(RED) NIGHTS

You're probably familiar with the (RED) campaign. Since it began in the spring of 2006, it's raised more than $130 million to work towards eliminating AIDS in Africa, a daunting task needless to say. It's but one of the many pronged efforts by the Global Fund, and one that has connected with music. (RED) NIGHTS is a series of concerts across the country that will not only draw attention to the program with hopes of sparking action, but will also raise even more money for a cause that should be all of ours.

Below you'll find the remaining concerts in the series for the year. Consider attending one, or supporting the (RED) campaign in some fashion.


September 12 Ingrid Michaelson @ The Paradise Boston, MA
September 13 Sondre Lerche @ The Paradise Boston, MA
September 24 Joshua Radin @ House of Blues Chicago, IL
September 25 Brandi Carlile @ House of Blues Chicago, IL
October 3 Ingrid Michaelson @ House of Blues San Diego, CA
October 4 Thievery Corporation @ House of Blues Dallas, TX
October 9 Thievery Corporation @ The Fillmore Miami, FL
Oct. 31 & Nov. 1 Built to Spill @ The Fillmore San Francisco, CA

New R.E.M. - Live at the Olympia

Living Well Is The Best Revenge



For all you R.E.M. fans out there, the band has plans to release a double live album late in October titled R.E.M. Live At The Olympia. Between the two discs are 39 tracks recorded at Dublin's Olympia Club from rehearsals where the group tried out new songs for their 2008 album Accelerate. Also among the 39 tracks are some serious classics from their deep catalog, songs like Disturbance At The Heron House, So. Central Rain, Driver 8, Gardening At Night, etc. I haven't had a chance to preview it, but it seems like a filling mix of songs both old and new. There'll also be an edition that comes with an additional DVD with footage of the recordings. Keep your eyes open for it!

R.E.M. - Crush With Eyeliner (live) : Live On Letterman: Music From The Late Show

Visit their website and become their friend on MySpace.

Musical Twilight

"Crepusculo means twilight in Spanish - the time when everything shifts, from day to night, things become still and glowy, birds fly around, and songs from this album kept coming to me at this time of day. I've come to see the twilight as the beginning and not the end."

-Jessica Peters Malmberg

Listening to Petracovich's music makes me feel like I'm floating in twilight. It's lush, it's rich, it carries weight, it glides. Jessica Peters Malmberg forms the core of Petracovich, and it's around her and her experiences that this album revolves. Written while she was pregnant with her first child, who was lost after only eight days in this world, the album was placed aside, to be dusted off when the pain subsided. Along with the release of the album, she's claimed a new found happiness with another child on the way.

Although written before the dark event, it still carries a dark beauty to it, like soft, deep red, velvet cloth: luxurious to touch, yet evocative of a sense of anticipation of thinly veiled gloom, not yet realized, but lurking. Listen to the beauty of Mockingbird below, a song from her new album Crepusculo, whose slow pacing and quiet despair do a wonderful job of revealing the album's allure.

Petracovich - Mockingbird : Crepusculo

and an older one:

Petracovich - Telephone : We Are Wyoming

Visit her website and become her friend on MySpace.

From Where I Stand

home alone

if where i am's not where i'll be
in a year or two or three
i hope that where i walk i'll leave a trail
and that it is still possible to change the world

we are forced to accept the people that came and went
though maybe we would have liked to stay
but the thing about love
just because someone's giving up
doesn't mean that it really goes away

so if you're hiding, come out
and if you're crying for help
just know that on this road you're not traveling alone
and from where i stand this looks like home

Caroline Reese - From Where I Stand (w/ Luke Iannacone) : Unreleased

Become her friend on MySpace.

Ingrid Michaelson's Everbody Contest

Today the third album from TV show soundtrack darling Ingrid Michaelson is set to be released. Titled Everybody, it's the follow-up to her 2007 album Girls and Boys, which slowly gathered momentum and propelled Ingrid into the hearts of listeners everywhere, and Be OK, the benefit collection of b-sides, covers, and live recordings. If you haven't snuck a listen, here's the first single from the album, Maybe.

Maybe - Ingrid Michaelson

taken from her new album Everybody

This latest album clearly displays a lot more production fire power. While her first studio album showcased a quiet, introverted, almost awkward voice, with an acoustic sound that matched her almost timidness, this third album comes through packing a much more powerful sonic punch, not simply relying on Ingrid's guitar, but also employing other instruments to carry the sound. Ingrid and her lyrics hold more certainty as well, growing from that injured girl we first met into a women willing to emphatically express herself.

If you haven't pre-ordered the album, or ran out this morning to pick it up, I've got a copy to give away. Simply leave a comment (or email me) with your name and email address and you'll be in the running. I'll choose a winner at random Saturdayish and notify them via email.

And in the meantime, here's a favorite of mine from her last album, Be OK, a benefit for Stand Up to Cancer.

Ingrid Michaelson - Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis cover Recorded Live At Daytrotter) : Be OK

Visit her website, her label Original Signal Records, and become her friend on MySpace.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Upcoming Tour Dates

August
31 Dennis, MA @ Cape Cinema

September
09 Toronto, Canada @ Mod Club Theatre *
10 Montreal, Canada @ Petit Campus *
11 S. Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground *
12 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club * SOLD OUT
13 Albany, NY @ Valentines *
16 New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
17 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts *
18 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
19 Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern *
21 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle *
22 Atlanta, GA @ The Loft @ Center Stage *
23 Athens, GA @ The Melting Point *
24 Birmingham, AL @ Workplay *
25 New Orleans LA @ The Parish @ House of Blues *
26 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio *
28 Austin, TX @ The Parish *
29 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues *

October
01 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress *
02 Scottsdale, AZ @ Martini Ranch *
03 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues *
04 San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House *
06 W. Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
07 W. Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour SOLD OUT
09 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
10 Redding, CA @ Cascade Theatre
11 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
12 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
13 Vancouver, Canada @ Venue
15 Boise, ID, @ Knitting Factory
17 Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon
18 Aspen, CO @ Wheeler Opera House
19 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
21 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
22 Menomonie, WI @ Great Hall @ University of WI
24 Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre
25 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
26 Chicago, IL @ Park West
27 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
29 Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theatre
30 Louisville, KY @ Headliner's
31 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom

November
02 Nashville, TN @ The Belcourt Theatre
03 Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
04 Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
05 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre

* with Greg Holden

Thunder Power strikes again

A few months ago, you might remember me writing about Omaha based band Thunder Power and their split EP (with Alessi's Ark) Friend Ships. Well, since said split EP wasn't exactly commonly available, the band's decided to release their three tracks from it, along with two new ones, on a brand new Thunder Power only EP titled And Everything After. Obviously I'll stick with what I said about the three tracks I had heard previously. The first of the new tracks here, Ship In a Bottle, rollicks along, and kind of reminds me of those free credit report commerical's ditties, but in a good, entertaining way, as you can hear for yourself below. The other new song here, Burden of Proof, closes the EP, and also features Matt Hutton's vocals, in counterpart to the three songs previously released, which all featured Kacynna Tompsett (and which I'll admit I fancy).

Thunder Power - Ship In a Bottle : And Everything After EP

and an unreleased track from their recent Daytrotter Session:

Thunder Power - Home Office : Daytrotter Session

Visit their label Slumber Party Records and become their friend on MySpace.

Funny People

So I don't know if any of you have seen the film Funny People, the latest from Judd Apatow that opened last month and stars Adam Sandler as a comedian. Yeah, I know, it seems like a real stretch for him, truly a role that required him to push his artistic abilities. I guess the hitch is that he's a comedian who's terminally ill. That's a role I wouldn't want to fulfill in real life. I haven't seen it either, but looking at the reviews, critics are all over the place on it.

The soundtrack seems to cater to an older crowd, with about the newest artist to hit the music scene represented by Andrew Bird. From there you have you travel back a bit to Wilco, after which you get to folks like John Lennon, James Taylor, Warren Zevon, and Neil Diamond (whose song is at least an early take of We, from his 2005 album 12 Songs, and which you can hear below). Not that makes that fact makes it an unenjoyable album. About the only song here that I cringe at and have to skip over is Adam Sandler's cover of the John Lennon song Real Love. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy me some Lunchlady Land or The Chanukah Song, but listening to Sandler try to play a song from the serious end is kind of painful. Funny as all get out comedian, not so great heartfelt singer. Here's the entire track listing:

1. Paul McCartney - Great Day
2. Coconut Records - Wires
3. Robert Plant And The Strange Sensation - All The King's Horses
4. James Taylor - Carolina In My Mind (Live)
5. Warren Zevon - Keep Me In Your Heart
6. Adam Sandler - Real Love (Live)
7. Neil Diamond - We (early take)
8. Wilco with Andrew Bird - Jesus, Etc. (Live Summer '08)
9. Adam Sandler - George Simmons Soon Will Be Gone
10. Coconut Records - I Am Young
11. Larry Goldings - Memory (From Cats)
12. Warren Zevon - Numb As A Statue
13. Ringo Starr - Photograph
14. John Lennon - Watching The Wheels (Acoustic)

Highlights include (besides the Diamond track, my favorite), the live cut from Bird and Wilco, the interesting selection from the musical Cats, and the closing cut, an acoustic demo by John Lennon of Watching The Wheels, a song that was released after his death in 1981.

Neil Diamond - We (Early Take) : Funny People Original Movie Soundtrack

Visit the movie's official website and the soundtrack's label, Concord Records.

That's Amore!

Jazz Brunch Jam - Robert Glasper

“Most people, if they have different bands, they do separate albums, but I felt I’d be making more of a statement if I put it all on one joint.”

-Robert Glasper on his new album Double-Booked

So last week, the second week of my jazz fix, I followed up with Kurt Elling, a vocalist who re-interprets the American songbook, admittedly in a modern way, but still connecting to a very classic timeline in the development of jazz. This week, I wanted to hit you up with someone decidedly more modern, Robert Glasper and his new album Double-Booked (so new, it doesn't hit for another two days). Glasper has got his feet firmly planted in two kingdoms, hip hop and jazz, exemplifying influences as diverse as J Dilla and Herbie Hancock, and this album pushes that up front and center.

The album, as set up in a phone conversation intro, puts Glasper into two gigs on the same night. The first gig is for The Robert Glasper Trio, plays out a more traditional feel, and is comprised of the album's first six tracks. It's chaotic but tight, with Glasper's piano firmly guiding his accompanying musicians through a set that ends with a Thelonius Monk cover, Think of One, but even here, Glasper isn't ready to let tradition reign supreme. Interwoven within its 9 minutes and 14 seconds, he deftly adds some of Ahmad Jamal’s Swahililand, whose chords formed the basis for the De La Soul joint Stakes Is High, co-written by no other than J Dilla.

THE ROBERT GLASPER TRIO
1. Intro
2. No Worries
3. Yes I'm Country (And That's Ok)
4. Downtime
5. 59 South
6. Think of One

The second gig / half of the album kicks off with another phone message, this one from ?uestlove evolving into a little ditty with Mos Def adding some vocals, firmly announcing you best be ready for something absolutely different! But just to make sure that you know where he's coming from, Glasper opens up with Butterfly, a Herbie Hancock number (Glasper has had a Hancock track on every one of his albums - tell you anything?), albeit a radically reshaped and enhanced version, and this also includes a Dilla beat. This second set, the second half of the album, kicks and expands the boundaries and hence is performed by the Robert Glasper Experiment.

THE ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT
7. 4eva
8. Butterfly
9. Festival
10. For You
11. All Matter
12. Open Mind

In other words, it's like you're getting two albums for the price of one. I can't share any tracks for you to download, but stream a couple below, and pick up one from his debut album, yet another Hancock tune, Maiden Voyage.

stream The Robert Glasper Trio - Think Of One (Thelonius Monk cover) : Double-Booked

stream The Robert Glasper Experiment - Butterfly (Herbie Hancock cover) : Double-Booked

and an older one from his debut album to take home with you:

Robert Glasper Trio - Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock cover) : Mood

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

Sunday Soul - Theme from S.W.A.T.

Rhythm Heritage - Theme from S.W.A.T. : Theme from S.W.A.T. 7"

Rhythm Heritage - I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treat Me) : Theme from S.W.A.T. 7" B-side

Find the A-side on TV Land Presents Favorite TV Theme Songs.

From the original 1975 TV show S.W.A.T.

Daniel Merriweather's Change

Mark Ronson has struck gold twice at the helm of both Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. Now's he's going for the hat trick, this time with a male singer by the name of Daniel Merriweather. The two have worked together before with Stop Me (a melding of the Smiths' Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before and the Supremes' You Keep Me Hangin' On) , on Ronson's 2007 album Version, but now Ronson is letting Daniel take center stage with almost an entire album of his own writing, backed by the everything-they-touch-turns-to-gold Dap Kings.

I'm guessing you know where this album is going: dance floor R&B/funk/hip hop edges. I've only heard the first single, Change, which features Wale, so I can't say for sure, but I do know there's another track on the album which features Adele. The album's not out until October, but check out the single (which is already available) below.

stream Daniel Merriweather - Change (feat. Wale) : Change single (or pre-order the album Love & War)

and their first pairing:

Mark Ronson featuring Daniel Merriweather - Stop Me : Version

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

Down with the Blues

So just a few days ago I found out that the one local independent music store that I regularly shopped in, ordered new music from, and could dig for vinyl at closed. For good. Damn it all. Literally, I don't know of another place to replace it within a 90 mile radius. Hell, how do you ever replace a place like that? I mean, when was the last time you know of that a music store opened up with crates of old vinyl that you could depend on to dig at week in and week out? Am I suppose to walk in to the local FYE and ask them to get a hold of Mayer Hawthorne's album for me next month? I don't think so. (ironically I just checked their website and the album is listed, although I highly doubt that my local chapter will stock it - maybe I'll try and report back to you on it)

This is reason enough to listen to some good blues music (and drink, but this isn't a beer blog), and luckily I had an album at my pitiful state of dejection arse's hand to spin: Seasick Steve's Dog House Music. Steve was born in the good ol' US of A, and his life follows a Jack Kerouacesque style of roaming from town to town, job to job. It wasn't until 2004, when he was into his 60's, that he found his way to Norway and got his feet wet recording the music that seems like such an integral part of his identity. And it wasn't until just this month that his music was available in his native country, with the re-release of Dog House Music, which was first released in 2006 in the UK.

The album's music could come straight off an Alan Lomax with its story telling, country style blues grain. Indeed, at points it sounds like Steve has just rolled in off the road, sat down at a microphone, and laid it down just like that, many times starting off with a short intro to explain the track. Along the album's story telling journey Steve introduces and plays some stringed instruments of his own making, like the one stringed diddly bow on Save Me (listen to it below). The album's rough, it's raw, there's nothing flashy here. Looking for some gravelly, side-of-the-road blues playing, give Seasick Steve a try.

Seasick Steve - Things Go Up : Dog House Music

Seasick Steve - Save Me : Dog House Music

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