School of the Seven Bells opened for Interpol on 4/13/11 @ Reno Knitting Factory

Ani setlist from Grass Valley ~ 4/9/11

Drive By Truckers @ the Reno Knitting Factory 3/2/11.

The Drive By Truckers play Reno for the first time, ever.

I'm lukewarm on the Drive By Truckers, always have been. If you mention to anyone remotely into alt. country that you are an alt. country fan one of the first few things out of their mouth is something about the DBT's. Finally after hearing that for years I started picking up their cds. I think the first cd of theirs I got was Gangstabilly, despite hating the title. There were a couple tracks on it that I liked. Filed it on the shelf and don't remember pulling it back out too many times after that. Then I picked up Pizza Deliverance and once again, only a few tracks I liked. It wasn't until Decoration Day that I remember spinning the record several times. Marry Me and Your Daddy Hates Me are still two of my favorite Trucker songs. Then I got Southern Rock Opera and Let There Be Rock blew my socks off, but the rest of the album I was only so-so once again. There are moments on all Truckers records of both musical and lyrical brilliance, but they are not fully realized albums of brilliance, in my opinion. I don't go back to them and listen to them over and over like I do with my other favorite alt. country bands. I know there are DBT super fans out that that would punch my lights out for saying that, but I am just telling you where my chips fall with the DBTs.

Fast forwards several years and I picked up Brighter than Creations Dark. Here again I found a reason to not love the DBTs. Too much religion in this one for me. I get that it is a huge part of the alt. country and country music in general, but it isn't for me.

Then last year a friend gave me a copy of The Big To-Do. Over half of the songs on the cd are kick ass in my opinion. So I went to see the Truckers for the first time last year in Tahoe. I though, hey I finally like a whole one of their cds, they are coming close to Reno I should go check 'em out. You know, sometimes when you see a band live it kicks your opinion of them up a notch. That definitely happened for me with the Truckers. The show last year in Tahoe was excellent. I really enjoyed Shonna Tucker and Mike Cooley live. I came to realize that Cooley is my favorite voice in the Truckers. He didn't sing too many tunes at the Tahoe show. I wanted more Cooley in my Truckers show.

Last Wednesday at the Knit that is exactly what I got. It seemed like every other song was a Cooley song. The show at the Knit was perfect timing for me in my continually burgeoning DBT appreciation.

Here is a Truckers write up by one of my favorite authors, Rick Bass.

http://www.drivebytruckers.com/press.html

The Heartless Bastards kicked Reno in the teeth.

It's so rare to see a band with a female lead vocalist like Erika Wennerstrom. If her voice doesn't blow your hair back then you really need to clean the wax outta your ears.

The Heartless Bastards opened for the Drive By Truckers at the Reno Knitting Factory this past Wednesday night and if you weren't there you should be ashamed of yourself.

The band said they were trying out tunes for an album they are currently working on; I can't wait to hear it. When the guitar player handed me his set list he mentioned these were all weird working titles. The working title HYHH amuses me to no end. Come back soon, HB.

DBT pics tomorrow.

A note from Okkervil River

As you may have heard, we are releasing a new album out May 10th in the US and May 9th in the UK on JAGJAGUWAR called I Am Very Far. Can't wait for you to hear it. In the meantime, we have a 12" of a new non-album track called "Mermaid" and b-side "Walked Out On A Line" available in the Okkervil River online store.

New Lucinda Williams March 1st

LUCINDA WILLIAMS’ BLESSED
SET FOR MARCH 1st RELEASE ON LOST HIGHWAY
NEW ALBUM CO-PRODUCED BY GRAMMY AWARD-WINNER DON WAS

Nashville, TN – Blessed, the stunning new album from three-time Grammy Award-winner Lucinda Williams is set for release on March 1st by Lost Highway.

Considered by many to be one of America’s greatest living songwriters, Williams lives up to that and more by delivering 12 new songs that cover an even wider emotional spectrum than her previous work, without moving too far in any one direction.

Blessed opens with the gritty kiss-off “Buttercup” and moves seamlessly into the sultry blues of “Born To Be Loved”. Williams delves into a heavier subject as she questions the motives for a suicide on the hard-driving “Seeing Black”, which features blistering guitar from Elvis Costello. The thoughtful title track slowly builds to a melodic climax as it gives an eye-opening look at what’s right in front of us, but too often unnoticed. On the gorgeous “Kiss Like Your Kiss”, Williams lays down one of the most beautiful and fragile vocals she has ever recorded, while the poignant and powerful “Soldier’s Song” simultaneously tells a tragic story of the soldier overseas and his wife and child back home.

It’s nothing new to see Williams tug at the heartstrings and stimulate the mind in her songs, but there is a vibe throughout Blessed that is unique to this album in particular. It’s the sound of the wisdom and experience Williams has gained through her years as an uncompromising talent. Combine that with Grammy Award-winning producer Don Was at the helm, and something special is born. Was co-produced Blessed with Eric Liljestrand and Tom Overby, who co-produced Williams highly-praised Little Honey (2008). Blessed features special guests Rami Jaffe on keyboards, Matthew Sweet on vocals Greg Leisz and Elvis Costello on guitar.

The deluxe edition of Blessed will include a bonus disc (or 14 tracks digitally) titled The Kitchen Tapes. These are the demos Lucinda recorded of the songs that became Blessed right as they were born at her kitchen table, which she does much of her writing.

12 Desperate Straight Lines

Great cover art.

Great Album Title.

Great Tunes.

Check it out, you won't be sorry.

Better Off Dead: A New tune by The Sounds

I hope the new album by The Sounds captures some of the excitement that their first release did. The new track you can download at Side One Dummy's website is promising, go here:

http://sideonedummy.com/bands/the-sounds

M. Ward Setlist

My Top 11 Shows of 2010

11 ~ Silversun Pickups at the GSR in Reno, 8/2/10

10 ~ Bobby Bare Jr. & Blue Giant at the Undergorund in Reno, 9/2/10

9 ~ The Avett Brothers at the GSR in Reno, 4/18/10

8 ~ The XX at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland ~ 9/23/10

7 ~ Ani DiFranco @ The Knitting Factory in Reno ~ 6/26/10

6 ~ Greg Dulli at the Sweedish American Hall in S.F., 11/17/10

5 ~ Bonnie Prince Billy at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, 10/26/10

4 ~ The National at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, 5/21/10

3 ~ Pavement & Quasi at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, 6/25/10

2 ~ Billy Bragg at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, 10/30/10

1 ~ Wild Flag at The Bottom of the Hill in S.F., 11/18/10

Beth Ditto EP

This is the first release I have heard about this year that I am truly excited about.

Check out those preview tracks.

Yum!

http://www.deconstructionrecords.co.uk/news/-/2010-12-17/sneak_peek_of_beth_ditto

My Top 25 Albums of 2010

In no particular order:











In the running but didn't quite make it:

Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
Frontier Ruckus - Deadmalls & Nighfalls
Chief - Modern Rituals
Scissor Sisters - Night Work
Spoon - Transference
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Jonsi - Go
Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone