Category: rock gods

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rock gods

Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Butch Vig & Jon Stewart – Two hours of Nevermind reminiscing.

With Nevermind celebrating its 20th anniversary this month (side note: how old are we all now?!), there’s been a ton of great material floating around the blogosphere lately. But I think this might just be my favourite.

The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart hosts a SiriusXM chat between Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic with Nevermind producer Butch Vig. Not only do the live audience members ask some really great questions of the trio, but there are some really touching moments… and some anecdotes that I don’t think I’d even heard before.

It’s around 2 hours, so set aside some time before you dive into it… but if you have even a modicum of interest in Nirvana, you’ll be glad you listened to this. If you’re a fan… well, you’ll be in heaven.

Listen below.


Download Nevermind Retrospective

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artists music music videos rock gods

Easily the coolest thing I’ve seen today: Rivers Cuomo, “Can’t Stop Partying”

In fact, I’m calling it quite possibly the coolest thing I’ve seen all month. Rivers Cuomo stopped by Stereogum late last year to appear on their “Decomposed Acoustic” sessions… and man, is it awesome.
Never one to do things by the book, Rivers brought along some guests. As Stereogum says:

A few weeks ago he put out a call for a pianist and an a cappella group to help decompose some tunes for us. Along with those folks, he brought a pretty enthusiastic up-and-comer named Jermaine Dupri (!). Throw in a cowboy flutist and three tunes from Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo (including a Beach Boys cover) and you have a Rivers-sized holiday spectacle.

The session unfolds in three parts: first there’s “I Was Scared,” on which Cuomo’s joined by his hand-selected pianist Sonya Lee and five members of the Dartmouth Aires, an a cappella group from Dartmouth College. For the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby,” Rivers goes sans piano and full-on a cappella with the Dartmouth quintet on backing harmonies. And then there’s the grand jam of “Can’t Stop Partying,” which features five acoustic guitarists and three percussionists (from bands Crash Kings, Alkaline Trio, Yellowcard, Melee, Reeve Oliver and Ozma), big-hatted flutist Greg Vail, and Mr. Dupri. Fresh for ’08.

And here it is… the coolest thing you’ll see all day, Rivers Cuomo and Co. singing “Can’t Stop Partying”.

Head here to watch the rest of the sessions.

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artists concerts guitar live songs music music videos rock gods

Neil Young & My Morning Jacket, live at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre

So, last night, I saw titans perform at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Not only did I see My Morning Jacket perform as the opening act, but then Neil Young came on and absolutely tore the stage apart.

There won’t be a normal review post here today, because, frankly, I decided that I needed to go to a show without the concern of posting about it the next day for a change. Hey, even music bloggers need to sit back, once in a while. I will tell you this, however:

1. My Morning Jacket playing “I’m Amazed”, “Gideon” (and geez, does Jim James have a set of lungs or what?) and “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt II”… simply epic.

2. Seeing Neil Young perform “Hey Hey, My My”, “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”, “Cortez The Killer” (with its trademark killer guitar lines), “Needle and the Damage Done”, and freaking “Old Man”?? Absolutely. Insane. Point blank.
Actually, “Old Man” was touch and go there, for a while. Neil had some static issues with his guitar lead and had to stop the song… and he nearly didn’t come back to it. I would have been heartbroken.

3. Neil coming back for the encore with “A Day In The Life” cover. Absolutely mashing his guitar, he managed to break all his strings, and then literally starting pulling his guitar to pieces. I, and I think the rest of the crowd, felt that he was a heartbeat away from smashing his guitar. He didn’t, in the end, but trust me when I say the fire still burns fiercely in Neil’s belly.

All in all… Neil woke me up again. As he sang last night, “Just singing a song Won’t Change The World”. Maybe. But it sure as hell changed us, last night. And change enough people, and you change the world.

And so, with that short recap, I leave you with this…

Neil Young. A god of rock.

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music rock gods sad news

Ryan Adams calling it quits?

Well, now I’m really glad that I made the decision to get tickets to go see Ryan Adams & The Cardinals later this month. Ryan Adams yesterday posted on his blog that:

me- 34-a non smoker and happy, for the first time in my life.. i am excited to finish this wonderful time i have had with the cardinals and whatever new adventures may come after march. atlanta will be my last venture with the band and i am grateful for the time we have had and maybe someday we will have more stories to tell together[…]

well, i will walk away now and it will not matter what anyone say’s. there are other things i can do in this life, other ways to be creative and to try and help others and be expressive without being demonized for attempting to gain the same things any other human being desires- love- friendship- understanding- and being able to express yourself without constant fear of being mistreated for speaking up[…]

and you know, whatever this is- it’s not my dream. and it is a punishing thing to endure when you are getting worse and worse- it’s not my dream, my dream was to try and tap into that energy i saw watching Minutemen vcr tapes when i was just a little shit in NC of mike watt’s crazy shaking leg and his electric fingers- or how sonic youth droned into beautiful clouds those guitars shaking, kim and steve rattling the pulsing lines into feverish thudding imaginary subway cars racing through my heart- and how it felt to just let go and static up a riff and find the sweet spot- but getting yelled at for just being a songwriter- to be called so many horrid things because i chose to love music so much, and also to look for peace and balance in my life- that is not kindness and just not my thing. at least not now.

Click through to read the whole thing; although, if you’re a Ryan Adams fan, it might be a slightly depressing read (although I’m sure most of us saw this coming… eventually).

I’m seeing them perform at The Tivoli at the end of Jan. Lord knows it’s going to be bittersweet this time.

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artists guitar music music videos rock gods

The Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 Trailer

Yes… Archives Vol.1 finally seems tangible. If it’s at all possible, I’m now even more excited for the Neil Young gig I’m going to next month. Enjoy.


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2008 releases artists digital downloads guitar live songs music rock gods

New Ryan Adams tunes… Sinking Ships, The Colour of Pain, Cobwebs & Fix It.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals on tour… standing on the shoulders of giants.

You know, by all accounts, it’s been a different Ryan Adams that has posted on Foggy lately. Having been on tour with Oasis for the last while, it seems like Ryan’s… well… maturing. And healthier than he’s been in a while.
And I don’t mean that at all in a condescending way; I mean it in the most awe-inspiring, respectful way. But it’s true… and from the tunes I’ve been hearing, this time with Oasis has only done good for Ryan and the Cards; in all honesty, some of the recordings I’ve heard of this tour are some of the best stuff I’ve heard from the Cardinals in ages.

Which brings me to the main point of this post… I’ve been scanning archive.org regularly for new material that’s been posted from the show, and I came across this set from only three days ago, when Ryan Adams and the Cardinals performed at the Bank of America Pavilion. And man, some of the new songs you hear there are, quite simply, awesome, and bode well for the Cardinal’s next release. Here’s a sample of those new tunes… the outstanding “Cobwebs” (which most of us would have already been exposed to by a post on Foggy), “Fix It” (god, how about that refrain?), and then the brand-new (to me, at least), tunes of “Sinking Ship” and “The Colour of Pain“.
All in all, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals are still titans, ladies and gentlemen. An island, a solid place to stand, in a swirling mass of uncertainty. And here’s some evidence of why they remain my favourite band. Here’s to more of this boys.

Listen. Love. Support.

Listen: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cobwebs
Listen: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Fix It
Listen: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Sinking Ship
Listen: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – The Colour of Pain

And, thanks to the always spiffy archive.org, I’m now able to embed the entire playlist on this blog, below. Listen to the whole set, and if you’d like to download the whole thing, head here.

Seriously. It’s like the first time I heard Ryan Adams all over again, and I’m loving it.

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2008 releases artists guitar music rock gods

Thank jeebus… The new album from The Verve actually sounds pretty good.

The Verve - Forth


 

You know, oftentimes when band’s reform, they simply rest on their laurels and end up reliving their glory days, touring and touring on old material.
Not The Verve though. The Verve have put themselves out there, and recently released their new album, entitled “Forth“. And damned if I’m not enjoying this one.

This, the band’s fourth album, is a return to their more psychedelic sounding tunes… with Ashcroft meandering through a swirling world of coloured clouds, and guitarist Nick McCabe laying down some serious aural layers… a wall of sounds that envelops you.
I’m going to be bluntly honest; it’s not going to appease all their fans (and particularly not the “Bittersweet Symphony” crowd), but nor is it supposed to. It’s a brave reappearance from a band that refuse to rest on nostalgia.

And it’s great.

The Verve have kindly created a widget for us music bloggers to embed, so check it out below.

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2007 Releases artists digital downloads guitar Live Music Friday live songs music rock gods

Live Music Friday – Radiohead, live at BBC Radio Theatre

Welcome back to another Live Music Friday here on Burgo’s Blog. For today’s show, I’ve decided to post one of the most requested sets from my readers: Radiohead, performing live at the BBC Radio Theatre, on April 1, 2008.

Live Music Friday - Radiohead, live at BBC Radio Theatre

Long-time readers of this blog might remember that when Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” finally arrived, I was… well, slightly ambivalent about the album. There was something there that didn’t connect with me, as in their past albums. But, despite that, I had the feeling that the album was one which would grow in time.

And, for me at least… I was right.

This set, of Radiohead performing live at the BBC Radio Theatre took place on April 1, 2008, and was largely in support of that “In Rainbows” album. That said, there’s also a smattering of songs from other albums, including “Airbag“, “The Tourist” and “Lucky” (from the album “OK Computer“), and “Everything in its right place” from “Kid A“.

It’s a great live set, and certainly one for all Radiohead fans… not only the completists. The highlight for me comes in the three songs “House of Cards”, followed by “Weird Fishes” – the two strongest songs on the “In Rainbows” album, in my opinion – followed up by a wonderful rendition of “Lucky”.
Without a doubt… Radiohead are still one of the most important bands of our time.

Listen. Love. Support.

Radiohead, live at the BBC Radio Theatre, April 1, 2008

1.) Intro
2.) Bodysnatchers
3.) All I Need
4.) Nude
5.) Airbag
6.) Reckoner
7.) The Tourist
8.) House of Cards
9.) Weird Fishes
10.) Lucky
11.) Everything In Its Right Place
12.) Outro