Marty Stuart & Me

Just last night at Mountain Stage I got to meet one of my earliest musical influences, Marty Stuart. If you're not familiar with country music you probably have no clue who Marty Stuart is. He started out playing with Lester Flatt (one ofn the fathers of Bluegrass) when he was something like 13, and has been sort of a country music educator and purist, not to mention hit-maker, ever since. But even as somewhat of a purist he's shaped up a form of country that rides the fence between commercial modernism and traditional heritage very nicely. He's a guy who has never stopped learning.

Before I talk about our brief meeting, I'm going to reflect on how Marty's music became such an influence on me.

I'm pretty sure the first time I saw/heard Marty was at my friend TJ's house. We were just running through the living room and I remember seeing the video for “Cry, Cry, Cry" on CMT. I was WAY too young to know that it was a Johnny Cash song and that Marty was doing his part to keep the great music alive (this is long before the second coming of Cash, via Rick Rubin). The video was so sparse, especially by today's standards. It was Marty on vocals and guitar, a stand-up bass player, and a drummer playing a snare with brushes and maybe a bass drum. I just remember that he was standing up. They all stood in front of a white background with the occasional close up of Marty in those tight-ass jeans, twitching his hips like a geriatric Elvis might have.

I stared at the TV until the video was over and I saw who the singer was. I wouldn't become enthralled though until his first duet with Travis Tritt hit the airwaves, "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'." What a song. My family probably wishes they'd never recorded it, because for a month at least, it was the only thing playing out of my stereo. It was catchy, it was fun, and it was stereotypically country
"I need one good honky-tonk angel/To turn my life Around
And that's a reason enough/For Me to lay/This old bottle down
A Woman warm and willin'/That's what I'm lookin' Fo-woah/
Cawz the whiskey Ain't workin anymore. . ."

What a song.So I borrowed my sister's boyfriend's copy of the Travis Tritt tape that had "Whiskey" on it and I was kind of into Travis Tritt for a while there. But then came the second duet, "This One's Gonna Hurt You." This time it was on Marty's album of the same name. This tape, I'm nearly positive, was the first tape I ever bought with my own money (at Magic Mart in Rainelle, WV). However I couldn’t locate it when I went digging through my tapes. I managed to find “Tempted,” which could be the second tape I ever bought, so that would have to suffice as an autograph carrier for when I met the man himself.

I shook Marty’s hand and told him he was one of the major influences that made me do what it is I do today. “It’s all your fault” I joked.
“I’m sorry!” he laughed.
I pulled “Tempted” out of my pocket and I said “This is the first tape I ever bought with my own money,” to which he replied, without hesitation, “Oh, you want your money back?” He agreed to sign the tape sleeve for me and posed for a picture. I didn’t bother him any more that evening besides a tap on the shoulder and “Great job,” after his set (like he needed ME to tell him that).

There’s something printed in the linear notes to “Tempted,” that makes me think Marty hadn’t just chose “Cry, Cry, Cry” because it was an obvious hit worth recycling. And I doubt that Rick Trevino’s cover of Marty’s “Honky Tonk Crowd” did for other listeners what Marty did for me by redoing Cash.

“I mean hard rockin’ Hillbilly Music. That’s what I feel. I’m a bridge between past and the future. Johnny Cash once told me that to be a rebel in Nashville without offending anyone was to abide by the traditions of the past, and keep evolving and expanding into the future on your terms. It flatters me that people that have never heard of Roy Acuff happen to like us too! And that gives me a chance to tell ‘em about ACUFF.” Marty Stuart–1991

What I wish I could’ve conveyed to Marty last night was that he’d done just that- Over a period of years of course. Hearing Marty lead me to Cash, and Cash led me to Hank, and Hank to Roy Acuff and the circle keeps going and going. So, even though I may’ve came off as just another giddy Marty Stuart fan, I really hope that Marty knows he’s influenced me so greatly, and hundreds and thousands more just like me. He’s continually shaped his own sound on his own terms. And by going into the past, for his latest record “Badlands,” Marty has again taken his career into the future on his own terms.

You see, Badlands is somewhat of a concept album, put together in remembrance and reverence for the Native American people, especially those of North Dakota. And Marty isn’t exploiting them by any means. He’s once again playing historian; documenting through music the travesty and injustice done to the Native Americans by us pale skins. He’s making sure that history doesn’t repeat it self. After all, those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it.

Marty is an example of the continous proof that I can never learn it all. There exists evidence that those who yearn for knowledge, of any kind, will forever be searching. You see, the more the thirsty drink, the more they want for that quenching. I’ll never stop learning about music, nor will I ever be satisfied knowing what I know. I’m only satisfied when I’m learning. There’s always more out there and, for me, hearing it is not enough.

Every single thing out there was inspired by something or someone else, and it probably wouldn’t exist without the inspiration. It’s not exactly a vicious cycle, but a vicarious circle. And just like the spirit of those Native Americans and the spirit of Hard Rockin Hillbilly Music, the circle will be unbroken. By and By . ..

Survey of Sickness (Music Survey)

My good friend, (on MySpace, but more importantly in real life as well) Camellia posted this in her blog (instead of making a bulletin, bless her heart) and I thought to myself "FINALLY! A survey that I won't care to waste my time on."
So here we go. . .*rubbing hands together* this is gonna be fun!

1. Of all the bands/artists in your cd/record collection, which one do you own the most albums by?

James Taylor, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Alice In Chains.

2. What was the last song you listened to?

"Reuben"-The Be Good Tanyas

3. What's in your record player right now?

ahhhhhhh, "record player" you ask:-) Right now its Hank Williams "40 Greatest Hits" Side III.

My Disc-changer has Aqualung-"Strange & Beautiful," Iron & Wine "Woman King EP", Bettye LaVette-"I've Got My Own Hell To Raise", The Be Good Tanyas "Chinatown", and Joni Mitchell "Court & Spark".

4. What song would you say sums you up?

That's too tough of a question to answer, especially with just a song title. If I said "More Than Words" by Extreme you'd probably think I associate it with a girl in my life when in actuality that song represents countless moments and mind boggling revelations that have shapped me into who I am. But it has nothing to do with being in love with a girl. But just about every girl I've ever dated has had to listen to that song. Is this why I'm single?!?
It must be said that whoever the hell just re-did it, I heard it for the first time yesterday and I just wish I could watch Nuno punching you in the face, breaking your synth beat maker over his knee, and then ripping his royalty money out of your back pocket.

5. What's your favorite local band?

They're not exactly local anymore, since I moved back to WV, but A Fine Line is one of my favorite bands all around. La Bianca kind of makes me want to kill myself, but in the best way possible. Maybe they could use that for their press kit. Out Of Orbit is another amazing blacksburg band that has migrated to Raleigh.

6. What was the last show you attended?

Austin City Limits Festival. See my three previous blogs.

7. What was the best show you attended?

Cyro Baptista and Beat the Donkey, Floyd Fest 2004 changed my life forever. Thanks to them every other live band has something serious to prove.

8. What's the worst band you've ever seen in concert?

I came to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers but Queens of the Stone Age were awful and loud. Those two things are never good together.

9. What band do you love musically but hate the members of?

It's not fair b/c I don't know very many bands personally, but from the outside looking in I'd say F-N Weezer. I don't like anything about this band except their catchy ass riffs.

10. What is the most musically involved you have ever been?
My goal in live is to be "musically involved" during every waking second. But I've definately never been in two bands at once or anything.

11. What show are you looking forward to?

*Mountain Stage Taping this Sunday with Marty Stuart and Patty Loveless two of my earliest country music influences)
*Mountain Stage November 6th with Billy Joe Shaver who will hopefully sign my copy of his autobiography "Honky Tonk Hero"
*Avett Brothers- November 11th @ Rosewood Theatre, Morgantown WV12.

What is your favorite band shirt?

Probably the incubus t-shirt I made as a Group Leader at my sister's Vacation Bible School. We dipped carrots (why?) in paint and made shapes. I just kind of smeared "enjoy. . .Incubus" with some weird spacey looking apparatus.

13. What musician would you like to hang out with for a day?

If I could meet anyone that's alive right now it would probably be James Taylor. But I actually enjoy hanging with P. Kellach Waddle and Stephen, Adam and Delky from A Fine Line, but we kinda like hanging out lots of days.

14. What musician would you like to be in love with for a day? I've thought about this long and hard. Frazey Ford from the Be Good Tanyas. If I came home after a long day at the office and she was waiting for me when I got home, ready to sing one of her songs to me, I would be in love with her for the rest of my life.

15. Metal question-Jeans and Leather vs. Cracker Jack clothes?I choose to replace this question, b/c it pertains more to image than music and I feel bad already for saying I'd love a women for her singing ability alone.

15.*redux*What is the first album you ever bought with your own money?
Marty Stuart-"This One's Gonna Hurt You" (cassette, of course)

16. Sabbath or solo Ozzy?
I'd probably rather hear Sabbath, but I'm not really into anyting with Ozzy singing. Except for that "Dreamer" song he did a few years back. I like that b/c it's catchy as hell and represents everything that ISN'T "Prince of Darkness."

17. Commodores or solo Lionel Ritchie?

Both baby!

18. Punk rock, hip hop or heavy metal?

Um, can I just say country and jazz?

19. Doesn't Primus suck?

According to their slogan, right? I saw them on Farm Club and the crowd was chanting precisely that.

20. Name all flawless albums:

No way am I going to name all of them, but here are the ones that come to mind.

*Thelonious Monk- Monk's Music
*Red Hot Chili Peppers-Blood Sugar Sex Magik
*Arcade Fire-Funeral
*Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers
*James Taylor- Gorilla
*Jeff Buckley-Grace
*Joni Mitchell-Court & Spark
*Metallica-...And Justice For All
*Janis Joplin-Pearl
. . .they keep coming to me. We could be here all night.

21. Did you know that filling out this survey makes you a music geek?

No, I'm filling this survey out because I was a music geek long before this.

22. What was the greatest decade for music?

Stupid Question. Its worth a shot. . .if you asked me this in real life you'd go home thinking "I shouldn't have asked him that."
For Jazz: the 20's and then again in the 50's.
For Rock: Maybe 1954-64? As long as you can fit Elvis and Hendrix in there, I guess its ok. But there's no Hank nor Zeppelin.
For Country: I guess 70's, but the purest stuff to me is still Roy Acuff and Woody Guthrie

23. How many music-related videos/dvds do you own?

Way too many to list, especially if you include all the late-night guests, storytellers, and various PBS concerts and documentaries I've taped throughout the years.

26. What is your favorite movie soundtrack?

I think in recent memory the Garden State and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There's a new movie out called "Thumbsucker" and I think its all Polyphonic Spree and Elliot Smith, so it has to be good. We can not forget Wayne's World. I think that may've been the first time I heard Hendrix (dating myself beyond belief here).

27. What was your last musical "phase" before you wised up?

I don't really regret any of my phases, but people always laugh when I tell them I listend to Marty Stuart during the invent of rap and Hootie & the Blowfish when grundge was awesome.

28. What's the crappiest CD/record/etc. you've ever bought?

I've only sold 3 CDs back in my entire life.

Maroon 5-Songs for Jane, Queens of the Stone Age-Songs for the Deaf and Hootie and the Blowfish, Self-titled from 2003 or something.

I have to quote Camellia here too: "uhhh, i usually try to avoid buying crappy music. . ."

29. Do you prefer vinyl or CDs?

Well, if I had to move them, it'd be CDs. But if you asked me if I'd rather hear Johnny Cash singing "Cry, Cry, Cry" on vinyl or CD, I wanna hear the mono-shit baby.

30. All totaled, how much do you spend on music a month?

You can never own enough music, but I probably average at least $30 every trip. I try to keep it under $50, which is a ridiculous amount of money.

DS

Austin City Limits Festival-Day Three

ACL FEST- Day Three

In this, the third and final Austin City Limits Music Festival blog, I’ll tell you what’s up with the acts I caught (and didn’t catch) and try to boil the whole weekend into a top 5 favorite performances. Unfortunately, there weren’t nearly as many cool t-shirt quips to take note of, so there’ll be no more of those. In lieu of that, I’ll recall a shirt I saw at a Mountain Stage taping in Charleston, WV on the back of a balding, 40-something man who, remarkably, showed up alone.

“Feminist Chicks Dig Me”

And when I told him I liked his shirt (b/c I’d like to think they dig me, too) he said “Yeah, and I dig them right back!”

Onward with the show reviews!

Because of a night of moderate (yet responsible) alcohol consumption, we weren’t exactly up and raring to go by 11 o’clock Sunday morning. Which only meant one thing; I didn’t get to catch Rachael Yamagata. This girl is from Chicago I think and her debut EP blew me away. Her full-length debut wasn’t as artistically forward thinking as I’d hoped, but it’s a great batch of songs anyway. So, still having no live performance validation for my support of Rachael Yamagata, I suggest you give her a listen. Start with the EP if at all possible. It’s a mellow, slow-boiling mix of piano and electronic loops that will put you to sleep or put you in the mood, and it’s great for both. The standout tracks on her full length “Happenstance” are “Letter Read” (think of Fiona Apple’s “Criminal Vol. 2”) and “Be Be Your Love” (will make you think of Carly Simon and Alicia Keys).

The first act I did see was Rilo Kiley. Their last album was their first on a major label I believe, but they started out in the Omaha indie-rock scene that spawned Cursive, The Good Life, and Bright Eyes. The first song I ever heard of theirs, “The Evolution of All Things,” went over really well live, and the other stuff swerved between jangled guitar driven rock to synthesized drum loop pop, and they’re not afraid to drop the F-bomb every now and then either. And, for all you dudes, their singer, Jenny Lewis, is a skimpy little red-headed fire-ball, which helps to get press if nothing else.

It has to be mentioned that Rilo Kiley went on at 2:30 in the afternoon on a record high day. And when it’s a record high in the state of Texas, that means 109 degrees; the highest temperature for that date since 1923. This is why, as you’ll see in my pics, I carried my Bentley-inspired black umbrella with me and unceasingly waved my free Heineken fan while I watched every drop of alcohol perspire through my skin. The guitarist told a story about how the band had been using a “mint conditioner” on their hair. As UN-rock & roll as that sounds, he said “It’s sweating into my eyes and . . .fucking really hurts!”

In my “Day Two” blog I mentioned one of my favorite music journalism tools, the 3 Song Treatment, or 3ST for short (abbreviation-another great tool of the pen-wielding music snob). While I utilized the 3ST for Death Cab the previous afternoon, on this day I chose to apply it to another one in the long line of brit-dance-rock buzz generators the Kaiser Chiefs. First of all, none of these bands sound any different than the Franz Ferdinand I’ve heard, so they will undoubtedly become faceless one-hit wonders just like hair-metal 80’s bands and the “Boy & Girl” quartet singers of the Brill-Building songbook of the late 50s/early 60s.

*Flash Forward to a coffee shop conversation 20 years into the future*
“Aw Man! Do you remember that song “I predict a Riot” by Franz Ferdinand back in the Aughts Decade?”

“Naw, dude, I’m pretty sure that was the Kasabian.”

“You’re both wrong, dudes. Don’t you ever watch VH-1? It was the Kaiser Chiefs, you fools!”

This 3ST yielded an opposite effect as the Death Cab set. Whereas three songs by Death Cab can take upwards of 15 minutes, a 3ST for the Kaiser Chiefs lasts barely 7 or 8. So I decided, since I wasn’t having a bad time, that the Chiefs deserved something more like a 5ST. The most entertaining part of this set was listening to the Brits whine about how hot it was. “Like Mork,” the lead singer said, “This is how I drink now” as he poured a bottle of water over his ear.

I had to wonder how many people remember “Mork & Mindy.” I just remember Mindy saying “Mork, why are you stacking cheerios?” to which he replied “Because they stack easier than corn-flakes.”

Anyway, it was water down the back and Heineken down the hatch for the singer who wouldn’t let the heat stifle his drinking. So, if you’re not a fan of cheesy, pogo-inspiring, disco-drum punk-guitar rockers that sing plenty of “oohs” “ahhs” and “na na nas” then the Kaiser Chiefs are not for you. Or maybe you liked this stuff back when it was called Gang of Four.

For anyone who likes Queens of the Stone Age (and I don’t particularly, but there are definitely worse rock bands) you might get a kick out of the Austin grunge/metal/country (!!)-trio Grady. The guitarist even had a double-necked monster like Jimmy Page or Steve Vai. They came off like a redneck QOTSA, or Chevelle after too much whisky and a bottle of chill-pills.During Grady’s set a plane advertisement flew over head. “US Out of Iraq Now” it said. “Somebody paid for that,” my new friend Andy said “Maybe John Prine.” (See ACL Day 2)

I realize that I type way too much about the acts I don’t like and not enough about the really great ones. A paradox, I know. Honestly, if it’s good beyond words, you just need to find somewhere to listen to it, as is the case with Arcade Fire. You’ve probably read something about this motley crew from Montreal, and you probably thought “could it be THAT good?” The answer is an unequivocal “YES!” It’s art-rock like this that makes bands like the Kaiser Chiefs seem completely irrelevant and imbecilic. But that’s not fair to either band. There were 9 people on stage and they were all switching instruments between songs; standard stuff like guitar, bass, drums and keyboards mixed with xylophone, two violins, French Horn, tons of extra drums (including motorcycle helmets and the shittiest sounding splash cymbal ever) and ACCORDIAN!!!! And I didn’t know that slamming a tambourine against the pickups of a hollow-body electric guitar could sound so cool.

For the love of all that is good, someone re-establish the validity of the Grammy award by giving these guys one.

The tall and short on these guys is they wrote an incredibly artistic album inspired mainly by some deaths in the member’s families. The album art folds out like a program at a funeral service, hence the name of the CD, “Funeral.” But it’s not a mopey or depressing album. It’s an album that will reward you every time you listen to it, and you’ll be listening to it until you’re 40. At one point in the show, there were dueling xylophones! Who does that!?!?

They perform in tuxedoes, cocktail dresses, and nice ties and the girl who played keys and accordion even jumped behind the drums. One of the percussion guys wailed so hard on the above-mentioned shitty cymbal that he collapsed on the stage. The camera guy stuck to him too, perhaps trying to coax him out of what could’ve been a dehydrated catastrophe caught on tape. These guys aren’t so much a band as an avant-garde indie-art-rock orchestra, and every single member put their ass into the set, despite the heat. Not only did they make it look easy in suits and ties in the sweltering heat, they made it look like they were having fun. I hope these guys are still making records this time 10 years from now.

I saw some of the Decemberists, and I couldn’t tell who sucked more, the band or the guy doing sound. It could’ve all been blamed on him, but throw a terrible sound mix in with some quirky, REM style cryptically vague-ass lyrics and Andy and I decided on a trip to the merch tent to buy “Funeral.”

I’ve never been into Wilco too much, but I prepped myself by listening to “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” on the way to the airport. Tweedy puts on a great show and he’s an amicable front-man now. I’m sure things were slightly different when he was on drugs. He told the crowd he was coming out of his shell by asking them to scream on cue. Everyone obliged and Tweedy concluded “All right! Groveling is the new Asshole!” “Life’s too short,” he yelled, “Please, God, show some enthusiasm!”

Their music covers so much ground. One minute they’re sounding like ZZ Top with a fuzzy guitar riff, the next it’s a bouncy piano rag tune. The highlight tracks that I actually knew the names of were “Handshake Drugs,” “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart,” and one that I think is called “Jesus Ect.”

In-between Wilco and Coldplay was The Black Keys. This is a drum/guitar duo from Akron, Ohio that have no problem shoving Hendrix inspired rock down your throat until you choke. The drums were so wailin’ and the guitar was so raunchy, it makes you want to take a shower. Or was that the incessant clouds of dust whipping through the air? Either way, not too many bands are doing pure, unadulterated rawk the way the Black Keys do it. Take their last album “Rubber Factory” and put it next to the most kick-ass guitar album you can think of, and see if it doesn’t eat the Black Keys dust.

The reason I love this group is the way the guitar sounds like Hendrix. Its more than just the fuzz too, it’s in the way the singer mimics his own vocal lines on his guitar just like Hendrix did. I don’t know if this is because Hendrix was certifying his pitch, but it comes across as pure genius to me. And the Keys do it as a supplement to song structure, which I totally dig. One highlight of the entire festival was hearing them do “She Said She Said” by the Beatles “You’re making me feel like I’d never been born”.

And then there’s Coldplay. The video wall was all we were seeing since we waited through the entire Black Keys set, but there isn’t too much to see at a Coldplay show except Chris Martin over working himself at the keyboard. I wanted to hear how the new stuff off of “X&Y” came across live, but aside from the opener “Speed of Sound,” the rest were all hits from the previous two albums. I didn’t stick around for the entire set, so I’m sure there was some more new stuff, but “Politik,” “Yellow,” “Clocks,” and “Everything’s Not Lost” were all huge crowd pleasers. Martin is a good entertainer though. He couldn’t stop talking about the Arcade Fire and how they inspired Coldplay to keep writing songs (after an initial shock that told them to quit forever) and he even threw in some Austin-specific lyrics that thanked the loyal for sticking it out in the heat.

So, two weeks and 3,000+ words later, the moment of truth has arrived. Here are the top five ACL performances as chosen by Dr. Sickness . . .


1. Arcade Fire
2. Gov’t Mule
3. Aqualung
4. Black Keys
5. Thievery Corporation

Austin City Limits Festival: Day Two

Austin City Limits Festival Sept. 24th, 2005

It has been a little over a week since I returned from Austin and I can honestly say I still wish I was there. I feel like this thing called “life” is slowly moving along with out me, and the time to make things happen is now. I’ve always complained that there’s nothing for me here on the farm. Now the time has come to find “something” elsewhere. The necessity lies in urgency; if I mope around and sulk long enough I’ll eventually start thinking complacently again. When you’re away from this land of “Dawson/Grassy Meadows” for any amount of time you realize “This is what I’ve been missing!” But upon reentering the economic dust-bowl you tend to give up easier and fall back on your “It’s not that bad” mentality. IT IS THAT BAD!

This time, I refuse to recoil. This place honestly has nothing for me at this stage of my life. I feel positive that I could retire here, but that is at least 40 years from now, if I’m lucky. At this rate of employment, I may be working well into the after-life.

But I digress- this blog is about Austin, more specifically, the 2nd day of this year’s Austin City Limits Festival. It was an incredible experience for me, having never been to Austin, and would have to be considered the same thing for any unashamed music-dork.

I kept track of some really great T-shirt slogans amidst all my nitpicking of bands. I’ll disperse some of them among my concert reviews, beginning with this one, from the King Dork of all Music Dorkdom- Frank Zappa (I hope I wrote it down right):


Information is not Knowledge/ Knowledge is not Wisdom
Wisdom is not Truth/ Truth is not Beauty
Beauty is not love/ Love is not music

Music is the BEST.


The day started just after 11 a.m. with some hometown action from Kasey Crowley. This girl had an 80 lb. body with a 2 ton voice to put behind her country-pop balladry. She had sweet-sixteen prettiness about her that I think could help her make some crossover waves, especially if a production team like The Matrix got a hold of her. I can’t believe I’m actually encouraging someone to work with Avril Lavigne’s producers, but hell, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind being on time with the rent for once. Not that she lacks anything besides commercial success. Her songs were great; “Cinderella in motorcycle boots” is enough to melt the hardest of hearts. Yet she seemed genuinely gracious and grateful to be there for her 2nd ACL Fest. If I had to compare her to a modern country artist it would probably be Sara Evans’ earliest stuff. She was singing very personal lyrics, but they had some universal connection points which, to most, are a good indicator that bigger things are to come. Make the audience say “I feel ya” or “Yes, I’ve been there too!” and you’re on your way.

Another one of the weekend’s high points, for yours truly, had to be Aqualung. Matthew Hales is the songwriter and he’ll never live down his comparisons to Coldplay and Radiohead, but in all honesty, I’d take Aqualung over either of them. Their music is way prettier and somehow more heartfelt than Coldplay yet none of the lyrics are cryptic warblings like Thome Yorke and company (No “Green plastic watering cans” to be found here).

Tracy Bonham, who’s own CD I haven’t heard yet, came out and played violin on “Brighter Than Sunshine,” the album’s single, with John Darling adding some guitar. I think it would suffice to say that everything I love about Radiohead and Coldplay, without all the things I hate, make Aqualung my choice in Brit-pop right now. The album is “Strange & Beautiful” and the best tracks are the title track, “Brighter Than Sunshine,” “Left Behind” (with fantastic Radiohead cymbal bombast) and “Easier to Lie.” Great stuff that all came off really well live. I stood by the sound booth and heard some of the pre-show communication between the engineers and the backstage crew. It seems that just about every band these days has a laptop on-stage with them, either for an extended drum loop or, in this case, for some intro music. Sound Engineer over-the-radio : “Ok guys, she’s going to walk on stage and hit the space bar and the intro music is rolling. .” Sure enough, he was right.

A FLAMING LIPS 2004 TOUR T-SHIRT: “Real Blood Is Not Fun”

A couple songs serendipitously found their way into my ears at ACL. Songs that I may not have caught otherwise, but I was glad they did. I happened by the AMD stage just as The Frames finished covering “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash. Make that one thing I know about The Frames: “they do ‘Ring of Fire’ at their live shows.”
The other song I just happened to catch was that piano ballad by Jet. What a great song! I don’t even know the name but it sounds more like Elton John than it does Jet, and the chorus goes “Look what you’ve done, you’ve made a fool of everyone.” I could even see a light in some onlooker’s eyes that said “I didn’t know JET sang this song!”

If you’re into the Killers, the Bravery, or any of this other new-wave revival hubbub, then check out Austin’s own What Made Milwaukee Famous. Their name is also the slogan for Schlitz beer, which I’m sharing with you because I have drank Schlitz on more than one occasion but realize that not many people have suffered such fate. These guys aren't from Milwaukee and weren’t even supposed to play, but they filled in for Nine Black Alps. As if getting called to play the festival wasn’t a big deal, WMMF had opened for Arcade Fire and the Black Keys the previous evening and were doing a taping of ACL with Franz Ferdinand later that night. When their CD gets shipped to college radio, the label will say “RIYL: The Killers, Jimmy Eat World, and My Chemical Romance.” That would be a pretty good indicator of their sound.

Although my skin was still sweltering from the heat, John Butler Trio made the time pass much easier. This guy is an Aussy that plays acoustic guitar funk with bass and drums. It comes off as a cross between Hendrix and Ben Harper with some of the shifty soul bounce of Robert Randolph (who’s set I left to catch the JB Trio) and the blues-drenched delivery of Keb’ Mo’. In other words, Butler got more soul than any one white man should’ve been allotted. “Treat Yo Mamma” could’ve been a big hit, and judging by the dancers and pot smoke, no one cared that it wasn’t!

PALE BLUE T-SHIRT WITH WHITE LETTERS: “I French-kissed Kelly Kapowski”

A tool I like to use at these festivals is something called the “Three Song Treatment” or the 3ST for short. The 3ST is great whenever you’ve never heard a band or there’s been so much chatter about them prior to the event that you can’t help but catch their set. You listen for three songs, and then you’re free to leave or stick around. You can get a good idea about any band in 3 songs. No band should HAVE to put their best material in the first three songs, but they at least deserve your attention for that long. Besides, anyone can write ONE good song and sometimes you need to hear two bad songs in order to prove this theory correct.
Since Death Cab for Cutie has literally been plastered all over EVERY magazine I subscribe to (Rolling Stone, Blender, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Maxim and Interview) in the last 3 months, I had to at least give them the 3ST. Unfortunately, when a band like Death Cab boasts 6 minute long songs, epic-like length for a folk-lover such as I, even the 3ST leaves you stranded for almost a half-hour.
Just as I’ve finally accepted that the White Stripes do, indeed, rock (nearly 4 years after the fact), maybe I’ll jump on the Death Cab bandwagon after their publicity ground-swell has subsided. But for now, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. That said, I hope they’ve bought their publicist a new house. I have to say I like Postal Service stuff a lot more, too.

BALD GUY’S T-SHIRT AT JB TRIO: “Old Guy's Rule.”

Saturday at ACL was the shortest of the three, for me, mainly because I was still recovering from Friday and I was too tired to even TRY to give a shit about Oasis, the Drive By Truckers, or Widespread Panic. In my mind nothing any of those bands could’ve done would’ve topped the Dirty Dozen Brass Band anyway. I’ve always wanted to see these guys and even hardly being able to see as I was, it was an incredible show. Have you ever heard a saxophone squeal? It ain’t easy, just let me say. And neither is trying to suppress your ass from shakin’ when the DDBB is on-stage. Sometimes a journalist has to throw his pen in the air, put the notebook back in the bag, and just let the music pump your heart for a while.

WHITE BASEBALL SHIRT WITH TWO SQUIRRELS DANCING: “Squirrel on Squirrel Action!”


Currently listening:
Strange and Beautiful
By Aqualung