This guy is new to me, but judging by the amount of views he has on Youtube, he’s been around for a long time. His name is James, and he is of Led Zeppelin cover band “Virtual Zeppelin”. This dude has an amazing voice, and he covers Led Zeppelin songs in a way I’ve never heard before. Most of the stuff is played on an acoustic Guitar but not all of it. He also does other bands like Alice In Chains and The Beatles. The video below is of James covering Hey Hey What Can I Do. If you liked this, you absolutely must listed to his version of The Rain Song. It is truly unbelievable and so accurate!
For older Led Zeppelin related posts click Here.
If you were around during the short lived Grunge era, this video is a must! During a Pearl Jam concert in L.A. on October 6, Chris Cornell suddenly came on stage, and together with the band performed one of Temple Of The Dog’s classics, Hunger Strike:
I did a Youtube search for one of my favorite artists today and discovered that Ms. Spektor is doing the theme song for the new Chronicles of Narnia movie. It’s a big coup for the artist, whose music has graced many a Grey’s Anatomy/CSI episode over and over again, but has yet to venture into the lucrative, albeit potential shark infested waters of Hollywood.
Anyways, as we’re huge fans of Regina on this blog and were planning on sneaking a peak of the new Narnia flick this weekend (Note: Not the Sex & The City movie), I say a celebratory drink is in high order. However, given that it’s 5 PM and I have a night of work ahead of me, I think I might have to settle for a run to the local Dunkin Donuts…
One of my favorite preoccupations and possibly a career of mine in a former life is discovering really great music acts before they make it big. Given this disclaimer, it’s only fitting that I introduce to you an Israeli singer-songwriter that’s sure to gain some serious kudos and notoreity. His name is Oren Lavie and he’s one of a wave of Israeli singers whose music is getting airtime on big-time commercial broadcasts these days. (Yael Naim’s MacBook Air ads are also pretty catchy). So if you haven’t yet heard Oren’s hit single, Her Morning Elegance, on ads for Chevy Malibu, it’s only a matter of time. And if you’d like to hear a more crisp version of the track, click here.
Oren’s brand of music (think brooding Nick Drake meets orchestral overtures of Damien Rice with a little Beatle mania thrown in) is indicative of the type of music that is most likely going to be featured on a Morning Becomes Eclectic playlist and so not surprisingly, not only has his music been featured on KCRW, but it’s gained critical acclaim from the station, being honored as one of the Top 10 albums of 2007.
While it may be rare for someone who is just 31 to have already lived two professionally unrelated lives, it is even rarer to find someone who happens to be re really good at both and acknowledged as such by the public. Lavie, who grew up in Israel and gained early buzz as a playwright winning awards at the Acco Festival in Israel, moved from Israel to New York (with a stop in London) before realizing that music was more his calling. He started his own label, produced his own music, and even began to write his own music.
Lavie, who counts Jacques Brel, Leonard Cohen, and Tom Waits among his influences has a funny, self-deprecating tone to his demeanor. Perhaps evocative of his Israeli upbringing and attempting to create some sort of linear connection between the many different acts of his young life, Lavie likens the cities he’s lived in to the “green-ness” of the cucumbers. For those of you cucumber purists, don’t be betting on Berlin or London. They will only bring you tristesse, which for Oren Lavie might just suit him after all.
For more on Oren, click here.
I saw Frank Bell, whom I know nothing about other then what this page has to offer, singing and playing the guitar (and whistling…) on YouTube. And since I liked “The Penguin”, I decided to share. So, here it is: Frank Bell- “The Penguin”
“I don’t know how you measure levels of being deaf, but we couldn’t hear anything out there.” No, it’s not a part of a war veteran memoir, nor one of a demolition expert. This quote belongs to New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, talking about the crowd noise on the Sunday game in the RCA Dome Vs. the Colts. Yahoo! reports that The NFL is looking into allegations that the local team piped in noise during the game, to help distract opponents when the other team is on offense. From what I hear, it’s not the first time this is happening. If one rule fits all, the Colts should be punished the same way the Patriots were punished after the ridicules Spygate thing with the Jets.
I’ve been owing readers here a recap of the Regina Spektor concert I attended last Sunday for roughly a week now, so here goes. In my defense, I turned the big 3-0 last week and was slightly preoccupied with birthday shenanigans. So now I’m back and ready to give Regina Spektor, experimental folk-acoustic, seductive songstress du jour (du semaine) a proper ode.
Headlining the Regina show was Only Son, aka iPod Man. His act was decent enough, but he went on for way too long and his shtick involved an iPod, which he used in lieu of a band. It got a little irksome after a while and as he came onstage drunk and saying a little too many “F*cks,” I quickly realized that a) I’m too old to find this MySpace-generated Mick Jagger/Bono wannabe remotely appealing and b) My generation (X) is WAY cooler than the 18-year-olds bopping along to the Yeah, like, that’s so f*cked man. Shit, ya know. Yeah, f*ck. Then again, maybe I’m being way too hard on our nation’s youth and even more frightening, maybe my generation sounded like that 12 years ago.
But then again, why were all these youngsters who I couldn’t envision really “getting” Regina’s brand of music, the overriding demographic present at her show?
Regina came out onstage 1.5 hours after the 7:30 starting time. While one can argue that the wait augments the level of anticipation, being stuck in the auditorium seating in Boston’s Orpheum Theater- whose seating was constructed and hasn’t been renovated since the early 20th Century when my height of 5′3 was the average height of a male, you can imagine the physical comfort level by the time the illustrious Ms. SpeKtor finally came onto stage.
Don’t get me wrong. Regina is a force to be reckoned with and well worth any wait. Coming onto stage, bright curly red hair, bright royal blue babydoll dress, with intermittent sprinklings of softspoken “thank you(s)” between belting out “Mary Anne is a B*tch” (it’s a song) and songs about people f*cking to her music, she carefully positions herself as the naughty nice girl. Others have gone down this road before in more gimmicky fashion, but Regina successfully avoids the common pitfalls of her peers and predecessors, salvaged by her musical range (high-pitched, discordant elongated shrieks a la Laurie Anderson to heavy, bluesy spirituals) and well, her, incredibly diverse RAW talent. (Norah Jones may also sing to the tune of the sweet songstress, but doesn’t manage the same sub-alt following, perhaps limited by range and level of experimentation. ) The difference being Regina owns her music, even when it’s not her music. Take her cover of John Lennon’s “Real Love” or her recent gig covering “Little Boxes” for the show Weeds. You can’t imagine (no pun intended) either song wasn’t written by her for her.
But back to the concert’s finale, Regina gave us our encores (”Samson”/”Fidelity” et al) and didn’t hold out on her audience, instead generously playing to the crowd, amidst delayed starts and iPod men that read more like boys. Oh, yeah. And really young kids yelling, That’s the f*ckin sh*t iPod Man!
I recently heard a cover of Iron & Wine’s “Such Great Heights” on the radio and loved it more than the original. (Ben Folds’ cover is the version usually attributed as the original version of the song, but it’s not.) Nonetheless, it got me thinking that most often, we squirm at the thought of song covers (similar to the reaction to a movie sequel) and for good reason. Have you listened to Kelly Clarkson try and replicate the brilliance of Ray LaMontagne’s “Shelter”? If you haven’t, don’t. You’re better off listening to this guy on YouTube. He does a pretty good rendition. Of course, “Shelter” is a tough song to sing as my husband and I (and our neighbors who’ve listened to us) can both attest to.
But back to my new-found obsession with pop-techno, 80s retro band The Postal Service. They first broke onto the mainstream scene with their cover of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” for the Wicker Park soundtrack. That caught my attention a few years back, but listen to “Such Great Heights” below and enjoy them a bit. If you like, give “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” a try.
PS- Off to see Regina Spektor tonight (finally!) at the Orpheum. To give a synopsis in days to come…
Where to begin, I guess with a recap of last week’s R&R Triple A Summit in Boulder, CO. It was great spending time with all of my fellow music loving radio folks, label reps and promotions guys and girls. Nothing like being around a bunch of people who share the same passion, drive and enthusiasm for music and spreading its gospel to eager ears around the globe.
I am such a big fan of this conference that I would attend even if I wasn’t in the business. It makes me believe in the power or music and shows me that real radio is alive and well. BIG THANKS to R&R Triple A Editor John Schoenberger, President/Publisher Erica Farber and everyone involved in putting on this wonderful event.
I must admit, I was a bit irked by some of the grumblings I heard about this year’s lineup. Yes, there were no “headline” names so to speak but the quality of the acts that performed spoke for itself and what the convention lacked in “big names” it more than made up for with credible acts putting on memorable performances. And after all, aren’t we the people who make the stars of tomorrow? Aren’t we the ones who give the up and comer a chance and let our listeners hear their music in its infancy? Aren’t we the ones who don’t forget the artists after the rest of the industry has thrown them on the scrap heap even if they are still making incredible music? If you were one of the ones bitching about the lineup, I think you oughta check yourself! Read More…
by Scott Register
I love Kim Richey. Freaking love her. Love her engaging personality, her witty demeanor, her talent as a songwriter and that voice, oh that voice. Few things sooth my ears and soul like the sound of Richey’s voice. It brings a peace to me like the sound of listening to my two little boys breath as they sleep. Her ability to capture a moment in time and tell an epic tale in three and a half minutes is second to none. For all those reasons, I am incredibly happy that she is back with her latest offering (the first in many years mind you), Chinese Boxes (Vanguard).
This past Sunday, Kim came down to the studio from Nashville armed with her guitar, wit and voice and I sat across the console from her with a shit-eating grin on my face that I believe still hasn’t been wiped off. If you would like to check out her performance, go here and click on her link. You will not be disappointed.
While you are there, be sure to give a listen to Adam Hood’s set from the same Reg’s Coffee House program. Adam is one of my favorite Alabama artists, hailing from Auburn/Opelika, and his music makes me want to pull out my shit-kickers, pack a fat cat in my lip and suck down ice cold Buds while I shoot pool with my runnin’ buddies. He is a honky tonker’s honkey tonker and a damn good cat to boot. His debut CD, Different Groove was recently released on Pete Anderson’s Little Dog Records and Anderson even produced it. If you want to hear the sound of the road, and the roadhouse for that matter, give it a listen.
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go
Your hair was long when we first met
I woke up this morning humming Regina Spektor’s Samson or as I would like to call it Sweetest Downfall, and I understood I miss Regina… So, after a little search, I found out she is currently touring Australia and New Zealand, and will do so for the next couple of weeks.
While waiting for Regina to return, here a little clip.
Alright, so I just got back from a whirlwind 10-day tour – 24 hours with the family back in Bama, a couple of days at a little festival in Tennessee, 32 label meetings over the course of 5 days in NYC. And a chance meeting with Mickey Dolenz at a private party for Duran Duran.
What new stuff did we learn this time? Not a damn thing – everyone that still has a job is still kickin’ it, albeit with more challenges and smaller budgets. Sure, there was plenty of gossip, rumors, and speculation, but I’ll leave it up to Billboard to report the facts. However, talk of chain retailers behaving badly and trying to demand – not negotiate, but basically EXTORT fatter margins and better dating terms from the distributors – deserves some Woodward & Bernstein-style investigative reporting. Ugly stuff.
But while listening on the plane home to two of my top 10’s for 2007 from THE SHINS and WHITE STRIPES -– both incredible albums, signs of true artists at the top of their game — I suddenly realized that both of these bands started up exactly TEN YEARS AGO. Then I thought, “Hmm, that’s an odd coincidence. Is this true with other bands?” So I looked it up, and it holds true with a lot of modern musicians – Metallica by METALLICA? Ten years. OK Computer by RADIOHEAD? Ten years. Out of Time by R.E.M.? Ten years. Play by MOBY? Ten years. Blood Sugar Sex Magik by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS? Ten years (alright, closer to nine). Hell, even All the Right Reasons by NICKELBACK – ten years! Read More…
When I first saw the preview for HBO’s new slew of shows in their post-”Sopranos” vortex era of shows that have no chance of living up to the hype of their predecessor, I immediately was drawn to this imported Brooklyn hipster duo/ Alt-folk band of New Zealand brothers (in the namaste sense of the word) Bret & Jemaine, who are trying to make a go of their musical aspirations in New York.
The 12-episode series is performed in the same deadpan, sardonic parody-style of a Ricky Gervais production (”The Office,” “Extras”) with moments of awkward tension and bone-dry humor that are comedically so subtlly timed and well-executed that they are probably lost on the general American public. Nonetheless, these moments are filled with silly musical tunes that play of the situational irony of a scene. As Bret and Jemaine are musicians (both on and off-screen) this set-up works. Read More…
How was Bonarroo? You went didn’t you? Oh, if I had a dime for every time I have been asked that question I would be adding on to my house next week. But alas, I did not go this year. As a matter of fact, I didn’t go last year. Don’t get me wrong, I love The Roo and I miss it dearly but since they moved their dates to the same weekend as my beloved hometown festival City Stages (www.citystages.org).
City Stages is no Bonarroo, it doesn’t pretend to be. At the same time, City Stages is something Bonarroo isn’t, it is a celebration of civic pride and a way for a town plagued by it’s ghosts and the sins of our fathers, to show the world that this isn’t the city some in our country think it is. While I missed seeing the incredible music at The Roo (Except for The Police. I have talked to a few dozen folks who attended and inevitably the first thing out of their mouth’s is “The Police sucked!” That’s a shame. I will just keep my memories of the Ghost In The Machine tour and avoid their latest incarnation.). I did get to see a city rally to show how much it cares about a festival that in its 19 year history has had its ups and downs but continues to prove its relevance to Birmingham. Read More…
“Once” Soundtrack (Canvasback Records) – Glen Hansard (front man for Irish rockers The Frames) and Marketa Irglova have put together what will easily be my Soundtrack of the year and as emotionally invigorating and inspiring a collection of songs as I have heard in some time. As good as the Soundtrack is, it is even more compelling after you view the film. I highly recommend checking out both. Standout tracks include “When Your Mind’s Made Up”, “Falling Slowly”, “Trying To Pull Myself Away”, “If You Want Me”, and “Once”. In a world of pre-packaged corporate bullshit and hype, this music and film cleanse the pallet and quince the purist’s thirst.
Rocky Votolato “The Brag and Cuss” (Barsuk) – Between this CD and Willy Mason’s “If The Ocean Gets Rough” (Astralwerks), modern folk music is alive and well. Votolato continues to impress me with his old soul, thought provoking lyrics, and ease on down the road melodies and this is by far his greatest collection of songs.
Amy Winehouse “Back To Black” (Universal Republic) – Yes, I am still enamored with this CD and if you haven’t noticed, Winehouse is creating a quiet storm by selling a whole lot of CDs every week under the radar. Sure, there is some hype, but I don’t think there is enough and I kind of like it that way. While everyone else is “STILL” worried about and obsessed with first week sales numbers, Winehouse steadily is selling 30K to 50K a week and the momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing. Gotta love an artist development story like this one. Isn’t that what music
is supposed to be about?
John Doe –“A Year In The Wilderness” (Yep Roc) – Like a fine Cabernet, Doe just gets better and better with age and this is his BEST solo record to date. Throw in duets with Kathleen Edwards ( “The Golden State” is a perfect song), Jill Sobule and Amie Mann, and X is alive an well and sounding as fresh as ever. I love cheering for this guy and nothing makes me happier than when a new CD from him shows up on my desk. Go John Doe Go!
I’m From Barcelona “Let Me Introduce My Friends” (Mute) – I might have mentioned before that I was late coming to the party on this one as it got lost in a sea of promos but better late than never in this case as it is going to be one of my favorite releases of the year. I’m a sucker for great pop music and this Swedish collective has made one of the smartest, infectious, rollicking pop records of the decade. If you can sit still while listening to this CD and not sing along and shake your ass then I feel for ya. Pure pop goodness as its finest. Don’t miss out on this one.
By DJ Scott Register aka Reg of Reg’s Coffeehouse.
Last weekend I spent another wonderful 3 days at the Non-Commvention. This is the last time it will be held in lovely Louisville (Seriously, if you have never spent time in this town, it is a must. Our entire country could learn a thing from Louisville about enjoying life and taking time to stop a sniff the Cabernet.) before it moves to its new permanent home in Philadelphia, PA. The conference will miss Louisville and the Brown Hotel but I’m sure the City Of Brotherly Love will be up to the challenge.
What is the Non-Commvention you ask? Well, I could give you the technical answer but I would rather put it in my own words. Non-Comm is a gathering of people who not only love music as an art form, they love getting excited about it, relishing in it, wallowing in it and turning on as many folks as they can to it. It is a music lover’s paradise. I have made so many new friends over the past few years at NonComm and because we share this love of music, there is always a common bond, always a starting point for conversation and mutual admiration flows freely.
Highlights of my Louisville weekend include but are not limited to:
Ryan Adams dark, strange, eerie, freak show of a set at the Brown Theater: OK, I heard Ryan’s set pissed off a lot of folks. To them I say, get over it.
Vietnam – If this band ever finds a way to go out with My Morning Jacket, I am quitting everything and going on tour. Rock ‘n Roll is alive and well my friends.
Augie March – This Australian band just might make it here in the States. Infectious pop jewels, poetical lyrics and a powerful presentation. I’m pulling for this band.
Dangerbird Records Showcase – The little label that can! Eulogies, Sea Wolf, One AM Radio…if the only band on
this label that you are familiar with is Silversun Pickups, you are missing out. This indie label is home to some of the finest alternative music being made today.
Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles – Hell Yeah!!! If The Replacements had been an Alt-Country-Rock band, this is what they would have sounded like. If you can see this band and not have fun, you might want to check your pulse.
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant – Watching the look on a room full of folks faces when they learned the song they had just heard was a duet by Alison Krauss and former Led Zeppelin lead Robert Plant. This record, due in October, is going to shake up the music world. STUNNING!
And last but not least…
Ingrid Michaelson – The “Grey’s Anatomy” IT girl has the songs and the voice to live up to the hype and the expectations. She’s about to become the voice of the “nerdy chic” set.
We think “nerdy” might be messing with some Amaldo.com coolness quotient, but we’ll mesh with it for now. We’re like Lisa Loeb cat-eye glasses cool like that.
I won free tix to a local radio station’s “Mixed Lounge” with a band out of the U.K. that I’ve been hopelessly hung up on in the past. I even reviewed their debut album, Hopes & Fears and eagerly attended their show in Boston in 2004 when they were first touring the U.S. In case you’re wondering who the band is I’m speaking so mysteriously about it’s Keane. They are British soft-Alt Pop Rock and at yesterday afternoon’s studio they performed four songs in their set and fielded questions from the DJ. I was sitting about 12 ft away from the band’s lead singer, losing a battle with the sweltering heat and humidity that’s currently sweeping over Boston, and in awe of how much he’d changed.
In the three years since they debuted Keane has become the critics’ darling, garnered acclaim in the form of accolades, and enjoyed relatively huge commercial success. They no longer give off the vibe of the pasty band of “brothers” out of England who grew up playing tunes in their parents’ garage and were hungry for success. They’ve arrived. And there’s always some level of self-indulgence when that occurs. Sure the guys are likable and they strike me as a professional “class” act for the most part, but something has seeped into their core. I’m not sure if it’s affected their music so much (although undoubtedly their first album was their best) but it has left its stain on their energy as a group.
Hollywood has gotten to them. The guys still speak with that trademark British/Sussex accent as homage to their roots (and sure works well on the ladies), but everything else about them, from their polished answers at yesterday’s studio interview with the DJ to the clothes they adorn themselves in (Urban Outfitters style) to the fact the lead singer has now shed a significant amount of weight and become bronze, seems like it was manufactured out of some LA music production factory.
I don’t know. Maybe I’ve been influenced by my Classic Rock/Grunge husband and now think that the prerequisite for all great musicians is that they be tortured, riddled with drug abuse, and can’t get their sh*t together. Kurt Cobain anyone?
Walking out of the studio set after the Keane concert, I automatically put on my iPod and started listening to Chris Cornell. I started to wonder if to be a truly great musician (and moreover one that was worthy of me skipping out on work) required an element of cacophony in the form of experimentation. What if what sounds unchartered and perhaps even a little displeasing to my ears initially is me learning how to expand my appreciation for what innovative sound and musical genius is really like. I wished for something else yesterday too. I didn’t need Keane to be egomaniacs like Oasis, but couldn’t they have tried out a new sound/song, and/or played it a little unsafe? Helped redefine a genre all in one Mixed Lounge studio set? A little unlikely I suppose.
But I’m still left lingering with this one unsettling question.
Did Keane’s Hopes & Fears give way to complacency?
As part of our collaboration with Reg’s Coffeehouse, we’re bringing you DJ Scott Register’s fresh music pick of the week: Dress Blues by Jason Isbell off his “Sirens of the Ditch” CD.
Enjoy!
By Reg aka Scott Register:
The other night, I was driving around Birmingham listening to the new Jason Isbell CD “Sirens Of The Ditch” (New West Records) when suddenly, a song came on that made the hair on my neck stand up. It literally gave me goose bumps (and does every time I hear it). I was so touched by the song that I drove around for 30 minutes listening to it over and over again. Turns out, Jason wrote the song about a friend of his from Muscle Shoals, AL, who joined the Marines, was shipped off to Iraq and never returned . It is as touching a song about war as you will ever hear.
No political agenda, just a song about the side of war that most of us choose to ignore and forget. It is a song about loss and the reality of dealing with it.
Kim Richey – Jack And Jill
Paolo Nutini – Last Request
Ryan Bingham – Southside Of Heaven Patti Smith – Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect
Tori Amos – Beauty Of Speed
Josh Rouse – Sweetie
Kings Of Leon – Knocked Up
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova – Falling Slowly
Sara Bareilles – Gravity
Joan As Police Woman – Eternal Flame
Ian Hunter – Words (Big Mouth)
Eleni Mandell – Girls
Jason Isbell – Dress Blues
John Doe with Kathleen Edwards – The Golden State
Wilco – Impossible Germany
Rodrigo Y Gabriela – Stairway To Heaven
Ben Harper – Fool For A Lonesome Train Feist – So Sorry
“I don’t know how you measure levels of being deaf, but we couldn’t hear anything out there.” No, it’s not a part of a war veteran memoir, nor one of a demolition expert. This quote belongs to New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, talking about the crowd noise on the Sunday game in the RCA Dome Vs. the Colts. 
by DJ Scott Register
by Scott Register
by 
When I first saw the preview for HBO’s new slew of shows in their post-”Sopranos” vortex era of shows that have no chance of living up to the hype of their predecessor, I immediately was drawn to this imported Brooklyn hipster duo/ Alt-folk band of
How was Bonarroo? You went didn’t you? Oh, if I had a dime for every time I have been asked that question I would be adding on to my house next week. But alas, I did not go this year. As a matter of fact, I didn’t go last year. Don’t get me wrong, I love The Roo and I miss it dearly but since they moved their dates to the same weekend as my beloved hometown festival City Stages (
By DJ Scott Register aka Reg of 
By DJ Scott Register aka Reg of 
I won free tix to a local radio station’s “Mixed Lounge” with a band out of the U.K. that I’ve been hopelessly hung up on in the past. I even 
As part of our collaboration with 