Austin City Limits Festival 2009

The Austin City Limits Festival takes place between October 2-4. Honestly, it looks like ACL put together the best lineup of all the festivals. A beautiful mix of mainstream rock, indie, hip hop and more.

Lineup:
Pearl Jam
Dave Matthews Band
Beastie Boys
Kings of Leon
Ben Harper and Relentless7
Thievery Corporation
John Legend
The Dead Weather
The Levon Helm Band
Ghostland Observatory
Sonic Youth
Mos Def
Toadies
Flogging Molly
The B-52s
Lily Allen
Citizen Cope
Arctic Monkeys
The Decemberists
Coheed and Cambria
Andrew Bird
Girl Talk
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
Phoenix
Bassnectar
Bon Iver
!!!
Avett Brothers
The Airborne Toxic Event
Medeski, Martin & Wood
Clutch
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Grizzly Bear
Heartless Bastards
Passion Pit
White Lies
Dan Auerbach
The Walkmen
The Scabs
Reckless Kelly
DeVotchka
Blitzen Trapper
The Virgins
Here We Go Magic
Eek-A-Mouse
K'Naan
Asleep at the Wheel
Dr. Dog
The Raveonettes
The Knux
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
State Radio
Los Amigos Invisibles
The Felice Brothers
Federico Aubele
Raul Malo
Daniel Johnston
Poi Dog Pondering
Brett Dennen
Rodriguez
Henry Butler
Preservation Hall
Sam Roberts Band
The Greencards
Sara Watkins
Walter "Wolfman" Washington
David Garza
John Vanderslice
Zac Brown Band
Todd Snider
School of Seven Bells
The Dodos
Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
Alberta Cross
Deer Tick
Bell X1
Alela Diane
The Wood Brothers
The Parlor Mob
Rebirth Brass Band
Marva Wright
Terri Hendrix
L.A.X.
Lisa Hannigan
The Low Anthem
Sons of Bill
Suckers
Sarah Jaffe
Cotton Jones
The Henry Clay People
Papa Mali
Jypsi
Vince Mira
Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights
Mimicking Birds
Jeffrey Steele
Jonell Mosser
Leatherbag
Keith Gattis
Damien Horne
Sarah Siskind
The Dexateens
Nelo
Danny Brooks
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
The Soul Stirrers
The Durdens
Palm School Elementary
The Gospel Silvertones
Diaconos
Quinn Sullivan
Ralph's World
Q Brothers
Milkshake
Telephone Company
Loose Cannons
Lunch Money

Blitzen Trapper & Fleet Foxes - Furr

Blitzen Trapper and the Fleet Foxes both released huge albums in 2008. Currently, the two groups are touring together and have been collaberating during encores at their shows. Here is a harmonicly-rich version of Trapper's "Furr". Enjoy.

The Slip - Summer Mini Tour

The Slip haven't toured in about 2 years now. Tonight they posted this message on their website: "Almost two years since our last tour, The Slip is coming together in June and July to perform a handful of shows on the east and west coasts. We have been on hiatus, making music in our respective cities, enjoying the detours. There may be additional shows here and there as we begin to craft our next album. Thank you all for your tremendous and endless support". -BAM

Dates:
24 Jun 2009 20:00
Iron Horse Northampton, Massachusetts
25 Jun 2009 20:00
The Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachusetts
26 Jun 2009 20:00
The Bowery Ballroom NYC, New York
27 Jun 2009 20:30
World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4 Jul 2009 21:30
High Sierra Music Festival Quincy, California
5 Jul 2009 19:15
HIgh Sierra Music Festival Quincy, California

For those of you who don't know The Slip, they put out a huge album in 2006 called "Eisenhower". The song "Even Rats" was in the wildly successful video game Guitar Hero. The Slip also played Conan and were featured on the popular t.v. show Grey's Anatomy.

Here's a sweet video of The Slip playing their epic tune "Airplane/Primitive".

Wilco - Ashes of American Flags

I'd like to open this DVD review boldly by saying that Ashes of American Flags may be the best shot concert film since Martin Scorcese's "The Last Waltz". The film is expertly directed by Brendan Canty and Cristoph Green who utilize HD cameras to capture the Wilco experience. AoAF follows Wilco on their 2008 tour and focuses on shows at Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Cain's Ballroom to Washington D.C. at the 9:30 Club, Tipitina's in New Orleans and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. While Wilco is known for selling out stadiums and ampitheatres, they made sure to play some of their favourite smaller venues on this tour. The DVD is made up mostly of live concert footage with some backstage footage mixed in for good measure. The songs chosen for this film illustrate the gentle, the wild, the noisy and the beautiful sounds that only a band brimming with self-confidence can produce. This is Wilco in their prime. Wilco's reliance on the avant-garde shines on the noise-filled ending of "Handshake Drugs" and the organized madness exemplified in the breakdowns of "Via Chicago". But we also get to see the tender side of Wilco during their Pulse-like performance to nobody of "Wishful Thinking". Just as we begin to think that Wilco is relying almost too heavily on their new love of noise-rock, the oldschool rocker "Monday" is thrown in for good measure. We get to witness Nels Cline transform into a swaying animal in the standout "Sky Blue Sky" track "Impossible Germany", a song which he later reports contributes to his whiplash problems, proving that drugs and booze aren't the only things that cause physical ailments in the world of rock and roll. Ashes of American Flags gives the audience a candid view of a mature rock band, focused on the creation of music instead of the rock and roll lifestyle. Wilco is a band that takes their music seriously, and as a result, the music is thought-provoking, challenging and intricate. The DVD ends with "War on War", a simple tune with repetitive lyrics that hit home. "There's a war on war, there's a war on war, there's a war on war, there's a war on war". Tweedy an company really drive home the fact that even though there's always a war on some sort of war, we always have the option to listen to some great music and dance, and that's what I recommend you do during this film.

The Dead @ The HSBC Arena 2009-04-21

I couldn't have been more excited going into this concert. The Grateful Dead have been one of my favourite bands since high school. The first song I really ever learned to jam to on guitar was "Eyes of the World" and I still jam on it profusly, be it with friends or by myself on my looper pedal. I had seen Bob Weir & Ratdog a couple of years ago and had declared it my favourite show ever after dancing without coordination for four hours straight. The setlists for The Dead had been looking tight. Like any good deadhead I listened to the early shows from the 2009 tour on archive.org and they were stellar. I expected nothing but greatness from the boys while in Buffalo. After briefly hitting Shakedown Street (which was wild to say the least) me and my buddies hit the HSBC Arena. It is difficult to describe the good vibes that were felt in that building before the show even began. The sense of community and happiness I felt was more akin to what fellow jews had described what going to Israel for the first time felt like. The simple fact that every single person at the show had gathered together for the sole purpose of throwing their inhabitions out the window for three or four hours to simply listen to phenomenal music and experience one of the few parts of the 1960s that still exists in our culture today. For that night, the HSBC Arena felt like home, and we were all in good company. The boys took the stage at around 7:30 and came out swinging. They opened the show like so many of their sets in 1972 and 1973 with "Promised Land". I am always a little skeptical when Bobby steps up to the mic. These days he has a more speaking style approach to singing, not usually holding notes to their full extent most likely due to the toll it takes on his vocal chords. To my surprise Bobby sang the song, and he sang it well. Next up was a playful version of "They Love Each Other". I have always been a bigger fan of the early version of this tune which is sped up. The Dead played it in the slower manner (think 1977), with Bobby taking vocals once again. It was a pretty standard version but fun none the less. Later in the set came "Stella Blue" with Warren taking the vocals. "Stella Blue" is a Jerry ballad through and through and thankfully for Warren, he's got pipes. His vocals shined through this tune and Jerry would have been proud. Closing the set was a rousing rendition of "Big River", one of my favourite songs in the Dead's canon. It was jammed out nicely with some great solos by Warren.
After a short set break came the standard set 2 meat and potatos. The boys jammed into "Playin' In The Band" which was hot. The vocals from everyone were quite strong, and the jam itself dripped with goo. It segued into "Me And Bobby McGee", where Bobby took the strongest vocal performance of the night. It was a slightly extended version and was really great. Later on in the set came a nicely jammed out version of "Ramble On Rose". At this point in the show the HSBC was one big sing-song. Everyone was belting out the lyrics at the top of their lungs, the vibe was heavy and fun. The "Drums/Space" segment came not too much later and was very heady. Its intro theme really reminded me of Radiohead at the time, with lots of digital noises acting as a soundscape for Billy and Mickey to rock out over. This eventually segued into a standard version of "Maggie's Farm", a song a really despise, and simply didn't enjoy at the show. Thankfully "Maggie's Farm" segued into a hot version of "Eyes of the World" with Bobby, Phil and Warren trading verses. Warren's playing really shined here and I felt for the first time that his playing truly fit what The Dead were trying to achieve. It was the first time of the night that Jerry's presence could really be felt. As "Eyes" toned down, the familiar riffs of "Playin'" began to be teased, with the reprise capping off the set. As set 2 ended Phil came out and thanked us for being such a great and attentive audience. He also encouraged us all to be organ donors, after his life was saved after a liver transplant. The boys treated us to a "Truckin" encore which featured a wild ending jam. The show came full circle, ending on a serious high note. After seeing The Dead for my first time, its safe to say that I am going to need another fix before the summer is over. Although the setlist was great, I have so many favourites that it would have been impossible to hear them all. Needless to say it was one of the most important concert experiences of my life, and hopefully I will be able to experience The Dead once again.

Setlist: Set I: The Promised Land, They Love Each Other, Mama Tried, Loser, Smokestack Lightnin' > Stella Blue > It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, Big River
Set II: Jam > Playing In The Band > Me & Bobby McGee, Loose Lucy, Ramble On Rose > Drums > Space > Maggie's Farm > Eyes of The World > Playing In The Band (reprise)
Encore: Truckin'

Here is The Dead playing "Truckin'"

The Dead

In light of the upcoming Dead show at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, I've decided to post this killer video of the Grateful Dead. This version of "Easy Wind" is taken from the amazing documentary concert film "Festival Express". This is one of the few videos of Pigpen singing the blues. Expect a show review of The Dead soon.

Wilco Worldwide Tour Dates

Wilco just announced the U.S. additions to their already mammoth tour. Not to mention that their live dvd "Ashes of American Flags" comes out tomorrow. Expect a review of that film shortly.
Meanwhile, here are the full tour dates:

04-16 Bloomington, IN - IU Auditorium #
04-17 Athens, OH - Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium #
04-18 Knoxville, TN - Disc Exchange
04-18 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre #
04-20 Athens, GA - Classic Center #
04-21 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium #
04-22 Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnaces #
04-23 Oxford, MS - Lyric Oxford #
04-25 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
05-23 Tenerife, Spain - Tenerife Auditorium
05-25 Malaga, Spain - Teatro Cervantes !
05-26 Madrid, Spain - Teatro Calderon !
05-29 Seville, Spain - Territorios Festival, La Cartuja
05-30 Oporto-Braga, Portugal - Teatro Circo
05-31 Lisbon, Portugal - Lisbon Coliseu
06-01 Santiago de Compostela-Galicia, Spain - Palacio de Congresos, Sala Braque
06-03 San Sebastian, Spain - Kursaal
06-04 Barcelona, Spain - Auditori Barcelona
06-12 Cincinnati, OH - Aronoff Center
06-13 Manchester, TN - Bonaroo Festival
06-15 Oklahoma City, OK - Bricktown EventsCenter
06-17 El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
06-18 Tucson, AZ - Centennial Hall **
06-19 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
06-20 Pomona, CA - Fox Theatre
06-22 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
06-23 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
06-27 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater
06-28 Stateline, NV - Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
06-30 Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion
07-03 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks
07-08 Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap
07-10 Wilmington, DE - Frawley Stadium
07-11 Lowell, MA - LeLacheur Park
07-13 Brooklyn, NY - Keyspan Park
07-17 Portland, ME - Maine State Pier
07-18 Wappingers Falls, NY - Dutchess County Stadium
07-19 Lewiston, NY - Art Park
07-23 Detroit Lakes, MN - 10,000 Lakes Festival
08-13 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08-14 Gothenberg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08-21 Erfurt-Hohenfelden, Germany - Highfield Festival
08-23 Brecon Beacons, Wales - Green Man Festival
08-25 London, England - Troxy
08-27 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street

* with Pronto
# with A Hawk and a Hacksaw
! with Akron/Family
** with Grizzly Bear

Here's Wilco playing "Impossible Germany" of 2007s "Sky Blue Sky". I'd argue this to be one of Wilco's greatest tracks, with Nels Cline's hottest solo.