06-16-07: Tiesto, Bob Dylan, Wilco, Sean Hayes
School’s out, and summer is here! I’ve been listening to these guys lately:
Tiesto – Elements of Life
- There’s a lot of bad techno music out there. This guys keeps things fresh and the songs have both elements of trance and melody.
Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
- I’m working my way through Dylan’s stuff. Nashville Skyline is by far my favorite right now. You can’t go wrong when you start things off with a duet with Johhny Cash. And… Dylan quits singing through his nose on this album – his voice sounds really good!
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
- I’m a huge fan of the Jayhawks and everybody always tells me to listen to Wilco. The first time I listened to Jeff Tweedy’s voice and lyrics I was turned off. But I kept reading that I needed to listen to the songs a few times. There is something about this album that I keep coming back to – I think it might be the solos of lead guitarist Nels Cline. I’m still trying to figure it out.
Sean Hayes – Flowering Spade
- Sean Hayes is this generation’s Bob Dylan. He sets the standard for song writing and folk music today. I’ve been listening to him since 1999 and he just keeps getting better.
6-09-07: Maccabees at Schubas
I dragged my fiancee and her brother to this show yesterday. They are now fans of the Maccabees.
If you don’t know who the Maccabees are, here is their single for “First Love:”
First off, I can’t believe that the Maccabees aren’t being marketed more here in the states. They have a decent following in the U.K., but nobody knows about them here. And their record label is through Polydor. The Beatles, No Doubt, U2, the Cure – I mean c’mon!! A little promotion would help this incredible band!
The Maccabees didn’t even headline last night. They were the opening band for the Noisettes. Whatever. This was a side show for them anyways – they are currently touring and opening for Bloc Party, which has a much larger following than the Noisettes.
As I was standing in line, waiting to go inside the concert room at Schubas, one of the guitarists for the Maccabees walked by me. I told him hello.
”Hey man – really looking foward to the show tonight.”
“Aww…. Right-oh. Thanks man, thanks a lot for coming out tonight. So you know who we are?”
“Yeah!! I’ve been listening to your stuff since February. Rhapsody – it’s a music subscription service here – they featured your single “Latchmere.” I couldn’t stop listening to it – and then they took it off. And then I had to wait and wait for your CD to finally come out three weeks ago. I can’t believe you guys aren’t being marketed more here in the states. The Noisettes should be opening up for you!”
He looked a bit shocked, “Aww… no, no man. We’ve got a bit of a following back home – but the Noisettes are a lot bigger than we are. I’m just glad that we’ve got people at the show who know who we are!”
”How has your tour been so far in the states?”
“Excellent. We are really loving it – we have had an awesome, awesome time so far.”
”That is good to hear.”
He stuck out his hand. “I’m Felix by the way.”
I introduced myself and then he introduced himself to my fiancee. I thanked him for talking to us and he said he hoped we enjoyed the show. That guy was awesome. Class act – genuine, friendly, and just excited to be playing music.
Most of the people at Schubas were there to see the Noisettes, but most of them also knew the Maccabee songs.
Felix and his brother Hugo, in my opinion, were the highlight of the show. Their guitar playing was absolutely incredible. Hugo mainly played rhythm and Felix would stroke out the melodies, but at times they would switch, and at other times they would be playing the same thing. I rarely saw any open chords. They both were all over the fretboard, and a majority of the riffs were played at the base of the guitar neck – thereby giving the nice, high pitched jangle you hear in the CD. Don’t get me wrong, Orlando’s got a great voice and his accent and lyrics create the flavor of the band – but the heart are the two White brothers.
I wish I could have met the others – Orlando, Hugo, Rupert, and Robert. All of them were fantastic musicians in their own right. The band has such a tight, clean, powerful sound.
Here are some other things about the show:
-Felix is a leftie. He was playing a left handed Fender Telecaster. (I think.) I think Hugo was playing a telecaster as well. Orlando played a telecaster for “Toothpaste Kisses.”
-Felix is the one responsible for the smooth riff on “Toothpaste Kisses.” I thought he was going to use a slide to make that sound, but he didn’t. He used his fingers and just set something on his telecaster to get that beautiful “slide guitar” sound.
-They played nearly ALL of their songs off their CD. They finished the set with “Lego.”
-Orlando said that they had their first experience with a Wal-Mart. They found a lot of things that they never knew that they needed. He even showed us a Spiderman watch that he bought – but it doesn’t work.
-At the end of the set Orlando jumped over the drumset and hopped on to the back of Robert, the drummer, who carried him off the stage.
What a great show. Lots of energy, lots of charisma. You can tell that these guys were having a hell of a good time. I was talking to a girl who drove from Cinncinati to see the Noisettes. She went and bought the Maccabees CD after the second song and told her sister, “We’re listening to this all the way home tomorrow.”
I left soon after the Noisettes began playing. They were, as their name describes them, very NOISY. As I left I saw Felix again. I told him they gave a fantastic performance. He thanked me again for coming out, and I begged him to come back to Chicago.
“We’ll try man!”
Here’s a clip from someone who was at the concert last night:
And here is a link to some AMAZING pictures from the show. This photographer really knew what they were doing:
6-04-07: Maximo Park, Feist, Maccabees, Avett Brothers, The National, Travis
What’s In The MP3 Player:
Maximo Park – Our Earthly Pleasures
- Catchy Pop/New Wave/Rock from Great Britain. They have one of the best videos I’ve ever seen for their song “Our Velocity.” Check it out the video below. The sound comes in after about 20 seconds – just keep watching:
Feist – The Reminder
- Smooth and laid back voice with upbeat melodies.
Maccabees – Colour It In
- Power Rock Pop. I have been waiting MONTHS for this album to come out. They finally released it here in the U.S. on May 21st. Rhapsody had featured their single “Latchmere” as one of the “Dig This” artists for Feburary 2007. In April, however, I couldn’t find the Maccabees on Rhapsody anymore. Polydor recently signed them and I think there were some issues with their prior record label. Regardless, their album is out and it’s AWESOME. I will be seeing this band at Schuba’s on June 9th!
- Here’s a GREAT acoustic performance of “First Love”:
The Avett Brothers – Emotionalism
- Old Time Folk With A Modern Edge. I discovered this band through Guitar World Acoustic. Pretty good stuff.
The National – Boxer
- Piano Band/ Distorted Guitars/ Smooth Gruff Voice/ Good Songs. Lots of hype about this album. The A.V. club in the Onion raved about it. They say it’s one of those cds that you have to listen over and over to and it grows on you. Whatever I guess. I’m gonna keep it in the MP3 player for awhile before I tire of it.
Travis – The Boy With No Name
- Pop Celestial Rock. Travis’ last album sucked. This one makes up for that. I had to listen to the songs two or three times before the melodies blossomed. I love the sound of their lead guitar. It reminds me of Coldplay’s lead guitar. It’s like bells. Good CD.
