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

[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

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

Cat Power: New Covers EP 'Dark End Of The Street' is due out in December

Cat Power has announced that she will release an EP of cover songs this December.

'Dark End Of The Street' is due out in the US on December 9 and features Chan Marshall singing covers of songs by The Pogues, Aretha Franklin, Credence Clearwater Revivial and James Carr.

The songs were recorded during the 2008 'Jukebox' sessions.

The EP tracklisting is:
'The Auld Triangle' - The Pogues
'Dark End of the Street' - James Carr
'Who Knows Where The Time Goes' - Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention
'Fortunate Son' - Creedence Clearwater Revival
'I've Been Loving You Too Long To Stop Now' - Otis Redding
'It Ain't Fair' - Aretha Franklin

Newport Folk Festival (August 2nd & 3rd)

i was really hoping to make it up for this, my three current favorites; over the rhine, cat power and cowboy junkies are all playing the (arguably) most famed and prestigious ongoing festival in the history of music, the newport folk festival. plus sets by legends like levon helm, brian wilson* and richie havens along with sets by other greats like; gillian welch, steve earle/allison moorer, son volt, the black crowes and jakob dylan, playing where his father was booed off the stage 43 years ago for "going electric." jakob, by the way, will be playing a solo acoustic set. it should be a great weekend and with jimmy buffet "headlining" and closing it out, there would be a great opportunity to slip out early and beat the traffic.

hopefully we will be getting a full report from friend and previous contributor, keith bergendorff who will be attending the festival along with several cowboy junkies and over the rhine shows in the region.


The Newport Folk Festival is a multi-day, multi-stage music festival held at the historic Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island.

Saturday, August 2
Doors: 10:00 AM - Show: 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM

Cowboy Junkies 11:30 - 12:20
Young @ Heart Chorus 11:30 - 12:10
Sydney Wayser 11:30 - 12:00
Red Rooster 12:25 - 1:15
Jakob Dylan 12:30 - 1:20
Richie Havens 12:40 - 1:30
Jesca Hoop 1:35 - 2:15
Steve Earle & Allison Moorer 1:40 - 2:30
Trey Anastasio 2:00 - 3:00
American Babies 2:35 - 3:05
She & Him (feat. Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward) 2:50 - 3:40
Willy Mason 3:30 - 4:10
Stephen & Damian Marley 3:30 - 4:45
Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) 4:00 - 5:00
The Felice Brothers 4:35 - 5:35
The Black Crowes 5:15 - 6:45
Cat Power 5:30 - 6:30

Sunday, August 3rd
Doors: 10:00 AM - Show: 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM

Ryan Fitzsimmons 11:30 - 11:50
The Honors (OurStage Winners) 12:10 - 12:55
Brandi Carlile 12:15 - 1:00
Over The Rhine 1:15 - 2:10
Richard Julian 1:20 - 2:10
Calexico 1:20 - 2:20
Kaki King 2:30 - 3:20
Jake Shimabukuro 2:30 - 3:30
Gillian Welch 2:40 - 3:40
Son Volt 3:40 - 4:40
One Flew South 4:00 - 5:00
Levon Helm 4:10 - 5:10
The Avett Brothers 5:00 - 6:00
Jimmy Buffett 5:40 - 7:15

Schedule subject to change
* "official" postings/articles note brian wilson as a performer, i have yet to find his name/time slot on a schedule.

cat power - sessions @ aol

god, i love this woman...


don't explain


naked if i want to


new york new york


ramblin' (wo)man


silver stallion

the best of 2008 (so far),..

submitted by: bill ivester

as you've probably noticed, the year is now, incredibly, half over. so i thought i'd list some of my favorites through the first six months of 2008.

so here they are...

CD's (top ten, roughly in order*)
teddy thompson – "a piece of what you need"
cat power – "jukebox"
shelby lynne – "just a little lovin’ "
kathleen edwards – "asking for flowers"
cowboy junkies – "trinity revisited"
alejandro escovedo – "real animal"
tift merritt – "another country"
ben sollee – "learning to bend"
r.e.m. – "accelerate"
kris delmhorst – "shotgun singer"
honorable mention
steve winwood – "nine lives"

*(order subject to change depending on what i just finished listening to)

CONCERTS
02.10 - cat power @ the vic (chicago)
05.25 - over the rhine / ohio: in concert (cincinnati)
06.11 - alejandro escovedo (w/ben sollee) @ headliner’s (louisville)
04.26 - over the rhine (w/julie lee) @ canal street tavern (dayton)
04.17 - kathleen edwards @ headliner's (louisville)
03.11 - grace potter and the nocturnals @ headliner's (louisville)
*03.14 - over the rhine @ the ryman, opening for ani difranco would have to be my top concert experience and had it been a full set, would have unquestionably topped this list.

if you are unfamiliar with any of these artists, i highly recommend checking out their music and seeing them live if they are anywhere in your general area.

should you be so inclined and/or curious, there are links to their (and many other great artists) websites and/or myspace pages on the right hand side of my blog.

do yourself a favor and give them a listen.

and enjoy.