Month: October 2006

A Goldmine of Bruce Oslo Goodness

bruce in oslo

First off, a very cool video interview / press conference of Bruce before the Oslo show can be found here. The quality of the video itself is amazing, IF you have some patience. The Norwegian server that’s hosting it is probably getting slammed, and maybe it’ll get better. But some … patience … is … required.

And look what happened on the road to Oslo…

Bruce Springsteen music gear truck blocks Sweden-Norway crossing

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Sunday October 29, 2006

Oslo – A truck laden with equipment for a concert being given by US rock musician Bruce Springsteen blocked the Sweden-Norway border crossing at Svinesund for several hours Sunday. The driver was slightly hurt after he skidded on the icy road, rammed a railing and was left with the trucked slewed side-on to the traffic, blocking it, the NTB news agency said.

The contents were undamaged, meaning the Oslo concert could go ahead later as scheduled.

And go on it did!

Bruce Springsteen & the Seeger Sessions Band
Oslo, Norway
October 29, 2006

Atlantic City
John Henry
Ol’ Dan Tucker
Further On Up the Road
Jesse James
O Mary Don’t You Weep
Love of the Common People
Growin’ Up
Erie Canal
My Oklahoma Home
The River
Mrs. McGrath
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?
Jacob’s Ladder
Long Time Comin’
Open All Night
Pay Me My Money Down

Encore:
Fire
Land of Hope & Dreams
You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
When the Saints Go Marching In
This Little Light of Mine
American Land

Buy the Seeger Sessions American Land Edition, okay? Okay!

New Matthew Ryan: From a Late Night High Rise

Many who check in here from time to time most likely share a lot of my tastes in music. A time or two, I’ve passed along a few of my favorites from Matthew Ryan, both as a solo artist, and as a member of the short lived but very impressive Strays Don’t Sleep.

I’ve devoured everything Matthew has released like that Japanese guy at the Nathan’s 4th of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island (yeah, I need to work on my analogies). You know who I’m talking about, right?

His name is Takeru Kobayashi. I looked it up. The fella knows how to eat hot dogs.

Shifting gears…

Matt is poised to release his next album on December 5th, the introspective From a Late Night High Rise.

There’s a cool timeline page on Matt’s web site, where he takes you through his career, year by year. His 2006 entry says this about the album:

In early 2006 I completed a new record of solo songs called From A Late Night High-Rise. It’s a collection of songs inspired by the death of a dear friend and the sentencing of my brother to 30 years in prison. Between 2004 and 2006 there were a lot of “life in the teeth” things happening. I felt like I had to make From A Late Night High-Rise so I could find some peace with everything. Trouble and sorrow are not unique experiences. But when we’re in their weather, we can feel isolated, burdened, alone. From A Late Night High-Rise is the most beautiful collection of songs I’ve made yet. It looks and sounds like traffic from 52 floors above- ambient, warm and human.

Yes, the man has a way with words, and putting them to music. Take a listen to the great first single off the album. Then mark December 5th on your calendars and pick up a copy of From a Late Night High Rise (don’t worry, I’ll remind you). If you’re in the eastern half of the U.S., check out the tour dates below, and go check him out live. If you’re in the western half, don’t lose hope, because dates out west are being booked as we speak for early next year, including right here in Phoenix. I’ll finally get to see ol’ Matt live.

Matthew Ryan: Never Look Back (mp3) – from the forthcoming release, From a Late Night High Rise, out December 5th.

www.matthewryanonline.com
www.myspace.com/matthewryan
www.2minutes59.com
Available @ i-Tunes on December 5th, 2006

Other MR Albums you should check out:
May Day
East Autumn Grin
Concussion
Regret Over the Wires
Strays Don’t Sleep

Fall Tour Dates

11/01/06 Atlanta, GA The Melting Point
11/02/06 Charlotte, NC Evening Muse
11/03/06 Decatur, GA Eddies Attic
11/04/06 Knoxville, TN Corner Lounge
11/05/06 Raleigh, NC The Pour House
11/06/06 Arlington, VA Iota Club and Cafe
11/07/06 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe
11/10/06 New York, NY The Living Room
11/11/06 New York, NY The Living Room
11/12/06 Boston, MA Paradise Lounge
11/13/06 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
11/14/06 Syracuse, NY Mezzanotte Cafe
11/15/06 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
11/16/06 Lexington, KY The Dame
11/17/06 Chicago, IL Schubas
11/18/06 Springfield, IL Underground City Tavern

Watch Matt perform “Return to Me”… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv0x3LZ5RlQ

Back to the Roots: James Brown Live

James Brown

Dec. 25th Update: With the passing of James Brown on this Christmas Day, I’m reposting this show. I don’t have time right now to link up all the individual songs below, but if you go here you can download the songs. Or, if you want the whole show in a RAR file, click here (it’s right around 50 MB).

Today’s R&B, soul, hip-hop, and music scene overall would be a vastly different place without James Brown. His influence is immeasurable. Where would Prince’s live show have been without the signature James Brown splits and mic stand tricks?

So we cruise back to the year 1973, and across the pond to Switzerland, to listen in on a James Brown show. The JB’s featuring Maceo Parker had just played an opening set, and then on came James.

For a great accompaniment to this show, read this great James Brown article in Rolling Stone.

James Brown
Live in Switzerland, 1973 (exact city & date unknown)
“Avalanche of Funk”

01 Intro
02 Get On The Good Foot
03 Soul Power
04 Make It Funky
05 Bewildered
06 Super Ad
07 Try Me
08 Hot Pants
09 Sex Machine
10 I’ve Got A Bag Of My Own
11 It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World
12 Please Please Please
13 I Can’t Stand Myself
14 Cold Sweat

james brown

Bruce’s Love of the Common People

bruce

‘Twas 5 nights ago, in the 2100 year old Spanish city of Valencia, that Bruce Springsteen and his fabulous Seeger Sessions Band did play this 39 year old song for the 1st time, to almost 30,000 people en el Estadio Ciutat De Valencia (the city’s soccer stadium).

estadio valencia

From El Backstreets: “Written in 1967 by Ronnie Wilkins and John Hurley, it was the title track of a Waylon Jennings album that year; it was later a hit for Paul Young and has been also covered by Stiff Little Fingers, Elton John, Indigo Girls, John Denver, and others.”

Bruce puts away the throaty growl for a song and gets smooth. The recording leaves a little to be desired (the taper must have been pretty far away), but somethin’ is always better than nothin’, si?

Bruce Springsteen & the Seeger Sessions Band: Love of the Common People (mp3)

Buy the Seeger Sessions: American Land Edition (mp3)

Join my Boss Board.

A Black Crowes Giveaway

crowes

It’s high time for another Ickmusic giveaway! Yow!! The promotional gods have bequeathed upon me some cool goodies. Rhino has struck again with 2 cool Black Crowes releases. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

LOS ANGELES – Twice The Black Crowes have recorded albums that were never officially released: Tall in 1993 and Band in 1997. While a few songs from these lost albums were rerecorded and released on studio albums, many have emerged only through the band’s legendary live shows. The Black Crowes recently went into the vault, collecting the best moments from those abandoned sessions for a special treat for their longtime fans. Titled THE LOST CROWES, it is a two-disc set of unreleased music that has been remixed for its public debut on Rhino….

The Black Crowes released its first home video, WHO KILLED THAT BIRD OUT ON YOUR WINDOW SILL, in 1992 while touring for the band’s sophomore album. Rhino Home Video will release a remastered and expanded version of the video on DVD that features live performances, interviews, backstage and studio footage, videos from the group’s first two albums, and additional bonus features. [read the full Press Release doc]

dvd crowes

You can check out this Crowes eCard to listen to some tracks off the CD’s, check out the track listing, and buy the CD and/or the DVD. The handful of tracks I’ve heard (“A Conspiracy”, “p.25 London”) make me not want to give away the CD, but give it away I will!

Ah, but there is a caveat. You must work for your winnings. Here’s the question to ponder: Chris Robinson, lead singer of the Crowes, recently broke it off with actress Kate Hudson after several years of marriage. The rumor mill has it that she got a little too friendly with actor Owen Wilson on the set of their latest movie. So the scenario is this… it’s a late Saturday night in a smoky L.A. bar, and Owen is wrapping up a game of pool. In walks Chris, who shuffles up to the bar, orders a shot of whiskey and a bottle of beer. He sees Owen across the bar and starts to amble over. Lo and behold, Owen’s playing pool with Kurt Russell, Chris’s former daddy in law.

kurt russell

Words are exchanged, and before you know it, Russell and Wilson jump Chris like two vicious street hoods. Slash (formerly of Guns n Roses) sees what’s happening, and jumps in to help Chris.

Oh, it’s on now. Chris Robinson and Slash are squaring off in a barroom brawl with Owen Wilson and Kurt Russell. Magic question: who wins the fight? Leave a comment below. Any details, like instruments used, special kung-fu moves, etc. are welcome. My favorite will win the CD, DVD, and collector’s edition Black Crowes matchbox.

crowes

Buy the CD, The Lost Crowes

Buy the DVD, Who Killed That Bird Out On Your Window Sill

“Jealous Again” Video
“Remedy” Video
“She Talks to Angels” Video

The Black Crowes Official Web Site

Sunday Video: M. Ward on Letterman

I was flipping channels the other night, and came across a Letterman repeat from August. A verry cool tune caught my ear. I watched. I listened. I liked. I found out that it was M. Ward. I went to eMusic and downloaded his latest album, Post-War. I am really enjoying the sound. Figures that M. Ward just stopped through my town about 3 weeks ago. Ah well. Check ’em out.

Mojo

austin powers

It’s Saturday, and the question you have to ask yourself is “do I have my mojo working?”

Webster’s Dictionary defines mojo as “a magic spell, hex, or charm; broadly : magical power ; works his mojo on the tennis court“. Webster’s had to throw in the thoroughly white-bread sentence example, didn’t they?

The Wikipedia definition is a little more detailed: “a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is a small bag, a type of magic charm, often of red flannel cloth and tied with a drawstring, containing botanical, zoological, and/or mineral curios, petition papers, and the like. It is typically worn under clothing.”

Other names for a mojo?

gree-gree (a Bantu word typically spelled gris-gris by people in Louisiana because of the state’s francophone origins), mojo hand, conjure bag, conjure hand, toby, jomo, and nation sack. In Haiti, the usual name for this sort of charm bag among those of African descent is a wanga, oanga, or wanger.

mojo

As for the song “Got My Mojo Working”, it was written in the 50’s by Preston Foster. Many people think he wrote it for Muddy Waters, who popularized the tune, but it was actually Ann Cole who released it first. Cole was an R&B / gospel singer from the 50’s and 60’s. Since then it’s been recorded by a ton of musicians, blues and otherwise… Jimmy Smith, Conway Twitty, Pinetop Perkins, Manfred Mann, Chuck Berry, Canned Heat, and a host of others.

Here’s a few that I like….

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown: Got My Mojo Working (mp3) – from Standing My Ground

Elvis Presley: Got My Mojo Working (mp3) – live, unkown location, date. Listen for Elvis’ F-Bomb (the MF-Bomb to be precise).

Professor Longhair: Got My Mojo Working (mp3) – from Go to the Mardi Gras

  • Here’s a cool resource for all things mojo: http://www.luckymojo.com/mojo.html
  • Mojo Trivia of the Day: “Mr. Mojo Risin” is an anagram of Jim Morrison. Never knew ‘dat.

The Pogues Reissued and Rocking the Swedes

pogues

Well the weekend is almost upon us again, and what better way to start it than with some Pogues reissue news and a live show from their prime? Rhino keeps impressing me with the choices of their expanded reissues of great albums. This time, they take on the Pogues, with five expanded and remastered albums: Red Roses for Me (their debut), Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash (produced by Elvis Costello), If I Should Fall from Grace with God and Peace & Love (both produced by Steve Lillywhite), and Hell’s Ditch (produced by Joe Strummer).

Each one has 5-6 bonus tracks tacked on to the end. I got my hands on If I Shoul Fall…, which is such a great ride all the way through, highlighted by the great “Fairytale of New York” with Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl, “Turkish Song of the Damned”, and the title track. The bonus tracks are great here too, “Mountain Dew” (with the Dubliners), “Sketches of Spain”, “South Australia”, and the “Battle March Medley”, among others. And who wrote the liner notes? Steve Earle. He recounts 4 straight nights of playing with the Pogues in very entertaining fashion.

So here’s a Pogues set from 1985. It was either soon before or soon after their 1985 album (and second album) Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash was released. Download, grab a pint and enjoy.

The Pogues
May 10, 1985
Orebro, Sweden

(Click here to get the whole show in an incredibly handy zip file. It’s 35 MB.)

1. Repeal Of The Licensing Laws
2. Boys From The County Hell
3. Whiskey You’re The Devil
4. Transmetropolitan
5. A Pair Of Brown Eyes
6. Dark Streets Of London
7. Streams Of Whiskey
8. Sally MacLennane
9. Navigator
10. Dingle Regatta
11. Poor Paddy
12. Waxie’s Dargle
13. Muirshin Durkin

* Links to buy all five reissued albums are above.

The unmistakable Shane MacGowan. Nobody ever said he was the pretty one….

The Boss in Rotterdam: Factory

a youngstown ohio factory

Hey I went a whole week without a Bruce post! I thought I’d post another tour debut, “Factory”. There’s no new arrangement here, it actually sounds quite the same as the E Street reunion tour version. But still good in my most humble opinion. And all those who think that Bruce could stand on stage and fart into a microphone for an hour, and I’d still enjoy it, well – yeah, you may be right. But put me back in the 10th row.

Bruce Springsteen & the Seeger Sessions Band: Factory (mp3) – Live in Rotterdam, Oct. 13, 2006

And of course the original can be found right here:

Mixed Nuts

daltrey

Because I’m too tired to come up with a quality post (I couldn’t even come up with a good title – “Mixed Nuts”? Sheesh), I thought I’d hand you off to a few fine folks…

THE WHO at A Cultured Left Foot: Howzabout hearing a complete show by the Who? It took place October 3rd, 1975 in Stafford, UK. I’m sending you over to Stuart’s site, A Cultured Left Foot, where he has the full show for download. As you’ll also see, the man loves his football (yes, soccer to us Yanks), and he knows how to write about it too.

The Who: Live, Oct. 3, 1975 – Part One | Part Two

TALKING HEADS at Jefitoblog: Who wants a Talking Heads show? Jefito has a full 1978 show available in his latest Bootleg City post.

Talking Heads: Live, Sept. 16, 1978

THE RAMONES / CBGB’s: John at Crooks and Liars has a video of the Ramones at CBGB’s.