Yes, we do. Believe it or not, those three shows just barely scratch the surface. The National were also playing in town last night as well as Bonnie "Prince" Billy who was in Carrboro. I feel fortunate that there's usually no shortage of music to hear. I just hate it when there's so much going on at one time that it makes it impossible to catch it all. Thankfully that only seems to happen once in a great while.

I'm referring not just to the genres and subgenres I mentioned previously but also broader musical categories such as rock n' roll, country, jazz, reggae, folk, bluegrass and so forth. They're all labels used to describe music. Yes, you can but I would also categorize both as being rock n' roll music. I think that has always been true and is not just unique to today's music.

Yes.

Busy night last night but unfortunately I only caught the last 7 or 8 songs of the Gourds' set due to night classes. A little Gourds is better than no Gourds at all. The Gourds Thursday, May 28th The Berkeley Cafe Raleigh, NC The Names Thursday, May 28th Tir Na Nog Raleigh, NC Bloodkin Thursday, May 28th The Pour House Music Hall Raleigh, NC

In regards to terms like emo, thrash, hardcore, punk, screamo, etc. I agree somewhat about labeling music but it's also a necessary evil so there can be a way to describe music to others. ...and as the late, great Townes Van Zandt once said, "there's two kinds of songs. The blues and Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah."

I'm not sure what you mean by "heady" in this context as I've always understood it to be a good thing. As for AC/DC's music not being refined, I think that's always been the point and it's probably what they do best. I'm far from their biggest fan but if I want to listen to something that just flat out rocks, I reach for an AC/DC record. While I'd never mistake an AC/DC song for one by Led Zeppelin (or vice versa), I believe Zeppelin definitely have some tunes that would fall into the brash, raw and bawdy category that AC/DC seems to specialize in.

I didn't realize it until recently but local (NC) artist Parthenon Huxley (aka "P. Hux" and "Rick Rock") worked with Sass Jordan on her first record (Racine). He also has tons of other of credentials to his name including fronting The Orchestra which includes former members of the Electric Light Orchestra. When I first heard of Sass, she was described to me as "what the Black Crowes would sound like if they were fronted by a chick" which is pretty much the case for the first clip below. The second one comes from the album mentioned above, Rats. "High Road Easy"

Other than a song or two on XM/Sirius I haven't even heard the Townes record yet. I'm not even sure if the show is going to be Steve solo (as I saw him last time) or with a band but either way I'm sure it'll be good.

Yeah, it's such a small place I'm really surprised it didn't sell out immediately. Thankfully I snatched up a ticket before they were all gone.

I was recently turned onto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckKq6tHJ2g. Samantha has a very unique voice that is often compared to Joanna Newsom's. Lately I find myself never being able to get enough of her first full length record (Songs In the Night) but I also don't want to play it too much so I don't get burned out on it. Her EP (The Confiscation) has also helped me get through some very troubled times in recent months. I love it when I stumble upon records like these which isn't nearly often enough.

Possibly Scearce and Ketner on Saturday. Joe Swank and the Zen Pirates this Sunday. Possibly Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles on Tuesday. Steve Earle for sure on Wednesday. He's playing a very small venue in support of the release of his new album of Townes Van Zandt covers so it's a pretty rare opportunity to see him perform in such an intimate setting.

Gotcha, thanks for the clarification.

Didn't the Grateful Dead cease to exist as of Garcia's passing back in '95? In the player today:

Footage of the panel discussion of the making of R.E.M.'s Murmur from the Garage in Winston-Salem from last Friday has been posted at remhq.com.

His voice has never bothered me either but I've often seen him cited as the reason a lot of people don't seem to like Rush.

I have no idea what "Emoh" is but you might wanna let her know Green Day are not now, nor have they ever been "Emo". I wouldn't call them "punk". "Mall punk" or "bubblegum punk" maybe but definitely not true punk like Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols, etc. Who knew but they're actually getting some critical accolades for their newest opus, 21st Century Breakdown. As for Emo, it's yet another term that's been misappropriated. Actual Emo refers to the Washington, DC hardcore scene that was popular back in the 80s that spawned bands such as Fugazi, Rites of Spring and Embrace. It has nothing at all to do with today's eyeliner wearing bands.

Y'ALL: Back home for a few days. Been a crazy few weeks in which Australia, Coachella, New Orleans, Madison Square Garden and Princeton have been explored and hopefully somewhat conquered. Now, as they say, Back To Work! MURDERING OSCAR (and other love songs) will be released in a month. PRE-ORDER your copy now at http://pattersonhood.com/merch.html. We have some great pre-order packages available including the deluxe package which includes a Wes Freed limited edition, signed and numbered FAP giclée with Murdering Oscar front and back cover artwork. The very first reviews are starting to come in and looking good. Due to the logistics of touring with a band comprised of members of various other bands (plus David Barbe's studio schedule) there will only be a limited number of shows initially, but we are hitting Chicago and both coasts this summer and hope to do some more dates later in the year. The Murdering Oscar Tour will feature the core band that plays on the majority of the album. THE SCREWTOPIANS: David Barbe will be embarking with us for what will be his first major tour since the waning days of Sugar (in 1995). Will Johnson and Scott Danbom from the band Centro-matic will be playing with me as well (although they will be missing the Bonnaroo set due to travel limitations). Rounding out the band will be John Neff and Brad Morgan. The show will be a rocking affair featuring much of the new album and a selection of tracks from Killers and Stars, fleshed out with a full band for the first time. We might work up a great cover or two. Some of the venues are smaller than where DBT plays, so don't forget to get advance tickets because there will be some sellouts. In other news: We are very happy with the response that BOOKER T. and the DBT's have gotten. The reviews of the album have been stellar and the show gets better every time we play it. Due to our crazy schedule, there will only be a few more of the shows so if you haven't caught one yet, time is running out. DBT has a couple of new releases in the immediate pipeline: First off, our Austin City Limits show from last fall will be released on July 7 on DVD. The DVD will include the entire performance (only about a third of it was aired when it came on TV). This is by far the best live performance of ours ever caught on film. We were on, the sound was excellent, and the production value top-notch. We loved playing on that stage and the crowd was fantastic. It also features one of the last ever performances of "18 Wheels Of Love", featuring the full monologue and the sequel monologue. Second in upcoming DBT News, on September 1st, New West will be releasing THE FINE PRINT (A Collection of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008). We finished mixing it yesterday and are mastering it Thursday. It features 12 songs and maybe the most fun album we've ever made. Songs include "George Jones Talkin' Cell Phone Blues", "Rebels", "Play It All Night Long", "TVA" and the original never released version of "Goode's Field Road". Finally, we will be in studio this month hard at work on the next new DBT album which should be out by early 2010. Check out my new website at www.pattersonhood.com and always keep a close eye out for what's happening around www.drivebytruckers.com and of course keep supporting live Rock and Roll. See You Soon. Patterson Hood

I wasn't that taken with Together Through Life on first listen either but I liked it much better the second time around. I'm not sure I'd put it in the "grower" category but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it either. I haven't been all that impressed with McCartney's latter output but I have like a song here and there as well as what I've heard from the latest Firemen album. Who knows if this collaboration will ever even come to fruition but there is definitely some potential there.

I'm not even a fan of punk but thank goodness it came along when it did as rock n' roll needed a swift kick in the ass. It's part of the discussion. If you're that worried about this thread getting off topic then why ask me about what other Australian artists I know of? Punk rock is still very much alive and well in 2009 and I don't mean Green Day.

I think we get that already. I'm not questioning one's freedom of speech. I'm referring to your "back on topic" comment when this discussion was never off-topic to start with. My point exactly. In case you forgot, you're the one that mentioned this thread going off-topic. That's only one aspect of punk, it wasn't what it was all about. There was much more to it than just rebelling against the older, more established artists of the day. It was anti-authoritarian in nature but rock artists that had grown excessive weren't their only target.

From Daily Express: BOB AND MACCA SET TO TEAM UP SONGWRITERS: Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan will write together in California this summer Just weeks after Bob Dylan announced he wanted to collaborate with fellow legend Sir Paul McCartney, moves are afoot to bring the two superstars together. Industry insiders say Macca is set to team up with Dylan in California over the summer, where the pair are expected to work on new songs as a duo. The news comes after Dylan declared this month that he found the idea of working with the former Beatle “exciting”. McCartney’s spokesman then declared their man would be “very interested” in a collaboration. “Paul has a home in California not too far from Bob’s so the idea is for the two to meet when Paul is in California over the summer,” says a well-placed mole. “They’ll obviously want to work in privacy and it’s felt one of their homes will be the best bet.” Both men have enjoyed critical and commercial success again of late. Dylan recently topped the charts with his album Together Through Life, while McCartney’s last release under his musical ater-ego The Fireman was also well-received. “Getting these two together for any length of time is difficult schedule-wise but they both want this to work out,” we’re told. “The music that comes out of this will be fascinating to hear.”

On VH1 Classic earlier tonight:

No problem but I'm not really trying to defend you as I'm sure you're fully capable of doing that yourself. I just don't see how posing the question is off-topic. No matter what questions were asked in the first post that's not to say no one can ask other questions. Your question had to do with AC/DC and is a perfectly legitimate one to have asked.

I didn't paraphrase anyone, I used a direct quote from Broken Levee. If I "thought wrong" why are you still going on and on about how AC/DC are not punk? I think it's perfectly inline for someone to ask if they were ever thought of as "punk" whether it was a question posed in the first post or not. The question isn't about some other artist, it's about AC/DC. Below, you ask me about what other Australian artists I'm familiar with. I don't see that question listed in your repost of Xtazy's first post in this thread above. If those are indeed the perimeters you've set for this thread aren't you now too "off-topic"? I never said AC/DC weren't hard rock. Broken Levee posed the question about them being considered punk rock, I merely attempted to answer the question. I also pointed out how this aspect of AC/DC is not uncommon as it is also touched upon in Heavy: The Story of Metal. That's all well and good but for someone that's apparently not trying to make the point that AC/DC were never considered punk rock you're not doing a very good job. No one is trying to say AC/DC are punk. However, there are some who've cited the video for Communication Breakdown that appears on the Led Zeppelin DVD as being "proto-punk". Punk is also more than stage movements or even a sound, most of all it is an attitude. None of which anyone is trying to assign to AC/DC. Considering you're so concerned about this thread getting off-topic, that is a particularly odd question to ask but I'll do my best to answer it even though it doesn't have a thing to do with AC/DC. Off the top of my head I know of Cold Chisel, Kasey Chambers, the Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, Died Pretty, the Divinyls, Nick Cave, Billy Thorpe, The Church, the Go-Betweens, Paul Kelly and the Messengers and Radio Birdman, to name but a few.