Hey kids, do you like songs? You do! Well then you're in luck because today you can download 13 of them.
Check out the latest Pot Kettle Mix. 1 full hour of rock. I tried to keep it fairly clean, but there might be a few "objectionable work words." Click here to Download the rock. Also, apologies to @CraigC for completely ripping off his idea. You should also download his monthly mix if you want some quality hip hop. You can check that out here.
Pot Kettle Mix 08.10 Tracklist
Compliments - Band of Horses
Ativan Eyes - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
Guilty Cocker Spaniels - Modest Mouse
Birthday Boy - Drive-By Truckers
Last Dance - The Raveonettes
Love and Hate - Blitzen Trapper
Morning Light - Ida Maria
Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem
Orphans - The Gaslight Anthem
Mondegreen - Yeasayer
Unknown Brother - The Black Keys
Ask Her For Adderall (Live) - The Hold Steady
Battles On - The Ghost is Dancing
Click here to download it all. Be sure to let me know what you think after you give it a listen, or create and share your own mix.
If you are not following me on Twitter (and if you're not, why not?), then you have been missing out on your daily dose of Phil Collins News. Yes, THAT Phil Collins. In a scientific attempt to see if I can find 1 interesting item about Phil Collins on a daily basis (M-F), I present to you Last Week in Phil Collins News:
Well the snow is melting, the Indians are almost through with spring training, and the Cavs are getting ready for the playoffs. Spring is here, and with it comes a whole slew of bands and musical artists coming to the Cleveland area. My spring/summer concert lineup is filling up fast. There's a lot of good acts touring this year. Here's what I plan on, am considering seeing, or would like to see if I didn't already have plans:
April 4 - Julian Casablancas - House of Blues Cleveland April 8 - Fanfarlo - Grog Shop April 11 - Wilco - Carnegie Music Hall, Pittburgh April 13 - The Hold Steady - Beachland Ballroom April 13 - Wale/K'naan - House of Blues Cleveland April 30 - Yeasayer - Grog Shop May 5 - Frightened Rabbit - Grog Shop May 11 - Pearl Jam/Band of Horses - The Q June 9 - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - House of Blues Cleveland June 10 - She & Him - House of Blues Cleveland July 20 - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers/Drive-By Truckers - Blossom Music Center July 26 - Kings of Leon - Blossom Music Center
That's my schedule. What's yours? Are you going to any of these shows too? Am I leaving out a group that I simply MUST SEE live?
I leave you with my Summer Concert playlist featuring all of the artists listed above. You'll find it on the right sidebar under my Twitter feed. Give it a listen, and feel free to create and share your own similar playlist in the comments. I love discovering new music, and we all need something to listen to to make it through the work day.
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A few weeks back, during the INFAMOUS Live Music week, I wrote about the quality of musical guests on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' (due in part to their hosue band The Roots). I also wrote about a musical collaboration between Akron-based (well, not anymore. Too big for that) garage rock band The Black Keys and several of the biggest hip-hop artists working today. Collectively the collaboration is being called Blakroc. Since I wrote about both things, I'd be remissed not to post Blakroc's performance on last night's episode of 'Late Night.' Although they did not play with The Roots, it's still pretty cool. RZA & the Keys performed two songs, 'Dollaz & Sense' and 'Tellin' Me Things.' Check it out (until Hulu takes the video down).
Whether you wanted one more or not, Cleveland, you're getting one more!
Pearl Jam performed last weekend on the iconic PBS program 'Austin City Limits' this past weekend. Actually, the performance was filmed last August when Pearl Jam was in town headlining this year's Austin City Limits Festival (which is where the picture above is from), but the episode aired this weekend.
Pearl Jam played for a full hour at the historic venue recently designated a rock and roll landmark by the R&R Hall of Fame. Their setlist, which ranged from mellow acoustic tunes to explosive rock, included songs off of their new album Backspacer including Just Breathe and Fix It, oldies such as Porch and Lukin, and one of my personal favorites Red Mosquito (w/ Ben Harper).
We have reached the end of Live Music Week. What a long, strange trip it's been. For my encore performance I am featuring a random mixture of a bunch of performances.
First, K'naan. If you aren't familiar with K'naan, he is a Somali-born rapper who fills his songs with his unique outlook on the world, and the troubles of his home country, all to soul, pop, reggae, and even rock beats (Metalica guitarist Kirk Hammet guests on his new album Troubadour). Here K'naan performs three songs, stripped down and unplugged as a part of NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts. Watch it here.
Next up, Blakroc, a new collaboration between Akron's own The Black Keys and some talented MCs including Mos Def, RZA, Jim Jones, Nikki Wray, Billy Danze, Raekwon, and others. The combination of The Black Keys dirty blues sound works well with these artists. Their album "drops" on Nov. 27. Here is the first single from it, Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)-featuring Mos Def and Jim Jones. Yes, I realize I'm cheating here a little. The song itself is not a live performance, but the video is ... kind of. Just roll with it.
Finally, a little something from Beck's Record Club. This is a little experimental project that Beck and his friends are doing. I'll let him explain:
"Record Club is an informal meeting of various musicians to record an album in a day. The album chosen to be reinterpreted is used as a framework. Nothing is rehearsed or arranged ahead of time. A track is posted once a week. As you will hear, some of the songs are rough renditions, often first takes that document what happened over the course of a day as opposed to a polished rendering. There is no intention to 'add to' the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens. And those who aren't familiar with the albums in question will hopefully look for the songs in their definitive versions."
So again, I'm kind of cheating, but these songs are recorded live and then released. It's almost like a live performance. Last week the Club started their third album: Skip Spence's 'Oar.' I'll be honest, I know nothing about that album, but now I want to check it out. The album was recorded by Beck and Wilco along with special guests including Feist and Jamie Lidell. Check out the Beck's Record Club website to listen to the songs and watch video of the recording sessions. There are two songs from the album posted to date. If you wish to hear the album in order, scroll down to the second post and work your way up.
And that concludes Live Music Week. What did you think? Did I leave out something big? If so, leave a comment and share it with everyone.
There are some bands that are just better live. Sure, they produce regular studio albums, but they really only exist to give the band new stuff to play on tour; the songs don't achieve perfection until they are played in concert. Bands like Dave Matthews Band (who happen to be the musical act on SNL this upcoming weekend), Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, and The Grateful Dead are the easiest examples of bands like this, but non jam bands fit into this category too. Which artists do you like much better live?
One such band that I'm really into right now is The Avett Brothers. While not the coolest band to admit to liking, this folk/rock/country collaboration between two North Carolina brothers produce solid studio recordings that come to life when performed live. That's a rarity for a semi-mellow folk band that borders on the wussy, but the Avett Brothers' enthusiasm and powerful voices put them in unique category of folk artists who can rock.
Full disclosure: I've never seen the Avett Brothers in person, although they tour constantly. They last came to Northeast Ohio last June when they played the Akron Civic Theatre. At that time I had only discovered them a few months prior, and didn't know enough to go see them live. I will not be making that mistake again when they come to the Cleveland House of Blues on Feb. 27, 2010 (purchase tickets here)as they tour on their new album I and Love and You(produced by uber-producer Rick Rubin).
Enough talking. Below are four separate Avett Brother performances/concerts. Give them a listen yourself and let me know what you think.
First up, to continue the Live Music Week theme of late night TV performances, The Avett Brothers played on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night (without The Roots)performing one of their more upbeat songs "Slight Figure of Speech":
Here they perform "The Perfect Space" on Spinner.com. They perform three more songs from their new CD during this session, which you can view here.
NPR invited them to perform in their office as a part of their Tiny Desk Concert series, which features small intimate performances recorded in one of their offices. The 3 song performance caused NPR's Bob Boilen to ask Scott Avett, "Did you swallow an amplifier as a child?" You can watch here.
Finally,The Avett Brothers performed an hour long set at the Newport Folk Festival last summer. NPR said of the concert:
"Without fail, the enthusiastic roots-rock band generated massive volume onstage at Newport. The Avetts brought their emotionally charged and frenetic live show to the Fort Stage at Folk Festival 50 less than two months before the release of I and Love and You, stomping and hollering through a set of old and new songs."
I enjoy watching live music, both in person and on TV. So, as a part of Live Music Week, allow me to share with you several performances from The Roots.
The musical performance is often my favorite part of the late night talk shows. Lately some of the best and most diverse musical performances have been on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," which has the good fortune of having hip-hop band The Roots as their house band.
LNWJF definitly does not squander the talent of The Roots, allowing them to often perform as a backing band to the evening's musical guests. As a band The Roots are very good at weaving in and out between musical genres, and usually elevate musical performances that otherwise might put you to sleep at 1:30 am. Want proof?
Last week The Roots backed up hip-hop MC Wale. As hip-hop artists this performance is right in The Roots wheelhouse. I like Wale, but don't really care for this song. (This video will probably go away after 10 days. Sorry for any ads you have to watch before any of these performances)
To see the diverse talents of The Roots get to play with on display, check out the 3 performances below featuring The Roots and 3 very different artists.
Have you discovered any new music via late night television? What performances should we be checking out?
To prove that The Roots are more than just a run of the mill hip-hop band, look no further than this performance with musical icon Paul Simon.
If you find the Paul Simon performance surprisingly cool, yet odd, you haven't seen anything yet. Check out The Roots, 70's singer songwriter Christopher Cross, and a VERY special guest sing the 'hit' "Ride Like the Wind." Then be sure to e-mail this post to your dad.
It's Live Music Week here at Pot Kettle Blue. Why? Because I can make it any week I want, that's why! Plus, I've come across a lot of cool live music over the past few days that I want to share with you.
First up: Wilco live from the Paradiso in Amsterdam
If you've never seen Wilco perform live, you're missing out. They are consistently considered one of the best touring bands around right now. They are a group of very skilled musicians that know how to bring it. I've seen them 10 times in different venues across the US and they have yet to disappoint me.
They are touring Europe right now and THIS AFTERNOON @ 2:45 they are streaming their concert from Amsterdam live. I repeat: THIS AFTERNOON, MONDAY NOV. 16 @ 2:45 PM EST (ignore the time on the poster above. They changed the start time).
I'm not sure if the concert will be archived after the fact. If so, I will update this post. Either way, click here to spend the end of your work day rocking out (Quicktime required).
If you give it a listen be sure to stop back here and let us know what you thought of it. Enjoy!
JD Drake is a advertising/marketing professional residing in Cleveland, OH. He has never had a cavity, but lies awake at night in fear that the streak will soon end.
Hey kids, do you like songs? You do! Well then you're in luck because today you can download 13 of them.
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