Sucking on my titties like you wanted me

CONCERT REVIEW: Peaches
The Music Box at the Fonda
Hollywood, CA
June 6, 2009



Last night Peaches, the queen of electro raunch herself, played the first of her two shows at the Henry Fonda Theater, and, stunningly, the performance was kinda boring.

First off, she didn't take the stage until 11:15. Now come on woman, this is L.A.! People have places to go after your show - we're not giving you our entire night! She came out wearing a pink garbage bag and a wrestling mask.



I'm not usually one to criticize artists for their song selection - if a band is tired of playing one particular song live, that's their prerogative. But Peaches is different because - controversial statement coming - she's a novelty act. Yes, she's been around for 10 years, and I'm sure her hardcore fans may beg to differ, but the fact is that people listen to Peaches for two reasons - to dance, and to see what outrageous things she's going to say. If she's not being outrageous, she's just Lady Gaga-lite.

This show focused heavily on her new album, I Feel Cream, which, quite frankly, isn't very good. Her previous effort, Impeach My Bush, was much raunchier and funnier, with songs like "Two Guys (For Every Girl)" and "Tent in Your Pants" - both of which she opted not to play last night. The only songs that felt a little dirty were "Shake Yer Dix" and "Fuck the Pain Away" - and those didn't come until the very end of the concert.

By far the most exciting moment of the show was when Peaches strapped on an electric guitar for the hard-rocking "Boys Wanna Be Her." But its brilliance only served as a reminder that there's nothing on her new record with anywhere near that kind of appeal, and her performance suffered as a result.

Green Day break out Foxboro Hot Tubs alter egos on Last Call with Carson Daly

Green Day rocked the Last Call with Carson Daly stage tonight, performing several songs of new material and two as their Foxboro Hot Tubs alter egos. The performances will air next week, split into four separate shows from Tuesday through Friday (June 9-12.)

We were fortunate to part of the intimate crowd of 200, watching as the punks-turned-rock operaists played five songs from their acclaimed new album 21st Century Breakdown, opening with their latest pop triumph, "Know Your Enemy." Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt were joined by three other musicians - guitarist Jason White, who played with the band on the American Idiot Tour; Jason Freese on piano and saxophone; and Jeff Matika on guitar and vocals.

"21 Guns" was the emotional highlight of the evening. Tre's ferocious drumming took the ballad to heights far beyond the studio version of the song. "Static Age" was rather pedestrian until Freese hit the stage with a rockin' sax solo. The band also tore through "Murder City," "East Jesus Nowhere" and the title track before taking an intermission and returning as the beer-guzzling, mayhem-causing Foxboro Hot Tubs.

Armstrong and his bandmates spilled beer everywhere and invited hot girls onstage during their two songs as Foxboro Hot Tubs. During "Stop Drop and Roll" Armstrong tossed cans of PBR (with their labels covered with blue tape) into the audience, even though much of the crowd was under 21.

Prior to the performance, Daly conducted a rather boring interview with the band, touching on the Walmart controversy, the concept of the new record, and working with Butch Vig. Tre Cool provided the only excitement of the interview portion, first by answering "Sperm" when Daly asked, "What is the glue that holds you guys together?", then by stealing a monkey head from Daly's mantle and proceeding to make out with it.

We're unable to provide any photos, as cameras (and even cell phones) were banned from the studio. However, Carson Daly himself twittered this photo. It's horribly blurry but at least it's something:



Green Day's performance on Last Call with Carson Daly airs next week, June 9-12.

June Pittsburgh concerts

MUST-SEE SHOW:
6/10 Nine Inch Nails & Jane's Addiction @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
I've generally been a Perry Farrell hater, but after attending Lollapalooza the last two years and seeing how well put together his festival is, I'm slowly changing my tune. Now he's coming to rock the Burgh. Good stuff. And NIN should be great, as long as they stay away from to much of the instrumental crap.

ALSO WORTH ATTENDING:
6/5 Black Keys @ Point State Park
These guys tore it up at the New American Music Union last year. It's a huge coup for the Arts Fest to get them, and the fact it's a free show means that every single person in Pittsburgh should come out for this.

6/11 New Kids on the Block & Jesse McCartney @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
This is one of those shows I'd love to see, but only if someone gave me a ticket and I didn't have to pay. Come on, NKOTB, the seminal '80s boy band, now all approaching 40, reuniting and singing songs like "Hangin' Tough"? That's essential viewing. Though, I'd probably burst out laughing if they actually did "This One's for the Children."

6/19-20 Dave Matthews Band & The Hold Steady @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
DMB's new album is totally bitchin', and they're finally bringing a noteworthy opening act with them to Pittsburgh. I shouldn't have to tell you about the brilliance of the Hold Steady. Go to this show and get your drink on.

Others to keep in mind:
6/3 Gomez & Jason Isbell @ Mr. Small's
6/4 Kevin Devine & Miniature Tigers @ Altar Bar
6/4 The Iguanas @ Thunderbird Cafe
6/6 Kenny Chesney, Sugarland & Montgomery Gentry @ Heinz Field
6/6 Medeski, Martin & Wood @ Point State Park
6/6 White Rabbits @ Brillobox
6/9 John Vanderslice @ Andy Warhol Museum
6/11 Meshell Ndegeocello @ August Wilson Center for African American Culture
6/13 No Doubt & Paramore @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
6/15 Maps & Atlases @ Garfield Artworks
6/16 Ted Leo & the Pharmacists @ Diesel
6/17 Elvis Perkins in Dearland @ Club Cafe
6/18 Phish @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
6/19 Black Dice @ Garfield Artworks
6/19 A Static Lullaby @ Diesel
6/24 Aerosmith & ZZ Top @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
6/26 Dar Williams & The Duhks @ Schenley Park
6/27 The Queers @ 31st Street Pub
6/30 Camera Obscura @ Mr. Small's

White Rabbits perform live in Spin offices

Music magazine websites pretty much suck. Have you checked out blender.com lately? Even though the print edition is gone, we were promised that the website would live on. But there's nothing there, except for archived articles and a "blender blog," which is updated every couple of days. It looks as if the site is run by one person these days.

Spin.com, meanwhile, is one of the better music sites. They're always offering exclusive content, such as this video of White Rabbits performing live in their offices. I'm digging the new material - they're really taking that two-vocalists thing to extremes on these new songs.

I'm always happy to promote artists who we've interviewed over the years, so go check it out!

Potty-mouthed country act hits #1

Those country artists are so darned clever, aren't they? Sugarland's new single "It Happens" raced up the charts because of its chorus: "Shhh... it happens!"

They're really pushing the envelope with that one. Nevertheless, it's currently the #1 country song in the nation.

YouTube: Sugarland - It Happens

My 5 favorite bands, May 2009

Every six months, I do a rundown of my favorite bands. This time, there's not much change from the last list, so instead of writing the same little blurbs about each band, I'm going to provide YouTube links to my favorite live clips from each artist.

1 SIGUR ROS
Video: "Gobbledigook" live with Bjork


2 MGMT
Video: "Electric Feel" live


3 AMANDA PALMER
Video: "Please Drop Me" live


4 KINGS OF LEON
Video: "Use Somebody" live at Brit Awards


5 DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
Video: "All Along the Watchtower" live


Others earning consideration: The Go! Team, Taylor Swift, Ghostland Observatory

Road Trip visit: Sun Studio, Memphis

During our trip to Memphis, we took time to stop by Sun Studio, the birthplace of rock n roll, where Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and many others got their start.

I highly recommend checking out this landmark. Musicians still use it all the time to make records. In fact, during the hour-long tour, Elvis Costello and blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin stopped by to chat.



They have a microphone that dates to the 1950s which was used by Elvis, and many other original pieces of equipment from that era.



Check out Sun Studio if you are in Memphis.

Is this 1956? Elvis and Jerry Lee rule Memphis

Jerry Lee gets his groove on

CONCERT REVIEW: Beale Street Music Festival
Memphis, Tennessee
May 1-3, 2009

“We may be wet, but we’re not dead.”

Leave it to Jerry Lee Lewis, not exactly king of optimism, to put a positive spin on the 2009 Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis. The Killer was one of the highlights of a soggy weekend which featured performances that often matched the dismal weather.

The 73-year-old belied his grumpy, unpredictable reputation with a cheerful demeanor despite the rain. He smiled, cracked jokes, and enthusiastically performed a 12-song set with a voice stronger than should’ve been expected from the aging legend. Lewis kicked things off with "Roll Over Beethoven" and predictably sent the crowd away with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire,” walking offstage to thunderous applause as the latter played out.

The weekend's other standout performance came courtesy of Elvis Costello, who almost never fails to impress. Snoop Dogg also got the crowd moving with most of his hits over his 15-year career, including "Gin and Juice," "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Nuthin' But a G Thang."


Elvis Costello performs with Los Lobos

George Clinton's presence wasn't necessary for Parliament Funkadelic's set; the frontman sang about one out of every 20 words and let the backgrounds singers do the rest. The same was true, to a lesser degree, for the Reverend Al Green, who attracted attention with his bright white suit but spent as much time passing out roses to audience members as he did singing.

The Steve Miller Band were a big disappointment on Friday, playing just one of their hits ("Abracadabra") during the first 70 minutes of their set, opting instead for little-known blues covers, just because they were in Memphis and thought it was appropriate.


The Bar-Kays rock the house

James Taylor's set was a bit too low-key for this kind of affair, though "Sweet Baby James" and "Carolina On My Mind" are impossible to resist. The latter was difficult to hear, because at the same time on an adjacent stage Hinder was playing their godawful ballad "Lips of an Angel."


Rise Against's Tom McIlraith heads into the crowd

A bunch of boring rock acts performed, including Shinedown, Theory of a Deadman, and Saving Abel. The one worth checking out was Rise Against, whose punk political diatribes got the crowd moshing.

Fall Out Boy closed out the weekend, and while they're not the greatest live act in the world, they deserve respect for being willing to open their set with an obscure album track, rather than catering exclusively to the teen girls who just want to hear the hits.

Overall, it was a fun weekend, despite the weather and some lackluster performances. Well worth the $65 ticket.

May Pittsburgh concerts

MUST-SEE SHOW:
5/11 TV On the Radio @ Mr. Small's
The innovative Brooklyn rock band makes another local appearance on the heels of last year's acclaimed Dear Science. I've seen them live only once, at Lollapalooza in 2007 (pic above), but the power and might of their live sound was stunning. Swedish electronic act Little Dragon is an intriguing opening act.

ALSO WORTH ATTENDING:
5/4 Shwayze & Mickey Avalon @ Mr. Small's
Both of these hip-pop acts fall under the label of "so stupid, they're awesome." Shwayze's rhymes about weed & women are hilarious. If you aren't already high, you'll be inspired to get there. Mickey Avalon raps about his seedy past as a male prostitute. His unique style is endearing.

5/19 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band @ Mellon Arena
What more needs to be said? One of the all-time great frontmen and all-time great backing bands are back in the Burgh. Expect a memorable 3-hour show.

5/30 Coldplay & Pete Yorn @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
Coldplay have obviously constructed an impressive body of work over the past 10 years, but I'm just as excited about opener Pete Yorn. He's fallen off the radar in recent years, but the guy who was once compared to Springsteen has some great songs - his 2002 effort Musicforthemorningafter is one of my favorite rock albums of this decade.

Others to keep in mind: 5/1 Silverstein & Bless the Fall @ Club Zoo
5/1 Haste the Day @ Mr. Small's
5/2 Toad the Wet Sprocket @ Carnegie Library Music Hall (Homestead)
5/2 Maia Sharp @ Thunderbird Cafe
5/2 Manchester Orchestra @ Mr. Small's
5/3 Freezepop @ Pegasus
5/4 Serena Ryder @ Club Cafe
5/5 Cursive @ Diesel
5/6 Cut Off Your Hands @ Brillobox
5/7 Kevin Rudolf @ Mr. Small's CANCELED
5/8 Gwar @ Mr. Small's
5/8 Obscura @ 31st Street Pub
5/8 The Dears @ Diesel
5/9 John Doe @ Thunderbird Cafe
5/9 Forever the Sickest Kids @ Diesel
5/11 Gavin Rossdale @ Gateway Clipper
5/13 The Veronicas @ Diesel
5/14 Madina Lake @ Mr. Small's
5/15 Birthday Massacre @ Diesel
5/16 Ting Tings @ Mr. Small's
5/16 Low vs. Diamond @ Club Cafe
5/27 Cracker @ Hard Rock Cafe
5/31 Carbon Leaf @ Rex Theatre