We’d like to welcome Kate Griendling and photographer Zachary D. Helminiak to Team HT from the Campaign For Change, where their hard work helped get President-elect Barack Obama into office. Take it away, Kate…
Worst two opening acts, ever. Thankfully, the jiving astronaut and Golden Girls in drag distract me from the ass cracks being projected on stage by the first opening act, CX KiDTRONiK. I’m too sober and one of only four people not decked out in full costume. Pocahontas is sympathetic. She says I should tell people I am a nudist on strike—I compliment her moccasins.
[All Photos by Zachary Helminiak]
The Ogden Theater is coated with a black interior creating an intimate feel, an impressive accomplishment for a venue of its size. The second floor has its own bar and balconies that semi-encircle the stage from above. The main floor is on an incline and staggered; an audience friendly floor plan that increases visibility for those stuck in the back.
The crowd roars as smoke fills the stage. Skeletons surround the DJ booth and heckle the fans. The anticipation is too much to bear and the audience breaks into an impromptu chant. Dressed in a red hoodie, Girl Talk takes the stage in a wild burst of energy. Out of nowhere the Grim Reaper pops out from beneath the booth and attacks Girl Talk. Girl Talk succumbs to the scythe. But wait, Girl Talk isn’t the murder victim but the Grim Reaper himself. Boo! After the Halloween trick, the treat begins.
READ ON for more of Kate’s words and Zachary’s photos…
Back in April, Eddie Vedder played a handful of rare solo dates up and down the West Coast - partly in support of his Into The Wild soundtrack. Come this August the Pearl Jam frontman will do it again with a six city tour that will include multiple nights in Boston, New York, Toronto, the District Of Columbia and Chicago. Tickets for all shows go on-sale this Friday.
If you’re not a PJ fan, then maybe one of these recently announced tours will be for you…
Finally, for the last few years the traveling Speigeltent has taken up residence in Lower Manhattan at the South Street Seaport offering up an eclectic mix of music acts in an intimate and apparently cool as fuck setting. This year the tent returns in August for a longer engagement running through the beginning of November and another impressive line up that includes - STEAL THIS TICKET! A Musical Tribute to Abbie Hoffman Agents of Mayhem: Steve Molitz, Jon Gutwillig, Michael Travis and Jason Hann, DJ Logic and very special guests, The Benvento-Russo Duo, The Dodos, Antibalas and The Felice Brothers.
I’ve been writing full time here for about five months or so, and figured it was about high time that I took a crack at offering up a B List. Last week the HT Staff gathered Around The BBQ to gab about some of our favorite music of the year, so far. To continue on that theme I thought I’d give you a more focused list of my favorite albums of ‘08 with my Top 6 Of The First 6.
Taking a quick glance at my iTunes I was a bit underwhelmed by the majority of the music that has been injected onto my iPod, but here’s the best of what I’ve heard…
6. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
When I tell my friends how much I’ve been loving this album they seem to scratch their heads a bit. Not because this isn’t a killer party album, it’s just because I’m not the type to usually like killer party albums. But what’s not to like here? Greg Gillis has essentially taken the last 40 plus years of pop music and smushed it into a powered packed hour of samples and beats. Within one song he offers up hooks from Procol Harum, Fergie, The Band and 50 Cent - and that’s just scratching the surface. This is the feel good album of the summer and quite possibly the year. READ ON for more of the B List…
Can you imagine if you’re in a band going up against Radiohead a major festival? Thankfully the promoters of Lollapalooza spared someone the embarrassment of playing for an empty field by announcing that Radiohead will play unopposed on Friday night. Here’s the rest of the schedule for those hitting Chicago’s Grant Park on August 1 - 3. There aren’t too many conflicts at first glance.
Finally, the guys at iClips continue to keep themselves busy this summer. On Thursday they head to Winter Park to webcast the Sonic Bloom festival, while they are also broadcast the Popped! Music Festival direct from Philadelphia. After a few weeks off they head to Minnesota for the 10KLF on July 23-25.
Apparently, Live Nation’s Fillmoreization of America isn’t working out as well as planned. Late last week the company announced that the Fillmore at the TLA in Philadelphia is returning to its original name: The Theater of the Living Arts.
Hey look, if Live Nation wants to build new venues from scratch and brand them Fillmore, people will accept the name. But, if you take a theater that has been around for decades and just try to have people call it something completely different, it just won’t hold. For example, does anyone actually call the amphitheatre in Mansfield anything other than Great Woods?
Let’s see what else was cookin’ this weekend:
As expected, the Grateful Dead officially confirmed the release of Road Trips Vol. 1 No. 3 featuring gems from the Summer of 1971. You can stream six of the songs from the album thanks to a virtual listening party. Holy Bertha!!!
We envy Taylor Hawkins. Not only does the guy have a cushy job as the Foo Fighters’ drummer, but he’s gotten to live out his childhood dreams. Hawkins spent the majority of his time growing up in Fort Worth, Texas listening to Queen and Rush records. A few years back Taylor got to play with Queen’s Roger Taylor and Brian May, and Saturday night he jammed with Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson at a Foo Fighters gig in Toronto. That’s one lucky dude.
Geddy and Alex joined the Foo Fighters an hour into their set just as Taylor Hawkins started his drum solo. The trio improv’d for a bit before busting out a killer YYZ that showed off Hawkins’ prowess on the kit. Check out the crowd’s reaction on this decent video of the YYZ.
Here’s a look at what else went down this weekend:
We loved the lo-fi feel of the Black Kids demos that made the rounds a few months ago, so we were a little worried that the band would overproduce their Almost Gold debut. Well perhaps we should spend less time worrying and more time writing, because the re-recorded version of I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You sounds pretty fuckin’ good.
Read on after the jump for the deliciously bizarre video for the single…
We didn’t take Tom Petty seriously in 2006 when he announced that he was done touring. Petty proved us (and virtually everyone else) right yesterday when he announced a major summer tour with Steve Winwood as the opening act. Petty also swears that he and the Heartbreakers won’t do a medley at the Super Bowl next weekend, but we’ll also believe that when we see it.
Let’s all take a look at what’s goin’ on before you head out for the weekend:
And as has become custom around these parts, let’s finish the week by checking out a new video. Spinner brings us Galactic’s new animated video for From The Corner to the Block, featuring Juvenille and Soul Rebels Brass Band. Well played.
Everyone wants to escape from the douchebaggery of the bar scene and the jacked-up prices of restaurants, but many people are still struggling to find cool events at which to ring in the new year. Considering it’s already December 20th, now is probably the time to pull the trigger make a final decision. Let’s take a look at 10 of the more interesting concerts celebrating the beginning of 2008.
1. Boy We Wish We Lived in Australia: Girl Talk, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Kings of Leon and The Go! Team rock the Falls Festival in Marion Bay, Australia
2. From MSG to the middle of nowhere in 11 years: Blues Traveler hit the peak of their popularity on December 31st, 1996 when they performed to a sold out Madison Square Garden. This year the Traveler plan to play a place just a little bit smaller. If you happen to live in Anchorage, Alaska check them out at the Bear Tooth Theatre.
3. Well This Is Why Phil Isn’t Playing on NYE: Jackie Greene takes the stage with his solo band at Marilyn’s on K in Sacramento, CA. Will Phil show up? We’re guessin’ yes.
4. Aren’t You Supposed to Cover Albums on Halloween?: Rose Hill Drive covers Aerosmith’s Toys In The Attic on both December 30th and 31st at the Boulder Theater
Read on after the jump for more possible events this New Year’s Eve…
Bruce Springsteen loves Joe Torre, so when the former Yankee manager asked him to play a few songs at his Safe At Home benefit on Friday night, The Boss gladly mumbled “Yes.” Bruce started off with a cover of California Sun, complete with lyrics about Torre’s move to the West Coast. The highlight of the night came when former Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams join Springsteen for a rockin’ version of Glory Days. Torre may have forgotten how to lead a team out of the first round of the playoffs, but he sure knows how to throw a party. No word on whether Springsteen has been put on the 15-day DL with a “tired arm.”
- XM launched a station dedicated to the music of Led Zeppelin
- Go ‘head, make the jokes: A man was tased in the ass for a prolonged period of time at a Girl Talk concert in St. Louis
- Grace Potter thinks of her band as Slayer with a girl
- The Motown songwriting team puts together a list of their favorite musicals
- If you haven’t seen the “24 in 1994″ video, get on it!
- Jay-Z listens to Arcade Fire and plans to pay Radiohead $50 for In Rainbows
- Lou Reed: Jerk or Nice Guy?
- Everyone’s got a festival: Will Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park be the site of a huge ACL-like music festival next summer?
- Peter Gabriel lays out his vision for net music [via lhb]
- Dave Matthews Band is putting out their recent show in Georgia on both CD and DVD
And if you’ve got anything for us this morning, sound off below…
Optimism reigned among the Particle People when the band convinced Scott Metzger and Ben Combe to come aboard in March 2006. But continued mediocrity trumped this renewed optimism, and Metzger wisely jumped ship shortly thereafter. Now comes word that Combe is leaving the band as well, and judging from his thinly veiled parting shots, it doesn’t appear to be altogether amicable. Particle’s lost three guitarists in less than two years, so the time may have finally come for Steve Molitz to permanently hitch his wagon to Phil Lesh’s star.
And if you’re still bored on this gloomy Friday, check out this video that shows off how The Onion nails it again. Oh, it’s not even remotely safe for work.
