Category: Live

Other Stuff You Might Like: NPR Music

Chances are, you’ve already met NPR Music on your travels.  From their excellent programs like All Songs Considered to their wonderful First Listen series, NPR Music is an amazing repository of live, archived, and upcoming music. You can find weeks’ worth of live concerts, in-studio recordings, music previews, and more.   And best of all, it’s free.  At least, to listen.  You all know the deal: Public Radio is funded by listeners like you, and, in today’s corporate-dominated environment, independent music is an even more precious commodity than it used to be.

Of course, I’m not here to tell you what to spend your money on… oh, wait, that’s exactly what I’m here for.  But I’ll tell you what: I think that NPR Music is quite possibly the most important music program in the industry.  Yeah, there, I said it.  Without it, I would have never met Joanna Newsom, The Mountain Goats, or even Vic Chesnutt.  So, for me, it’s special.  I’d like to show you around some of my favorite bits of the site, and invite you to head on over and become a part of all the wonderful things they do.  Follow me!

Continue reading “Other Stuff You Might Like: NPR Music”

Happy Record Store Day!

Happy Record Store Day!

Today is a great day for independent record stores, their customers, and you.  All over America and the World, record stores will be selling rare items, hosting performances, and working hard to show you that a thriving, alternative music culture still exists.  In their own words:

The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.

This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.

Record Store Day is currently managed by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Melanie Nipper, and Carrie Colliton. Folks wanting to contact Record Store Day are encouraged to email us at information@recordstoreday.com

Continue reading “Happy Record Store Day!”

Wye Oak: Live on Luxury Wafers

We’ve mentioned Wye Oak and Luxury Wafers here before.  Now, comes the excellent news that Wye Oak have visited the fine folks over at Luxury Wafers to lay down some live tracks.  You’ll find two live videos (including an unreleased track “My Neighbor”), and four live mp3 tracks for download on their site.  I’ll put a small taste after the cut, but you should head on over and check it out!

Continue reading “Wye Oak: Live on Luxury Wafers”

Other Stuff You Might Like: Live Performances from KEXP

It’s easy, sometimes, to think of radio as a dead medium.  The sort of thing that can get you through a visit to the dentist, or an elevator ride, but not much else.  In a post-Buggles world, what good can radio really bring us?  Well, of course, there’s rather a lot of good to be had out there.  I’ve looked at, and featured, NPR’s excellent All Songs Considered on this site before.  But there’s so much more to be found in local stations across America (and the globe) – perhaps none so striking as Seattle’s KEXP.  The site features an enormous amount of live, in-studio recordings and interviews, as well as news and video (they’ve even got a nifty iPhone app).  As someone who lost faith in radio during the ClearChannel consolidation years, I find it very reassuring to know that stations like this have managed to survive.

You really should take some time to rummage around their site.  After the cut, I’ll highlight some of my favorite live recordings, and give you a few tips from their upcoming performances list.  Hint: Jónsi tomorrow!

Continue reading “Other Stuff You Might Like: Live Performances from KEXP”

Au Revoir Simone – Daytrotter Session

Readers of this site might notice that I mention Au Revoir Simone now and again (and again).  They might also notice that I love me some Daytrotter.  Imagine, therefore, my immense pleasure at bringing you the news that Au Revoir Simone stopped by Daytrotter for a second session (the first one’s here), and that it’s ready for your listening pleasure.  This time, the tracks are all from their most recent album: Still Night, Still Light.  The performances feature the band’s playful vivacity, and capture the off-the-cuff feel they bring to their concert performances. Just the thing to get your Spring moving in the right direction…

So, head on over and have a listen.  You can also download the tracks for free.  I’ve put one after the cut – along with some other treats – to get you started.  Enjoy!

Continue reading “Au Revoir Simone – Daytrotter Session”