None More Black

Those still depressed over the state of the music industry should go see the Black Keys. Akron's finest will make you forget about those rampant "American Idol" conspiracies and the latest round of major-label layoffs. They have an infectious energy these days, one that's hard to rival.

Go see the Black Keys. They popped by New York's Terminal 5 last night (May 15), giving 3,000 people a shot in the arm. In more ways than one, they're a revivalist band to the core. They've mastered blues rock with a twist, inserting spacey noodles during "I Got Mine," while slowing things down to a crowd-quieting hush during "You're the One."

Early on, they exploded out of the gate with the poppy "10 A.M. Automatic," the hard-hitting "Set You Free" and the raw stomper "Thickfreakness." Frontman Dan Auerbach, his Ohio family looking on, channeled Hendrix on his six-string, while drummer Patrick Carney, hunched over his kit, bashed away as if his very life depended on it. It was all a potent reminder that once upon a time, knowing how to manipulate guitar and drums was what rock bands were made of.

They're going to Europe next week, but will be back in August for another round here in the U.S. Maybe you should go. -- Michael D. Ayers

Idol Chatter: David vs. Goliath-sized head

With the finale less than seven days away, Jaded Insider has decided to do a little by-the-numbers "Idol" breakdown of last night's episode:

Votes: 56 million

Guys named David left in the competition: 2

Circumference of one of said David's head (may or may not be proportionate to the percentage his ego has bloated): 82

Tears shed during hometown visits (which we were pleased to see more of): Hard to say. Mostly because David Archuleta did not. Stop. Crying.

Times David Archuleta said "gosh" during his trip home: Incalculable, as we lost count around 34, and that's only what they showed on-air.

Oil changes we've had at the Wal-Mart in David Cook's hometown: 3

Flat tire's we've had on the interstate driving through David Cook's hometown: 1

KC/DC posters: 1

Year Fantasia channeled with her Ziggy Stardust-like hair: 1972

Inseam of her backup singers' outfits: -5

Ford cars in some sort of perverse "heaven:" 7

Tears shed by Syesha after the cut: 0. Cause, like, duhhh.

Shots we plan on taking during our annual "Idol" season finale party: 13

See y'all next week!

Idol Chatter: In Which David Archuleta Fails to Connect with the Urban Market

Maybe the producers shoulda let poppa Archuleta stick around for the remainder of the season, as last night David Archuleta chose to sing, erm, Chris Brown’s “With You” for the annual hit-or-miss judges/contestants/producers pick night. The bordering-on-toppling-over swaying! The “boo” reference! Dude’s a Mormon from Utah. The only thing that sheltered child has in common with Chris Brown is age.

David Cook was as predictable as we predicted he’d be, pulling out all the requisite hard-core stops for apparently his favorite non-Our Lady Peace band Switchfoot and, yes, Aerosmith.

Syesha sang a song about penguins! And it kinda sucked! Which is unfortunate, cause she needed a big night to make it through to the final round. Prohaps bringing in a live tap-dancing penguin or, hey, even another Robin Williams appearance would have helped her out.

So looks like the Davids’ll be duking it out come finale time, though it'd be nice to see Syesha in there. What can we say, America’s a sucker for big-headed gimmicks and youthful innocence.

Meanwhile, what was with the town visits getting cut short? Where were the Wal-Mart parking lot trips? The keys to the city? All we got was a handlebar mustache and several iPhone shots. Bo-ring.

R.I.P. Marmoset's LonPaul Ellrich

Billboard was saddened to learn today that LonPaul Ellrich, a longtime heavyweight of the music scenes in Bloomington, Ind., and Indianapolis, passed away on May 7. Ellrich is the second major scene figure to pass away in recent months, following Evan Farrell last December.

Services will be held tomorrow (May 14) in Indianapolis. An online tribute is underway on MusicalFamilyTree.com, a hub for past and present bands from the Indiana scene. A PayPal fund has also been established for Ellrich's son Rupert.

Ellrich played or worked on projects from an array of Indiana acts, including Sardina, the Mysteries Of Life, the United States Three (he was particularly close with that band's Vess Ruhtenberg), June Panic, Some Girls, Jorma Whitaker, the Panoply Academy and the Impossible Shapes.

But he's probably best known for his work in Marmoset, one of the more beloved bands on (and one of the earliest signees to) Bloomington label Secretly Canadian. The group's most recent album, "Florist Fired," was released last year.

On a personal note, Ellrich worked behind-the-scenes on an album by the Bloomington band Uvula, which was released early in the decade on a short-lived label I ran with two other IU alums. I only met him a handful of times during the album's genesis, but he was always a voice of reason when corresponding with my partners and I by phone and email. After all, we had no idea what the hell we were doing, and he was kind enough to help us through the rough spots.

Ellrich was also about to begin producing recordings by two dear friends of mine, Mitch Harris and Erica Siegel. "As sad as I am that this will not happen, I am grateful to have had a glimpse of his wonderful insight," Mitch wrote on Musical Family Tree.

"Though most knew him as an amazingly subtle and musical drummer, LP was very much a Swiss army knife," reads a tribute on Secretly Canadian's Web site. "He could sing, play guitar, break out a fucked up keyboard part, it didn't matter. His primary instrument was his sheer taste in music and unending -- sometimes to a fault -- need to realize what he was hearing in his brain." -- Jonathan Cohen

My Top 8: Riskay

We continue our My Top 8 series with Florida's own Riskay.

By now, you've seen it, and likely quoted it and wonder if it works. That's right folks, Riskay's "Smell Yo D*ck." The video has been making heavy rounds on YouTube, Perez Hilton (who has posted a video of himself singing the song) and your little cousin's Bebo profile page. It's a cheating song, plain and simple, and a gross one at that. Riskay make no qualms confronting her lover on his wrongs, and her method of revealing his indiscretions is disquieting at the least, hilarious at best.

The Drama Queen checked in with Billboard to tell us who is in her top 8 on MySpace.

1) Steven Wesley - This is my 1st cousin, who is a football player for the University of Miami. I'm very proud of him for getting a full scholarship to attend college so I added him as #1 in my friend's list.

2) Real - He's my label mate on I-4 Trackblazers label and he also raps on my song, "Smell Yo D*ck."

3) Lil Chaney Bee - This is my lil cousin, and is now on l I-4 Trackblazers with me. He raps on my song "Krispy Kreme."

4) Bigg Baby - He's the CEO of I-4 Trackblazers and a longtime friend of mine. He was the one who gave me my chance to shine.

Continue reading "My Top 8: Riskay"

American Idol: I Shot The Tambourine Man

Oh Jason Castro, I gotta say, you will be missed. Even if you remind everyone of the guy they wish they hadn't dated in college. Stoner geniality takes you a long way on this show - especially when you confess to Ryan Seacrest in the middle of your booting that someone described your Tuesday night performance as "I Shot The Tambourine Man" - and I certainly hope it gives you a career playing beach bars on both coasts for the next 20 years.

But on to the critical matter of the show - the American Idol/Ford ad. What the hell? The remaining four dressed up as neon-bedazzled matadors and, like, tried to kill a car or something to the tune of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Surprisingly, the look was least flattering on Syesha, in that they made her up to look like the devil's hybrid of one of the En Vogue ladies from the "Free Your Mind" video and a character from a Pedro Almodovar movie. However, if the chatter about Castro maybe possibly tanking his two performances is true...then by God, this was the ad that drove him to it. Watch it here.

Dancing in the Internets

Between posing for creepy pictures with her father and being a tween pop sensation it seems that Miley Cyrus has been participating in You Tube dance battles. Jaded Insider wants you to take a moment to let that concept sink in. YouTube. Dance. Battle.

Continue reading "Dancing in the Internets"