Do you have days like this?

In other news, if you're ever looking for some new, exclusive music you can't find anywhere else, pop on over to Daytrotter. They post exclusive, live in the studio performances from a ton of artists on an almost daily basis. Just looking today, I see they have some new stuff up from AA Bondy (of Verbena fame) and Mason Jennings (local MN singer/songwriter). So head on over there and check it out! If you look to the right, you'll see that I added a permanent link in the "Links" section.






This week is Mudhoney week in America, as they have 2 new releases in stores. Go here to watch a live performance from Seattle's Easy Street Records on the day "The Lucky Ones" and the "Superfuzz Bigmuff" Deluxe Edition were released to the masses.

New music Thursday

Check out this page and read a pretty killer article with John Davis, talking about the return of Superdrag and the recording of their new album. Plus, you can listen to (and download) a song that should be on the new album titled "Filthy & Afraid". It's pretty damn fantastic if you ask me. No release date on the new album yet, but I'm gunning for a summer release.






I've heard 8 tracks off the new Weezer album, and I think this one is shaping up to be a winner. It's not what I was expecting at all - they are definitely treading new musical waters........Weezer's new album is in stores on 6/24.






Also on the new release horizon is "Evil Urges" from My Morning Jacket. They take a lot of crazy turns on this new one, but I think this'll be another record that will be spending a lot of time on the stereo this summer. "Evil Urges" will hit store shelves on 6/10.

New Nine Inch Nails!

Nine Inch Nails has released their new album, the slip, online today. If that's not good enough news for you, maybe the fact that it's 100% free of charge might entice you to pick it up (or download it down). Head on over to www.nin.com and grab it!

Here's the tracklisting:

'999,999'
'1,000,000'
'Letting you'
'Discipline’'
'Echoplex'
'Head Down'
'Lights In The Sky'
'Corona Radiata'
'The Four Of Us Are Dying'
'Demon Seed'

News wrap-up

First off, I'm sad to see the news about Danny Federici's passing. Danny was the keyboardist for the E-Street Band for 40 years. Honestly, I really don't know what the man looked like, but I know is contribution to the Boss' music will be sorely missed. Go to the Boss' website for some video of Danny in action.

The rest of the news I had was all stuff that you can find at rollingstone.com, so go there for some entertainment until I get some original thoughts to jot down. May you all have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to give your loved ones a hug and a kiss from me.

Pork and Beans

Weezer's new single is streaming in high quality at their website. Go check out the song that is gonna be blaring out of all your car stereos this summer!

Sight for sore eyes

It's about time these guys got back together.....

Photo by Charley Gallay/ Getty Images

Friday, June 6th - Roy Wilkins. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, April 12th.

Sick of Goodbyes

Here's a great song put out by a band called Sparklehorse back in the 90's. It can be found on their record titled Good Morning Spider. They have put out several albums that are all superb, and this song has spurred me to grab all their albums again (I probably sold them all in college to fund my cribbage habit).



Also, Rolling Stone has their Spring Music preview up on their site here. Loads of good stuff coming down the pipe, including Weezer, Neil Diamond, and Mötley Crüe. Kickstart my Heart indeed.

It's all going to go downhill from here

My wife was kind enough to locate my first gray hair for me the other morning. It was a huge strand that was sticking out of my melon like a sore thumb. So, on top of me losing my hair, it's now turning gray. Awesome!








In other news, the 1st track from Mudhoney's new record, The Lucky Ones, can be heard at this location. Check it out if you need to hear some good ol' Seattle grunge this morning. The new record hits stores on May 20th.




And finally, if this is true, I will be the happiest camper of them all.

Salute Your Solution

Superdrag in the studio

Yesssssssssss

From The Raconteur's site:

The Raconteurs are happy to announce that in one week's time their second album, entitled "Consolers of the Lonely", will be available EVERYWHERE Tuesday, March 25.

"Album" meaning: full length vinyl, CD and digital formats; and "everywhere" meaning: local mom and pop indie retailers, corporate superstores, supermarkets, iTunes, Amazon, the band's own website and any other location that could get the record up and going this quickly (some places couldn't move this fast, so they will join in as soon as they can).

It contains 14 new recordings and is being released globally on Third Man Records in conjunction with our marketing/distribution partners, XL Recordings and Warner Brothers Recordings.

With this release, The Raconteurs are forgoing the usual months of lead time for press and radio set up, as well as forgoing the all important "first week sales". We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and THEN marketing and promoting it thereafter. The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by its first week sales, pre-release promotion, or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it.

Another purpose was to also allow people to have their own choice as to exactly which format they would like to hear the album in IMMEDIATELY, rather than having to wait for their favorite format to become available. The band are also not releasing any version of this record that contains bonus tracks.

The band also prefer that fans buy the album as a whole instead of breaking up the tracks, but until iTunes and other digital services allows bands to release their albums with the option of NOT breaking it up, it will be sold in that fashion on those particular sites. On the band's website however, the album will be sold in its entirety as an mp3 at 320kb bit rate. Also in Japan, fans will be able to download the record via their mobile phones, as that is how a majority of recorded music is consumed there.

The reason we are announcing this release one week ahead of time is because of retail pre-ordering and stocking, information about this album's imminent release was bound to come to light and could be confusing to fans.

Also in the event that the record leaks, we didn't want this method of release to be seen as a REACTION to such a leak. It's not. The actual worst thing about a leak is the usual poor sound quality, aking to watching a movie on a wristwatch instead of in a theater. Which for the album's creators is a bit of a letdown, it is completely up to the listener.

There will be a video up to on the internet for the first single, "Salute Your Solution", on the 25th as well, provided it gets edited in time. We just filmed it the other day!

We hope not to confuse anyone with too many options, or deny them the formats that they like best. The Raconteurs feel very strongly that music has worth and should be treated as such. Thank you for all those who respect music in this fashion, and thank you to our label partners for working with us to get this album to fans in as many formats as possible all at once.

Thank you, and we hope that you enjoy "Consolers of the Lonely".

Sincerely,
The Raconteurs

I'm very pumped that more and more bands are skipping the months and months of pre-promotion before an album is released and just getting their stuff in stores (Radiohead and NIN are a few current examples). Hopefully this is a trend that will continue.

Catchup

Saw the Foos and the Hives last week. Foos were reliable and consistent; Hives pretty much rocked my socks off. I think the $33 difference between the ticket prices may have something to do with it. Here are the reviews from the Strib from these shows - I'm too lazy to type out my own thoughts at the moment.

Foo Review
Hives Review

Nine Inch Nails has just released a new record this evening on the Internets. 36 instrumental tracks. You can get a download of the album for a measly 5 bucks. I've been trying to snag it, but the site is just getting pummeled at the moment. Anyways, you can check out some of the tracks at http://ghosts.nin.com/.

Weekend highlights

• Friday night - went to a fish fry with the folks, and then went home and ironed the drapes. Shel did all the ironing - I did all the taking down andre-hanging of the drapes. Pretty exciting stuff for a Friday night, huh?
  
• Got a body age assessment done at LifeTime Saturday morning. My body age is 33, and I'm a bit disappointed in the results. Now I've got a good set of goals to reach when it comes to getting physically fit. I'm hoping to get a heart rate monitor for workouts, and possibly signing up for a fitness class. I think that any investment you can put towards your health is a good investment in my book. Now I just need to make sure that I stay committed so that my wife thinks it's a good investment as well.
• Had Jen, Bill and Jimmy over for jerk chicken kabobs and risotto Saturday night - everything turned out delicious, and we got in a few rousing games of Guitar Hero in as well. The evening ended with a few drinks over at the neighbors (or did it????????).
• Got up at the non-rock & roll hour of 7:30 AM on Sunday morning to prepare for a church gig at 8:45. Got to church at 8, had a quick rehearsal, and proceeded to ROCK THE HOUSE! We were at the top of our game and did a pretty decent job. One of these days, I'll post the gig schedule so that my vast blog readership can come and see what all the fuss is about.
  
• Went cross country skiing for the 1st time yesterday out by Lake Minnewashta. 4 bucks for an hour of fun (and a few spills). I have what appears to be the imprint of part of a ski on my back, but we had a blast and look forward to doing it in the future.
• After skiing, it was off to Floyd's for some liquid refreshment and a few rousing games of bingo. We didn't win any games, but it was a good time nonetheless.
• Our day ended with a pizza dinner with Shel's mom, and an early bed time for everyone in the Heiland house. All in all, it was probably one of the best weekends we've had in a long time - lots of fun, and we got a few productive things done as well.

!!!!!!!!FOOS ON TV ALERT!!!!!!!!

The Foo Fighters will be playing on Letterman this Wednesday, February 20th. Set your Tivos!

On another note, there's this new band out there called The Gutter Twins. The band is primarily composed of 2 legendary singers - Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers) and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age). These 2 gentlemen are displayed to the left of this post. They have an album called Saturnalia that is coming out on Sub Pop in a few weeks. The stuff I've heard from it has been pretty incredible. Their whole record is steaming at this site - check it out and be amazed. These guys will be playing the First Avenue mainroom on Saturday, March 8. If I can make it, I'll be there with bells on. For 11 bucks, how can you go wrong?

I've got a girl and she likes to shop

Been pretty swamped over the past few weeks and haven't had much time to update this thing. I hope everyone had a splendid Valentine's Day.

New update from The Raconteurs myspace page:

"The Raconteurs are currently finishing up their second album in nashville, tn.
They promise to release it as soon as they can."



They put out a fantastic 1st record, and I'm looking forward to their sophomore effort.

That's about all I have for today - maybe I'm make some more lengthy and intersting posts this weekend.

A taste of things to come

Here's a little preview of what you can expect at the Foo show coming up at the Target Center in a few weeks. This is what they've been opening up with on the current leg of the tour. Delicious...



Also, did you know that the Hives are playing First Ave the night after the Foos are in town? Quite the week of rock we have to warm us up next month.

Happy Friday

I don't have too much to say. Just glad the weekend is upon us. Here's a video for your viewing pleasure.

To be continued

As an addendum to my previous post, check out this sweet ass discussion about people's favorite memories from First Ave:

Also, the Hives are rocking First Ave the day after the Foos are in town. I'm so tempted to hit it up - $21 after fees. Soooooooooo tempting....can one person handle that much rock in 2 days?

Quick ramblings

Just got back from Scottsdale....quite the difference in weather, but it's good to be back home. Here's a few items for your perusal:

• The Foos have an official blog!
• Here's a cool story in the Strib about the behind the scenes magic that happens at First Ave.
  

Greetings from Tennessee

Fantastic news from superdrag.com!

Lastly, the rumors are true, it's official: Superdrag's original line-up will reconvene in the recording studio in February to begin work on our first new recording project together since 1998's "Head Trip In Every Key." I can't say much more about the songs themselves (apart from what's already been posted on our MySpace page which will be the only "official" taste of the new music until the record drops), but I will say that this HAS to be our best album, otherwise there's really no point, is there? We are wholly committed to breaking the Law of Physics that states, "REUNION ALBUMS, BY DEFINITION, MUST BE TERRIBLE." So we'll see how it goes! Personally, I am really excited about the way the new music is unfolding and I hope you will be too. I am really thankful to be working on new music with Brandon, Don and Tom this year.

My holiday gift to you.............

Enjoy the fruits of my labor today....a good 3+ hours tinkering around in the basement today has resulted in the following cover songs for you to enjoy. Listening to the playback, I've noticed that my voice sucks ass, but hopefully you can get past that and get a kick out of them anyways. I don't think you can actually download the songs at this point, so if you really want them, let me know. Happy Holidays!

Best of 2007

I hope my readership had a great holiday....I'm finally recovering from all of the running around we took part in. 5 holiday events in 4 days - insanity. I've got the day off today, and have boatloads of things to take care of, but I thought I'd start it off with my annual "Best Records of 2007" list. Here are my Top 10, in no particular order:

• Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
• Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
• Radiohead - In Rainbows
• The White Stripes - Icky Thump
• John Davis - Arigato!
• Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
• Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
• Frank Black - Bluefinger
• The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
• Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band - Live In Dublin

There it is kids. Let me know your favorites from this year in the comments section. I'll be sending you a special holiday present later today, so stay tuned!

Long Road to Ruin - alternate take

Just stumbled across this alternate shot of the new Foo video. Brought a smile to my face, and I don't even have any computer speakers!

Holy canoli, Batman!

Check out the new trailer for The Dark Knight right here! This movie is going to be so badass.

New Green Day tunes?

You be the judge - check out the "Foxboro Hot Tubs" right here. This isn't the first time that Green Day has released music under another band name...I'll be curious to see how this all shakes out. They have 6 tracks available for download, and they appear to sound like 60's rock and roll. Check it out and let me know if you think it's the boys from Green Day or not.

EDIT - I'm pretty sure it's Green Day. And it sounds pretty damn awesome.

Teenage angst has paid off well

I get up around seven...

My brother Jeff and I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Slash yesterday at the Mall of America. He was there signing copies of his recently released autobiography, "Slash". Looks like the publishers thought long and hard about the title.

We arrived at the MOA around 4:30, and after picking up the book, we proceeded to stand in line for the next few hours. During the wait, we got to listen to Velvet Revolver's new album about 3.5 times. I wanted to pull the remaining hair from my head out after about the 2nd playback. It's an OK album an all, but it just started to get on my nerves after a bit.

Slash took the stage around 6:15 and got right to work. There was no funny business at this event.....no pictures were to be taken on the stage, and he'd only sign the book. My brother caught the above image on his cellphone. I got to spend about 3 seconds with him - we shook hands and I told him thanks for coming. All in all, he seemed like a pretty laid back dude, and I'm looking forward to cracking into the book. My one regret is that I wish I would have picked up a few more books to get signed - it appears that a bit of a profit can be made on these things!

In other news, the White Stripes have released a video for their new single, "Conquest". And you can check it out for your viewing pleasure right here - enjoy!

Magazine on the cheap

Are you interested in getting 11 issues of a music magazine, filled with articles & reviews, as well as a CD sampler featuring new music, for as low as a buck a subscription? If you're like me, then you are. Check out the Paste Magazine website for details. There, you'll find more details about what you can expect from the mag. Check it out, and name your price for the subscription. I just placed my order for 11 issues for the whopping price of 1 dollar!

Free songs!

During Superdrag's recent stop in Chicago, they entered a local studio and recorded 4 songs live to 2-track. You can listen to the fruits of their labor at this location. The songs they recorded are as follows:

1. Tell Me I'm Not Free
2. Sold You An Alibi
3. Senorita
4. Cynicality

Feel free to enjoy these at your leisure.

I'm tired........so tired

There's a fantastic interview with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer fame at this location. The article goes into detail about the demo compilation that Rivers is releasing next month, containing many Weezer/solo tunes that have never been released or heard by anyone. Check it out - it's a great read! The band has been known for posting tons of their demos online in the past, so I'm definitely looking forward to giving this a listen on December 11.

It's a "2 for the price of 1" Friday!

Hey kids....the weekend is upon us, and I bring to you 2 treats that hit the airwaves last night. First off is a medley of "The Pretender" and "God Save the Queen" that the Foos did at the EMAs last light.



Second, I bring to you the video for the new Foo's single, "Long Road to Ruin". Looks like they've finally hit their funny bone again, after a string of pretty serious performance videos. Enjoy...

R.I.P., Mr. Goulet

My little Princess

Here are a few photos that were taken of our cutie pie yesterday at a friend's house in Minneapolis. Our weekend was spent running from one activity to the next, and we wore Evie out pretty good. Hopefully she can find it in her heart to forgive us.

Rock star mug shots

Happy Friday everyone....if you're looking to waste a few minutes today, flip through the gallery of pictures here. It's a pretty humorous collection of rock stars (like the gentleman to the left) that have been thrown in the clink.

Big weekend ahead - lots of Halloween activities for the little one, and an adults night out as well. I'm hoping that my sweet wife will make a pit stop at a Best Buy that's doing a midnight sale for Guitar Hero III on Saturday night.

Enjoy the weekend, and make sure to spend as much time outside as possible. It boggles my mind to look around the neighborhood after work, and see everyone all cooped up in their homes while there's still daylight and it's gorgeous outside.

Cheat code to unlock all of the songs in Guitar Hero III

YO RB RO GB RY YO RY RB GY GY YB YB YO YO YB Y R RY R Y O

Freaky

My computer crashed, and I'm loving every minute of it!

As you may have noticed, things have been awfully quiet around these parts. A lot of that has to do with the fact that our home PC took a crap on us about a week ago. This turn of events has actually been kinda cool, even though it'd be nice to have a machine that's working again. Here's some benefits of not having access to a computer 24/7:

1. Spending more time with the family
2. Getting more things done around the house
3. Getting more sleep
4. The chance to sit down and read a book
5. The opportunity to sit in the basement and play/listen to music for the first time in awhile
   

In general, I feel like I've been a little more focused at home. While it'd be nice to get access to a PC again for simple things like iPod management, it's not too bad to be without the internet for awhile. Try it out sometime - you might like it.

For those of you with the internet, here are 2 items to check out:

• Go here to check out some Soundcheck performance that the Foo Fighters did for Wal-Mart.
• I was listening to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion last night, wondering what in the hell they've been up to lately. Apparently, MTV has been having the same thoughts - check it.
  

Feeling a little Surly

I just stumbled across this company today, and it looks like they have a helluva product. Surly Brewing Co. is a local beer company that has been in business since 2005. They currently have 2 beers (Bender and Furious) that are available year round. They also come up with several specialty beers that are available during various times of the season. I've never tasted it, but I have a feeling that I'll be picking some of this up in the very near future. I'll give you my taste test report after the pickup mission has been completed. In the meantime, visit their website to learn more about the brewery. A link has been added to my links section on the right-hand side for future convenience. Cheers!

Buy this album!

John Davis, the lead singer/guitarist of a little band called Superdrag, has a new solo album out called "Arigato!". He recorded it at the Foo Fighters' studio in LA. Click on the link below to pick it up for only 10 bucks!

Guitar Hero III tracklisting

Here's the final tracklisting for Guitar Hero III, due in stores on Rocktober 28th:

AFI - “Miss Murder”
Aerosmith - “Same Old Song and Dance”
Alice Cooper - “School’s Out”
Backyard Babies - “Minus Celsius”
Beastie Boys - “Sabotage”
Black Sabbath - “Paranoid”
Bloc Party - “Helicopter”
Blue Oyster Cult - “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll”
Bret Michaels Band - “Go That Far”
Charlie Daniels Band - “Devil Went Down to Georgia”
Cream - “Sunshine of Your Love”
Dead Kennedys - “Holiday in Cambodia”
Die Toten Hosen - “Hier Kommt Alex”
Disturbed - “Stricken”
DragonForce - “Through the Fire and Flames”
Eric Johnson - “Cliffs of Dover”
Foghat - “Slow Ride”
Gallows - “In the Belly of a Shark”
Guns N’ Roses - “Welcome to the Jungle”
Heart - “Barracuda”
Heroes Del Silencio - “Avalancha”
In Flames - “Take This Life”
Iron Maiden - “The Number of the Beast”
Kaiser Chiefs - “Ruby”
Kiss - “Rock and Roll All Nite”
Lacuna Coil - “Closer”
Living Colour - “Cult of Personality”
Matchbook Romance - “Monsters”
Metallica - “One”
Mountain - “Mississippi Queen”
Muse - “Knights of Cydonia”
NAAST - “Mauvais Garcon”
Pat Benatar - “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”
Pearl Jam - “Even Flow”
Poison - “Talk Dirty to Me”
Priestess - “Lay Down”
Queens of the Stone Age - “3’s and 7’s”
Rage Against the Machine - “Bulls on Parade”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Suck My Kiss”
Revolverheld - “Generation Rock”
Santana - “Black Magic Woman”
Scorpions - “Rock You Like a Hurricane”
Slayer - “Raining Blood”
Slipknot - “Before I Forget”
Smashing Pumpkins - “Cherub Rock”
Social Distortion - “Story of My Life”
Sonic Youth - “Kool Thing”
Stevie Ray Vaughn - “Pride and Joy”
Superbus - “Radio Song”
Tenacious D - “The Metal”
The Hellacopters - “I’m in the Band”
The Killers - “When You Were Young”
The Rolling Stones - “Paint It, Black”
The Stone Roses - “She Bangs the Drums”
The Strokes - “Reptilia”
The Who - “The Seeker”
Velvet Revolver - “She Builds Quick Machines”
Weezer - “My Name Is Jonas”
White Zombie - “Black Sunshine”
ZZ Top - “La Grange”

Whistling

Over lunch, I made a visit to the local LifeTime fitness center. While getting ready in the locker room, I was enjoying some of the sweet music they play over the in-house speakers. Today, I was kicking it to some "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy Holly. For those of you that know the song, the melody isn't too complex.

Some joker comes waltzing into the locker area, whistling along to the song. Wait, let me re-phrase that. He was trying to whistle along to the song. Whistling to a song without changing the note you are whistling is not encouraged. It just doesn't make any sense, and I have no idea why someone would do it. It goes against all whistling regulations.

So, if you are in violation of this heinous crime, please stop. I can get you help. Maybe even give you a lesson or two. For practice, I would recommend listening to "Patience" by GnR, "Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn & John, and anything by this man.

New Radiohead!

Release date - October 10
2 options:
Discbox (includes everything above + electronic download)
Electronic download only

I'm super excited for this release! What a cool idea, and how badass is it for a band to announce the release date of an album 10 days before they're going to put it out?

Here's the tracklisting....find more details at www.radiohead.com

CD 1 AND VINYL
15 STEP
BODYSNATCHERS
NUDE
WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
ALL I NEED
FAUST ARP
RECKONER
HOUSE OF CARDS
JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
VIDEOTAPE

CD 2
MK 1
DOWN IS THE NEW UP
GO SLOWLY
MK 2
LAST FLOWERS
UP ON THE LADDER
BANGERS AND MASH
4 MINUTE WARNING

Happy days are here again

Another work week is about to bite the dust. In this neck of the woods, daylight is diminishing with every passing day, which kinda sucks. We have been having some gorgeous nights however, and this weekend is shaping up to be just as nice. Evie and I will be going to watch Mommy kick some butt in a 5K tomorrow in Victoria. Some possible deck work, as well as a party on a deck, may be in the cards as well.

If you're looking for something to entertain you during the workday today, be sure to head here and check out the 10 best Foo Fighter videos (voted by NME). These were posted to celebrate next week's release of their new album. Hopefully my readership has their pre-orders in already, or has made plans to get to the record store first thing Tuesday morning and snatch it up.

I experienced a first last night. We were in the beginning stages of prepping some pizzas to cook on the grill. While Shel was getting a few ingredients together, I decided to head downstairs and kick out a few quick tasty licks on my new amp (which can be seen here - it's minty). I had the amp at what I thought was a pretty low volume....maybe at a 2. Apparently, it wasn't quiet enough. I didn't hear her, but apparently my daughter opened the door to the basement and was yelling at me to turn it down. Boy, I wish I would've heard her...I would have laughed my ass off. That was the first of many times that I'll be told off by my daughter...

Here's an article on The Hive's new album.

That's all for now kids - have a killer weekend.

Video killed the radio star

Buttloads of new videos this morning! First off is a cool little feature that Bob Dylan is doing to promote his new greatest hits collection coming out next month. My creation is below, and you can make your own messages here.



Next up is a tasty number for the MTV VMAs a week or so ago. This is from the Foo Fighters' suite party. Be amazed by the power of Eagles of Death Metal!



Last up is a bit of late breaking news - The Foos have announced that the next single from their new album will be "Long Road to Ruin" (track number 4 for those who have heard the album ;-)). This is one of my favorites from the new one, and you can check out a live rendition of the track below. Boss!

This movie looks like it'll be a hoot

I'm so excited

And I just can't hide it.

The Boss is back in town

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band are back in stores with a new album, Magic, on October 2nd (the vinyl version will hit stores on September 25th). The first single, "Radio Nowhere", is available for download through the iTunes store for 1 week, for FREE! Go get it now!

Also, the band will be at the Xcel Center on 11/2 (tickets go on sale 9/22).

And finally, check out this new interview with Brooooce here. One, two, three, four!










Magic tracklist:
1. Radio Nowhere
2. You'll Be Comin' Down
3. Livin' in the Future
4. Your Own Worst Enemy
5. Gypsy Biker
6. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
7. I'll Work for Your Love
8. Magic
9. Last to Die
10. Long Walk Home
11. Devil's Arcade

The Prentender

With being out of town last week, I've been dropping the ball on keeping my vast readership abreast of the latest buzzing in the music world. For this, I sincerely apologize, and I present you with the first video from The Foo Fighters' Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace.

Queens at First Ave

The Queens of the Stone Age rolled into town on Saturday night and put on a slamming show. I was very pleased with the setlist, as they pulled out tasty tracks from their back catalog, as well as some of my favorite cuts from the new album. Michelle gave the show a B-, which I think is a tad harsh. But I can see where she's coming from, and here are the reasons why:

1. We have definitely been spoiled in the past, as we had the opportunity to see the band at the 400 Bar (much more intimate venue) with Dave Grohl on the drums, which never hurts.
2. Josh Homme (guitar/vocals) is in urgent need of knee surgery, so he's basically playing in pain every night. So that may have affected the performance somewhat.

Regardless, I thought they put on a fine show...I'd give it an A- (it would've been nice if they threw in a track or two from Rated R).

Here's the setlist:

You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire
Do It Again
3's & 7's
Tangled Up In Plaid
Avon
Regular John
Into the Hollow
Misfit Love
Suture Up Your Future
Burn The Witch
Turning on the Screw (YAAAAAYYYY! The one song I needed to hear, and they delivered.)
The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died
Little Sister
Make It Wit Chu
Sick, Sick, Sick
Go With the Flow
Song for the Dead
I Think I Lost My Headache

Viva La Vinyl!

Vinyl is a beautiful thing. It provides us with tracks you normally wouldn't find on a compact disc. Like the songs below.

Foo Fighters - Never Talking To You Again
Oranger - Bizarro

QOTSA at First Ave tomorrow. I'll provide a show report when I'm functionable.

Hate to say I told you so

Your favorite band from Sweden will be hitting record stores on October 9th with The Black and White Album. 1st single Tick Tick Boom should be hitting iTunes any day now.

The family is gearing up for a nice little vacation next week. We take off on Sunday for Webb Lake in WI for a little R n R. Next Saturday brings us to the Queens of the Stone Age show (which recently was relocated to First Avenue). Should be a killer time.

Looking for something to do?

Give this game a whirl....only takes a minute or so. My current high score: 139.823m.

Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace artwork

Guitar Hero III tracks

Here's a partial listing of songs that will be included in Guitar Hero III, due for release on Rocktober 29th:

* “3’s and 7’s” – Queens of the Stone Age
* “Barracuda” – Heart
* “Cherub Rock” – Smashing Pumpkins
* “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll” – Blue Öyster Cult
* “Cult of Personality” – Living Colour
* “Even Flow” – Pearl Jam
* “Knights of Cydonia” – Muse
* “La Grange” – ZZ Top
* “Lay Down” – Priestess
* “The Metal” – Tenacious D
* “Miss Murder” – AFI
* “Mississippi Queen” – Mountain
* “My Name Is Jonas” – Weezer
* “The Number of the Beast” - Iron Maiden
* “One” – Metallica
* “Paint It, Black” – The Rolling Stones
* “Paranoid” – Black Sabbath
* “Raining Blood” – Slayer
* “Reptilia” – The Strokes
* “Rock and Roll All Nite” – Kiss
* “Rock You Like a Hurricane” – Scorpions
* “Sabotage” – Beastie Boys
* “School’s Out” – Alice Cooper
* “She Builds Quick Machines” – Velvet Revolver
* “Slow Ride” – Foghat
* “Suck My Kiss” - Red Hot Chili Peppers
* “Through the Fire and Flames” - DragonForce
* “Welcome to the Jungle” – Guns N’ Roses

Chaos in the Minneapple

As I'm sure you've all seen in the news, we were rocked by the collapse of a bridge on 35W yesterday. This morning was filled with calls and e-mails from people checking in to make sure everyone was OK. I'm very fortunate in that no one that I know of has been directly affected in this tragedy....makes a guy feel pretty damn lucky to be alive today. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and those affected, as well as the crews that will be working in the wreckage.

On a completely unrelated and trivial note, the new Foo single, The Pretender, is out for your listening pleasure. Check it out at their MySpace page.

Shuffleitis

I've been running into a problem with my iPod lately. It's a problem that I have created a brand new word for - Shuffleitis. Shuffleitis occurs when you run into a string of songs on your iPod where you continually have to fast forward to the next song. I can probably blame this predicament on myself, since I was the one who loaded all the music on the dang thing. I have come to the conclusion that there are 3 cures for this condition:

1. Trim the unnecessary fat from the library. While this method would prove to be extremely time consuming, it would result in remedying the frustrating symptoms that are brought on by Shuffleitis.

2. Create custom playlists. This solution basically takes the randomness out of the equation, as the user is in complete control of what songs come up, as well as the order in which they are played. This takes any surprise element out of the listening experience, but you are left with a group of songs you know you'll be satisfied with.

3. Target in on specific albums/artists. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you are in love with the entire Kenny Chesney catalog. For those of you that have that artist that can do no wrong, just cue them up and select "All". This can also apply to those albums that you can play from front to back without skipping a song. While these types of albums tend to be few and far between these days, they are still out there.

In closing, I hope I've been able to reveal the best ways to overcome this evil condition. If any of you out there happen to have any insight to cures for Shuffleitis, I encourage you to leave your feedback here.

I feel old

I hope you all got to enjoy the beautiful weather we had in MN this weekend. I got to take part in the Lion's softball tournament in Victoria on Saturday. Actually the tournament goes all weekend, but we only got to play Saturday, because we don't really gel as a team. Anyways, I hit pretty well, but my body is paying for it today. I'm not sure if it was all the playing, or the mass quantities of fluid that went down my beerhole, but I feel pretty beat up. Probably not as bad as my compadre, Mike D:
That's his knee. It happened when he fell down in the outfield, flailing after a ball. He's gonna be fine, but he might have to sit out for a few weeks, which blows.

Here are some other items of interest that I've stumbled upon over the past few days:

• I went to college with this guy.
• Want to make some paper sculptures for your desk? Check this out.
• The last Harry Potter book is out...I've never read a one, but I'm thinking about just reading the last one to find out what happens. Should be a good time saver.
  

Superdrag reunion

The original Superdrag lineup is reuniting for 6 shows this fall. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the Chicago show, but here's hoping that more dates are added. Here are the tour dates:

October 05 - Nashville, TN @ City Hall
October 13 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
October 20 - Knoxville, TN @ Barley's Taproom
November 02 - New York, NY @ The Fillmore
November 03 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
November 08 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

And, in case you have no idea who this band is, check out this little ditty and see if it jogs your memory. This was their only real "radio hit", but they have a great catalog of just good ol' power pop/rock tunes. I strongly encourage any fans of good music to check them out.

Happy hump day

We've reached the hump of the week, and things are looking allright. The weather has been nice and cool, just like the gals in my life. And have you been in a music store lately? Holy crap, has this been an awesome week for new albums. New Pumpkins, Interpol, and a re-release of the Foos' classic second album, The Colour and the Shape, have been the highlights for me.

Mtv.com has posted a cool article detailing the "Pinkerton effect" (albums that were crapped on when they were initially released, but after time were recognized for how kickass they truly are). Give it a read here.

And finally, it looks like someone found another way to throw $600 down the toilet.

New Foo album info

Billboard story on the new Foo album is right here. Tentative title of the album is "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace", and look for it in stores around September 25th. Here's the tracklisting:

The Pretender
Let It Die
Erase Replace
Long Road to Ruin
Come Alive
Stranger Things Have Happened
Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running
Summer's End
The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners
Statues
But Honestly
Home

Woo hoo!

Don't quit yer day job

You are about to experience some rare ass tunes up in this piece. There may be a total of 23 people in the world who own this album. Released on cassette in the spring of '98, limbo's "the basement tracks" launched the career of my solo musical endeavor. It lead to an opening spot at that summer's block party in St. Joseph, as well as....oh, who am I kidding? It lead to nothing. It was my first endeavor into 4-track recording with a cheap ass tape recorder, 1 Radio Shack mic, and even cheaper instruments. But as I look back on the 2 week recording process, I can't help but smile. Granted, the majority of this album is all filler (no killer), but there are a couple tunes that stand out for me. And 2 of these are below. The first is a pretty straight forward, pop/rock song that I wish the whole album could have been. The second track is a noisy song about smelt. So sit back, relax, and experience the sweet sounds of limbo.

Cheer Up, Boys, Your Make-Up's Running

New Foo Fighters song from the secret gig last week - enjoy!

History in the making

I just realized that (I think) I own the first drumkit that was owned by the drummer of White Light Riot. "Who are these guys?", you may ask. This band made the front page of the Source section of the Strib today (story here), and they have a new album that just came out this week. They recorded it down at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls. Visit their website to check out some audio - if you dig it, pick up a CD! They're playing a record release party at the Fine Line tomorrow night, and it sounds like tickets will be going fast.

Friday follies

• Part 2 of that Rolling Stone record industry story has been posted here.

• The Foo Fighters played a secret show at a dive bar in Southern California last evening as a warmup for their opening slot at the Police show this weekend. One new song was played - " Cheer Up, Boys, Your Make-up's Running". Video was taken at the show, and it should be out and about this weekend. Reports from the show have stated that everyone but Chris appears to be involved in a beard growing contest. I hope they aren't turning into the Eagles.

• Are you ready for a rip snortin' humdinger?

• Pumpkins news - this is just lame.
  

I can't think of a title

Random news/thoughts of the day...

• Rolling Stone has posted the 1st part of a 2-part story documenting the decline of the record industry here. Check it out - it's a good read.

• Speaking of slumping record sales, have you had a chance to pick up the new White Stripes album yet? It's quite fantastic, and I suggest that you rush out to your local record store and purchase it immediately. There's tons more quality music that's on the way this summer, so make sure you're supporting the artists you love.

• Since I probably won't have a record in stores any time soon, I've decided I might as well start giving it away. I'll be posting some older tracks I've recorded in the next few days, and hope to have some new stuff posted in the near future as well. Stay tuned.

• Bon Jovi has apparently released a country/pop album. Check out one of my first blog posts here for my thoughts on the recent transformation of Bon Jovi. You heard it here first.
  

Runnin' with the devil...

(Click picture above for larger image)

The results are in! Shel basically matched her race time at Grandma's last year, and I was able to shave 2 minutes off my time from last year. One of the hardest parts of race day is getting up at 4 in the morning to make sure we can make it to the start line at 6:30. The crowd turnout was great, and while the weather was a bit on the hot side, it was an awesome day to run down by the lake in Duluth. After crossing the finish line, we chowed down on some fruit, bagels, ice cream, and other goodies to get our energy back. Then it was off to the beer tent for a few frosty cold ones, followed by the best nap of the year. We made our way back to downtown Duluth around 9 for a late dinner, and then back to the beer tents for some more liquid refreshment. We ended up at a bar called Saratoga for some late night cocktails and shots of Petron. The night ended as we stumbled into our home for the weekend around 3 am and crawled in to bed. All in all, it was a great weekend of running, awesome weather, and many libations.

Best award for roadside fan goes to the guy who was drinking beers at 8:30 in the morning around mile 9, offering brewskis to runners. He was holding a sign that said, "Let's face it - we're both going to shit our pants today". I was so close to grabbing a glass from him, but I decided to wait until I was past the finish line.

Westerberg update

The Strib has posted a story on local hero Paul Westerberg and his rehab progress on his left hand here. While I've never really given his Replacement's recordings a good listen, I still have a lot of respect for him, since he's a local boy who has done good. And I really do enjoy some of his solo work.

Stroke of genius

Looking to let the creative juices flow for a few minutes? Head on over to http://www.jacksonpollock.org/ and let your browser be your canvas, and your mouse be your paintbrush.

Floyd's Blue trounced their opponents last night. My bat wasn't very hot, but everyone else's was, which is what counts in the end. My girls got to head down to the park for the game, which was awesome. Of course, the one time I get a hit, they were off playing at the playground.

New Release Tuesday

Make sure to head out to your local record store and pick up the new Queens of the Stone Age record, Era Vulgaris. It contains 11 killer tracks, including the one seen here:



If you want some bonus tracks with the album, head to an independent store (like an Electric Fetus), and receive a bonus CD with the track "The Fun Machine Took A Shit and Died". The Best Buy version includes a download for their cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding".

Also, the Traveling Willburys are re-releasing all of their albums in a 2 CD/1 DVD package today. These records have been out of print for years, so for you Willbury fans out there, it's a nice opportunity to snatch them all up for a sweet price.

Next week sees the release of the White Stripes' Icky Thump, which is becoming one of my frontrunners for Record of the Year.

The Grandma's Half Marathon is rapidly approaching us. My wife is going to kick ass, and I am going to choke on her fumes. But we always have a great time up there, and it's our 5-year wedding anniversary weekend, so we have lots to look forward to.

Reaching new forms of crazy

My life has just approached a new level of excitement. I just took an inventory of all of our spices and input the data into an Excel spreadsheet. Next, I'm hoping to tackle our coupons and sort them by expiration date and product type. Does the fun ever start?

Oh Snizzap

Duluth tour

From billboard.com:

As expected, Queens Of The Stone Age will visit primarily small markets this summer on their Duluth tour, which begins July 22 in Costa Mesa, Calif. The 13-date trek in support of the upcoming "Era Vulgaris" will run through Aug. 11 in Oklahoma City.

"We want to play to people who hardly ever get shows and just burn the house down," Queens frontman Josh Homme tells Billboard of the outing, which will precede a major market run in September. "I think we're too stoked to not go deeper than we have before. It feels like the right time to go, 'Hey, man, sorry I'm late, but here we are.'"

Further indulging hardcore fans, the Best Buy version of "Era Vulgaris" will be bundled with a cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding," while indie retailers will get a bonus disc with the oft-discussed rarity "The Fun Machine Took a Sh*t and Died."

In other Queens news, UNKLE leader James LaVelle has just completed a "clubby" remix of the "Era Vulgaris" track "I'm Designer," LaVelle tells Billboard.com. It is unknown just yet where the new version will appear.

Here are Queens Of The Stone Age's tour dates:

7/22 – OC Fair – Costa Mesa, CA
7/24 – Chico, CA – Senator Theater
7/25 - Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater
7/27 – Boise, ID – The Big Easy
7/28 – Missoula, MT – Wilma Theater
7/29 – Billings, MT – Shrine Auditorium
7/31 – Fargo, ND – Playmaker's
8/1 – Duluth, MN – DECC Arena
8/3 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Hawkeye Downs Fair Grounds
8/4 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room
8/7 – Memphis, TN – New Daisy Theater
8/8 – Little Rock, AR – The Village
8/10 – Tulsa, OK – Cain's Ballroom
8/11 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom

Also, there's a new interview on mtv.com here.

METAAAAALLLLL!

Here's some live Probot action to usher in the weekend.

Double takes

• A Beatle is doing what????

• Who beat who on this week's Billboard charts???

This is a crazy, mixed-up world we're living in. Thank goodness there's a swarm of new releases due to hit store shelves over the next few weeks that should knock these teenyboppers down a few pegs. Like these guys!





And these guys (or at least half of them)!

On the cover of the Guiiitaaar Woorld

The anticipation is building for June 19th and the unleashing of the White Stripe's new album upon the world. Check out the latest shredder that made the cover of GW for next month...

A case of the Tuesdays

The family and I have just come off a nice 4-day weekend, and I hope all 3 of my readers had an awesome weekend as well. Ours involved some golf, cocktails, dirty marbles, and delicious BBQ. Big thanks to my wonderful wife and daughter for hanging out with me all weekend. I think the batteries are recharged enough to make it through the rest of the week. Big projects are in the works that involve wood chips, pulling weeds and birthday parties.

Did anyone have to fill up their vehicles with gasoline this weekend? I had to fill up the tanks of 2 gas hogs, and I had to take out a 2nd mortgage. To demonstrate, I have pulled the average gas prices in MN over the holiday weekend - I hope you're as shocked as I am. I am this close to buying a motorcycle, moped, or maybe even a dirtbike.



To sum up today's post, the following gentleman said it best when he proclaimed, "Let me talk, Carol!"

Thursday thoughts

• The Floyd's Blue softball team got beat again last night. The bats have been cold for the last few games - I think a little batting practice is in order.

• Check out the new White Stripes video for "Icky Thump" here!

• New info on Guitar Hero 3 here!
  

• Happy birthday wishes go out to Robert Zimmerman (aka Bob Dylan), who turns 66 today. Happy birthday, you old fart!

• The family is heading up to Brainerd after work today to relax in a condo for a few days while it rains and pours outside. This'll be the 1st family vacation we've taken in awhile, and we're all looking forward to a little R n' R.
  

Deep thoughts

• There's this guy that pitches for the Twins. His name is Boof Bonzer. From now on, he will be known as Fat Boozer. Thanks to Cub for that one.

• New Queens album = soooo awesome. Review coming soon.
  

Pumpkins live return

The Smashing Pumpkins have started the 1st show of their reunion tour in Paris. Check out live pictures from the gig here. Setlist is below...I'll update later with any reviews I happen to come across.

Pumpkins rarities set on iTunes

For anyone looking to get a hold of a boatload of Smashing Pumpkins rarities/b-sides (119 songs to be exact), head over to the iTunes store and search for "Smashing Pumpkins". There, you will find their "Rarities and B-sides" album for the low low price of $9.99. It's the deal of the century! Run and get it before they jack the price up!

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

The new Batman movie cannot arrive soon enough. Here's the 1st picture released of the Joker from the new film. Nutty, huh?


Check this page out to see where the above image came from. Pretty cool stuff.

New Velvet Revolver Single

Get the new Velvet Revolver single, "She Builds Quick Machines", here. It's great that they are putting out the 1st single for free and all, but it kinda sounds like a rehash of the first album. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the rest if the album sounds like when it comes out in July.

This Lullaby

Would you like to see a video history of the Queens of the Stone Age in 2 minutes and 37 seconds? If so, look no further than the video below.

"Zeitgeist" info

Here's the cover art for the new Pumpkins album. 1st single "Tarantula" hits radio on May 22nd. Tracklist is below:

01. Doomsday Clock
02. 7 Shades Of Black
03. Orchid
04. That's The Way
05. Tarantula
06. Starz
07. United States
08. Never Lost
09. Bring The Light
10. Come On (Let's Go)
11. For God And Country
12. Pomp And Circumstance

A message from Wilco HQ

Check out the following note from the guys in Wilco. If you're a fan of music, go out and buy their new album tomorrow.

Greetings to you all from the east coast branch -- where we've been burning the midnight oil for months getting ready for May 15. And it is finally upon us.

By now, you know that next week is the official release date of Wilco's 7th album (or 9th depending on how you count). Hence the slightly serious tone of this note. Tuesday, to be precise, marks the US release of Sky Blue Sky on Nonesuch Records. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the on-demand stream, by all means click here and take it for a spin. We're pretty sure you'll enjoy the ride.

But once you've done that we hope you'll take a moment to reflect (see, I told you this was serious) on how this dynamic has worked over the years -- the dynamic between us and you. We (and this "we" means the band, first and foremost) expend a lot of time, energy and other resources trying to make this something you are not just a witness to, but a participant in and we genuinely hope you can feel that.

We've been asked many times if we'd consider changing the way we do things, usually by people who are convinced we'd be more successful if we did. And either out of stubbornness or something else, we keep refusing. Instead, we just do what we do and somehow it all works. We continue to make lots of music available free to all in the road case, continue to allow taping/photos at shows, and basically just try to keep the things we do charge for of a quality that make you feel like you got a bargain. You know, mutual respect and all that. We like the way it works... a lot. We really do believe in trying to keep as much of it as free and open as is humanly possible. That seems pretty obvious... but somehow it remains a slight novelty in the modern day music business. So much so that people continually mention it in their stories when they write or speak about the band or the somewhat sad state of the music business.

Anyway, what we're getting at here is that right now we need you to participate in a way that is part of what has made this nice little story work. We're actually asking you to please go out next week and do the right thing for Wilco. That is, vote with your feet and prove the band's faith well-placed and buy the record. It's available from Tuesday at all kinds of retailers everywhere. Ask for it by name. It's also available here, and for those of you who are more digitally inclined, here.

Okay, enough campaign speeches. You get the message. And we trust that you'll act on it as you always have.

New feature

I just added a slick little feature to the blog. If you look at the top right section of the page, you'll see that I've added an area that allows you to subscribe to this blog. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address, and you'll get an e-mail every time the blog has an update. Pretty sharp, huh? It's no longer necessary for the 3 people who read this thing to check this place out on a daily basis. So feel free to sign up and let me know how it works.

New Queens Lineup + live vids

For those of you who aren't in the know, the lineup in Queens of the Stone Age tends to change with every album. And their next album is no exception. Here's the new lineup:


Michael Shuman - Bass/Backing Vocals
Dean Fertita - Keyboards/Guitar/Backing Vocals
Joshua Homme - Lead vocals/Guitar
Joey Castillo - Drums
Troy Van Leeuwen - Guitar/Lap Steel/Keyboards/Backing Vocals

A few new live QOTSA songs have made their way to YouTube. The quality may be a little questionable, but hopefully it'll give you a taste of how killer this new album will be when it comes out in about a month.

Turning on the Screw



I'm Designer

Well, this is dumb

I just found out that a local radio station (Drive 105) is switching to "Love 105". I don't know what they'll be playing, but based on the new name, it can't be good. Drive 105 was the station you could always rely on when you were flipping between 93X and the Current. Check out the Strib story on the format change here. Tune in when you get a chance and let me know what they're playing. In the meantime, I'll continue to throw my iPod on shuffle and be surprised.