Bruuuuuuuuuuce!!!!

Well it's official...I've now been witness to a Bruce Springsteen & The E street Band concert! Click here for the set list and a little write up on the show (i was at the 4/27/08 Charlotte show) The whole night was filled with incredible music but a few standouts for me where Candy's Room, The Promised Land, Born to Run (of course), and the first single off the new record, Radio Nowhere....what an amazing song live. It's a spot on commentary on the state of pop music today. The set list pleased both young and old Bruce fans by hitting tracks from all the E Street Band albums. It was a packed house in Charlotte and everywhere you looked people were smiling, dancing, and shaking their heads in disbelief about what they were experiencing. You never know if a band is going to "mail in" a show but these guys played like they still had something to prove. They've been playing Born to Run at least 100 times a year for the last 30plus years and it still sounds fresh..you could tell they enjoyed what they were doing and for me that's what makes the difference between an okay show and a show that you'll never forget. The crowd was bouncing around all night but when Badlands kicked in the whole Coliseum was on it's feet. Then came the encore which featured Thunder Road and Born to Run, wow! The current state of pop music is a bit depressing these days so it was refreshing to be in the presence off a true rock star...which unfortunately seems to be a dying breed....oh yeah Happy 75th Birthday Willie Nelson! I'll play some of his stuff later on in the week.

Radio Nowhere

Candy's Room (Live)

Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere

Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuce Week!

Tonight i figured we'd take a listen to a few songs from my first live Springsteen experience. The first track was the concert opener. It's a great version of the track with Bruce on the pump organ.(note the song kicks in at the 2min 30sec mark) As a bonus I've included an acoustic version of Lonesome Day from the same show. Here you go, live from The Richmond Coliseum 10/24/05!


My Beautiful Reward - Live

Lonesome Day - Live

Bruuuuuuuuuce Week!

Okay I'll admit i have a bit of a sickness. I bet i could go through my entire CD collection and tell what store and what city i purchased the album in and be 99% accurate. This is Bruce week so lets talk about when i purchased the Nebraska Album.

I was living in Richmond, VA (this was about 4 years ago) and i went up to Fredericksburg for a friend's grandma's wake. This was during the middle of the week and i had to work the next day so i had to head back that same night. After the wake i went out with some friends for dinner and i had a beer or two so i was pretty relaxed.... and then i headed to the local Best Buy to make a purchase. I was going through a huge acoustic music phase at the time so Springsteen's Nebraska album was on my list of "must haves." Anyways i purchased the CD and instead of hitting the interstate i decided to go down trusty Route 1. This was my favorite way to get back and forth from Fredericksburg to Richmond throughout the years. When driving down that road it almost feels like going back in time. Old farmhouses, general stores, inns, etc (unfortunately due to the development explosion most of it's "old charm" has vanished) Anyways it was around 9pm so it was quite dark but i had clear skies so the stars were in abundance. I Threw in the CD and for about 45 minutes nothing was wrong in my world. I've touched on the power that music has in the night when you're all alone. It's hard to put into words but it was a magical night that I'll never forget. Here's two tracks that kept me company that night.

Nebraska

Atlantic City

Bruuuuuuuuuuuce Week!

Oh yes, in less than a week I'll be attending my first Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band concert. I've only seen the Boss solo so I'm pretty excited.

My earliest memory of Springsteen was when i was 3 or 4 years old. I was living in State College, Pennsylvania just a few years after The River Album came out. My Dad was/is a huge Springsteen fan so the Boss's records were always spinning. For whatever reason i took a liking to Hungry Heart....in fact i used to call it "funny music." Now whenever i wanted to listen to this track I'd demand to be left alone in the basement and I'd get on my rocking horse and go crazy. Yeah guess i was a bit of a strange one.

Hungry Heart (Live)

Wild Card Wednesday! - Vanilla Ice

So I was cleaning up my apartment tonight and while dusting off some videos i stumbled upon my copy of Cool As Ice. I can't believe that i forgot i owned a copy of this cinematic classic. This should be mandatory viewing for everybody. Besides Vanilla this film stars Micheal Gross of Family Ties fame. Gross plays a character in the witness protection program who's daughter falls for the rebellious Ice.....good stuff.

Anyways i posted "I Love You" around Valentines day last year but this may be the best love song of all time so it's worth another listen. The "phone call" part at the end is still my favorite. I've also hooked you up with a track featuring some of Ice's fresh beat boxing skills.

I Love You

Havin' A Roni

Tuesdays With Dylan

That's right it's time for more Dylan. Today let's focus on the The Times They Are A-Changin' Album. It was a tough choice, but these are my two favorites from that CD. I'd like to say congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law for bringing their first child into the world today. As of today I am "Uncle Gomez." -

Boots of Spanish Leather

Restless Farewell

Bridging The Gap - Wilco

Yes it's true..I'm officially ending my "Wilco Ban." I was a bit upset when the boys cancelled their show to perform on Saturday Night Live but after two months I've seen the light. These guys are one of my favorite bands so i couldn't' stay mad for too long...plus i have an August show to look forward to. It's right around my birthday so i guess things work out for a reason. These guys have grown a lot since 1994's AM was released. For one thing only two of the original members are still in the band. In fact the lineup has changed on every album. The first album has a few bright moments but overall they sound like a band you could see in a bar in "Any town USA" on a Saturday night. Throughout the years the albums have taken drastic turns....sounds have ranged from country to rock to electronica to jazz. I've read a lot of reviews about Wilco's newest album saying it was a step back from what Wilco was building up too. I disagree with that statement. I think they just put something out that nobody expected. I don't know about you but i get bored with a band if they keep putting out the "same sounding" music year after year. Side note about the second track . Tweedy wrote this track from the perspective of a someone losing their significant other. Songs about death are sometimes hard to deal with because it's not a favorite topic with most people (no offense to my goth friends out their) but this song puts a positive spin on this inevitable event. I love the way Tweedy describes death as "disappearing into a dream." I've never heard it described that way before. Have a nice weekend.

Box Full of Letters

On and on and On

Click here for more info on Wilco

Some Old Sad Bastard Music - The New Amsterdams

I got the inspiration for these posts from the clip below (i tried posting the clip the first time i had one of these but youtube wasn't cooperating).

I posted some Get Up Kids a few weeks ago so i figured we'd show some love to the former singer of the band.

I caught The New Amsterdams (which at the time was just a solo Matthew Pryor) about four years ago at a club in Richmond, VA. The show had 5 or six acts (a little too many if you ask me) so by the time The New Amsterdams hit the stage about 40 people were left. I was actually excited about this because i got to stand up front without being elbowed or walked in front off every 2 minutes and enjoyed one of my favorite performers. Here's two tracks that fit pretty well into this category.

Forever Leaving

All Ears

Click here for more info on The New Amsterdams

High Fidelity - Monday Tape

Soul Music Sunday - Monty Alexander

Monty Alexander is a jazz pianist who was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. His discography is quite large but I most enjoy his Bob Marley tribute Albums. Here's his take on one of my favorite Marley tunes. You can find this track on Stir It Up * The Music of Bob Marley.

No Woman No Cry

Click here for more info on Monty Alexander

Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry

Totally 80's Friday - Billy Idol

Oh man, i remember listening to the Rebel Yell tape over and over again when it came out. I think part of the reason I dug the song was because my favorite roller coaster at King's Dominion (where i spent many summer days as a kid) was called The Rebel Yell. Here's another one of my favorites from that album. Billy had some great songs come out in the 80's including the track below (see video). Honestly this video used to scare me as a kid (and that Jeopardy video) I didn't realize i was singing along to a song about "self pleasure." Hey i was like six years old, give me a break! Have a nice weekend!

Eyes Without A Face

Click here for more info on Billy Idol

Dancing with Myself - Billy Idol

Wild Card Wednesday! - Milli Vanilli

I used to have this tape (later on i upgraded to the CD) back in the day. I remember after the news got out that they were Lip-syncing, the record company said you could send back your tapes for a refund. I thought that was crazy because I dug the songs..I didn't really care who was singing. Plus i learned all my dance moves from their videos. One of my favorites is the "run in place transitioning to the fist pump" towards the end of the video. (see below) I've got it down pat, and is a go-to "weapon" i pull out at weddings and/or various other celebrations.

The reason I chose to post MV today was that Rob passed away ten years ago to the day (thanks music trivia calendar, once again) from a drug overdose. Like Don McLean once said.."It was the day the music died."

Blame It On The Rain

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Milli Vanilli

Happy Birthday Jimmy Cliff!

I wasn't going to post anything but my music history calendar informed me that today is Jimmy Cliff's 60th birthday. Little trivia for you...Cliff appeared (as a reggae singer..big stretch) in one of my favorite Steven Seagal movies...Marked for Death. I may have to watch it tonight in his honor. Good evening.

Many Rivers to Cross

Sitting in Limbo

Click here for more info on Jimmy Cliff