Live Video Clip of the Day; The Feeling Live from Abbey Road 2007

Sorry for the slacking on new posts as of late. Check out this sick tune by The Feeling from a few years back that appeared on the Abbey Road series on Sundance.

Awesome little beat with some great lyrics.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Killers Live at Abbey Road

Romeo and Juliet is an amazing song. It was originally performed by Dire Straits and written by their lead singer Mark Knopfler. Really just a beautiful tune with lyrics that pierce the soul. Dramatic, right?

Here is a clip of the Killers singing it back in 2007 at Abbey Road. It has also been covered by Matt Nathanson.

Third Eye Blind is Still Kickin'...And I Like It

My friend Greg is happy that Third Eye Blind is once again relevant to the music scene. And he's not even the biggest fan of 3EB (does that make me seem legit?) that I know.


I have strange friends. I could name at least three right now that would consider Third Eye Blind their all time favorite band. Don't get me wrong. I used to be quite obsessed myself. I can remember Thanksgiving back in 1999, my mom was concerned about not having a pan for potatoes and sent my brother to K-Mart to buy one. As a 14-year-old I tagged along, not to make sure he bought the right pan(sometimes he was a little slow), but solely for the purpose of buying Blue, the band's second major album. I came home and listened to it all night, spending most of the holiday finding a quiet room and playing the cd on my discman(so 90s), jamming to "Never Let You Go", while the the family gathered to eat and be merry. I guess my friends aren't that strange after all. Third Eye Blind was a pretty kick ass band back in the day.


Fast forward ten years and I bet you didn't know that Third Eye Blind released their highest Billboard ranked album this past summer. Granted, it didn't sell as much as previous efforts in their first weeks, but a slow sales week gave them their highest ranking debut yet on the Billboard 200, which definitely came as a surprise.


A lot has changed for Third Eye Blind since the days of Semi-Charmed Life, which is the happiest song about crystal meth and oral sex that I bet will ever be made. Kevin Cadogan was forced out of the band and in turn, sued the other members amidst several ugly allegations, including one that lead singer, Stephan Jenkins, was a bit of a tyrant. Jenkins starred in a really awesome made for TV movie. I kid, it was awful, and his acting was atrocious, but at least he was looking good. Don't take my word for it, check out this hilarious review.


In 2004, they were dropped from their label, which must have burned a bit, considering their 2003 release was given little label help, because Elektra was being taken over by Atlantic during promotions for the album. It lead to only two singles being released and one video, as well as underwhelming sales. Then came a six year stalemate (aside from becoming a staple of the college concert circuit) and now, they're back.


These days, original bassist Arion Salazar is not a part of the group, but hasn't officially left for good. Leaving the drama in the past, Third Eye Blind has released a pretty sweet little album in Ursa Major. A slightly different sound may gain new fans, while true fans will appreciate songs that sound similar to the good old tunes of the late 90s, full of catchy beats and witty lyrics.


There are some stand out tracks on the disc. You have probably heard “Don't Believe a Word” and “Bonfire” on the radio, the second of which sounds closest to the band's previous success stories, the first has a pretty sick music video. “One in Ten” is a light hearted take on falling in love with a woman who likes women. Sounds like a joke, but it's kind of a sweet little tune and proves you can write about such a subject without getting ridiculous. I'm talking to you, JC Chasez. A couple of slower tracks, including “Dao of St. Paul”, get a little too serious for my Third Eye Blind tastes. I want them to sing to me about horrible, dirty, addictive things, but encapsulate them in nice, little pop rock packages that make me tap my toes.


The disc isn't great, but it's pretty good and that's enough. Their six year absence made the heart grow fonder and I'm a little bit convinced that even a terrible album would have been a welcomed effort. In an industry full of ups and downs, it just feels sweet to turn on a radio and hear a band you were into over ten years ago being played. Let's just hope it doesn't take another six years for it to happen again.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Dierks Bentley - Spirit Live Music Lounge, 2007

Did you know that in 2007 Dierks Bentley became the first contemporary country music artist to be invited to perform at Bonnaroo? Now you do.

I love this song. Great imagery in the lyrics and a nice little melody.

And how about the dude on the left? Chomp that gum, good sir, chomp away.





Check out the mp3 over at Amazon:
Every Mile A Memory (Album Version)

Live Video Clip of the Day: Matt Costa Live at Vans, 2008

Gotta love the wall of shoes in the background.

Man, this is a beautiful song.



Check out the mp3 over at Amazon:
Astair

Muse's Matt Bellamy Named Guitarist of Decade by Total Guitar Magazine

I don't think it's a big secret that I'm pretty obsessed with the skillz (the z is so necessary in this case) of Matt Bellamy from the band Muse. Every time I watch him play the guitar I have to wipe drool from my mouth. Slightly gross, but oh so true.

Well, he was just named the guitarist of the decade by Total Guitar Magazine. It's pretty amazing to see someone who is such a great musician stay true to his roots, while he and his bandmates are achieving immense commercial success. There is always that weird stigma that people get about bands, like it's no longer cool to like them when their music is on the local radio station.

It is now and always will be cool to like Muse.

Here is the article courtesy of Total Guitar:

Matthew Bellamy

Guitarist of the Decade

We count down 10 reasons why Muse’s frontman has shaped the last decade of guitar, from his blistering solos and heavy riffs, through to his electric stage presence and that superguitar.

10. He’s made classical cool again.

Present Zakk Wylde with a chamber orchestra and he’d probably eat the conductor for breakfast and pick his teeth with the baton. Matt Bellamy has a different attitude, instead hijacking the fusty world of powdered wigs and harpsichords and fusing its coolest ideas into his mould-breaking guitar solos and riffs. As you bang your sweaty head to Plug in Baby’s monster intro, you are actually listening to a bastardization of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Bach’n’roll, baby…

9. His stage presence is off the wall.

Respect to the Muse set designer, but all the satellite dishes and acrobats in the world can’t compare to the spectacle of a small man from Devon losing himself in the music. Bellamy doesn’t ‘do’ banter, shout-outs or feet on monitors. Instead, he deals in unhinged virtuosity, stroking and strangling his Manson through the hits, jolt dancing like an electric eel, using nervous energy to power the greatest show on Earth (or any other planet).

8. He saved us from nu-metal

Sludge-tuned chugging topped with meathead rap was the sound of the new millennium, until Matt Bellamy arrived with Showbiz, fired stinger missile solos into the lumpen rock scene and reminded a generation that life doesn’t have to stop at the seventh fret. Without rubble rousing early guitar parts like Sunburn and Muscle Museum, this magazine would be full of potato-headed dullards mumbling about “playing for the song”. Nobody wants that.

7. He has a ‘superguitar’.

Actually, Matt has a bunch of superguitars; all built by UK luthier Hugh Manson and featuring more onboard technology than it took to put the first man on the moon. Matt’s guitars, including his famous ‘retired’ Delorean or Silver Manson, feature various combinations of Fernandes Sustainer pickups, Z.Vex Fuzz Factory stompbox circuitry and X-Y controlled KAOSS pads to allow him to manipulate his effects with his fingertips. Genius.

6. He made the most flamboyant debut album ever.

Muse released their first album Showbiz in 1999, the year of Britney Spear’s debut single Baby One More Time and not a whole lot else. Guitar music was flatlining, so the sight and sound of Matt Bellamy tearing at his guitar strings was exhilarating. Despite accusations from some quarters that Muse were little more than Radiohead rip-off, Matt’s heroic performance on songs like Muscle Museum proved that something special has arrived.

5. He bends all the rules.

On paper at least, a combination of progressive rock, classical music, electronica and pop shouldn’t really work… a bit like Genesis jamming to those horrible Hooked On Classics albums from the 80’s. Matt makes it work. Not many musicians can switch from a beautiful Danny Elfman style piano piece to a heavy as hell riff like he can. Listen to New Born (Origin of Symmetry, released in 2001) for evidence of the man’s genius.

4. His solos are works of art.

Matt’s solos are as beautifully constructed as his Manson guitars. A masterclass in expressive guitar technique his solos usually feature tremolo-picked passages, string scrapes, whammy bar clips and inventive use of effects. Matt has a fantastic vibrato and always manages to make his solos sound spontaneous, even if they are carefully constructed. Look up Knights of Cydonia: Live at Wembley Stadium 2007 to witness Matt’s killer lead guitar.

3. He has unrivalled creativity.

Matt Bellamy has some really serious chops. In addition to his incredibly unique guitar style, the guy kills on piano and has a three octave vocal range as demonstrated by his incredible falsetto singing on Plug in Baby and other gargantuan Muse ditties. As if all that virtuosity wasn’t enough, Matt is also the primary songwriter for Muse, composing classics such as Supermassive Black Hole, Stockholm Syndrome and Knights of Cydonia. Yeah, we’re jealous too.

2. He wrote the biggest riff of the decade.

If the sheer number of ‘attempts’ at music shows and in music shops is anything to go by, the Plug in Baby riff is this generation’s Sweet Child O’Mine or Stairway to Heaven. Like its illustrious forbears, Plug in Baby grabbed guitarists by the balls by virtue of its sheer inventiveness. The sick fuzz tone didn’t hurt much either. It’s one of those riffs that sounds fresh and unique, and it makes everyone wish they could play guitar.

1. He is the Hendrix of our generation.

Comparing anyone to Jimi Hendrix can get you in some serious trouble, but we can recon you’re on pretty safe ground with Matt Bellamy. Matt uses effects and feedback like a musical instrument, punctuating solos with weird pops and squeaks. Just like Jimi. In Matt’s hands the guitar is more than just a tool, it’s an extension of his body and his voice. Just like Jimi. He’s also that extremely rare combination of a guitar virtuoso who can write great songs that will stand the test of time. Again, just like Jimi.

Check this video out and you're welcome in advance:

Siiiigh.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Ryan Adams on Letterman, 2006

Awesome song that is on a pretty killer soundtrack. Go check out the tunes from Elizabethtown. Pretty sweet music from Tom Petty to Elton John. The soundtrack was so awesome they released a second volume with more sweetness.

PS-Ryan Adams is married to Mandy Moore. If they have kids, they'll be sweet musicians with great hair.



You know you want the mp3:

Live Video Clip of the Day: Paolo Nutini @ Bush Studios, 2006

Sweet little number by Scottish singer Paolo Nutini from a few years back. Based on the story he tells, he's a baller, and I like that.

Pretty insane that this guy is only 22. Seems like he's been around forever.

You might need to turn your speakers up, as the sound quality isn't great, but I love how sketchy the studio looks, like it's someone sitting around jammin in their basement. Awesome.



Check out his first cd over at Amazon:

Women Making History

Sweet little article over at Chart Watch by Paul Grein about female solo artists holding the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 200 list for the first time ever.
Check it out, it's a pretty interesting read.

The top 5 are:

1. Susan Boyle
2. Lady Gaga
3. Alicia Keys
4. Mary J Blige
5. Taylor Swift


Hmmm. A couple of them might be a liiiiiittle bit overrated, but I will put my music snobbery aside to bask in a moment of female empowerment.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Ryan Montbleau Band-Sun Studio Sessions

I was perusing the list of artists on the Sun Studio Sessions YouTube page and I came across The Ryan Montbleau Band. The name sounded familiar and I realized it was because they were listed as an upcoming act at Water Street. I checked 'em out and I gotta say, they're pretty damn good. Nice classic folk rock sound with a bit of a bluesy edge.

Check out this clip of them performing "Honeymoon Eyes". Also, if you're a Western NY reader, they'll be rocking the stage at Water Street Music Hall on February 5th. Tickets are pretty cheap, so go check them out before they're famous and then you can say you knew them way back when.





Hey, speaking of Sun Studio, it's a pretty sweet place full of amazing musical history. Come back and check us out over the next few weeks to learn a bit more about the history of the place, as well as some new info on what's going on over there these days.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Killers on Letterman, 5.11.09

The Killers+An Orchestra+Letterman=Awesome


Little lyric snippet from the following:

A change came in disguise of revelation
Set his soul on fire
She said she always knew he'd come around
And the decades disappear
Like sinking ships but we persevere
God gives us hope
But we still fear what we don't know


Bananas.




Check out the mp3:
A Dustland Fairytale