New Regina Spektor

Album "Far" out June 23rd!

The Noisettes Do The Killers

Giant Panda

I've seen more Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad shows than I can count, and it's a guaranteed good time. Not only is my roommate their publicist, but these guys can do reggae right. They've played numerous shows in NYC since they are based in Ithaca, and have been constantly touring for the last several years. Their stamina is great and they keep on truckin'.

Last night they opened for UB40 (remember them?) at Nokia Theater, and if you missed the show like I did, you can check them out at the BB King Blues Club on May 21st. Do not miss this show! You will be grooving your psychedelic soul out!

You can also catch them at this years Rothbury festival in Michigan (after playing at previous Bonnaroo and Mountain Jams). The line-up is sick!

Happy Birthday, Pete Seeger

The Clearwater Concert:
Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders
A benefit concert in celebration of Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009, 5:00 p.m. 
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Although Matt and I decided to show up only for the second set, we stole great seats and enjoyed a truly special night of performers. Bruce Springsteen--you don't need me to tell you he's a legend, and there's no question. He mentioned sitting beside Seeger and Obama on inauguration day, stating, "He was so happy on that day. It was like, Pete, you outlasted the bastards!" He sent shivers down my spine, and played "The Ghost of Tom Joad" with none other than Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine. Arlo Guthrie played with several people, including Keller WIlliams and Warren Haynes. Guthrie's voice is fantastic! Robert McGuinn played The Byrds hit, "Turn, Turn, Turn!" with Tyler Ramsey & Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses. Ben Harper only stayed for one song but played with his mother and aunt! Dave Matthews played solo, and entertained the audience with the most beautiful version of "Rye Whiskey." We missed Ani DiFranco, Bela Fleck, and John Mellencamp, though I've seen the latter two before.

Pete Seeger entertained us with a few closing songs ("Amazing Grace," "This Land is your Land") and everyone joined him on the stage--what a sight! Legend standing next to Legend, Seeger enjoyed his favorite, most powerful means of change: singing together and changing the world through music. It was emotional and exhilarating singing along with a filled Madison Square Garden audience, most of whom were alive during the many wars and civil rights movements that have shaped our freedoms today. Pete Seeger's contributions to folk music and activism are incredible and outstanding for just one lifetime, and I can only hope to emulate even some. The concert proceeds went to his charity, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

Ahead Of The Curve '09

The videos are online! Check out the work we did at SXSW here!

A favorite of mine, Ladyhawke:

My Notes On The Latest Albums

Dan Auerbach, "Keep It Hid"
-Can anyone say rock n’ roll? Auerbach's solo album is a must-buy...it’s like listening to the Black Keys but with a full kick ass band (otherwise known as Hacienda) and I’ve been listening to this non-stop!

Blitzen Trapper, "Furr"
-A bit country pop, this band was a favorite of mine at SXSW, and I have no idea why I didn’t like them before!

The Airborne Toxic Event, self titled
-Another favorite at SXSW, a mixture of a bit Arcade Fire, Bush, and Lightspeed Champion, with a killer violinist

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "It’s Blitz!"
-Their third album and typical Karen O, but they bring something new to the table here—keep making more!

Wilco, "Sky Blue Sky"
-I’m excited to see this album play out in concert—check out Wilco if you haven’t already, their experimentation might take a bit to get used to, but trust me you’ll love them!

Peter Bjorn & John, "Living Thing"
-I’ve been anticipating their second album, but who hasn’t? These guys stood out at Coachella, and if you liked “Young Folks” you will be pleased

Camera Obscura, "My Maudlin Career"
-Same dreamy voice, same original sound. They played in this small, beautiful church at SXSW and it felt like heaven

Coner Oberst, "Outer South"
-Album is released May 5th, but I got a sneak peak at Coachella. Oberst, otherwise known as Bright Eyes, does folk rock at it’s finest

Chairlift, "Do You Inspire You"
-You know their song “Bruises” featured on an ipod nano commercial, but the rest of the album is solid and very different (keep an open mind), and they did a impressive job for us at SXSW

Felice Brothers, "Yonder Is The Clock"
-I’ve been talking about these boys non-stop and their dusty, rustic folk rock sound; with vocals reminiscent of Dylan. You feel like you’re in a barn during a country jam session drinking beers—in the distant past

Ida Maria, "Fortress ‘Round My Heart"
-I like this album, but it’s still growing on me—I’ve gotta support my fellow Norwegians! I like her loud rock tunes but more so when she slows it down, and I hear she’s great live

M. Ward, "Hold Time"
-One half of the band She & Him, and the talk of the town at Coachella, this album is a great one to sit back and relax to, or to pop in your car during a road trip

And look out for Hockey, if you like the Black Lips you will probably dig these dirty boys!

Summer Festivals--My Top 10 Picks

Splurge and treat yourself...

1. Glastonbury - London 6/24-28
2. Fuji Rock - Japan 7/24-26
3. Roskilde - Denmark 7/2-5
4. Oxegen - Scotland & Ireland 7/10-12
5. Pukkelpop - Belgium 8/20-22
6. Oya - Norway 8/11-15
7. Lollapalooza - Chicago 8/7-9
8. Bonnaroo - TN 6/11-14
9. Rothbury - MI 7/2-5
10. Rock Werchter - Belgium 7/2-5

NY Summer Shows

Summer in New York is the absolute best time to see shows--the amount of bands coming through increases ten-fold.
So far here are my picks:

Phoenix
Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/18
Terminal 5
6/19

Wilco
7/13
Keyspan Park

MGMT
Prospect Park bandshell
7/1

The Roots
Highline Ballroom
Several Dates

Animal Collective
Prospect Park bandshell
8/14-8/15
Terminal 5
5/13

Keane
Radio City
5/27

Apostle of Hustle
Bowery Ballroom
6/10

Allman Brothers
Jones Beach
8/27
Red Rocks (Colorado)
9/5

AC/DC
Giants Stadium
7/31

Phish-Several Shows
Jones Beach
Merriweather (MD)
8/15

Allman Brothers Band & Widespread Panic
Merriweather (MD)
10/9

All Points West Festival
Liberty State Park, NJ
7/31-8/2

Lou Reed Misses

I couldn't believe that Lou Reed tickets were $20 at the Gramercy Theater on Friday night, and not sold out. Well, it was easy to see why--when for the first time in my life I walked out of a show after 5 painful minutes.

I saw Lou Reed a few years ago and he was great. He only played 2 songs but it was exciting seeing him after being such a fan of the Velvet Underground. Now he's touring with the "Metal Machine Trio," and it's a bunch of extremely loud screeching and scratching--no vocals! I can appreciate original music, but not something that hurts your ears. It was sad to see so many people walking out, especially people like my crew that didn't do their research.

Favorite Song of Coachella

The Killers KILL IT

Coachella Videos

A little bit from Paul McCartney, Fleet Foxes, and Band of Horses.

Coachella-Sunday

Another fabulous day in the beautiful Palm Springs has passed, and sadly the spring break is over.  Kate and I started the day by the pool and then stopped by the Indioasis party, which had an interesting hipster crowd frolicking in the pool. After getting our share of free booze we headed over to the festival's main stage and chilled there and at the closest beer pen all night. Amazing performances by Peter, Bjorn and John and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs ensued, after which we met some great people and danced wildly to The Cure--the most anticipated show of the event.
I was sad to miss Lykke Li (we weren't rushing over to the festival) but I'm sure I'll get to see her again in NYC. I haven't seen PB&J in a few years, but they seem much more in sync with each other and I have been waiting for their next album! The Yeah Yeah Yeahs always put on some of my favorite shows. They rock hard, and damn good. Karen O is as crazy and happy as ever performing, and it's always great fun watching her do her thing. Unfortunately we had to sit through My Bloody Valentine, which was horrible. It was a good beer break but as Kate put it, "like listening to constant static." How did they get such a great time slot??? As for The Cure, it was surreal. I never thought I would see them, let alone they'd be touring again. They were perfection, and Robert Smith was just as scary as you'd think he would look. I love his voice though, and they played a set list everyone was happy with.

What a perfect festival weekend!!!

Coachella-Saturday

Yet another day of great shows at Coachella has passed. I forgot just how amazing the Killers are and they are fresh on my mind. Brandon Flowers has got such great energy and dance moves, and I was looooving all of the hits old and new. Flowers also surprisingly changed things up a bit with a few different beats and I loved that.
The best part about the show is that I’m not camping, nor rushing over to the festival to sit in the 100-degree desert. Yesterday morning I was drinking poolside and welcoming one of my closest friends Charlie, who is usually the best part of the party and I am SO happy to have him here (thanks to the VIP passes also). After the pool drinking debauchery (and some glances at Tiffany Amber-Theissan), we headed over to the festival and were treated with an unbelievable lineup. TV on the Radio, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, M.I.A (did she even take maternity leave?) and The Killers! Band of Horses has been my favorite show so far (a high energy show and a great view of the beautiful, sexy Scott Speedman didn't hurt), but I was sad to miss Jenny Lewis and Thievery Corporation. The VIP section was nothing special, although I did have a quick convo with Jared Leto and M.I.A's stylist. I'm off to the pool now and can hardly contain my excitement for today's shows! The Cure here I come!

Coachella-Friday

Coachella has been a blast so far. We arrived at our beautiful resort with pools straight out of Melrose Place with music lovers in their 20s and 30s everywhere. We rushed over to the festival as soon as we could so as not to miss The Black Keys. Unfortunately we did miss The Airborne Toxic Event, a favorite newcomer of mine that I discovered at SXSW last month, but you just can’t fit them all! As soon as we walked into the festival fields we ran into some college friends and sadly had to watch The Black Keys from a “beer pen” next to the stage. The show was a good as ever and a great start. From there, Kate, my partner in crime, and I, stopped by Conor Oberst where we ran into Lake Bell and soon after saw Anne Hathaway canoodling with her new beau at Leonard Cohen. He had a fantastic voice but was a bit slow so we took a beer break, while hearing Franz Ferdinand, N.A.S.A and Crystal Castles from afar (all sounded great). Our plan was to skip Ghostland Observatory since we’ve seen them so many times, but how could we resist? It was plain awesomeness, as usual, and was lucky enough to dance next to none other than Justin Bobby. A quick stop over at the highly recommended Beirut was next on the schedule, and back to the beer pen complete with Girl Talk in the background.


Last, but by far the least, was the infamous Paul McCartney. It was so much better than expected and on top of playing songs dedicated to Linda and John, and a ukulele from George, he played a plethora of Beatles songs amongst fireworks. “Black Bird,” “All My Loving,” "Yesterday," "Something," "Can't Buy Me Love," "Eleanor Rigby," "Band on the Run," “Live and Let Die,” “Hey Jude,” “Let it Be,” “Drive My Car,” “Back in the USSR,” “Paperback Writer;” to name most. Let's not forget "A Day in the Life" transitioning into "Give Peace a Chance!" I feel so lucky to have seen Paul, one Beatle, in this lifetime.

Now I’m hanging poolside living the Cali lifestyle, reminiscing about yesterday’s shows whilst sipping on a mimosa…what could be better?