was hard to believe that they had not played together in front of an audience for well over a decade. there was a great vibe on stage, lots of smiling, laughing, great stories.

i'm not expecting for this to happen again anytime soon, but if it does, i sure as hell planning on being there.

SET ONE
Eyes Wide Open
How Does It Feel?
How Does It Feel? (Reprise)
Within Without (with Kim Taylor)
Like a Radio
Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
June (with Kim Taylor, Jake, Kenny Hutson, and Julie Lee)
Circle of Quiet (with Kim and Julie)
Daddy Untwisted (with Kim and Julie)

SET TWO
Paul and Virginia (L&K with Jake, Kenny, Mickey, Kim, and Julie)
Poughkeepsie (same minus Mickey)
Mary's Waltz (L, K, Paul Patterson)
Silent Night (Duet) (L, K, Paul, Julie)
Faithfully Dangerous (with Jake)
A Gospel Number (with Jake, Kim, Juli)
All I Need Is Everything (with Jake, Kim, and Paul)
If I'm Drowning

ENCORE NUMBER ONE
My Love Is a Fever
I Painted My Name (with Kim and Julie)

ENCORE NUMBER TWO
Latter Days (L & K)
What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding? (with Jake)


saturday, december 20th

set one:
-born
-waste
-all i ever get
-white horse
-here it is
-world can wait
-message from jack
-if nothing else
-roll
-trumpet
-kiddin'

set two:
-ohio
-pro day
-bpd
-happy birthday to kim and kenny
-darlin'
-snow angel
-pull through
-northpole man
-tom
-when i go
++
-c&p
-changes come
++
-hush
-new redemption song

*the setlist shows bpd as the set opener and ohio as the second song, wonder if she just changed her mind?

great damn night of music.

and...Sunday, December 21, 2008
St. Elizabeth Church - Norwood, OH

I Want You to be My Love
Long Lost Brother
Suitcase
Anything At All
We're Gonna Pull Through
Bothered
[Kim Taylor] Days Like This *
[Julie Lee w/Jake & Kenny] Does the Road Wind Uphill **
Paul and Virginia
Poughkeepsie
Goodbye Charles
[Q and A]
Hush Now
Jack's Valentine
Cruel and Pretty

Karin Bergquist - vocals, guitar
Linford Detweiler - piano, guitar, vocals, bell
Kenny Hutson - guitar, dobro, mandolin, pedal steel
Jake Bradley - upright bass
Mickey Grimm - drums, percussion
Kim Taylor - vocals, guitar
Julie Lee - vocals, guitar
Nick Radina - congas

This show was the last of 3 concerts staged as part of Over the Rhine's 20th Anniversary and Christmas celebration.

this was truly a wonderful weekend of music, friendship and fun.

my year in music [concerts 2008]

my year in music, 34 shows, 6 states…

02.10 - cat power @ the vic (chicago)
02.23 - over the rhine w/ben sollee @ the bomhard theatre (louisville)
03.07 - tift merritt @ ear x-tacy (louisville)
03.11 - grace potter and the nocturnals @ headliner’s (louisville)
03.14 - over the rhine @ the ryman (nashville)
03.27 - cowboy junkies w/mary gauthier @ the clifton center (louisville)
04.17 - kathleen edwards @ headliner’s (louisville)
04.25 - over the rhine (w/julie lee) @ canal street tavern (dayton)
04.26 - over the rhine (w/julie lee) @ canal street tavern (dayton)
05.25 - over the rhine / ohio: in concert (cincinnati)
05.30 - over the rhine w/mary gauthier @ the variety playhouse (atlanta)
06.11 - alejandro escovedo (w/ben sollee) @ headliner’s (louisville)
06.13 - ellery @ the rudyard kipling (louisville)
06.14 - over the rhine @ the rapp granary (new harmony, IN)
07.05 - tom waits @ the fox theatre (atlanta)
07.18 - missy higgins @ ear x-tacy (louisville)
07.18 - missy higgins w/teneia sanders @ the phoenix hill tavern (louisville)
07.23 - over the rhine @ the fraze pavilion (dayton)
07.31 - wild sweet orange @ ear x-tacy (louisville)
09.13 - tift merritt @ the original highlands street fair (louisville)
10.04 - mieka pauley @ perkfection (jeffersonville, IN)
10.09 - eilen jewell @ the player’s pub (bloomington)
10.11 - over the rhine @ elk creek winery (owenton, KY)
10.12 - louisville songwriter’s showcase w/johnny berry, mickey clark, danny
flanigan, john gage, tim krekel, teneia sanders, leigh ann yost @ the
bomhard theatre (louisville)
10.12 - the watson twins @ the bomhard theatre (louisville)
10.21 - david byrne @ the palace theatre (louisville)
11.15 - john prine @ indiana university auditorium (bloomington)
11.23 – ralph stanley @ the CEA’s emery theatre (cincinnati)
12.11 – ben sollee, neva geoffrey, daniel martin moore @ the dame (lexington)
12.12 - over the rhine @ the bomhard theatre (louisville)
12.14 - grace potter @ the 20th century (cincinnati)
12.19 – over the rhine @ the taft theater (cincinnati)
12.20 – over the rhine @ the taft theater (cincinnati)
12.19 – over the rhine @ st. elizabeth’s (norwood/cincinnati)

top 5 non-OtR
07.05 - tom waits @ the fox theatre (atlanta)
10.21 - david byrne @ the palace theatre (louisville)
02.10 - cat power @ the vic (chicago)
11.15 - john prine @ indiana university auditorium (bloomington)
06.11 - alejandro escovedo (w/ben sollee) @ headliner’s (louisville)

top 3 OtR
12.19 – over the rhine @ the taft theater (cincinnati)
05.25 - over the rhine / ohio: in concert (cincinnati)
06.14 - over the rhine @ the rapp granary (new harmony, IN)

New Music/CD Releases - December 30, 2008

none, nada, zip, zilch.


and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

WFPK Winter Fundraiser - From the Jayhawks: Gary Louris & Mark Olson

WFPK Winter Fundraiser - From the Jayhawks: Gary Louris & Mark Olson

91.9 WFPK is proud to present Gary Louris and Mark Olson at Phoenix Hill Tavern on Sunday, February 15th at 8pm. This is a rare opportunity to catch Jayhawks frontmen Gary Louris and Mark Olson as they reunite in Louisville for the first time in more than ten years to benefit 91.9 WFPK.

Louris and Olson last shared a Louisville stage at Phoenix Hill Tavern in 1995. It is fitting that the two return to Phoenix Hill’s Saloon stage in support of their new collaboration “Ready for the Flood”.

Tickets for An Evening with Gary Louris and Mark Olson go on sale Saturday, December 20th at 10am at www.ticketweb.com, and ear X-tacy. Tickets will be available here at 619 South Fourth Street and at Phoenix Hill Tavern beginning Monday, December 22nd. Tickets are $15.00 (plus applicable service fees when purchased at www.ticketweb.com or ear X-tacy). Patrons must be 21 years old to attend.

For more information on 91.9 WFPK, please visit www.wfpk.org . For information on this event or for artist interviews, please contact Billy Hardison at bhardison@louisvillepublicmedia.org or (502) 814-6518.

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

1. This Tornado Loves You
2. The Next Time You Say Forever
3. People Got A Lotta Nerve
4. Polar Nettles
5. Vengeance Is Sleeping
6. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
7. Middle Cyclone
8. Fever
9. Magpie To The Morning
10. I'm An Animal
11. Prison Girls
12. Don't Forget Me
13. The Pharaohs
14. Red Tide
15. Marais La Nuit

Neko Case: Middle Cyclone

Neko Case will follow up 2006's "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," the best-selling album of her career, with "Middle Cyclone," due March 3 via Anti-.

New Music/CD Releases - December 23, 2008

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK
Well, like last week, there isn’t one. Looks like a good week to go back and catch up on a release you may have missed earlier…

21 December Tuesday
Fear The State - Against The Ropes
Savage - Savage Island
Sterling Simms - Yours, Mine & The Truth
Stephanie Smith - Not Afraid
Various Artists - Slumdog Millionaire [Soundtrack]

and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals @ The 20th Century/Cincinnati (12.13.2008)

oh. my. god.

what a show this girl and her band puts on. they are excellent musicians, a consumate high energy rock & roll/blues band and more than anything else, they absolutely love what they do, and that fun just flows off the stage and into the crowd. amazing.

this was my second experience of grace, and it isn't just a show, it is an experience. she spent most of the night behind her hammond b-3, coming out from behind it to play electric guitar on 4 or 5 numbers, but it didn't matter where she was, she totally controlled the joint. and what a voice, in my opinion, there is no female doin' the blues better than her right now.

on top of her originals, towards the end of the show they paid some respect to their obvious influence and kicked into a cover of "paint it black" that would make mick and the boys jealous in their heyday. in my opinion, the student surpassed the teacher. and they sent us home with another cover, a brilliant and rousing finale of zepplin's "your time is gonna come," doing plant, page, jones and bonham proud.

set list:
Watching you
(Feedback into)
Aint no time
Treat me right
Be my husband
Ah Mary
Mastermind
Apologies
Gate
Joey
Sweet Hands
Sugar
Paint it
Paris
Nothing But the Water
(Band ends)
Stop the Bus
Your time

the nocturnals are:
Grace Potter - Vocals, electric guitar, keyboards
Scott Tournet - lead guitar
Bryan Dondero - electric bass
Matt Burr - drums

go see this band if you get the opportunity.

New Music/CD Releases - December 16, 2008

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK
Well, looking at the list below, There isn’t one. Looks like a good week to go back and catch up on a release you may have missed earlier…

16 December Tuesday
All-American Rejects - When The World Comes Down
Brooks & Dunn - Playlist
Dave Matthews Band - Live at Mile High Music Festival
Dave Matthews Band - Live Trax Vol. 13
The Dream - Love vs. Money
Fall Out Boy - Folie a Deux
Ghostface Killah - Ghostdeini The Great
Jamie Foxx - Intuition
Keyshia Cole - A Different Me
Piles - Da REAList
Saliva - Cinco Diablo
Soulja Boy - iSouljaboytellem

and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

Over the Rhine (w/Jim Bianco) @ The Bomhard Theatre (Louisville, KY), December 12, 2008

a beautiful show last night @ the bomhard theatre in the kentucky center for the performing arts. a theatre worthy of what happens on it's stage, great sightlines throughout and amazing acoustically, and juicy worked it to perfection., the sound was pristine.

the band was in great spirits and having a lot of fun, coming off a successful west coast swing and getting in a week's rest before yesterday's shows here. the wonderful and lighthearted "WFPK live lunch" got the day started off right and the followed it up with a full-throttled gig @ the bomhard last night. the show had a great feel from the start, when a couple of songs in, karin announced that they were dedicating the "whole show" to patrick and sara (some local fans). as she said "they know why" and that was good enough for her, so i'll leave it at that too.

also, since karin's birthday is today, and in an effort to surprise her...between "northpole man" and "don't wait for tom" on the setlist, linford snuck in a surprise happy birthday wish for karin, the band and audience sang happy birthday to her and i was privledged to take her cake out to her on stage to blow out the candles. (that stage, the lights, all the people, is a scary place)

the set was at times; quiet then rockin', spiritual and bluesy, funny followed by emotional. they hit all of the bases, and hit it out of the park. by far, the best show OtR show i've seen this year...and i've seen a few really (really) good ones.

jim bianco, who opened on the recent west coast leg opened and did a nice job. nice music and a very funny guy...seemed he was "enjoying" being in the heart of "bourbon" country. a lot.


"darlin' christmas is coming" on WFPK Live Lunch earlier in the day

Ben Sollee w/Neva Geoffrey & Daniel Martin Moore @ The Dame (12.11.2008)

excellent night of music @ the (new) dame. i really enjoyed neva geoffrey, i liked daniel martin moore but his set never seemed to catch much fire and the audience was rude and never seemed to get involved which really made it tough to connect with him and his music.

ben, on the otherhand was completely amazing and had the audience in the palm of his hand from the opening note of "how to see the sun rise".

more later...

Over the Rhine - WFPK "Live Lunch" - Friday 12.12.2008 @ Noon

once again, louisville's most excellent public broadcasting radio station WFPK will be featuring OtR on it's LIVE LUNCH broadcast.

they will be playing a live set @ noon ('til 1:00) on WFPK 91.9FM or you can stream it for FREE @ wfpk.org

look for me on the radio, for i shall be there.

then they play @ the lovely kentucky center for the performing arts, bomhard theatre @ 8:00 on friday evening.

The Best of 2008 - CD's

here is my list, in alphabetical order...

alejandro escovedo – “real animal”
ben sollee – “learning to bend”
bob dylan – “tell tale signs - rare and unreleased 1989-2006”
carrie rodriguez – “she ain’t me”
cat power – “jukebox/dark end of the street"
cowboy junkies – “trinity revisited”
david byrne & brian eno – “everything that happens will happen today”
johnny cash - “johnny cash at folsom prison: legacy edition”
kathleen edwards – “asking for flowers”
kris delmhorst – “shotgun singer”
over the rhine - “live from nowhere volume 3”
ray lamontagne - “gossip in the grain”
rodney crowell – “sex and gasoline”
ryan adams and the cardinals - "cardinology"
shelby lynne – “just a little lovin’ "
teddy thompson – “a piece of what you need”
tift merritt – “another country”
the waifs - "sundirtwater"

*and i'm combining cat power's "dark end of the street" [ep] with "jukebox." they are out of the same sessions and it is just like an extension of that project.

and here is "Rolling Stone's" top 50 albums of 2008:

1 | TV on the Radio: Dear Science
2 | Bob Dylan: Tell Tale Signs — The Bootleg Series Vol. 8
3 | Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III
4 | My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges
5 | John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Love and Freedom
6 | Santogold: Santogold
7 | Coldplay: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
8 | Beck: Modern Guilt
9 | Metallica: Death Magnetic
10 | Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
11 | Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
12 | Guns n' Roses: Chinese Democracy
13 | Blitzen Trapper: Furr
14 | Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: Cardinology
15 | The Black Keys: Attack & Release
16 | Randy Newman: Harps and Angels
17 | B.B. King: One Kind Favor
18 | Lucinda Williams: Little Honey
19 | Erykah Badu: New Amerykah: Part 1 (4th World War)
20 | Kings of Leon: Only by the Night
21 | Kaiser Chiefs: Off With Their Heads
22 | Jackson Browne: Time the Conquerer
23 | Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst
24 | Girl Talk: Feed the Animals
25 | The Magnetic Fields: Distortion
26 | Mudcrutch: Mudcrutch
27 | Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old Sun
28 | The Knux: Remind Me in Three Days...
29 | Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
30 | Duffy: Rockferry
31 | MGMT: Oracular Spectacular
32 | Jamey Johnson: The Lonesome Song
33 | Ne-Yo: Year of the Gentleman
34 | Stephen Malkmus: Real Emotional Trash
35 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
36 | The Hold Steady: Stay Positive
37 | Nine Inch Nails: The Slip
38 | Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line
39 | Taylor Swift: Fearless
40 | Jonas Brothers: A Little Bit Longer
41 | AC/DC: Black Ice
42 | David Byrne and Brian Eno: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
43 | Nas: Untitled
44 | The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely
45 | Be Your Own Pet: Get Awkward
46 | The Academy Is...: Fast Times at Barrington High
47 | Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping
48 | Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It
49 | Hot Chip: Made in the Dark
50 | No Age: Nouns

U2's "No Line on the Horizon" gets Feb. 23 release date

U2's "No Line on the Horizon" gets Feb. 23 release date
By Loren Lankford on December 9, 2008 [from pastemagazine.com]

We've been steadily giving you information on the new U2 album, No Line on the Horizon, as it has become available. Up until now, the release date for the 2009 disc has been unknown. Now, via pre-ordering info on HMV, we can tell you that the Bono-fronted band will release its 12th record (possibly produced by will.i.am?!?) on Feb. 23.

The Edge recently told Mojo that the album "[is] a record of two halves. One half is songs that came virtually fully-formed out of sessions we did with Brian and Danny—stuff we've only played once or maybe twice and that's it: just the raw moment of creation. Then the other half is material we've kicked around a while and went through the usual cycle of versions and incarnations."

Free Holiday Music from Ellery & Ric Hordinski

Free Holiday Music from Ellery & Ric Hordinski

Cincinnati based husband and wife duo, Ellery is once again giving away their holiday EP for free. It’s titled December Days. Last year’s was a 3 song EP. This year they have added an additional track, a new collaboration with Ric Hordinski called “We Can Dream Tonight.”

Free Download - Ellery December Days




Also, Ric Hordinski (guitar virtuoso from Cincinnati, founding member of Over the Rhine & Monk) is having his annual holiday show with special guests, Ellery on Dec 12th @ Ric’s Monastery Studio in Cincinnati.



Ric and drummer Brian Kelley will also reunite with Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler (Over the Rhine) for one night only, Friday December 19th, for the first time in over 12 years @ the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati.

for more info:
Ellery

Monk (Ric Hordinski)

Over the Rhine

[REVISION] New Music/CD Releases - December 9, 2008

FYI - this is only available on limited edition 10" vinyl and on i-tunes.

and it is excellent.

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK
CAT POWER - DARK END OF THE STREET (EP)
1. Dark End Of The Street
2. Fortunate Son
3. Ye Auld Triangle
4. I've Been Loving You Too Long
5. Who Knows Where The Time Goes
6. It Ain't Fair

28 years on...

and it still stings like the day it happened.



John Winston Ono Lennon: 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980



peace john.

2 weeks of fine music coming up...

to wrap up the year, i've got a couple of good weeks of fine music coming up.

dec 11 - thurs @ the dame (lexington): ben sollee, daniel martin moore, neva geoffrey
dec 12 - fri @ the bomhard (louisville): over the rhine
dec 14 - sun @ the 20th century (cincinnati): grace potter and the nocturnals
dec 19 - fri @ the taft theatre (cincinnati): over the rhine 20th anniversary celebration (the first 10 years w/ric hordinski & brian kelley)
dec 20 - sat @ the taft theatre (cincinnati): over the rhine 20th anniversary celebration (the second 10 years)
dec 21 - sun @ st. elizabeth (norwood/cincinnati) - over the rhine sunday soiree

wrapping up the year with my 132nd live OtR show.

Dar Williams - Free Downloads

Hello all, I was just permission to share these live recordings from Dar Williams' Ann Arbor show at The Ark on September 17. Feel free to just listen and/or download and share -- consider it an early Christmas gift from Dar!

I like that they capture Dar's live essence and personality, her song intros & commentary and everything...she puts on a great, fun show.

Live tracks from The Ark in Ann Arbor, September 17, 2008:

"IT'S ALRIGHT"

"BUZZER"

"EASY WAY"

enjoy.

New Music/CD Releases - December 9, 2008

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK
CAT POWER - DARK END OF THE STREET (EP)
1. Dark End Of The Street
2. Fortunate Son
3. Ye Auld Triangle
4. I've Been Loving You Too Long
5. Who Knows Where The Time Goes
6. It Ain't Fair

It's no surprise that when Cat Power (aka: Chan Marshall), my second favorite artist currently making music, releases something new that it would be at the top of my list. I've heard half this EP; Dark End of the Street, Fortunate Son, I've Been Loving You..., and they are fantastic. This six-song EP contains mostly unreleased recordings from the "Jukebox" sessions. In keeping with the "Jukebox" theme, all the songs here are covers: "Auld Triangle", "Dark End Of The Street", "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", "Fortunate Son", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "It Ain't Fair".


9 December Tuesday
Alexander Achavoy - Voy
Avant - Avant
Ken Block - Drift
Brandy - Human
Busta Rhymes - B.O.M.B.
Cat Power - Dark End of the Street
Charlie Louvin – Murder Ballads
Common - Universal Mind Control
Jeffree Star - Cupcakes Taste
Justice - A Cross The Universe
Maroon 5 – Call and Response
Music Soulchild On My Radio
Omara Portuondo - Gracias
Rush - Retrospective 3
Stereophonics Word Gets Around (US release of '97 album)
Stereophonics Performance and Cocktails (US release of '99 album)
Stereophonics Just Enough Education to Perform (US release of '01 album)
Stereophonics You Gotta Go There to Come Back (US release of '03 album)
Stereophonics Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (US release of '05 album)
Take That - Circus
Thrice - Live at the House of Blues (CD/DVD)

and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

Odetta: 1930-2008

Odetta: 1930-2008
By Henry Freedland [from pastemagazine.com]

Folksinger, blueswoman and civil rights activist Odetta died from heart disease yesterday in Manhattan. She was 77.

Manager Douglas Yeager spoke of her legacy in a statement. "May Odetta's luminous spirit and volcanic voice from the heavens live on for the ages," he said. "Her voice will never die."

Indeed it won't. Her soulful musicianship had a vital strength that inspired further generations of luminaries. Bob Dylan cited her first record as the his initial turn-on to folk singing. And Rosa Parks, when asked after the the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott what music was important to her, said "all the songs Odetta sings."

Born Odetta Holmes on Dec. 31, 1930, she moved from Alabama to Los Angeles to study classical music and theater before joining the coffeehouse and nightclub scene in San Francisco. Later she used her commanding voice to become the spiritual soundtrack for the civil rights movement, marching with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and performing for President John F. Kennedy.

She had been hoping to sing at Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20. Perhaps she would have used the same tune as at the March on Washington in 1963. “O freedom, O freedom, O freedom over me," it goes. "And before I’d be a slave, I’d be buried in my grave, And go home to my Lord and be free.”

Neko Case: New Album Due In March

December 02, 2008 11:04 AM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Neko Case will follow up 2006's "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," the best-selling album of her career, with "Middle Cyclone," due March 3 via Anti-.

The 15-track collection boasts guest appearances from the Band's Garth Hudson, fellow Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah Harmer, M. Ward and members of Case's primary band the New Pornographers, Calexico, Los Lobos, Giant Sand, the Lilys and the Sadies.

"Middle Cyclone" was produced by Case and Darryl Neudorf and put to tape in Tucson, Ariz., Brooklyn, N.Y., Toronto and Vermont. The album's 12 originals are augmented by covers of Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me" and Sparks' "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth."

"Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" brought Case to a new level of commercial visibility, having sold 194,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Here is the track listing for "Middle Cyclone"
"This Tornado Loves You"
"The Next Time You Say Forever"
"People Got a Lotta Nerve"
"Polar Nettles"
"Vengeance Is Sleeping"
"Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth"
"Middle Cyclone"
"Fever"
"Magpie to the Morning"
"I'm An Animal"
"Prison Girls"
"Don't Forget Me"
"The Pharaohs"
"Red Tide"
"Marais La Nuit"

Bonnaroo 2009 Dates & Ticket Info Announced

Dates announced for Bonnaroo 2009
This year you can pay for your ticket in five installments

The dates have been announced for Bonnaroo 2009, taking place once again in Manchester, TN.

The festival will run June 11-14 next year on the 700-acre farm 60 miles southeast of Nashville, TN.

Pre-sale tickets for the festival will be made available from this Thursday (December 4) to December 31, and will be specially priced during this period.

As the economic recession has limited spending for many this year, during the holiday presale, tickets will be available for five payments of $50.00 plus applicable fees through the festival’s payment plan.

Last year’s headliners were Pearl Jam, Metallica and Kanye West. West’s performance was clouded in controversy as fans became irate, having been forced to wait almost two hours for him to appear onstage.

Exclusive Early Listen of Neil Young's Sugar Mountain [from NPR]

Exclusive First Listen to Neil Young's Sugar Mountain

Neil Young was just a few days shy of his 23rd birthday when he took the stage at the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Mich., for what would become a legendary performance. It was 1968, and Young was about to release his self-titled debut solo album. His old band, Buffalo Springfield, had split up six months earlier, and few people even knew who Young was. But to his own surprise, and to the surprise of the Canterbury House, Young drew a sold-out audience.

Neil Young was horribly nervous before the performance and had to be coaxed from his hotel room by his manager Elliot Roberts and the minister of Canterbury House, Dan Burke. Burke tells NPR Music he remembers Neil Young huddled in Young's hotel room bed, too scared to perform. He told Burke no one would want to hear the Buffalo Springfield tunes or his new tunes. Young was afraid he didn't have enough material. But he was eventually persuaded to take the small stage.

"You really blew our minds," an astonished emcee said while introducing the performance. "We only expected a lot less people than showed up. I think you are a lot wiser than we were."

Despite the packed house, it was an intimate performance, as Young treated his audience to a cozy set of material most had never heard before, though some were Buffalo Springfield tracks. Studio versions of some of the songs, like "Birds" and "The Old Laughing Lady," would appear later on various Neil Young solo albums.

Few people outside of those in attendance that night would have known about the Ann Arbor performance if it weren't for a 1970 single Young released called "The Loner." The B-side of that 45 was "Sugar Mountain" — which, according to a note printed on the disc, was recorded live at the Canterbury House. Neil Young fans speculated that a recording of the entire concert must exist somewhere, and eagerly awaited its release.

The live recording of "Sugar Mountain" reappeared as a B-side to the "Cinnamon Girl" single in 1970, and again in 1977 on the double disc Decade, a compilation of Neil Young hits. But the rest of the concert recorded in Ann Arbor remained a mystery.

Now, 40 years later, Neil Young and Reprise Records are finally releasing the long-awaited Canterbury House performance as part of the Archives Performance Series, Young's effort to release box-set editions of past live concerts. Live at the Fillmore East was released in 2006, with Live at Massey Hall 1971 following a year later.

New Music/CD Releases - December 2, 2008 [Revised]

i know you'll all be out early tuesday morning blowing all of your cd money and picking up britt's new record, so i won't bother with a "bill's pick" this week.

hope everyone had a great thanksgiving.

December 2nd
Akon - Freedom
Britney Spears – Circus
Carly & Lucy Simon - Sing Songs for Children
Chico Buarque - Essencial
Connie Talbot - Connies Christmas Album
Duffy - Rockferry (Deluxe Edition)
Kylie Minogue - X (2008 Tour Edition) (Incl. Bonus Tracks and Bonus DVD)
Neil Young – Sugar Mountain Live 1968
Panic! At the Disco - Live in Chicago (CD/DVD)
Scarface - Emeritus
Tina Arena - Songs Of Love & Loss 2
Trevor Tanner- Eaten By The Sea

and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

Cincinnati Entertainment Awards @ The Emery Theatre (11.23.2008)

seems that at the end of the day, they, just like us, are geeky fans of great music too. =)

kim taylor - the cincinnati entertainment awards "singer/songwriter of the year" / ralph stanley - the newest member of the CEA "hall of fame" / karin bergquist - presenter, past CEA "hall of fame" inductee and "2007's music ambassador to the city" (photo taken w/karin's i phone, i believe)

i was invited by karin bergquist and linford detweiler of over the rhine to attend the cincinnati entertainment awards last night at the emery theatre in over the rhine. the emery, much like the over the rhine neighborhood seems to be under perpetual renovation. but it was great to see the old place get some much needed love and attention. hopefully, someday soon it will be a fully functioning venue once again (with heat and running water).

the show was a blast, opened by a band assembled to honor the late james brown and king records and led by the legendary bass player, bootsy collins. that they were dead on, the singer had brown's vocals and stage presence nailed, and the 12 pc band with a full horn section and back up singers were amazing. a helluva way to kick off the show. the "headliner" and hall of fame inductee, closing out the evening was the legendary country/bluegrass singer, ralph stanley and the clinch mountain boys.

bootsy and company brought down the house with a stunning tribute to JB to kick the night off and stanley was the absolute personification of professionalism and dignity. at 81 years old and 42 years on the road and just out of the hospital the day before with vocal problems, he and his "clinch mountain boys" gave a courageous and classy performance to close the evening out. he struggled but gave it his best, which was more than good enough for everyone there. it was a honor to see this man perform.

karin and linford both presented and it was a pleasure to watch as karin got to present her friend, kim taylor (or kim-FUCKING!-taylor, as she announced it) the singer/songwriter of the year award. linford said while presenting the electronica/experimental music award to: "chick pimp, coke dealer at a bar" (which i think he just enjoyed saying), "you've got to love and be proud to be from a city that puts on a show that opens with a bootsy collins tribute to james brown and closes with ralph stanley..."

despite there being no heat in the theatre, no running water (ie:port a potties in the alley outside) and sound & technical problems galore...ther was a great vibe in the goint and it was a great night (even though you can't find a damn thing to eat in downtown cincinnati on a sunday night).

performers: Bootsy Collins, Ralph Stanley, Eclipse, The Seedy Seeds, and The Sundresses



the winners:
BEST LIVE ACT
Foxy Shazam

BEST MUSICAL AMBASSADOR
Bootsy Collins

BLUEGRASS
Rumpke Mountain Boys

BLUES
Sonny Moorman Group

COUNTRY
The Turkeys

EXPERIMENTAL/ELECTRONIC
Chick Pimp, Coke Dealer at a Bar

FOLK/AMERICANA
Jake Speed & the Freddies

HARD ROCK/METAL
Foxy Shazam

HIP HOP
Eclipse

INDIE/ALTERNATIVE
The Seedy Seeds

JAZZ
Faux Frenchmen

PUNK/POST PUNK/HARDCORE
Knife the Symphony

R&B/FUNK
Daughters and Sons

ROCK
500 Miles to Memphis

SINGER/SONGWRITER
Kim Taylor

WORLD MUSIC/REGGAE
Super-Massive

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Daniel Martin Moore

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Barkinghaus, The Sundresses

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Seabird

New Music/CD Releases - November 25 and December 2, 2008

since next week is thanksgiving and i will be out of town, with limited time and internet access, i am going to post next next two weeks of new releases.

enjoy. and a happy thanksgiving to all.

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
1. Home
2. My Big Nurse
3. I Feel My Stuff
4. Everything That Happens
5. Life Is Long
6. The River
7. Strange Overtones
8. Wanted For Life
9. One Fine Day
10. Poor Boy
11. The Lighthouse

November 25th
Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs Of The Eighties
Coldplay – Prosepekt’s March (EP)
Cynic - Traced In Air
David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Deathcab for Cutie – ‘Airplanes’ (Deluxe)
Feist – Reminder (Deluxe)
Good Charlotte – Remixes
Jeremy Camp - Speaking Loud
Kanye West - 808 & Heartbreak
The Killers - Day & Age
Linkin Park - Road To Revolution Live At Milton Keynes (CD/DVD)
Ludacris - Theater of the Mind
Monica Naranjo- Tarantula
Ministry – Wicked Soundtrack
Neil Young – Canterbury House 1968
Paramore - The Final Riot!
Paul Van Dyk - Hands on In Between
REM – Murmur (Deluxe)
Rivers Cuomo - Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Scott Weiland - Happy In Galoshes
Sheryl Crow - Home For Christmas
Supersuckers – Get It Together
Tom Jones - 24 Hours
Trace Adkins – X (TEN)
White Zombie - Let Sleeping Corpses Lie


December 2nd
Akon - Freedom
Britney Spears – Circus
Carly Simon - Sing Songs for Children
Chico Buarque - Label: Import
Connie Talbot - Connies Christmas Album
Duffy - Rockferry (Deluxe Edition)
Neil Young – Sugar Mountain Live 1968
Panic! At the Disco - Live in Chicago (CD/DVD)
Trevor Tanner- Eaten By The Sea

and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

Paul McCartney to release unheard 14-minute Beatles song?

Macca confirms 'Carnival Of Light' exists
[from NME]

Paul McCartney has confirmed that the mythical Beatles song 'Carnival Of Light' exists, and has suggested it may soon see a release.

The experimental 14-minute song was recorded in 1967 for an electronic music festival, but was never released.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Front Row, McCartney said: "The time has come for it to get its moment.

"I like it because it's The Beatles free, going off piste. I said all I want you to do is just wander around all the stuff, bang it, shout, play it, it doesn't need to make any sense. Hit a drum then wander on to the piano, hit a few notes, just wander around. So that's what we did and then put a bit of an echo on it. It's very free."

According to BBC News, McCartney pushed for the song to be included on The Beatles' 'Anthology' releases in the mid-'90s, but it was vetoed by the rest of the band.

McCartney Seeks Release Of Beatles Jam
November 17, 2008 , 1:00 PM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. [from billboard]

Paul McCartney is itching to release the most experimental track the Beatles ever put to tape -- but he'll need the permission of Ringo Starr and the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon to do it.

McCartney told BBC Radio 4 of "Carnival of Light," a 14-minute piece recorded in early 1967, "the time has come for it to get its moment" and that it shows the Beatles "going off piste."

"I said it would be great to put this on because it would show we were working with really avant-garde stuff," he said of the recording, which has never been bootlegged.

"Carnival of Light" was recorded for the electronic music festival the Million Volt Light and Sound Rave and received its only public play there in early '67. McCartney tried to include it on the Beatles' "Anthology" in the late '90s but was vetoed by Harrison.

"I said all I want you to do is just wander around all the stuff, bang it, shout, play it, it doesn't need to make any sense," McCartney said of the music. "Hit a drum then wander on to the piano, hit a few notes, just wander around. So that's what we did and then put a bit of an echo on it. It's very free."

A handful of Beatles experts have heard the song, the master tape of which McCartney purports to have.

Author Mark Lewisohn says the song features "distorted, hypnotic drum and organ sounds, a distorted lead guitar, the sound of a church organ, various effects (water gargling was one) and, perhaps most intimidating of all, John Lennon and McCartney screaming dementedly and bawling aloud random phrases like 'Are you alright?' and 'Barcelona!'," while Barry Miles has described it as similar to the Frank Zappa song "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet."

John Prine @ Indiana University Auditorium/Bloomington (11.15.2008)

In Over the Rhine’s song, “If A song Could Be President,” they give a shout out to their musical heroes and inspirations, they refer to John Prine as someone who can make you “laugh and cry.” Last night in Bloomington, I saw John Prine and as always, he didn't short us on highlights, all worthy of a tear or a laugh, or at times, both in the same song.

He performed such stunners as; Paradise (aka Muhlenberg County), All The Best, Lake Marie, That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round, Sam Stone and probably his most recognizable song (made famous by Bonnie Raitt) Angel From Montgomery along with other classics from his deep, deep catalog. The only thing missing was two of my favorites; Souvenirs and Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore, but I'm not complaining, we did get the rarely played Blue Umbrella, which was requested (and dedicated to) someone who sent him an e-mail just before he left the hotel. she simply signed it as “Mom from Indiana.” For most of the show he was (as usual) accompanied by guitarist Jason Wilber and bassist Dave Jaques, both were impeccable and neither played an extraneous note. The middle third of the show was a beautiful acoustic solo set.

Most everyone in the IU Auditorium was intimately familiar with the music, it was clearly “his audience,” but it never felt like a "nostalgia" act, his music is timeless; they keep revealing secrets, you hear something new no matter how many times you've heard them.

Jeffery Lee Puckett (a Louisville music critic) wrote about Prine: “Prine's secret has never been complicated. He's a good listener and a keen observer, but, more important, he can tell a story. His best songs are constructed exquisitely and delivered with absolute certainty; you couldn't change a line or detail without the rest of the song suffering. When you hear a classic Prine song, you know that you're hearing the truth. It's usually a universal truth told through specific stories, as when loneliness, desire and the human need to connect becomes "Donald and Lydia," and it's often a truth you feel as much as hear.”

What a show last night. Just amazing. Awesome.

It is just sheer joy to watch this man perform.

setlist:
1. Spanish Pipedream 2. Picture Show 3. Six O'Clock News 4. Far From Me 5. Grandpa Was A Carpenter 6. Fish And Whistle 7. Glory Of True Love 8. All The Best 9. Angel From Montgomery (w/false start) 10. Long Monday (solo) 11. Bottomless Lake (solo) 12. Blue Umbrella (solo) 13. Dear Abby (solo) 14. That's The Way That The World Goes 'Round (solo) 15. Sam Stone (starts off solo then band returns) 16. Bear Creek* 17. That's Alright By Me* 18. She Is My Everything* 19. Ain't Hurting Nobody* 20. Hello In There* (John flubs the first line) 21. Lake Marie* Encore 22. Storm Windows* 23. Paradise* John Prine: acoustic & electric guitars Jason Wilber: electric guitar, mandolin, harmonica Dave Jacques: electric & double bass *w/Pat McLaughlin on acoustic guitar or mandolin

Jimi Hendrix Drummer Mitch Mitchell Dies

Jimi Hendrix Drummer Mitch Mitchell Dies
November 12, 2008 , 6:05 PM ET

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell was found dead early this morning (Nov. 12) in a Portland, Ore., hotel room, according to representatives for the Hendrix estate. He was 62.

After completing the Experience Hendrix tour in Portland with one-time bandmate Billy Cox and a host of notable musicians on Nov. 7, Mitchell was spending some down time in the city before returning to his native England. He likely died of natural causes, according to the Multnomah County Medical Examiner's office.

"We're all devastated to hear of Mitch's passing," says Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix. "He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend. His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated."

Mitchell joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966, and with late bassist Noel Redding, staffed the formidable rhythm section supporting Hendrix's era-defining guitar work. He remained with Hendrix through the Experience's first breakup in mid-1969, playing with him during the artist's iconic Woodstock performance.

By year's end, Hendrix had formed Band Of Gypsys with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles, although that band split in early 1970, giving way to a brief reunion of the original Experience. Hendrix died on Sept. 18, 1970, before his future plans could be made clear.

Afterward, Mitchell helped producer Eddie Kramer assemble the albums "Cry of Love" and "Rainbow Bridge," featuring unfinished Hendrix material. He played occasional gigs with Terry Reid, Jeff Bruce and Jeff Beck, but he rarely recorded as his career went on.

Mitchell artist got his start in show business as a child actor on the TV series "Jennings At School." He is survived by his mother, his wife, a daughter and two grandchildren.

MITCH MITCHELL Drum Solo Sweden, January 9, 1969


John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Mitch Mitchell

New Music/CD Releases - November 18, 2008

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Safe Trip Home
Disc: 1
1. don't believe in love
2. quiet times
3. never want to say it's love
4. grafton street
5. it comes and it goes
6. look no further
7. us 2 little gods
8. the day before the day
9. let's do the things we normally do
10. burnin love
See all 11 tracks on this disc

(Available w/Deluxe Edition) Disc: 2
1. for one day (bonus track)
2. summer (bonus track)
3. northern skies (rollo mix) (bonus track)
4. Making of 'Safe Trip Home' (CD enhancement)

* i posted this as my pick of the week on 11.04, apparently i had the release date incorrect.

New Music/CD Releases - November 18, 2008
Belle And Sebastian - The BBC Sessions
Beyonce Knowles - I Am... Sasha Fierce
Black Keys – Live (DVD)
Blake Shelton - Startin' Fires
Bring Me the Horizon - Suicide Season
David Cook - David Cook
Dead Can Dance – Catalog Reissues
Dido – Safe Trip Home
Femi Kuti – Day By Day
Foo Fighters – Live At Wembly (DVD)
Il Divo – the Promise
Lee Brice - Picture of Me
Mudvayne – The New Game
Nickelback - Dark Horse
Ricardo Arjona - Quinto Piso
Shontelle - Shontelligence
Wu-Tang Clan – The History Of
Zac Brown Band - The Foundation

and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood to reform Faces

well, maybe robert won't play with jimmy. but apparently ronnie and rod have kissed and made up. they were an amazing band back in their day but, i'm not getting my hopes to high about this reunion. ronnie can still rock it, but rod...well he sucks and has for a long, long time. and those recent attempts at being a torch singer were beyond forgiveness. hell, i woulda bought regis's album over rod's.

Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood to reform Faces
Band members announce they are hitting the studio soon
Nov 12, 2008

The Faces are set to reunite for rehearsals with a view to a full reformation.

Frontman Rod Stewart told Raysgigs.com that all the original members aside from late bassist Ronnie Lane, who died in 1997, were set to reconvene on Monday (November 17) to run through their old hits.

The singer, who spoke at the Claridges Bar 10th Anniversary Party said the band, which includes current Rolling Stones' guitarist Ronnie Wood, will use Stewart's touring bassist to fill in for Lane.

The Faces split up in 1975 after Wood began playing with The Rolling Stones.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Faces Gearing Up For Reunion?
November 12, 2008
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Could the Faces be rising again after a 30-plus year split?

According to RayGigs.com, original members Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones, along with Stewart touring bassist replacing the late Ronnie Laine, will have a rehearsal next Monday (Nov. 17) "just to check if they can remember the songs."

If the musicians are pleased with the results, the Faces may return to live duty next year, although a source in the Stewart camp tells Billboard, "nothing is definitive yet."

There have been a handful of near-Faces reunions since the band split in 1975, including at a 1986 Stewart concert at London's Wembley Stadium. The surviving members have performed together in various incomplete incarnations in recent years, including Wood and McLagan with Stewart at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in 2004.

"It'd be great to put the band together for charity [or] a one-off event," Stewart told Billboard in 2006. "Ronnie is always up for it. So's Ian and Kenney. We'd just need to find ourselves a bass player."

New Music/CD Releases - November 11, 2008

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Mudcrutch Live! (EP)
1. The Wrong Thing To Do
2. Bootleg Flyer
3. High School Confidential
4. Crystal River

New Music/CD Releases - November 11, 2008
Barbara Cook - Rainbow Round My Shoulder
David Archuleta - David Archuleta
Butch Walker – Sycamore Meadows
The Bronx – The Bronx III
Deborah Cox - The Promise
Enya - And Winter Came...
Flaming Lips – Xmas on Mars (DVD)
Il Divo - The Promise
Kevin Costner & Modern West - Untold Truths
Live – Live (CD/DVD)
Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch Extended Play Live EP
New Order – Collectors Edition (2 CDs)
Patti LuPone - Patti Lupone at Les Mouches
The Postmarks – By The Numbers
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
Seal - Soul
The Smiths – The Very Best of
T PAIN - Thr33 Ringz
Taylor Swift - Fearless
Tracy Chapman - Our Bright Future
Ween – Cat’s Cradle (1992)


and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.





click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

Ben Sollee - "A Few Honest Words" (Obama Remix)

ben sollee has uploaded a great remix of his "a few honest words" (from the excellent album "learning to bend." the song effectively turns a song originally of protest into a song of celebration. give it a listen @ ben sollee - myspace

check out more about ben and his music his website: bensollee.com

ben is currently on tour with kim taylor

Nov 6 2008 8:00P - The 5 Spot Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 7 2008 8:00P - Nighlight Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Nov 8 2008 8:00P - Iota Washington, Washington DC
Nov 11 2008 8:00P - The Bell House Brooklyn, New York
Nov 12 2008 8:00P - Mercury Lounge New York, New York
Nov 13 2008 8:00P - Great Scott Boston, Massachusetts
Nov 14 2008 8:00P - World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 15 2008 8:00P - Club Café Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nov 17 2008 8:00P - Schuba’s Chicago, Illinois
Nov 18 2008 8:00P - 400 Club Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov 21 2008 8:00P - The Helm Gallery Tacoma, Washington
Nov 22 2008 8:00P - Balcony Bar At The Hawthorne Theatre Portland, Oregon
Nov 24 2008 8:00P - Cafe Du Nord San Francisco, California
Nov 25 2008 8:00P - Hotel Cafe Los Angeles, California
Dec 11 2008 9:00P - The Dame Lexington, Kentucky

"HOPE OVER FEAR" 11.04.2008

to celebrate a wonderful and inspiring day in the history of our country, the election of barack obama as the president of the united states, i have decided to skip a music related post and post the text from "president-elect, barack obama's" (man, that felt good to write) acceptance speech last night instead.



Barack Obama - Grant Park, Chicago - 11.04.2008

OBAMA: Hello, Chicago.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.

Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton ... and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years ... the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady ... Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia ... I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us ...to the new White House.
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe ... the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod ... who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics ... you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy ... who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!

OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.


Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes we can.

AUDIENCE: Yes we can.

OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Tuesday, November 4th

please... take the time, whatever is required and VOTE!



it seems that every four years, the election is billed as "the most important election of our lifetime," this one actually may be. don't take it lightly. GO VOTE!

Over The Rhine Turns Twenty + New Video For "Desperate For Love"

*clicking on the picture above will take you to OtR's online ticket page, in many cases ordering directly from them will save you the TicketBastard (tm) fees.

Over The Rhine Turns Twenty
Saturday, Oct 25, 2008 6:11AM
If fans bump into husband and wife Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler shopping for china, its not to mark their wedding anniversary.

The pair is actually preparing to celebrate their twentieth year together as Over The Rhine.

The duo will mark the occasion with a five part tour, the first leg of which kicks off November 7 at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., and will hit Athens, Ga.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Madison, Wis.

The second run of shows covers the West Coast, launching with a pair of shows November 29-30 at The Triple Door in Seattle and moving on to Portland, Ore., Klamath Falls, Ore.; San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Part three of the anniversary trek will see Over The Rhine playing shows in Louisville, KY. on December 11 and Chicago on December 12.

The journey will culminate with a trio of shows in Cincinnati. A December 19 show at the Taft Theatre will cover music from the band's first decade, with a December 20 show at the same venue featuring tunes from the second.

Finally, Bergquist and Detweiler will throw an afternoon soiree at the city's St. Elizabeth's Cathedral December 21, featuring wine, festive food, conversation and a special acoustic performance.

And how does the couple feel about two decades as Over The Rhine? A little overwhelmed.

"Almost 20 years, it's just sort of hard to take in," Detweiler said on the band's web site. "There are days when we feel utterly blessed and charmed."

"That this labor of love could continue for 20 years, that our audiences still continue to grow, that this music continues to get spread around by people who are often in the process of becoming life-long friends - it all smacks of the miraculous."

and
over the rhine has completed a very cool animated video for "desperate for love" from their lastest studio release, "the trumpet child." click on the link below and give it a peek.

Happy Halloween from Bruce Springsteen: "A Night With The Jersey Devil" (Video & Free mp3 download)

click here to see the video.

Free Download: "A Night With The Jersey Devil"

New Music/CD Releases - November 4, 2008

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Safe Trip Home
Disc: 1
1. don't believe in love
2. quiet times
3. never want to say it's love
4. grafton street
5. it comes and it goes
6. look no further
7. us 2 little gods
8. the day before the day
9. let's do the things we normally do
10. burnin love
See all 11 tracks on this disc

(Available w/Deluxe Edition) Disc: 2
1. for one day (bonus track)
2. summer (bonus track)
3. northern skies (rollo mix) (bonus track)
4. Making of 'Safe Trip Home' (CD enhancement)

New Music/CD Releases - November 4, 2008
AC/DC - Black Ice
Andrea Bocelli - Incanto
Boys Like Girls - Live (DVD)
Brad Paisley – Play
Cafe Tacuba – Sino
Coralie Clement - Toystore
Dido - Safe Trip Home
Fall Out Boy - Folie à Deux
George Lynch - Let the Truth Be Known
Harry Connick, Jr. - What A Night! A Christmas Album
Honey Honey - First Rodeo
Jeff Dunham - Don't Come Home for Christmas
Led Zeppelin - 12 Mini LP Replica CD Boxed Set
Little Joy – Little Joy
Mavis Staples – Live
Micah Stampley – Ransomed
Q tip – Renaissance
Randy Owen - One on One
Royce Da 5'9 - The Album
Sarah Brightman - A Winter Symphony
Shiny Toy Guns - Season of Poison
The Skeletons - Money
Tenacious D - Master Works (2 DVD)
We Insist! - Oh! Things Are So Corruptible


and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a listing of stores

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - "Live on Letterman" (10.29)

fix it


cobwebs

David Byrne's Tour Diary: Louisville, KY 10.20.2008

apparently david and band spent the day wandering around louisville and my neighborhood (or very close too it anyway), his tour diary offers a pretty cool look into his visit to town.

10.20.2008: Louisville

We’re staying at 21c, a combo museum and hotel here in downtown Louisville. The ground and lower floors are given over to curated shows of contemporary art, much of it from the collection of the owner, Steve Wilson and his wife.

I was given Wilson’s contact by Stefan Sagmeister, who designed the package for the various physical manifestations of my current album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, as well as many of my past CDs. My palatial room (for which I was generously comped) features a whole wall of photos of Thai Ladyboys (sex changes), a series of photos of a woman undressing in front of a variety of men, and a muscular Chinese man in his underpants holding up the top of the picture frame. I guess some of these pieces were deemed not quite appropriate for the lobby.


(That’s not Kurt, by the way)

Well, I wasn’t going to make much use of this luxurious apartment all by myself, so I invited all the band and crew to stop by for mint juleps after they had their dinners. Jenni volunteered Steven to bartend, and with the huge patio there was plenty of room for all of us plus local musician/actor Will Oldham and some of his pals. It’s not really his kind of scene, I imagine, this hotel, but it was nice to meet.


During the day a few of us biked to the massive Cave Hill cemetery, which is so big it has a lake with a fountain, ducks and swans. Colonel Sanders is buried there, but we missed his gravesite. We moved on, through a neighborhood of large houses, to nearby Cherokee Park, “built” by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park and quite a few other urban parks, and we stopped for some homemade applesauce at a picnic table.


Apparently, Elizabeth found happiness at our picnic table.


Others biked in the opposite direction and came across blocks of burnt out buildings.

Led Zeppelin to tour with Robert Plant replacement

while led zeppelin was never one of my favorites back in the day, i did always respect what they did, even though it wasn't my "thing" at the time. there is no doubt that few ever played pure rock and roll better, these boys could rock with the best ever to play the game.

i can't imagine anything anything billed as "led zeppelin" without both plant and page involved. maybe the boys just got jealous of robert's tecent success with allison krauss.

from NME:
Led Zeppelin to tour with Robert Plant replacement
Oct 28, 2008

Led Zeppelin will tour with a replacement for founding singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones has confirmed.

Earlier this month it was reported that the rock legends were rehearsing with singer Myles Kennedy after Plant refused to consider touring with the band.

Jones has now told BBC Radio Devon that the band are trying out "a couple" of alternative singers for a proposed tour.

"We want to do it," he explained. "It's sounding great and we want to get on and get out there."

The bassist added that he and his bandmates were not after a Plant soundalike.

"It's got to be right," Jones said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be on board."

There has been speculation about the possibility of a full Led Zeppelin tour since they played a reunion show on December 10 last year at the London O2 Arena.

Robert Plant ruled himself out of a tour by releasing a statement last month saying he would not be part of any such plans.
------
and from rolling stone:
Led Zeppelin To Tour, Record Without Plant?
October 28, 2008

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
The non-singing members of Led Zeppelin apparently aren't waiting around for Robert Plant to sign off on a reunion tour and/or album. In an interview with BBC Radio, bassist John Paul Jones said he and guitarist Jimmy Page and drummer Jason Bonham "are trying out a couple of singers."

"We want to do it," he said. "It's sounding great and we want to get on and get out there." But he cautioned Plant sound-a-likes were not the goal, and that "it's got to be right. There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band."

With Plant, Zeppelin reunited for a well-received one-off concert last December in London. But Plant, who has been touring with Alison Krauss for most of 2008, recently said he has no plans to work with the band again.

In recent months, Page, Jones and Bonham have logged rehearsal time together in the hopes Plant would agree to tour. Rumors have also circulated that Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy is in the running to step in for Plant.

On Nov. 4, Rhino will release a 10-disc boxed set featuring Led Zeppelin's nine studio albums plus the rarities album "Coda" in mini-LP replica sleeves with artwork from the original U.K. vinyl releases.

New Music/CD Releases - October 28, 2008

BILL'S PICK OF THE WEEK

1 Born Into A Light
2 Cobwebs
3 Crossed Out Name
4 Evergreen
5 Fix It
6 Go Easy
7 Let Us Down Easy
8 Like Yesterday
9 Magick
10 Natural Ghost
11 Sink Ships
12 Stop

a new release from ryan adams, one of my favorites, is always something i look forward to, and this is no exception. i'll be in ear x-tacy on tuesday...

Bloc Party - Intimacy
Boz Scaggs - Speak Low
Brian McKnight - I'll Be Home for Christmas
Celtic Woman - The Greatest Journey: Essential Collection
The Cure - 4:13 Dream
Hank Williams - Unreleased Recordings
Hunter S. Thompson - The Gonzo Tapes
John Legend - Evolver
Jesse Malin - On Your Sleeve
Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads
Lady Gaga - The Fame
Lordi - Deadache
M83 - Digital Shades
Marillion - Vol. 1 Happiness Is the Road: Essence
Marillion - Vol. 2 Happiness Is the Road: the Hard Shoulder
Pink - Funhouse
Queen - The Cosmos Rocks
Rodrigo y Gabriala - Live In Japan
Ryan Adams - Cardinology
Sara Bareielles - Live (DVD)
Shawn Mullins - Live at the Variety
Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
Susan Tedeschi - Back to the River
Toby Keith - That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy (personal commentary - UGH!)
Tom Petty - DVD (2 Disc)
Twilight – Soundtrack

and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.




click here for a list of exclusives available @ indie stores and for a list of stores

"heaven...heaven is a place...where david byrne plays for 2+ hours" or, david byrne @ the palace theatre/louisville, ky (10.21.2008)

oh. my. lord.

i had predicted earlier that hands down, tom waits @ the fox would be, with out a doubt, the best show i saw this year. i now retract that.

i just saw david byrne turn in a two + hour abso-fucking-lutely amazing show of both musical and visual beauty. honestly, immediately afterwards, i didn't have words to describe it, it was still soaking into my mind, my body and my soul. i wouldn't say it was "better" than tom, but it was every damn bit as good...and that's saying a lot.

wow!

what a truly amazing incredible night of music. i have been a long time talking heads fan and love david byrne's solo work, this was my first time seeing him live, i can only hope it is not the last.

below is a review from the louisville courier-journal...

Byrne burns down the Palace
Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier-Journal (Louisville KY), 21 October 2008 [Link]

To look at him, you would never think that David Byrne is a stone-cold rhythm machine, what with his gray hair and eccentric, professorial demeanor. When he took the stage last night at the Louisville Palace, dressed entirely in white and giving a halting thesis about the show we were about to see, Byrne seemed almost timid.

That changed with the first downstroke of “Strange Overtones” and rarely faltered through the raging conclusion of “Burning Down the House.” Byrne was a James Brown carved out of ivory and animated by nervous tics, leading a relentless band through a series of relentless songs, and he earned a sustained, almost ecstatic ovation.

The show was all about motion, in the music and on the stage.

Most songs were built on the polyrhythms of Afropop, expanding the sound Byrne created with Talking Heads and creating huge grooves that seemed effortless, almost weightless. Three dancers played a major role, another common aspect of live African music, and were occasionally joined by Byrne and three back-up singers.

It was almost an interactive live art installation as the dancers roamed the stage with choreography that carefully mimicked chaos, crossing in front of Byrne, catching him in a trust fall and once breaking the fourth wall to teach the singers how to dance.

Byrne’s dancing was completely charming; he sometimes looked as if he were being controlled by a puppeteer with palsy, but would suddenly bust a supremely graceful move.

The show was based on past and present collaborations between Byrne and musician/producer Brian Eno, with several songs from the new album, “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.” They were hit and miss, ranging from the very strong (“One Fine Day,” “Strange Overtones”) to the mediocre (“Life is Long,” “The River”).

Not surprisingly, it was the Talking Heads songs that went over best, and with good reason. “Houses In Motion,” “Life During Wartime,” “Once In A Lifetime” and “Burning Down the House” were all less sterile than the original versions, with an aggressive, even ferocious, edge. “Burning Down the House” was particularly thrilling and had the crowd wired.

“Consider it burnt,” a friend said, which is as accurate and succint a review as you’ll find.

Strange Overtones
I Zimbra
One Fine Day
Help Me Somebody
Houses in Motion
My Big Nurse
My Big Hands
Heaven
Never Thought
The River
Crosseyed & Painless
Life is Long
Once in Lifetime
Life During Wartime
I Feel My Stuff
Encore 1:
Take Me to the River
The Great Curve
Air
Encore 2:
Burning Down the House
Encore 3:
Everything that Happens
Home

mieka pauley - "run" live @ the pleasant perk (cincinnati)

boston based singer/songwriter, mieka pauley recently performed a great set at "perkfection," a local coffee house in jeffersonville. this video was shot the night before at "the pleasant perk" (a coffee shop owned by singer/songwriter kim taylor) in cincinnati. enjoy.


Mieka Pauley - Run from Cincy Steve on Vimeo.
Mieka Pauley performs "Run" at Pleasant Perk in Cincinnati, OH. The song Run is on Mieka's current release titled Elijah Drop Your Gun.