More clips from last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS_KsA9zg-4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rewqo8a0274

Video from last night's show in Durham: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcpjBNao1_g

Security dude at the Alice Cooper show last night. It reads very plainly on my ticket and on the venue website that no cameras are allowed. Once I enter and take my seat I see cameras going off everywhere and not just cellphones. I ask someone in charge in the lobby if it's alright to take pictures and she says it's fine, "go get your camera before he dies again". I rush to my car as not to miss much of the show and return to my seat to take some photos. Security guy is staring me down, meanwhile people all around me are taking pictures. He then walks up and tells me I can't take video, which I am doing (I got just a snippet of Be My Lover). I continue to take pictures but stop filming. He's still staring me down. A few moments pass and he tells me I have to stop taking pictures. I point to everyone around me that's taking photos, not to mention video and tell him that I was told it was ok to take pictures. He says, "well, it looks like you're taking video". I explain that I'm adjusting my shutter and aperture settings which requires holding your camera steady for extended periods of time. Even after I show him the photos I've taken he still believes I'm shooting video. He than asks me to take a photo of the floor, I guess to prove my camera is not in "movie" mode. Even then, he is still not satisfied. He tells me no more pictures. Pissed off, I find the woman in the lobby who told me it was fine. She says she will let security know and will have a message relayed to him. I doubt that ever happened but I returned to my seat and resumed taking photos. For the remainder of the night he keeps staring me down and often approaches me to see if I'm shooting video (which I'm not). I realize the guy was just doing his job but I felt like the KGB was riding my ass all fucking night while everyone around me was also taking photos. He, nor none of the other security guys ever said a single word to any one of them. I didn't let his assholeness ruin my evening as the concert absolutely kicked ass.

Alice Cooper's Theatre of Death show in Durham last night. 7th Avenue Vampires with Dennis Dunaway opened. If this show is coming anywhere near you by all means don't miss it. I waited nearly a lifetime to see him in concert. It turned out to be everything I hoped for and more.

I certainly hope so. The upswing in vinyl sales over the last couple of years gives a lot of hope for that. Still, I'm trying to adapt.

Kiss definitely belongs in there. Their influence on other bands is undeniable. The person in question is Jann Wenner, and yes, I'm sure his role has a lot to do with who does and who doesn't get nominated for induction. The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame has not been without it's share of controversy, especially surrounding the induction of the Dave Clark Five. It took Skynyrd something like seven times before they were ever inducted, they should have been in the very first year they were eligible.

150 Band of Horses - Everything All Of The Time 2006 149 Ray Lamontagne - Trouble 2006 148 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand 2004 147 The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain 2008 146 Richard Thompson - Front Parlour Blues 2005 145 Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days 2004 144 Robert Wyatt - Comicopera 2007 143 Leonard Cohen - Ten New Songs 2001 142 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell 2003 141 Rachel Unthank & The Winterset - The Bairns 2007 140 Espers - Espers II 2006 139 Outkast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below 2003 138 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky 2007 137 Elliot Smith - From A Basement On A Hill 2004 136 The Strokes - Room On Fire 2003 135 Willard Grant Conspiracy - Regard The End 2003 134 Radiohead - Hail To The Thief 2003 133 Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions 2006 132 Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark 2008 131 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head 2002 130 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig! Lazarus, Dig!!! 2008 129 Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out 2000 128 Antony and The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now 2005 127 The Handsome Family - In The Air 2000 126 Neil Young - Praire Wind 2005 125 The Hold Steady - Stay Positive 2008 124 Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light 2006 123 Doves - The Last Broadcast 2002 122 Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat 2006 121 Hot Chip - The Warning 2006 120 MGMT - Oracular Specatular 2008 119 Scritti Politti - White Bread, Black Beer 2006 118 Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft 2005 117 At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command 2000 116 Michigan - Sufjan Stevens 2003 115 Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash 2008 114 The Raconteurs - Consolers of The Lonely 2008 113 The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow 2003 112 Beirut - The Flying Club Cup 2007 111 Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Ciat 2006 110 Steely Dan - Everything Must Go 2003 109 The White Stripes - Icky Thump 2007 108 Comets on Fire - Avatar 2006 107 Paul Westerberg - Come Feel Me Tremble 2003 106 The Go-Betweens - Friends of Rachel Worth 2000 105 Steely Dan - Two Against Nature 2000 104 Grizzily Bear - Veckatimest 2009 103 Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliot - Miss E...So Addictive 2001 102 Felice Brothers - Felice Brothers 2007 101 Neko Case - Blacklisted 2002 100 Jim O'Rourke - Insignificance 2001 99 Babyshambles - Down In Albion 2005 98 Avalanches - Since i Left You 2001 97 Paul Weller - 22 Dreams 2008 96 Rufus Wainwright - Want One 2003 95 Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump 2000 94 Devendra Bandhart - Oh Me Oh My The Way The Day Goes By The Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs Of The Christmas Spirit 2002 93 The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free 2004 92 Tom Waits - Real Gone 2004 91 John Cale - HonoSapiens 2003 90 Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning 2005 89 Neil Young - Living With War 2006 88 The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan 2005 87 Queens of The Stone Age - Rated R 2000 86 PJ Harvey - White Chalk 2007 85 MIA - Arular 2004 84 David Bowie - Heathen 2002 83 Outkast - Stankonia 2000 82 Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South 2004 81 Okkervil River - The Stage Names 2007 80 Levon Helm - Electric Dirt 2009 79 Kings of Leon - Only By TheNight 2008 78 Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man 2000 77 Kanye West - The College Dropout 2004 76 Beck - Seachange 2002 75 Gorrilaz - Demon Days 2005 74 Elbow - Asleep In The Back 2000 73 Elliot Smith - Figure 8 2000 72 Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl 2000 71 TV On The Radio - Dear Science, 2008 70 The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen 2007 69 Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare 2007 68 D'Angelo - Voodoo 2000 67 Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther 2006 66 Jay-Z - The Blueprint 2001 65 Rufus Wainwright - Poses 2001 64 Lift To Experience - The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads 2001 63 The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang 2005 62 Ghostface Killah - Fishscale 2006 61 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Lyre of Orpheus / Abattoir Blues 2004 60 Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose 2004 59 The White Stripes - De Stilj 2000 58 Bob Dylan - Together Through Life 2009 57 Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland 2003 56 Sonic Youth - Murray Street 2002 55 Bjork - Vespertine 2001 54 Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs 2000 53 Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights 2002 52 Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner 2003 51 Warren Zevon - The Wind 2003 50 Cat Power - The Greatest 2006 49 PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea 2000 48 Ry Cooder - Chavez Ravine 2005 47 The National - Alligator 2005 46 Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera 2001 45 Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me 2002 44 The Libertines - Up The Bracket 2002 43 The Streets - Orginal Pirate Material 2002 42 Richmond Fontaine - Post To Wire 2004 41 Bruce Springsteen - Magic 2007 40 Boards of Canada - Geogaddi 2002 39 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend 2008 38 Ryan Adams - Gold 2001 37 The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers 2006 36 Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around 2002 35 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2002 34 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago 2008 33 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion 2009 32 Calexico - Feast of Wire 2002 31 My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves 2003 30 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois 2005 29 Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II 2007 28 Queens of The Stone Age - Songs For The Death 2002 27 The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America 2007 26 Lampchop - Nixon 2000 25 Radiohead - Kid A 2000 24 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not 2006 23 Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man - Out of Season 2002 22 Blur - Think Tank 2003 21 Joanna Newsom - Ys 2006 20 Amy Winehouse - Back In Black 2006 19 Bruce Springsteen - The Rising 2002 18 Kate Bush - Aerial 2005 17 The White Stripes - Elephant 2003 16 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver 2007 15 Radiohead - In Rainbows 2007 14 Primal Scream - XTRMNTR 2000 13 Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator) 2001 12 Portishead - Third 2008 11 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 2002 10 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes 2008 9 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker 2000 8 Bob Dylan - Modern Times 2006 7 Arcade Fire - Funeral 2005 6 Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand 2007 5 The Strokes - Is This It 2001 4 Brian Wilson - Smile 2004 3 Wilco - A Ghost Is Born 2004 2 Bob Dylan - "Love and Theft" 2001 1 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells 2001

A friend of mine once compiled a list of spam headlines from her inbox that she posted on her blog. Of course there was the obligatory Nigerian scam one but this was the hands down winner: BRITNEY SPEAR'S VAGINA SHOOTS DOWN AMERICAN SPY SATELLITE Hell, it even inspired this piece of artwork:

What was her name again? BTW, you don't raise your post count with "smiling faces". I believe she was implying that is all some people will post in a reply as another way of raising their total post count.

I've had an iPod Shuffle for close to year but I still haven't used it. It's synched up, I've ripped a few CDs to iTunes but I still haven't loaded any music onto my iPod. Why? Well, one reason would be the tinnitus. It's probably not wise to wear earbuds or anything that goes directly in my ear like that. The last thing I want to do is lose even more of my hearing. However, it would be nice to have a shitload of music that's portable. I hate the idea of compressed music files becoming the norm as well. I'm no audiophile so it's hard for me to even tell the difference but I know it's there. Still, I'm gearing up for the shift because it's inevitable. CDs may never go away completely (just look at vinyl) but the day is coming. Everywhere I go the used CDs shops are overflowing because people are dumping their CDs left and right. I'm only too glad to add them to my collection. In my lifetime I've seen reel-to-reel, 8-tracks, cassettes, vinyl records, DAT, MiniDisc, etc. all come come and go. Now it's the CDs' turn. The question is, what will come along to replace digital files? How will we be listening to our music in another 10 years? Or will we even be "listening" to it? Back when CDs were new I wrote a short story about how in the future we'll be able to listen to music just by taking a pill. The freaky thing is, it appears we may not be too far off from that. As far as music being treated as wallpaper, that's always been in existence. You have your diehard music fans, such as most of us here and you have your casual listeners. Moms that like to put on some Bon Jovi and throw back a glass of sherry while doing the ironing. Those people could give a shit about sound quality. Like you said, they just want some background music. Unfortunately, they're the very ones that drive the market. Everyone from Lou Reed and Neil Young to T-Bone Burnett have pleaded with the industry to not allow mp3s to become the only choice but they're fighting a losing battle. We all know that $$$$$ is the bottom line and it'll ultimately win over, "sound quality" be damned. I truly hope not but it's certainly how things appear to be going. In regards to the short attention span thing, that may be true to a degree but I know how much I used to enjoy making mixtapes. I would enjoy doing the same thing with CDs or an iPod. Sure, I still like to listen to a complete album now and then but I love the variety and thought that goes into making a mix. There's nothing like sequencing your favorite songs for a compilation.

For those that haven't seen Office Space you really owe it to yourselves to.

I don't think he gets it.

[No Artwork Available] The Minus Five Butcher Covered

According to this update from REMhq Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers also jumped into the fray in Athens last night: MINUS 5/BASEBALL PROJECT AND FRIENDS ROCK ATHENS

I don't resent you, nor am I offended but I do find the redundancy of your posts extremely annoying. Perhaps even worse is your habit of replying to every single post made in a thread (and not just this one).

Another clip from the Cat's Cradle show:

More from the 40 Watt:

For last night's show at the 40 Watt in Athens, GA the Steve Wynn IV/The Baseball Project/The Minus Five were joined onstage by Bill Berry and Mike Mills of R.E.M. for The Ballad of John and Yoko and Hang on Sloopy.

My favorite show of the year without question was the Steve Wynn IV/The Baseball Project/The Minus Five at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro this past weekend. Here's a clip I shot of them performing The Ballad of John & Yoko with special guest Peter Holsapple of the dB's sitting in: The Steve Wynn IV/The Baseball Project/The Minus Five Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC 9.26.09 Set 1 Past Time Ted Fucking Wiliams Twilight Distillery/I'm Not Bitter Gratitude (For Curt Flood) Out There On The Maroon Love Me Anyway That's What You Always Say Vintage Violet It Won't Do You Any Good The Lurking Barrister Tell Me When It's Over Waiting Like Mary Betty Let The Good Times Crawl Lies Of The Living Dead Amphetamine Set 2 Broken Man Jackie's Lament The Death Of Big Ed Delehanty Cindy It was Always You Harvey Haddix Dark Hand Of Contagion Satchel Page Said Ambulance Dancehall Trial Separation Blues Medicine Show Ichiro Goes To The Moon Buckner's Bolero The Straw That Stirs The Drink Revolution Blues Days Of Wine And Roses Aw Shit Man Encore Teenage Head* Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White* The Ballad Of John And Yoko* Strychnine * with Peter Holsapple

All of R.E.M. but Peter Buck fell ill during the Monster tour in 1995 yet they successfully completed the tour. That's but one of many, many more examples that could be listed. Hell, just look at Lynyrd Skynyrd, they're down to only one original member yet they soldier on for better or for worse (judging from what I've heard of their new album I'm going with the latter).

Many, many musicians have been sidelined over the years and have gone on to create tons of great music. How does Johnson undergoing a medical procedure and taking some time to rest constitute "the beginning of the end"?

From Pitchfork: The steady flow of recent Thom Yorke news continues with an exciting new development. Yorke has posted on Radiohead's blog that he has started a new band to perform his solo material. The band (pictured above) consists of himself, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck/R.E.M. drummer Joey Waronker, percussionist/multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco, and... Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. Yes, Flea. Two shows have been scheduled for the as-yet-unnamed band: October 4 and 5 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. Thom writes, "the set will not be very long cuz ..well ...we haven't got that much material yet!" The only question is: will Flea keep his shirt on?

You mean it's not supposed to be compulsive?

I'm on my third listen to this and am just now starting to form an opinion. While it may make no great strides artistically it is short, fast and to the point just as a rock n' roll record should be. I loved CDs at first because they usually included more music. In most cases that is perfectly fine but in some, it seems some records tend to drag on forever. So, there's something to be said about albums that have a vinyl like brevity. That's in full force on Backspacer.