Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Someday We'll Go All The Way
As you know a friend of mine writes for a sports blog called Ladies Locker Room. I was asked to write something for it about what it is like being a Chicago Cubs fan. Here it is. Please check out Ladies Locker Room at http://ladieslockerroom.blogspot.com/
Someday We'll Go All The Way
------------------
Someday We'll Go All The Way
So there are couple things that are different about me from Boogie and Stars who you normally hear from on LLR. The first and most obvious is I, in fact, do have balls. However that is of no importance in a sports blog. The difference that is more important is the fact that I am not an NL East guy. More specifically, I am not a New York Mets fan. I am a Chicago Cubs fan.
I am one of the bigger Chicago Cubs fans you will meet. I don’t really know the stats and remember every play of every game the way some of my brethren (and sisters) do. I, however, am one who allows the emotions of the game get to him. I actually do this for all of my teams (Chi Town stand up!). It changes my day when my teams lose. If my teams lose, its hard for me to watch Sportscenter that night. This has been very difficult over the past 27 years of being a Chicago Cubs fan...you miss a lot of ESPN.
While I have been struggling with this difficult task of being a supporter of the Loveable Losers for my whole life, my dad and his generation have in fact doubled my sentence. While my biggest heart wrenching moment has been 2003 (the year it was blamed on poor Steve Bartman), my dad has been old enough to sit through 1969 (Mets comeback), 1984 (“Go Cubs Go” singer Steve Goodman dies, Cubs win 2 then lose 3 in a row to SD), 1989 (Will Clark leads the Giants into Chicago) and 2003. Now, the Cubs have been competitive a few other times, but these were special teams that seemed like they could be the one. They seemed that they could be the one, but 1908 is still forever tattooed on all of our minds.
1908. William Taft was elected. It was the first time a ball was dropped for the New Year in Times Square. The first oil was discovered in the Middle East. Jack Johnson knocked out Tommy Burns to be the first African- American Heavyweight Champion. You get the picture. The things like “avoid Times Square on New Years Eve,” “lets go to war to get oil from the Arab nations” and “always bet on black” weren’t even ideas yet!
We are not accustomed to seeing a lot of success on the North Side of Chicago. At the same time in the past few seasons, we have watched the two other longest streaks in the Boston Red Sox and cross town rivals Chicago White Sox each win. We also saw our biggest rival the St. Louis Cardinals win as well. Now I don’t believe in curses or any of that, however it should be noted that we blew it in 2003, the Red Sox won in 2004 and the White Sox won in 2005. The two teams that were our suffering partners got invited to the dance right after we got our hearts broken.
The most dangerous thing a Chicago Cubs fan can do is get comfortable with success. I was taught at an early age by my dad to never say things that may come back to haunt you. It scares me when they show the people in the stands at Wrigley with signs that say, “This Is Our Year,” “This Year Is Next Year” or “Its Gonna Happen.” That is asking for trouble. Eddie Vedder, a big Cubs fan, and performs a song this summer that he wrote called “Someday We’ll Go All The Way.” The song is about Wrigley and us fans waiting but still having the Cubs backs 100 years later.
I simply prefer to take it one game at a time… bottle my excitement and hope… hope like you have to idea. All you can do is cheer and wait… and hope that our hearts aren’t ripped out again.
I just want them to win so our dads can see what many of our grandfathers didn’t. But, if they don’t win… There’s always next year.
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go!
Hey Chicago What Do You Say?
The Cubs Are Gonna Win Today!
-illorange
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Check'em Out
The Rosewood Thieves.
New York, NY
http://www.myspace.com/therosewoodthieves
For fans of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, throwback bands.
Here is one of my favorite LES bands out there... they actually have been for a couple years now. I present to you the Rosewood Thieves.
New York, NY
http://www.myspace.com/therosewoodthieves
For fans of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, throwback bands.
Here is one of my favorite LES bands out there... they actually have been for a couple years now. I present to you the Rosewood Thieves.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Shows This Week
Iggy & The Stooges.
Terminal 5
http://www.myspace.com/iggyandthestooges
This was the third show from the Michigan rockers I have seen in the past, oh, 18 months or so. They have yet to disappoint. Once again, I was among the younger people in the whole place. Once again, I was impressed with the sound at Terminal 5. Its not often that you get your face melted by a guy 60 years old. Its not often that you see a guy over 60 hump more inanimate objects than my college roommate. The show was great nonetheless. I heard every single song I wanted to hear, including I Wanna Be Your Dog twice. It was a great night and I had more plans after that.
Random Non-Music Related High Point.
As always, the high point of a Stooges show is Iggy's energy and of course inviting 200 plus people on stage isn't so bad either.
Metric.
Highline Ballroom
http://www.myspace.com/metricband
Oh, Canada! Its not often that you see two of your favorite bands in one night. Right after the
Stooges show, I headed downtown to see Emily and the guys. I love Emily Haines. If you have met me before you already know that. The show started at about 1 am. They came out and rocked a small little crowd which I had never seen them do before. The playlist was perfect and they sounded great. And really the weekend was just beginning because I would be seeing them the next day at All Points West.
The opening act was a band called Black Angels from Austin, TX. They were like a psychedelic throw back that I recommend checking out.
Random Non-Music Related High Point.
Emily Haines rubbed my head after the set from the stage.
All Points West.
Jersey City, NJ
This was a festival that included Metric, Chromeo, Kings of Leon and Radiohead. We didn't stay for Radiohead as we learned from the week prior.
For Metric please see above.
Kings of Leon had a great show and again played every song that we could have wanted to hear. I have to admit though, I am ready for some new songs from Team Followill. I also have to admit that I hope when they do come with the new songs, they are more similar to the Youth & Young Mandhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak. I am just a big fan of the whiskey soaked country, blues of the first two records. The set was great though and Caleb's vocie sounded distinct as ever. Like them or not, they seem to put on a better show almost every time I see them. Again, a band that I don't like to miss when they come to town.
We missed Chromeo because we were drinking and well we left during Radiohead.
I do have a couple complaints about the show though. They are both beer related. The five beers for person thing was lame. When you got a bracelet, you weren't allowed to have more beers than one for each of the numbered tabs on your wrist. One got ripped off each time you bought a beer. Then when you did get a beer, you couldnt leave a fenced in area. That means you couldn't see the stage. Bullshit!
Random Non-Music Related High Point.
This is more than just a high point. I have been saying for years that New York needs a good rock festival of their own. Good job here guys. Oh, nothing against you Siren and CMJ.
Terminal 5
http://www.myspace.com/iggyandthestooges
This was the third show from the Michigan rockers I have seen in the past, oh, 18 months or so. They have yet to disappoint. Once again, I was among the younger people in the whole place. Once again, I was impressed with the sound at Terminal 5. Its not often that you get your face melted by a guy 60 years old. Its not often that you see a guy over 60 hump more inanimate objects than my college roommate. The show was great nonetheless. I heard every single song I wanted to hear, including I Wanna Be Your Dog twice. It was a great night and I had more plans after that.Random Non-Music Related High Point.
As always, the high point of a Stooges show is Iggy's energy and of course inviting 200 plus people on stage isn't so bad either.
Metric.
Highline Ballroom
http://www.myspace.com/metricband
Oh, Canada! Its not often that you see two of your favorite bands in one night. Right after the
Stooges show, I headed downtown to see Emily and the guys. I love Emily Haines. If you have met me before you already know that. The show started at about 1 am. They came out and rocked a small little crowd which I had never seen them do before. The playlist was perfect and they sounded great. And really the weekend was just beginning because I would be seeing them the next day at All Points West.The opening act was a band called Black Angels from Austin, TX. They were like a psychedelic throw back that I recommend checking out.
Random Non-Music Related High Point.
Emily Haines rubbed my head after the set from the stage.
All Points West.
Jersey City, NJ
This was a festival that included Metric, Chromeo, Kings of Leon and Radiohead. We didn't stay for Radiohead as we learned from the week prior.
For Metric please see above.
Kings of Leon had a great show and again played every song that we could have wanted to hear. I have to admit though, I am ready for some new songs from Team Followill. I also have to admit that I hope when they do come with the new songs, they are more similar to the Youth & Young Mandhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak. I am just a big fan of the whiskey soaked country, blues of the first two records. The set was great though and Caleb's vocie sounded distinct as ever. Like them or not, they seem to put on a better show almost every time I see them. Again, a band that I don't like to miss when they come to town.
We missed Chromeo because we were drinking and well we left during Radiohead.
I do have a couple complaints about the show though. They are both beer related. The five beers for person thing was lame. When you got a bracelet, you weren't allowed to have more beers than one for each of the numbered tabs on your wrist. One got ripped off each time you bought a beer. Then when you did get a beer, you couldnt leave a fenced in area. That means you couldn't see the stage. Bullshit!
Random Non-Music Related High Point.
This is more than just a high point. I have been saying for years that New York needs a good rock festival of their own. Good job here guys. Oh, nothing against you Siren and CMJ.
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings.
Central Park Summer Stage
http://www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings
Central Park Summer Stage
http://www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings
This was a great show that kind of fell in our laps on a Sunday afternoon. My girlfriend and I 
Random Non-Music Related High Point.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Fashion of Lollapalooza 2008
So one of the interesting things to do at Lollapalooza when you are walking from show to show, is to notice people's the shirts. With Rage Against the Machine being the no doubt favorite band of the weekend, there were plenty of their shirts, Che shirts and other political statements. Here are a few others that caught my eye.
Most Offensive-
The most offensive shirt of the weekend was a cartoon drawing of the Sears Tower giving someone the finger. The speaking balloon coming out of it said "Hey Fuckers, fly into this!" I was not impressed. Worst shirt of the weekend.
Most Random-
It simply read:
"Haiku's are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator."
Random Movie-
It simply read:
"Los Locos kick your ass, Los Locos Kick your face, Los Locos kick your balls into outer space!"
Lollapalooza 2008 Day 3 Review
The day of that started with the most gripping hangover of the weekend, started with a little hiccup on the festivals end also. We got their in time to see The Weakerthans but they were no where to be found. Something happened with travel that caused them to miss. I was pretty disappointed since I was ready to see Manitoba's finest. Instead we got a lackluster set from Office. We then walked across the park to catch the last few songs from The Whigs. A band I wasn't really paying attention to since I wasn't really familiar.
We were able to stay on that end of the festival since we went to see New York's own, Brazilian Girls. This was one of the better sets of the weekend. The guys came out and started playing their grooves when they joined by the only actual girl in the band... in a short skirt, frilly white shirt and parisol. She looked like she was ready for a little burlesque action, which was totally fine. The set was great and they had a much bigger showing than I thought.
Next up was 80 dance cheesiness, Chromeo. This set was a lot of fun. We started in the back where it was hard to get into it, but when we made our way closer things improved drastically. Their stage show was nothing to write home about but the music takes care of that easily.
Then we caught Eli "Paper Boy" Reed & The True Loves. This show was a lot of fun, just because it was so different from everything else we had been seeing. It was like a throwback to the old days of blue eyed soul. We also for the first time (yes on day three) realized there was a tent with beer other than Bud and Bud Light. After enjoying a couple Stella Artois, it was off to see what turned out to be the most fun band of the entire festival.
From the stage the announcement of "are you ready, ya bastards?" and Flogging Molly began their set. Drunken Lullabies was one of the high points of the entire weekend for me. The band was great, the crowd was great, even the between song banter was great. The guy is hilarious. I got seperated from the group quickly as I found myself at the stage doing a lot of dancing.
Then it was time to see some 80's throwback and went to see Love & Rockets. The guys played well, it was my frist time seeing them. I was very young in this crowd too. Most of my group went tot he other side to see Gnarls Barkley, but I had to stay. No New Tale To Tell made my decision worth it.
The National played but I couldn't hear them at all since I set up shop to see Nine Inch Nails. Trent and the boys killed it. One of the random funny moments of the weekend had to do with the guitarist. We had been making fun of a guys hair at my hotel. My mom especially. That guy was there on the stage playing with Mr. Reznor. Any way, the set was great, Terrible Lies or Hand That Feeds were the two high points I thought.
It was another great year in Grant Park and I am already excited to see next year's lineup!
Brutal Overlap Of The Day-
Brazilian Girls and John Butler Trio
Band That I Had Never Seen And Don't Want To Miss When They Come To New York-
Flogging Molly
Best Show Of The Day-
Flogging Molly
Nine Inch Nails (Honorable Mention)
We were able to stay on that end of the festival since we went to see New York's own, Brazilian Girls. This was one of the better sets of the weekend. The guys came out and started playing their grooves when they joined by the only actual girl in the band... in a short skirt, frilly white shirt and parisol. She looked like she was ready for a little burlesque action, which was totally fine. The set was great and they had a much bigger showing than I thought.
Next up was 80 dance cheesiness, Chromeo. This set was a lot of fun. We started in the back where it was hard to get into it, but when we made our way closer things improved drastically. Their stage show was nothing to write home about but the music takes care of that easily.
Then we caught Eli "Paper Boy" Reed & The True Loves. This show was a lot of fun, just because it was so different from everything else we had been seeing. It was like a throwback to the old days of blue eyed soul. We also for the first time (yes on day three) realized there was a tent with beer other than Bud and Bud Light. After enjoying a couple Stella Artois, it was off to see what turned out to be the most fun band of the entire festival.
From the stage the announcement of "are you ready, ya bastards?" and Flogging Molly began their set. Drunken Lullabies was one of the high points of the entire weekend for me. The band was great, the crowd was great, even the between song banter was great. The guy is hilarious. I got seperated from the group quickly as I found myself at the stage doing a lot of dancing.
Then it was time to see some 80's throwback and went to see Love & Rockets. The guys played well, it was my frist time seeing them. I was very young in this crowd too. Most of my group went tot he other side to see Gnarls Barkley, but I had to stay. No New Tale To Tell made my decision worth it.
The National played but I couldn't hear them at all since I set up shop to see Nine Inch Nails. Trent and the boys killed it. One of the random funny moments of the weekend had to do with the guitarist. We had been making fun of a guys hair at my hotel. My mom especially. That guy was there on the stage playing with Mr. Reznor. Any way, the set was great, Terrible Lies or Hand That Feeds were the two high points I thought.
It was another great year in Grant Park and I am already excited to see next year's lineup!
Brutal Overlap Of The Day-
Brazilian Girls and John Butler Trio
Band That I Had Never Seen And Don't Want To Miss When They Come To New York-
Flogging Molly
Best Show Of The Day-
Flogging Molly
Nine Inch Nails (Honorable Mention)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Check'em Out
Here is a band for y'all to check out.
Blind Pilot
Portland, OR
http://www.myspace.com/goblindpilot
For fans of Fleet Foxes, Margot & The Nuclear So and So's and Conor Oberst.
These guys are currently on a bike tour... thats right you read that right. They are riding their bikes from spot to spot. Gangster.
Blind Pilot
Portland, OR
http://www.myspace.com/goblindpilot
For fans of Fleet Foxes, Margot & The Nuclear So and So's and Conor Oberst.
These guys are currently on a bike tour... thats right you read that right. They are riding their bikes from spot to spot. Gangster.
Lollapalooza 2008 Day 2 Review
The day started much easier on day two. No bad lines, we just walked right in. The first band we went to see was Margot & The Nuclear So & So's. Again, this was another band I had never seen before, which you will see is a common theme on day two. The show was great, the band was tight and all the precussion going on was fantastic. It was a shame they only got an hour. The highpoint in my opinoin was Barfight Revolution.
From there we headed over to see Does It Offend You, Yeah?. The show was fantastic! Loud as hell and they didn't miss a beat being outdoors. Though we only caught the last thirty minutes, they were easily one of my favorite acts of this year's Lollapalooza. Highlights included Let's Make Out and We Are Rockstars (which had people losing their minds).
After that very loud an upbeat show, we headed back to the other side of the park to catch Dr. Dog. This was the least impressive show to me. It was quiet, it was boring and a ton of people were sitting.
We didn't last very long before we headed to get a good spot for Gutter Twins. Again, this show was really surprising. I love this record, but I wasn't sure how it would translate live, let alone at an outdoor festival. IT WAS GREAT! Mark and Greg's voices worked perfectly together. Mark was a statue and Greg stayed with his guitar but they both managed to be as charismatic as anyone else at Lollapalooza. Yet another band who's shows I really don't want to miss again. Too bad that I have to wait until November.
We didn't have to walk to far to go see MGMT. One of the most popular afternoon bands of the entire festival. They seemed to be the talk of Lollapalooza even the nights before the shows even began. The didn't disappoint. The only draw back was there were to many people their for their own sound, so unless you got closer it was a little quiet.
We took a break for a while to have some food and knock back a few more beers before movin g on to the next show. Unfortunately this was the longest downtime we had the whole weekend and all it did was cause arguing and boredom amongst the group (at this point there were 12 of us).
Then it was off to Broken Social Scene. They were good, but it wasn't their best show I had ever seen. We stayed for half before we decided to get more beers and catch the end of Battles. That didn't seem too exciting either as I find them to be hit or miss.
That brought us to Toadies. Being someone who was in middle school and highschool in the 90s, this was a must see. They played some songs and people who were there for them we loving it, people who weren't just kind of saw them as a rock band. My brother (born 1990) said, you can tell this is a 90s band and then made an obnoxious guitar noise. I told him he was an idiot. The high point of course was when Vaden Todd Lewis said, "we're the Toadies, we're the band that did this song." They of course then went into Possum Kingdom. I ate it up.
Last of the night was those loveable rebels themselves, Rage Against The Machine. This was easily the most crowded show I have ever seen in my three years at Lollapalooza. Though it had to be stopped a few times to get people to stop pushing the kids in front into the fence. It was great, it had all the elements of a Rage show. Zack de la Rocha was losing his mind on stage. Tom Morello's signature guitar not to mention the thousands of people moving and pumping their fists. The show was fantastic even though we got split up and I watched most of it alone.
Brutal Overlap Of The Day-
Rage Against The Machine and Wilco
Toadies and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (Honorable Mention)
Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Margot & The Nuclear So and So's (Honorable Mention)
Band That I Had Never Seen And Don't Want To Miss When They Come To New York-
The Gutter Twins
Does It Offend You, Yeah (Honorable Mention)
Margot & The Nuclear So and So's (Honorable Mention)
Best Show Of The Day-
The Gutter Twins
Rage Against The Machine (Honorable Mention)
From there we headed over to see Does It Offend You, Yeah?. The show was fantastic! Loud as hell and they didn't miss a beat being outdoors. Though we only caught the last thirty minutes, they were easily one of my favorite acts of this year's Lollapalooza. Highlights included Let's Make Out and We Are Rockstars (which had people losing their minds).
After that very loud an upbeat show, we headed back to the other side of the park to catch Dr. Dog. This was the least impressive show to me. It was quiet, it was boring and a ton of people were sitting.
We didn't last very long before we headed to get a good spot for Gutter Twins. Again, this show was really surprising. I love this record, but I wasn't sure how it would translate live, let alone at an outdoor festival. IT WAS GREAT! Mark and Greg's voices worked perfectly together. Mark was a statue and Greg stayed with his guitar but they both managed to be as charismatic as anyone else at Lollapalooza. Yet another band who's shows I really don't want to miss again. Too bad that I have to wait until November.
We didn't have to walk to far to go see MGMT. One of the most popular afternoon bands of the entire festival. They seemed to be the talk of Lollapalooza even the nights before the shows even began. The didn't disappoint. The only draw back was there were to many people their for their own sound, so unless you got closer it was a little quiet.
We took a break for a while to have some food and knock back a few more beers before movin g on to the next show. Unfortunately this was the longest downtime we had the whole weekend and all it did was cause arguing and boredom amongst the group (at this point there were 12 of us).
Then it was off to Broken Social Scene. They were good, but it wasn't their best show I had ever seen. We stayed for half before we decided to get more beers and catch the end of Battles. That didn't seem too exciting either as I find them to be hit or miss.
That brought us to Toadies. Being someone who was in middle school and highschool in the 90s, this was a must see. They played some songs and people who were there for them we loving it, people who weren't just kind of saw them as a rock band. My brother (born 1990) said, you can tell this is a 90s band and then made an obnoxious guitar noise. I told him he was an idiot. The high point of course was when Vaden Todd Lewis said, "we're the Toadies, we're the band that did this song." They of course then went into Possum Kingdom. I ate it up.
Last of the night was those loveable rebels themselves, Rage Against The Machine. This was easily the most crowded show I have ever seen in my three years at Lollapalooza. Though it had to be stopped a few times to get people to stop pushing the kids in front into the fence. It was great, it had all the elements of a Rage show. Zack de la Rocha was losing his mind on stage. Tom Morello's signature guitar not to mention the thousands of people moving and pumping their fists. The show was fantastic even though we got split up and I watched most of it alone.
Brutal Overlap Of The Day-
Rage Against The Machine and Wilco
Toadies and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (Honorable Mention)
Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Margot & The Nuclear So and So's (Honorable Mention)
Band That I Had Never Seen And Don't Want To Miss When They Come To New York-
The Gutter Twins
Does It Offend You, Yeah (Honorable Mention)
Margot & The Nuclear So and So's (Honorable Mention)
Best Show Of The Day-
The Gutter Twins
Rage Against The Machine (Honorable Mention)
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Lollapalooza 2008 Day 1 Review
The day got off to a rough start since we were waiting in a monsterous line. Unfortunately we missed Black Lips and Holy Fuck... I was not happy about that at all.
We then made our way over to the BMI stage to check out New Jersey's own, The Parlor Mob. These guys may have been the surpirse of the festival. I had never seen them before but I will surely never miss a show of theirs again. They didn't miss a beat live and their guitars and the vocals were spot on and loud. They made it very difficult to stand still on such a hot day and so soon in the festival.
We then caught the beginning of Louis XIV, which was a little bit of a train wreck. Their performance seemed to be trying to hard to be cool to the point that they caused their own uncool backlash. They definitely played to a good size crowd the only problem was that it was on black top and it got warm. Fast. We left them after my girlfriend heard the songs that she wanted to hear. We headed over to the nearest stage to see The Kills. Its easy to blame the sound guy, but the sound wasn't translating their songs at all! We caught No Wow but it seemed to lack that punch that it has on the record and in smaller indoor settings.
We caught the beginning of Gogol Bordello and though its not my thing, it was pretty fun. We didn't stay to long though because we had to go see the blues gents at the other end, Black Keys. The Kills wish they had their sound guy. It was loud and it translated great... well they are seasoned Lollapalooza vets at this point so they knew what they were getting themselves into. My only thing about them is they seem to get tired and then just rock and some of the instrumentation gets to be a little much... stop jamming and play a song! That is kind of harsh since I did love the show.
We then grabbed more beer and wine and parked ourselves in a good spot to catch The Raconteurs. In my opinion, these guys have played two Lollapaloozas and have dominated their day both times. If you haven't seen these guys live yet, you are doing yourself no favors. Jack White is fantastic live and the band is up to the challenge of his shadow. Would have been nice to have a horn section for The Switch and the Spur.
Last was Radiohead. This was the biggest disappointment of Lollapalooza 2008. The sounds was quiet. The setlist was boring. Thom Yorke was a statue. It was a bummer. Even my friends who are big fans weren't that psyched about it. The highlight however was during the song Fake Plastic Trees, there were fireworks going off at Soldier Field from Bears family night. It was totally random but it worked perfectly.
Day one down... time to get drunk(er) with the guys!
Brutal Overlap Of The Day-
The Raconteurs and Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Black Lips and Holy Fuck (Honorable Mention)
Band That I Had Never Seen And Don't Want To Miss When They Come To New York-
The Parlor Mob
Best Show Of The Day-
The Raconteurs
We then made our way over to the BMI stage to check out New Jersey's own, The Parlor Mob. These guys may have been the surpirse of the festival. I had never seen them before but I will surely never miss a show of theirs again. They didn't miss a beat live and their guitars and the vocals were spot on and loud. They made it very difficult to stand still on such a hot day and so soon in the festival.
We then caught the beginning of Louis XIV, which was a little bit of a train wreck. Their performance seemed to be trying to hard to be cool to the point that they caused their own uncool backlash. They definitely played to a good size crowd the only problem was that it was on black top and it got warm. Fast. We left them after my girlfriend heard the songs that she wanted to hear. We headed over to the nearest stage to see The Kills. Its easy to blame the sound guy, but the sound wasn't translating their songs at all! We caught No Wow but it seemed to lack that punch that it has on the record and in smaller indoor settings.
We caught the beginning of Gogol Bordello and though its not my thing, it was pretty fun. We didn't stay to long though because we had to go see the blues gents at the other end, Black Keys. The Kills wish they had their sound guy. It was loud and it translated great... well they are seasoned Lollapalooza vets at this point so they knew what they were getting themselves into. My only thing about them is they seem to get tired and then just rock and some of the instrumentation gets to be a little much... stop jamming and play a song! That is kind of harsh since I did love the show.
We then grabbed more beer and wine and parked ourselves in a good spot to catch The Raconteurs. In my opinion, these guys have played two Lollapaloozas and have dominated their day both times. If you haven't seen these guys live yet, you are doing yourself no favors. Jack White is fantastic live and the band is up to the challenge of his shadow. Would have been nice to have a horn section for The Switch and the Spur.
Last was Radiohead. This was the biggest disappointment of Lollapalooza 2008. The sounds was quiet. The setlist was boring. Thom Yorke was a statue. It was a bummer. Even my friends who are big fans weren't that psyched about it. The highlight however was during the song Fake Plastic Trees, there were fireworks going off at Soldier Field from Bears family night. It was totally random but it worked perfectly.
Day one down... time to get drunk(er) with the guys!
Brutal Overlap Of The Day-
The Raconteurs and Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Black Lips and Holy Fuck (Honorable Mention)
Band That I Had Never Seen And Don't Want To Miss When They Come To New York-
The Parlor Mob
Best Show Of The Day-
The Raconteurs
Monday, August 18, 2008
Ghidrah (8/18/08) -- Reel Big Fish, Patrick Droney, Push Play
Check it out, the GHIDRAH, in its new format: http://www.rockridgemusic.com/ghidrah
That's right - the GHIDRAH has been upgraded from cool to totally kick-ass!!!
This week's Ghidrah songs:
Reel Big Fish – Everybody’s Drunk
Patrick Droney – Save Me
Push Play – Situation
Reel Big Fish was one of the legions of Southern California ska-punk bands to edge into the mainstream following the commercial success of No Doubt and Sublime. Like most of their peers, the band was distinguished by their hyperkinetic stage shows, juvenile humor, ironic covers of new wave pop songs, and metallic shards of ska. The group cultivated an underground following that broke into the mainstream in summer 1997, when their single "Sell Out" became a modern rock radio and MTV favorite. Over ten years later, eleven to be exact, they're wrapping up headlining Warped Tour in support of their latest release Monkeys For Nothin' And The Chimps For Free.
Most extremely gifted musicians never get the opportunity to cite prestigious venues and festivals such as The Montreal Jazz Festival, Antone’s, House of Blues, The Whiskey A-Go-Go, B.B. Kings Blues Club & The Bamboozle Music Festival as been-there-done-that’s, much less have been requested to provide guidance & instruction to aspiring artists alongside the likes of such inspirational innovators as Steve Vai & Joe Satriani.
Awarded the Robert Johnson Star Award Recipient for 2006 as the country’s most promising blues musician, Patrick Droney hails from coastal Southern New Jersey. Steven Johnson, grandson of the legendary bluesman and Chief Operating Officer of the Foundation, hails - “Patrick blew us away. We were amazed that a musician that young could play with that much skill and dexterity and with that much soul."
Push Play is an edgy pop rock band coming to the scene first on Long Island and reaching as far as the Midwest in cities such as Menomonee Falls, WI, and Chicago, Illinois and as far as Boston, MA. Comprised of 4 young men, this talented group was named Best Band on Long Island by the Long Island Press. Their debut album "Deserted", released last December, represents all of their own material. Through MySpace, their music has reached over 44,000 fans across the globe. The "Deserted" iTunes release stayed on the top 100 for the first2 weeks, which is unheard of by any unsigned band that had not begun touring outside the tri-state area.
That's right - the GHIDRAH has been upgraded from cool to totally kick-ass!!!
This week's Ghidrah songs:
Reel Big Fish – Everybody’s Drunk
Patrick Droney – Save Me
Push Play – Situation
Reel Big Fish was one of the legions of Southern California ska-punk bands to edge into the mainstream following the commercial success of No Doubt and Sublime. Like most of their peers, the band was distinguished by their hyperkinetic stage shows, juvenile humor, ironic covers of new wave pop songs, and metallic shards of ska. The group cultivated an underground following that broke into the mainstream in summer 1997, when their single "Sell Out" became a modern rock radio and MTV favorite. Over ten years later, eleven to be exact, they're wrapping up headlining Warped Tour in support of their latest release Monkeys For Nothin' And The Chimps For Free.
Most extremely gifted musicians never get the opportunity to cite prestigious venues and festivals such as The Montreal Jazz Festival, Antone’s, House of Blues, The Whiskey A-Go-Go, B.B. Kings Blues Club & The Bamboozle Music Festival as been-there-done-that’s, much less have been requested to provide guidance & instruction to aspiring artists alongside the likes of such inspirational innovators as Steve Vai & Joe Satriani.
Awarded the Robert Johnson Star Award Recipient for 2006 as the country’s most promising blues musician, Patrick Droney hails from coastal Southern New Jersey. Steven Johnson, grandson of the legendary bluesman and Chief Operating Officer of the Foundation, hails - “Patrick blew us away. We were amazed that a musician that young could play with that much skill and dexterity and with that much soul."
Push Play is an edgy pop rock band coming to the scene first on Long Island and reaching as far as the Midwest in cities such as Menomonee Falls, WI, and Chicago, Illinois and as far as Boston, MA. Comprised of 4 young men, this talented group was named Best Band on Long Island by the Long Island Press. Their debut album "Deserted", released last December, represents all of their own material. Through MySpace, their music has reached over 44,000 fans across the globe. The "Deserted" iTunes release stayed on the top 100 for the first2 weeks, which is unheard of by any unsigned band that had not begun touring outside the tri-state area.
Getting Back On Track
I want to start by saying sorry for the lack of updates. I recently was back in Chicago and had a flight get delayed to the point that it took 10 hours. Thats right, 10 hours from my parents house to my apartment.
The flight was delayed a few times and then we sat on the runway in Chicago. Then when we finally got to Newark, we were put in a holding pattern, then sat on their runway.
A pain in the ass cab ride later and the day was shot. I have a ton to catch up on but I will be updating normally again this week.
Let the hate mail fly!
The flight was delayed a few times and then we sat on the runway in Chicago. Then when we finally got to Newark, we were put in a holding pattern, then sat on their runway.
A pain in the ass cab ride later and the day was shot. I have a ton to catch up on but I will be updating normally again this week.
Let the hate mail fly!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
5 Song I Am Into Right Now
Joy Division- No Love Lost
From the EP An Ideal For Living (1978)
The second track off the post punk icon's frist EP, was recorded when they were still a late 70's Manchester style punk band. The musical introduction to the song is ideal for walking rapidly down the street in an urban area.
Genius/GZA- Duel of the Iron Mic
From the album Liquid Swords (1995)
Again, the second track off this Wu Tang member's first solo record. One of the heavier songs off of one of the Wu Tang Clan's heaviest albums any of them ever did. The way thuggish hip hop should still sound.
Datarock- Computer Camp Love
From the album Datarock (2005)
A funny song from these Norwegian, dance punk gents. The song takes a slow dance music to sit to groove and throws in a funny conversation from Revenge of the Nerds and even a little from Grease.
Does It Offend You, Yeah?- We Are Rock Stars
From the album You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into (2008)
Heaviest song on their wonderfully schizophrenic record. These guys don't know if they are rockers or ravers. Any way, if you like this song when you hear the recording, wait til you hear it live.
Dax Riggs- Living Is Suicide
From the album We Sing of Only Blood or Love (2007)
Take a dark bluesy singer songwriter. Now, realize that he used to be in metal bands, gets punky and is as sludgey as anyone. He sings about gothic themes and writes folk songs. Oh fuck it... just listen.
From the EP An Ideal For Living (1978)
The second track off the post punk icon's frist EP, was recorded when they were still a late 70's Manchester style punk band. The musical introduction to the song is ideal for walking rapidly down the street in an urban area.
Genius/GZA- Duel of the Iron Mic
From the album Liquid Swords (1995)
Again, the second track off this Wu Tang member's first solo record. One of the heavier songs off of one of the Wu Tang Clan's heaviest albums any of them ever did. The way thuggish hip hop should still sound.
Datarock- Computer Camp Love
From the album Datarock (2005)
A funny song from these Norwegian, dance punk gents. The song takes a slow dance music to sit to groove and throws in a funny conversation from Revenge of the Nerds and even a little from Grease.
Does It Offend You, Yeah?- We Are Rock Stars
From the album You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into (2008)
Heaviest song on their wonderfully schizophrenic record. These guys don't know if they are rockers or ravers. Any way, if you like this song when you hear the recording, wait til you hear it live.
Dax Riggs- Living Is Suicide
From the album We Sing of Only Blood or Love (2007)
Take a dark bluesy singer songwriter. Now, realize that he used to be in metal bands, gets punky and is as sludgey as anyone. He sings about gothic themes and writes folk songs. Oh fuck it... just listen.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Good Music Videos
Yes.... the Lollapalooza 2008 rundown is coming soon... in the meantime, enjoy one of my all time favorite bands with the sexiest singer in the business.
Metric- Combat Baby
Metric- Combat Baby
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