Sam Beam, the mastermind behind Iron & Wine, is one my all-time favorite musicians and for those of you who have read through Hidden Persuader before, you’re very aware of my love of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. However, not only is this a great fit for the previously mentioned reasons, but what I love about this session is just hearing Beam talk about his music and the process. Actually just hearing him speak in general. Although he grew up in South Carolina, taught in Florida (yes friends, Sam Beam taught cinematography and film at various colleges around Miami before releasing his first album), and now resides somewhere near my homebase of Austin, TX, his accent is otherworldly and underscored. For being such a mysterious guy (mostly due to the greatest beard of the past 50 years), it’s amazing to hear him talk shop in such an intimate environment.
Moondoggies are a band from Seattle that I have spoken about before, but just like any band that puts on a really fantastic, memorable show, I’ve taken a deeper interest into their rise and growth. This awesome mini-doc gives a behind the scenes look at how the band came to be as we know it and what the two founding members went through to get to where they are. I hope more bands in the future can be as earnest and genuine as these boys from the NorthWest.
THIS IS WHY I DON’T LIKE THE MIDWEST, LINDA.
CAN’T WE MOVE TO AUSTIN OR SOMETHING? I HEAR THE MUSIC SCENE IS INCREDIBLE DOWN THERE.
Yes friends, another My Morning Jacket video… shut it. This is a really cool project done by Scott Compton for Boing Boing Video and he masterfully weaves an interview into footage from a recent performance at Oakland’s Fox Theater. They touch on their recording history, music pirating, and the evolution of their lineup. Check it. OH and more to come soon.
Whoa! Radiohead’s alive! Whoa! Alec Baldwin hosted SNL for a record 16th time! Whoa! This is a cause for a celebration! Whoa! I’m winded.
Over the years, music has lost countless legends to drugs, but I’m not here to talk about the “Rule of 27” or what sort of shit Kurt Cobain would be doing these days. For some musicians, miraculously they make it out the other side and live to tell the tale. Jeff Tweedy, minstrel, ring leader, and all out badass frontman for Wilco, is one of those musicians. After going into rehab for a serious addiction to prescription pain killers, Tweedy reemerged with a new, solidified lineup and a clearer head than he’s had for years.
Now of course everyone should be happy that Tweedy made it through and is still making music, but lest we forget one of the crucial side effects to Tweedy’s numbed state - utter musical brilliance. Like so many before him, Tweedy was able to craft incendiary music during his doped up years, the likes of which are highlighted on 2004’s A Ghost Is Born. There are moments on that album so spine tingling and nerve racking that you almost get a sense of what it must’ve felt like inside Tweedy’s clouded mind.
Post-addiction Tweedy & co. have produced two fine albums since, both of which are often described in the category of “Dad Rock,” but for fans old and new, there seemed to be a yearning for more. We all hoped that Wilco would stop feeling so complacent and decide to do something, frankly, disruptive. Well, ladies and gents, Tweedy has heard our prayers and The Whole Love is legit. Recently Wilco stopped by the Ed Sullivan Theater to record a show for Letterman. Check it out and get ready for a great new chapter in the epic history of one of America’s most established and respected bands.
Here’s a video of My Morning Jacket playing Circuital live at KCRW in its entirety in front of 250. I once got to see them in a venue not much smaller than this and it was absolutely mind blowing. Ah Paris… Enjoy!
Ryan Adams is back with a new track that’ll certainly play to the heartstrings of Heartbreaker-era fans. The new album features a whole slew of other artists, including Norah Jones and members of The Heartbreakers, along with being produced by famed Producer Glyn Johns (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who). In other words, this album will be EPIC or Adams gets his money back.
Dr. Dog has disappeared off the face of the Earth, but have no fear earthlings! According to their Facebook, they’re mixing their new album and picking out the color for the vinyl pressing AS WE (well, I) SPEAK!
For now, let’s all enjoy this tasty diddy from NPR’s much celebrated Tiny Desk Concert series. Seriously though, is there a band that rocks throw-back headgear as well as these Philadelphians? I think not.
