Just curious. If you're listening to something you can't find on YouTube, what'd you do?

Really? I admire the experimentation it took to make that record but her voice is once removed from Yoko's screech to my ears. While there's definitely a hint of a sound that's a throwback to another time (mainly due to T-Bone's production), I think Raising Sand has also has a sound that's much more firmly rooted in the present.

I agree but R.E.M. was dealt a deathly blow by the departure of drummer Bill Berry in 1997 from which they've never quite recovered. That may change in the new year with the release of a new album, most of which was debuted this past summer in Dublin as part of their "working rehearsals". If nothing else, it's definitely a return to their guitar-oriented sound of yore, at least as evidenced by the recordings that have surfaced as well as the clips that have been uploaded to YouTube from the performances.

Some more favorites:

Good luck. I know you've been a fan for a good while now so seeing them live has been a long time coming. You beat me to it, here's the link: http://www.myspace.com/drivebytruckers

Yeah, you did: Here, you say it again. Actually, several times:

I was fortunate the couple of times I saw DAC back in the 80s. The first was definitely better than the second but he still put on a full show both time. Stunts like he pulled in the article above are a fairly regular occurrence. Not so long ago he played a show in these parts and was too wasted to play but one of his road crew propped him up on a stool and the band proceeded to play anyway. Total showtime? Less than 30 minutes then they hit the road.

I've never been real huge on Pavement. Then again, I haven't heard a lot of their stuff but anyone that salutes R.E.M. in one of their tunes is alright with me (even if it's Hootie). It's not like I keep my head buried in the sand when it comes to new music, you didn't think I'd heard of Fiery Furnaces either. In any event, I figured you'd be interested in the news and perhaps a few other Pavement fans.

Radiohead may not have been eligible, I'm not sure...

I've also been enjoying the special two disc edition of The Kids Are Alright as of late. While I enjoyed Amazing Journey when it was shown on VH1 late, Kids gets the upper hand for actually showing complete songs rather than snippets.

You do. I'm sure there are others. I'm not NOT going to post about a certain artist just because I think no one else has heard of them. Afterall, you don't end up having the No. 1 Indie album in the land in Blender without people not knowing who you are. Not to mention, liking independent artists (however you choose to define that) isn't some sign of "hipster cool" to me, I simply like music and enjoy spreading the word. Music is meant to be spread and shared, not kept to oneself in some lame attempt to be percieved as being on the "cutting edge". Fuck that.

http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/...id=oid%3A345979 BY WADE TATANGELO BRINGING IN THE HERD: The Avett Brothers' latest release, Emotionalism, has found mass appeal. Let's first get the whole definition thing out of the way. The Avett Brothers have been issuing albums since '02, but it's this year's Emotionalism that has the masses talking. The issue of what to call their brand of acoustic music has taken on new importance as more fans grapple with explaining the trio's appeal to prospective listeners. Emotionalism reached No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. "I don't mind folk-rock at all," says singer/banjoist Scott Avett. "Indie folk is a valid term. Rock or country. I wouldn't have a problem with people saying we play really good country music. In fact, I'd be flattered. Acoustic rock works. "I think it comes down to songs," he continues. "There are songs that we play that could fall into different categories, and that's going to continue to happen. ... I mean, it's kinda weird to say The Beatles were a rock band -- not all their songs rocked. Look at Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis. They did country, gospel and old-timey music. I don't know. It's not an annoying [question] -- just one that has a lot of answers." Emotionalism has a bluegrass feel, courtesy of Scott's banjo picking. But the lyrics have a decidedly modern confessional bent. "I'd like to say I'm a faithful man," Scott sings. "But it might not be true." That line's on "Pretty Girl from Chile." It starts as a typical Avett Brothers number: Scott's delicate banjo, wispy acoustic guitar from younger brother Seth Avett, steady standup bass line by Bob Crawford. The tune picks up speed, the two brothers offering loose harmonies on the chorus. And then comes the surprise ending -- fiery grunge complete with noisy electric guitar exploits. On balance, though, Emotionalism is a mellow affair. I reviewed the disc in May and griped that it dragged at times. While I appreciated its poignancy, I complained that the album's mopey nature meant it didn't hold up well to repeated listens. I stand by that. But watching the band perform live on YouTube changed my opinion of them. Whereas the Avett Brothers' studio releases tend to be pensive and slow, on stage these guys brim with enthusiasm. They offer the kind of high-energy experience you'd expect from a rock 'n' roll or punk act. The indie aloofness disappears. I mention to Scott that the songs on Emotionalism are a lot more subdued on record than how they're presented in concert. "Yeah, it's something we can't help or control," he says. "Obviously it's a more subdued atmosphere in the studio. It's never been in our nature to not do what's natural or real. "Part of it is to embrace the entertainment aspect [of being on stage], and with recording that's not a reality," Scott continues. "To get what happens live [in a] recording takes a bit of abandoning the needs that go with recording. With Emotionalism, we used more instruments, more people were involved, to get something different than what we do live. "Live, there's that adrenaline rush of being with actual people, people that push us, or maybe it's just the feel of the room or the festival. All those variables cause us to react differently." Perhaps the best example of the Avett Brothers' duality with regard to studio and stage is illustrated in the song "Shame." It's a plea to win back the woman that got away. The banjo playing lopes along, and the sounds of cello and churchy organ underscore the sorrow of the lyric. "Shame, boatloads of shame, day after day, more of the same," goes the chorus. "Blame, please lift it off, please take it off, please make it stop." Watching the band perform the song live (the clip can be found on YouTube; it's the one that starts with the ironing anecdote), I was pleasantly surprised by how the trio captured the pathos of the song and then on the last verse delivered a feverish blowout only hinted at on the record. It amounted to a joyous type of catharsis, leaving a listener craving more. Seth jumps up and down as he joins big brother on vocals for the final chorus. It's as if the siblings are suddenly channeling Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline." It's a rock 'n' roll moment of the highest order. "Sometimes you feed off what the song was written about, sometimes off of one person in the crowd that's really into it," Scott explains. "Then again, sometimes it's just the melody. ... It's not always celebratory, sometimes it's just something to react to, art in the form of entertainment. That's what it's about." Is Scott comfortable in the role as entertainer? "No doubt," the 31-year-old says. "If I'm looking at entertainment as an art instead of a reaction to emotion, there's no shame in it. Music was put on earth to do live. If Kurt Cobain had lived longer, at some point he would have had to embrace that: He was an entertainer. "We have a choice as artists," he continues. "Once you take pride in being an entertainer, that opens yourself to that freedom. It's the key into that idea. That's living the dream." The Avett Brothers w/Lost Bayou Ramblers, 8 p.m. Sat., Dec. 8, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa, $20/$17 at http://wmnf.org.

They're posted at Amazon:

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/articl...t_id=1003682003 Stephen Malkmus Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks have set a March 4 date for their next Matador album, titled "Real Emotional Trash." The 10-song set marks the first Jicks album with Sleater-Kinney/Quasi drummer Janet Weiss, who replaced John Moen in the group earlier this year. Recording took place at Snow Ghost Studios in Whitefish, Mont. Next spring, the group will visit North America, Europe and Asia in support of the release. Beforehand, there are shows set for Dec. 19 in San Francisco and Dec. 21 in Portland, Ore. "Real Emotional Trash" is the follow-up to 2005's "Face the Truth," which debuted at No. 7 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Here is the track list for "Real Emotional Trash": "Dragonfly Pie" "Hopscotch Willie" "Cold Son" "Real Emotional Trash" "Out of Reaches" "Baltimore" "Gardenia" "Elmo Delmo" "We Can't Help You" "Wicked Wanda"

People will bitch about Rolling Stone and Led Zeppelin for many years to come. Time to give it a fuckin' rest already and let bygones be bygones. Funny how people will bitch and moan about Rolling Stones' relationship with Zep but then that suddenly goes out the door when they put them on the cover or reprint a vintage Zep article on their website.

The remastered The Song Remains the Same soundtrack, the DVD and Mothership were already in production long before there was any talk of the London reunion show. As for gotickets, they're just money grubbing ticket brokers that want your fucking money.

I don't mean just edits but tinkering in general.

For those interested, here's the complete list. Some decent artists such as Steve Earle, Levon Helm, Joan Armatrading, JJ Cale/Eric Clapton, David Bromberg, Peter Case, Jim Lauderdale, Betty LaVette and others did make the cut: http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/50th_Show/list.aspx#13

The truth of the matter is, all live albums are subject to some editing. I listened to Little Feat's Waitin' For Columbus for years without realizing the amount of splicing that went on with that record. I never knew a thing about it until the deluxe expanded reissue came out just a few years ago. Even "unofficial" live recordings that are circulated among fans are subject to some splicing and "cleaning up".

That one is also very good. Lots of vintage performances there.

The new Pearl Jam DVD, Immagine In Cornice is one of the best concert films I've had the pleasure of seeing in quite some time. R.E.M.'s new Live DVD is also very kick ass as is the new live Jimmy Buffett DVD, Live In Anquilla. Festival Express with the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Buddy Guy, the New Riders of the Purple Sage and others isn't bad at all either.

The entire article: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20162677_2...0163996,00.html THE POP OF KING Stephen King's Top Tunes of 2007 See which albums and songs the EW pop-culture columnist named as his favorites from the past 12 months AVRIL LAVIGNE ''Girlfriend'' got more plays in Stephen King's house than Springsteen's ''Radio Nowhere,'' less than Wilco's ''Either Way'' Mark Liddell By Stephen King The advice from my mother that I think of most often: ''If you can't say something nice, just shut up and smile.'' You might think of those words of wisdom, should you look for certain highly touted 2007 CDs below and not find them. In truth, your Uncle Stevie was disappointed with this year's new music, very disappointed indeed, and his year-end list reflects that. I could only find seven albums I wanted to mention, but there is a bright side: I've added my favorite songs of the year. Download 'em and burn your own CD, how about that? And if you think my list sucks, you can drop me a line on the message board. Or just shut up and smile. The latter option would probably be less trouble for both of us. Might I add, while I'm at it, that I'm haunted — as with the lists of movies and books that will follow in good time — by all the good stuff I may have missed? There's just too much out there, and life is too short. But now, with no further ado... STEVE'S BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR! 7. Countrypolitan Favorites, Southern Culture on the Skids Are you mourning Porter Wagoner? Still bumming over Buck (Owens, that is)? Here's the perfect cheer-up medicine: 15 old-timey country faves, dressed up in rockin' clothes courtesy of Rick Miller's surf guitar. Best cut is probably ''Engine Engine #9,'' with Rick Miller sounding eerily like the late great Roger Miller, but Mary Huff's upbeat take on ''Rose Garden'' (Lynn Anderson did the original) is also a marvel. 6. Revival, John Fogerty A little uneven, and probably not his absolute best work, but still impossible not to turn up and dance to; this is straight-ahead old-school rock. Fogerty has stayed true to the swampy stuff he does the best, and on songs like ''Don't You Wish It Was True'' and ''Somebody Help Me,'' he hits that ole Creedence groove dead-on (and Fogerty always was Creedence). 5. Black Rain, Ozzy Osbourne It's amazing that Ozzy can do this sort of thing at all anymore, let alone so well. Finest heavy metal record of the year; a true speaker-buster. Best track is the amazing ''I Don't Wanna Stop.'' Slipknot, eat your filthy little heart out. 4. It's Not Big It's Large, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band This is a terrific Texas swing album, but of course not everybody likes Texas swing (or even knows what it is). What makes it special is Lovett's vermouth-dry vocals and his equally dry wit. In the dry-wit department, check out ''All Downhill.'' 3. Life in Cartoon Motion, MIKA An incredibly accomplished debut, and a voice that bears an eerie resemblance to Freddie Mercury's. This one lived all summer on my car's CD player, especially ''Lollipop.'' 2. Sky Blue Sky, Wilco No audio tricks and/or experimentation this time, only a set of gorgeously simple tunes and class-A writing. Jeff Tweedy has never been sweeter, more controlled, or in better voice. Not a bad cut on the album. Even the cover art's beautiful. 1. Washington Square Serenade, Steve Earle This is the prolific Earle's best album since he got out of jail (a statement that only seems perfectly rational when discussing rock & roll). It's what we called ''folk rock'' back in the day, but it's more than that; songs like ''City of Immigrants'' and ''Down Here Below'' (which concerns Manhattan's flying urban legend Pale Male) are paragraphs in Earle's love note to New York. On ''Tennessee Blues'' he bids a sad, not-so-fond farewell to the Guitar Town. (''Bound for New York City, and I won't be back no more.'') Of all the albums I heard this year, it's the only one that fulfilled my expectations on every level. STEVE'S MIX '07 I don't think you need many explanations about this mix; the songs either explain themselves, or they don't. All I need tell you is that yes, they're all downloadable; yes, I heard them all for the first time in 2007, and most, but not all, are from this year; and yes, every one of them blissed me out. I played them over and over until my wife threatened to divorce me...or just stab me repeatedly with the kitchen scissors (and no jury in America would have convicted her). They are listed from the least played (about 12 times in the case of ''Radio Nowhere'') to the most played (which would be about 50, putting me squarely in stabbed-in-the-kitchen territory). I know I'll get hazed about some selections (James Blunt?? Brad Paisley???), but my dear old mother also used to tell me that honesty's the best policy. This is as honest as I can be. So there. And let's hope next year is a little bit better. 18. ''Radio Nowhere'' Bruce Springsteen 17. ''1973'' James Blunt 16. ''Nothing Changes Around Here'' The Thrills 15. ''Girlfriend'' Avril Lavigne 14. ''Homo Erectus'' Ray Benson and Reckless Kelly 13. ''Bring It on Home to Me'' Tab Benoit 12. ''I'm Shipping Up to Boston'' Dropkick Murphys 11. ''Radar Gun'' The Bottle Rockets 10. ''Online'' Brad Paisley 9. ''Same Mistake'' James Blunt 8. ''Up in Indiana'' Lyle Lovett and His Large Band 7. ''Right Moves'' Josh Ritter 6. ''Wait for Love'' Josh Ritter 5. ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' Miranda Lambert 4. ''Jericho Road'' Steve Earle 3. ''Get Your Biscuits in the Oven (and Your Buns in Bed)'' Kevin Fowler 2. ''Down the Road Tonight'' Hayes Carll 1. ''Either Way'' Wilco

I had the pleasure of seeing Mother's Finest many, many times here in NC as they were from just down the road in Hotlanter. I've seen a lot of concerts in my time but those MF shows are some of the very best I've ever seen, bar none. I haven't seen them since the 80s but MF is still actively touring and are immensely popular overseas. http://mothersfinest.com I caught Foghat in their prime back when Foghat Live was new. They played Dorton Arena in Raleigh with Derringer (first time I saw wireless guitars) and The Outlaws. The Outlaws were virtually unknown at the time but for whatever reason, closed the show. I only saw Foghat one other time and it was during their New Wave phase. Still good, just not the boogie-woogie era Foghat I love the best. Despite the loss of Lonesome Dave and Rod Price Foghat is still touring today. To my ears they can never be Foghat without Lonesome Dave. I never have seen J. Geils but I highly recommend Peter Wolf's Sleepless album in the event that you have never heard it. It never got a lot of publicity and/or airplay but it is definitely one of my favorite records of the last 10 years or so. He's still got it. I guess it doesn't hurt that Mick and Keith also guest star.