The Triple Crown: 5/24-5/31

Wednesday May 26^th and Thursday May 27^th

John Butler Trio

/State Radio

Crystal Ballroom

Doors: 7PM / Show: 8PM

$25 Adv. / $28 Day of

All Ages

For two nights, the John Butler Trio is going to set the Crystal Ballroom a jumping. Propelled by the near tribal rhythm of their revolution rock this Aussie native will bring the place to life with his tasty stew of politically minded lyrics and perfectly executed rock’n’roll. Able to open minds while moving bodies this music is something everyone can enjoy. Who knew you could dance your way to social conscientiousness.

Opening the show will be Boston’s State Radio; a killer band in their own right, with an infectiously danceable rasta-rock. State Radio’s music compliments Butler’s threesome like the perfect wine can increase the pleasure of the right meal. This is a definite must see show. So pick a night or hit them both because whether you’re coming for the music or the message, with the spring loaded dance floor they’ll be able to feel the bouncing all the way in the Hollywood District.

Friday May 28^th

Laura Marling

With Patrick Watson /Smoke Fairies

Doug Fir Lounge

Door: 8PM / Show: 9PM

$11 Adv. / $13Day Of

21+

As powerful as the winds that blow across the English Channel and as beautifully subtle as the purple of a thistle bloom, Laura Marling will bring her earthy folk Friday night to the Doug Fir lounge. Blessed with the aged and seasoned voice of a person twice her years, Marling sings from a soul deeper than a Welch coal mine. The complicated emotions of her music are more than mere sorrow or joy and are sure to take on a new potency echoed off the fir log walls of the Doug. Sharing the night with the breathlessly hypnotic balladry of Montréal’s Patrick Watson & the Wooden Arms’ and the eerie guitar blues of fellow Londoners the Smoke Fairies. This night of beautifully entrenching music is a perfect way to start the weekend.

Sunday May 30th

She & Him

With Band Of Horses / Dawes
Les Schwab Amphitheater

Gates- 05:00PM | show- 6:00pm

All Ages- Tickets available Ticketmaster

$35 GA advance ticket.

Sunday the Bend night air will be alive with the ethereal sound of three wonderful bands including the lovely lullaby of She & Him. Like a June and Johnny for the hipster age, this duo combines the beautifully soft spoken voice of Zoey Deschanel with the tranquil music of M.Ward. With a classically light heartedness to their songs, listening to them is as refreshing as driving through a warm summer night with the windows down. On tour in support their sophomore album Deschanel and Ward will be sharing the stage with the ghostly rock of Seattle’s Band of Horses who has been making a name for themselves since 2006 with their scenically expansive tunes. Opening the show is the southern Cali sun-baked rock of Dawes whose organic vocals and cleanly woven acoustic music is very much in the style of Neil Young.

If you don’t have plans for the long weekend yet, this show alone is worth the drive. While you’re their, why not make a weekend out of it and take in some of the wonderful things Bend has to offer.

"Dont' let 'em know I'm tired/ don't tell 'em this is all that's left"

It's 6:25AM on a Friday morning and it seems like this is the first time that I could sit down and write in over a month. Honestly, it's not exactly how it is but sometimes I'm so tired that it feels like it is.

Time. It's a commodity that I never seem to have enough of and one that no matter how much I try, I end up wasting. When I was younger and single I never realized how much time went by wasted. No wonder we all go gray. Thinking about all the time slipping through my fingers just made another patch of my hair to go white.

It's hard sometimes having all of these dreams because it takes so much time and energy to make even the slightest movement on them. No wonder so many of them die and the older you get the less you harbor them. Being a husband, a dad, working a poor retail job that can spread 20 hours over a whole week, looking for a second job to make up for the first, doing repairs on our small but mighty house, finding time to feed my faith and the list goes on and on. All of these responsibilities that eat away at my time. Some of them are so important and for which I can not slack, because in the end it won't matter what I said about a band or how many reviews I did if I was a shitty husband and a crappy dad. For most things in my life I can see the direct correlation of effort spent to the difference it makes. Not so though for writing about music and that's why it's hard to justify the time spent on it. I know I'll never be rich and pretty sure I'll never be famous but it would be nice to know that I made a difference even on the smallest level. Isn't that what we all want. Writing about music is mostly a one way relationship, you rarely get feed back and most times you're not even sure if the band knows you've reviewed their album.
So how do I find the time or organize the little time that I do have?

Any suggestions?

Advice?

The Boonevilles - Good Suites and Fightin' Boots

The Bonnevilles
Good Suites and Fightin' Boots
Motor Sounds Records

The greasy gutter blues of the Boonevilles drives bold and assertive like a ’69 GTO. With the whiskey-drenched souls of crossroad blues men and the bruised knuckles of guitar beating thugs, the thunderous pair of Andrew McGibbon Jr. and Chris McMullan brings to life songs that bleed motor oil and sweat gasoline.

Like the blues duos of legend these boys play their music like the Devil is breathing down their necks. The strut of McGibbon’s gain heavy guitar has a diverse range of personalities. In the tune “Asylum Seekers of Love” the guitar has a wild nature that’s as aggressive and unpredictable as a barroom brawl. While the six-string persona of “No Government, No Country, No King” is meticulous and haunting as a murder’s footstep on your grave. Complementing the raw guitar work is McMullan’s beats, delivered with the lean exactness of a street fighter and the stopping force of a .45 caliber. Topped with the dirty wail of McGibbon’s vocals, the music of The Boonevilles’ is one smoky juke joint away from rocking blues heaven.

The album “Good Suites and Fightin’ Boots” is revved up and humping to eat up the white line and asphalt of any road you that you put in front of it. With a full tak of the sexiest garage blues I’ve heard in a long time, this CD is meant for dirty fighting, hard drinking, fast driving and a few other things that raise a good sweat.

The Ettes - Do You Want Power.

The Ettes

Do You Want Power

Take Root Records

The Ettes latest album captures a band that has matured and found a rock solid confidence in their personal identity. They are a band sure enough of themselves, to take bold musical chances, thus demonstrating greater range and diversity then previous albums. Do You Want Power is a case for evolution strong enough to give Darwin wood.

No fear though, tracks like “Red In Tooth and Claw” and “It Can’t Be True” still hold the fuzztastic rambunctiousness, synonymous with this gypsy trio. Grabbing hold of you like a mugger in the night there is a new darkness to these songs driven by the lovely distortion of Coco’s guitar. While the groove of Jem’s bass and Poni’s dervish drum attack fuels a forceful stampede of sound with the weight and power of a drunken rhino. Long time fans will find more than enough of the bands familiar energy to make them happy and might be surprised by the artistic stretches the band has taken. Stretches as subtle as the dark side static blues of “Walk Out That Door” or bold as the unlikely country twang of “While Your Girl’s Away.”

A wonderful album Do You Want Power hints at a growing greatness and has secured The Ettes among one of my new favorites bands. I look forward to seeing them grow stronger and bolder in the years to come.

"We ain't nobody's darlings/ we never should've made it this far" Nobody's Darlings - Lucero"

Sunday night was the Grammy's and to say that it's a celebration of modern music is like saying to take a dump is a port-a-potty is a celebration of modern plumbing. I admit I didn't watch much as I couldn't stomach the audacity of it all, but I carried away 2 things from the little I did see.

1)Green Day on Broadway? Really? It's official then, the band should be formally stripped of their long dead punk mantel and their Cd's refiled under show-tuns.

2)Sir Elton John is a whore. It's not bad enough that you bastardize your own song to honor someone you supposedly cared for greatly but now you'll sing with anyone for the price of stage time at the Grammy's. I wasn 't even born and I miss the Elton of the late 60's early 70's.

I think the Gammy's bother me so much because it epitomizes how dysfunctional the industry of big label music is. Incestuous in nature and empty of substance the awards are merely an act of masturbation. The big name labels celebrating their success in an industry they manipulate through bribery and monopolization and thus further shadowing the struggle of independent music.

While all those celebrities sit listening to bad jokes and applauding the mediocre winners their are bands bleeding and starving to make music a hundred times better. The price of the ceremony alone could fund the recording and completion costs of over a thousand independent records or provide well needed Health care for a hundred artists. A single statuette could cover the cost of gas or lodging for a 4 state tour. More important though if you started giving the Grammy's to artist that actually earn them , say Katie Herzig, Lucero, Kleveland, and The Hard Lessons, maybe bands like U2 and Taylor Swift might make an album worth listening to.

But enough of my ranting. It's already gotten me in trouble with my 81/2 year-old daughter who is a an avid Swift fan.

As for the goals. I'll be posting my first review shortly and am actively reaching out to bands to obtain materials for review. I'm hoping to review the latest albums from Sex Slaves out of New York and local favorites The Builders and the Butchers new live recording.

“There ain’t no shame in just giving up and walking a way…” No Shame - Two Cow Garage.

Here is the dilemma. I have been writing about music for the last 8 years and haven’t gotten anywhere. It’s not that I thought I’d get rich or famous; I just wonder if I should keep banging my head against this same wall or get a clue and walk away.

I entered in to the world of music with the feeling as though it was my calling. I didn’t find it, it found me and it seemed that all my interests and skills were colliding into one great destiny as though it was truly a mission from God. I guess I should have known then because as with all missions from God, though quite rewarding they are never easy.

I began this journey writing reviews for an on line publication, was able to pick up low paying work with a local weekly paper, launched my own webzine , and even had a good paying position writing a column about opening acts. Encouraged by the early success I left a job I despised to pursue my new calling. It was the best thing I ever did, but as the years pass, it seems to get tougher with each new fumble. From unpredictable editors, unreliable hosting servers, and even my own personal obstacles it grows harder and harder to feel like the time I spend is worth the effort. I truly love writing about music and people seem to respect it as evidenced by the hit’s I still get on Google. But Google does not a man make.

So here I am to make a decision: muster up the strength to keep writing whatever may come or give up and stop chasing this ghost. Here’s the challenge though, if the next 300 days are to be the last steps of this strange adventure, then I want to go out with a bang and have devised 5 goals that I’d like to complete before the clock runs out. This blog will be my proof and those who read it my witness.

My goals are as follows:

1) Produce and post one album review a week for the rest of 2010. That’s 49 reviews in all.

2) Go record shopping with the artist Biz Markie and have him educate this poor white boy about the history of good hip hop and rap in 30 albums or less. During this time talk to him about the difference between making music as an artist and performer and playing music as a DJ.

3) Collaborate with my 8 year old Daughter on interview questions and arrange an interview with her favorite artist.

4) Sit down with individuals who are heads of their fields in music licensing and sonic branding to gain a better understanding of the changed face of these fields in the light of a world altered by technology and the rise of independent music.

5) Plan, organize and pitch an idea of a multi-city concert series to a major shoe company.

These goals have some meat to them and carry with them their own obstacles and pit falls but as with all things they are obtainable. So let’s get started.