Mobile
Jeff Hahne
Friday, October 29, 2010
Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News What are the scariest music videos?
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 2:13 PM
Since Halloween is this weekend, I thought I'd ask — what do you think is the scariest music video?
I remember when Michael Jackson's was a bit scary and creepy... so is it "Thriller"?
\
Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams" is still pretty damned frightening....
\
And Aphex Twin is the kind of thing that will give you nightmares.
\
Billboard has come up with its own list here.
What's your opinion?
Thursday, September 9, 2010
On TV / Awards / Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News Remember when the VMAs were cool?
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, Sep 9, 2010 at 11:04 AM
The MTV Video Music Awards show will air this Sunday night at 9 p.m. Remember when it was cool? I remember watching them — usually around the time when we'd go back to school — because you cared who won. You wanted to watch amazing performances. You could also expect to see a surprise or two, or even an off-the-wall collaboration.
I remember back when Tom Petty came out to sing with Guns N Roses. I remember Pee Wee Herman coming out to start the show after his arrest. I recall, unfortunately, Michael Jackson walking out to kiss Lisa Marie Presley. However, I can't say I remember much of anything about the last, oh, 10 years or so of VMAs.
So, what can we expect this year? Eminem is set to kick off the show. I'm sure Lady Gaga will wear at least two or three different and bizarre outfits and probably walk away as the night's big winner.
Outside of that, does MTV even play any videos anymore? They sure don't on MTV. They used to on MTV2, but that seems to have gone the way of reality TV, as well. I heard there's an MTV3 out there, but no one is watching.
You're probably wondering who's even nominated... So, here is a complete list (along with my comments):
Friday, August 27, 2010
Live Reviews / Opinion / setlist / Jeff Hahne / News Remembering Stevie Ray Vaughan - 20 years later
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 12:20 PM
It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash while en route to Chicago.
One of my favorite songs by him is "Pride and Joy" and I always remember seeing his acoustic performance on MTV which was part of their unplugged series:
\
I was also fortunate enough to catch SRV in concert — July 7, 1990, at the Garden State Arts Center (now the PNC Arts Center) in Holmdel, N.J. He was on a co-headlining tour with Joe Cocker and on that night, SRV opened for Cocker.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Live Reviews / Concert Announcement / Jeff Hahne / News Lollapalooza in Chicago this weekend
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 10:52 AM
I'm heading up to the Windy City to cover Lollapalooza 2010 in Chicago this weekend. The three-day festival is now in a single location, for all-day music.
Having been to Bonnaroo for the last four years and checking out Voodoo Fest last year in New Orleans, I'm curious to see how Lollapalooza stacks up. I remember going to Lolla the first few years back in the early '90s when it was headlined by Jane's Addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Alice in Chains.
This year, the headliners are Lady Gaga, Green Day and a reunited Soundgarden. It should be interesting, to say the least.
Much like the coverage at those other festivals, I'll be posting daily blogs here and sending out Twitter messages to let you know what's going on.
As for the bands I'm hoping to check out — here's a few:
Friday, July 9, 2010
Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News Criticism from all angles
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 3:52 PM
It's funny, I've been in this job for three years and yet I still get phone calls and e-mails and other feedback from people that makes me wonder — are people really reading the paper anymore?
One of the first things I did when I started this job back in 2007 was to establish "La Vida Local" — a weekly feature in the paper that has local news, local event previews or local CD reviews. However, rarely does a month go by when someone wants me to know that I'm not doing anything for local music. When I mention La Vida Local, they don't know what I'm talking about. I can mention the three CD compilations we've put out that have now featured a total of 42 local bands, but they usually haven't heard of those either. (We're currently seeking submissions for the fourth one, by the way.)
One of the first stories I wrote for the paper was on a local band, Soulganic. I received a large amount of feedback on that one from people shocked that a local band of any kind was featured in Creative Loafing. It didn't stop there. Since then, I've written major feature articles on more than 15 local bands, in addition to regular columns by "El Diablo" that were constantly sharing information about the local music scene.
But people will still say I'm not doing enough for the local music scene... Well, what are we missing? Let us know. Send an e-mail to me or comment here and let me know about bands I should be checking out. If you're in a band, send me your CD or invite me out to a show.
I'm just one man... a person who believes in the power of diverse coverage. I have been to more than 50 concerts this year in an effort to expose my own ears, and readers, to as much as I possibly can. I've been to see Phish, the Country Throwdown Tour, Jucifer, Levon Helm, Korn, Carolina Chocolate Drops, VV Brown, Alice in Chains, OK Go, Jeff Coffin, Black Lips, George Clinton, Cage the Elephant, Black Eyed Peas and Surfer Blood, among countless others. Not diverse enough for you?
Monday, June 21, 2010
Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News What's your summer anthem?
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 3:18 PM
With today being the first day of summer, we have to ask what's your summer anthem?
For me, I consider a summer anthem to be a song about the summer. It's not just a song that you listen to in the summer, I think it's got to be on topic.
For many, I'd suspect Will Smith's "Summertime" makes the list. Other choices:
"Hot in the City" by Billy Idol
"Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys
"Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas
"California Girls" by David Lee Roth (no, not Katy Perry)
"Summer in the City" by the Lovin' Spoonful
Jane's Addiction's "Summertime Rolls"
Perhaps Alice Cooper's "School's Out"?
What's yours?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Videos / Jeff Hahne / News Lady Gaga releases "Alejandro" video
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 3:54 PM
Here's the latest from the pop songstress — Lady Gaga has released the video for "Alejandro."
Anyone else want to concur that she's stealing from Madonna? This seems oddly familiar to me — "La Isla Bonita" vibe to it; religious imagery; black leather outfits...
Looooong intro warning, too. To me, it seems like the videos are more theatrical the worse the song is... That "Telephone" song has some of the worst lyrics I've read/heard in a while.
\
Concert Announcement / Jeff Hahne / News A quick guide for Bonnaroo 2010
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 2:42 PM
With more than 100 bands performing at Bonnaroo between June 10 and 13, it's not easy to decide who to see... Here's a quick look at each day and some bands you might want to check out:
THURSDAY
Typically the weaker of the three days of the festival — in past years, however, Vampire Weekend, Janelle Monae, Zac Brown Band and others have played. This year, it's once again a packed night of up-and-coming artists that are worth giving a listen to. Diane Birch had a hit on the radio, and I'm curious to hear more — she's at That Tent at 5:30 p.m. S.C.'s Needtobreathe will be in the far corner at The Other Tent at 8:45 p.m. Indie buzz bands The Postelles, Blitzen Trapper and The xx are also on tap for the night, as are Wale and Mayer Hawthorne. Veteran Bonnaroo comedian Margaret Cho will also have a few shows in the comedy tent.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Jeff Hahne / News Tips for Bonnaroo
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Mon, Jun 7, 2010 at 10:30 AM
This year will be my fourth in a row that I'm heading out to the farmlands of Manchester, Tenn. So, I thought I'd share a few tips from what I've learned over the years:
— Bring plenty of water. Better yet, freeze them. Keep your cooler packed with frozen bottles and a few non-frozen. When you head out for the day, bring a frozen bottle with you — as it slowly melts in the mid-day sun, you'll have cold water for a lot longer than you would a cold bottle.
— Bring Gatorade packets that you can dump into a 16-ounce bottle. I found that I drank a lot less last year when I was drinking Gatorade.
— God bless the inventor of wicking t-shirts. It's going to be hot, and there won't be much shade. Those wicking shirts will help you stay a bit cooler, too.
— The showers are usually ice cold. Instead of taking one in the morning, wait until mid-afternoon when you're hot and sweaty and a cold shower feels fantastic.
— I don't recommend specific vendors, but find the samosa guy near That Tent — he's been there the last two years and has the best food you can find in the festival. $3 chicken curry samosas are the way to go.
— Give a chance to some bands you haven't heard before. Bonnaroo is a great way to check out up-and-coming artists and give them a chance.
— Don't expect to get a lot of sleep. This year, bands will be performing until 6 a.m. on the Lunar Stage... I think I got a total of 14 hours of sleep last year... Rest up.
— Stay hydrated.
— You're going to do a lot of walking - bring comfortable shoes.
— Bring a poncho in case of rain.
— Porta-johns are cleaned pretty regularly, but they're still porta-johns. Hand sanitizer, toilet paper and the ability to hold your breath are all good suggestions.
— Have fun and enjoy the music.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
On TV / Awards / Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News Quick Idol thoughts
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, May 27, 2010 at 11:29 AM
I've been pretty quiet about this season of American Idol because, well, it's been pathetic. The show is losing its luster — if it ever had any.
I'll sum up last night's show with a few comments (I think I watched the entire two-hour episode in roughly 15 minutes, thanks to the DVR):
- Dear Mr. "Pants on the Ground" (Gen. Larry Platt), you need to write more lyrics. Seriously. Standing up there repeating the same line over and over, I had to wonder who truly was looking like a fool.
- Apparently William Hung was on stage at some point. I didn't notice.
- Adam Lambert was nowhere to be seen - apparently he's at home resting his voice for his upcoming tour.
- Brett Michaels came out and sang — really? You're recovering from all kinds of brain problems, but rush out to play on Idol. You need to get your priorities straight.
- Ellen DeGeneres has a record label now. I didn't know that smiling, making bad jokes and telling every singer they're wonderful qualified people to own a label. She's signed Greyson Chance — the kid who sang "Papparazzi." Doesn't mean he has songwriting talent.
- Paula Abdul came out and rambled and made horrible jokes and I hit fast forward.
- Simon Cowell is leaving for his new show X-Factor. Which means Idol's ratings will continue to drop and Cowell's X-Factor will take over as the new ratings king.
- In the end, it was Lee DeWyze who won out over Crystal Bowersox. In a way, it makes sense. DeWyze has no personality and his vocal talent isn't that great — so it'll put him in nicely next to most of the other winners who have gone nowhere fast. He needs the promotional backing of being an Idol winner a lot more than Bowersox does. Meanwhile, I expect that Bowersox, who should drop the last name and just go by Crystal, has definite potential. Honestly, how many of the winners walked out and you thought, "They're huge now because of Idol!" Only Carrie Underwood and, maybe, Kelly Clarkson can say that. Daughtry - not a winner. Kris Allen, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, David Cook... none of them is selling out, or even playing in, arenas.
-
Live Review: Soweto Gospel Choir
Review of Soweto Gospel Choir's performance in Charlotte.
-
Concert announcement
311 bringing along Ziggy Marley on summe
-
Antiseen plays Tremont Music Hall with the Belmont Playboys (2/25/12)
