After retiring from professional punk rock in 1998 to fulfill his life-long dream of joining Boston’s fire department, ex-Dropkick Murphys frontman Michael McColgan put together Street Dogs in 2002 to help him vent his creative urges. Now with the band is set to release their fourth album, State of Grace, McColgan has had to take a leave of absence from the BFD in order to keep up with the demand for Street Dogs live dates (they’re playing all summer on the Warped Tour).
Featuring Bowie on Bowie, The New Pornographers are raising money for good causes and Crtstal Castles get a slap on the wrist at Glastonbury
Subscribers to the Daily Mail, like my little sister, got one hell of a treat in the Sunday edition - a CD of David Bowie’s all-time career best tunes as chosen by the man himself. Big surprise; some of them are pretty obscure tracks you can’t get through the standard greatest hits collections. Big bonus, extensive liner notes written by Bowie as well.
Okay, I guess when you consider that everything on this site is free, the above statement doesn’t mean much, unless you actually take the time to watch through all five of these in which case you’ll really appreciate the true value of what’s being delivered on this page.
The one thing I really love about David Ford’s video work is that he never does the cop-out pantomime and lip sync you get with 99.99999% of all videos ever made by anyone else. With Ford, you always get a new perspective on the tune, such as his overdub bonanza reinterpretations of “Go to Hell” and “State of the Union.”
This version of “Alright Now,” originally from Ford’s most recent LP Songs for the Road, features Ford performing the song in four takes (one each for guitar, piano, bass and drums).
Featuring Devo vs. McDonald’s, Nine Ince Nails gets physical and your chance to play with Coldplay
Devo are furious over New Wave Nigel, an American Idol-themed McDonald’s Happy Meal toy. Devo bassist Gerald Casale, who designed the famous Devo energy dome chapeau, says the design is trademarked and patented, and no one approached the band for consent. “Plus, we don’t like McDonald’s,” says Casale, “and we don’t like ‘American Idol,’ so we’re doubly offended.”
I was on a mission to see just how un-jazz I could make my jazz festival experience this year, so I hauled ass to The Mod Club (722 College) on Wednesday night to see turntablist extraordinaire RJD2 (aka Philadelphia’s Ramble John “RJ” Krohn).
Sadly, when I got there, the gentleman checking names at the door informed me that there were to be absolutely no photos of RJ himself. In order to get my camera in, I had to swear on a stack of vintage funk and R&B vinyl (and all else that is sacred) that I’d comply. Not wanting to violate any personal beliefs about soul theft, I contented myself with digging the tunes and shooting the openers.
TO’s DJ T-Lo kicked it off with a 2-table set mixing up a lot of deeply funky hip hop records (lots of Tribe in the mix). Cool grooves, very laid back.
In this new column, we talk to musicians, sometimes about the music they make, sometimes about whatever tangent they happen to go off on. And once in a while we may talk to non-musicians as well, just to keep you on your toes.
We’re going to kick the whole thing off this week with ten things you ought to know about one of the busiest musicians in town, guitarist Reg Schwager.
Featuring RJD2, The Shins, a Huey Lewis tribute album and more kid’s stuff!
There was no daily dose yesterday. Sorry, but my internet was down most of the day. It pretty much crashed right after the podcast went up.
I just wanted to give a big shout out to my recent visitors from the UK (hello), Germany (guten Tag) and Australia (g’day).
Also, The Travelling Band contest is now closed. Congrats to the winners!
Tomorrow night I’ll be taking in RJD2 at the Jazz Fest (it’s not all jazz). He’s giving his band the night off so he can kick it old school with four turntables! Look for pictures and a review on Thursday. [Update:June 26 - Photos were not allowed for RJ's set, so the review won't have any pics of him.]
The Shins have decided to no longer be a Sub Pop band. The next record will be see frontman James Mercer’s label, Aural Apothecary, covering pressing and ditribution, allowing the band to own their own masters, with “a label partner that will assist with additional marketing, radio, and various costs,” according to the bands manager, Ian Montone. That partner could very well end up being Sub Pop, though. Says Megan Jasper, Sub Pop’s general manager, “we’d love to continue working with them.”
An audio recap of my NXNE experiences featuring tracks by The Books Elusive, Run with the Kittens, Mad Staring Eyes, Grace Emilys, Monotonix, and The Travelling Band, plus an interview with Grand Analog!
Dr. John and The Wild Magnolias bring N’awlins to TO
Last night at Nathan Phillips Square, the 22nd annual Toronto Jazz Festival officially kicked off with a wild night of music and dance from New Orleans.
For me, June has been a month of opening bands that are hard to follow, but I think The Wild Magnolias might be one of the biggest spectacles I have ever seen. When you get three guys across the front of the stage dressed up in full Mardi Gras Indian costumes, it would still be a great show if the band didn’t even play a note.
This New Orleans combo is wickedly talented, though, and they burned down a funky bunch of N’awlins standards like “Iko Iko” and “Big Chief” that had the arguably older, more reserved Toronto crowd on their feet and dancing in the aisles for most of the set.
