I just saw Shine A Light, the Rolling Stones documentary by Martin Scorsese at the Bullock State History Museum. The concert was shot with IMAX cameras last year in New York City. If you have never seen the Stones, this might be the next best thing to being there live. You still get all the energy and great sound with some fabulous camera shots. Mixed in-between some of the songs are interviews from the 60’s to present day. These sound bites are quite funny. During the concert there are 3 special guests who come on to sing with the band: Jack White, Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera. They all did an amazing job. One of the only problems is the camera gets too close several times to Mick and Kieth’s face. I really like the Stones but I don’t want to see a 4 story shot of these guys faces. Scorsese kept a great pace to the film and poked fun at himself in the beginning of the film. He was trying to plan where the cameras are going to be and all the logistics of capturing their show. All he wants is a set list from Mick. I won’t give away the punchline but it made me laugh. These 60 year old legends know how to entertain an audience live or on film and I think you’ll agree.
Here are the movies opening this weekend:
Run, Fat Boy, Run- Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria set in London. Guy loses girl because of stupidity, guy spends movie trying to get girl back by becoming fit and running a marathon. David Schwimer makes his feature film directorial debut. He did do some TV direction of Friends and the Joey spin off so he’s not a total newbie. I have heard this isn’t great. Mostly in the 2 to 2.5 stars or C+ range.
Stop-Loss- Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant and other youngish actors. With his enlistment up Brandon King (Phillippe) gets home from the Iraq war but receives orders that they want him to return. This measure, where the Army indefinitely extends enlistment, is called Stop-Loss and has affected 80,000 soldiers. King goes AWOL across the country as a result of the order. The movies about the current war have tanked at the box office. I have feeling this one might too. We shall see.
The best reviewed movie of the weekend is 21. Based on the true story of Ivy league students who are trained as card counters to take Las Vegas for as much as they can in the game of black jack. Virtual unknown actors as the students with Kevin Spacey as the professor and Lawrence Fishburne as the Vegas heavy.
Superhero Movie - From the idiots who brought you Scary movie and other spoofs. Please don’t encourage the producers to make more of these type of movies by going to see this unfunny stuff.
- Check out the 20 To Watch: New Art In Austin at the Austin Museum of Art http://amoa.org
- Funny man, Eddie Gosiling is at the Cap City Comedy Club all weekend. http://www.capcitycomedy.com
- The country music of Split Lip Rayfield is on for two nights at The Continental Club. http://www.continentalclub.com/Austin.html
- Popular local alt-rockers Voxtrot at Emo’s. Yellow Fever and Ringo Deathstarr open. http://www.emosaustin.com
- Saturday, 8:30 am is the 14th annual Rosedale Ride benefiting the Rosedale school for disabled children. Get there at 7 am if you are riding. If you haven’t registered or want to http://rosedaleride.org
- DJ Mel is doing his 80’s party, “Rock The Casbah” at The Parish on Saturday night always a good time. http://www.theparishroom.com
- At Antone’s dance out to some funky grooves at Bassnecter with DJ Manny and DJ Big Face. Tiger Liu is master of ceremonies. If you haven’t been to a show with these 3 you should. There might be people in costumes, crazy videos or who knows what they have planned for this show. http://www.antones.net
Have a great weekend everyone!
Consolers of the Lonely, is the 2nd offering from The Raconteurs. It is decent album. Definitely not as a good as their first release Broken Boy Soldiers. Brenden and Jack produced/arranged the music which might be the problem. Sometimes the outside influence a producer helps to focus a group. It sounds a little boring in some spots. Consolers is growing on me with each listen.
Gnarls Barkley also give us their 2nd release, The Odd Couple. There a couple fun highlights such as, Going On and A Little Better. The whole album feels like an old school R & B album. This one doesn’t feel as fun as their first, St. Elsewhere.
UnderwhelmednATX
Some BIG names in the list of new releases this week. Enjoy.
- The B-52s - Funplex - The fun/pop/weird foursome is back. Their last album was released 16 years ago. The songs on this one are apparently inspired by Fellini movies. Tin roof……….rusted.
- Lindsey Buckingham - Live at the Bass Performance Hall - Longtime guitarist and singer for Fleetwood Mac releases a concert from 07 in Fort Worth. This is a CD+DVD of solo and FM hits.
- Counting Crowes - Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings - First studio release in 5 years. This is adult alternative rock is about, “flood of sin and liquor and dissolution and insanity and it’s about trying to rebuild the life you wrecked in the wake of that flood.”
- De Novo Dahl - Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound - Nashville 5 piece isn’t in the country genre, more like eclectic rock with musical influences from Mercury Rev, Air and Jeff Tweedy to the Beach Boys, the Supremes and Stevie Wonder.
- Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple - Electronic Hip-Hop Soul on 13 tracks of new material from Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green. Run is the first single.
- Guilty Simpson - Ode to the Ghetto - Debut album from Detroit rapper. The late/great J Dilla produced some cuts as well as Madlib and others.
- Morrissey - Greatest Hits - 19 tracks on 2 Discs with a US Exclusive and one new song.
- Tim O’Brian - Chameleon - Traditional folk artist who plays multiple instruments.
- Morgan Page - Elevate - Electro beats with guest artists singing: Lissie, Camila Grey, Tyler James, etc.
- Panic At The Disco - Pretty. Odd. - 60’s Pop inspired for their second album in which they ditched the pro-tools and went with actual instruments.
- Pennywise - Reason To Believe - California Punk/Rockers are back with (some say) their best album.
- Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely - This follow up to Broken Boy Soldiers was recorded before the White Stripes began the tour for their latest release. Jack White, Brenden Benson and the rest of the band kept this one on the down low with not much promotion.
- Tony Trischka - Territory - A true banjo master releases another album with 62 minutes, 21 tracks, 32-page booklet, extensive notes, photos.
If it’s the fast pace guitars and old-time rhythms you’re looking for you’ve found it!
In April of 2007, The Jeremy Steding Band formed as an idea between Born-Again Texan, Jeremy Steding (vocalist, songwriter) and native Texan Steve Stafford (lead guitar). Tired of over-analyzed monotony, the two vowed to perform country music the way that it originated – raw and real. Steding and Stafford share a common love for Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Shiner Bock Beer and a belief that the band should have the most fun of anyone in the building. Now they are joined by Venny Portalatin on drums and Travis Sutherland on bass to complete the rhythm section. The Jeremy Steding Band releases their debut album Whiskey Songs and Prison Songs April 26th. Catch them live right here in Austin!
Check them out at www.myspace.com/jeremysteding
And download their MP3s here:
Auburn
Jack Daniels
I’ve got a few recommendations for the weekend. Movies: Let me say this is a bad time of year for movies. Oscars are over and out of the theaters (for the most part). Then the studios are waiting until the next big holiday to release the next big blockbuster. Anyway I’m abstaining against recommending movies this week. Music: Blues and rock n’ roll by Black Joe Lewis and Gary Clark Jr. are at the Continental Club on Friday. BJL starts at 10ish. Blaze plays amazing jazz music and you should see them at Lambert’s on Friday night. Saturday at Mohawk is a CD release party for alterna-rockers Experimental Aircraft. This Will Destroy You opens things. Should be a good show.
Sorry, pulsenation I have been a little busy but here is the releases for the week.
- Sara Bereilles Little Voice Deluxe Edition - Female pop album with the hit Love Song gets the Deluxe treatment
- Be Your Own Pet Get Awkward - Pop/Rock/Punk - It’s a wild party with female vox & jangly guitars
- Bodeans - Still - Rock/Pop/Americana - Been around since the 80’s with their roots rock and harmonies. Played with U2 and many others.
- Sera Cahoone - Only As the Day is Long - Acoustic/Country/indie - From Seattle and on Sub Pop Records.
- Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles - Named after She-Ra’s home, 1 boy & 1 girl making smart electro tunes.
- Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams - Lyrical - Daniel Bejar from the New Pornographers on a side project
- Devotchka - A Mad and Faithful Telling - Indie Rock/Polka - Played ACL07 & SXSW08. Utilize the tuba, violin, acordian, drums, guitar and vocals. From Denver CO eventhough they sound as if they are from eastern Europe.
- Adam Green - Sixes & Sevens - Folk/Alternative
- Groove Armada - Soundboy Rock - Electronica.
- The Hush Sound - Goodbye Blues - Indie/Rock/Pop - Piano light rock with female vocals
- Jucifer - L’autrichienne - Metal/Punk/Grindcore - Male drummer female guitar and vocals
- The Kills - Midnight Boom - Rock/Electronic/Indie - Just played several places for SXSW08 Coming back to Austin on May 24 to the Parish. Their sound is Pixies-esque.
- Mindless Self Indulgence - Never Wanted to Dance - Punk/Electronica/Metal/Rap
- Yael Naim - Yael Naim - Folk/Pop/Acoustic - Female from Paris
- Neon Neon - Stainless Style - Electro/Pop/Crunk - with some 80’s thrown in
- Witch - Paralyzed - Psychedelic/Rock/Crunk - Recently played several SXSW shows
Sorry for the late post but I took the day off on Monday. Saturday my friend and I RSVP the Scion show at Stubb’s. This was all electronica/Dj with exception of the first band.
Black Moth Super Rainbow (great name BTW) kicked the day and they were great. This 5 piece used traditional instuments drums, bass, 2 people playing keys/moog/efx and a singer who sat on the side of the stage with a mic plugged into guitar effect peddles which he manipulated. Think of some of Led Zepplin’s more trippy songs as a comparison. BMSR was really good and I will be checking their music out soon. http://www.blackmothsuperrainbow.com/
Next, was Mixhell from Brazil. Dj tandem of Iggor Cavalera (Sepultura´s ex-drummer) and wife/producer Laima Leyton. They describe their rowdy heavy beats as Ghettotech/Grindcore. Occasionally, Iggor would jump on his drum set and play with the mix. He threw a plastic cup of wine splashing onto the Stubb’s overhang and at another point he kicked over part of his drum set when some technical difficulties happened but kept playing on the high hat and snare. Total rock n’ roll. The crowd was dancing, and Mixhell was having a good time drinking red wine & red bull while spinning big beats. http://www.myspace.com/mixhell
Direct from Germany Jence & Isi who make up Digitalism were the third act of this showcase. No turntables for these guys just elaborate noise makers. These are two opposite looking nerdy dudes one bigger with dark hair, the other smaller with blond hair. They added some vocals on a few songs and kept the crowd moving with the dance beats. You can check them out at http://www.myspace.com/digitalism
The last act of the show was Chromeo. Dave 1 (Canadian) and P-Thugg (NY) duo debuted at SXSW 07 and made a big impression. They play pop/electronica mixed in with some 80’s. Dave 1 sings most of the songs, plays guitar or bass. P-Thugg plays the keys and various sound effects. On most of the songs he used a voice tube that works through his keyboard to create the 70’s/80’s sound like Zapp (you might know him from California Dreamin by Tupac). Chromeo’s Tenderoni was a crowd pleaser. They had everyone movin to their beats for the entire hour they performed. http://www.myspace.com/chromeo
After this we went and got something to eat across the street at Jamie’s Spanish Village. Tex-Mex yummm.
We took the two legged express down to Waterloo Park to The Mess With Texas 2 free concert with 3 different stages which featured NOFX, The Breeders and Simian Mobile Disco headlining. We saw Yeasayer (ecclictic dual vocal goodness), Black Mountain (70’s rock) and then cruised. The dance party earlier in the afternoon took the energy out of me. Good fun all the way around.
I finally made it out to hear some bands on Friday night. A friend of mine and I intially decided to go to hear some DJ/electronica but we changed our minds due to Saturday’s tentative plan of going to hear similar music. Again no wrist band for me so I was looking at free shows. We hooked up with some other friends who were going to club Orchid on 7th. Which isn’t called Orchid anymore. The signage said Black and Tan, we assumed named after the drink (stout and pale beer in the same glass). But the bar didn’t have the ingredients to make the drink their bar is named after. That’s just wrong. They compensated with a drink that was almost the same but come on, that’s a no brainer. The Viper Room bought it out for the week of SXSW I’m guessing because there was signage in many places. Here are the bands we heard…
- We Barbarians. This trio was really good. They played drums (BTW this guy was a heavy hitter), bass and guitar with a few keyboard hits thrown in on some songs. The lead guitarist also sang full of emotion. I recommend checking them out http://www.myspace.com/webarbarians
- The Morning Benders. IndieRock/Lofi foursome of youngsters. Quality band. They are playing Homeslice Pizza at 2pm on Saturday. http://www.myspace.com/themorningbenders
- Nico Vega. Indie Rock Trio consisting of drums, guitar and female on lead vocals. Aggressive band who the crowd loved. http://www.myspace.com/nicovega
- Helmet. Metal since early 90’s. I used to have several of their cassettes or CDs. The support members have changed but the heavy guitar grooves they are known for haven’t changed at all. The packed crowd had their faces melted off and if their ears were still connected to their heads, they are still ringing. http://www.myspace.com/helmetrocks
Saturday has the potential of being a long one so I’m going to get some sleep.
