Blowin' in the Wind

What a busy weekend the last one was! Friday I got off work early & the fam and I hit up the Flaming Lips show... More specifically, we saw Deathstar & White Dwarfs, The Ettes, White Rabbits, Minus the Bear, The Dead Weather, and The Flaming Lips - it was a GREAT show! And my mom won 4 VIP tickets to 311 & The Offspring on July 3rd, so that will be fun too!


The Dead Weather


Wayne in a bubble



Then Saturday I woke up at the crack of dawn and went to Rolla with E Gill for PSR initiation...It was a great time, and I loved our new girls! Can't wait to get to know them better!

Sunday I got home around 3:00, and Andy surprised me by showing up just an hour after me. We had some delicious crab alfredo for dinner, and then mostly hung out. I imagine we'll do a lot of snuggly things between now & Thursday morning, since I will be leaving for Memphis Thursday afternoon...

It's wino night!! ...Don't say you weren't warned.

Morning's phone just died, which makes me sad, but before it did I asked him my default question, which I use to immediately judge people & decide whether or not I like them: You're stranded on a desert island, which 5 albums do you have to have?

The rules: It can't be a mix CD or any of that BS. It CAN be a greatest hits album, or even a multi-disc set, as long as that is how it was released by the recording company. Basically it has to be all one artist per album.

That being said, his answers were: Queens of the Stone Age: self-titled, Eagles of Death Metal, Beatles - Abbey Road or 1...Incubus - either Make Yourself or Morning View...And I can not remember the last one for the life of me. But moral of the story is his answers were legit. And I asked AMS23 hers, which were also spectacular.

Here's the thing, though - I ask people the question all the time, and honestly if they were to ask me mine I would tell each of them a different 5 albums. I am trying to lock it down, but I just can't. So for today, here are my Desert Island Albums:

*Annie Lennox - Medusa

*Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

*Crosby Stills Nash & Young - So Far

*Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key of Life

*O.A.R. - Stories of A Stranger

And because I have a really really hard time narrowing this down, I am allowing myself 3...make that 4...err, 56... runners-up, which are:

John Butler Trio - Grand National

Supertramp - Breakfast in America

Rusted Root - When I Woke

Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings

Sublime - self-titled

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

....Who am I kidding?! I want to turn this into a list of Angie's 100 favorite albums because they are great from start to finish! But alas, that would be ridiculous. So for now, I shall go boost mi amigo's ego & finish my wine.

What are yours??

One more thing, though, today Sister's friend J decided he could beat me at some sort of music knowledge competition. I was almost insulted by this thought. Is that wrong of me?! Regardless I feel like I might have put the little punk in his place, for now. ;)

And to be ironic (in the Alanis Morissette sense of the word) I am including a song that is in no way, shape, or form on this list:

...are basically the main reason for life. I love them, and there are lots I want to go to, and lots I think people should know about. Maybe you're thinking of taking a roadtrip to one or something! ....I'm compiling a list now, and publishing it here so I can look back when I need to (and maybe it will also help others find them), of every music festival I would like to attend at some point in time, and a few I already have:

Bonnaroo mid-June, Manchester TN....Hoping to go this year to see PHISH!!! Always a killer lineup!
Past performers: Kanye West, Death Cab, Iron & Wine, Vampire Weekend, Pearl Jam, Widespread Panic, O.A.R., BB King, Ben Folds, Les Claypool, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Metallica, Tool, The Police, Radiohead...the list goes on!


Southside & Hurricane - simultaneous, late June, Germany...They love their 2 at once festivals apparently!
Past performers: Arcade Fire, Beastie Boys, Incubus, Bright Eyes, Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon

Summer Meltdown - early August, Darrington WA
Past performers: Tea Leaf Green, Buckethead

Meltdown Festival - London England....Directed by a different musician/celebrity each year, so has really varying lineups year-to-year
Past performers: Jeff Buckley, Cornershop, Cat Power, Iggy & the Stooges, Nancy Sinatra, Polyphonic Spree, Dandy Warhols, Elvis Costello, Smog

Popped! - late June, Philadelphia PA
Past performers: Vampire Weekend, The Ting Tings, Gogol Bordello, Mates of State, Crystal Castles

North by Northeast - mid/late June, Toronto Canada.... Canada's SXSW!
Past performers: People in Planes, My Morning Jacket, Ted Leo & Pharmacists, Hercules & Love Affair

Isle of Wight - mid-June, Isle of Wight England
Past performers: The Police, The Kooks, Sex Pistols, Kaiser Chiefs, Prodigy, Coldplay, The Who, David Bowie, Jefferson Airplane, Bob Dylan, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix

Coachella Mid-April, Indio CA

Lollapalooza - First weekend in August (Perfect birthday present to self! Chicago, IL

Wakarusa - Ozark, AR

Joshua Tree Roots Fest


Strawberry Music Festival (summer) - Memorial Weekend

Rothbury Festival - 1st weekend of July

CMJ Music Marathon - I could party with all of the promoters I used to talk to! :)

Mile High Music Festival - Mid-July, CO

Pemberton Festival - Woo Canada!...July

Harvest of Hope Festival - 1st weekend of March, St. Augustine FL

Summerfest - 8 days long!, Super cheap, end of June/early July, Milwaukee WI


High Sierra Music Festival - 1st July weekend, Quincy CA

Beale St. Music Festival - 1st weekend in May, wide variety of artists, Memphis TN (Going there this year!)

Midpoint Music Festival - Cincinnati, late march/Early April

Musikfest - Bethlehem PA, 10 days, late July/early August

Monolith Festival - wanted to go to that this past year, but was another thing that got screwed up by the townhome. Band of Horses was there, and we all know how much I heart them. Anyway, also at Red Rocks, which is just amazing. September, Morrison CO

South by Southwest - Austin, TX, mid-March. Never went because it was during Pat's. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Awesome & huge. Another place to party with promoters! AND Devo will be there this year which makes me badly wish I could go.


10KLF (10,000 Lakes Festival) - July, Detroit Lakes MN

Green Apple - 4/20 (I know right!) at several venues, FREE, I want to go to them all (But DC has the best bands) - Washington DC, New York, Miami, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco

Fun Fun Fun Fest - November, Austin TX; fucking great indie music

Outside Lands - end of August, SF CA - pretty much BA

Musicfest NW - 1st weekend of September, Portland OR

Summer Camp - Memorial Weekend, Chillicothe IL... Have heard Ben & Pat talk about it so much but somehow still never made it there! But I shall.
Past performers: moe., Keller Williams, Umphrey's McGee, Flaming Lips, P-Funk, the Roots

Sasquatch Music Festival - Memorial Weekend, The Gorge in George WA... GREAT lineups!!
Past performers: REM, Flaming Lips, The Cure, Modest Mouse, POTUSA, Michael Franti & Spearhead, MIA, Fleet Foxes, Built to Spill, Matt Costa, Flight of the Conchords (ALL IN ONE YEAR, PLUS A TON OF OTHER AWESOME ACTS! MUST GO!)

Liverpool Sound City - late May, Liverpool England
Past performers: Lightspeed Champion, Santogold, Laura Marling, The Wombats

Villette Sonique - early June, Paris France
Past performers: Sunset Rubdown, Deerhunter, Devo, The Go! Team, Mission of Burma

Rock Am Ring & Rock im Park - early June, Germany...2 simultaneous badass rock festivals in Germany
Past performers: Metallica, Bedouin Soundclash, CSS, Hot Chip, Justice, HIM, Motorhead, Nightwish, Bad Religion, Incubus, Rage Against the Machine

Primavera Sound - late May/early June, Barcelona Spain
Past performers: Smashing Pumpkins, White Stripes, Animal Collective, Cat Power, Built to Spill, Wilco, Of Montreal

Do-Division Street Fest - late May/early June, Chicago IL...a sidewalk sale/free concert. Loving this.
Past performers: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, The 1900s, Frightened Rabbit

Rock in Rio - May, Lisbon Portugal...long-running, biggest rock festival in the world
Past performers: Metallica, Amy Winehouse, Muse, Neil Young, RHCP, Ben Harper, Paul McCartney, Queen, Yes

Badd Bonn Kilbi - Dudingen Switzerland
Past performers: Cat Power, The Notwist, Beach House, Blonde Redhead

Jam on the River - Memorial Weekend, Philadelphia PA
Past performers: Flaming Lips, Disco Biscuits, Avett Brothers

Memorial Weekend Festival - actually 3 separate concerts, but all super good & relatively cheap. Memorial Weekend (duh), Bend OR
Past performers: Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The National

Taos Solar Music Festival - late June, Taos NM

Bumbershoot - early September, Seattle WA

Norman Music Festival - FREE!, late April, Norman OK

All Good Music Festival - early-mid July, Masontown WV

Siren Music Festival - Excellent indie bands, on Coney Island, FREE! I know, you're thinking "That sounds too good to be true!"....It does, I'm skeptical too.

Virgin Festival Calgary - late June, Calgary Alberta
Past performers: Flaming Lips, Stone Temple Pilots, Fratellis, New Pornographers, Tragically Hip

Hove Festival - late June, Arendal Norway
Past performers: 1990s, Amy Winehouse, Bright Eyes, CSS, Hatebreed, Interpol, Klaxons, Nellie McKay, Slayer, Stephen Marley, The Hold Steady, Animal Collective, Band of Horses, Beck, In Flames, Jay Z, Vampire Weekend


Glastonbury Festival - late June, Glastonbury England
Past performers: Holy cow, more than I can mention!... We Are Scientists, Editors, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, MGMT, Pete Doherty, Jimmy Cliff, Estell, Ozomatli, The Rascals, Kings of Leon, Massive Attack, Simian Mobile Disco, Band of Horses, Vampire Weekened, Buddy Guy, Hot Chip, Los Campesinos, Amy Winehouse, Jay Z, The Verve, Brian Jonestown massacre, Leonard Cohen, Goldfrapp, Manu Chao, Joan Baez, My Morning Jacket, The National.....That's all in the same year!!!!! Plus like a million more!!

80/35 - first weekend of July, Des Moines IA...Pretty close to home & pretty awesome!
Past performers: Flaming Lips, Roots, Yonder Mtn String Band, Andrew Bird


Rock Werchter - late June/early July, Werchter Belgium
Past performers: The Ramones, Pixies, Ben Harper, DMB, Jeff Buckley, David Bowie, Bjork, The Cure, Muse, Metallica, REM, Foo Fighters

Roskilde Festival - first weekend of July, Roskilde Denmark...Going strong since 1971, with a brief hiccup when 9 people were killed during a Pearl Jam performance
Past performers: The Kinks, Canned Heat, Bob Marley, U2, Metallica, Eric Clapton, REM, Sex Pistols, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, The Who, Korn, Iggy Pop, Morrissey


Comerica Cityfest - 4th of July weekend, Detroit MI
Past performers: The Zombies, Broken Social Scene, Calexico, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, George Clinton & P-Funk

Pitchfork Music Festival - mid-July, Chicago

Virgin Mobile Festival - I know the name makes me throw up a little too...The music, however, makes up for it! early August, Baltimore MD

Austin City Limits - October, Austin TX...Pretty much always has the most bands I want to see. SO GOOD!

Treasure Island Music Festival - mid September, San Francisco CA

I am completely bummed that Langerado was cancelled this year, and SO hope that it's back next year. Damn economy.

Also I have mixed feelings about the Wakarusa move. I'm really hoping that it ends up back in Lawrence after this year but don't see that happening....

Lastly, I would like to spend a summer in one of those cities that has free outdoor concerts every weekend with bands that don't suck.

This entry will officially remain under construction for...ever. I hear every day about another amazing lineup that I MUST see, so...yeah.

So, I'm a month late with this, but that's kind of how I roll. :) Here are my personal top 10 albums of 2008. It's just my opinion, yours might be totally different! Feel free to share any I didn't include, good or bad!!

10. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark: It's Astralwerks, so of course it's good! Hot Chip's 3rd album, and I would venture to say best so far. Takes more risks than their first 2, and those risks pay off. The Warning was a great album, but a little too poppy sometimes...This one learns from its overly popped predecessors & gets a little darker, which should also broaden the band's appeal to fans of just about any genre. Made in the Dark basically lives in my CD player.

9. Steve Winwood - Nine Lives: Not what I was expecting from Winwood's new release but perhaps that's part of the reason I love it so. Now I think this man could release an album of children's songs and somehow make it kick tall ass; he's just that awesome. At 60 years old, Winwood puts out this album that somehow manages to revisit all of the music he's already released, while still keeping it entirely different than anything he's come out with in the psat 45 years. I saw him with Petty in concert last year, and he was phenomenal. I love him so.

8. O.A.R. - All Sides: Upon first listen, I was not convinced. O.A.R. has been one of my favorite bands for ages, and originally was because of the jam band feel their music had. It seems with each new album they come out with a bit of that is lost. Seeing them live, they still rock it hard & improv some extended solos and such...but the albums just don't do that anymore. Nonetheless, once I came to terms with that and listened to All Sides for what it was, with its big name producers and terribly boring cover, it's actually a pretty solid album despite my first thoughts. There are no songs that I feel like I must skip, and while there is definitely a lack of Jerry DePizzo that saddens me, when he is playing he is kicking ass. That's what he does best.

7. Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts: I can't say I've ever disliked anything Cloud Cult has released, which is pretty impressive considering they've released 6 albums in 5 years...You'd think they would be subpar, but pretty much they're not. The album name is actually Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying through Tornadoes), and that pretty much sums it up. The album is about being happy despite what pitfalls you encounter on your journey through life, and when you listen to it, it's hard to be unhappy! The songs are beautiful and full, with such a wide variety of instrumentation happening that you feel like you have to really pay attention or you'll miss something. The orchestration is at times reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens, with the vocals sounding a bit like Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse), minus his jaded world view (which, don't get me wrong, I love). It's gotten me hooked.

6. The Black Keys - Attack & Release: Every time I hear The Black Keys, I find it extremely difficult to believe that 2 people can do so much (I get this same feeling when I listen to Viva Voce). Attack & Release isn't for me quite what Thickfreakness was, with the stripped down old blues feeling. But it's exactly what I'd expect when you take that and combine it with executive producer Danger Mouse at the helm. A great album, but I wonder what could have been had Ike Turner not died & gotten to collaborate on the project as planned! No use dwelling, though - the fact of the matter is, another success for The Keys.

5. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line: Debut album for a band that's been together since (I think) 2006. Their founding member/drummer John Pike died in the summer of 2007, but the remaining member persevered & came out with this KICKASS album! Great new material, and even as strongly opposed to covers as I generally am, their cover of Kate Bush's "Suspended in Gaffa" is wicked awesome! Two thumbs up!

4. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend: Most would probably call this THE debut of the year. While I'm not entirely of that mindset, this gets you from the beginning and keeps you hooked until it ends, which few records do anymore! Really great & catchy, but doesn't offer a lot musically. Perhaps its beauty lies in its simplicity. All I know is I love it. I am reluctant, however, to put it so high on my list. I saw them live and was wholly unimpressed... Anyway, get the record! Step aside, Weezer, our new nerd-rock heroes have arrived.

3. Metallica - Death Magnetic: Thank you God. Or Lars, or whoever needs to be thanked. I hate Lars so maybe I won't give him the credit...James, you can take it. ;) From the ashes of the unfortunate St. Anger rises Metallica's proverbial phoenix, Death Magnetic. Long songs, tasty guitar riffs - this album is what a Metallica album is supposed to sound like! Almost as good as Black....almost!

2. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping: This album has kind of an unfair advantage. I first acquired a digital copy of it (legally, mind you!), and listened to it on my work computer NONSTOP. I learned all the words & loved all the songs. Then I decided to put the songs on my mp3 player & something very strange happened - all the songs were completely unfamiliar. Yes, the words were the same, but where did all this crazy dance background music come from? As it turns out, my work computer is in mono, and I got to rediscover the whole album. I'd thought it was a bit strange for Of Montreal to come out with something so bare, but I was okay with it... Now I'm way more than okay with it!!

1. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today: There are just no words to describe David Byrne, and the magic that happens when he & Eno collaborate on a project. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this album in the roughly 3 months since it's been released...but I can tell you that I'm nowhere near sick of it. David Byrne is amazing as always, and the lyrics on this album are much simpler & straightforward than a lot of his previous material but that's part of what makes it what it is. I got to catch him on tour in October, and so I was familiar with some of the songs before it came out, and getting that little taste made me desperate for the full album. I'm not disappointed. Not at all.

Honorable Mentions:
Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Amos Lee - Last Days at the Lodge
Tech N9ne - Killer
The Dodos - Visiter
Ben Folds - Way to Normal
The Kooks - Konk
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
French Kicks - Swimming
TV On the Radio - Dear Science
Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Matt Costa - Unfamiliar Faces
City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Beach House - Devotion
Sia - Some People Have Real Problems
Sun Kil Moon - April


...And my personal 10 biggest disappointments of the year

10. Beck - Modern Guilt: Maybe this is blasphemous...But that's never stopped me before! The thing is, when you set the bar as high as Beck has in the past, it's just hard to live up to. I would be inclined to think that getting Danger Mouse on board would be an easy way to help that along, but for me this just didn't work. The album is not bad, but it's just not great. There are just a few standout tracks... I get the impression I'm in the minority here, but I just felt a general disappointment after listening to this one.

9. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Cardinology: Let me preface this by saying that Ryan Adams has never, for whatever reason, been my cup of tea. Perhaps it's due to the buildup that surrounded him before I heard it. Because my general reaction was "That's it?!" Then there was this album, that got the same buildup - people telling me it was his best yet, etc. So I gave it a try. Same reaction. I guess I just don't get it. I do know that people making claims that he's the next Neil Young make me angry. THAT is blasphemy.

8. AC/DC - Black Ice: Can I call this a disappointment when my expectations weren't all that high to begin with?! As a matter of fact, this album might have even exceeded my expectations...sadly enough. The good news - it sounds like old AC/DC...The bad - it sounds like old AC/DC. There is, predictably, nothing unique about it. Even more irritating than the album itself is the fact that it was released as a 'Wal-Mart Exclusive'. Um....

7. Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings: Simply put, this album broke my Counting Crows-loving heart. It's good, there's no denying that, but it's not spectacular. When I hear a Crows album I expect nothing short of spectacular. It felt a little overproduced or something...just not the raw emotional Counting Crows that I know and love. :(

6. ZOX - Line in the Sand: I just like bands more when they're still under the radar, I guess. This is their first album to really attract much attention, and I'm happy for them as far as that goes...but what I loved about ZOX was their ska/reggae vibe, and that's went from being their main vein to a nearly ignored background influence. Sad face for that.

5. Flogging Molly - Float: Sorry Side One Dummy, you're 0 for 2 with me... And apparently all of my disappointments were bands changing up what they usually do. Maybe it's because I'm a crochety old man, but I say if it ain't broke don't fix it. I'm all for experimenting I suppose, but not for leaving behind everything that you once were or stood for! So anyway....focus Angie....Lyrically, I think Float is a great album. They've grown past just being a bunch of Irish drunks, and while I doubt I will ever cross that threshold personally I can appreciate that they have. I, however, can not appreciate the fact that musically I find this album boring. For Flogging Molly.

4. Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger: Yeah, we get it. You have cancer. You have one testicle. But you shall overcome. This album....well, it's no Everything in Transit. And it doesn't even have going for it that the band's transcended some lyrical boundaries...nothing like that. It's just not that good. While Andrew McMahon is undoubtedly a talented musician who has seen more of life than he should have ever had to, I don't feel like there's anything on this album that hasn't already been done.

3. Weezer - 'The Red Album': Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is their third self-titled album? And the second one to not do their name justice. I hate to be one of those people, but I just feel like Weezer has completely sold out. Once upon a time, if you would have asked me who I wanted to some day marry, I would have answered Rivers Cuomo without a start. Now he's higher on my list of people I want to punch. Weezer has continually let their rockin' awesomeness go by the wayside & instead settled for catchy radio-friendly music. I understand that's what makes the money, and I won't hate them for that. I won't even really hate the album. I'll just be disappointed in it.

2. R.E.M. - Accelerate: I am genuinely surprised at how well-received this album was. I didn't like it. At all, really. The lyrics are good, of course. Stipe wouldn't be Stipe if the lyrics weren't good...and also political & relevant. I particularly liked "Living Well is the Best Revenge"...It is a rockin' album, which is a welcome change after Around the Sun, but it's just all been done. AND it's only 35 minutes long! Did someone say gyp?!

1. Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch: I remember vividly when I was told that Tom Petty was doing an album with Mudcrutch, his band prior to the Heartbreakers. I was so stoked! I love the Heartbreakers, but felt like it would be awesome for Tom Petty to revisit those days. Well, this sounded nothing like the original Mudcrutch, which was disappointing, even when you consider that they basically sounded like the Heartbreakers. I like the style of music they're going for here, and I like how each band member has a chance to stand out. But I think all in all the musicians on this album are overqualified for what the album is...mediocre.

Dishonorable Mentions:
Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
Lykke Li - Youth Novels
CSS - Donkey

I watched this documentary, King Corn, with my buddy Ashley last night. She's always introducing me to new evils of the world and whatnot, which I love. This was one of the more frustrating documentaries I've seen in a while, which I think is saying something. This movie is all about how corn, which can be delicious and wonderful, is primarily used for all of these horrible things (high fructose corn syrup, cattle feed to fatten cattle before they're slaughtered, etc.). It also talks about how the money farmers make from farming corn mostly comes from the government because it is far from a cash crop, and how the priority is getting the MOST corn and there is no focus on quality. All of this is very disheartening, but it's a really good movie that you should check out. Here's a trailer from YouTube:


It also led to some good discussion about what we can do to change the world, which is always one of my favorite topics. We decided that we are 'idealistic realists', which seems to contradict itself, but we define it as people who see the world as both what it is and what it could be. I like it.

I've decided to stop consuming high fructose corn syrup, which will be interesting since it seems to be in virtually everything! I already don't drink pop (soda, if you prefer), though, so that will help some... Once I have more money and have graduated, there are many other things I am going to get VERY picky about, food-wise. It's a shame that you have to be rich to eat food that actually has nutritional value anymore.