Des Moines Was Stacking the Chips

More details emerge about Des Moines' planned 80/35 music festival July 4-5 in Gateway Park West downtown. No band names yet, but...

We’re looking at progressive acts under multiple genres – indie-rock, metal, alternative, jam, singer-songwriter, electronic, punk – it will be an eclectic mix.

We’ll have a national headliner both nights with medium-sized acts leading up to the headliners. And regional and local acts filling in between.

Man, I really hope the planners can pull this off.

When I Get Older

Paul McCartney did not have angioplasty last year.

What happened was, over a year ago during a routine medical examination, there was a minor irregularity which I needed to have tests for and which I have now been assured is completely fine. The media have only just recently reported an exaggerated version of this and that is why people have been asking me if I am ok.

Now you know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

You Think There's Not a Lot Going On

It's time to admit a guilty pleasure. Yes, I watch Corner Gas on WGN. Sigh. I'm not happy to admit it. It's a completely innocuous Canadian sitcom that is amusing sometimes and corny most of the time. As one reviewer put it: it's the fall's "best, least objectionable comedy series." What can I say, it comes after Scrubs and it helps me fall asleep.

So all day today, the theme song has been running through my head ("You think there's not a lot going on? Look closer, baby, you're so wrong.") It is a delightfully catchy and punchy few seconds of pure power pop. It's good enough to be something authentic and not some tossed-off theme song, right?

Right. And come to find out, it's from a whole album (released almost two years ago) of supposedly similar tunes, which, from the looks of it, leans a bit toward roots rock. Northey Valenzuela is responsible for the joy, and if you're familiar with the Odds and Gin Blossoms, then you know these guys. Craig Northey made some stellar music with his Canadian band the Odds, while Jesse Valenzuela is the source of some of the goodness that came from Gin Blossoms. They decided to get together and make their own album, which is readily unavailable! Well, you can get it used or as an import from Amazon.com, or you can always check eBay, which is where I'm going to get my copy.

I'll let you know how it is as a whole, but in the meantime, you can listen to the theme song to Corner Gas right here (lower right of your screen), and you can watch it after Scrubs on WGN.

Ain't it great when you find a gem where you least expect it? Look closer, baby...

Read more here.
Visit Jesse Valenzuela's website here.

We Gotta Rock the Neighborhood

The Eels are swimming their way across the US this spring. Get it? Swimming. Eels. C'mon, that's high comedy. Maybe you don't get it because you can't hear my tone on the Internet. Swimming...

March
28 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
29 Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
31 Boston, MA Somerville Theatre
April
1 New York, NY Highline Ballroom
2 New York, NY Highline Ballroom
4 Toronto, ONT The Mod
5 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre
6 Chicago, IL Park West
7 Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theatre
9 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
11 Seattle, WA Showbox Theatre
13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
14 San Francisco, CA Palace Of Fine Arts
15 16 Los angeles, CA El Rey Theater

More here.

Where Is the Road I Follow?

R.E.M. is touring in support of their upcoming album Accelerate. The National and Modest Mouse will open. Dates:

May 23: Vancouver (Deer Lake Park)
May 29: Los Angeles (Hollywood Bowl)
May 31: Berkeley, Calif. (Greek Theatre)
June 3: Morrison, Colo. (Red Rocks)
June 6: Chicago (United Center)
June 8: Toronto (Molson Amphitheatre)
June 10: Raleigh, N.C. (Walnut Creek)
June 11: Columbia, Md. (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
June 13: Mansfield, Mass. (Tweeter Center)
June 14: Wantagh, N.Y. (Jones Beach)
June 18: Philadelphia (Mann Center
June 19: New York (TBA)
June 21: Atlanta (Lakewood Amphitheatre)

Seriously, Des Moines is right between Colorado and Chicago. It'd be a perfect stop.

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Tonight at Midnight a new music service launches. Yawn you say? You've seen them come and go before? No one can loosen Apple's grip on the music download business? Well, think again.

Qtrax is launching with 25 million songs. That's 19 million more than what iTunes has. It includes ringtones, lyrics, album art, videos and more. And the cost? Free. Yep, you heard that right. Download 25 million songs LEGALLY for FREE.

So what's the catch? Well, there are a few. The biggest (at least for me) is probably that the DRM'd music is not compatible with the iPod. They will be tracking how many times a song is downloaded and played. You have to have the Qtrax software installed to download and play. And the music is paid for solely by advertising, something that is generally annoying and a business model that rarely succeeds in the long term (unless you're Google). But they do have Ford Motor Company, Microsoft and some other big gun advertisers so you never know. And I'm sure someone will (illegally) crack the DRM so you can play music wherever you want.

Lastly it's only available on Windoze at first. The Mac OS X version will be out in March.

I'll still download it and give it a whirl.

Update: According to AppleInsider, Qtrax has found a way to make their DRM compatible with iPods.

Update 2 (from 2poppy): According to this AP story, a deal with Warner has not been struck at all, and deals with Universal and EMI are pending final execution. Also:

The company also promises that its music downloads will be playable on Apple Inc.'s iPods and Macintosh computers until April 15. That's unusual, as iPods only playback unrestricted MP3s files or tracks with Apple's proprietary version of DRM, dubbed FairPlay.

In an earlier interview, Klepfisz declined to give specifics on how Qtrax will make its audio files compatible with Apple devices, but noted that "Apple has nothing to do with it."

Sounds like their announcement was a bit premature. We'll see how it all shakes out.

Update 3It's a bust. The service went live last night with all of zero songs, a repackaged music browser and no record deals. Apparently now there are about 10 million songs but downloads are "coming soon". Like when a record deal actually happens? Engadget has more.

Listen Long

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket has released a new EP called Secrets of the New Explorers. You can download it here for a measly six bucks.

And that's all I have to say about that.

I'm Still Yawning

For fans of Jason Falkner and the Beatles who happen to have an infant, here is news from the JF mailing list on a new Beatles lullaby album:

Jason has recently finished recording his second bedtime Beatles record for Sony. More newz as I get it!

I always meant to get his first Beatles release, but my kids grew up too fast. I'm sure it's great, though, and I suppose we'd all still enjoy it.

Enjoy Yourself With No Regrets

New details are emerging about R.E.M.'s new album Accelerate and it sounds like it has the potential to be quite memorable, something their last one definitely wasn't.

After two consecutive albums dominated by mid-tempo fare, R.E.M. gets back to its stripped-down, fast-paced rock roots on "Accelerate," due April 1 via Warner Bros. The 11-track set, which gets in and out in a lightning-quick 34 minutes and change, is led by the single "Supernatural Superserious."

Excellent. Can't wait. Full track list:

"Living Well's the Best Revenge"
"Mansized Wreath"
"Supernatural Superserious"
"Hollow Man"
"Houston"
"Accelerate"
"Until the Day Is Done"
"Mr. Richards"
"Sing for the Submarine"
"Horse To Water"
"I'm Gonna DJ"

Everything's a Memory with Strings that Tie To You

The AV Club has a great interview with one of my musical idols, Jon Brion.

I'm the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

That's not the whole interview. You can read the whole thing here.

Got To Pay Your Dues

Way to go, Ringo!

"Four minutes (3 minutes and 40 seconds, actually) seemed like an appropriate amount of time for a former Beatle. Mr. Gelman apparently felt Ringo's musical legacy should take a back seat to additional banter about the size of Ms. (Kelly) Ripa's derriere," [Ringo's collaborator Dave Stewart] said in a statement.

More here.

Music Moves My Feet

Liam Finn's I'll Be Lightning is finally released in the states today. Download it here via iTunes. Argh. I have to wait another 6 hours to be done with work so I can download it. Stupid work.

Allmusic is impressed:

Like his dad, Liam has an ear for hooks and a predilection for melodic craft, but he is not only his own man, he is certainly the product of his own generation, raised on classic pop dating back to the Beatles but obsessed with indie singer/songwriters of the '90s, specifically Elliott Smith.

The reviews don't come much better in the world of Too Poppy. His dad is Neil Finn, btw. For the uninitiated, Neil was/is in Split Enz and Crowded House - he obviously knows how to write killer tunes.

Will My Family Remember Me?

I'm not family, but you keep releasing tunes like this and I'll remember you. Stereogum premieres Joseph Arthur's first tune of many in 2008 and it's a good one!

MP3: Joseph Arthur - Rages of Babylon (scroll down via 'gum)

There's So Little Else Occupying My Head

A recent purchase for the family (I have received no joy or happiness from this purchase) was Guitar Hero III for the Wii. Of course, it's as fun as everybody says it is. But the one thing I wasn't prepared for was for it to influence my music purchases. I just downloaded Kaiser Chiefs after disregarding the overwhelming coverage on other, much cooler blogs, which, I admit, is ironically too often a turn-off for me. Nevertheless, after "purchasing" the privilege to "perform" Ruby on GHIII, I have to say I was hooked and intrigued. Way2Poppy's comment to me off-line that one song sounded like Grapes of Wrath piqued my interest as well.

So after one listen, I have to say I quite enjoyed it. Although the Grapes of Wrath sound was isolated to one song (as far as I could tell) and Ruby was easily the hookiest tune, the album is otherwise full of catchy britpop tunes that remind me quite a bit of Blur pre-Song 2 (sorry, W2P.) Of course the similarities to the Jam are not lost on me either, but Blur is more of "my generation."

Anyway, NME reports that Kaiser Chiefs are already working to release new material this year. According to drummer Nick Hodgson:

“We want to break the routine of having to make an album every two years. It’s totally boring,” he continued. “In the charts there are tons of indie bands playing chords and singing songs about the weekend. We’re going to be doing the opposite and being the best.”

Man, I "over-quoted" a bit in this post, eh?

It Took Me So Long to Find Out, and I Found Out

Today, the Des Moines Register features the blog Daytrotter, which is based in Davenport, Iowa. I think I've run across Daytrotter in the past but have never kept it on my daily checklist. That may have to change.

Catch bands as their tour vans roll through the Quad Cities and record them performing revamped versions of their own songs or intriguing cover tunes; then give away these exclusive songs online – thereby helping to promote the bands as well as put a friendly, Midwestern face on underground music.

Kudos to fellow Iowans for making good on the promise of the web and the music industry, even in Iowa.

I Sold My Soul for a Second Time

Oasis v. Blur: Is this what it's come to?

Goodbye.

Your Mind Can Wander

It Really Makes Me Wonder

Ever wonder what it would sound like if the early Beatles covered Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven? Check out the pure genius of Australia's The Beatnix:

(Thanks, Tim!)

Gimme Some New Shit

Meet The Eels (best of) and Useless Trinkets (b-sides, et al.) were finally released yesterday.

Read more here. Sample tracks here. Read a review here. Watch a video below.

Download Meet the Eels here. Download Useless Trinkets here.

You're welcome.


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