fall playlist.

in ,

i finally remembered to change the 'playlist' widget on the right side of this page. its only taken me, oh, 6 months.
some great fall albums in heavy rotation right now... some new, some old... but all great music to follow the changing leaves.

  • the avett brothers - i and love and you (the format + folk music)
  • pearl jam - backspacer (classic pj sound... + piano)
  • tom petty - wildflowers (a forgotten classic. make it to the end... "crawling back to you" is awesome)
  • david gray - draw the line (perfect autumn music. full of textured acoustic instrumentation)
  • wilco - summerteeth (not my favorite wilco album, but perfect for right now)

may & june :: great new music

in ,

i have spent much too much money on music in the past month... and june should be no different.
looking for something new to liven up your spring? try these:

wilco - wilco (the album)
manchester orchestra - mean everything to nothing
iron & wine - around the well
green day - 21st century breakdown
sparklehorse - dark night of the soul
eels - hombre lobo
grizzly bear - veckatimest
phoenix - wolfgang amadeus phoenix
bob dylan - together through life
doves - kingdom of rust
conor oberst and the mystic mountain band - outer south
metric - fantasies

and new to me... grateful dead - blues for allah

bob dylan & willie nelson

in , , ,

so i finally get to cross bob dylan off my 'concerts to see' list. he's coming to syracuse with willie nelson on their tour of minor league baseball parks, and mr. matt and i are going.
it doesnt get more american than bob dylan, willie nelson, and the baseball park. all i'll need to get is a hot dog, milkshake, and a slice of apple pie and it'll seal the deal.

new mix :: RISEN.

in ,

new mix for april 2009.


1. phoenix : lisztomania
2. grizzly bear : two weeks
3. peter bjorn & john : nothing to worry about
4. dinosaur jr. : puke + cry
5. death cab for cutie : a diamond and a tether
6. thenewno2 : out of mind
7. kid cuti : day ‘n’ night
8. metric : twilight galaxy
9. gomez : win park slope
10. peter bjorn & john : living thing
11. the decemberists : here i dreamt i was an architect
12. phoenix : 1901
13. metric : sick muse
14. dinosaur jr. : thumb
15. gomez : little pieces
16. death cab for cutie : little bribes
17. +/- : subdued
18. grizzly bear : southern point
19. yeasayer : tightrope


mixtape :: march 2009

in ,

this is my newest mix. the perfect group of songs for the beginning or end of the day.
you can buy most of the songs on itunes, and the others can be found for free through google blog search.
also, i'll be happy to make you a copy if you give me a blank cd.

[the above image is taken from cgtextures.com, a wonderful, copyright free library of textures from around the world. you should check it out.
i just cropped it, tweaked the tones, and added text.]

01. antony w/ bryce dessner - i was young when i left home
02. u2 - tryin’ to throw your arms around the world
03. ben kweller - from hank to hendrix
04. neko case - vengeance is sleeping
05. m. ward - one hundred million years
06. radiohead - sail to the moon (acoustic)
07. bruce springsteen - the wrestler
08. feist & ben gibbard - train song
09. dan auerbach - trouble weighs a ton
10. tom waits - hold on
11. death cab for cutie - lightness (live)
12. pearl jam - black (unplugged)
13. uncle tupelo - fatal wound
14. van morrison - crazy love
15. cat power - dream
16. bon iver - re: stacks
17. ryan adams - times like these
18. the gaslight anthem - the ‘59 sound (acoustic)
19. jeffrey foucault - lodi
20. elbow - running to stand still

top 10 albums of 2008.

in ,

get these albums if you haven't already.

1. tv on the radio - dear science
2. death cab for cutie - narrow stairs
3. blitzen trapper - furr
4. the gaslight anthem - the '59 sound
5. radiohead - in rainbows
6. ryan adams & the cardinals - cardinology
7. the acorn - glory hope mountain
8. the black keys - attack and release
9. r.e.m. - accelerate
10. the raconteurs - consolers of the lonely

iron & wine with blitzen trapper in buffalo

in , , ,

these two beastly musical forces met up for a late show in buffalo at ani difranco's babeville.

although i knew blitzen trapper's music, i didnt realize just how amazing it was. if you like roots music and indie rock, or both - check these guys out. i was blown away. here's a video of a show in may '08 (although its missing songs from their great new album 'furr')...

...and that was just the precursor for the gorgeous musings of iron & wine (you can download the concert for just $10 here). sam and sarah beam started the show slowly... then built in a new member as the songs went on - adding piano, accordian, violin, bass, xylophone, hand percussion, and drums slowly throughout the first 6 songs. once the band was all on stage, they simmered their way through much of the amazing 'the shepard's dog' along with other wonderful re-workings of older songs. they ended the show with another sweet, mellow duet. it was a powerful show.
spend some time with them below. you wont regret it.

webster varsity radio on the 90.5fm WBER

in , ,


if you are by the computer (listen here) or by the radio (listen here) weekdays between 4-5, you should be tuned in to webster varsity radio. we broadcast on 90.5fm WBER rochester, the only station that matters. we have 19 senior student djs, broadcasting from our studio at webster thomas high school.

farkazi, dj c, & jem snagglez on thursday are the duder's new favorite djs - he was rocking out all afternoon! (he's groovin' to talking heads below)


if you aren't familiar with WBER, you should be. it is a listener-supported and volunteer-operated station (minus one employee, fellow music junkie and 45rpm favorite, joey guisto), playing alot of music that you wont hear on any other local station... along with the best of the music you may hear smattered on other stations.

there is a great history of wber on wikipedia in case you are interested. its a quick and interesting read.

wilco's jeff tweedy gets the 'colbert bump'

in , , ,

Thursday night Stephen Colbert welcomed 45RPM favorite Jeff Tweedy to his guest stool for a hard hitting interview in which he proposed new and more rocking names for the Wilco frontman (Jeff Silky or even better, Joffrey Velvet) and also questioned the political propriety of offering free MP3s on the Wilco site. ("Are you a socialist? ... That sounds like 'Let's spread the songs around.'") Jeff explained that no, they are just really lousy capitalists, and went on to share Wilco's relatively deep history with Senator Obama and their request in '05 to play the forthcoming Presidential Inaugural Ball. (Barack's response is definitely pre-Audacity Of Hope.)
And not to be outdone by Joe The Plumber's pending music career, the band joined Jeff on stage for the world premiere of the spirit-of-the-times rocker, "Wilco The Song." Which should probably be named "Wilco The Band," but still, good zing, Joffrey Velvet.
[thanks stereogum]


[interview]


["wilco the song"]

finally... some good concerts...

in ,

its been a long, concert-less year so far in 2008... but it looks like we're ending the year on a high note here in western new york.

and its about time.

ryan adams & the cardinals were here a few weeks ago... you can read my review (and hear the show) below.

iron & wine (with new sup pop-ers blitzen trapper) come to buffalo on november 14th. i have wanted to see them live for years. i CANNOT wait for this show.

ani difranco returns home to buffalo on november 29th. she will be playing at babeville, a church built in the 1800s that was going to be demolished. in 2007, ani bought the beautiful building, restored it, and now it is used as a concert venue, banquet hall, as well as the headquarters for her own righteous babe records.

then, to cap it all off, WILCO is coming to rochester's auditorium theater on december 6th. if you like getting your face melted off, you need to buy yourself a ticket when they go on sale soon.

all we need now is a solo eddie vedder tour stop, and my year will be complete.

ryan adams & the cardinals

in , ,

on october 28th, ryan adams & the cardinals will release their new album 'cardinology'. i've been listening to it all day as i painted the living room (i think i went through it 4 times), and let me tell you.... it is amazing. sublime. its the perfect soundtrack to a sunny fall afternoon. a little bit country, and a little bit alt-rock'n'roll.

on a related note, we saw ra+tc at the auditorium theater a few weeks back (aaron from aaron's alley was there!!!) and it was a wonderful show that translated well on the soundboard recording, which can be found at thearchive.org ... check it out!

summer 2008 heavy rotation.

in ,

i'd say they never left my cd player... but they're on my ipod.
1. lucero - that much further west
2. beck - modern guilt
3. earlimart - hymn & her
4. kings of leon - because of the times
5. modest mouse - we were dead before the ship even sank
6. conor oberst - conor oberst
7. okkervil river - black sheep boy
8. u2 - boy
9. ryan auffenberg - marigolds
10. foo fighters - echoes, silence, patience, & grace
11. pearl jam - live @ bonnaroo 2008 (how did i miss this one?)