Scent Weakly 2.0

Friday, October 31, 2008

Field Trip: Neil Young & Death Cab and Cutie



Wow!

Going into the show I had no absolutely no expectations. After all the guy will be 63 in a couple weeks. I do have a almost 40 year history of enjoying his music and was curious to see which Neil we would get. Well, we got all of them. He rocked, went acoustic, rocked some more, and then covered of The Beatles' A Day In the Life which ended with a Hendrix-esque guitar/amplifier melt down. Like Springsteen he pulls it off without a whiff of nostalgia. The guy is just as relevant today as he was 40 years ago. Best show of the year.

I should like Death Cab for Cutie. They're everything I like in a band. They can sing, write, and play. But for some reason they have never resonated with me. It's probably not a good idea for any band to open for NY.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Cardinology



You can stream RA's new record here Cardinology

After my initial listen I gotta say it's one his weaker efforts. The gold to crap ratio is mighty low for an Adams record.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

WAITING FOR THE WAVE, by Tony Nolan

Holy Crap!!!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Field Trip: Schuyler Fisk



Schuyler Fisk can play and sing. She's also adorable. I caught her set at The Casbah last night with a relatively small but very appreciative crowd. SF is making the move away from the singer songwriter genre and and moving to KT Tunstall and Brandi Carlile territory by fronting a very good band.

While the set was entertaining I didn't hear a song that I wanted to rush home and download. That may have had more to do with the sound guy than her song writing abilities as the dude couldn't get the mix right all night. I'll reserve judgment until her new record comes out in February.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Field Trip: Hotel Cafe Tour, Girls



I made it out two nights in a row. (Not bad for an old guy) While Sunday's Kings of Leon show was all about testosterone, last night the BellyUp was all estrogen all the time. I caught the Hotel Cafe tour that featured Anya Marina, Meiko, Jaymay, Molly Jenson, Erin McCarley and Holly Conlan rotating on stage for a few songs each.

Highlights

Meiko is a real talent. She reminds me a little of Missy Higgins and Brandi Carlile who happen to be two of my favorite female singer songwriters.

Jaymay What a treat. I have been listening to Jaymay's music for awhile and imagined her to be shy and retiring little mouse. She's the complete opposite. Jaymay is a bit quirky and an absolute firecracker. I've always liked her rather idiosyncratic songs but the depth of her voice was a very pleasant surprise. If the music business was a meritocracy she'd be a star.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Field Trip: The Kings of Leon


As the internet has transformed mass markets into 1000s of micromarkets, I can't think of any neo-classic rock band that has grown its audience to the point that it can fill arenas. Judging from last night's show the King of Leons might be the first.

The KOL has all the bells and whistles. They're an excellent band with catchy sing-alongable songs fronted by a rock star. The music brings the guys and Caleb Followill brings the girls (who were well represented last night).

All in all it was an excellent show.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

An Assignment: Required



This week's This American Life podcast is required listening. It explains the current financial mess in terms that even I (whose IQ is near Paris Hilton's) can understand.

Grab it now on iTunes as I think it will be replaced by a new podcast Sunday night.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Podcasts



In the age of the iPod, I'm not sure how commercial radio survives. I haven't listened to the it in months. I suppose there is an audience for talk shows, traffic updates, and live sports, but I have to believe even that audience is shrinking.

I'm just glad I'm not in the business of selling radio ads.

As I think I mentioned before, I have been listening to a lot of podcasts on my commute and while exercising. Here are a few of my favorites.

Sound Opinions **** A weekly discussion of the music scene.
This American Life **** The NPR show featuring human interest stories
MacBreak Weekly **** Leo Laporte and crew discussing all things Mac
Net@Night **** Leo Laporte and Aber MacArthur talk web 2.0
SModcast **** Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier riff. Hilarious vulgarity
PRI: The Sound of Young Aemrica **** Great interviews. (Chip Kidd, Bill James, The Hold Steady ......)
All Songs Considered **** The NPR show featuring the best of contemporary music.
Filmspotting **** Movie reviews (a bit geeky)
Scene Unseen **** Movie reviews (less geeky)
The BS Report **** Bill Simmons talks sports and pop culture

All these podcasts are available for free on itunes. Radio is screwed.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

How an Engineer Folds a T-Shirt

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

OK, OK I'll vote for Obama


The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.