Wanted(s): Dead or Alive

• The busy people behind SXSW 2007 have just posted the festival’s mammoth lineup. Rejoice, all you soon-to-be attendees! And to those missing out – we feel for you. BaebleBlog will be left behind, too, but our co-employees have promised to smuggle some barbecue leftovers through airport security for us…

• By the way, be sure to stop by Baeble's SXSW party. Several lucky Baeblers will be attending the festival, and they've partnered with BUST Magazine to throw a music-filled, hangover-curing, happy-fun-time event with music by The Films, the oohlas, Prototypes, and Dios (Malos). Space is limited, space is going fast, space must be reserved - so RSVP before heading south.

• In addition to voting off some semi-talented contestants (and retaining some pretty terrible ones), American Idol announced its list of guest coaches last night. The 2007 season will include coachings by Jennifer Lopez, Jon Bon Jovi, Diana Ross, Gwen Stefani, Tony Bennett, Martina McBride, Barry Gibb, Peter Noone, and Lulu. Pretty interesting list, we suppose. Jon Bon Jovi and Peter Noone should totally do a duet together.

• The Oscars are coming. The awards show will be broadcast live on February 25th, with comedian Ellen Degeneres hosting. The show’s website has a surprisingly amount of content, including interviews with the songwriters for each “Best Music (Song)” nomination. Check out what Melissa Etheridge, Randy Newman, and the Dreamgirls people have to say about their songs.

Enjoy the weekend!

Ever since Clear Channel took over the FM airwaves and sent our beloved DJs running to their local unemployment offices, we’ve been big fans of satellite radio. We like the variety. We like the relative lack of advertising. We think it’s cool that the FCC can’t really regulate the programming we’re listening to. And as the number of locally-owned radio stations dwindles, we’ve grown accustomed to always having our favorite satellite stations available to us, regardless of where we’re located.

There’s a problem, though. Sirius and XM – the only two satellite radio stations in the US – are merging together. We’re told that this will provide more on-air variety, but there’s more than that to worry about.

What about jobs? A merger will reduce the number of personnel needed to run America’s satellite network, and – just as our nation’s DJs were replaced by Clear Channel’s predestined playlists – a new slew of radio personnel is about to be laid off.

What about the duplicate channels? Some people prefer Sirius’ oldies channel over the XM counterpart. Will the unified satellite radio channel keep both channels, or will they be combined?

What about the hardware? Both XM and Sirius use different receivers. Eventually, those receivers will have to be replaced by one that picks up this new station.

There are so many potential problems with this, so maybe it's best that we leave things up to the experts. We're talking about the tech-savvy people at Forbes, who could write CSS circles around our puny HTML layouts. The magazine's website has a nice webcast about the merger, so check it out for some intelligent thoughts by similarly-concerned radio subscribers.

Today's show review comes to you from our nation's capital, where freelancer Jeff Kozlowicki is stationed. Despite having nearly broken his ankle the day before the show, Kozlowicki (hereby affectionately referred to as "Koz") hobbled down to The Black Cat to catch a performance by The Apples in Stereo. Thanks for the review, Koz! Your friends at BaebleBlog hope that the Apples' rock 'n' roll worked some medicinal magic on your injured joint.

The Apples in Stereo: Live at the Black Cat, 2/13/07
The Apples in Stereo have launched into space with a new album and a new tour, both of which are simultaneously welcome returns and open-ended departures. On hiatus since 2003 amid divergent musical and marital visions of head honcho Robert Schneider and drummer / now-ex-wife Hilarie Sidney, the band was bound for change after Sidney’s mid-session exit in 2006.

The resulting record, New Magnetic Wonder, is an intricate 1970s-centric affair that diverges from previous poppy psychedelia and Nuggets-worthy nuggets. Complete with sticky Electric Light Orchestra harmonies and nods to the contemporary atmospherics of the Pernice Brothers and Phoenix, the songs are strong, fun, and engaging - but ultimately leave a sense that something is missing amid all of the orchestration. Would the newly-single Schneider be able to carry such a dense work on the road?

When new keyboardist John Ferguson walked onto the Black Cat’s stage with a B-movie spaceman outfit – complete with matching cape and top secret LED-powered goggles – I feared for the worst, but Schneider soon followed with moon boots, an armful of guitar pedals, and spiky male pattern baldness to tell me everything would be alright. The rhythm section’s entry groove soon yielded to “Skyway,” a galvanizing, crunchy head-bobber that would have led off the new album in a just world.

After a few old rockers, the gentle Pernice-esque verses of “7 Stars” slammed into the fuzz-guitar chorus to reveal the band’s internal battle: whether to run away with shiny 1970s excess or to hunker down with unpolished three-chord stomp. The uncomfortable balance left back-catalog songs to be pleasant reminders of the band’s past rather than to represent a logical musical development. A long Beatlesque chunk of psychedelia that drew screams from the overly friendly and possibly drugged fans up front yielded only clumsily to a tight rendition of the loose “Sun is Out.”

The Apples in Stereo did not disappoint with their performance, but neither did they electrify. An unprepared young man at heart, Schneider laughed anxiously at a slightly disruptive group of mistakes and tuning problems. Long-time musical companions John Hill (guitar) and Eric Allen (bass) steadied the ship in the face of Schneider’s apprehension and younger members’ excessive wardrobe enthusiasm. Faced with a band that was on the second night a six-week U.S. tour, the crowd had to be content to feel the joy and warmth of the music, which were fortunately in abundance.

Stripped of the oppressive processing and restraint of studio perfectionism, new tracks like “Can You Feel It” and “Open Eyes” sounded fresh in their refreshing voices and instrumentation. The band romped through the obvious radio single “Energy” as Bill Doss, another new member, expertly manned a free-standing cowbell to sharpen the focus of the surprisingly lean arrangement. The hyper-speed “Same Old Drag” brought a newfound urgency to the relaxed slickness of the original song. While ballads (“Play Tough”) dragged too long, the band kept the audience engaged with rapid returns to what the Apples do best: unite powerful garage simplicity with sweet bubblegum songcraft. An encore drawn from the band’s first EP showed both how far things had come and how far things could still go.

The ultimate musical destination is not yet clear; the band clearly needs a female singer to bring Hilarie Sidney’s innocent songs back to the stage, and Schneider should more carefully select which old songs to revive. Nevertheless, the joyous musical presence of Schneider and his cohorts is encouraging amidst an indie rock audience that generally takes itself too seriously. As long as the Apples in Stereo take the time for guitar solos, pretty harmonies, and perfect choruses, we should eat up every sweet sound that they make.

• We fell into a ring of fire with “Walk the Line.” We hit the road, Jack, with “Ray.” And now we can blame it on the rain with the upcoming Milli Vanilli biopic. As reported by Reuters, the infamous lip-syncing duo will soon have a movie made about their “less-than-spectacular career.” Universal Pictures is developing the film, with Jeff Nathanson (who also penned “Catch Me If You Can”) slated to write and direct.


• Chris Cornell has parted ways with Audioslave, whose remaining members are teaming up with Zack De La Rocha for a Rage Against The Machine reunion at Coachella. Rolling Stone talked with Cornell yesterday, and a Soundgarden reunion doesn’t seem to be in the works. “We ended on a great note,” the singer explained to RS writer Andy Greene. “There is no unfinished business and no record to make and no more tours to play. I think that’s a great thing.”

Great thing for Soundgarden, maybe, but not so great for the legions of Cornell fans who want the bitter taste of Audioslave washed from their mouths…


• We love the folks at Stereogum, but we think they’re being a little cruel to Al Gore. The former-next-president-of-the-US has teamed up with Live 8 creator Kevin Wall to produce the “Live Earth” concert series. On 07/07/07, all seven continents will help host part of this colossal concert creation. Although Stereogum calls it “The Anti-Coachella” for the event’s supposedly lackluster lineup, we think the concert sounds pretty damn appealing. Kayne West, The Police, Genesis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duran Duran, John Mayer, Snow Patrol, Bon Jovi, Pharrell, Foo Fighters, Snoop Dogg, Keane, Fall Out Boy, and Kelly Clarkson are among the 100+ acts performing at one of the seven concerts.

Al Gore’s Live Earth may not have the same indie cred as its Coachella counterpart, but… well, we don’t think Gore is really worried about that. He’s concerned with global warming, environmental awareness, and generating enough money to – you know – save the planet before it melts. Here’s the inconvenient truth, hipsters: Kelly Clarkson and Kayne West could sell out an arena in Antarctica. That’s what generates real money, and that’s the kind of capital necessary to enact any sort of environmental change worldwide.

Ok! Time to clamor off our soap box and navigate the icy New York streets on our way home. Have a nice weekend, everybody.

Bret Michaels, the bandana-wearing frontman of Poison, hasn’t penned a major hit in over a decade. The band’s recent greatest-hits compilation charted at #17 on the Billboard 200, however, and the aging singer seems eager to complete his comeback. So, with that in mind, Bret Michaels has taken the next logical step: he’s starring in a VH1 reality-TV series modeled after Flavor Flav’s Flavor of Love.

…. Really.

This summer, reality addicts will be treated to Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. According to the press release, Michaels is “looking for a woman who can truly keep up with his rock-n- roll lifestyle and not become jealous of his one true passion – performing.” Female contenders will live in Michael’s “Los Angeles rock palace” while being “tested on their devotion to him and their love and understanding of all that is rock-n-roll.” And here’s the best part: “To help narrow the field, Michaels will put these women through various challenges. The ladies who win these challenges will join Michaels on some wild and exclusive excursions, while those who can't hang like true backstage VIPs will be escorted out in bona fide rock star fashion.”

HAH! We are simultaneously suspicious of Michael’s trashiness and impressed with his brilliance. What better way to relive a groupie-filled ‘80s heyday than to turn it into prime-time entertainment? Somewhere, lead guitarist C.C. Deville is kicking himself for having starred in The Surreal Life instead.

In other news, a London-based department store has cancelled its plans to break the world record for “most guitarists simultaneously playing one song.” Harrods had sent out a call for 2,000 players to visit the popular store on Sunday, February 18th. The plan? To rock out (a la Ritchie Blackmore) to “Smoke On The Water,” which features an elementary (but catchy) riff that a 3 year-old could hum.

“We regret to inform you,” the store’s website reads, “that due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to cancel the World Record breaking attempt on Sunday 18th February.” As a result of the cancellation, the record is still held by the 1,322 people who rocked out to the same song in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994.

We’ve been itching to write about Bonnaroo ever since we opened the Festival Files earlier this year, but we didn’t trust the rumored lineups that were circling the blogosphere. An official list of Bonnaroo performers was released today, however, so without further adieu…

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
The word bonnaroo (as popularized by Dr. John’s seventh album, Desitively Bonnaroo, in 1974) is Cajun slang for "a really good time." The festival has been living up to its name since 2002, when more than 70,000 fans first descended upon a 700 acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Since that inaugural year, Bonnaroo has steadily grown in popularity, attendence, and the sheer magnitude of its lineup. Last year’s event boasted headlining sets from Radiohead and Tom Petty, and this year’s lineup promises to continue the upward trend.

The 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival will be held from June 14th-17th. Confirmed artists include The Police, Tool, Widespread Panic, The White Stripes, Fountains of Wayne, The Decemberists, Wilco, Flaming Lips, Kings of Leon, Wolfmother, Franz Ferdinand, Manu Chao, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Damien Rice, Ween, Cold War Kids, The Hold Steady, and… lots of others. Comedians Lewis Black, Dave Attell, and David Cross will also be performing.

Rolling Stone has called Bonnaroo “one of the 50 moments to change the history of rock and roll,” and they’re not only referring to the festival’s killer lineups. In addition to providing musical weeks of rock, jazz, hip-hop, cajun, and countless other genres to crowds of 80,000+ people, Bonnaroo has also taken steps to preserve the land upon which it takes place. As the website explains, "Bonnaroo continues to take significant steps toward reducing or eliminating its environmental impact, including aggressive recycling programs and the use of post-consumer supplies and bio-diesel generators. In 2006, Bonnaroo diverted 60 percent of its waste from landfills and replaced over 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel with bio-diesel. The festival is aggressively seeking ways to make Bonnaroo 2007 even greener."

So there you go. Bonnaroo provides great music and substance-induced camaraderie for a minimal price ($184.50 for the first batch!), and it promotes environment-friendly policies while doing so. Tickets go on sale next Friday (February 23rd) at 12:00 pm EST, and they’ll steadily climb in price until they’re gone. From the Bonnaroo website: The ticket will be a specially designed souvenir ticket, unique to the 2007 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Incidentally, your ticket will also make you more popular with the opposite sex and appear seven years younger.

Oh, Bonnaroo. You so crazy.

It’s a ridiculous fact, but it’s true nevertheless: Vanilla Ice is one of the most commercially successful rappers of all time. "Ice Ice Baby" held the #1 slot on The Billboard 200 for 16 weeks in 1990, and debut album To the Extreme has sold more than 15 million copies since its release. The MC’s career has been sagging as of late, and appearances on The Surreal Life and The Tyra Banks Show (sitting next to Ron Jeremy, no less) haven’t done much to rejuvenate it.

That’s why Vanilla Ice (real name: Rob Van Winkle) is partnering with TurboTax.com. Ice will host the Tax Rap Contest, which provides "fun-loving taxpayers nationwide a shot at their own Grammy-worthy performance and $25,000 in winnings." Submissions are already filling up the TurboTax inboxes, and the website has posted these hip-hop offerings in video format. Vanilla has even posted one of his own tax-fueled raps to the site. Go white boy, go white boy, GO!

Excerpts From The Submissions:
Vanilla Ice himself: I draw my rhymes like a bow, shoot 'em out like an arrow. I swoop on suckas like an eagle, not a sparrow.
Charles: Tuh-tuh-tuh-TurboTax, so you can relax. Tuh-tuh-tuh-TurboxTax...
Diana: Tell me, how do I deduct. Wha? How much do I owe? Who can help me put these numbers straight in a row?


The Best Of Vanilla Ice
(Brought to you by BaebleBlog and YouTube)
• Vanilla Ice (and Ron Jeremy) on The Tyra Banks Show (Parts 1, 2, and 3)
• "Ice Ice Baby," live in 1991. Dig the dance moves.
• Vanilla Ice, as interpreted by a young Jim Carrey on In Living Colour
• Music video for "Play That Funky Music"
• Our grand finale... NINJA RAP! Straight outta the soundtrack for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. Man, if that didn't give Vanilla some much-deserved street cred, we don't know what will...

So who watched the Grammys last night? We initially tuned in for The Police’s show-stopping rendition of "Roxanne" (which was odd, since that show-stopping performance was what actually started the show). And, much to our surprise, we ended up watching the entire event, stopping only to take a break during the extended Rascal Flatts / Carrie Underwood hoedown.

For the record, the 2006 Grammy Awards really rubbed us the wrong way. Maybe it was the site of a shaky-legged Sly Stone, who took the stage for approximately 20 seconds and looked scarily similar to the title character from "Alien." Or maybe it was the event’s presentation on TV, with commercials overtaking several performances. Ugh. We simply didn’t like it, so we didn't exactly have high hopes for this year's follow-up.

But sue us: we enjoyed John Mayer’s guitar solo at the end of "Gravity." We thought Justin Timberlake kinda rocked it during "What Goes Around Comes Around," even though the song is basically "Cry Me a River" with piano and a guitar solo. We were happy when the Dixie Chicks took back the country throne, and we clapped ourselves on the back for recognizing Dan Wilson (songwriter for the Dixie Chicks’ recent album, and lead singer of Semisonic). We even enjoyed Chris Brown’s dancing, despite the subsequent loss of indie cred when we mentioned this enjoyment to our Baeble co-workers…

In case you missed the show, here’s your Baeble cheat sheet:

• The Dixie Chicks led the pack of winners, nabbing five Grammys for their 2006 album Taking the Long Way. Other big winners were the Red Hot Chili Peppers (with four awards), Mary J. Blige (3), Gnarls Barkley (2), and Bob Dylan (2).
• Smokey Robinson performed "Tracks of my Tears" and sounded great. He looked like a plastic replica of himself, but… well, he sounded excellent.
• Many performers took the stage for two of more songs, with both Justin Timberlake and Carrie Underwood performing three separate numbers.
• No sub-par song can sink the Red Hot Chili Peppers... but no amount of confetti can change the fact that "Snow," the sub-par song they performed last night, is ridiculously boring.
• John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae have the same haircut. Who knew?

Journey and Styx will be at Mardi Gras this year, but don’t expect them to toss beads to the raunchiest members of the audience. The classic-rock veterans have signed on to play the classy Endymion Extravaganza, a black-tie event following the Endymion Parade on Feb. 17th. Or, as the Extravaganza’s website defines it: "A star-studded concert, a dinner dance for thousands, a show that can stack up to anything Las Vegas can offer -- one hell of a good time stretched over eight hours in the Louisiana Superdome where the cost of the parade and show is rivaled only by the cost of the formal finery worn by the 14,000 guests."

So... wow. That should be fun, albeit a little overwhelming. Al Green is scheduled to perform, too, as is American Idol champion Taylor Hicks (who, along with member of Journey, will serve as Grand Marshal of the parade).

In other news, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher has been talking trash again. Could this be a way to remind that public that Oasis still exists, and – hey! whaddya know? – they’re working on a new record? Maybe... Or maybe Noel’s just a jerk. Head over to NME to catch the guitarist’s candid thoughts on U2 and Radiohead. Spoiler: he uses the F-word with more frequency than an uncensored Kevin Smith movie.

Ah! So many band reunions. We’ve got Rage Against the Machine, The Police, Crowded House, Van Halen, Dinosaur Jr., and now Genesis. The group will tour this summer, sans Peter Gabriel, and a free concert will be held at Rome’s circo Massimo on July 14. Also, Phil Collins’ daughter is attractive all of a sudden, and now we feel all creepy and old...

Finally, it’s time to start the James Brown Countdown. Dude’s been dead since Christmas Day, but his relatives/lawyers/lovers are still battling over the proper resting place for his gold coffin. Come on, people! Get Up Offa That Thing and do something, or just Give It Up or Turnit Loose. Or something.

Remember how the OJ Simpson trial was televised constantly? And everybody watched? And everybody either cheered in relief or growled in disgust when OJ was pronounced innocent?

The same could happen for music producer Phil Spector, who’s been accused of murdering B-movie actress Lana Clarkson in early 2003. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fiddler has announced his wishes to make the trial televised, stating: "This is a trial of public interest. I always have a problem with commentators telling people what is going on rather than letting the public see the trial for themselves. I'm a firm believer in having the public see it."

Spector, whose "Wall of Sound" technique can be heard on records by the Ronnetes and John Lennon, claims Clarkson committed suicide.

******
Good news for Police fans. The recently reunited band will play its first gig in a looong time at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards show, but the true surprise will be unveiled on the next morning. On Monday, February 12th, The Police will hold an early press conference at the Whisky a Go Go in L.A. to announce some "really big news." Perhaps they’re announcing a full lineup of tour dates? Maybe a new album is in the works? Maybe Sting plans to teach his Tantric skillz to the other members? We won’t know until Monday, although rumors are already circulating about the band playing Wrigley Field on July 5th and 6th, in lieu of a Dave Matthews Band performance.

Oh, Ozzy. You lovable, cuddly Prince of Darkness. You’ve surprised us once again.

In what The Associated Press calls “the most startling news to hit the heavy-metal circuit since Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat,” the elder Osbournes (Sharon and the Wizard of Oz himself) have decided to cut the prices of this year’s Ozzfest tickets.

Actually, they slashed the prices. Maimed them, even. Blew ‘em up. Abolished them. That’s right: Ozzfest, the annual tour that has previously cost concertgoers as much as $35 to $150 to attend (not including those medical bills for headbanging-induced whiplash), will be free this year. “It's our 12th year and we wanted to shake it up a bit and do something different,'' says Sharon, Ozzy’s business-savvy better half.

Ozzy Osbourne is currently putting the finishing touches on a new studio album, which he plans to release in May and support with an early summer tour alongside Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society. He’ll also join the lineup for Ozzfest’s twenty-five show dates, which begin in Los Angeles on July 7th. Other cities include San Diego, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Hartford, Charlotte, New York, Boston, and Nashville, although a final list of confirmed cities and dates is still on the way.

Click here to check out the Ozzfest 2007 press conference.

Two of the world’s biggest apples – Apple Inc and Apple Corps – might stop taking bites out of each other. The two companies resolved a longstanding battle on Monday, agreeing to terms regarding the use of Apple Computer’s iconic name and fruit-shaped logo.

The Apple Corp record label – founded and maintained by the Beatles (or, in Harrison and Lennon’s case, their estates) – has waged courtroom battles with Apple Inc since 1978. The controversy began with the computer company’s logo, which looks strikingly similar to that of Apple Corp. After settling the initial courtroom case in 1978, Apple Inc agreed to never enter the music business.

Over the years, Apple took measured steps to increase the multimedia capabilities of its computers. Apple Corps sued successfully in 1989, following the introduction of MIDI and sound-recording capabilities on new Apple computers. A settlement was reached, and Apple Corps received $26.5 from Steve Jobs and company.

Predictably, iTunes has been a major source of contention. Apple Inc successfully warded off another lawsuit in 2003, when legal umpire Justice Mann ruled that iTunes did not breach the companies’ trademark agreement. But things seem to be different this week, with Apple Inc paying an estimate $50 million to $100 million to secure the rights to the Apple name. Could they be burying the hatchet? And could Steve Jobs be closer to securing the Beatles’ music for his iTunes store?

The Beatles' recording label, EMI, has long resisted the urge to put the band's albums up for digital download. Still, the groundwork has already been laid for a resolution, with Steve Jobs going so far as to include the Beatles' tunes in his keynote presentation for the iPhone.

If the band’s entire catalogue is released for download, the Beatles could top the charts again. In the UK, bookies have placed odds on the band’s predicted chart success. An unnamed music boss has told The Daily Mirror that "half a billion pounds" in song earnings "is not out of the question." And U.S. publications like Newsday have reported cautiously, noting that EMI has refused to comment.

Can Beatlemania happen in 2007? Apple Corps and Apple Computers would have to permanently make-up, but is that so hard? Everybody, repeat after the Fab Four: We can work it out. We can work it out. Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting...

As an institution, the Super Bowl halftime show is an iffy event. Things either go exceptionally well or horrifically bad. Aerosmith collaborates with Britney Spears one year (thumbs down), and then U2 does a touching tribute to 9/11 victims during the following Super Bowl (thumbs up; Time Magazine cover photo for Bono). Janet Jackson exposes her breast two years later (thumbs down; urge to vomit barely suppressed), but Paul McCartney comes to the rescue and resurrects the show’s integrity twelve months later (thumbs up). Off and on. Off and on. It’s always the same, except when Don Mischer is the producer.

Remember when Michael Jackson rocked the Halftime show in 1993? That was Don Mischer’s first time producing the event for the Super Bowl. It was also the first year that FOX decided not to broadcast counter-programming like they did the previous year. Michael Jackson’s power was simply too overwhelming in the early ‘90s, and trying to compete with that would’ve been a waste. The halftime show was a success, complete with a massive show of audience participation (remember those cards they held aloft to piece together giant drawings of children?) FOX never ran counter-programming again. Go Michael, and go Don Mischer.

Fast forward to 2004, where images of Janet Jackson’s breasts are still seared into the retinas of America’s TV-watching public. The Super Bowl needs a good halftime show this year. The networks are going to get some serious flak if anything else goes wrong. Enter Don Mischer and Paul McCartney, both of whom become mutually responsible for restoring everyone’s faith in the halftime show institution. The show is solid, and McCartney wisely keeps his clothes on.

The Rolling Stones’ show from last year was also Mischer’s doing, as was this year’s mammoth Prince production. He’s outdone himself with this year’s success, which included a specially-shaped stage, a slew of fireworks, and a windblown curtain that silhouetted the guitar-rocking Prince in a phallic pose. Awesome. Prince gave one of the best halftime shows in recent memory, but kudos to the man behind the scenes who made everything happen. Don, we’re down with you producing a video or two for Baeble. You game?

When she's not composing articulate, politically-conscious raps for the hip-hop trio Northern State, Correne Spero also writes some mighty fine show reviews. Spero headed to the Mercury Lounge this week to catch a performance by Ra Ra Riot, and her review is below. We're excited to have her writing for us, and equally excited about those new songs on Northern State's Myspace page...


Ra Ra Riot: Live at the Mercury Lounge, 1/31/07
So I went to see Ra Ra Riot at the Mercury Lounge on Wed. night, knowing only the following: Ra Ra Riot is from Syracuse, they have a lot of ‘buzz’ right now, they don’t have an album out yet, and we share a booking agent.

At first, it looked like a normal crowd had assembled, but as my/our agent began telling me about how a bunch of labels including Columbia are after these guys (look out, kids), I did start to notice some “silver foxes” trying to blend into the crowd.

As the band took the stage, I was surprised to see two cute gals plugging in their electric cello and violin – who knew? (The rest of the band consists of four dudes filling the more conventional positions.) The songs were solid – well-constructed and well-executed, and the strings really did add a lot, ushering Ra Ra Riot’s sound into the theatrical realm of the Cure, or maybe Dexy’s Midnight Runners - both fine things in my world. Lead singer Wesley Miles brings to mind in look and manner (not voice though) a young Michael Stipe, maybe from the “Gardening at Night” era, with the hair flying around in his face and the moody eyes. Sigh…

Overall, the music sounded immaculate. These kids play beautifully together and are definitely well-rehearsed. The breaks and changes were all spot-on, in part due to drummer John Pike, who is tight, with everyone hitting their marks meticulously. The vocal mix was a little wonky, and I could have stood more vocals all around (cellist Alexandra Lawn sings back up and could barely be heard) - but this is obviously not the band’s fault. Wes was finally able to fully rise above on the band’s cover of Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.” He absolutely killed it, dropping to his knees, and carrying on in such a way that I began to wonder if maybe Ra Ra Riot had actually really formed as vehicle for them to cover this one Kate Bush song.

In spite of the lush orchestration, the set did have a few moments of stripped-down rockness, like the Rock Lobster-type guitar riffs and extreme cowbell that began the second song. The crowd got excited when they started “Can You Tell” which starts out all quiet with “Oh baby baby babe, how long am I supposed to wait?” – apparently a sentiment people can relate to. And there was even a bit of jamming, featuring something approximating a violin solo towards the end of the set – but all involved seemed a little wary of fully crossing over into Dave Matthews territory, something every band hoping to play with a violinist from now until eternity must confront. Again, not their fault.

Wes announced that the band is recording their EP in Williamsburg and they are one day ahead of schedule – which seems in line with Ra Ra Riot’s overall vibe: some nice kids playing their songs impeccably, with no obvious cursing or onstage drinking that I could discern, who are one day ahead of schedule, and who just wanna cover their Kate Bush songs in peace. It’s hard to be mad at that.

- Correne Spero

One day – maybe tomorrow, or perhaps sometime next week – we’ll go back to writing blogs with singular topics. But not today. Not when the blogosphere is abuzz with talk about Eagles reunions, Britney Spears collaborations, and other assorted news-worthy nuggets. Read on, digest, and enjoy.

Although the Philadelphia Eagles lost this year’s NFL divisional playoffs, expect a comeback from a different team of sorts: the guitar-plucking, harmony-singing, Hotel-California-visiting Eagles. Singer Don Henley has been talking to various newspapers – the Baltimore Sun, the Las Vegas Review-Journal - and it seems like a studio album is imminent. "It's coming out in 60 to 90 days, if we don't kill each other first," says Henley, whose band reunited in the mid-‘90s but hasn’t released an album of new material since 1979’s The Long Run.

Bill Gates and Microsoft held an unparalleled throw-down to celebrate Vista’s launch this week. Forbes has a detailed account of the party, from the swanky menu (smoked salmon and spinach/ricotta cannelloni) to the DJ’s playlist (Gnarls Barkey’s "Crazy," circa 2006, and Seal’s "Crazy," circa 1991). Later that night, Angels and Airwaves rocked the Nokia Theater with a cover of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” Tom DeLonge is certainly more marketable than Starship, but we still think Bill Gates needs to work on his music collection. What’s on his iPod, we wonder? Ooops – we mean, what’s on his Zune?

As if Jay-Z wasn’t rich enough already, the Def Jam president recently received a quick $3 million for agreeing to relaunch Cherry Coke. How does one relaunch a drink? We don’t know… but apparently it's happening next Wednesday.

California radio station KCRW – i.e. the people behind the wonderful "Morning Becomes Eclectic" show – have partnered with Starbucks for an upcoming CD release. "Sounds Eclectic: The Covers Project" is a 15-track compilation featuring live performances from R.E.M., Robert Plant, k.d. lang, and Damien Rice. It’ll be sold at Starbucks locations starting in March. The tracklisting looks good, but c’mon – Gary Jules’ cover of “Mad World?” We’ve been rocking that song on the Donnie Darko soundtrack since 2002. It’s time for Mr. Jules to tackle “Head Over Heels” and add some variety to our lives!

And finally, the Pet Shop Boys have denied rumors that they’ll be working on Britney Spears’ next album. Good call, men. Next on Britney’s list is Dr. Luke, the man behind Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.” Does the Doctor specialize in flailing careers and PR train wrecks? Let’s hope.