Weakerthans- 4, 4, 4, 4

In December, Winnipeg band, the Weakerthans are performing a "retrospective" of their 4 studio albums for 4 shows in 4 nights at 4 different venues. This will give fans a rare opportunity to hear their select album played in it's entirety in a unique venue of their choice, from the intimate barroom of the Royal Albert Arms to the larger concert hall of the Burton Cummings Theatre. For their last few visits to their hometown, the Weakerthans have had no problem filling the Burt, so act quickly especially if you want to see them in one of the smaller venues.

• Songs from FALLOW: Royal Albert- December 15, 2010
• Songs from LEFT AND LEAVING: West End Cultural Centre- December 16, 2010
• Songs from RECONSTRUCTION SITE: Pyramid Cabaret- December 17, 2010
• Songs from REUNION TOUR: Burton Cummings Theatre- December 18, 2010

The last time the band did something similar was in February 2002 to celebrate their 5th anniversary where they performed 4 shows in 4 different venues. If I recall correctly, they played at the Albert, Wellingtons, Pyramid and the WECC. I attended (and recorded) night #2 at the Albert. The difference was it that they only had released 2 albums up to that point and they previewed some tracks from Reconstruction Site. This may have been one of the first times they had performed One Great City. For this set of shows I bought tickets for the Left And Leaving show (WECC), because it's my favourite Weakerthans album and a ticket to the Fallow show at the Albert, because it's the smallest venue and probably the one that will sell-out quickest. Also they don't perform as many songs from that album anymore as they used to, so it will be cool to hear the entire first album. I highly recommend getting a ticket for those two shows first, as they will definitely be the hottest tickets of the bunch.

Buy your tickets here.

Chixdiggit- Live At The Horseshoe

Here's a fun one!
On Canada Day I listed some of my favourite Canadian releases and one of my picks was the debut album by Chixdiggit. I know they may not be everyone's taste, but if you want to see a band that you truly must experience live, go see Chixdiggit! I had the pleasure of seeing them 3 times in the 90's (1996, 1998, 1999) at the Pyramid Cabaret and each time they were very entertaining. Singer-guitarist KJ Jansen gets into his low split-leg goalie stance and the band drives through track after track Ramones-style, stopping only to let mouthpiece KJ say his bit. For a band that started out selling t-shirts before even learning to play instruments, Chixdiggit plays power pop-punk, who's enthusiasm more than makes up for their limited technical talent.

I remember hearing this live recording aired on CBC radio as part of their Just Concerts series on Saturday nights years ago. This show was recorded at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, I believe during Canadian Music Week (it used to precede the Juno awards in Toronto) or NXNE. I'm not even sure of the year, but judging by the setlist it was probably around 2000. A great sounding set and a good example of Chixdiggit's live show, fast, furious and fun...but I wish they played Gerry Cheevers!

CHIXDIGGIT
Live At the Horseshoe Tavern
CBC FM radio broadcast

01 Where's Your Mom
02 Sikome Beach
03 Stacked Like That
05 Gettin' Air
06 Shadowy Bangers From A Shadowy Duplex
07 Great Legs
08 Melissa Louise
09 Quit Your Job
10 Spanish Fever
11 Ohio
12 My Dad vs. P.M.
13 Folks Are Gone
14 I Wanna Hump You

CHIXDIGGIT- Live At The Horseshoe. rar

Weeping Tile- Eepee

Continuing on with all-Canadian weekend, here's an early album from Canadian singer-songwriter, Sarah Harmer. Before Harmer embarked on a very successful solo career, she formed the band Weeping Tile who went on to release two full length albums and two ep's. Though I'm not a huge Sarah Harmer fan, I do enjoy Weeping Tile. They rock out a bit more and they have a looser sound than her solo work and her songwriting has a sincerity that isn't felt as much in her more recent albums. I have to admit though, I've been listening to her latest album, Oh Little Fire quite a bit lately and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Sarah Harmer is one of the big name headliners at this years Winnipeg Folk Festival, so I thought this early recording of her's might be of interest.

Weeping Tile's debut was a independent seven-song cassette released in 1994 and then they signed to a major label deal. They re-released the cassette in 1995 and titled it Eepee. Highlights include the original versions of Westray (later re-recorded for Cold Snap) and Basement Apt. (re-recorded on Harmer's, You Were Here), but the cover of Neil Young's, Don't Let It Bring You Down is worth the price (or download) of the album alone!

WEEPING TILE
Eepee (1994)

1. Anyone
   
2. Basement Apt.
   
3. Dogs and Thunder
   
4. Don't Let it Bring You Down
   
5. The Room with the Sir John A. View
   
6. Westray
   
7. King Lion

WEEPING TILE- Eepee. rar

The Super Friendz- Sticktoitiveness

Happy Canada Day!!
When you think of great albums recorded by Canadian artists, of course names like the Guess Who, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, or Blue Rodeo always seem to come out. Though all those artists are good in their own right, I personally have listed some of my favourites (in no particular order):

• Sloan- Twice Removed
• New Pornographers- Mass Romantic
• Bum- Wanna Smash Sensations
• Stand GT- They're Magically Delicious
• Chixdiggit- Chixdiggit
• Plumtree- Predicts the Future
• Weakerthans- Left and Leaving
• The Nils- The Nils

...and I'm sure there are many more I can't think of right this minute, but if you have any fav Canadian albums, please list them in the comments.

Definitely one of my favourite bands from the 90's was Halifax's, Super Friendz who recorded only 3 full-length albums. Their first two albums, Mock Up, Scale Down and Slide Show in my mind are over-looked Can-Con classics. The band was active from 1994-1997, but reformed in 2003 for a tour and recorded a third record, Love Energy. The band released their early albums (and 7" and 10"ers) on Murderecords, Chris Murphy of Sloan's label and were part of the renowned East Coast scene of the early 90's. This scene discovered other great bands that gained attention and exposure such as; Jale, Thrush Hermit, The Inbreds, Eric's Trip, Plumtree and Sloan.

Super Friendz's only release in the U.S. was a CD compilation of Mock Up, Scale Down and their rare 10", Play The Game, Not Games repackaged as Stickoitiveness. This release was the band's attempt to gain some exposure in the States. For some weird reason this was also the title of an independent cassette made by the band in 1994 and if anyone has more information or a copy of this recording, please let me know, I would love to post it here.

THE SUPER FRIENDZ
Sticktoitiveness (1997)

1. 10 Lbs.

2. Karate Man

3. Undertow

4. Rescue Us From Boredom

5. One Day

6. Fireflies

7. Machine Green

8. Kiss The Land

9. Landing Light

10. Green Hand

11. Half-Mast

12. Restricted

13. Better Call

14. Down In Flames

15. Boots

16. Come Clean

17. When They Paid Me THE SUPER FRIENDZ- Sticktoitiveness. rar

New Pornographers Live On Q

Here's a Canada Day teaser, the New Pornographers appearance on the CBC radio program Q aired June 17th. The band performed live in the studio for 2 songs and host Jian Ghomeshi interviewed the New Pornographers frontman, Carl (AC) Newman. Since you can't download the episodes anymore on the CBC website, but you can still stream the program, I recorded this on my digital recorder straight from the radio. Unfortunately, the reception isn't perfect so there's a tiny bit of static especially during the interview segment, so don't adjust your radio...I mean mp3 file. This acoustic session features the whole band minus Dan Bejar, with Neko Case on vocals for Shepherd. Nice performances, but not the best representation of their better songs, as I would like to have heard Crash Years, my favourite song on Together.

Since I'm such a patriotic Canadian, starting Canada, July 1st I'm going to exclusively post Canadian bands and performers only. I have a few things in mind, but if you have any ideas and suggestions, let me know. Remember they have to be Canadian, at least until July 4th.
Oh Canada!!

NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
Live on Q
CBC studios, Toronto, ON
June 17, 2010
FM master

1. Intro.
2. Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
3. Interview
4. My Shepherd
5. Outro

NEW PORNOGRAPHERS- Live on Q. rar

CBC.ca Q- Stream the whole episode (click June 17, 2010)
Link to video of the Q performance of Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk.

Whiskeytown- Fucker Demos

Back in February, I posted Whiskeytown's Forever Valentine sessions to prove that Whiskeytown recorded way more songs than their 3 full-length releases would suggest. Most of the unofficial releases that Ryan Adams and the band recorded are quite worthy of release, but for whatever reason remain heard only by collectors and hardcore fans. Another unreleased session, that is worthy of a wider audience is the Fucker Demos, that many Whiskeytown/Ryan Adams fans may have already, but might be interesting for the casual fan as well. There seems to be a couple versions out there with different tracks and song orders and according to answeringbell.com (Whiskeytown/Adams setlists and song histories website), I have version one.

WHISKEYTOWN
Fucker Demos (1998)

1. Sit And Listen To The Rain
2. Leave The Lights Off (a/k/a Night Lights)
3. Bound To Happen (a/k/a Probably Gonna Happen)
4. What Makes The World Like This (a/k/a West NY Serenade)
5. Hurts Sometimes (a/k/a Lil' Girls)
6. Tearing Me Up Inside (a/k/a In The World)
7. Medicine
8. Today
9. Clearly Destroyed
10. Breathe (a/k/a Believe)
11. Fool
12. Win
13. Comfortable Only At Night (a/k/a All I Wanted)
14. Out Of Time
15. Bar Lights

WHISKEYTOWN- Fucker Demos. rar

The Great Lost Kinks Album

Pete Quaife, the original bassist in the Kinks died on June 23rd at the age of 66. Quaife was in the band until 1969, and he played on the early Kinks classics and two of my favourite Kinks albums, Something Else and Village Green Preservation Society. Quaife pointed to Village Green as his favourite, "For me, it represents the only real album made by the Kinks," he said. "It's the only one where we all contributed something."

As a tribute, I'm posting the Great Lost Kinks Album that was released in 1973, but contained unreleased tracks recorded between 1967 and 1968. The name of the album is in reference to the fact Reprise was going to release this in 1969, but it was held back and eventually morphed into the Village Green record. Many of the songs were unused album tracks, singles, b-sides, songs written exclusively for British television and songs intended for a Dave Davies (unreleased) solo album. There are different versions of the Great Lost Kinks Album available, the Reprise Records version was released only on vinyl and contained 14 tracks, while CD bootleg versions added extra tracks. The version I'm posting has 25.


THE KINKS
The Great Lost Kinks Album

1. Til Death Do Us Part
2. There Is No Life Without Love
3. Lavender Hill
4. Groovy Movies
5. Rosemary Rose
6. Misty Water
7. Mr. Songbird
8. When I Turn Off The Living Room Light
9. The Way Love Used To Be
10. I'm Not Like Everybody Else
11. Plastic Man
12. This Man He Weeps Tonight
13. Pictures In The Sand
14. Where Did My Spring Go?
15. Death Of A Clown
16. Suzannah's Still Alive
17. Funny Face
18. Lincoln County
19. Hold My Hand
20. Creepin' Jean
21. Do You Wish To Be A Man?
22. Mr. Reporter
23. I'm Crying
24. Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter
25. Are You Ready Girl?

Tracks 2, 4, 12 & 15-25 were recorded for Dave Davies unreleased solo album

THE KINKS- The Great Lost Kinks Album. rar

The Heartbreakers- Yonkers Demos

I'm going to take a short break from posting live concerts to clear up some other things I have sitting on my hard drive. I've got more demos, cassette releases, indie releases and even more live stuff. I usually upload my postings to my online storage in bunches and sometimes I either forget about posting the files or I get some kind of theme in mind when I thinking of things to post and get sidetracked. Upcoming next week, it's Canada Day here in Canada (of course), so I'll find something appropriately canuck to post and the following week the Winnipeg Folk Festival takes place in my region. I'm not sure if I'm going or not, but I need a better reason than Gord Downie, Sarah Harmer, John Hiatt, Emmylou Harris or Jimmy Cliff to attend. I realize these are all quality artists and nothing is wrong with any of them, but personally I think the talent is a little thin and I need a better reason to spend over $200 for the weekend or $75 a day on this festival.

After Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan quit the New York Dolls they formed the Heartbreakers with Richard Hell, joined later by Walter Lure. During this period, this line-up played shows around New York and recorded some demos known as the Yonkers Demos. I don't know much about the recording other than it was recorded probably late 75/early 76 with the original Heartbreakers band. Many of these songs were re-recorded for the L.A.M.F. album and staples in the Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers live repertoire and a couple of songs Hell re-recorded with his next band, The Voidoids. An early and must-have recording if you're a fan of the band or not!

THE HEARTBREAKERS
Yonkers Demos

01. Love Comes In Spurts
02. I Wanna Be Loved
03. Blank Generation
04. Chinese Rocks
05. Pirate Love
06. Can't Keep My Eyes On You
07. Flight
08. Hurt Me
09. You Got To Lose
10. Goin Steady
11. Love Comes In Spurts (false start)
12. I Wanna Be Loved
13. Blank Generation
14. Love Comes In Spurts

Richard Hell Bass,Vocals
Johnny Thunders Guitar,Vocals
Jerry Nolan Drums
Walter Lure Guitar,Vocals

THE HEARTBREAKERS- Yonkers Demos. rar

Jayhawks- Winnipeg August 23, 2003

Last weekend, the Jayhawks played a trio of shows at the First Avenue in Minneapolis with their mid-90's reunited line-up. This band featuring Gary Louris, Mark Olson, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg and Tim O'Reagon played the legendary venue for the first time in 15 years with this line-up (with original Jayhawk Olson) and I would have loved to have been there. If I didn't take a Chicago vacation a couple months earlier, I no doubt would have made the 7 hour drive. Though I have seen the Jayhawks four times previously, I have yet to see them in their hometown. Here's to hoping they tour or play more shows in the Twin Cities in the near future.

The Jayhawks have played Winnipeg only twice, the first time at the Winnipeg Folk Festival back in 1988 (I think?). More recently they played the Peg in the summer of 2003 touring in support of their last album, Rainy Day Music. This version of the band featured Louris, Perlman, O'Reagon and ex-Long Ryder, Stephen McCarthy on guitar and steel pedal. This was a free show that was part of the Muddy Rivers Music Festival in downtown Winnipeg, in an area known as the Forks. As far as I remember, this was the only year of this festival, which is too bad because Otis Rush and Alejandro Escovedo also played the festival. I recorded this show in front of the soundboard in a 18+ designated area in front of the stage (beer gardens), instead in the grassy field behind the fence, way back from the stage. Unfortunately, it was windy, a curse to all outdoor recorders, so the sound was muffled and caught in the wind. Believe it or not, a soundboard recording was made and shared. I have a copy, one of the rare times a recording has shown up that I actually attended and it sounds much better!
Enjoy!

THE JAYHAWKS
Muddy Rivers Music Festival (Forks Stage)
Winnipeg, MB.
August 23, 2003
(soundboard)

01. DJ Intro
02. Stumbling Through The Dark
03. Angelyne
04. Somewhere In Ohio
05. Take Me With You (When You Go)
06. Tampa To Tulsa
07. Save It For A Rainy Day
08. Blue
09. I'd Run Away
10. All The Right Reasons
11. Lost My Drivin' Wheel
12. Life Floats By
13. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
14. Waiting For The Sun
15. Haywire
16. Tailspin
17. DJ Outro

JAYHAWKS- Winnipeg 2003-08-23. rar

Vintage Porn: The New Pornographers- August 18, 2002

Art By Greg Oakes

Last week I saw the New Pornographers for the sixth time, five of those shows in Winnipeg and one in Calgary. Just to clarify, when I saw them in Calgary, on that particular tour they did not stop in Winnipeg (cancelled due to a scheduling conflict), so in fact last week's show was the first time the complete band played Winnipeg.

The first time I saw the band it was back in the summer of 2002 and it remains one of my favourite concerts of all time. This show appeared on dimeadozen years ago, it was my recording, but I didn't post it. I did trade this show at least once, so it must have been passed around, but I doubt many people have heard this recording and would be of special interest for anyone in Winnipeg that was at the show. It was an early recording with my trusty mini-disc recorder with my old mics, so the sound isn't perfect, as the volume is on the verge of peaking, but it's a lively recording and I love it!

Highlights:

• At the time, Mass Romantic was their only release, though they did play a couple songs that would be included on Electric Version. So if you're a fan of the early stuff you'll enjoy this.
• The venue, smaller and more intimate at the West End Cultural Centre. This was a Mint records tour, so the crowd wasn't huge, maybe 300-ish?
  
• Track #9, the band attempts some Heart covers. Good example how the band can be loose and have a good time. Funny stuff, Neko was game to do the "whole" songs!
• The real highlight for me has to be the final four songs in the set (the last three were encores). Letter From an Occupant is always amazing, but their covers of Nick Lowe's, Cruel to Be Kind, The Sweet's, Action and Send Me A Postcard by Shocking Blue were incredible! More recently they do ELO and Fleetwood Mac covers, what's up with that?
  

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
West End Cultural Centre
Winnipeg, MB
August 18, 2002
Audience recording

1. Slow Decent Into Alcoholism
2. The Mary Martin Show
3. The Electric Version
4. Jackie
5. The Fake Headlines
6. The Laws Have Changed
7. Mystery Hours / Execution Day
8. The New Face Of Zero And One
9. Barracuda/Crazy On You/Dreams (teasers)
10. Mass Romantic
11. The End Of Medicine
12. Testament To Youth In Verse
13. talking (Back in Black)
14. The Body Says No
15. To Wild Homes
16. From Blown Speakers
17. Breakin' The Law
18. Letter From An Occupant
19. Cruel To Be Kind
20. Action
21. Send Me A Postcard

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS- 08-18-02 part 1. rar (tracks 1-12)
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS- 08-18-02 part 2. rar (tracks 13-21)

The New Pornographers- Live In Winnipeg

The much anticipated return of the New Pornographers with the complete band hit town last Thursday at the Garrick Theatre and as expected, the band didn't disappoint. The presence of sometime-yet permanent members of the band, Neko Case and Dan Bejar took the band to a higher level expanding the band's setlist and featuring three lead vocalists. The venue wasn't too bad, my daughter and I positioned ourselves dead centre to the stage 3/4 back on the floor that has a slight incline which benefits short people, like ourselves. The sound was adequate, though the vocals could have been up a bit more, but it was quite listenable. I took a lot of photos, because I knew most of them would be blurry and to my surprise some of them were half decent, at least good enough to post here.
Highlights:

• Hearing Neko Case with the band is a highlight on it's own, but the bonus was hearing her belt out Letter From An Occupant for the last song of the encore was magical. I've only seen them play that song once before in Winnipeg.
  
• Kurt's "drum" solo, which was an impromptu version of "Wipeout". This was a lot looser show than the last 3 times they played here. When Neko's not playing with them, the shows are much more "machine-like" with little or no between song banter.

The only disappointment of the evening was my audio recording came out crappy. I fiddled with the sound levels on my recorder and noticed my adjustments had no effect on level meter (I'm still kind of new to this recorder), so I left it on mid. When I got home to listen to the recording, the volume was low and the sound was fluttery and muffled, cutting in and out occasionally. I realized I had (unintentionally) set the level control on auto, thus preventing me from adjusting on the fly and it kept the sound at an even output eliminating the high and low ranges. It must have been automatically cutting out when the volume peaked too much, instead of distorting if it wasn't set to auto. I listened to the whole show at work and if you crank the sound and listen on speakers it's listenable. I'm still upset over my mistake and I believe it or not, I'm especially hard on myself when a potentially excellent recording is ruined by a dumb error. Oh well, I have lots of other NP shows, but I was looking forward to sharing songs from the new album performed live. As a consolation, I'll be on the look out for more shows from their current tour (If anyone has any to share let me know!) and I'll post my favourite Winnipeg New Pornographers show later today.

The New Pornographers- Live from Soho

As a warm-up to the New Pornographers show tonight, I thought I should make this, NP Week and post a couple of live recordings from the band. The New Pornographers released an "official" live album a few years back and they also released a live recording called, Live From Soho, which was available exclusively from iTunes and was recorded at an Apple store in Soho in December 2007. I don't anymore details about this recording, but it sounds really crisp and clear and features a solid performance by the band. I've talked at length about the New Pornographers shows I've been to with and without Neko Case and I'm sure I'll have lots to say after the show. Tonight's show will include Neko and the full band and I must admit I'm eagerly anticipating the show. I'll try to make a recording of the concert, but I'm taking my daughter to her first NP show and positioning close to the stage might be a challenge. I have a few more of their shows to post before the end of the week.
Stay tuned!

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
Live From Soho (2008)

1	All the Things That Go To Make Heaven and Earth
2	Use It
3	All the Old Showstoppers
4	Challengers
5	My Rights Vs. Yours
6	Adventures In Solitude
7	The Laws Have Changed
8	Unguided
9	Sing Me Spanish Techno
10	Don't Bring Me Down
11	The Bleeding Heart Show

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS- Live From Soho. rar

Pixies- Live In Winnipeg

Back in April 2004, when the Pixies announced they would begin their reunion tour in Winnipeg Canada, I think every Pixies fan (especially in Winnipeg!) was surprised. The distinction of being the city that hosted the band's first show in 11 years was short-lived when the Pixies added Minneapolis to the tour as the band's first gig. They performed at the Fine Line Cafe on April 13, 2004 and then played their second show in Winnipeg the following night on the 14th. The minute tickets went on sale, I was at the Ticketmaster site and purchased two tickets knowing this would be a historic show. Sure enough, the show sold out in record time (at the time, at least) and I settled for seats midway up the second balcony. I must admit the seats sucked and the sound was horrible (my recording was as well), but just being there at the Burton Cummings Theatre to see a band I was desperate to see live, was a special memory.

During this tour, the Pixies, along with Disclive, recorded and sold a copy of the concert (you were just at) immediately (1/2 hour) after the show. You prepaid before the show and the recording was limited to 1000 copies, if you were not at the show, you could go to their website and order the 2 CD set. I think I paid $25-30 for the recording which is a pretty good profit for the band and a unique souvenir of the concert. This is one of the reasons I record the concerts I attend, I can't think of a better way to document the great show you were at and I think it's the ultimate memento of the concert. In this case, I didn't mind paying for the recording because mine sounded like it was recorded in the far high corner of the hall (which it was) and the muffled distorted sound can't compare to their matrix recording from the soundboard and multiple microphones around the stage. A nice touch was opening with a Neil Young cover, Winterlong, obviously a tribute to Winnipeg! Overall, it was a great concert, though the band was a little rusty, but a very memorable evening I'd like to share with fans.
Enjoy!

THE PIXIES
Burton Cummings Theatre
Winnipeg, Manitoba
April 14, 2004

Winterlong
Nimrod's Son
Holiday Song
Here Comes Your Man
Vamos
Blown Away
In Heaven/
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Bone Machine
Subbacultcha
Cactus
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Is She Weird
Debaser
Gouge Away
Crackity Jones
Something Against You
Isla de Encanta
Broken Face
Head On
Tame

(encore 1)
Gigantic
Into the White
Where is my Mind

(encore 2)
La La Love You

THE PIXIES- Live In Winnipeg pt. 1. rar
THE PIXIES- Live In Winnipeg pt. 2. rar

The Breeders- Live In Stockholm

The cool thing about fan-club releases is that the content is usually exclusive to it's release and available only to fan-club members. They are CD's that definitely won't show up at your local Wal-Mart or mainstream music sellers, but can sometimes be found at indie record stores or online, so they are rare and usually hard to find.

Live In Stockholm is a live EP that showcases the Breeders at the height of their career with 8 songs from a concert in 1994 from Stockholm, Sweden. This is an excellent quality recording with the band offering up rawer versions of songs from the Last Splash era, but it's unfortunate it's not the complete concert. I'm pretty sure I have the complete concert somewhere in my stacks (I could be wrong), as I remember the banter when Kim Deal talks about making mudslides (drink). The Breeders have had kind of an up and down career, frustrating if you're a fan, but this CD is a must have for any Breeders fan.

THE BREEDERS
Live In Stockholm (1994)

1. Shocker in Gloomtown - 2:56 (Guided By Voices)
2. New Year - 2:06
3. Hellbound - 2:19
4. Saints - 3:25
5. I Just Want to Get Along - 2:19
6. SOS - 1:30
7. Roi - 2:34
8. No Aloha - 2:56

THE BREEDERS- Live In Stockholm. rar

Lemonheads- Fan Club CD

One person that was of great influence in Ben Kweller's solo career was Evan Dando from the Lemonheads. It was one of his ep's, Freak Out, It's Ben Kweller, that caught the attention of Dando and he invited him on tour with him. Jeff Tweedy, Juliana Hatfield and the band Guster also took notice and asked Ben to open for them. The feeling was mutual as I have some live recordings with Kweller doing Lemonheads covers in concert. The Lemonheads are a band that have been around since 1986 with various incarnations and line-ups with the only constant being Evan Dando. Because of these constant changes to the line-up, the band has taken a few hiatus and rumours of their impending breakup are understandable, but with these breaks Dando has continued to perform live, then he eventually records another Lemonheads record. Just before their longest hiatus from 1998-2004, a promo CD available only through their fan club was released consisting of covers, live tracks and acoustic versions of Lemonheads songs. Some of these songs made it onto b-sides, while others were exclusive to this release. For any Lemonheads fan this is a fine collection of songs, though this isn't a proper "official" release, but kind of a odds and ends disc of goodies. LEMONHEADS Fan Club CD (1997) 01. Pin Yr Heart 02. If I Could Talk I'd Tell you (live Madrid) 03. Ride With Me (live Boston) 04. Down About It (acoustic) 05. Live Forever 06. Little Black Egg 07. Fade to Black (live Milan) 08. Divan 09. How Will I Know? 10. Confetti (acoustic) 11. Keep On Loving You (live Maison Rouge) 12. Losing Your Mind LEMONHEADS- Fan Club CD. rar

Radish- Dizzy

The second album by Radish was called Dizzy, released in 1995. Ben Kweller sent a copy of Dizzy to Nils Lofgren, who grew up with Ben's father in Maryland and from there it was passed to his producer, Roger Greenawalt who took the band into the studio to record demos that would be shopped around to labels. After a bidding war there was much hype for the band and it's signing to the majors with Mercury Records. This led to the release of Restraining Bolt and appearances on Letterman, Conan and The Weird Al Show (check out their appearance on the show!!). Dizzy was yet another forward step in Ben Kweller's career, but like Hello it was an independent release that was released with very limited supply. Though I've never seen a copy of Hello or Dizzy, I did find a cover scan of Dizzy to post, but if you have a copy of either album, let me know. Enjoy! RADISH Dizzy (1995)

1. Chrysalis
2. Too Personal
3. Dizzy
4. Doesn't Know It
5. Bedtime
6. All Night
7. Uncle Jimmy's Theme
8. I'm Still Here
9. The Way
10. Swallow
11. I Know A Girl
12. Uncle Jimmy's Theme (Drum Solo)

RADISH- Dizzy (1995). rar

Radish- Hello

The first thing you notice when you listen to the first track of Radish's Hello, is how young the singer sounds. What is he, 12 or 13 years old? Actually he is, the singer is a young Ben Kweller who was 12 when he formed Radish. Hello was recorded when he was 13, a pretty amazing accomplishment for anyone, especially an eighth grader. This isn't a prefabricated gimmicky act like that Bieber kid, but a talented musician that had a dozen songs under his belt by the time he was nine and won an honorable mention in a songwriting contest sponsored by Billboard magazine. In 1993, Ben Kweller formed Radish with drummer John Kent and bassist Ryan Green (he was later replaced by Bryan Bradford) and played in and around Greenville, TX. They released two independent releases, Hello and Dizzy before they signed to Mercury records and in 1997 recorded the full length album, Restraining Bolt. What I've posted is the hard to find debut from Ben Kweller and his band Radish, Hello, and it gives an early indication of his musical talent that would lead to bigger and better things. It's pretty evident he has the chops and he displays his confident solid songwriting style. The quality of the songs and recordings improve with every release, especially on Restraining Bolt, which earned the band a large cult following in England and they toured Europe several times. I will also post the second Radish album, Dizzy and possibly Restraining Bolt, if there is interest. Please leave me a comment or email me if you want more Radish! Enjoy! RADISH Hello (1994)

1. Space Boy
2. Hello
3. Wooden Window
4. Leave
5. Kitty
6. You Can Run
7. Whatcha Gonna Do?
8. Rollercoaster
9. I Want You To
10. The Way

RADISH- Hello (1994). rar (I previously posted Ben Kweller's two homemade pre-Sha Sha releases, Bromeo and Freak Out It's Ben Kweller back in January 2009. I think the song links are still active. Check them out here.)

Faces- Ooh La La Sessions

I noticed a once famous band from my hometown has been in the news recently with a new release called, Oooh La La. The band in question is the Crash Test Dummies who were internationally big for a few years in the early 90's, with such hits as, Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm and the Superman Song. Then their commercial success sort of fizzled out, yet Brad Roberts kept pumping out crap through the 90's and 00's. I think they've just released their 8th album this month and for some reason it's getting attention back on this side of the border. The reason I mention all this (I definitely don't want to give them any publicity!), is because their album title (almost) steals it's name from a great album by the Faces. Okay, the CTD's added an extra "o" on Oooh, but it kills me that Brad Robert's might think he's clever to come up with that name on his own. Do not get confused and accidentially buy this album!

Ooh La La was the last album recorded by the Faces at a time when singer Rod Stewart was concentrating more on his solo career. The band acted more as Stewart's backing band during concerts, but even with the innumerable tensions in the band they still pulled it together to record a Face's album. Many consider Ooh La La a disappointment after it followed, A Nod Is As Good As A Wink... (their most successful), but others, like myself, find it their most satisfying listen. These sessions include outtakes, rehearsals and some live tracks featuring some solo Stewart and Ron Wood material performed by the band. Various versions of these sessions have been available, but the complete 20 track bootleg is a much harder find. The sound is crisp and the performances and these versions of the songs are a nice companion to the original release. Download these sessions and buy this album!

FACES
Ooh La La Sessions (Last Step) 1972/73
01 My Fault
02 Flags & Banners
03 Ooh La La
04 Glad & Sorry
05 Silicone Grown
06 Cindy Incidentally
07 If I'm On The Late Side
08 Borstal Boys
09 Just Another Honky
10 Don't Forget To Tell Him
11 You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or An
12 Pool Hall Richard
13 I Can Feel the Fire
14 You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or An
15 You Wear It Well
16 Take A Look At The Guy
17 Jodie
18 I Wish It Would Rain
19 True Blue
20 The Stealer

FACES- Last Step pt. 1. rar
FACES- Last Step pt. 2. rar

Something New Mondays: The Rolling Stones

Tomorrow, the Rolling Stones are re-releasing their classic album, Exile On Main Street on the 38th anniversary of it's original release. They will be releasing 4 different formats of the remastered album, that will include 10 "new" tracks, as well as alternative versions of Loving Cup and Soul Survivor. I have the original vinyl from the 70's and always thought the mix and sound were kind of crappy. I later got (downloaded) a recent CD version and it sounded just as bad, I thought they would have cleaned up the muddy sound, but supposedly these new versions sound a lot better. If that's the case, it would be worth it buy the album again, but with the extra disc. This album is considered by many as the artistic high point of the band's career and I tend to agree. It's one of the few double albums that justifies 2 discs and every song has a sound and style of it's own. The new songs are actually tracks recorded during the EOMS sessions with newly recorded inserts and vocal additions added to the previously unreleased songs. I guess leftovers from 1972 must be better than totally new songs from 2010, so Stones fans will have something new to ponder. Here are the different incarnations of Exile On Main Street available May 18th.

• CD – Remaster of the original 18-track release.
• 2-LP – Original 18-track album on two 180-gram heavyweight audiophile vinyl LPs in gatefold sleeve.
• 2-CD Deluxe Edition – Original 18-track release and 10 special bonus tracks.
• 2-CD+DVD+2-LP Super Deluxe Package

As a sneak preview, the Stones released a 7" single on Record Store Day with one of the unreleased songs on Exile, Plundered My Soul bw/ All Down The Line. Not a bad song, nothing special, but I'm more excited that All Down The Line doesn't sound as trebly and tinny as the original release.

(removed the song links...sorry!)

Stars Perform New Album Live!

When a band first performs new material, there are two different reactions from the crowd. Some fans take the opportunity to go get another drink from the bar or use the time to relieve themselves in the bathroom. These fans don't recognize the familiar songs they know and love, so they choose to be ignorant and say to themselves, "I only want to hear the old stuff". The true follower of the band is keen to hear what new material the band has been working on since their last tour and will give the new songs a chance and will be attentive and open.

Stars brought their Five Ghosts tour to Winnipeg last Monday (May 10) and performed their new album in it's entirety, in order and gave their lucky fans an opportunity to assess and listen to the new material. For this mini-pre-release tour, Stars chose to play clubs instead of theatres for a more intimate experience to see and hear the band more up-close and personal. The last two times Stars played Winnipeg, they filled the much larger venues, Burton Cummings Theatre and Pantages Theatre for their, In Our Bedroom After The War tour. The Pyramid Cabaret's capacity is around 300, so tickets were limited and sold-out quickly.

Despite the 8:00 pm start time on the ticket, the band didn't hit the stage until after 10:20, which isn't surprising considering it's a bar (which makes it's money selling drinks) opposed to a concert hall venue. We arrived at the club just before 8:30 and had to stand in a long line outside in the rain just to gain entrance into the club. For some reason, there was photo ID checks for everyone (including myself) and "mandatory" coat checks which seemed to clog up the inside of the entrance, which in turn caused the lineup outside. I forgot to mention, preceding the band, singer Torquil Campbell did a opening DJ set as he was seated with his laptop on stage and "spun" some dance music and tunes he thought he should share. Stars proceeded to perform Five Ghosts in track order and the mindful crowd patiently listened, but it's so hard to gauge their response since most of these songs have never been heard. Their sound seems to be more electronic and a little less poppy (if you can call their music that), so their new album may require a few more concentrated listening before passing judgement. Set two or the second half of the show, featured songs that were voted for by the fans, along with other favourites. The energy of the show was much higher for this set both for the band and the crowd. Fans sang along to the familiar hits and the band's stage show was more tight and spirited. The band was enjoying themselves and they acknowledged their fan's dedication for the past 10 years. Hopefully, they'll be around for another ten!

STARS
Pyramid Cabaret
Winnipeg, MB
May 10, 2010

01. Dead Hearts
02. Wasted Daylight
03. I Died So I Could Haunt You
04. Fixed
05. We Don't Want Your Body
06. He Dreams He's Awake
07. Changes
08. The Passenger
09. The Last Song Ever Written
10. How Much More
11. Winter Bones
12. Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
13. The Night Starts Here
14. Take Me to the Riot
15. Elevator Love Letter
16. Heart
17. Ageless Beauty
18. One More Night
19. Calendar Girl

Encore:
20. Tonight
(tracks 1-11: Five Ghosts album)

This is an audience recording, so the sound isn't perfect. The Pyramid has always had pretty shitty sound, but this actually sounds clearer than when you listen in person. During the first song and during a couple of other songs, stupid girls in front of me chat and talk excessively, which irritated not only me, but always others squeezed in around me trying to listen to the show. I'll talk about concert etiquette another time! Overall, this sounds really good! If you are a fan of Stars, you can preview the new album live, a full month before it's released. I haven't seen any other recordings from this tour so far or on Dime, so this is show is special.

Dimeadozen (FLAC) (members only)
STARS- 2010-05-10. rar (mp3)

(If prefer the FLAC version and you are not a Dime member, email me)

The Archive

Rilo Kiley- 1st Album

I thought since I talked so highly about Rilo Kiley's earlier albums in an earlier post, I figured it would be fitting to post their very first album. This rare hard-to-find self-titled release was put out by the band independently in 1999 and there was three versions, the first pressing had 8 tracks (and a hidden track), the second pressing reissue featured the same cover, but the track listings was slightly different (9 songs with a different and longer hidden track). The third version was titled, Initial Friend E.P., with 8 songs and no hidden tracks. I'm not sure what version I have (I have a burned disc I made years ago), but it contains all the tracks that appear on all three versions of the CD, including the hidden tracks along with a couple of bonus early mixes of The Frug and 85.

Overall, this early CD is a good (not great) indication of better things to come. It has a certain charm and innocence that originally attracted me to the band. Still, I recommend you check out their next three albums for the full picture.

RILO KILEY
Self-Titled (1st Album)

1. Frug
2. Papillon
3. Always
4. 85
5. Sword
   
6. Asshole
   
7. Gravity
   
8. Troubadours
   
9. Teenage Love Song
   
10. Glendora
11. Steve
12. (hidden track) Rained The Day
13. The Frug (early mix)
14. 85 (early mix)
15. Teenage Love Song (later mix)
16. (hidden track) Troubadours, The Annoying Noise Of Death

RILO KILEY- 1st CD. rar

Something New Mondays: Stars- "Fixed"

Tonight, I'm off to see Montreal band, Stars unveil songs from their upcoming album, The Five Ghosts, due to be released June 22nd. They are currently on tour, sort of an album pre-release tour of smaller Canadian clubs (US, as well) in support of the new disc. These shows will see Stars perform the new album in it's entirety during the first set, take a short break, then play a short set (encore) of fan requests (on-line voting) from their earlier albums. So far only a handful of Canadian cities have previewed the album, and only the single, Fixed has been available so far for fans to sample. It should be really interesting for their fans to hear these songs for the first time and it will give the band an opportunity to see their fan's reactions.

I feel fortunate to have tickets in hand for this unique show (I bought them the second they went on presale), as it has been sold out for a while, in due part because of the small intimate venue, the Pyramid (capacity 300). I am disappointed though, because I couldn't take my daughter (who is a bigger Stars fan than me) because it is a 18+ show, something that wasn't mentioned on the presale ticket information. I should have suspected this because the Pyramid is a bar, but it has hosted all-age shows in the past. I will attend with recorder in pocket and hopefully I can get a decent sounding recording to post on this blog...stay tuned!

STARS- Fixed mp3

Shadowy Men At A Shadowy CBC

Remember the cool theme song from the original Kids In The Hall television series? In case you didn't know, the song was called, Having An Average Weekend by the Toronto band, Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, who also supplied the background and going to/coming back from commercial musical segments. Their short catchy surf-guitar instrumentals gave the show a certain style and atmosphere that provided the Kid's show an edgy feel. I even bought their cassette, Savvy Show Stoppers, that contained Average Weekend and a bunch of other great grooving toe-tapping songs. The only thing that sometimes bugs me about instrumental bands is that I keep expecting the vocals, the songs sometimes feel like extra long intros to songs. But then again, vocals might completely ruin a good instrumental band and might not be a good match at all.

What I've posted is a live session on a CBC radio broadcast, probably Brave New Waves from the late 80's or early 90's. I vaguely remember hearing them on the program around this time, though it might have been another appearance (They did a number of interviews and live segments on CBC). Sorry, I don't have the broadcast date or the track listing, so you'll have to listen to the whole thing and if you can provide me with more information, please let me know.

SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PLANET
"Brave New Waves"
CBC Studio
Radio Broadcast (Date unknown?)

(FYI: The tracks are numbered 11-25 because they are taken from a source that had other songs on it, ignore it.)

Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet- CBC. rar

Rilo Kiley @ Bimbo's 2004-09-23

For some reason, I've been re-listening to a lot of Rilo Kiley lately. I've discovered my new co-worker is a bit of a fan and we've discussed how disappointed we were with their last album, Under The Blacklight. I'm a pretty big fan of Jenny Lewis and her band and I started to dig the band before they became more widely known and I must admit, they sound like a different band with the release of their major label debut. I don't know what happens to bands when they gain a wider audience, they somehow lose that "indie-sound" edge, if there is such a thing, and start to sound like every other band on generic mainstream radio. The band used to be refreshingly unique with their quirky lyrics and charming beautiful ballads, but instead the band gets dragged down by it's the slick production and produces a predictable commercial sound. There are some decent moments on Under the Blacklight, but if you want to hear Rilo at their best (according to me, anyways), give a listen to The Execution Of All Things, Take Offs And Landings and More Adventurous. I don't know what the future for Rilo Kiley holds, it's been 3 years since the release of Blacklight and Jenny has been busy with her solo projects, so fans should revisit their older work.

I'm posting one of my favourite Rilo Kiley shows from 2004. This concert was recorded in San Francisco at Bimbo's during their More Adventurous tour, so the setlist features many songs from that album and Execution Of All Things. The concert recording is soundboard quality, so it sounds great and the band is in top form. If you're a fan of Rilo Kiley or want to sample the band live, this is a fine place to start.
Enjoy!
(p.s. Hey Sumi!- Jenny Lewis is NOT Huey Lewis's daughter!)

RILO KILEY
Bimbo's 365 Club,
San Francisco, CA
September 23, 2004

1) It's A Hit
2) Good That Won't Come Out
3) My Slumbering Heart
4) More Adventurous
5) Portions for Foxes
6) Three Hopeful Thoughts
7) Absence Of God
8) A Man/Me/Then Jim
9) Don't Deconstruct
10) Pictures of Success
11) Small Figures In A Vast Expanse
12) Love and War
13) I Never
14) Does He Love You?
Encore:
15) Simply Irresistable
16) The Execution Of All Things
17) A Better Son/Daughter

RILO KILEY-2004-09-23 Bimbo's, SF. rar