Friday, January 30, 2009

Desperate Man Blues


Hello again friends. Sorry I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks. I just haven't felt inspired by anything enough to share with you. That was until today.

Thanks to the nice folks at Pitchfork, I watched an amazing movie tonight that just made my weekend. The film is documentary on renowned 78 record collector and radio personality Joe Bussard called "Desperate Man Blues".

Joe has been collecting country, blues, and jazz recordings from the 20's and 30's for over forty years and has amassed a collection of over 25,000 platters. Watching the shear joy in Joe as he spins a Charlie Patton side reminds me of why I gravitated towards music in the first place. It lifts your soul and makes you forget the world around you, if only for 2 or 3 minutes.

For the same reason I love Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour, this film helps educate (all who are lucky enough to see it) on just how many musical treasure are out there that you won't find on ITunes. It almost makes me want to through my MP3 player out the window. Almost.

Enjoy the film (for one week only) below. Long live vinyl!!!!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Monday, January 19, 2009

New U2 Single

So the mighty Irish foursome have "dropped" the the first single from their highly anticipated album "No Line on the Horizon" (out March 3).

So the song is called "Get On Your Boots" and it is a classic post-"Achtung Baby" rocker. I only hope the rest of the disc sounds this fresh and exciting. Crank this up and vacuum the house or something! You won't be able to sit down.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Jerry Garcia The Comedian

Not only was Jerry Garcia an amazing musician, he also had amazing comic timing. Who knew? Enjoy the joke and the tune and have a nice weekend.....



Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Ryan Adams Says Bye to The Cardinals

In typical dramatic fashion, Ryan Adams upped a lengthy Blog post today which (among other things) stated that he will be leaving his band of 5 years; The Cardinals. He has already deleted the post from his website so who really knows but him what's up.

While not as intense as The Beatles or The Smiths breaking up, the potential split is still sad news for many of his fans. As much as I liked the 6 albums he released with The Cardinals, I'm anxious to see what one of our more talented singer-songwriters has up his sleeve without them. Lately his music was sounding a bit too comfortable for my tastes.

Here is the original post in all it's meandering glory as well as his recent, heartfelt take on his classic "In My Time of Need" from 12/30/08. Rock on Ryan!



"me- 34-a non smoker and happy, for the first time in my life.. i am excited to finish this wonderful time i have had with the cardinals and whatever new adventures may come after march. atlanta will be my last venture with the band and i am grateful for the time we have had and maybe someday we will have more stories to tell together. i am however ready for quieter times as i think it is very evident i am struggling with some balance and hearing issues.

also, no drama or anything but i am okay to step back from all of this right now and i think i did enough manic blogging when i felt alone and isolated during the last few years of travel. these last few years were the hardest i can remember and the most rewarding but i have loved ones to care for now and i am lucky i have been given a chance to turn around and see just what i am capable of as a friend and as someone who is not gone forever every year- it rendered me incapable of things i needed to be to myself and others- and my schedule sometimes never ended when the shows did- and some of that was my doing. and i lost someone i loved, and i lost myself.

that changed. i got to know just who i am in this little spell of time here recently. and change is the nature of thew world and i naturally embrace that.

i won’t be blogging here anymore either- but not for effect- it just is not being kind to myself- i need a life that is mine- i need to grow up and grow in to who i have subtly been working back towards since i stopped all that nonsense and i know also no matter what i choose to do in the music world, because i chose to do things my way and never lie i will always be viewed as an “asshole” ( i hear and have seen things in the past) and i am not, and i know the truth and i know who i am.

also it is kind of ridiculous to blog as because i am a musician and anything i say here just gets reprinted at some point out of context. i say NOT FAIR but it doesn’t matter what i say anymore or what is fair anymore really does it- the 21st century media has it’s own rules about what is true and what is not. it is not a life- not one i want to live anyway and i don’t really care to participate in narcissistic over-indulgent behavior anymore- that was never my intention- i just wanted to fight for my right to make music and to be given the benefit of the doubt. now, because i have stood up for myself and fought for myself i am labeled all kinds of awful things. well, i will walk away now and it will not matter what anyone say’s. there are other things i can do in this life, other ways to be creative and to try and help others and be expressive without being demonized for attempting to gain the same things any other human being desires- love- friendship- understanding- and being able to express yourself without constant fear of being mistreated for speaking up

. i have friends to make, brand new books coming (two of em’ not counting that one already printed and on it’s way out there and i LOVE writing….yay!)and a whole lot of living and learning to do.

i am excited to step away. i lost more than anyone will ever know (hearing, soneone i loved, my sense of dignity, a never ending losing battle with stage fright and now my hearing and balance due to an inner ear issue- people accusing me of not being sober when i am suffering tremendous pain and nausea from my inner ear symptoms- people accusing me of theft (THEFT- ….awful) and this is not much of a life, not glamorous like those ridiculous video’s a long time ago television played and no it is not monetarily as rewarding as people would like you to believe and yes, it is soul destroying. especially when you spend your life trying to write about the really difficult stuff and you stand there losing your way and people yell at you like you were in a circus. when it was your dream to matter and you realize one day, it never mattered- i mean, i am a punch-line and a footnote in what is worse to yell at someone besides “free-bird”. i mean, i lost. and it’s okay because i seriously snuck some pretty neat idea’s in there in the work when i was making those mistakes or they were being made by others. this business is no science.

andf you know, whatever this is- it’s not my dream. and it is a punishing thing to endure when you are getting worse and worse- it’s not my dream, my dream was mike watt’s crazy shaking leg and electric fingers- or how sonics droned into beautiful cluds and how it felt to just let go and static up a riff and find the sweet spot- but getting yelled at for just being a songwriter- to be called so many horrid things because i chose to love music so much, and also to look for peace and balance in my life- that is not kindness and just not my thing. at least not now.

quitting smoking was a good step and i am happy i also am just now beginning to understand how important it is i take better care of myself in every way right now.

anyway, enjoy these shows and know that i am not abandoning anyone and that i loved playing music in the cardinals and hell, even before i was in a place to try and learn to be well, music was my life source-

maybe i will play again sometime but this is the time for me to step back now, and i wish everyone peace and happiness and if music is your dream, or if just dreaming is your dream, may you find your way through the rough patch with ease and i hope you let go and it takes you all the way there-

loving kindness to all.

R "

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Jeff Tweedy Sings Radiohead with Johnny Marr

Playing in New Zeland at the invite of Oxfam benefit concert curator Neil Finn, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy nails the Radiohead classic "Fake Plastic Trees". While that alone would be enough for a musical celebration, add in ex-Smith's guitarist Johnny Marr and you have a cover version for the ages!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

R.I.P. Ron Asheton

Next to The Velvet Underground, I don't think there is a more important band in the history of rock and roll than The Stooges. Today we have sadly lost one of them. Since no real great footage exists of early live Stooges, here is a nice little documentary I found. Ron Asheton is one of the seminal figures in the history of music and he will be missed.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy New Year from My Morning Jacket

Well 2008 has come and gone (Thank God) and My Morning Jacket rang in the new year with about 20,000 friends at Madison Square Garden in New York. Complete with white top hats and suits, the band funked in 2009 with a super-duper Kool and the Gang homage.

Since my New Year's was rung in watching Robbie Knievel jump over a volcano on TV, this looks like it was a lot more fun....