16
Mar
2004
· Call me a heretic, but in the past I've never been much of a fan of Jerry Garcia's guitar playing with the Grateful Dead. Lordy, Lordy, take me down and dip me in the river of forgiveness. This Tuesday the Acoustic Disc imprint releases another collection of the late artist's recordings with mandolin virtuoso David Grisman from the 1990s, and I'm simply bowled over by the six- and four-string interplay between the two.
Perfect as an easy Sunday morning, the pair waltzes through a rich history of Americana, covering George Jones' "Take Me," James Brown's classic "I'll Go Crazy," Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #9," and an infectious take on Bob Dylan's "The Ballad of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest." A handful of unclaimed traditional tunes bob and weave through the sleepy hoedown, from the title track "Been All Around This World" to "I'm Troubled" and the "Handsome Cabin Boy Waltz." Highly recommended.
· One lucky purchaser of Godsmack's new acoustic album will find a "golden ticket" inside. The new Republic/Universal album, The Other Side, hits stores this Tuesday, with one ticket hidden in the first pressing redeemable for a private performance by the band in the winner's home.
· A most interesting literature-meets-music project is due next month from Fire Records, as the label will release a two-CD set of artists including Mercury Rev, Bardo Pond, and the Minus 5 generating new music based on a line of poetry by Irish author James Joyce. Thirty-six artists took the challenge, with each taking a line from his 1907 poem "Chamber Music." Other artists involved include Steve Shelley and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Mary Lorson of Madder Rose, Mike Watt of the Minutemen, Wayne Kramer, Jessica Bailiff, Flying Saucer Attack, The Wardrobe, and Califone.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Jessica Simpson tonight, Shelby Lynne on Thursday, Prince on Monday, and Simple Plan on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Hole tonight and N.E.R.D. on Monday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features the Living End on Thursday overnight and Randy Newman on Tuesday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn gets Chingy with it on Monday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly sits down with Ambulance Ltd. this evening overnight, Sarah McLachlan on Thursday overnight, Wyclef Jean on Friday overnight, G. Love & Special Sauce with Jack Johnson on Monday overnight, and Super Furry Animals on Tuesday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, March 23:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
The Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out (Peach/Sanctuary) live two-CD set featuring the 12-minute jam "Instrumental Illness"
Alpha - Stargazing: Special Edition (Nettwerk) domestic issue with bonus tracks
Audio Learning Center - Cope Park (Vagrant) second CD of smart, catchy indie rock with a theatrical edge
Black Cross - Widows Bloody Widows (Initial) odds-and-sods collection
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Greatest Palace Music (Domino)
Borialis - What You Thought You Heard (Capitol)
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Between Here & Gone (Sony Nashville)
Cypress Hill - Till Death Do Us Part (Columbia) with guests Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Prodigy and Twin from Mobb Deep, and Damian Marley
Dead Can Dance - Toward the Within (Rhino) first time on DVD for this VHS title from 1994
Decal - Release Through Velocity (Satamile) breakbeat electronic from Dublin's Alan O'Boyle
Descendents - Cool to Be You (Fat Wreck)
Mimi Fox - She's the Woman (Favored Nations) new from the master jazz guitarist, featuring her cover of The Beatles' "She's a Woman"
Eliza Gilkyson - Land of Milk & Honey (Red House) with guests Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iris DeMent, and Patty Griffin
Haven - All for a Reason (Radiate UK) with producer Johnny Marr of The Smiths
Hepcat - Out of Nowhere (Epitaph)
The Hurt Process - Drive by Monologue (Victory) with cover artwork by Derek Hess
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days (SubPop) fantastic second album of delicate, hypnotic tales from Sam Beam
Kraftwerk - "Aerodynamik" (Astralwerks) 12-inch and CD single with re-mixes by Alex Gopher, Francois K, and Eitenne de Crecy
Bernie Leadon - Mirror (Really Small) second album from the Eagles and Flying Burrito Brothers founding member
Leftover Salmon - Leftover Salmon (Compendia/High Country)
Marcy Playground - MP 3 (Reality)
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Grooving Kingston 12 (Hip-O) box set of recordings from 1970 to '72
James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastards - Live in Aught-Three (Compadre) featuring the new solo performance of "Lights of Cheyenne"
N.E.R.D. - Fly or Die (Virgin) with guests Lenny Kravitz and Good Charlotte
The Orb - Bicycles & Tricycles (Hexus)
Iggy Pop & The Stooges - Creem Magazine Presents: Live In Detroit 2003 (Music Video Dist) DVD featuring the original 1969 lineup - except for Mike Watt taking over bass duties - and focusing on the band's first two albums of material
The Punisher - original motion picture soundtrack (Wind-Up) with new music from Drowning Pool, Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, Hatebreed, and more
Julianna Raye - Restless Night (Hybrid) with guest Rufus Wainwright on "More Wine"
Lou Reed - Animal Serenade (Sire/Reprise) two-CD live concert recorded last summer
Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks (Fat Cat/Bubblecore) intriguing piano collaged with cello, violin, typewriter clatter, and readings of Franz Kafka and Czeslaw Milosz
Rockfour - Nationwide (Rainbow Quartz) psychedelia from Tel Aviv, Israel
Elliot Sharp - Do the Don't (Gaff) with guest Hubert Sumlin, formerly Howlin' Wolf's lead guitarist
Sigur Rós - BA BA TI KI DI DO (Geffen) three new compositions written for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company featuring glockenspiel, music boxes, and a most unusual homemade instrument: a percussive rack of eight ballet shoes called a bummsett
Paul Simon - The Paul Simon Songbook (Columbia Legacy) re-issue of this rare album from 1965, featuring solo recordings of "The Sounds of Silence" and "I Am a Rock"
The Smugglers - Mutiny in Stereo (Lookout) enhanced CD with five videos
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band - Tour 2003 (Koch) with guests Sheila E., Paul Carrack, Men at Work's Colin Hay, and The Babys' John Waite
Sultans - Shipwrecked (Swami) second album of three-chord power pop
Taboo - original London cast recording (First Night/Red Ink) Boy George's scandalous musical based on Leigh Bowery
Tony C. & The Truth - Demonophonic Blues (Lava) hard and heavy debut from this New York tough guy and friends featuring a wicked harmonica breakdown in a cover of the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right (to Party)"
Pete Townshend - Magic Bus: Live in Chicago (Compendia)
Usher - Confessions (Arista)
various artists - Teenbeat Sampler 2004 (Teenbeat) super-cheap sampler with exclusive tracks from Mark Robinson, Flin Flon, Naysayer, and more
The Vines - Winning Days (Capitol)
Weezer - Video Capture Device: Treasures From the Vault 1991-2002 (Geffen) three-hour DVD with live footage and rare videos
Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album) (Geffen) re-issue of the band's 1994 debut, now featuring a bonus disc of international B sides, live acoustic tracks, and home-grown "kitchen tapes"
Widespread Panic - Night of Joy (Sanctuary) recorded last November at the House of Blues, featuring covers of Bill Withers' "Use Me" and Stevie Wonder's "I Wish"
Marques Wyatt - Horizons (Om Records) spiritually uplifting house from this international DJ
· One lucky purchaser of Godsmack's new acoustic album will find a "golden ticket" inside. The new Republic/Universal album, The Other Side, hits stores this Tuesday, with one ticket hidden in the first pressing redeemable for a private performance by the band in the winner's home.
· A most interesting literature-meets-music project is due next month from Fire Records, as the label will release a two-CD set of artists including Mercury Rev, Bardo Pond, and the Minus 5 generating new music based on a line of poetry by Irish author James Joyce. Thirty-six artists took the challenge, with each taking a line from his 1907 poem "Chamber Music." Other artists involved include Steve Shelley and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Mary Lorson of Madder Rose, Mike Watt of the Minutemen, Wayne Kramer, Jessica Bailiff, Flying Saucer Attack, The Wardrobe, and Califone.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Jessica Simpson tonight, Shelby Lynne on Thursday, Prince on Monday, and Simple Plan on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Hole tonight and N.E.R.D. on Monday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features the Living End on Thursday overnight and Randy Newman on Tuesday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn gets Chingy with it on Monday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly sits down with Ambulance Ltd. this evening overnight, Sarah McLachlan on Thursday overnight, Wyclef Jean on Friday overnight, G. Love & Special Sauce with Jack Johnson on Monday overnight, and Super Furry Animals on Tuesday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, March 23:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
The Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out (Peach/Sanctuary) live two-CD set featuring the 12-minute jam "Instrumental Illness"
Alpha - Stargazing: Special Edition (Nettwerk) domestic issue with bonus tracks
Audio Learning Center - Cope Park (Vagrant) second CD of smart, catchy indie rock with a theatrical edge
Black Cross - Widows Bloody Widows (Initial) odds-and-sods collection
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Greatest Palace Music (Domino)
Borialis - What You Thought You Heard (Capitol)
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Between Here & Gone (Sony Nashville)
Cypress Hill - Till Death Do Us Part (Columbia) with guests Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Prodigy and Twin from Mobb Deep, and Damian Marley
Dead Can Dance - Toward the Within (Rhino) first time on DVD for this VHS title from 1994
Decal - Release Through Velocity (Satamile) breakbeat electronic from Dublin's Alan O'Boyle
Descendents - Cool to Be You (Fat Wreck)
Mimi Fox - She's the Woman (Favored Nations) new from the master jazz guitarist, featuring her cover of The Beatles' "She's a Woman"
Eliza Gilkyson - Land of Milk & Honey (Red House) with guests Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iris DeMent, and Patty Griffin
Haven - All for a Reason (Radiate UK) with producer Johnny Marr of The Smiths
Hepcat - Out of Nowhere (Epitaph)
The Hurt Process - Drive by Monologue (Victory) with cover artwork by Derek Hess
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days (SubPop) fantastic second album of delicate, hypnotic tales from Sam Beam
Kraftwerk - "Aerodynamik" (Astralwerks) 12-inch and CD single with re-mixes by Alex Gopher, Francois K, and Eitenne de Crecy
Bernie Leadon - Mirror (Really Small) second album from the Eagles and Flying Burrito Brothers founding member
Leftover Salmon - Leftover Salmon (Compendia/High Country)
Marcy Playground - MP 3 (Reality)
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Grooving Kingston 12 (Hip-O) box set of recordings from 1970 to '72
James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastards - Live in Aught-Three (Compadre) featuring the new solo performance of "Lights of Cheyenne"
N.E.R.D. - Fly or Die (Virgin) with guests Lenny Kravitz and Good Charlotte
The Orb - Bicycles & Tricycles (Hexus)
Iggy Pop & The Stooges - Creem Magazine Presents: Live In Detroit 2003 (Music Video Dist) DVD featuring the original 1969 lineup - except for Mike Watt taking over bass duties - and focusing on the band's first two albums of material
The Punisher - original motion picture soundtrack (Wind-Up) with new music from Drowning Pool, Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, Hatebreed, and more
Julianna Raye - Restless Night (Hybrid) with guest Rufus Wainwright on "More Wine"
Lou Reed - Animal Serenade (Sire/Reprise) two-CD live concert recorded last summer
Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks (Fat Cat/Bubblecore) intriguing piano collaged with cello, violin, typewriter clatter, and readings of Franz Kafka and Czeslaw Milosz
Rockfour - Nationwide (Rainbow Quartz) psychedelia from Tel Aviv, Israel
Elliot Sharp - Do the Don't (Gaff) with guest Hubert Sumlin, formerly Howlin' Wolf's lead guitarist
Sigur Rós - BA BA TI KI DI DO (Geffen) three new compositions written for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company featuring glockenspiel, music boxes, and a most unusual homemade instrument: a percussive rack of eight ballet shoes called a bummsett
Paul Simon - The Paul Simon Songbook (Columbia Legacy) re-issue of this rare album from 1965, featuring solo recordings of "The Sounds of Silence" and "I Am a Rock"
The Smugglers - Mutiny in Stereo (Lookout) enhanced CD with five videos
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band - Tour 2003 (Koch) with guests Sheila E., Paul Carrack, Men at Work's Colin Hay, and The Babys' John Waite
Sultans - Shipwrecked (Swami) second album of three-chord power pop
Taboo - original London cast recording (First Night/Red Ink) Boy George's scandalous musical based on Leigh Bowery
Tony C. & The Truth - Demonophonic Blues (Lava) hard and heavy debut from this New York tough guy and friends featuring a wicked harmonica breakdown in a cover of the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right (to Party)"
Pete Townshend - Magic Bus: Live in Chicago (Compendia)
Usher - Confessions (Arista)
various artists - Teenbeat Sampler 2004 (Teenbeat) super-cheap sampler with exclusive tracks from Mark Robinson, Flin Flon, Naysayer, and more
The Vines - Winning Days (Capitol)
Weezer - Video Capture Device: Treasures From the Vault 1991-2002 (Geffen) three-hour DVD with live footage and rare videos
Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album) (Geffen) re-issue of the band's 1994 debut, now featuring a bonus disc of international B sides, live acoustic tracks, and home-grown "kitchen tapes"
Widespread Panic - Night of Joy (Sanctuary) recorded last November at the House of Blues, featuring covers of Bill Withers' "Use Me" and Stevie Wonder's "I Wish"
Marques Wyatt - Horizons (Om Records) spiritually uplifting house from this international DJ
