Geeks, Guitars and Guinness

We shall go on to the end,
We shall fight in France,
We shall fight on the seas and oceans,
We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be,
We shall fight on the beaches,
We shall fight on the landing grounds,
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
We shall fight in the hills;
We shall never surrender

And then Aces High begins.

I think this is what is going to get me through this week. (Yes, I am going to see Iron Maiden on Friday :)

Posted by Skadz at 12:18 PM | Permalink

Back in the day, Dream Theater's guitar player John Petrucci used to write a column for one of the guitar magazines called Wild Stringdom, so I thought the name was appropriate.

My second goal for this year is to really get back in to playing music. I've always played a little guitar, but its always been a hobby that was never really fully realized. I would get in to playing for a bit but then would get busy and stop for a while. I never really got anywhere with my playing.

Considering how much time I spend around music and musicians, this really frustrates me. I have decided that this year I want to be able to get up and play with those guys and have them trust I will know what I am doing. It would be a lot of fun to be able to do this from time to time.

The other driving force behind this is that I recently found out a friend of mine has a full practice space at his apartment. The last few times we have been at his place for parties, we have jammed out a few tunes and it really felt good. I now am hoping we can turn that energy in to a regular jam session that will do two things. First it will help me get my chops up, second, it will help me get used to playing with other people, which is a skill I have not mastered in the least yet.

I have been really good the last few days in trying to get myself in to a routine of playing. I have a list (and an iTunes playlist) of about 40 songs I know or want to learn. I've also been really good about spending at least an hour each night playing some of that list. Now I just need to keep it up and push it even further.

The next big step is to spend some time with my books and magazines on guitar and music theory, which fits right in with another one of my goals which you will hear about later.

Posted by Skadz at 12:57 PM | Permalink

The most confusing part of this video (Every Time I Die singer Keith Buckley singing Pantera's "Walk" with Fall Out Boy) to me is that Fall Out Boy fans know old school music like Pantera. They are all singing along.

Posted by Skadz at 10:40 PM | Permalink

Hennessey's Upstairs has another incredible show coming up this week. On Wednesday, they will have Rose Hill Drive with Township.

I saw Rose Hill Drive last time they played Hennessey's and they rocked. They are a classic rock band and they rock out real hard. It felt like seeing Led Zeppelin in a small club. Just remember to bring your ear plugs :)

Posted by Skadz at 10:41 PM | Permalink

Got nothing to do for Halloween night? Come see some great musical tributes. Head over to Hennessey's Upstairs to see:

Joe Carson Band as Jeff Buckley
Girls Guns and Glory as Ryan Adams
Cassavettes as Neil Young
28 Degrees Taurus as The Velvet Underground
The Main Drag as Elliot Smith

Doors are at 8:30. I've see the guys do the Jeff Buckley Tribute before and it is incredible.

Posted by Skadz at 8:17 PM | Permalink

So I heard Adam Curry mention Pussy: The Musical on the DSC. He even played the opening song last week some time. So, I finally decided to head over and subscribe. Well I am sure glad I did. Two episodes in and it's hilarious thus far. You should check it out!

Posted by Skadz at 10:07 AM | Permalink

Foo Fighters are the musical guest and play once, Jon Bon Jovi is the host and Bon Jovi plays twice. WTF?

Posted by Skadz at 2:09 PM | Permalink

I was watching Californication, the other night and was rather amused when Henry Rollins' character (or was he just playing himself) mentioned the books that Hank Moody (David Duchovny's character) had written during their interview. The books were South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss, and God Hates Us All. I found this rather amusing as these are all titles of Slayer albums. I wonder if this was Rollins' idea or if this was something one of the writers actually wrote in.

Posted by Skadz at 9:28 PM | Permalink

Two items have appeared on Blabbermouth over the last few days that have caught my attention.

First, I saw It's Official: LED ZEPPELIN To Reunite For London Concert. Yes, this would be awesome, sadly, it is only one show in London. Now, rumors will be flying for a while about a full tour, but who knows? I would like to see this and if it comes to the US, I guess I will probably have to spend the cash (if I can get in to Ticketmaster fast enough).

Then, I saw LOVE/HATE To Reunite For U.K. Tour. I don't know why, but I totally dug these guys back in the early 90's. I recently found out that their music was available for free on the Net and totally rocked out to them for a couple of weeks. Now I hear they are getting together, but again, in the damned UK. Wish I could see this one.

Posted by Skadz at 11:23 AM | Permalink

Good friends, good music. Go get it :P

Posted by Skadz at 9:08 PM | Permalink

Sunset is a Battle is playing at The Bullfinch Yacht Club on Thursday. Bands start at 8:30. They are the third band on, but that is subject to change. You definitely should come out and check them out (and then afterwards, NIV at the Bell.

Posted by Skadz at 6:19 PM | Permalink

of the bands you like getting more popular is that they start playing worse and worse venues. The first time I considered going to see Umphrey's McGee, they were playing at The Paradise. The Paradise is probably my favorite place in Boston to see a band these days. I have a certain spot I always stand in, the beers are cheap, the sound is good and the place is small enough that you feel like its a very personal experience. Sadly, I missed the show, I think I was heading out of town or soemthing.

A few months later they came back around and played at Avalon. I like Avalon as long as it's not overcrowded (I used to like it a lot more, but all the expansion has made it a less and less desirable place for me. I have seen Umph 3 or 4 times there in the last few years. I've dragged different friends to each show and they all had fun. The last show they played there was starting to be on verge of overcrowded (and crowded with the "wrong people").

Well, I got the sad new today that the next Umphrey's show will be at the end of October at The Orpheum Theatre. Now, The Orpheum is ok for some shows. And in general, it's not a terrible place to see a show, BUT it's definitely one of my least favorite places. This is for a bunch of reasons. Number one, it's a seated venue. I had seated venues. Number 2, you aren't allowed to bring beers in to the Theatre. So, you have to shotgun beers before the show starts and during intermission if you want to drink. Third, I just don't think it's a great place. It really needs a wicked overhaul (sitting underneath the balcony when people are dancing on it is a terrifying experience. I have seen that thing move a good foot during some shows).

I _MAY_ consider heading up to Burlington to see the 2 shows at Higher Ground just to enjoy Umphrey's as they should be enjoyed. Sadly, my "couch" up there just recently moved to Boston (after a long time talking about it), so I don't have crash space, so it makes the whole thing a lot more expensive (and well, it is week day shows).

So, who knows? I think it's awesome that Umphrey's is getting big enough to play places like The Orpheum, but in the same breath, I'd rather be seeing them at The Paradise.

Posted by Skadz at 2:58 PM | Permalink

This Friday, August 17th, the Never In Vegas boys hit Parris in Fanueil Hall for the first time ever. You all show be there, it will be an amazing time. These guys always put on quite a show and Parris will be a great room for them to get everyone going.

Posted by Skadz at 9:24 PM | Permalink

Go read my latest post over at Metroblogging Boston to see what I am up to on Friday (and so should you be)

Posted by Skadz at 10:53 PM | Permalink

I will start this off with an admission, I'm not really a Police fan. A buddy asked a couple of weeks ago if I would be interested in going and my answer was, if you can't find anyone else to go, sure. I went in to this show, expecting very little. Heck, I even bought The Police (a greatest hits compilation) the Sunday before the show (for my drive home from New York) just so I would know some material.

In the end, I realized I knew a lot more Police music than I thought I did. I think I knew about 14 of the 28 tracks on the 2 CD set, so I felt a little better after listening to it. Plus, I learned some music I didn't know, so I felt even more prepared to head to the show.

The day started off rather crappy. It was pouring pretty hard during most of the day, so I was not very hopeful to stay dry for the show. When I left to house to meet my friends, it was pouring as hard as I had seen it all day. While walking to the ferry, it slowed down a bit and by the time I got on the boat, it was just drizzling. When I disembarked, the rain had stopped and there was a big ball of fire in the sky. Things were looking better.

We got to Fenway and took a look at our seats. We were in the front row between Pesky's Pole and first base. We were basically a couple of feet away from the $250 seats, yet we had paid only $95 :) So, yes, awesome seats (thanks Brian!)

Fictionplane (Sting's son's band) opened the evening. They were ok. They won the most respect from me when they said something along the lines of, "We are like the 5th band to play Fenway Park and we totally don't deserve this". At least the were honest. They played a bunch of typical poppy rock songs. Nothing I am going to run out and buy, but I might see them over at The Paradise next time they come around for $10 :)

Around 8:20, with blue skies above, The Police hit the stage. They opened up with "Message In A Bottle". This surprised me. This is a huge hit and they are opening up with it. Well, I guess I kind of forgot, unlike a lot of old bands out on tour, The Police don't have a new CD to pimp, so it was greatest hits the whole night, so why not open up with one of the biggest?

For the next hour and 20 mins or so the band took everyone through a tour of some of their greatest hits, mostly songs that everyone could sing along with and just enjoy. They left the stage around 9:40 after an extended version of "Roxanne", to return just 2 minutes later with an encore of King of Pain, So Lonely, and Every Breathe You Take. They left the stage again and after a couple of mins came back out and finished the show off with a rockin version of Next To You.

As I said at the beginning, going in to this not being a big Police fan, I had very low expectations. Well, I was BLOWN AWAY. For a bunch of senior citizens (or at least soon to be) who haven't played together in almost 25 years, these guys sure put on quite a show. Most impressive of all to me was Stewart Copeland. I've heard great things about him as a drummer for a very long time, but seeing it live really reinforced that notion for me.

After the show, we just went home, as some of us had to get up at 5AM for Sunday morning maintenance windows (I swear, I love my job :) All in all, an awesome night and thankfully Mother Nature was in a good mood and kept the rain away while the band kicked everyone's ass.

Posted by Skadz at 10:36 PM | Permalink

Posted by Skadz at 11:44 AM | Permalink

One of my favorite local bands, Sunset is a Battle are playing Hennessy's Upstairs in Faneuil Hall. The Don't will be opening up. Show starts around 8:30. Come out and have some fun on a Wednesday!

Update: Sadly, the show tonight got cancelled due to the horrible weather outside. The good news is that it has been re-scheduled for June 12th! So, make sure you are there, hopefully it will be a much nicer day!

Posted by Skadz at 1:28 PM | Permalink

Oh my! I am a bit relieved this morning. I went and bought my tickets for Robert Randolph & The Family Band this morning and afterwards was poking around My Ticketmaster.

One of the bands I have listed in the favorite bands section is Ozomatli. When I clicked over to their name there was a show in my area! Ozomatli is coming back to tear the Paradise up on April 21st.

Last time I saw these guys at the Paradise, I think I lost about 5 pounds. It was packed, hot, and off the hook. These guys are a band you cannot miss if you enjoy a good time (and who doesn't enjoy a good time?). The tickets went on sale 2 weeks ago, so I am relieved that I was actually able to get some. So, now, go get yours and come ready to party!

Posted by Skadz at 11:46 AM | Permalink

From Dave Navarro's site:

Houston was awesome. Perkins and I joined Alice In Chains for a quick "Alice In Jane's" version of Mountain Song. At the end of the Alice set, Jerry, Perk, William, Mike and I rocked it, followed by a version of Man in the Box with King's X singer, Doug Pinnick.

If ANYONE has a tape of this (especially the Dug part), please please point me to it! (anything at skadz.com works)

Posted by Skadz at 1:43 PM | Permalink

When I first saw Matisyahu on Jimmy Kimmel Live two years ago (yes, that's right, Jimmy had him 2 years ago), I thought, neat, but this is a real gimmicky artist here. Then, over time, I saw his name pop up a bunch of the jam band scene. He even did some shows with Trey from Phish. Things got a little more interesting for me then, but still, no real spark or connection or anything.

Recently, the radio stations caught on to him and he went from zero to sixty very quickly. Suddenly shows are selling out at larger venues, etc. I got a kick out of this, since I had seen him so long ago on Kimmel and now he was the hottest commodity on the market. I dug "King Without A Crown" when I heard it on the radio, but still, thought this guy was still a gimmick act.

Well, recently one of his shows showed up on bt.etree.org, the bittorrent part of the etree network, where all sorts of legally taped shows are posted. I said, what the heck, let's see what this guy is really all about.

Well, color me impressed. This guy and his band really have some skills. I've been listening to the CD I made a ton lately and really getting in to it. He's got a number of great songs and a band that just rocks. The most amazing part is that he does some old school beat boxing on one of the tracks and just lights it up. Then his band jams out for a bit and really show their skills.

I have definitely become a fan :)

Posted by Skadz at 1:49 PM | Permalink

Lollapalooza announced their lineup today and it's incredible. For those of you not paying attention, Lollapalooza changed formats last year from a tour to a festival. So, it's 3 days in Chicago now instead of an afternoon all over the place.

So, this year's lineup has been announced and it's a crazy mix of popular music, jam bands and small alternative bands. Some of the highlights for me (no surprise most of the jam band varierty) are Umphrey's McGee, The Disco Biscuits, Matisyahu (more on him later), The Flaming Lips, Death Cab, Particle, and the Duo. With all the different types of bands and music, there is some great potential for some amazing collaborations, hope that some cool stuff comes out of this.

An easy to read full list of artists is here on jambands.

Posted by Skadz at 4:35 PM | Permalink

From BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding Alice in Chains:

The band members told Launch that they will probably play a handful of U.S. club dates in late May, followed by European festival appearances over the summer and a full North American tour in the fall. Guest vocalists will most likely be used throughout the entire schedule.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE COME TO BOSTON.

Posted by Skadz at 2:32 PM | Permalink

Just got this in the Inbox:

The initial artist announcement for this summer's Bonnaroo Music Festival will be next Wednesday, February 1st. This announcement will include an initial lineup of artists, as well as ticket on-sale information for the festival being held June 16-18, 2006.

I really want to hit this one year, maybe this will be the one, who knows.

Posted by Skadz at 1:25 PM | Permalink

The rock stars all come around to this whole Internet thing eventually, Greg Luttrell finally has a web site

Posted by Skadz at 1:38 PM | Permalink

Raul Midon was on Jimmy Kimmel the other night and he definitely has some mad skills. Take him as a combination of like a Jason Mraz's guitar playing and then add in a much more soulful, R&B like vocals. Definitely someone to check out.

Posted by Skadz at 11:59 AM | Permalink

No, not a new religion (though, maybe I could get some stars to convert and make millions). God Lives Underwater was a band in the mid-90s. I used to really dig them. Saw them at least twice, once over at TTs and once at Avalon. Maybe saw them more than that, my brain don't work as well as it used to :) I even have a t-shirt :) So, I was very saddened to read this article:

David Reilly, a founding member of God Lives Underwater, died Sunday of complications from longstanding stomach problems. Reilly was the band's vocalist and chief programmer, and he also played guitar and synthesizer on God Lives Underwater's four albums. Corporate Punishment Records released Reilly's first and only solo album, Inside, in 2004. Label President Thom Hazaert said in a statement, “I am honored and humbled to have had the chance to work with someone like him, an amazing artist and visionary, who in my eyes will always be one of the most talented people to ever walk the Earth. David will remain forever in our hearts and will be sorely missed by everyone at CPR.”

Posted by Skadz at 1:25 PM | Permalink

Driving home from work on Wednesday, I was listening to WAAF, as I usually do (until I lose the signal) and Paul Marshall got to the Hairball portion of his show. Usually, he plays some sort of hair band from back in the day (Poison, Slaughter, Warrant, etc). On Wednesday, he started out the segment with, "It's time to geek out". I knew immediatetly I was about to hear some Dream Theater on the radio. He continued to say something like, these guys really aren't a hairband, but did well then and continue to do well today. He then made fun of geeks like me saying "Oh my God! He's playing Dream Theater on the radio". And then he played "Pull Me Under". Always good to hear a little DT on the radio, though it would be nice if they would play SOMETHING, ANYTHING besides Pull Me Under.

Posted by Skadz at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Blabbermouth has an article from Kerrnag! magazine where Sharon Osbourne admits to causing all the problems at Iron Maiden's last performance on Ozzfest:

Sharon Osbourne: "Of course I did. I had the PA turned on and off. And look it's not hard for someone to walk into a diehard Ozzfest crowd and say, 'Who wants to throw an egg at a rock star?' Who wouldn't wanna do that? I went out and bought 50 eggs and me and my daughter had a fucking blast. C'mon, it's rock 'n' roll. No-one died. They'll be waiting a long fucking time for an apology from me."

Since I'm not a nasty person, I won't use a four letter word that starts with a C, but she sure is one. This is the biggest lack of respect I have ever seen from someone.

Someone has started a website, Boycott Sharon, to try and get Sharon to apologize via putting a letter in Billboard. My opinion? Fuck her and her tour. She's made a joke out of Ozzy and her entire family and this is the last straw. I will NEVER go to an Ozzfest or anything which Sharon has any involvement in.

Posted by Skadz at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I put in an order this morning for Shure E2c headphones this morning over at Amazon. I was going to purchase some cheapies to hold me over for a while longer, but I decided I'd rather just spend the cash and get some good ones once and for all. After reading Joi's review, I was definitely encouraged to get these. Shure has released a number of sets since then, but they are double to quintuple in price. I don't have that much money and I don't think I want to spend that much money on headphones :) Hopefully, they will show up by the end of the week and I can start rocking out at work again :)

Posted by Skadz at 1:38 PM | Permalink

NIN's The Hand That Feeds vs. Ray Parker Jr's Ghostbusters

Wow, this is a sick mashup.

Posted by Skadz at 8:55 PM | Permalink

I was checking a great Phish tablature resource, Emil's Tablature last night and saw it has been converted to a wiki. They are using MediaWiki.

This is a great use of a wiki. It allows anyone to add fixes and updates to tablature and will hopefully become the most accurate tablature site for Phish. Very Cool.

Posted by Skadz at 10:01 AM | Permalink

In tribute to Marathon Monday, WAAF is doing a hair band marathon during Mistress Carrie's show today. Sweet!

If you didn't hear, WAAF is once again streaming on the Internet. Stream sounds awesome. Great to have AAF at work finally.

Posted by Skadz at 10:11 AM | Permalink

The Black Crowes are back! JamBase has all the details, including a full set of tour dates and who will be playing with them. Hope I can catch one of these dates.

Posted by Skadz at 9:32 AM | Permalink

The good folks over at South by Southwest have put up 2.6G of music of the artists playing at the festival. You can grab a torrent here.

Posted by Skadz at 9:28 AM | Permalink

From JamBase, Umphrey's McGee (my new favorite band) is going to be on played in the early part of Alias this week!

Posted by Skadz at 8:55 PM | Permalink

Got this e-mail last week, but been busy. Bonnaroo 2005 dates: June 10-12.

Some day I will get to this show.

Posted by Skadz at 2:17 PM | Permalink

Nine Inch Nails - Closer (Super Mario Bros Remix)

If you like NIN or video games, you should totally enjoy this. And yes, this is the uncut version of the song, so if you don't like bad words, don't download it.

Posted by Skadz at 10:22 PM | Permalink

Check it out here.

Posted by Skadz at 11:38 AM | Permalink

Central Basement have announced that they will be doing a farewell show at The Rack on Saturday, December 4th.

I've known about this for a while now, so it didn't come as any surprise to me. I'm sad to see them calling it quits, but after talking to them, I totally understand their reasoning. Hopefully, this will lead to bigger and brighter things for all of them.

Posted by Skadz at 10:38 PM | Permalink

Sounds like Clapton has been taking driving lessons from Billy Joel.

Clapton clocked at 216km/h:

ERIC Clapton won't be driving in France for a while. Police said today (AEST) they clocked the rock star speeding down a highway at 216km/h and suspended his license.

Posted by Skadz at 12:49 PM | Permalink

Vermont Public Radio will broadcast a Phish documentary on Wednesday October 27th from 7PM to 8PM. Looks like this will be cool. And you can listen to it from their web site.

Posted by Skadz at 9:50 AM | Permalink

Well, it was a Phish festival which was recently shown as a special and now is going to be disc one of a two disc DVD set coming out soon. The nice thing is I saved this on my TiVo when it was on PBS. It has since become regular rotation on my TV. Being that the fall season has yet to start, the TiVo is pretty empty these days, so I end up going back to this again and again. The best thing? This special ROCKS. Great tunes and some good interviews with the boys. Wonderful to put on in the background. So, if you are a Phishy kid and didn't see the special, go order the DVD .

Posted by Skadz at 11:32 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (1)

I have to say I am totally impressed. Ashlee Simpson, on MTV VMA pre-show performing live. Like, really live. Not the boring old lip syncing that most of the pop folks doing, but really singing. This girl has totally impressed me. I dig her songs from the radio, but seeing her actually perform live gives me a whole new respect for her.

Posted by Skadz at 9:42 PM | Permalink

SLAYER!

Yes, I am on a bit of an old school metal kick lately. Hearing all the reports from Ozzfest yesterday got me thinking about Slayer, so I threw some in my bag last night.

Posted by Skadz at 9:11 AM | Permalink

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
United States Senate
July 8, 2004
S7823

TRIBUTE TO PHISH

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, on August 15 in Coventry, VT, a beloved chapter in American music history will come to a close as the jam band Phish holds its final concert for legions of devoted ''phans'' and ''Phish-heads.'' We in Vermont are well known for our superb maple syrup, our wonderful ice cream, our award-winning cheese and our beautiful scenery, but after 21 remarkable years, the jam band Phish has certainly become one of our most famous exports.

The four musicians of Phish-Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page O'Connell, and Jon Fishman-met and started playing together as undergraduates at the University of Vermont in the early 1980s. The band quickly moved beyond its humble beginnings in a dormitory basement to playing a small nightclub in Burlington called Nectar's. While they toured for 5 years before releasing any commercial albums, the buzz around the band spread as their striking melodies and lively jam sessions endeared them to a growing legion of fans.

Phish released its first commercial album, Junta, in 1989. Since then, the band has put out more than 35 studio and live albums that have sold millions of copies. They have more than 200 original songs, and many of the songs die-hards love most were never recorded in the studio.

But the magic of Phish is not as much in its studio recordings as it is in its live performances. In an era when slick marketing techniques often overshadow the musical accomplishments of the artists themselves, this talented band from Vermont has provided a refreshing contrast by promoting free spiritedness and individuality in their music.

The band has always been unconcerned about releasing catchy singles and making millions of dollars from record sales. Instead they play long jams-oftentimes with songs lasting 30 minutes or longer-and tour year-round. Bucking a trend in the industry, they even encouraged people to
tape their shows for free and trade them on the Internet. For the members of Phish, it really is all about their music and their fans.

Every night on stage is a new and different showcase for the talents of the versatile and endlessly creative band members. Whether they are playing electric guitars, keyboards, drums, or vacuum cleaners, Phish's improvisational talent has never disappointed. Many fans-often referred to as ''Phish-heads''-follow the band from concert to concert living off veggie burritos, grilled cheese sandwiches and the charity of others.

Through it all, Phish has always considered Vermont home. In a tribute to their Burlington roots, the band's first album produced with a major record company was titled A Picture of Nectar. And the band's share of proceeds from sales of the popular ''Phish Food'' Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor goes directly toward environmental projects in Vermont's Lake Champlain Watershed. Now, as they prepare for their final show in Vermont, it is appropriate that they finish where they started.

Though Phish has sold millions of albums and become a huge success, in spirit they remain a group that is unpretentious and unfailingly loyal to their fans. Their admirable generosity has fostered a sense of community among those who follow the group. The band's break-up is a source of sadness to all of us who know and love them.

I congratulate Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman and Page O'Connell on their remarkable success. I am grateful for all they have done for Vermont, for American music, and for their fans. Most importantly, we sincerely appreciate their authenticity, their enthusiasm and their generosity.

While no one wants to see Phish stop playing after this summer, we can all take some solace that their music will live on, in these words from their song, ''Down With Disease.''

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way.
But when I think it's time to leave it all behind,
I try to find a way, but there's nothing I can say to make it stop.

Posted by Skadz at 8:28 PM | Permalink

IRON MAIDEN!!

Posted by Skadz at 11:19 AM | Permalink

So, I set up a RSS feed for a Yahoo search for Skadberg to see if somehow my name ever gets mentioned in the news. Well, this morning, I found this article saying:

"The Rhythm and Blues Serenade" with Frank Gengaro and Gordon Skadberg, 4-6 p.m. Sundays on WRHU (88.7 FM), marks its 14th anniversary this weekend.

Gordon is my uncle. It amazes me his show has been on the air that long. So, happy anniversary! Very strange seeing your family in the Daily News.

Posted by Skadz at 10:58 AM | Permalink

Phishtistics

Cool site that you can get all sorts of information on Phish shows, when songs were played, when a number of songs were played, etc. Thanks to Lukas for the link!

Posted by Skadz at 11:34 AM | Permalink

This weekend marks the end of an era for my good friends Central Basement. Friday and Saturday will mark their final shows with singer and founding member Michael. If you are around Boston this weekend, I encourage you to head down to The Harp across the street from the Fleet Center and enjoy one of the nights.

I've been seeing these guys for, wow, probably about 3 years now. Mike being the lead singer is what I have always seen and enjoyed. He put a lot in to the show and did a great job with the crowd. Always bouncing around, trying to get the people involved, etc. It was always a fun show to see. Probably a big part of the reason I used to go and see these guys weekend in and weekend out. I don't even want to think about how many times I have seen them over the last few years. Probably 200 or 300. Scary.

It's going to be very different when I get back from NY to see them with someone else singing with them. Though I guess I have seen this once (Central Stu!), but this will become a regular thing. Gonna be very different. Hopefully it will bring some new energy to the band and help propel them even further in their careers. Since these guys are all such good musicians, it would be reallky nice to see them go somewhere.

Well, I'm VERY sad that I will be missing this weekend's farewell and next weekend's welcome to the Central Basement singers, but if you will be in Boston, definitely go and have some fun for me!

Posted by Skadz at 12:52 AM | Permalink

I'm still trying to figure out what it is with Phish and me being in San Francisco. It seems that every time I am out here something happens with the band.

A couple of years ago when I was here, Phish announced they were coming off hiatus. Then last year some time, they announced they were doing a tour. All good news. Well, this year it isn't.

According to this announcement, Phish is done. The tour this summer will be their last.

I'm still somewhat dealing with this. I learned about Phish late. A number of my friends had been trying to get me to go see some of the jam bands for a long time. Finally in 1999 or 2000, I went and saw Phil and Friends. I loved it! In 2000, I went with my buddy Don to 4 Phish shows, 2 in MA, 2 i n Vegas. After these 4, I was hooked. Bad timing on my part, as Phish went on hiatus after that tour.

Over the next 2 years, I spent lots of money and download time learning more and more about Phish. I went and saw TAB (Trey Anastasio Band) a few time. I continued to learn more about the band and listen more to the band. I really got in to them.

When they came back from hiatus, I went and saw them again, show 5. Then in December 2003, I got to see them again for their 20th anniversary show, thanks to Lukas. Show 6 and really the first show I knew a lot of the material.

This summer I was planning on going and enjoying a few more Phish shows. I have the possibility of going to 4. Two are definite, 2 are up in the air. I figure this would just continue my streak of seeing Phish on all of their tours and get me up to 10 or so shows. Well, now it seems like this is my last chance, so I better enjoy what I can.

As I said, I'm not so sure what I can say. I think I will enjoy these shows but they will also be very sad to see.

More on this later.....

Posted by Skadz at 1:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Phish has announced this year's festival. Two days, weekend of August 14/15 up in Vermont. Tickets actually went on sale this morning.

I think this could be cool, but I won't be going. First off, I already have tickets to two Phish shows this summer. Second, the $150 price tag is a bit steep for me, since I already have too much going on this summer. Third, I'm just not a big fan of camping :)

Hopefully, Phish will be smart enough to set up Internet feeds for thos of us who cannot attend.

Posted by Skadz at 2:06 PM | Permalink

Anyone see Dave and Trey on VH1's (inside)Out?

It was a very cool special. Not only did it show lots of interesting music collaboration, but also showed some great stories and information about Africa.

The thing that struck me most was definitely the musical collaboration. Watching people who couldn't even speak the same language being able to sit down and play together and make some great music was just incredible.

It's also inspired me to re-double my guitar playing and musical efforts. I really want to get to the level where I can sit down with just about anyone and play and have fun and really enjoy music. I love music so much as a listener, now I really want to be able to jump in the fray and enjoy it from the otherside and hopefully give joy to others.

Posted by Skadz at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

From Phish.net News:

Phish will release Undermind, their latest studio album from Elektra
Records, on June 15. The album was recorded at the Barn with producer
Tchad Blake. The first pressing of the album will include a special bonus
DVD of the 26-minute short film "Specimens of Beauty," directed by
longtime Phish photographer Danny Clinch, that chronicles the recording of
the album in Vermont. The album's track list is:

Scents and Subtle Sounds (Intro)
Undermind
The Connection
A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing
Army of One
Crowd Control
Maggie's Revenge
Nothing
Two Versions of Me
Access Me
Scents and Subtle Sounds
Tomorrow's Song
Secret Smile
Grind

Posted by Skadz at 1:37 PM | Permalink

CNN.com - Prince special on 5 channels at once - Apr 27, 2004

The MTV/VH1 family are all carrying it, I guess they worry you will switch to Pimp My Ride if they don't show it on all their channels. Will have to try and pick this up on TiVo when I get back to Boston.

Posted by Skadz at 11:15 AM | Permalink

RollingStone.com: News: Clear Channel Goes to Trial

In a legal setback for the world's largest concert promoter, Clear Channel Communications, a U.S. District Court judge granted a jury trial to a Denver competitor that accuses the company of "monopolistic and predatory practices."

That's music to my ears. I'm sick of Clear Channel. I've thoroughly enjoyed Howard Stern musing lately about getting all the small concert promoters together under his name to try and take back the concert industry from Clear Channel. Now this seems like another possible step in taking them apart.

Posted by Skadz at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (2)

So, the record companies today all blame pirating and whatnot on decreased record sales. Well, how the hell they think they are going to make money off of someone like William Hung? He has less than no talent, seems to be oblivious to the fact that fact and is pretty much the laughing stock of the world right now. Do they really think this is going to be anything more than a flash in the pan? Do they think they are going to sell millions of records or crap like this? It just makes no sense to me.

Posted by Skadz at 6:23 PM | Permalink

RollingStone.com has a pictorial called The Immortals, subtitled "The fifty greatest artists of all time". Right under that it says 45 Photos. Eh? Doesn't that mean they are 5 pictures short? ;)

Posted by Skadz at 11:16 PM | Permalink

Sign the Petition!

Posted by Skadz at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

My good friends, Central Basement, who have been sidelined since an injury to their singer a few weeks back, have made an announcement about their future:

As you may already know, Michael recently had back surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Michael is doing well and recovering, however it appears that this injury/surgery will make it difficult for Michael to perform from here on out. Michael has been dealing with pain in his back for many months, and getting through the shows dealing with his pain. While this surgery has reduced his back pain, it still will remain. After a long talk with Michael he has decided that due to this injury, he would not be able to perform like he wants to, jumping around singing, being the Michael that we all loved to watch. So Mike will be leaving the band at the end of May. There ARE NO HARD FEELINGS AT ALL, Michael is our brother, we love him and support his decision. This, of course, saddens us, but we completely understand. Mike will be playing shows in April and May with us and will then hang up his microphone.

So, they are going and looking for a new singer. I'm not going to try out, so the opportunity is all yours if you are interested.

Posted by Skadz at 11:21 AM | Permalink

Not sure what color that comes out to be, but in the spirit of The Grey Album comes Jay-Zeezer, a mashup of Weezer's the Blue Album and Jay Z's the Black Album. Neat stuff. [ via BoingBoing ].

Posted by Skadz at 9:42 AM | Permalink

Fuck That

(The irony to me is that (c) 2004 Sony at the end)

On their Downloads page, they also did a remix featuring Howard Stern, but it seems to have been pulled (at least temporarily). Anyone have a copy of the remix they can send me?

Posted by Skadz at 9:11 AM | Permalink

I've been thinking about this for a long time and just never gotten around to posting it, so here goes.

So, a few months ago, I was looking on Lukas's LivePhish (not the official site, but a message board) that one of the recent shows was at bt.etree.org. I looked at this site and was amazed. People were posting all sorts of show from jam bands (and some others) up on the Internet. I always knew there was a trading community in the area of concert taping, but didn't really realize it had moved to the Internet as much as it had. Especially with high quality recordings being so huge, I would think it would be very hard to move the data around. This is the first piece where BitTorrent comes in.

BitTorrent allows a person to upload the data to a couple of users. As the peers get the data, they then are able to upload data to other users. It basically begins to weave a web of peer to peer data that can quickly disperse the load on one person's Internet connection to many people. This can expand quickly and have lots of people able to get the data quickly. This makes sending out shows much easier for the initial taper of the show.

So, why would I call this the ultimate hippie application? Well, it's based on the same principles a lot of hippies tend to follow. It's all about sharing and helping out. People are getting something from the one taper, but then are trying to help out everyone else by allowing people to download pieces from them. You could almost call it digital karma. You help people out and the next time around, if they get to the show before you, they will help you out. It all comes back in the end. I know this from experience, I actually had a show that I had yet to finish downloading and a quick message to the board and someone opened up a window and I was able to finish downloading the show. In turn, I always leave windows open after I finish downloading so others can continue to get good music from me.

Some of the site I like to visit on a normal basis are Sharing The Groove Message Board, bt.etree.org and recently Live Music Archive at the Internet Archive. If you are a fan of live music, these are definitely some places you should check out and as one of the sites is named, Share the Groove!

Posted by Skadz at 11:54 PM | Permalink

Robert Randolph's "I need more love" is the background music for Bravo's commercial for the Independent Spirit Awards.

Posted by Skadz at 11:25 PM | Permalink

So, I was watching Spun this evening. It was pretty much a Requiem for a Dream rip off, but ok, I guess. Not as totally freaky as Requiem, but still showing the bad things that happen when you do drugs.

But, to my point. I was watching and in the opening credits, a song starts playing. I'm listening to this song and I know the lyrics, but am sure it's a cover. Then the chorus kicks in, "Six, Six, Six the number of the beast". Holy Shit! It's Iron Maiden. It's an acoustic slow tempo version of The Number of the Beast done by Billy Corgan. I so need to get my hands on this. From looking around Amazon it looks like it is on a Zwan import single. Going to have to pick that up.

I have to say, I really enjoy when a band does a cover very different then the original. It breathes new life in to the song. Just doing something like sounds exactly the same, but with a different band behind it is ok, but nothing special. Hearing someone take a good song and make it their own and have it still come out really good is awesome.

Posted by Skadz at 11:08 PM | Permalink

From The Phish.Net:

Fresh off its well-received, yearlong comeback following a two-yearhiatus, Phish will next month head into the studio to record withGrammy-winning engineer Tchad Blak, who has lent his distinctive touch toacclaimed albums by Sheryl Crow, Los Lobos, Tom Waits, Soul Coughing andThe Bad Plus. Blake will then mix the album, tentatively scheduled forrelease this summer (most likely followed by a tour), at worldmusic-influenced pop star Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in England.

Sweeeeeet.

Posted by Skadz at 5:41 PM | Permalink

Wired 12.01: The 100-Megabit Guitar: Through all this musical history, the Les Paul has remained virtually unchanged, because no one would dare change it. Except for Henry Juszkiewicz, Gibson's mercurial CEO. He wants to shove an Ethernet cable into it.

Sounds like it will at least be fun to play with. Being that I have been thinking a lot about composing on the computer lately, I think this would be super cool.

Posted by Skadz at 11:40 AM | Permalink

Boing Boing comes a bit late to the party with their article String Cheese Incident takes on Ticketbastard. I posted about this here and here, 4 months ago.

Posted by Skadz at 1:39 AM | Permalink

Don't want to be an actor pretending on the stage
Don't want to be a writer with my thoughts out on the page
Don't want to be a painter 'cause everyone comes to look
Don't want to be anything where my life's an open book

A dream it's true
But I'd see it through
If I could be
Wasting my time with you

Don't want to be a farmer working in the sun
Don't want to be an outlaw always on the run
Don't want to be a climber reaching for the top
Don't want to be anything where I don't know when to stop

A dream it's true
But I'd see it through
If I could be
Wasting my time with you

So if I'm inside your head
Don't believe what you might have read
You'll see what I might have said
To hear it

Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me

So if I'm inside your head
Don't believe what you might have read
You'll see what I might have said
To hear it

Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me
Come waste your time with me

Come waste your time with me

- Phish

Posted by Skadz at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OK, my depression is getting deeper by the day.

Phish is doing a 4 show run being called their 20th anniversary run. The final show and the official 20th Anniversay show is tommorrow night in Boston. And guess who doesn't have a ticket?

So, I was sorta hoping, maybe, the shows wouldn't be all that great or they wouldn't be playing a lot of stuff I like. Well, that turned out all wrong. The first two shows have had amazing set lists. I even grabbed a copy of the second night already and it sounds just incredible.

Well, tonight was show 3, the final show before the big show tomorrow in Boston. Well, not only did the set kick ass, but the original fourth member of the band joined them for the second set and the encore! Holy Shit! I would have to assume he is travelling to Boston tomorrow as well. Someone said something about LOTS of guest appearances tomorrow, which would not surprise me in the least.

So, my depression continues to get deeper and my hatred of my friends who are going rages higher and higher. I figure it will culminate when I get a set list tomorrow night and a report on Wednesday from my friends.

Posted by Skadz at 12:01 AM | Permalink

I'm starting to think about writing some music. This would be an attempt at two things. First, it would help me with my guitar playing. Take some of the stuff I have started writing on guitar and turn it in to full fledged songs. The second piece would be to re-learn the music theory I used to know. If I was going to write some music, I would definitely have to re-learn keys and such. The nice thing is re-learning the theory is that I could apply it back to guitar and get better at that.

So, my question is, does anyone know of any music composition software for linux? Open source is obviously first choice. I'd just like something I could basically program music on. Ideas?

Posted by Skadz at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One of my favorite bands, Guster announced in their e-mail newsletter that they have a green light on recording some shows for a live DVD. They will be recording at the State Theater in Portland Maine on Friday, December 19th and Saturday, December 20th. Tickets go on sale in the next few day. If you are in the area and want to see a fun show full of good music, I would definitely recommend going to one of the shows. Since they are filming, there will probably be lots of "special" moments. The favorite to this day is the first time I saw them and they played NIN's Down In It. The reason that was cool? Their instruments are 2 acoustic guitars and some bongos :)

Posted by Skadz at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Berklee College of Music has a new online site called Berklee Shares. This site is full of lessons from both faculty and alumni of Berklee. These are not just instrument lessons, but also lessons in song writing, production, technology, business, etc. The best part? It's all free and released under a Creative Commons license.

So, now I will have to delve in to these lessons and learn as much as I can. Hopefully, I can learn more than just some cool stuff on my guitar, but also some more about music in general.

[ via Lessig Blog ]

Posted by Skadz at 4:02 PM | Permalink