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Sound of Black
If black is the convergence of all color, then the 23 minutes of My Bloody Valentine feedback is the convergence of all sound.

By far the loudest show I have ever experienced, MBV droned through most of their classics at the Concourse Exhibition Center in SF last night.

But it was the insane assault of feedback, with frequency sweeps that rattled the bones in face, throat and chest and fluttered the hairs on my arms, that I'll never forget.  It was at once nauseating and reveletory.  I heard:

water rushing
people screaming
thunder clap
sunlight
mushroom cloud
whales
animals fighting
death rattle
wrecking ball
cannon fire
birth
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Wed 10/1/2008 4:38 PM
Outsidelands
It was a bit of a challenge to go to such a large festival with wife, mother-in-law and two small children in tow, but we had a great time. 

Great job Kayceman, Dennis and Ari on the wrap-up.  Fantastic photos too. 

Highlights for me included seeing Devandra Banhart (shamefully for the first time) and of course Wilco, who just keep getting better.
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Wed 8/27/2008 3:28 PM
Andrew Bird's recording tips
I just caught this post by Andrew Bird, who recently spent a few days at Wilco's "Loft" in Chicago.  Some great, candid stuff here, from the challenges of self-producing to the archaic gadgets (spinning Victorla horns) found in the Loft.  Great read if you're into recording:

http://measureformeasure.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/cheap-thrills/
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Mon 5/12/2008 9:37 AM
Ominous Dance
This is a very spooky rendition of Bowie's "Let's Dance" by Matt Ward on JBTV, via KCRW.  Definitely worth checking out, me thinks.
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Tue 4/15/2008 5:14 PM
The Dark Stuff
I heard from an old friend of mine, Dave Leibowitz, who used to run my former band Hugh's label, Mafia Money Records in the 90s.  He is doing some great podcasts, focused on a lot of seminal music, much of it little known to the masses.

Check out the Dark Stuff.

If you're curious, some of Hugh's songs are featured on podcasts 10 and 11.  I also highly recommend #23, which features the Mommyheads.  These guys were incredible and hugely underappreciated.
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Thu 3/20/2008 11:10 AM
So long No Depression
Hats off to a great contribution to American music over the past decade.  I'm sad to see it go, but I take heart in the wonderful coverage No Depression has provided over the years.

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=12985

Adios amigo!
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Tue 2/19/2008 2:23 PM
Three for '08
Three shows I'd like to see this year...hmmm.  Well, to be honest my greatest hope is that the Weather Band gets off its donkey kong and plays a show.  I guess that one is up to me.  Beyond that, I'd like to see:

1.  Magnetic Fields
2.  Neil Young (solo acoustic in a shoe box if possible)
3.  M.I.A.
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Mon 2/4/2008 4:08 PM
2007 in review
As usual, I did not get out to see as much music as I would have liked.  I missed Spiritualized's acoustic set at Bimbo's, I didn't see Jose Gonzalez when he recently came through town, and I missed many more.  But hell, I have an infant son and a two-year-old, so I think that the dozen or so shows I did see isn't half bad.

Here are my top 5 (or so) for the year:

Sparklehorse, Filmore, SF, 2/10/07
Blonde Redhead, Bimbo’s, SF 4/23/07
Mother Hips, Backyard Tire Fire, Mercury Lounge, NYC, 5/4/07
Dinosaur Jr., Slim’s, SF, 5/16/07
Meat Puppets, Knitting Factory, NYC, 8/29/07
Jeff Tweedy, Strictly Hardly Bluegrass Festival, GG Park, SF 10/5/07
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Filmore, SF

And here is my short list of favorite albums released in 2007:

Refugee Allstars, Living Like a Refugee
Bright Eyes, Cassadega
Radiohead, In Rainbows
New Pornographers, Challengers
BRMC, Baby 81
M.I.A., Kala
PJ Harvey, White Chalk
Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall

 0 Comments :: Permalink :: Fri 12/14/2007 12:12 PM
Devendra's art
Further to my comment on Dennis Cook's Devandra interview,  I  wanted to emphasize  Banhart's killer exhibit at the SF MOMA:

A week or two later I learned that the art from Smokey Rolls is actually on exhibit at the SF MOMA, so I checked it out. It's a really cool exhibit featuring Devendra's work alongside that of Paul Klee, whose work I've long loved. Interestingly, Paul was also a musician (a classically trained violinist, I think), and his visual art was often an exploration of musical themes. Supposedly he did a bunch of writing on the symbiotic relationship between the two forms. The juxtaposition between Devendra and Klee's work was really cool- there is actually a lot of similarity, perhaps even a dialog between the two. Highly recommended.
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Fri 11/2/2007 10:08 AM
Rainbows
Big props to Radiohead for once again breaking ground with a new album that brings there music back full circle, fusing the electro-dream state of Kid A (and post) with the guitar rock that defined their earlier albums.

Plus, they pretty much invented a new business model with this release- allowing any buyer of the digital/download album to name their own price.  Since then Trent Reznor, Oasis and Jamiroquai have followed suite by also going direct to the fans.

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=11622

Whatever you decide to pay, In Rainbows is well worth it.
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Mon 10/15/2007 11:43 AM
Letter to Nancy Pelosi
Madame Speaker,

As CEO of JamBase, a San Francisco-based Internet music marketing company and an employer of 12 California voters, I encourage you to vote against the impending increases in Internet Radio Royalties.

Not only will this impair the prospects of numerous entrepreneurial enterprises, but it is also against the interests of the vast majority of artists, who stand only to gain from the massive exposure that Internet radio affords them.  As a recording artist myself, I feel strongly that this legislation is both anti-consumer and also anti-musician.

Thank you for your consideration.

Dave Rosenheim
CEO, JamBase, Inc. 1 Comment :: Permalink :: Thu 6/28/2007 10:03 AM
Police kvetch
OK, so everyone is railing on The Police.  My youthful co-workers, whose parents were Police fans, have unanimously said that The Police were the low point of this year's Bonnaroo. "That guitarist could barely play," complained one of our developers. 

I saw them in Oakland on 6/13, and maybe it was the fact that I was finally seeing one of the best rock bands in the history of the form, but I thought The Police rocked.  Stewart Copeland is perhaps the best living rock drummer.  Sting kept his Sting-ness to a minimum.


"That guitarist" is Andy Summers--co-author of dozens of the best rock songs written in the past 30 years.  Perhaps his performance in Tennessee was not as utterly ripping as it was in Oakland.  I was in fact blown away by the raw tone of his Stratocaster and the adventurous path of his solos.  But either way, The Police deserve a bit of respect. 

Hearing that they were actually booed at Bonnaroo is upsetting.
1 Comment :: Permalink :: Wed 6/20/2007 10:52 AM
kings of leon
I friggin love these guys.  So bubblegum but so good.
0 Comments :: Permalink :: Wed 6/13/2007 12:54 PM
GreenBase
I've just been catching up on Sarah Krasley's excellent reportage on Green.jambase.com.  There is a lot happening in the green music world, from events like Wakarusa and Taos Solar Music Festival to arists like Kelley Stoltz and Gomez who are making real strides in greening their activities.

Check it out and join in the conversation:  www.green.jambase.com
 0 Comments :: Permalink :: Thu 6/7/2007 4:03 PM