DEEPSEAGREEN

DEEPSEAGREEN

UK indie rock quartet Deepseagreen have put their heart, soul and considerable chops into the ten songs that comprise this fine, self-titled debut disc. The additional charm lies in the fact that the tracks were done live, off the floor in a two day blow-out back in the fall of 2009.

Rock and roll that's raw, sweaty and real still exists. You have to look a bit harder for it these days, though.

Stripping it down to basics, the two-guitar, bass and drums lineup of brothers Jon and Dan Jefford, Marco Menestrina and Trent Halliday deliver tight, melodic compositions that suggest the glory days of the classic rock era. Allowing the instruments to breathe, the production job scores points for capturing the immediacy of impeccable ensemble playing coupled with a great, natural sound in the room. This disc will resonate with listeners who remember the warmth of the analog recording process. Perfect example is the lone guitar riff that heralds "On the Steps of Summer", which reverberates off the studio walls without recourse to digital manipulation. When the band kicks in, they make it count.

Another great bonus is Halliday's voice. He is spot on, throughout, without a trace of the frightful, auto-tuned aura of insecurity added to almost every contemporary recording. Highlights are plentiful here in terms of quality songs. It's quite easy to let these ten cuts play through, though several really stand out ("Black Maria", "Polarise", "Janine").

Personal favorite for me is "Plastic Lazarus". Opening with a twisting, distorted guitar figure, the expectation is that the rhythm section is going to slam, head-on, into an over-driven tempo.

Surprise.

Instead, it's a very smooth transition into a feel that suggests reggae while maintaining a razor-sharp, rock edge. Clever lyrics top a fine performance.

These guys have their act together. Deepseagreen will almost certainly find a very large audience with work of this quality. I would highly recommend that you check out their CD.

Learn more about the band here

Light My Fire!

#1 song 43 years ago today! Even though this is a shortened version to fall under the 3:00 minute corporate soundbite generation, it still displays what The Doors were all about. I hope you enjoy it.

Rage Against the Machine - Great Show

My son had a great time at the concert.  He said he managed to get up front (he lost a shoe and an earring in the process.)

According to the OC Register:  

"Inside the brimming Hollywood Palladium ballroom Friday night, a fearful anxiety hung nearly as prominently as the air of pent-up excitement, which rapidly approached critical mass as the audience prepared for the first L.A. performance in 10 years from Rage Against the Machine.

Riots at Rage show aren't uncommon, but at this special event -- a benefit to raise upwards of $300,000 for The Sound Strike, a musician-led boycott against the controversial Arizona SB 1070 immigration law -- the fear that EMT sirens would be heard as often as the machine-gun soloing of Tom Morello was magnified tenfold.

But the sirens never came, and despite one of the most roiling circle pits this venue has ever seen, audience members remained equally respectful -- and generally protective -- of one another , making for what might arguably be called Rage's most unifying gig in recent years."

« Read article

Love the Airplane

First they were soulful.....



......then they were psychedelic.....



.....and who knew but they could play the blues.....



.....but some of my favorite things about this band was the gorgeous Grace, Marty's vocals, Jorma's lead guitar, Paul's rhythm and Jack's bass line! Man what it would have been like to party with these guys back in the day.

I hope you enjoyed today's Jefferson Airplane observations.

I HATE TICKETMASTER AND LIVE NATION but not as much as I HATE TICKET BROKERS

My blood pressure is about to go through the roof. I won't go into my usual tirade about why the above mentioned ticket monopolizing greed whores.

As you know...these are the ONLY two places to buy face value tickets for 99% of the concerts out there (and TM bought Live Nation last year so its really just one big company).

If its a popular show, forget it. It sells out within MINUTES and the majority of the tickets go to the fucking ticket brokers who gouge you for double or more the price you would have paid if you were one of the very few lucky people to get a ticket.

So that's one reason I don't go to concerts unless I can get a ticket for face value (like Bad Co last week)

OR

If the concert is far more important than following my own diehard rule of not buying from brokers (scalpers, scums, whatever you want to call them).

So yes I will pay over $300 per ticket to see U2 because the alternative is sitting at home and that means they win anyhow because I did not get to see my show.

I charged tickets for my son to see RATM tomorrow night and I get this "gift card" VISA today when the venue rules clearly state that gift cards will NOT be accepted. I have talked to the guy that sold them to me and he assures me its going to be okay.

If Keven does not get in, it will not be okay. He is not exactly Mr. Stability and this is the sort of thing that could push him over the edge. PLUS, I paid a lot of money for those damn tickets - over double face value.

I can't even hint to Keven that he may get up there and be turned away, he would be so upset...but I don't trust this guy. If all goes well and he gets in, then I ranted, raved and cussed for nothing.

BUT if it doesn't turn out you can come back here and help me get my money back and warn everyone not to use the __________________ ticket agency (I won't share the name of it unless they have ripped me off).

Oh - the reason I am suspicious - I called the number on the Visa gift card and they told me there were NO CONCERT TICKETS PURCHASED WITH IT. So how the hell is the Hollywood Palladium going to know that is the right card? I have never been ripped off by a ticket scalper before, lets hope I am just being paranoid but my gut tells me otherwise.....

damn it!

The stress is not worth it. I should have never told my son about his dream come true concert. I should have just said "sorry, they sold out".

I will not take this sitting down. I will raise a fit if they have ripped me off.

Rage Against the Machine - July 23 - Hollywood Palladium

Its been over ten years since RATM has played a concert in their hometown of Los Angeles.  They are my son's favorite band so - I got him tickets.  

One of my philosophies in life is that you need to take the opportunities that come your way because you only have this ONE LIFE.  That applies to concerts too!  I could have come up with a lot of reasons NOT to get my son tickets but I want him to experience this.  I want him to have the thrill of seeing these guys on stage, live, in a small venue.  

He asked me if I wanted to go with him :)    It's a sweet gesture but I told him to invite a friend and that if he couldn't find one of his buddies to go I would be happy to go.  I LOVE Tom Morello's guitar playing but don't know if I could handle it (GA seating - standing all night - very very loud).  Sure, I stood almost all night at Bad Co. but that was different.  

They are doing a benefit show "fighting against SB 1070" the new law put in place in Arizona relating to immigration.  

I admire these guys for their talent and convictions but ... I just can't see myself in this audience.  Keven will have a great time.  

This reminds me of something that happened last summer related to Keven and a concert. His other favorite band is Smashing Pumpkins. Billy Corgan was doing a solo concert but Kev was unable to attend because he was in jail at that time. His friends went and decided to hold up a sign that read "Free Keven". They were near the front of the stage and at one point Billy stopped the show and said something like "Okay, I have to know what this is about - who's Keven?" Then his friends and Billy had a conversation about him and one friend got the whole thing on video! It was very cool (well not the jail part - but the rest of it!)

Bad Co. - July 17, Pacific Amphitheater

Just got home from an excellent concert.  Paul Rodgers sounded great.  They played a great set including all the favorites, the only one that was missing was Rock Steady.

Definitely one of the best shows I've seen in years.  Sorry I don't have a more in depth review.  I have the post-concert blues.

We sat next to a cool guy, we asked each other rock trivia questions to entertain ourselves until the show started.

Pink Floyd - wow

Saw this amazing announcement over on Dave White's site, Classic Rock.  

Floyd fans know this is a RARE and wonderful happening!

Just imagine being in the audience that night!  

The audience for a benefit for Palestinian children in Oxfordshire, England last weekend (7/10) knew they were going to be entertained by David Gilmour. What they didn't know was that Gilmour's onetime Pink Floyd bandmate, Roger Waters was going to drop in for a surprise four-song set. Waters said in a Facebook posting that he agreed to do it after Gilmour agreed to join him for a performance of The Wall. Waters' The Wall tour begins in March 2011 in Europe. It isn't known yet which date will feature Gilmour. The last time the two had been on stage together was at the 2005 Live 8 London concerts.

U2 Has Set Dates for Rescheduled N. American Tour:

Well its almost a year away...but I'm already looking forward to it.

This weekend I will be seeing BAD COMPANY with Paul on vocals :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 21 Denver, CO Invesco Field (formerly June 12/10)
May 24 Salt Lake City, UT Rice Eccles Stadium (formerly June 3/10)

June 01 Edmonton, AB Commonwealth Stadium (formerly June 23/10)
June 04 Seattle, WA Qwest Field (formerly June 20/10)
June 07 Oakland, CA McAfee Coliseum (formerly June 20/10)
June 17 Anaheim, CA Angels Stadium (formerly June 6/10)
June 18 Anaheim, CA Angels Stadium (formerly June 7/10)
June 26 East Lansing, MI Spartan Stadium at MSU (formerly June 30/10)
June 29 Miami, FL *Sun Life Stadium
previously Dolphin Stadium (formerly July 9/10)

July 05 Chicago, IL Soldier Field (formerly July 6/10)
July 08 Montreal, QC Hippodrome (formerly July 16/10)
July 09 Montreal, QC Hippodrome (formerly July 17/10)
July 11 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre (formerly July 3/10)
July 14 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field (formerly July 12/10)
July 20 East Rutherford, NJ New Meadowlands Stadium (formerly July 19/10)
July 23 Minneapolis, MN TCF Bank Stadium (formerly June 27/10)

Dancing About Architecture

I just wanted to mention that I've recently started a music discussion board:

Dancing About Architecture

The name of the message board is inspired by the quote, "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture." which I've seen credited to both Steve Martin and Elvis Costello in different places.

There's a place on there for discussion of just about any kind of music you can imagine.  So feel free to jump in!

Many of those who have already joined are fellow music bloggers.  One of the reasons I set up the board was/is the hope that some of the discussion generated on there might inspire future blog postings either by myself or by any of the other bloggers who have decided to participate.

Must Have Songs

UPDATE! You people rock my world with your comments! Thank you. I needed a "boost" something to get my mind off things and now I have a project of finding these awesome songs. Music just makes life BETTER. I wasn't anticipating such a great response, it made my day.

Hey Classic Rockers - I am trying to make sure I have all the very best classic rock songs on my iPod. I've recently noticed a few obvious ones missing, so I am asking for your suggestions to make sure I have not left any other important songs off the list.

I already have a complete collection of:

U2
Led Zeppelin
The Rolling Stones
Bruce Springsteen

so I don't need suggestions for any of their songs.

Thanks.

Concert Ticket Prices

(click to enlarge...unfreakin believable isn't it. $8.75?)

I heard an interview on NPR while driving home from work. I thought it was interesting and copied some of it below. For me personally, I have only two concerts planned for this summer: Bad Co. and Rush. (I may be flying to Colorado to see Rush at Red Rocks!)

One part of the interview said something like "It used to be that you could see a concert a month and afford it, now your lucky if you can afford one or two a year" SO TRUE!

The bottom line:

1. Promoters are charging way too much for concert tickets (um, no kidding)
2. Consumers will not pay outrageous prices unless its a MUST SEE band
3. Lots of bands tour every year and lose their appeal because its "no big deal" to see them
4. Consumers have been trained to wait to the last minute to get a better deal on tickets which affects advance sales and sometimes causes a concert to have to cancel.

"Pollstar reports that the average ticket price is actually down from last year — to $60.77. You can still sit on the lawn at most summer shows for less than 40 bucks. But if you want to be anywhere near the stage for Bon Jovi or Ozzy Osbourne, you'll have to spend well over $300 per seat.

'They're Just Greedy'

Longtime industry observer Bob Lefsetz says artists and promoters have finally gone too far.

"They're just greedy," Lefsetz says. "[It] used to be people went to concerts on a regular basis, maybe once a month. Now, going to a concert is like going on vacation. The face value is 250 bucks. Times two, plus parking and food. You're in for 750 bucks — if there's just two of you."

Lefsetz says there's a limit to what consumers will pay, especially for a show they've already seen.Take The Eagles, one of the most dependable touring acts of the past two decades. The band simply may have toured too frequently, and it's been forced to cancel dates this summer. Still, with sales of recordings in decline, Billboard's Peoples says the concert industry is looking to squeeze out every last dollar it can.

"Everybody is trying to do more with ticket prices," Peoples says. "Earn more while on the road, stay out on the road longer. And it's not surprising that it might eventually come back to bite them in the butt."

But veteran talent manager and former label executive Danny Goldberg says high ticket prices aren't the main problem.

"I think it really depends on the artist — how recently they were in the market," he says. "If someone just played last year, it's less sexy or exciting than if they haven't played there for 10 years."

Stars like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber are doing very good business in 2010, Goldberg says. So is a tour pairing veteran songwriters James Taylor and Carole King.

"The interest in seeing live music is very healthy. If there are some concerts that are overpriced, believe me, next time into the market, the artists and promoters will adjust the prices," Goldberg says.

Lilith Fair's McBride, for one, says concert prices are due for an adjustment.

"I think the consumer has said this summer, 'Too much,' " he says.

And not just by staying home. McBride says fans are more savvy about waiting until the last minute to buy tickets at steep discounts as promoters scramble to fill empty seats.

"They know if they hold out long enough, the chances of getting tickets on a two-for-one promotion will actually happen," McBride says. "So they just hold off. It's like the consumer's been trained to hold off buying tickets until the last minute."

The trouble is, if everyone waits until the last minute, there won't be enough advance ticket sales, and the show will get canceled. That's a lesson many artists, promoters and fans may learn the hard way before the summer is over."

Entire article HERE

Fly Like An Eagle

Only one short year after my high school graduation came this little gem of an album. This was Steve Miller's high point as far as sales of an album to date. He had made eight before this one but none of them sold the magnitude of this one. 4x platinum and ranked #450 in the Rolling Stone top 500 classic rock albums.

Steve was originally from my neck of the woods, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His Godfather was none other than Les Paul, pioneer of the electric guitar and multi-track recording, who taught him his first chords at the tender age of 5.

The tunes on this 1976 album were much more catchy and melodic than earlier albums making it much more accessible to the buying public.

I am including the Space Intro followed by the title song and then Wild Mountain Honey. Listen and enjoy it. I probably would love it even more if the radio stations did not play it to death.

This is an album just outside my top 25 list.

Fourth of July (Sandy) by Bruce Springsteen

If you know the history of this song and of the E Street Band, you may get choked up watching it. I did. This song was very special to Bruce and his close friend, Danny Federici. I guess you could say it was "their song". This was one of the last times Danny played on tour. He rejoined the band in March, but passed away in April of Melanoma. We all miss him.

Happy Fourth to all of us in the USA! Lets remember to appreciate our freedom and our friends.

The Black Keys

These guys are the real deal. I just got to know them with the new album "Brothers". I highly recommend as they sound like so many different bands from long ago but also new and creating their own sound.

Finding this has made me remember what it was like long ago. To discover a new band and album and share it with my friends.

If you haven't yet, check them out now. Just a small snippet of their sound follows.



If you will, tell me your favorite "classic rock" sounding newer bands, post 1999.

Thanks