Dixie Fried

Colonel Sanders

Well on the outskirts of town, there's a little night spot
Dan dropped in about 5 o'clock
Tore off his coat, said "The night is short"
He reached in his pocket and he flashed a quart

He hollered, "Rave on children, I'm with you
Rave on, cats," he cried
"It's almost dawn, and the cops are gone
Let's all get Dixie fried!"

Carl Perkins - Dixie Fried : The Complete Sun Singles

Stateless in the States

Leeds' band Stateless dropped their self-titled album here in the States back in June and are set to release the single for Bloodstream, a track from the album, on November 6th. You can hear a live acoustic version of the song, which won't be on the single, below. The album version is as close as Stateless gets to the raise your lighter in the air, piano driven ballad. More typical of the album's sonic spectrum is This Language, which aims to overwhelm you with verdant orchestric layers of strings, piano, drums, and lyrics lingering below the instrumentation.

For those of you who missed talk about this album earlier this year, it offers up a mix of Thom Yorke's voice lifting toward the higher end of the vocal register and lingering there while offering a little more orchestrally atmospheric experience with a wider range of instruments and less reliance on electronic effects. Listen to the following tracks to see what you've been missing.


Stateless - This Language : Stateless


and an acoustic track:

Stateless - Bloodless (live acoustic) : Live at Popkomm, Germany 9-20-07 (studio version on Stateless)

(watch the video for the studio version)

Visit their website, their label K7, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill : The Eraser

Global Drum Project

Mickey Hart (formerly of The Grateful Dead) and Zakir Hussain (world renowned Indian tabla player) have teamed up again for the creation of a new album titled Global Drum Project. The pair has been collaborating off and on since the 70's with their world fusion experiment Diga Rhythm Band, and again in the 90's with their Planet Drum CD (the very first to win the first world music Grammy). For this project, they are supported by Taufiq Qureshi on percussion & vocals, Niladari Kumar on sitar, Dilshad Khan on sarangi, and the late, great Olatunji in sampled vocals from the original sessions. Also woven into the mix are the Kaluli tribespeople of Papua New Guinea's rain forest. Add all of those elements up and you get a Global Drum Project.

Their songs range from the tribal (listen to Bala below), to the more ambient trance-like psychedelia, to tracks which more clearly display Zakir Hussain's Indian influence (for example, Heartspace, the album's sixth track), and finally full circle back to the tribal with the final track I Can Tell You More. Throughout, one can sense an exploration and celebration of rhythm.



Mickey Hart and Zakir Hussain - Baba : Global Drum Project

Visit their website, their label Shout Factory, and become their friend on MySpace.

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The Grateful Dead - Casey Jones : Workingman's Dead

Zakir Hussain - Raag Mishra Mand : Raag Mishra Mand

the quiet side of Jim Ward

"After coming home from a long tour with my band, Sparta, I wanted to sit in my house and play acoustic guitar quietly. The tour had been loud and chaotic and I was simply trying to level out. I liked how things were sounding, so I began recording them in my studio. These 5 songs are the beginning of what I hope will be an on going series of recordings, hopefully adding more and more friends to the fold. "

-Jim Ward commenting on his upcoming EP Quiet

Jim Ward (former member of At the Drive-In and current member of Sparta) is set to release a five song EP titled simply Quiet via Civil Defense League on November 6th. As Jim explains above, the title of the EP suits his mood during recording and the music itself. Try the following track to get a taste of its flavor and then buy the entire EP from iTunes on November 6th.


Jim Ward - Mystery Talks : Quiet EP

Visit his label Civil Defense League and become his friend on MySpace.

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At the Drive-In - This Night Has Opened My Eyes (Smiths cover) : This Station Is Non-Operational

Sparta - Kiss the Bottle (Jawbreaker cover) : Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault: Jawbreaker Tribute

The Octopus Project

You can't take two (figurative) steps in the blog-o-sphere without stumbling over one of The Octopus Project's arms. They're quite honestly everywhere, and there's fairly good reason for that. Their latest release, Hello, Avalanche, came out a couple weeks ago and is a playful romp and an instrumental jaunt that is sure to put a smile on your face. It's easy to see that the band, in pursuit of musical excellence, doesn't take their work too seriously and isn't afraid to have a good time while at it. What can I say about them that hasn't been said? Prepare for some seemingly simple (while at the same time intricately layered), infectiously peppy tracks that all sound like they'd be perfect for various commercials and other odd spots where jingles would be appropriate. The group isn't afraid to get in you face a little either (try Ghost Moves), which you'll notice as the album progresses, before mellowing back out for the last couple track finale.


The Octopus Project - Truck : Hello, Avalanche

The Octopus Project - Ghost Moves : Hello, Avalanche

and one from their last project with Black Moth Super Rainbow:

The Octopus Project / Black Moth Super Rainbow - Elq Milq : The House of Apples & Eyeballs

Visit their website, their label Peek-A-Boo Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Tour Dates

10/29 Minneapolis, MN Entry *
10/30 Omaha, NE Waiting Room
10/31 Oklahoma City, OK Opolis
11/01 Lawrence, KS Replay lounge
11/02 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
11/03 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
11/05 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
11/06 Vancouver, BC Media Club
11/07 Portland, OR Holocene *
11/08 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
11/08 Visalia, CA Howie's
11/10 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
11/11 San Diego, CA Casbah *
11/12 Tucson, AZ Plush
11/13 Phoenix, AZ Modified
11/14 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
11/15 Lubbock, TX Jake's
11/17 Austin, TX Emo's

* = w/ Enon

I aint gonna push...

Lovers

I've been really tryin, baby
Tryin to hold back these feelings for so long
And if you feel, like I feel baby
Come on, oh come on,

Let's get it on

The most romantically sexual and sensual song. Ever.
Period.

Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On : Let's Get It On

travelling Heartworn Highways

"When HackTone's David Gorman phoned to say we were going to restore rare documentary recordings from 1975 of some of the greatest singer-songwriters of the American Southwest, I did not know what to expect. Some days later, a large box of analog tapes arrived. Loading up the first tape by Guy Clark and hitting play filled my studio with a real presence rarely heard in today's era of over-processed music. The simplicity and honesty of the performance and the bigger-than-life sound of Guy's voice and guitar were mesmerizing; likewise for all the seminal artists whose one-on-one performances the film crew captured. It was the kind of music hardly ever experienced anymore - music made by people sitting right next to you in their homes, unamplified, playing and singing."

-from the liner notes to Heartworn Highways

The term "Americana" is thrown around a lot in reference to describing different artists' musical style. Want a piece of true Americana? Check out the soundtrack for Heartworn Highways and you'll get the real deal.

I have to admit to you, for the longest time I was one of those people who when asked what kind of music I listened to would reply, "Anything but country." That's not the case anymore, but I still don't own a ten-gallon hat or a pair of spurs. Regardless, I've grown to appreciate country by degrees, and this album only makes me enjoy it more. I have to tell you that it's been a long time since I've heard an entire album as genuine and earnest as the twenty-six tracks on this disc, with guitar pickin' and strummin' that comes from the heart. Try listening to Guy Clark below with the opening track on the album, L.A. Freeway. It's stripped down to a man with a guitar baring his soul. Tell me he isn't ripping out a piece of himself and handing it over to you as you're listening.

The rest of the disc is just as emotionally expressive, with informal dialogue interspersed between some the songs. The source of the soundtrack is a movie produced over 30 years ago that includes such country icons as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, John Hiat, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, and others. The folks over at HackTone Records spent over six months culling through all of the recordings and footage from the movie to re-master and capture the essence of this collection of masterful music. Even if, like me, you don't consider yourself a country music fan, try these songs. Listen to these singers. Let them open up their hearts to you.


Guy Clark - L.A. Freeway : Heartworn Highways Soundtrack

Dialogue - "People condemn whiskey..." : Heartworn Highways Soundtrack

Townes Van Zandt - Waiting Around To Die : Heartworn Highways Soundtrack

Visit Heartworn Highways on MySpace and its label HackTone Records.

The Big Lie

Move over Postal Service, welcome The Big Lie, a band with members in five states and provinces (Canada, eh?) who've pooled their collective talents (through a variety of UPS and Postes Canada shipping methods) to create an album without ever recording in the same room or even playing live together. Originally, the collection of eleven tracks was created as something to circulate amongst friends and family. Fortunately / unfortunately for the band, it ended up in the hands of Michael Prommer at Defend Music, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The music is a mix of Freddie Mercury meets The Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Ben Folds. Yea, that about describes it as clear as crystal. It's poppy, it's catchy, it's got hooks; The Big Lie is just a lot of fun (and that's NOT a lie).


The Big Lie - Sally : The Big Lie

The Big Lie - Wanting You is Such a Drag : The Big Lie

Visit their label Defend Music and become their friend on MySpace.

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The Postal Service - Be Still My Heart : We Will Become Silhouettes single

Ben Folds - Rent A Cop : Super D

New Oasis DVD (and contest)

On November 6th, British Uber-Pop band Oasis will be releasing Lord Don't Slow Me Down, a double DVD set that not only gives you the definitive feature length documentary seen in selected cinemas last year, but also the option of voice over commentaries from the band, a Noel Gallagher Q & A session with fans from New York City, out takes from the film, and a second 90 minute bonus disc capturing the band's homecoming show at the City of Manchester Stadium on July 2nd, 2005 together with footage sent in by fans from around the world who attended that show.

Check out the video for the title track Lord Don't Slow Me Down over at YouTube.
Buy the exclusive iTunes digital only single for the same track.
Pre-order the 2 DVD video from Amazon.com.

For those of you who are vinyl fans, I've got two copies of the single for Lord Don't Slow Me Down to give away. Just leave a comment (or E-mail me) with your name and e-mail address and you'll be in the running. I'll choose two winners next Fridayish and notify them via e-mail.

Also as a heads up, Oasis is planning on releasing a new album sometime in 2008, which seems ridiculously far away right now, so just enjoy the following:


Oasis - I Am the Walrus (Beatles cover) : Live at the Whiskey A GoGo in Hollywood, CA 9-29-94

Ryan Adams - Wonderwall (acoustic Oasis cover) : original version on (What's The Story) Morning Glory?

Visit their website, their label Univeral Music, and become their friend on MySpace.

Songs from the Bigtop

Who doesn't like the circus? OK, so besides all of you who are deathly afraid of clowns, who doesn't like the circus?

Welcome to The Bigtop, a movie-musical written by Devon Reed. From what I know about it, the film, which is set to be released in early 2008, centers on the life of Vincent O'Malley, a young man who runs away with the circus only to become consumed by his desire for power and the love of a woman. Ahhh...who can't connect their own life with that storyline?

To accompany the movie-musical, Devon has written an entire soundtrack of songs, titled Songs from the Bigtop, that is available digitally now via iTunes, and which will be available to order physically February 5th, 2008. Considering the fact that it's an independent (seemingly low-budget) production, he's recruited quite a talented roster of artists to perform the songs he's written. Here's the track listing:

1. Lisa Germano - Magic
2. The Clientele - Your Song
3. Michael Leviton - I Only Want the Sky
4. Damien Jurado - Ashes
5. Matthew Sweet - Wild
6. Tullycraft - The Girl Who’s Above Us
7. Howe Gelb - Falling In Love
8. The Owls - I Just Can’t Keep Up
9. Communique - Way to Walk
10. Marbles - Something, Nothing, Everything
11. Eleventh Dream Day - Planning My Escape
12. Doug Martsch - Cracked and Crazed
13. The Sprites - Patience

He has this to say about his choices: “Each artist was a different story but, in general, I was a fan before I became a collaborator. Also, we tried to assign proper tracks to people. So wistful, playful artists got songs we wanted to be wistful and playful and the rocking tracks went to bands that could do them justice.” Enjoy the following tracks and remember to look for the movie early next year.


Michael Leviton - I Only Want The Sky : Songs From the Bigtop



Damien Jurado - Ashes : Songs From the Bigtop

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More Circus Fun!

Say Hi To Your Mom - Hooplas Involving Circus Tricks : Numbers & Mumbles

The Decemberists - My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist : Five Songs

Page France - Circus Head (Nobody Knows) : ...and the Family Telephone

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tears Of A Clown : Legends

Dylan Contest Winners

Congrats to Sam, Dan, and Dave for being the lucky three winners of the Dylan contest I've been running for the last week. All three of them are going to be the proud owners of a Dylan poster and Dylan CD (single disc edition) from his latest release. Extra Congrats to Dave for being the Super-Duper Grand prize winner and also being the extra lucky owner of a Dylan leather iPod case.

If you didn't win, head here for the single disc edition, here for the 3-disc collection, and here for the deluxe box set.

Aaron Schroeder - Hooray for You : Black & Gold

Johnossi on tour

For fans of Ikea, Ace of Base, Swedish Fish, Jens Lekman (who just put out a new album of his own), and all other things Swedish, check out the country's latest export: Johnossi. Except if you listen to them, Swedish would be the last adjective that comes to mind. With a command of English better than many Americans I know, and a hard hitting get-down-and-jam bluesy sound, you'd swear that John and Ossi, the duo that comprises the band, were straight from the States.

If your curiosity is piqued, it's not too late to check them out opening for Shout Out Louds on their fall tour (check remaining dates below).


Johnossi - Man Must Dance : Johnossi

Johnossi - Family Values : Johnossi

Visit their website, their label The Control Group, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Shout Out Louds - Normandie : Our Ill Wills

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Tour Dates with Shout Out Louds

October 25th - New York NY - Bowery Ballroom
October 26th – Brooklyn NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
October 27th - Hoboken NJ - Maxwell's
October 28th - Washington DC - 9.30 Club
October 29th - Philadelphia PA - First Unitarian Church
October 30th - Carrboro NC – Cats Cradle
October 31st - Atlanta GA - The Loft
November 2nd - Austin TX - The Parish
November 3rd - Dallas TX - Granada Theatre

Noisy People Noise

I've been meaning to write about People Noise's debut album Ordinary Ghosts forever now. It's been out since May, so I have no excuse for taking this long to do so. The band is composed of former VHS or Beta guitarist Zeke Buck (of 10 years) and former Boom-Bip member Matt Johnson. Put the two together and you get a high voltage sound that's dense, fuzzy, and loud most of the time (somewhat reminiscent of earlier Smashing Pumpkins' work - try A Million Lives, the album opener, below), while curiously employing some piano tinkling to keep it interesting (as in the album closer, Older). If you want to turn your stereo up loud and rock out, look no further...


People Noise - A Million Lives : Ordinary Ghosts

People Noise - Older : Ordinary Ghosts

Become their friend on MySpace.

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Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock : Live 4/24/96 Milano, Italy (studio version on Siamese Dream)

Ben Jelen's Back

Ben Jelen became an overnight success with the MTV teen crowd back in 2004 with his hit Come On. Not entirely satisfied with the direction his music was going, Ben retired from the limelight for several years to regroup and redefine himself. Well, his self appointed disappearing act is over, and he's back with his sophomore effort, Ex-Sensitive.

Like The OaKs, who I wrote about a few days ago, Ben took part of his time away to give back to the world around him. He found time to work with the Natural Resources Defense Council, tour extensively for Rock the Vote and Live for Darfur, donate charity tracks to WasteNotMusic.com, Amnesty International, and Tori Amos’ RAINN, march against global warming, share the stage with Wyclef Jean, Marc Anthony, Moby, Maroon 5, and Rufus Wainwright at benefit concerts across the US, establish the Ben Jelen Foundation for the Environment, protest the war, and do work with the United Nations. Also like The OaKs, Ben's dedication to the planet shows up in his music

The album has a well produced dynamic sound which reminds me of Queen (both in the instrumental realm as well as echoes of Freddie Mercury's voice in Ben's - listen to Vulnerable below to see what I mean). The album came out over the summer, so there's no reason for you not to pick up a copy. Check out these tracks if you need to be convinced.


Ben Jelen - Pulse : Ex-Sensitive

Ben Jelen - Vulnerable : Ex-Sensitive

and a bonus acoustic version:

Ben Jelen - Mr. Philosopher (acoustic) : studio version on Ex-Sensitive

Visit his website, his label Custard Records, and become his friend on MySpace.

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Queen - You're My Best Friend : A Night At The Opera

In the dark with Soulsavers

Looking for something sufficiently dark to play as you prepare yourself for Halloween? If so, look no further than It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land, the second album by UK group Soulsavers. The album took Rich Machin and Ian Glover, the nucleus of Soulsavers, and Mark Lanegan (who's worked with Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age and Isabel Campbell) three years to produce.

In that time, the trio produced ten tracks that are part rock and roll, part electronica, and part pure darkness (can it be a part and still pure? hmmm). Think Tricky and you won't be too far off, although with a touch less techno to it. Or maybe I should say it has more of an organic electronica feel to it as opposed to an artificial one (if that makes sense). Either way, the album has a haunting feel to it that will stick with you. It came out last week and is available now. Pick it up to spin for October 31st, and if you happen to live on one of the coasts, catch them live at the end of November / beginning of December (tour dates below).


Soulsavers - Revival : It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land

(watch the video)

Soulsavers - Paper Money : It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land

Visit their website, their label Columbia Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Screaming Trees - Nearly Lost You : Singles soundtrack

Tricky - Ponderosa : Maxinquaye

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US Tour Dates

11/27 New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
11/28 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
11/29 Washington, DC - Black Cat
12/1 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
12/2 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour

Foreign Born

forest path

The lights died behind my back in the windy scene
I went outside to walk where the world was green
these are times I don't remember beginning
these are times I'd have a hard time reliving
with thoughts
along with thoughts I hear
the nights tall

A debut album of seemingly dissonant sounds
that somehow blends together in a steady hum.

Foreign Born - The Nights Tall : On the Wing Now

Visit their website, their label Dim Mak, and become their friend on MySpace.

A torch in the night - The OaKs

did justice plant herself as an anchor in your mind?
did the words speak themselves like they were spoken before time?
did the blood pound in your chest as you faced the sergeant down?
did you feel the power of god surging all around you?

-from For Hugh Thompson, Who Stood Alone.
My Lai Massacre, Vietnam, 1968

(to learn about the real life heroics of Hugh Thompson, head here)

Powerful lyrics, to say the least. Expect much the same from the rest of Our Fathers And The Things They Left Behind, the debut album from The OaKs. The band is the child of Ryan Costello who, in 2003, sold everything he had and moved to Afghanistan, where he worked for a humanitarian organization for two years (visit www.ryancostello.com to see images captured by Ryan on film during his work there). During that time, he worked during the day teaching refugees agricultural techniques to help them survive and at night, worked with his acoustic guitar, creating much of what would later become material for The OaKs' self produced debut album. It's one full of questions: questioning one's-self, and questioning the world around us. It's built on layers of instruments that gently support the intimate thoughts and feelings expressed in the lyrics.

As a result of Ryan's work, The OaKs partnered with the humanitarian organization on the release of Our Fathers... and agreed to donate 50% of the profits from each CD or track download to aid widows and recently-returned refugees from Afghanistan. Many artists pose social critiques in their work, but view back up their desire for change as The OaKs does. The group is in the studio now working on their second album, which is due out April, 2008.


The OaKs - For Hugh Thompson, Who Stood Alone. My Lai Massacre, Vietnam, 1968 : Our Fathers And The Things They Left Behind

The OaKs - My Father's God : Our Fathers And The Things They Left Behind

Visit their website and become their friend on MySpace.

Experience The Harlem Experiment

"History is too often told from a very narrow perspective. Ironically, this tendency inevitably dilutes and diminishes the reality it sought to represent in the first place. In America, these divisions typically fall along racial and ethnic lines. Perhaps no place has been subjected to this monomania more consistently than Harlem. The original village of Harlem was established by Dutch settlers in 1658. 244 years later, it had become a haven for a burgeoning immigrant Jewish community and fifty years later, it was home to an overwhelming African-American and Puerto Rican population.

These tectonic shifts are essential to telling the full story of this remarkable neighborhood. Whether it was the Harlem Renaissance of the 20's to Yiddish theatre at the dawn of the 20th century or the Puerto Rican social clubs of the 40's the kaleidoscope of Harlem is one that defies easy categorization."

-from the liner notes to The Harlem Experiment

Try bringing together a hundred years of audio cultural history into one CD. That's the ambitious goal of The Harlem Experiment, the third in a series of projects by the label Ropeadope to bring the past and present together into a musical archaeological spectrum.

The nucleus of the album is the Harlem Experiment House Band, which features Carlos Alomar (guitar,David Bowie), Eddy Martinez (keys, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Run D.M.C.), Steven Bernstein (trumpet, Sex Mob), Steve Berrios (drums, Chick Corea), Don Byron (clarinet, The Klezmatics, Vernon Reid) and Ruben Rodriguez (bass, Tito Puente). The members put their combined skills and experience together to produce an album that embraces and celebrates all of the musical heritage that Harlem is built on: jazz, hip-hop, funk, Latin rhythms, and Yiddish folk songs. Put them all together in the melting pot that is Harlem, and you have a recipe that produces the unique flavor of Harlem. Look for the album on October 30th. In the meantime, enjoy the following:


the Harlem Experiment House Band - One for Jackie : The Harlem Experiment

the Harlem Experiment House Band - One for Malcom (feat. Malcolm X) : The Harlem Experiment

Visit the official site

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Sam Cooke - Cupid : One Night Stand: Live at the Harlem Square Club

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Stompin' at the Savoy : The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve

James Brown - I'll Go Crazy : Live At The Apollo

Cab Calloway - Tarzan of Harlem : Are You Hep To The Jive?

Langston Hughes - Too Blue : Voices of Black America

Yoav and Tori Amos : Live

Last night I was able to see Yoav open for Tori Amos at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. What an incredible show. I hadn't been familiar with Yoav before, but he did a very good job (albeit short, only 25 or 30 minutes) opening for Tori. He has a new album (Charmed & Strange) that will be out in January ( his debut actually - which is pretty amazing considering Tori asked him to open for her and he doesn't have a release out yet) through a new record label, Field Recordings. I'm waiting to get a copy myself, so look for a review soon. As a teaser, I'd describe his music as having an electric acoustic edge that soars with his voice. Listen to some of his music on his MySpace page.

Visit his website and become his friend on MySpace.

Of course, the crowd came to see Tori masterfully massage music out of her Duseldorf piano (which by the way, is HUGE - I'd hate to be the road crew who is responsible for getting that in and out of venues safely without damaging it!). Backing her up were a drummer, guitarist, and bassist, who provided much of the body of Tori's music. Although she played mostly new material in support of her newest album released earlier this year (American Doll Posse), Tori humored the crowd with some classic tunes as well (Little Amsterdam, Precious Things, Icicle, Cornflake Girl, and Hey Jupiter, which she closed out the show with). If you go to her website, you can actually buy a digital version of the show (or any show for that matter).

Visit her website and become her friend on MySpace.

Although I don't have any of last night's show recorded, below is a Tori show from 1994. Enjoy it while checking out her tour dates to see if you can catch her (and Yoav) on her current tour.

Tori Amos - Crucify : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Icicle : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Precious Things : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Leather : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - God : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Silent All These Years : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - The Waitress : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Here In My Head : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Baker Baker : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Cornflake Girl : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - American Pie (Don McLean cover) : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana cover) : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Past the Mission : Live in Milan 4-18-94

Tori Amos - Winter : Live in Milan 4-18-94

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Yoav / Tori Amos Tour Dates

21 Oct 2007 Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada
23 Oct 2007 Hummingbird Centre, Toronto, Canada
24 Oct 2007 Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
26 Oct 2007 DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
27 Oct 2007 Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI
28 Oct 2007 Palace Theatre, Louisville, KY
30 Oct 2007 Benedum Centre, Pittsburgh, PA
01 Nov 2007 State Theatre, Cleveland, OH
02 Nov 2007 Murat Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
03 Nov 2007 Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
05 Nov 2007 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
06 Nov 2007 The Vic, Chicago, IL
07 Nov 2007 Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN
09 Nov 2007 Lied Center, Lawrence, KS
10 Nov 2007 Omaha Music Hall, Omaha, NE
12 Nov 2007 Andrew Jackson Hall TPAC, Nashville, TN
13 Nov 2007 Oven Auditorium, Charlotte, NC
14 Nov 2007 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
16 Nov 2007 Hard Rock Cafe, Orlando, FL
17 Nov 2007 Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Center, Ft Myers, FL
18 Nov 2007 King Center for the Performing Arts, Melbourne, FL
20 Nov 2007 Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL
21 Nov 2007 Kravis Center for the Arts, West Palm Beach, FL
24 Nov 2007 Nokia Theatre, Dallas, TX
25 Nov 2007 Jesse H. Jones Hall, Houston, TX
26 Nov 2007 Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX
28 Nov 2007 Wells Fargo Theatre, Denver, C0
29 Nov 2007 E Center, Salt Lake City, UT
30 Nov 2007 Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, Boise, ID
03 Dec 2007 Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, Canada
04 Dec 2007 Schnitzer Hall, Portland, OR
05 Dec 2007 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
07 Dec 2007 Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
08 Dec 2007 Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
09 Dec 2007 Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
11 Dec 2007 Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
12 Dec 2007 Copley Symphony Hall, San Diego, CA
13 Dec 2007 Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA
15 Dec 2007 The Grove, Anaheim, CA
16 Dec 2007 Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

Go Green - with GreenTaRA

So not only is GreenTaRA a trio, it's also the name of the leader of the trio. What's more important is that she / they has / have released her / their second album earlier this month, titled Global Baby. As GreenTaRA explains in the liner notes, "This album truly is my global baby - a collections of songs written during my travels, past and present-day, across the globe." As such, the whole affair is a luxurious, worldly blend of soul, reggae, and R&B with some afro-beats going on here and there mixed with some tints of disco to occasionally make you want to dance (think Zap Mama, in English, meets Gloria Gaynor).


GreenTaRA - Get Up : Global Baby

GreenTaRA - Life Can Be Sweeter : Global Baby

Become her friend on MySpace.

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Zap Mama - Vivre : Ancestry In Progress

Cake - I Will Survive ( Gloria Gaynor cover) : Fashion Nugget

Richard Hawley, forging ahead

Richard Hawley is back for his 5th effort, titled Lady's Bridge (named after a London landmark, just like his previous albums), and he's not resting on his laurels. Since moving on from working as a guitarist for acts like Pulp, Robbie Williams, and Beth Orton, Richard has clearly displayed a talent that can carry itself, and he's certainly developed it. On the new album, Richard stills displays that lush baritone croon that is his trademark (listen to The Sea Calls), but he's also a little more explorative in tracks like Serious (offered below) which cuts off into rockabilly territory a la Brian Setzer. For those of you not familiar with Richard, his voice is like Nick Cave's deep leveled voice meeting up with the smoother crooning of someone like Tony Bennett.

Last year, Richard was robbed of a Mercury Prize (even the winners, the Arctic Monkeys, thought so) so perhaps the judges will wisen up a little bit with the release of Lady's Bridge. Listen to the following, buy the new album, then check out all of his back catalog for all the good music you've been missing.


Richard Hawley - Serious : Lady's Bridge

Richard Hawley - The Sea Calls : Lady's Bridge

And a couple older ones:

Richard Hawley - Run For Me : Lowedges

Richard Hawley - The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Was A Train Coming The Other Way) : Late Night Final

Visit his website, his label Mute Records, and become his friend on MySpace.

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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Into My Arms : The Boatman's Call

Tony Bennett - Steppin' Out With My Baby : Steppin' Out

Stray Cats - Rock This Town : Totally 80's

The last of the Rat Pack

Peter Lawford (reading newspaper): Listen to this one: "The quintet of Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Lawford, and Bishop moved into Las Vegas in the form of an attack force with Sinatra as the nominal leader of their clan." [the group was known as the Clan before being dubbed the Rat Pack by Lauren Bacall]

Frank Sinatra: I don't want to be the Leader. One of you guys be the Leader.

Peter: Sorry, Frank, but it says here you're the Leader.

Sammy Davis Jr.: Hold it! I wanta go on record that I ain't belongin' to nothing that's called a clan.

Dean Martin: I don't know pally (nods at Frank). You'd better discuss that with the Leader.

-In the Sands Hotel Steam Room,
January 28, 1960
taken from Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'

Earlier today, Joey Bishop, the last remaining member of the famed Rat Pack, passed away. Here's hoping the gang is all back together somewhere up in the sky gagging it up.

Frank Sinatra - My Way : The Reprise Collection

Bob Dylan Contest

Last week, I was telling you about Eric Clapton's latest release, Complete Clapton. This week I'm going to fill you in on another great artist who is also releasing an amazing career retrospective: Bob Dylan. Here's the description, straight from Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings:

The DYLAN retrospective is available in a three-disc collection covering three distinct periods of Dylan's ongoing musical evolution (disc 1: 1962-1967 - "Bob Dylan" through "John Wesley Harding"; disc 2: 1967-1985 - "The Basement Tapes" through "Empire Burlesque"; disc 3: 1986-2006 - "Knocked Out Loaded" through "Modern Times"). The 51 track collection comes packaged in an 8-panel digipak with a 24 page full color booklet and liner notes by noted music journalist Bill Flanagan.

The three-disc version of DYLAN will also be available in a monumental deluxe collector's box set, housed in a keepsake cloth-covered box with each of the three discs presented in classic LP-styled sleeves featuring iconic Dylan and Columbia Records imagery. The DYLAN box set comes with a 40 page book with extended liner notes and rare photos as well as 10 limited edition postcard lithograph prints highlighting pivotal moments from Dylan's career.

In addition, DYLAN will be available in a special single disc edition, packaged in a standard jewel case with a full color 20 page booklet, featuring 18 select songs from the retrospective. The single disc edition includes special introductory liner notes and song-by-song annotations by Bill Flanagan.

I'm not even going to suggest that I need to summarize Dylan's musical exploits here. What I will tell you though is that I have some INCREDIBLE prizes for THREE lucky winners. Here are the goods:

1 Super-Duper Grand Prize Winner:

1 Dylan leather iPod case

1 Dylan poster

1 Dylan CD single disc edition

2 Still Super but not quite Super-Duper Prize Winners:

1 Dylan poster

1 Dylan CD single disc edition

All you have to do to be in the running is leave a comment (or e-mail me) with your name and e-mail address and cross your fingers (only if you're in the lower 48 states though, sorry!). I'll choose the winners next Thursdayish and notify them via e-mail. Perhaps I'll stage a virtual steel cage death match to choose the Super-Duper Grand Prize Winner. Or maybe I'll just pick a name out of a hat. We'll see how my day went next Thursday.

If you don't win, head here for the single disc edition, here for the 3-disc collection, and here for the deluxe box set.

Bob Dylan - Shelter From the Storm : Blood on the Tracks

Bob Dylan - Blowin' In the Wind : Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash - That's Alright Mama : The Dylan / Cash Sessions

Visit his the official site for the collection, his website, his labels Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, and become his friend on MySpace.