Playing catch up over the last several days: Horrendous, avoid at all costs. They must have paid Harrison Ford extremely well to be in this one. While not as great as I'd been led to believe, it was still a good movie, just not as good as I was expecting. I guess it says a lot about the state of Hollyweird when some of the movies I've enjoyed most recently have come out of Pixar Studios. I'd seen the first Without A Paddle and while it was nothing particularly special, I didn't think it was too bad for a good old mindless comedy. Turns out this new movie isn't exactly a sequel but is more like a remake and tremendously poorly done one at that. Another one to put in the "avoid at all costs" column. I think I've finally hit rock bottom with Redbox rentals. Lots of stars in this one but that's about all it had going for it. Once I figured out what was going on, I realized it wasn't really worth the effort to figure out. It's not bad, I just never found it all that engaging.

Picked these up at a record show yesterday, all on CD. While it was a great show (as usual) the only real find was Boylan Heights. The Connells finally re-released all of their albums last year but only as mp3's. I've been told they're also going to be re-released on CD via Rykodisc but something tells me that's not actually ever going to happen.

Try a few drops of this in each ear:

This is Tara's second solo effort. Her first was the very excellent Mule To Ride, which came out in '99. Here she is joined by Allison Moorer, Levon Helm, Jim Lauderdale and others. It was recorded by Larry Campbell at Levon's studio in Woodstock, NY. Tara is a member of Donna the Buffalo, the band she fronts along with Jeb Puryear. The clip below is of Tara and Jeb playing "Snowbird" at Shakori Hills in Silk Hope, NC last year. Her new record is due out on May 3rd.

I have no idea. Check the link above for more info.

Those aren't rumors, it's been confirmed. I haven't heard anything about it being a "blues" album though.

Has he ever come out and said it's actually Stewart he's referring to?

I wrote to the manufacturer and they're sending me a replacement book free of charge.

Now on tour with Hayes Carll and Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit:

Depending on the venue, tix for Neil's current solo tour are anywhere from $80 to over $200. Wouldn't it be something if fans actually organized a boycott and flat out refused to pay those prices? There's no dates set for Buffalo Springfield in NC yet but if they do play here and they're in the $300 price range I will not be going.

The Dead Recall the Colorful Life of LSD Pioneer Owsley Stanley' He’s responsible in great part for the Grateful Dead,' says Mickey Hart. 'We'd be quite a different band without him' Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty By David Browne On March 12, the extended Grateful Dead family lost one of its most crucial allies and collaborators when Owsley Stanley — the band’s one-time soundman, in-house chemist, intellectual stimulus, and sometime artist – died at age 76. Driving home from the Sydney, Australia, airport to his home near Cairns in Queensland (where he had lived since 1982), Stanley’s truck hit a patch of deep mud and water and flipped over, killing him instantly. Even in the iconoclastic world of the Dead, Stanley — or "The Bear," as he was known, thanks to his hairy chest — was an enigmatic figure, known for vast intelligence, all-meat diet and aversion to being photographed. His life prior to meeting the Dead included a stint in the Air Force and with the Marin Ballet Company (he was a ballet dancer) and working in a jet lab and at a radio station. After a pivotal acid trip in 1964, Stanley began making his own LSD and met the Dead at one of Ken Kesey’s acid tests the following year. From that point on, Stanley’s influence on the band was profound: He funded their first sound system, conceived the idea for the band’s iconic lightning-bolt-and-skull logo, recorded many of their early shows and designed their short-lived Wall of Sound PA system in 1974. To read the rest of the article click here.

I wasn't too big on them at first but as the years passed I grew pretty fond of their first two records. Beyond that, they really started to repeat themselves a great deal. By the time of Heartbeat City I was quite tired of them (despite some clever videos). All that said, these two new songs sound very fresh to my ears. Of course, most of the reviewers will comment on the loss of Ben Orr which is very understandable but aside from that, it sounds like they haven't lost any of their initial touch.

Anyone else find it odd that the person that started this thread hasn't returned to actually take part in it and that they only have one other post on the board?

I don't know if it will provide any answers but you might want to try this thread.

Due June 7th on Merge

There was never going to be a new Led Zeppelin record with or without Robert Plant. Page tried out other singers for a new band (that was never going to be called "Led Zeppelin") that would have also included John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham but apparently none of them fit the bill. The whole "everything is Robert Plant's fault" thing has been played out here to the hilt.