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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Opinion / Contributors / Jason Younger / News Cover Me: Boldly going where some other band has already been
Posted By Jason Younger on Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 12:59 PM
So I was riding to work the other morning, satellite radio jamming, and I heard the familiar guitar licks of one of my favorite songs, Prince’s "Let’s Go Crazy." My happiness, to my dismay, was short-lived. Once the vocals started, and the voice of Brandon Boyd, lead singer on Incubus, started, I quickly realized that Prince had become yet another victim to cover-song-itis. A disease that has been around forever and shows no signs of slowing down. Ironically enough, the very next song was a remake of the WHAM! emo-hit, "Careless Whisper." My first thought was “do we really need covers of George Michael songs floating around and melting the minds of another generation??” But there is a bigger, more serious issue here: Are cover songs a good thing? Is imitation really the best form of flattery? The answer appears to be yes and no.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Videos / News Video: Everything Doesn't Suck Party
Posted By Mike McCray on Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 4:38 PM
I checked out last week's Everything Doesn't Suck Party in NoDa and came back with this nifty-ass report:
News Live Nation’s Twitter Scavenger Hunt starts tomorrow
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 11:58 AM
Twitterers and music fans alike, check out this press release for your chance to win a Season-Long Lawn Pass good for every show next summer in the Live Nation amphitheater in your city.
Los Angeles, CA - August 17, 2009 – This coming Wednesday, Live Nation will tap into the power of millions of twittering music fans across the country as the company launches its first-ever Live Nation Twitter Scavenger Hunt. Beginning at 9:00 a.m. PST on August 19th, the day-long contest gives music fans the opportunity to follow clues that will be “tweeted” from Live Nation Twitter accounts to find a special #LNScavHunt icon. The icons will be hidden in pre-selected websites and in physical locations within the 30 participating cities in North America*. Each found icon gets the fan one step closer to the grand prize: A Season-Long Lawn Pass good for every show next summer in the Live Nation amphitheater in their city.In addition to being automatically entered into the grand prize Lawn Season Pass drawing in their city, every fan who completes the Scavenger Hunt will also receive a “Friends & Family” code to purchase a $10 lawn ticket to select concerts this summer. Fans must be followers of their local and the national Live Nation on Twitter account in order to participate.
To participate in Live Nation’s Twitter Scavenger Hunt simply follow the clues that will be “tweeted” from Live Nation Twitter accounts to find the Live Nation Twitter Scavenger Hunt icon. Clues will be “tweeted” and staggered throughout the day for each location. In order to win, fans must be Live Nation Twitter followers and tweet a picture or screenshot of the Live Nation Twitter Scavenger Hunt icon to @LiveNation and your local Live nation account. The first two clues will come from the national account @LiveNation, and the final clue will come from your local LiveNation account.
Please see www.LiveNation.com/ScavengerHunt for details.
New Releases / News This week's new releases (8/18/2009)
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 8:49 AM
Here's a quick rundown of some of this week's new releases:
Gwar Lust In Space
Colin Hay American Sunshine
Reba McEntire Keep on Loving You
Mutemath Armistice
Otep Smash the Control Machine
Sister Hazel Release
Third Eye Blind Ursa Major
Friday, August 14, 2009
Videos / News / Live Reviews Live review (with video): Mos Def, Jay Electronica at Amos'
Posted By Mike McCray on Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 4:12 PM
Live Review: Mos Def + Jay Electronica
Amos' South End, 9 p.m.
August 12, 2009
The Deal: Hip-hop's favorite MC-turned-leading- (more like supporting-) man, Mos Def, comes back through the Queen City with lots of new music and Jay Electronica riding shotgun.
The Good: What a difference a year makes for Jay Electronica. Last year he put on an awkward performance when he opened for Talib Kweli and Nas, but this time, he flashed a welcome confidence and humongous stage presence while performing tracks that were new to most of the crowd who weren't big fans before. Electronica did everything from read some local rappers flyer to the audience, to jumping in the thick of it to personalize one song to an audience member who wasn't a believer in his skills ...
... and forever changing the way you think of the Price is Right theme:
Mos Def was Mos Def, displaying the total package as a hip-hop artist, being able to switch from spitting, to singing, to even jumping on drums for a few times:
Although a lot of the show was new material from The Ecstatic ...
... he made sure longtime fans weren't left out, running through his classics and even some Black Star tracks. Mos also did his part to remember Michael Jackson, sporting the loafers and semi-high water pants, biting some dance moves and even covering "Billie Jean" in his nearly 2 hours on stage. Thank God the opening acts kept it brief.
The Bad: The "intermission" was a killer and the crowd did everything from boo to chanting Mos Def's name in the near-hour-long gap in between Jay Electronica finishing and him coming on. Electronica going acapella on a lot of tracks went from adding emphasis to just being overdone and the multiple grassy knoll references were a head scratcher. Mos Def's stage show was far from seamless. First he and the light guy couldn't get on the same page at all, stopping multiple times to plead for the lights to be turned on, off or another color. Then there was confusion between him and his 2 DJs a few times about how things should go. Mos also let his frustration with a few intoxicated fans requests get to him multiple times rather than just ignoring screams for "Mathematics" and other hit songs. In the latter part of the show, "Mighty Mos" began to lose his mighty voice, stopping short on some notes.
The Verdict: Good show, not great. Jay Electronica proved he's far more than just Erykah Badu's baby father and actually one of the nicest MCs I've ever heard that can tour without ever dropping an album or single. Mos Def just pulled more tools out of his belt, showing that while he may still be a little rusty from the time off, he's still a great performer.
10-in-10 CD Reviews / News 10-in-10 CD reviews
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 9:39 AM
Each Friday, we review 10 recently released CDs in 10 words each:
Johnny Cooper Follow — 20-year-old combines elements of rock, blues and soul.
Rhythms Del Mundo Classics — Killers, Jack Johnson, Winehouse and more for a good cause.
Bobby Bare Jr. American Bread — Deep vocals, sparse music and a 8“Horse with No Name” cover.
Robben Ford Soul on Ten — Guitarist records album live in San Francisco, showcases his diversity.
Robert Cray Band This Time — Five-time Grammy winner continues down the classic blues path.
Justin Moore Justin Moore — Debut country disc from Arkansas singer has plenty of twang.
Anna Ternheim Leaving on a Mayday — Swedish singer’s third album sounds like a toned-down Bjork.
Bryan Ragsdale Where Cowpokes Grow — Combination of country, folk and bluegrass by environmentally conscious veteran.
Alec K Redfearn & The Seizures Exterminating Angel — Interesting brand of vaudevillian rock with plenty of dark overtones.
Uke of Spaces Corners Flowers in the Night — It’s quirky country folk hitting from all sides… on acid.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
News A Lefty's day in the sun
Posted By Pete Stuart on Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 4:59 PM
It's here, finally. International Left-Handers Day. Roughly 93 percent of you may not give a shit, but then again it's not your time to shine, now is it?
Maybe I'm really excited because I'm really, really left-handed. Watch me do anything with my right hand and you'd assume that my applesauce had been laced with muscle relaxers.
Honestly, I didn't even know this celebration existed until this morning. But nonetheless I thought I'd pay tribute to some of our most prominent left-handed musicians, dead or alive.
Notable left-handers
Jimi Hendrix
Kurt Cobain
Paul McCartney
Dick Dale
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta)
Iggy Pop
Tim Armstrong (Rancid)
Phil Collins
Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
Babyface
Iggy Pop
David Cook
There's a ton more if you care to research, including tip-toein' Tiny Tim (ukulele), Billy Ray Cyrus and, for what it's worth, Eminem.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Photos / setlist / News / Live Reviews Live review, setlist, photos: Incubus
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 11:47 PM
Incubus w/ The Duke Spirit
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 12, 2009
The Deal: Incubus roll into town in support of their recent Moments and Melodies CD, bringing along The Duke Spirit.
The Good: The Duke Spirit performed a 45-minute set that showed off the band's energy and had some people hooked though the amphitheatre appeared to be half-full.
The crowd looked like it doubled by the time Incubus hit the stage and kicked it off with a power trio of "Pardon Me," "Nice to Know You" and "Anna Molly." Singer Brandon Boyd - sans those plugs in his earlobes - gave an intense performance as he sang a good part of the night's set with his eyes closed or making small hand gestures in the air or against the speakers as if hallucinating.
While the energy level remained high for a good portion of the band's hour-and-a-half set before the encore, they found time to slow it down for an acoustic "Drive" and "Make Yourself" before playing a stripped down "Dig" with Boyd on a conga and drummer Jose Pasillas slapping away at a box drum. Guitarist Mike Einziger was
The band's encore was made up of "Punch Drunk" followed by a high-energy cover of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy."
The Bad: With so much material to choose from, it's sad that the setlist was basically the same as the previous night in Virginia Beach. However, when you're promoting a greatest hits album, I guess you have to stick with your greatest hits.
The Verdict: The band was in fine form, so you'd have to guess that the time off did them some good. Everyone seemed energized by the music and Boyd seemed to be intensely tuned into the lyrics he was singing. A sonically solid performance all around.
Incubus setlist
Pardon Me
Nice to Know You
Anna Molly
Stellar
Megalomaniac
Circles
Love Hurts
Just a Phase
Drive
Make Yourself
Dig
Redefine
Warning
Oil and Water
Quicksand
A Kiss To Send Us Off
Wish You Were Here
Aqueous Transmission
Encore
Punch Drunk
Let's Go Crazy
Videos / News New Yahzarah video: 'The Tickler'
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 6:46 PM
Check out the new music video from North Carolina's own Yahzarah. The track, titled "The Tickler," is from the soul singer's forthcoming CD The Ballad of Purple St. James.
News / Live Reviews Live review: Ours
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Ours
Visulite Theatre
Aug. 10, 2009
The Deal: Melodic rock act Ours performs in Charlotte at Visulite Theatre.
The Good: It’s been a while since Ours’ last headlining show in Charlotte. The last time they were here they opened up for Filter at Amos’ Southend. Since then, they’ve been kicked off their record label and they’ve been writing new material, front man Jimmy Gnecco revealed during the show. Ours played songs mostly from their 2008 album Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy) (“Willing,” “Mercy,” “Black,” “Ran Away,” “Murder,” “Live Again,” “God Only,” “The Worst Things Beautiful,”) and from their 2001 album, Distorted Lullabies (“Here is the Light,” “I’m a Monster,” “Bleed,” “Dizzy,” “Meet Me in the Tower,” “Miseryhead,” and “Fallen Souls”). Highlights included a lengthy, music-heavy version of “Live Again” and the acoustic “Meet Me in the Tower,” in addition a newbie tune called “Sing for Me.”
The Bad: Nothing was bad about this show. However, Gnecco mentioned the band had written enough new material for several CDs. I would have liked to have heard more than just one new song.
The Verdict: Ours is a band to check out any time they roll through town. Let’s just hope they don’t take too long, before coming back. In all my times of seeing Ours live, which dates back to 2001 performances, they have put on an impressive performance. The lyrics to Ours' songs are always meaningful (and sometimes a bit gloomy), while the music that accompanies them is powerful and full of depth. You can’t get much better than that.
Ours setlist
Willing
Sing for Me
Mercy
Black
Here is the Light
Ran Away
I’m a Monster
Murder
Live Again
God Only
Bleed
The Worst Things Beautiful
Dizzy
Meet Me in the Tower
Miseryhead
Fallen Souls
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Live review: Foo Fighters, The Fillmore (9/6/2012) 2
Band rifles through 36 songs during DNC week performance - Grohl and company's longest show ever.
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Beloved Charlotte School of Rock Instructor Dies
