The Shins... Again... But Who Cares? They Rock.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has grown steadily since 1970, when jazz impresario George Wein (who also established the Newport Jazz Festival) decided to showcase the genre on its home turf. Since then, the festival has hosted performances by a number of jazz icons – Ella, Miles, Ellington, etc – while welcoming such varied artists as LL Cool J, the Dave Matthews Band, and Bonnie Rait.

The Jazz Fest (as the festival is commonly called) has assumed even greater importance in recent years. Along with Mardi Gras, it’s one of New Orleans’ biggest drivers of tourism. With the city still reeling from Hurricane Katrina’s destruction, the Jazz Fest has been an anchor of sorts – a source of pride, tradition, and legacy that no storm can wash away.

This year’s festival will be held on two weekends: April 27-29 and May 4-4. "Tickets to Jazz Fest are on sale by specific weekend," explains the festival’s press release, "with each ticket valid for a single day’s attendance. Prices are $35 in advance, $45 at the gate." Prices go up to $45 per day once April 26th hits, so buying them in advance (via Ticketmaster) is your smartest bet.

As for the lineup, there’s an eclectic slew of artists on board for 2007: Harry Connick Jr., Rod Stewart, Steely Dan, Norah Jones, ZZ Top, John Legend, Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Counting Crowes, Allman Brothers Band, Better than Ezra, Joss Stone, New Edition, Allen Toussaint, George Benson, Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, T-Bone Burnett, Calexico, Roy Hargrove, and... well, over 500 more groups.

Today, we’ve got more news from R’n’R Hall of Fame inductees Van Halen. According to Billboard, CNN, Yahoo, and approximately seven thousand bloggers, the band has almost confirmed a reunion with original lead singer David Lee Roth for a stadium amphitheater tour. All that's left is the finalization of a contract, which - admittedly - can take awhile. But come on, boys: let's do it right now. Hey, it's your tomorrow...

It’s been more than 20 years since Roth has officially performed with Eddie and company, who replaced him with the afro-rocking Sammy Hagar in 1985. The original lineup did briefly reconvene in 1996 to record two new songs for Van Halen’s greatest hits collection, but a spat at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards ended any touring plans.

BUT, in keeping with the Van Halen tradition, there’s a catch: Roth’s inclusion still won’t complete the original lineup. There’s still the pesky little fact that bassist Michael Anthony isn’t in the band anymore. Instead, Eddie Van Halen has brought aboard his son, Wolfgang, who’s all of fifteen years old. Anthony’s high harmonies will be missed, not to mention his signature mullet and custom-made Jack Daniel’s bass. And man, Wolfgang is really gonna grow up fast on this tour…

Today's blog was written by BaebleBlog's most active freelancer, Bryan "Thundergod" Sargent. Mister Sarge's birthday is this week, and he celebrated by visiting the jazz-lovin' Village Vanguard to catch The Bad Plus in action. Happy birthday to Sarge, and happy reading to everyone else.


The Bad Plus: Live at the Village Vanguard, 1/23/07
Five years ago, The Bad Plus entered the hallowed halls of New York City’s Village Vanguard to the dismay of many jazz purists. Columbia Records, however, was not dissuaded by the group’s genre-crossing swagger. The label signed The Bad Plus to a record contract, and many more have taken notice since then. Last night, The Bad Plus started a six night engagement at the Vanguard, and much like that first appearance, this was not for jazz traditionalists. The Midwest trio, while heavily grounded in post-bop jazz, also adds elements of four-to-the-floor rock and groove-oriented rhythms.

The band’s look was just as varied as the eclectic mix of audience members in attendance. Pianist Ethan Iverson donned a dapper three piece suit, bassist Reid Anderson went for the jeans and t-shirt approach, and drummer David King - complete with tattoos - sported a vintage Western shirt, looking like something out of a classic post-punk band.

The opening song, “Mint,” set the tone for the intense yet playful set that everyone was about to experience. Iverson and Anderson laid down a beautiful melody while King attacked the drums with bomb blasts and cymbal crashes, even pulling out a baby toy to add a little color during the song. After two Anderson-penned pieces followed, the band proceeded with their first and only cover of the evening.

Known for their amazing interpretations of “unexpected” songs such as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Aphex Twin’s “Flim,” The Bad Plus did not disappoint, laying down a haunting version of the Bee Gee’s “How Deep Is Your Love” which led to a dry apology by Iverson for its somber tone. The rest of the show included originals, only one of which appeared on record - “Dirty Blonde,” from their 2004 Tchad Blake-produced album, Give.

The set concluded with the song “Physical Cities.” At its core, it’s a straight-up rock song, wavering between rhythmic feels and finishing off with an impressive staccato assault of piano, bass and drums, all played in unison.

The Bad Plus’ energy, intensity, and sense of humor are infectious, allowing the band to play anywhere from prestigious jazz clubs to massive festivals like Bonnaroo. Bands like this may be a nightmare to purists and traditionalists across genres, but to adventurous music fans, The Bad Plus are absolutely essential.

- Bryan Sargent

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, with Dreamgirls leading the pack. Although it was turned down for Best Picture and Best Director, the musical was nominated for a grand total of eight awards, edging out Babel’s seven nods. We’d like to present our own award to Jamie Foxx, who – despite missing out on this year’s nominations – has managed to climb the Hollywood ladder from Booty Call co-star to Oscar-nominated mega-actor.

*****
Dreamgirls is based on the award-winning musical of the same name, but how many people know the true basis of the story? The musical/movie’s basic plot follows the history of the Supremes, Motown’s most successful group of the ‘60s. Effie White, played by Jennifer Hudson in the movie, is modeled after Florence Ballard – the founder and initial leader of the Supremes. Fellow group member Mary Wilson (represented in the movie as Lorrell Robinson and played by actress Loretta Devine) has praised Ballard’s voice as being intensely powerful – so powerful, in fact, that she was made to stand as much as seventeen feet away from her microphone during recording sessions. The two remaining Supremes, on the other hand, stood directly in front of their mics.

Motown chief Berry Gordon (aka Curtis Taylor in Dreamgirls, aka Jaime Foxx in the movie) made Diana Ross the group’s lead singer in 1963, believing her to have more crossover appeal. The Supremes scored numerous top-ten singles, but Ballard was upset at her demoted role. After her increasing alcoholism resulted in missed recording dates, botched performances, and obvious weight gain, Gordy fired her in 1967. Dreamgirls reinterprets the story, though, with Effie White eventually returning to the spotlight. Ballard wasn’t so lucky. Her solo career tanked, she went on welfare, and she soon died of a fatal blood clot in 1976.

Oops, did we depress you? Listen to "Buttered Popcorn" and "Let Me Go the Right Way" from 1962’s Meet the Supremes. Ballard vocals are incredible, and they should cheer anyone up.

The festival rumor mill is abuzz this morning, and Coachella is receiving some much-deserved gossip. More info on those rumors after today’s history lesson.


The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held its first event in October 1999, just three months after Woodstock ’99’s violent failure. While Woodstock’s vendors charged the absurd price of $4 for bottled water, Coachella’s promoters handed out free bottles of water to every attendee. The gesture was more in tune with the original Woodstock, and Coachella quickly established itself as one of the heirs to Woodstock ’69’s throne. The festival has grown each year, bringing thousands of music fans to the California deserts for a weekend of music, good will, and hellish sunburns.

Coachella also has a history of reuniting bands. In 2001, the festival’s organizers were running out of time to produce a major headlining band. They turned to Perry Farrell, who reunited Jane’s Addiction to play the Coachella event. This was the catalyst for a number of Coachella reunions, including the Pixies, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, and Gang of Four. 2007 continues the trend, with both Rage Against the Machine and Crowded House climbing aboard the reunion train.

The Coachella website hasn’t confirmed 2007’s reunions, nor has it posted any information about lineups or ticket sales. Such prized information has a habit of getting leaked, though, and the following bands will very likely be playing this year’s festival: Air, Jack’s Mannequin, Rage Against the Machine, Crowded House, Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth, Fountains of Wayne, Willie Nelson, the Roots, Of Montreal, the Decemberists, Rufus Wainwright, Kings of Leon, the New Pornographers, Ghostface Killah, and many other “non-confirmed” acts.

Stay tuned for more info, or visit Coachella’s slow-running website and bombard it with even more traffic. Those poor guys – they’re probably receiving more hits right now than Google.

The rock never stops in New York City, at least not this weekend. Tonight, the Baeble crew will head over to Webster Hall to catch Pilot Speed, Annuals, and The Dears. Annuals were on Conan last night, and they’ll be featured on our site soon. Pilot Speed has already become a household name in Canada, where the band has scored several top ten hits. Wind Up Records will be handling the band’s American efforts, and recent release Into the West sounds like Radiohead with a modern radio finish. Good stuff. And finally, The Dears: a Montreal-based band whom Wikipedia compares to “Radiohead, Jethro Tull, and early Genesis.” Most excellent! Let’s just hope they don’t have any flute solos… or any Phil Collins look-alikes.

The Baeble crowd will split up on Saturday night, with some of us hitting up the Mercury Lounge to check out Goes Cube (who number their songs instead of titling them, which is both interesting and pretty darn confusing), and the others going to Mo’ Pitkins to see Emily Easterly. She’s a singer/songwriter from Virginia, having recently moved to New York to focus on her acoustic-based music. Heard a lot about her live shows, but our only knowledge of Ms. Easterly’s music has been relegated to her streaming MySpace tunes… Our favorite is “Your Cover 4 Track,” though. Check it out.

See you on Monday!

Nowadays, it seems like everybody’s doing it. But you don’t have to. At least not really. No, you do not have to watch the televised pop-culture explosion that is American Idol, and you’d actually be in the majority of America’s TV-watching public if you didn’t. But not by much.

USA Today reports: "According to preliminary ratings, Tuesday's two-hour audition show drew 37.3 million viewers, making it Fox's highest-rated night of entertainment programming ever." In other words, over 40% of this country’s TV-carrying households tuned in.

So, wow. That’s a whole lot of Americans - all of them crowded around their TV set, yelling at Simon to take it easy on the tuneless kids, pleading with Randy to start being nice again, and wondering what the hell Jewel is doing up there with the other judges.

We know that most people don’t watch American Idol to think. Rather, we all watch the show because it requires us not to think. We can turn off our brains, bask in Paula’s age-defying loveliness, forget about the stress of our daily occupations, and develop crushes on country-raised farmgirls who can’t pronounce "salmon" correctly. We recognize this, and we like this. But, here are some things to think about:

1. Does winning the show really matter anymore? Taylor Hicks was last year’s champion, but his album sales pale in comparison to those of Chris Daughtry’s platinum record. 2006’s Daughtry debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts, selling more than 1 million copies after just five weeks in the U.S. alone.

2. Does making it into the Top Three even matter anymore? Jennifer Hudson finished seventh during Season Three, but she still won a Golden Globe this week for her portrayal of Effie White in Dreamgirls. And guess who tried out for the same part and got shot down? Fantasia Barrino, the Idol champion that year.

3. There is no #3, but we thought it was better than leaving things at #2.

When are we going to get another Kelly Clarkson, who was nominated for a Grammy in 2004 and won two of them in 2006? Where’s the next Carrie Underwood, whose debut album Some Hearts has been certified quintuple platinum and is the fastest selling female country album of all time? And, umm, when's the next episode coming on?

Not that we watch American Idol or anything…

South By Southwest. It’s one of the biggest music festivals in the country, with over one thousand performers saturating Austin’s bars, clubs, auditoriums, and assorted venues with live music. SXSW is near and dear to our hearts for many reasons, including the fact that we’ll be there for this year’s festivities. Stay tuned for announcements about the Baeble Music showcase…

This year’s South By Southwest Music Festival will be held from March 14-18, with windmilling guitarist Pete Townshend giving the kickoff keynote address during that first evening. The Talking Heads’ David Byrne will also be speaking during the week. Expect jam-packed shows by groups like Bloc Party, Cold War Kids, Interpol, The Stooges, Albert Hammond Jr., and literally hundreds of others. Also expect some stellar barbecue, especially if you catch a show at Stubb’s.

Ticket prices aren’t going to be cheap at this point, so expect to pay $550 for a music badge. And as always, the official website is the best place to go for all the info that can’t fit into a trim ‘n’ tidy blog entry. See you in Austin!

The Shins' Wincing the Night Away is about to be released, and Natalie Portman's favorite life-changing rockers sound like they're ready to be catapulted from indie darlings to mainstream mavens (a la Death Cab for Cutie, circa 2005's Plans). The band enjoyed a stint as the musical guest on the most recent Saturday Night Live episode, playing their latest single, "Phantom Limb," along with the old standby "New Slang." Incidentally, this makes them the first Sub Pop band to play the show. Nirvana did rock SNL in the early '90s, but they'd moved on to Geffen by the time SNL came a'callin'. Anyway, The Shins were damn good.

The Shins have also announced some dates for their upcoming tour, which will take the band from Milwaukee to London during the month on February. Here's to hoping they'll extend that little month-long jaunt, and here's where you can find out more specifics.

Courtney Love apparently believes the world will spontaneously combust if she isn’t constantly feuding with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and the millions of Nirvana fans who question her ability to handle Nirvana’s postmortem business. Does Love really know what’s best for Kurt Cobain’s legacy? We’re not even sure if she knows what’s best for her own legacy, let alone that of her late great husband. But whatever. Let Courtney love control the public’s access to one of the biggest figures in the history of recorded music. If it’s out of Dave Grohl’s hands, then it’s definitely out of ours.

So anyway, here’s why we bring all of this up: Access Hollywood reports that Love has acquired the rights to Heavier than Heaven, a Cobain biography written by Charles Cross. Several studios have been talking to Love about a film adaptation of Cross’ book, although the project currently lacks a script, a director, and actors.

But wait, didn’t Gus Van Sant already do this in 2005? And didn’t he hire a former Dawson’s Creek heartthrob to portray the Cobain figure? We welcome the opportunity for a better movie to be made about such a seminal musician, but we’re boycotting the thing if James Van Der Beek shows up.

Good news for radio fans everywhere: The FCC is debating a proposal that would require broadcasters to set aside airtime for independently produced music. The reason? Payola, a supposedly illegal practice that has been rearing its ugly, capitalist head since the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll radio. Payola is what destroyed Alan Freed’s career (remember him? We talked about him on Monday), and it gave Dick Clark some serious legal issues in the late '50s. These scandals have made a serious comeback recently, and – as SPIN.com reported today – "the proposal… marks the FCC's loss of confidence in major labels' ability to fairly manage radio wave access."

Payola becomes legal when the financial exchange is made public. In January 1998, for example, a Portland radio station received $5,000 to play one Limp Bizkit song 50 times over a five-week period. Before each airing of the song, a taped message would say, “The song you are about to hear is sponsored by Flip/Interscope.” Not very rock ‘n’ roll, but those 50 spins generated enough local interest for the band to play a successful Portland gig. Other radio stations caught on, “Counterfeit” started receiving countless plays all over the country, and Limp Bizkit rode their radio success to the top of the Billboard charts. While this “pay-for-play” practice is totally legal, it has negative results – such as Limp Bizkit’s introduction into the mainstream. Damn you, payola; you brought us Fred Durst!

But back to the issue at hand – more airtime for the indies! Less macho-aggressive versions of old George Michael hits! Alright! Maybe we'll start tuning our dials away from internet radio all the time.

James Brown died on Christmas day, but his body has yet to be buried. While the singer's children and attorneys work to settle the issues surrounding his estate, Brown’s body lies in a sealed casket in his Georgian home, where the air is temperature-controlled and security guards man the doors. We’re kinda creeped out by all of this.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, HBO is developing a new series that will star Kayne West. The project will be overseen by Larry Charles, the executive producer/director behind Curb Your Enthusiasm, the first two seasons of Entourage, and the Borat movie. Looks like the Kayne show will be some sort of reality series based on the rapper’s hectic life, but HBO declined to comment. Oh well. Here’s to hoping Kayne’s egoism and super-fly sunglasses are enough to spice up the Emmy’s next year.

In other news, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled his company’s latest invention yesterday: the iPhone. The device basically combines your standard iPod with a Blackberry, meaning you can listen to music and surf the ‘net while receiving calls and e-mails. The thing costs $500, though, and we don’t really see why we should cough up that money if we already own both an iPod and a phone. Perhaps Rolling Stone explains it better:

"So you’re leaving The Shins’ show and you can’t get “New Slang” out of your head? Well, if you’ve got the newly unveiled iPhone, before you’re out the door you can go online, download it, play it, then call all your friends to remind them what a douche you are, all on one handy device only slightly bigger than a deck of cards."

We bumped into journalist David Fricke last week, and now it’s time to talk about another noteworthy Rolling Stone columnist: Rob Sheffield. He’s the man behind “Pop Life,” which applies Sheffield’s literate, grad-schooled thoughts to such pressing issues as Grey’s Anatomy’s popularity and The Hold Steady’s awesomeness. He’s the Chuck Klosterman of Rolling Stone, albeit with less facial hair.

And like Chuck Klosterman, Sheffield has parlayed his journalism experience into a book career. Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time may not be the best title for one’s first novel, but this book is good. Really, really Good. We’re talking High Fidelity levels of good, although Sheffield's piece is considerably more heartbreaking than Nick Horby’s musical masterpiece.

Cleveland calls itself “the rock ‘n’ roll capital of the world,” which may or may not be true. But consider the facts:

- Alan Freed, the American disc-jockey also known as Moondog, is credited with coining the term “rock and roll” in the early 1950s. Freed wasn’t the first DJ to promote African-American R&B on the radio, but he was the first to give the genre its new, popular name.
- The Moondog Coronation Ball, held at the Cleveland Arena on March 1, 1952, was America's first major rock ‘n’ roll concert. The show was organized by Alan Freed (does anyone see a pattern here?), who printed more tickets than the venue’s actual capacity. When 20,000 people tried to enter an arena that couldn’t hold half as many occupants, authorities took action and shut down the concert after one song. Bummer.
- The following year, Cleveland also played host to the first major racially-integrated rock ‘n’ roll show. The headliners were The Dominoes and Bill Haley & His Comets.

So ANYWAY, the above trivia helped land Cleveland the rights to house the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And that, ladies and gentlemen, brings us to our point – which is the fact that the new Rock Hall inductees were announced today.

Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., the Ronnettes, and Patti Smith will be inducted on March 12th. Van Halen’s induction has already made headlines on CNN, as they’re one of the few hard-rock acts to make the list (the others being Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Queen, AC/DC, and Black Sabbath). All five inductees are expected to perform during the ceremony, which should prove interesting for the singer-stricken Van Halen. Will David Lee Roth punch Sammy Hagar? Will Gary Cherone show up, only to find that no one really recognizes him? We don’t know, but we sure as hell want tickets to that show.

The Stooges, Chic, The Dave Clark Five, and Joe Tex were also nominated for the honor, although they didn’t make the final cut. To see a list of all inductees since 1986, consult our beloved Wikipedia.

Everybody’s working for the weekend, and we know you’re about to go home. Hooray for Fridays! But before you head out, we’ve got a quick highlights reel of music-related news.

First, the indie suburban kids will have to find a new way of discovering new bands, as The OC has officially been cancelled. The show has been going downhill for a long time – probably since the end of the first season – but they did score some cool points for killing off Mischa Barton. And they always made a point of featuring emerging artists on the show, from The Killers’ performance in the mythical Bait Shop to the stellar soundtracks that orchestrated televised milestones like Barton’s lesbian make-out session. But alas, all those people who tailored their record collections to Seth Cohen’s tastes should look for inspiration elsewhere.

Second, the Arcade Fire is coming back to New York, with a 5-night residency planned at Judson Church in February. Tickets sold out immediately, and Craigslist has been abuzz with scalpers and hopeful attendees. Join the fray if you’re interested – should be a great show.

Last, Oasis is looking to make "an absolutely *@#*$ colossal album" when the band hits the studio later this year. NME caught up with Noel Gallagher, AKA the brother who’s not as much of a jerk, and got some expletive-filled details. Fans can expect "a 100-piece orchestra and choirs and all that stuff."

The Mercury Lounge was packed last night, with a sold-out crowd jostling for space inside the venue’s concert room. Opening band The Diggs had just taken the stage when we arrived. Despite receiving a clichéd New York reception from the crowd (arms crossed, brows furrowed, and at least 5 feet of space between the stage and the audience), The Diggs played a solid set inspired by mid-‘90s indie rock. There were plenty of looped guitar drones and shoegazing vocals, which makes this trio sound like the long-lost cousins of Sunny Day Real Estate. Check out Stag, a track from the band’s debut LP Commute.


Favourite Sons took the stage next and delivered a killer performance that you’ll soon be able to download from our Videos page. Stay tuned.

While the audience waited for headliners The View to rock everyone’s socks off (Scottish style), we spotted Rolling Stone's senior editor, David Fricke. “I’m here to see The View,” he told us, which immediately squashed any plans we had to head out early and get some extra sleep. If David Fricke recommends something, you listen to it – case closed. We stayed.

The View are already huge in the U.K., where they’ve cracked the Top Ten in the singles charts. They’re even scheduled to host their own BBC Radio 1 show on Tuesday, January 16th. The U.K. music scene often creates unnecessary hysteria with every new band it embraces, but these Scotsmen are worthy of the hype. They draw inspiration from Oasis, The Libertines, and The Buzzcocks – a surprisingly sophisticated selection for a group of musicians who, by all appearances, aren’t old enough to drink at the clubs that book them. The View is going to be big, and we’re glad we caught them. David Fricke is right again.

The holidays are officially over now, and we’re about to enter the dog days of winter. It’s time we turn our thoughts to the sunny, music-filled days ahead. That’s right – festival season.

The BaebleBlog knows that you don’t have time to research all these musical weekends yourself, so we’re bringing you detailed descriptions of each. First up – the 5th annual Langerado Music Festival.

Held every spring in Sunrise, Florida, Langerado focuses mostly on jam bands while also offering its stages to local groups. This year’s festival will be held from Friday, March 9th through Sunday, March 11th, with Widespread Panic headlining the three-day weekend. Other groups slated to perform include Trey Anastasio, moe., My Morning Jacket, Matisyahu, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, the new Pornographers, Taj Mahal, Steve Malkmus & the Jicks, Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues, the Hold Steady, and Medeski Martin & Wood. Expect lots of eclectic music, handmade goods sold by friendly artisans, and organic food products.

Ticket prices are based on a sliding scale, and they’ll be cheaper the sooner you buy them. Currently, the cheapest tix will cost you $125, and that price will increase to $135 once the cheaper ones run out. Ticket prices are different for single-day visits, VIP packages, and camping passes, so be sure to check the website for those.

On November 21, 1941, a radio show called King Biscuit Time made its inaugural broadcast on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. The show has since become the longest running daily radio broadcast in history, having influenced such musicians as B.B. King and Ike Turner with its top-notch blues programming. Both King Biscuit Time and the rock ‘n’ roll spin-off King Biscuit Flower Hour are also important advertising milestones, as they were both sponsored by King Biscuit Flour. The regional baking-goods company started financing the original show at the request of Sonny Boy Williamson (one of King Biscuit Time’s first performers) in exchange for product endorsements and naming rights.

Some sixty years later, big companies like Chrysler and Ford are taking the King Biscuit route. Rock River Communications Inc. (the company in charge of making those mix CDs you see beside the registers at Gap stores and Pottery Barns) has started making a series of promotional podcasts for various corporations. "What we're doing with podcasts is taking the King Biscuit Flower Hour notion of sponsored content," says Rock River President Jeff Daniel in a recent Wall Street Journal article. “It’s a patronage model.”

King Biscuit Time was a breakthrough for African-American blues music, and a wave of sponsored podcasts could do similar things for indie bands. The “Chrysler Music Legends” podcast series, set to launch later this month, focuses on established artists and includes 30-second ads at several spots. But Rock River Communications is in negotiations with several record labels, which means smaller bands could eventually link themselves with big companies that have worldwide exposure. Granted, this brings up some larger issues for the bands in question (selling out, alienation of fan bases, and so on), but it’s still an interesting change in music marketing. Today’s blogosphere buzz-band could be tomorrow’s podcast popstar.