Photo / set list info courtesy of Backstreets.com

I’m still riding a Springsteen high after seeing him April 3rd here in Arizona. Since then, the show has rolled on to Austin, Tulsa, Houston, and Denver - each stop bringing more surprises for the lucky fans. I thought I’d keep track of the tour premieres on this, the Working on a Dream tour, since it seems the band will be pulling out more treats, and the fact that sign requests have become a staple of an E Street Show, with the Boss honoring requests each stop along the way.

So read on for your one stop shop for all the Springsteen bust-outs as they travel on down that road….

[Be sure also to keep up to date on Backstreets and Bruce's Official Site.]

Read more…

Rock The Boss

Leonard Cohen is another one of those fellas that I kick myself for not getting more into, because I enjoy the little I’ve heard, and I know I’d enjoy his stuff if I just took the time to seek out his work and listen. The smooth, intricate, laid back vibes, the wit and wonder of his lyrics. I mean, I would definitely call “Hallelujah” one of the most brilliant songs ever written. And I gotta say, with Jeff Buckley singing it - well, it don’t get any better.

I’ve started tonight by taking in his new CD/DVD, Live in London. I’ve been grooving for some time, enjoying Cohen’s smooth baritone timber, and the terrific show that he put on for the folks at the O2 Arena last July 17th.

Once again, folks, I sacrifice an awesome collection for the good of the Ickmusic reading populace. I’ve got a brand new CD of the show, and a brand new DVD of the show, and one lucky commenter below will get both gratis.

To enter: it can’t get any easier, really - leave a comment below.

That’s it.

If you’re a longtime fan, maybe you can throw in an album / era recommendation for the newbies out there. Or maybe an anecdote. Or a link to a tasty video. You be the judge. If you’re just getting started with LC, what draws you to his music? What was your introduction to Cohen? Or have you even had one? Do you like gladiator movies? What’s the biggest lake you’ve ever been in? Where’s Waldo?

I’ll pick a winner by next weekend. Good luck!

BUY Live In London

Links: Official Site | MySpace

Live In London Tracklisting:

Disc 1 -

1. Dance Me To The End Of Love
2. The Future
3. Ain’t No Cure For Love
4. Bird On The Wire
5. Everybody Knows
6. In My Secret Life
7. Who By Fire
8. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye
9. Anthem
10. Introduction
11. Tower Of Song
12. Suzanne
13. The Gypsy’s Wife

Disc 2 -

1. Boogie Street
2. Hallelujah
3. Democracy
4. I’m Your Man
5. Recitation w/ N.L.
6. Take This Waltz
7. So Long, Marianne
8. First We Take Manhattan
9. Sisters Of Mercy
10. If It Be Your Will
11. Closing Time
12. I Tried To Leave You
13. Wither Thou Goest

Giveaway Leonard Cohen

For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.

The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!

The Five:

“Oh Sherrie” (mp3) by Steve Perry (from Street Talk)

Perry’s first foray away from Journey ended up sounding more or less like, well, a Journey record (albeit with less Neal Schon). I fondly recall this tune being absolutely everywhere the summer of 1984.

“Workin’ for a Livin’” by Huey Lewis & The News (from Time Flies… The Best of Huey Lewis & The News)

Between “Takin’ Care of Business” and “Workin’ for the Weekend” this completes the perfect trifecta of “Workin’ Man” songs that for some reason always remind me of 80’s Michael Keaton.

“U Don’t Have to Call” by Usher (from 8701)

Between 8701 and Confessions Usher Raymond cemented himself as the go-to Pop/R&B guy. Sure, he may not have Musiq’s or Raphael Saadiq’s soul or Brian McKnight’s velvety voice, but the ladies love him and he can dance his ass off.

“The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground (from Sex Packets)

Ya’ll know this… time to do the Humpty Dance!!

“Ask the Lonely” by Journey (from Greatest Hits)

Apparently iTunes is in the mood to hear Mr. Perry’s voice. I’ll abide…

What’s shuffling up on your player today?

Friday Five Digital Underground, Huey Lewis & The News, Journey, Steve Perry, Usher

Friend of Ickmusic Alan Wilkis shot this remix over to me earlier this week and I simply cannot stop listening to it. With Phoenix coming off their stellar SNL performance (seriously, who did they pay to get the sound right because this season has been the worst for musical acts on SNL) this is ready-made to get you moving. I’ll even go as far as to say that I like the original, but I love this remix. Check it out for yourself…

Phoenix - “1901 (Alan Wilkis remix)”

Alan also let it slip that he’s working on an EP to be released in late May. You can be sure that we’ll have all the details when the record drops.

Buy Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix: Amazon | iTunes

Phoenix Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace

Alan Wilkis Links:  on Last.fm | on MySpace

Electronic Alan Wilkis, Phoenix

After a long hiatus, Eminem is back… and I gotta say, the man knows how to make an entertaining video. His new album, Relapse, drops on May 19th. That’s right - drops.

“We Made You” - Official Video

Hip Hop, Video Eminem

Sure, I could steer you toward the new Neil Young, Richard Swift, or Doves albums - all out this week - but this one’s been on steady rotation for several weeks now, and it would be silly of me not to make this my Ick’s Pick o’ the week. A few weeks ago, I announced myself blown away by this band: Pasadena’s Old Californio, and their new album, Westering Again - largely due to the mind-blowing infectiousness of the opening tune, “Mother Road”.

Well, today’s the day the album is unleashed to the masses, and I strongly recommend you visit one of the links below to pick it up. If you’d be interested in a diverse American album drawing on influences ranging from Gram Parsons and Moby Grape to the Grateful Dead and Crazy Horse, you’d be well served by hearing this album. Here’s my “Mother Road” post that goes into the band and album in more detail. And, you can still rock out to “Mother Road”…

BUY Westering Again here on iTunes or here on CD Baby.

HEAR Old Californio - Riparian High (mp3)

VISIT: Old Californio on MySpace

Ick's Pick, Rock n' Folk, Roots Rock Old Californio

Resident Anglophile Mark returns to Ickmusic with a review of the recent White Lies / Friendly Fires show in Minneapolis. I need to add a “Tell Us How You REALLY Feel” category just for Mark’s colorful posts…  - Pete

Friendly Fires / White Lies / The Soft Pack
April 4th @ the Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis

Friendly Fires

Beginning last Saturday night, the next six weeks of my life will be filled with music from the Holy Land (aka the United Kingdom). This cavalcade of music was actually supposed to begin on March 30th with Bloc Party at 1st Avenue. But sadly, Kele (lead singer and guitarist) was sick, so the show has been postponed until May 4th, which is fine because it fits nicely between Franz Ferdinand and Keane. So,  my first review of the series of shows I will see in April and May (which Pete has graciously agreed to let me write about) begins with the White Lies/Friendly Fires show at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis.

It had been way too long since I had seen a show, let alone a sacred band from the Empire. The last one was Oasis in Chicago last December and, like a man with heavy balls that have not been fully drained in quite some time, I was ready on Saturday to spray my musical love all over the pit of a fucking club. Both White Lies and Friendly Fires sell out much larger venues in the UK, so getting to see them in a place with a max cap of 500 was highly appealing. I was jumping out of my skin in anticipation.

My buddy Ross and I got to the Triple Rock around 9:30pm. I had heard a little about the place trying to be a competitor of First Ave and the Fine Line, but not much. They really have a nice set up which reminded me a lot of the Urban, a popular musician’s club back in the day, because it had a bar that is separate from the music room. So you could chill out on the bar side and wait for the bands to come on, take a break from the noise,  or just hang out all night where the music is playing.  Ross and I chilled out in the bar and as soon as we heard the music start, we went into the other room.

The first band up was The Soft Pack. They’re a very cool band from San Diego who sound much like early Jam. The drummer plays standing up which is always tons of fun. How lucky are they to be out with two big Brit bands! I was immediately struck by how great the sound system was sounding. Yep, a musician’s club.

Next up was White Lies who really got the party started. They have a very 80’s Smiths sound to them. As they ripped through their set, I scanned the crowd to see many boy couples there. Honestly, I hadn’t seen as many men dancing since an 8th grade dance back in my Prairie School days. In fact, a girl standing next to me thought that Ross and I were a couple - asking me where “my guy” was when he went to take a piss. I politely informed her that we were not that cool. Best songs of the White Lies set were “Unfinished Business” and “Death.” Lead singer Harry McVeigh was his typical emo intense glory filled self.

White Lies

Then Friendly Fires took the stage and the place turned into a bloody rager. I first heard their song “Paris” back in late 2007. They essentialy recorded this lush, shoegazing melody in lead singer/keyboardist/loop demon Ed McFarlane’s dad’s garage. It quickly became for me one of those tracks that creates nostalgia for a time that never was or hasn’t happened yet - a key ingredient in all the best music and a typical one in the sounds that comes from the Holy Land (in this case, St. Albans Hertfordshire).

They opened with “Lovesick” a hard bass dance floor corker of a track followed quickly by “Jump in the Pool”- it’s pounding effervescence shimmering over all of us. As the set progressed, the frenetic intensity of the pit grew exponentially-the band running all over the stage playing a wide variety of instruments backed with Prodigy-esque loop tracks- until the song “Paris” came and a nuclear device was summarily detonated. Everyone was screaming out the chorus, “They’ll be out for us!” at the top of their lungs. Arms, bodies, and legs were flailing all around me as I felt comforted and warm in one of the many places I like to call home.

This tour still has dates left in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, SF, LA and SD…so basically out west. I highly recommend seeing this show in such small venues - a rare treat and one that should be honored. So go forth, take the sword from the Lady in the Lake, and buy thyself a ticket to see White Lies/Friendly Fires!

Links:
White Lies: Official | MySpace
Friendly Fires: Official | MySpace
The Soft Pack: MySpace

Rock Friendly Fires, Mnneapolis, Review, The Soft Pack, White Lies

There are two Bruces in the music world I am very fond of. One is Springsteen, the other is Cockburn. This weekend, the perfect storm of shows came to pass: the Weekend of Bruce.  Friday night was the Boss. And on Saturday, the wife and I took off for Flagstaff on an anxiously awaited 24 hour getaway to see Bruce Cockburn.

I discovered Cockburn in 1994, when his great album Dart to the Heart was being played on local radio. It was an amazing discovery for me - his albums date back to 1970 (the year I was born), and I snatched most of them up. Masterful guitar playing, a clear and soothing singing voice, and a very diverse range of subject matter when it comes to the lyrics: from affairs of the heart to land mines, the metaphysical and spiritual to the eradication of Native American culture. He’s a very intelligent and thought provoking man.

It had been about 10 years since I last saw him live, so I made sure I scored tickets early when I heard about it. And that paid off, because we found ourselves in the front row last night (man, what a weekend for great location!).  The setting was the Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff, a great little theater on Aspen Street. It’s a nice long room with a large stage in front, and a bar area in the back which runs a good way along the side of the theater. We were bummed to discover that it closes at the end of April - permanently. Another great venue bites the dust (like they always seem to).

Bruce had three acoustic guitars set up, along with a dobro and a tiny 12-string guitar called a tarango (which originated in the Andes of South America). Out he came in army/cargo pants and a tan jacket, with his gray hair pulled up into a pony tail on the top of his head, and his signature specs. Speaking of gray hair, there was quite a bit of it in the crowd. There were a few scattered “younger” folks like me and my wife, but I would say most of the crowd was 50+ (Bruce undoubtedly has many more younger followers up in Canada, where he’s very revered and well known, as he should be).

On to the music. With a catalog that spans back to 1970, Bruce had plenty to choose from. He reached as far back as 1979 for “Wondering Where the Lions Are”, from one of my favorite albums of his - Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaw. The crowd stayed pretty silent throughout (at the venue’s request, being a quiet solo acoustic show), but Bruce implored the crowd to sing along to the chorus on this one. Nice moment. He also reached back to “How I Spent My Fall Vacation” - a highlight from 1980’s Humans, for the opening song of his encore.

But most of the two sets focused on his tunes from the last couple decades. It was great to hear a handful from Nothing But a Burning Light, Dart to the Heart, and Charity of Night, which were three of the albums that cemented my love for his music in the mid 90’s. “Night Train” and “Pacing the Cage” came from Charity (you may know “Pacing the Cage” from Jimmy Buffett’s version). “Kit Carson” and the show closer, “Child of the Wind” came from Burning Light - the latter song has a simple powerful lyric that I had in my head when I woke up this morning: “I love my sweet woman down to the core.” And from Dart to the Heart, Bruce pulled out the tarango for “Bone In My Ear” [download] - one of the many songs that had me mystified at how this one man can make so many sounds come out of an instrument.

It’s hard to describe Bruce’s finger picking style, but I’ll try. His right hand is fixed in sort of the Hawaiian “hang ten” look - with his thumb providing the bass lines on the top strings, and his pinkie finger resting on the guitar under the strings. The jaw-dropping part is that his middle three fingers look like they’re completely still when you’re facing him. But holy jeebs, the sounds - the amazing picking that generate from the tips of those fingers underneath! I’m always in awe seeing him play live, and even more so last night sitting 15 feet from him. See it for yourself right here.

Other highlights for me: “Last Night of the World”, “Beautiful Creatures” (featuring a hauntingly beautiful falsetto in the chorus), “Elegy” (a slow and sublime instrumental), and of course it’s always great to hear ‘If I Had A Rocket Launcher”.

It’s almost midnight on Sunday night, the end of an amazing weekend of music. It was a once in a lifetime “perfect storm” of Bruce Music, and how satisfying to the soul to sit back and reflect on these past two nights - experiencing two great musicians up close, soaking up all their years of musicianship - such experts at their craft.

Thanks Bruces.

Set List

Set I
World of Wonders
Last Night of the World
See You Tomorrow
Night Train
Pacing the Cage
Lovers In A Dangerous Time
Bone In My Ear (on tarango)
Elegy (on dobro)
Wait No More (on dobro)

Set II
Jerusalem Poker
Beautiful Creatures
Call Me Rose
Kit Carson
Put It In Your Heart
If a Tree Falls
Wondering Where the Lions Are
Celestial Horses

Encore
How I Spent My Fall Vacation
If I Had A Rocket Launcher
Child of the Wind

Acoustic, Local Bruce Cockburn, Flagstaff, Review

Well that was one for the ages. Bruce and the Band rolled into town yesterday for the first time in seven years. I decided to do it right, and show up early for a chance in the “pit”, the fenced off section at the foot of the stage. Of the 960 people who showed up for numbered wristbands, I was one of the 400 who made it in.

The only person I know who’s willing to put in the work for the pit experience is my brother Dave, and he’s in Boston, so this was a solo mission. A “mission from God”, as Elwood put in the Blues Brothers.

Last night was only show # 2 of the Working on a Dream Tour. But just a couple minutes into the opener, “Badlands”, it was clear that Bruce and the band were in prime form, and were feeding off the raucous energy of the Arizona crowd (seven years is a long time to wait!).

Of the new tunes, “Outlaw Pete”, “My Lucky Day”, and “Working on a Dream” were well received – but he really connected on “Kingdom of Days”(which he sings with his wife Patti) and especially “The Wrestler”. With Nils Lofgren on acoustic guitar, Bruce poured it all out at the mic, and surpassed the studio version, I thought. [You can see the video from last night at Bruce’s site].

It was great to experience “Seeds” live – a hard luck rocker that appears on the Live 75-85 box set. Nebraska’s “Johnny 99” followed it – the full band version. And then “The Ghost of Tom Joad”, with Nils blazing on lead guitar.

Bruce was  taking requests, too. The signs were abundant in the crowd. Before “Working on the Highway”, Bruce worked the crowd and collected a handful. The “winners” were “Downbound Train”, “Because the Night”, and, later, “Rosalita” during the encore.

“Downbound Train” is one of my all time faves – I wonder how man car hours I’ve logged singing that song at the top of my lungs – and it was so nice to hear it / see it right in front of the man.

The atmosphere last night was absolutely electric: Bruce and the band grinning ear to ear, The “Big Man” Clarence Clemons even shuffling across the stage. “The Big Man’s dancin’!” Bruce cried…

Since I was solo, and could really let the Bruce fan in me rear its geeky head, I Twittered the whole set list. Also, I hung around the arena after the show, looking down on the loading dock a few hundred feet below, watching the roadies load the trucks, and Bruce and the Band’s fleet of black limos and SUV’s waiting for their passengers. At about midnight, Bruce came out of the arena and got into the front passenger seat of his luxury SUV. Two police motorcycle escorts led the way up the ramp. The next thing I see? Brake lights. And off to the races I went. The Boss stopped on the street, rolled down his window, and signed for the few lucky fans who waited it out. After running a couple hundred yards, I had him sign a 5×7 card I had tucked in my back pocket, and I think I said to him: “Bruce….Gammage Auditorium! [where he signed my tour program in 1996]… love you… *heavy breathing…” Leave it to Bruce to make me feel like a pimply 16 year old…

As I walked back to my car in the cool desert air, I was on cloud nine. Mission accomplished, and faith rewarded.

See my photos from the night here in my Picasa album.

Setlist:
Badlands
Outlaw Pete
My Lucky Day
Night
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Working on the Highway
Downbound Train
Because the Night
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The Wrestler
Kingdom of Days
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
* * *
Hard Times
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Rosalita
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land
Dancing in the Dark

Local, Rock Review, Springsteen, The Boss

For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.

The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!

The Five:

“Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” by Beastie Boys (from Paul’s Boutique)

20 years ago this was ground-breaking and it stills sounds just a fresh. One of the archetypes for the rap-rock and nü-metal of the 90’s, this is just one of the many reasons Paul’s Boutique will always be, for me, the B-Boys magnum opus.

“Alfie” by Lily Allen (from Alright, Still)

Lily embarked on her US tour earlier this week in support of her latest It’s Not Me, It’s You. This is one of my favorite tracks off her debut; it’s sprightly and cheeky with a melody that will stick with you for days.

“Us and Them” by Pink Floyd (from Dark Side of the Moon)

It’s a rainy day here in the northeast and this track fits the grey day perfectly. I don’t visit the Pink Floyd in my collection nearly enough.

“Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA (from Gold: Greatest Hits)

No comment.

“Busted Stuff” by Dave Matthews Band (from Busted Stuff)

I’ve been looking for an excuse to share this…

I’ve not been so geeked out to over 60 seconds of music in ages (go to about 1:05 to hear the tunes). The new record is going to slay. Hearing Roi’s cadence, so clear, strong and vital blowing into some of the funkiest sounds the band has produced in the last 18 years put my arm hairs on end.

It’s your turn, what’s getting you through this afternoon?

Friday Five ABBA, Beastie Boys, Dave Matthews Band, Lily Allen, Pink Floyd