Better Than Ezra - Live at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 4/28/2013 (Concert Review)

Better than Ezra is a Louisiana institution at this point, and they put on a quite a show at Jazz Fest this weekend. An always popular ticket here in the New Orleans area, they were given the tough task of winning over the large legion of Dave Matthews Band fans that were present. They did exactly that by showing that their live performance is why they have hung around while so many of their brethren are long gone from the music scene.

Starting with their biggest hit and arguably the only song known by many of the audience, "Good" was an interesting selection for the opener. It paid off though, as it immediately got the crowd engaged and created a momentum that was carried throughout the set. Frontman Kevin Griffin is one of the more entertaining performers around. Crowds love him because he has fun on stage and always looks like he is just happy to be doing what he is doing. He constantly engaged the audience in banter. He discussed the other artists at Jazz Fest, giving Andrew Bird a rave review and recommending that everybody stick around for this upstart called Dave Matthews, "I have heard he is pretty good." Featuring a backing horn section that included a trombonist from local favorite Bonerama, Better Than Ezra was able to flesh out their songs into some extended jams. It was highly appropriate for Jazz Fest and was welcomed with open arms from the crowd. "King of New Orleans", "Desperately Wanting", and "Juicy" were all audience favorites. A huge cheer also went up when he teased Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" at the end of Extra Ordinary. However, the highlight of the set was the closer. An excellent and spot on cover of Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc". Griffin showed the dynamic voice he possesses by handling both the rapping verses and singing choruses. Tom Drummond on bass and Michael Jerome on drums laid down the groove perfectly and the crowd ate it up. 

Griffin told the crowd that, "Jazz Fest is where everybody wants to play because the fans are here for the music." If that is truly the case, which I believe it is, then nobody left disappointed from Better Than Ezra's set. They won over the DMB partial audience and showed once again that they are much more than just that one song that hit it big in the 90s.

Check out the Set List and pictures from the show below:
Good
Misunderstood
A Lifetime
At The Stars
King of New Orleans
I Just Knew
Extra Ordinary
Insane (New Song)
Desperately Wanting
Laid
Juicy
Feel Good Inc (Gorillaz Cover)

John Mayer - Live at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 4/26/2013 (Concert Review)

This evening John Mayer took the main stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to close out the day. This was only the second show of his Born and Raised tour, his first since 2010. Let me say, welcome back to stage John! I am a big JM fan and haven't the had the chance to see him live since 2007. I was bummed out when he had to back out of the 2012 Jazz Fest due to his medical issues. So when I saw that he would headlining this year's edition, I was more than willing to make the hour drive from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. What I saw and heard is best described by what JM himself said during the concert, this is John Mayer Version 2.0.

Stacie and I were able to grab a good spot along the middle rail back towards the sound booth. The sound was excellent and we both had a good view of the stage. John started around 10 minutes early from his schedule set time. It was definitely a sign that he was eager to be back on stage. They jumped right into the Born and Raised opener, Queen of California. While his new album was an excellent record, I was interested to see how it translated on stage. I had hoped that it wouldn't come across as easy listening music. My fears were quickly put to rest. After getting through the last chorus of the song, his band kept the rhythm going and he traded out his acoustic for an electric and riffed for around 4 solid minutes. It was a great way to start the show and was basically him saying I'm excited to be back on stage and I'm ready to jam it out. 

He would continue the Born and Raised flavor throughout this set playing a total of six songs off of the album. With the exception of Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey, each tune became a new creation on stage. The band that JM is touring with his extremely tight and talented. They were able to take the acoustic studio versions and turn them into grooving tracks that allowed John to riff and improv over. Believe me, you need to hear this album live to truly appreciate the songs. The setlist also featured a number of covers of some classic artists including Muddy Waters, the Grateful Dead and Blind Faith. John obviously had a great time making these his own and on each of these songs he was a tour de force on the guitar. If the image in your mind of Mayer is still the acoustic/pop crooner talking about bodies being wonderlands, you need to wipe that away. Mayer is one of the best guitarists of our generation and I have a feeling he will be making that known on this tour.

Mayer sprinkled a couple of his earlier songs throughout the set, I Don't Trust Myself and the set closer Vultures were definite highlights. However, as the show went on I noticed the 18-22 aged girls in the audience were becoming a little agitated. The more John riffed and soloed his heart out, the more they stared at their iPhones waiting to hear a song they knew. He never delivered on that, staying away from all the material from his first two albums. I was perfectly satisfied however, as this is the Mayer that I was hoping to see. He said that this was Version 2.0 and I couldn't agree more. I saw an musician that was confident in his abilities and style. No longer was he splitting up his songs between the acoustic artist, the blues artist and the pop/rock artist. All styles were present but he seamlessly jumped between them through the show, sometimes within songs. He also mentioned that he wasn't worried that the crowd didn't know all the words to the songs he was playing. JM was confident in the set list he had to play and seemed elated to finally play these tunes live.  Let me also say that his voice showed no ill-effects from his vocal surgery last year. If anything, I think it has improved. His range has matured as he sings in a little lower pitch but he can still the nail the falsetto when he wants. The breathiness that he would fall into during his earlier live shows is no longer there. 

As Stacie and I left the show we heard plenty of people who were complaining that "He didn't play any of his songs" and were obviously disappointed. However, I hope the majority of the crowd walked away with the same reaction I had. It's great to have John Mayer back touring and this entity of his live show is his most mature and cohesive yet. I can't wait to see where he goes from here and if you have the opportunity to see him this year, do not pass it up!

Check out the Set List and pictures from the show below:

Set List:
Queen of California
Something Like Olivia
Who Says
Got My Mojo Working (Muddy Waters Cover)
Age of Worry
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Goin Down The Road Feeling Bad (Grateful Dead Cover)
Love is a Verb
Speak For Me
Waiting On The World The Change
Can't Find My Way Home (Blind Faith Cover)
Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey
I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)
Vultures
Goin Down The Road Feeling Bad (Grateful Dead Cover) (Reprise)

Rush, Metric, and Civil Twilight

Recommended Recent Releases:
Rush - Clockwork Angels

As a huge Rush fan, I am excited to say that their most recent release is one of their best albums ever. While all members of the trio may be nearing 60, this is one of their hardest rocking albums yet. Lifeson absolutely shreds throughout and Peart, as always, is a monster on the percussion. But my personal highlight is Lee's fretwork on the bass, truly impressive stuff. I am also of the belief that his voice has gotten better with age, losing some of the shrillness that it had in the 70s and 80s. Even if you aren't a Rush fan you should check out this prog rock epic. You will see how these guys play with more passion and fire than bands who are half their age.
Track Highlights - Caravan, The Anarchist, Halo Effect

Metric - Synthetica
Their last album, Fantasies, was one of my favorite releases from 2009. As such, I am glad that Metric stuck with that album's formula and crafted another set of catchy and stadium ready electronic rock. I love everything about Metric's sound. From Emily Haines voice to their ragged yet poppy synths. Couple that with great lyrics and the ability to write an awesome hook again and again and you've got an excellent album. Bonus points for having a Lou Reed guest appearance on a song and it not ruin the tune. I didn't think it could be done but low and behold, on the track "The Wanderlust" Ol Lou fits right in. I applaud you Metric, please tell Metallica how you did it. Maybe that could prevent another Lulu. But I digress, give Synthetica a listen and enjoy.
Track Highlights:
Youth Without Youth, Synthetica, The Void

Band You Should Know:
Civil Twilight

Ever wondered what it would sound like if Bono fronted an Alt Rock band? Check out South African bred Civil Twilight to find out. With two quality albums under their belt, 2009's eponymous release and 2012's Holy Weather, it's only a matter of time before they break through with a big hit. So check them out before they get popular, because they will.
Track Highlights:
Letters from The Sky, Fire Escape, The River, Is Anybody Out There

Don't Call It A Comeback

After a very, very long sabbatical I'm very happy to be back with my blog. This is something I have been meaning to do for about a year so it feels good to follow through. Music is a passion of mine and I believe one of the best things about being a music fan is sharing it with other people. However, I got away from doing this blog because it took too long to write a long post for each album that I wanted to discuss. Instead, I am going to a format where I will post weekly. I will be writing about the new and recent releases and maybe one or two albums from the vault. I hope that someone finds a band or album they haven't heard yet, that would make this a worthwhile endeavor. 

So if you have similar music tastes to me, then check in weekly and you should find some good suggestions to add to your iPod or to check out on Spotify. Also I will not post any actual downloads to this blog, I encourage you to support the artist and pay for your music if you do not already use some type of streaming service. Check out Amazon.com/mp3, they have some great album deals and are much cheaper than iTunes.

New Releases for 7/17/12 -

Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE

This has been one of the most hyped releases of the year and definitely the most hyped R&B release in recent memory. It has been lauded by critics across the board with even Pitchfork giving it a sterling 9.5 rating. I personally loved his first mixtape, Nostalgia Ultra, so I had very high hopes for this album. Unfortunately, I hate to say I was let down. Don't get me wrong, Ocean is an immensly talented singer/songwriter with a great voice and evocative lyric choices. However, I find this album as a whole to be boring. I found that Nostalgia Ultra to be a much more enjoyable listening experience. Channel Orange is beautifully sung but it lacks those attention grabbing songs that Ultra featured. The songs just kind of flow into one another with very few standing out from the last. Above all else the album is just a slowburner that never really catches fire. I enjoyed a few of the songs (Lost, Pyramids, and Super Rich Kids) and coincidentally those are the ones with the best beats. The much talked about single, Bad Religion, had great lyrics but again I found it boring as a song to listen to, it never really goes anywhere. This is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination but I don't agree with the high praise it is receiving. I will keep it in my iPod to see if it grows on me over time but right now I would recommend Nostalgia Ultra as his go to work at this point in his young career. 

Recent Releases -

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - The Lion, The Beast, and The Beat

If you aren't familiar with Grace Potter yet it's time to educate yourself. This is one of the better live bands touring right now and her albums are only getting better. Her fifth album (second major label release) is her most adventurous and exciting yet.  She goes beyond her signature bluesy country rock to explore a variety of styles and genres. Not surprisingly one of the best voices rock is up to the task. This album features production on a number of songs from Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and not surprisingly these are the best on the album. Runaway, Loneliest Soul, and Never Go Back feature that Black Keys groove that Potter sings with a surprising swagger. Never Go Back should be the biggest song of the summer if we lived in a sane world. Catchy as hell this song will be stuck in your head as after the first listen. Other songs to check out are Turntable and The Divide. As I said before this is one of the best live bands touring and having seen them twice I am a little biased. Make sure to check them out if they come to your area.

From The Vault -

Gotye - Like Drawing Blood

By now if you haven't heard "Somebody That I Used to Know" you are living under a rock and shouldn't be reading this blog. Because of the YouTube age everybody and their grandma has recorded a cover of this song. However in the old days having a song this day would have prompted people to pick up the whole album and maybe even check out the back catalog of the artist. If you don't do this for Gotye you are doing yourself a disservice because not only is Making Mirrors an excellent album but so is his first work, Like Drawing Blood. He has a distinctive chilled out style on this album with great songs like Night Drive, Hearts A Mess, and Puzzle with a Piece Missing. He also has a great sense of humor as shown in Thanks for Your Time, a song about what a pain in an ass it is to call customer service. If you like his unlikely summer hit do yourself a favor and check out Gotye's Like Drawing Blood.

Jazz Fest, Pearl Jam and How To Destroy Angels

Is it possible to do a Cinco de Mayo Resolution? Well if it is then my Cinco de Mayo Resolution is to post more on this blog because I really was excited about doing it originally and I let work get in the way. Well enough's enough because I'm tired of doing paperwork at night. And because there is alot of great music coming out over the next couple months and I want to keep up with all of it.

First, a concert review. I got the opportunity to go to Jazz Fest in New Orleans on Saturday and let me just say it was an amazing experience. Partly in fact because I was fairly intoxicated throughout but mostly because I got to see my all time favorite band (and musical obsession),Pearl Jam, live for the first time since '06. There was a huge crowd there but I was able to work my to get a pretty good position in the masses where I could actually see the stage and not have to watch the video screens. This was PJ's first show on their 2010 tour but they did not show any signs of rust. They started off with a blazing opening trio of So You Want To Be a Rock and Roll Star (Byrds Cover), Lukin, and Corduroy. It was a genius way to start way to start the show and until the familiar opening notes of Corduroy started most of the crowd around me looked very confused. They carried this energy throughout the whole set playing with a fire I did not expect to see at a festival show, Mike in particular was going nuts on stage. I walked into this show with three songs I really wanted to hear and I was lucky enough to get two of them: In My Tree and Nothingman. The latter is a song that means quite a bit to me personally so it was truly a moving experience to finally hear it live. Also the new material off of Backspacer sounded fantastic and actually made me appreciate that album much more. All in all it was a great show with a great closing song, "It's time to Kick Out The Jams Motherf******s!"

Also at Jazz Fest I got to see Band of Horses who were on my list of must attend concerts. They did not disappoint playing a short yet enthralling set featuring songs from across their first two album and their soon to be released effort which will definitely talked about on here. In preparation for their upcoming release please check out Cease to Begin and Everything All The Time, you will not be disappointed.

Finally, I want to bring to you some brand new music from my other musical obsession Nine Inch Nails. Well technically it's not Nine Inch Nails but since Trent Reznor has put his namesake group on a long term hiatus it's as close as we are going to get. It's a new group called How To Destroy Angels and it features his wife Mariqueen on vocals. Taking one part NIN and one part Massive Attack and throwing some beautiful yet tortured female vocals on top of it makes for a compelling listen. Check out their first single The Drowning at the link below. It's a very hypnotic experience. If this is a sign of things to come from Reznor then I almost don't mind him stepping back from NIN... almost. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/A-Drowning/dp/B003KSF8CY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1273117514&sr=8-3-spell

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

And now for something completely different....

Well I am taking some time off for Easter and am back home in Flowery Branch, GA. It's great to see the family and also to have some time on my hands. So I figured I would do a long overdue update.

As it says, this is the self-titled debut album from Canadian duo Crystal Castles and it is a different. Sounding like they jumped straight out of an Atari game this band specializes in low-fi electronic rock. Ethan Kath, multi-instrumentalist, and Alice Glass, vocals, started recording together in 2005 and hit the mainstream as a complete accident. Their demo of Glass recording some test vocals over Kath's 8-bit beats, which was aptly titled "Alice Practice", was leaked to the internet and became an overnight sensation. The combination of the aggressive yet indecisphirable vocals and unique low-fi melodies made for a sound that was unlike anything else out there. They got more press by doing some remixes for some artists in the electronic community and then released their eponymous debut in 2008.

This album is a very hypnotic listen but at the same can be very jagged and unsettling. Case in point, the track "Magic Spells" creates an electronic landscape that borrows alot from the trance scene but then has, at random intervals, Glass' almost possessed sounding vocals. Overall the track is a very soothing listen though. But then it jumps right into the pounding beats and snarling lyrics of "Xxzcuzx Me". There couldn't a more different feel to this song because it comes off as such abrasive track after following a such a laid back one. The dichotomy of this whole album keeps you in unfamiliar territory throughout each listen because you never know what is coming next. It can't be overstated how much the music sounds like it is straight out of a NES game but that is what is so appealing about it, the retro sound is the hook but it never becomes tired. A perfect example of a track that effectively uses the 8-bit sounds is "Air War" which features vocals from Glass that come off as pure babble but for some reason it sucks you right in. Another highlight is the beautiful and reserved ballad "Tell Me What to Swallow" that closes the album. It is completely unexpected after the barrage of electronics that you go through during the listen but it is a genius reprieve from the proceedings.

I won't lie to you, you're gonna either love this album or hate it. Hopefully it's not the latter but if so, at least you gave a try listening to something strange and new. Afterall, isn't that the fun of being a music fan?

Track highlights: Untrust Us, Crimewave, Courtship Dating, Love and Caring, Tell Me What To Swallow

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Since March Madness started today I thought I would share my Final Four: West Virginia, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State. It was one of the best first days of the tourney that I can remember, alot of close games and overtimes. Exactly the reason why everybody loves this time of year!

But enough about sports, this is a music blog after all and I wish I had some witty tie in from basketball to today's album but it's late and I'm not feeling that creative. I do have some great tunes to share with you though and they come from one of my favorite musicians (James Mercer of The Shins) and one of my favorite producers (Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse). As is popular in today's music, this side project takes the best of both worlds from the music contributions of each artist. Mercer takes his catchy songwriting skills and brings it to Burton who drops the bright pop of The Shins and adds a dark tinge to the proceedings and encompasses all the songs in his trademark vintage sounding atmosphere. Burton, who revitalized Beck's career last year, forces Mercer expand his musical vocabulary, making him a more interesting artist to listen to. As you can imagine this mixture creates some great songs and this album is full of them. The lead single, The High Road, is a laid back tune with Mercer's familiar vocals crooning over some Burton played percussion and electronics during the chorus. The Mall and The Misery is another personal favorite, one of the few songs on here that has a true Shins like feel to it featuring strings in the beginning and then has fun with a psych-pop riff and Mercer's echoing vocals. However, the highlight for me is The Ghost Inside which is all Danger Mouse. The riff and beats are some of his staples and he has Mercer sing with a rare falsetto throughout which is catchy as hell.

Broken Bells make take a couple listens to sink in but once it does it will be stuck in your head for quite some time. I encourage you to try something a little different and check out this album.

Track Highlights: The High Road, Your Head is On Fire, The Ghost Inside, Mongrel Heart, The Mall and The Misery

http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Bells-Video/dp/B003B06Q40/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1268978817&sr=301-1

Ben Howard - These Waters

Well let me first apologize for the long delay in between posts. I got busy with work and other things and had not made an effort to update this blog. But I received some encouraging news tonight that in fact my mom is not the only one that has looked at this thing, so thanks to the girls at Ponchatoulas I will be updating once again!

It is currently about 1:30am here in Ruston, LA and as lame as it is to say so that is probably the latest I have been up on a weeknight in a couple of months. I needed some good chill music to listen to before I went to bed so I put on an artist that I think alot more people need to know about. Ben Howard is an acoustic singer/songwriter out of the UK. He has no record label and is a surfer who writes some damn good music. This guy is an amazing slap guitarist and has one of my favorite voices in music today. If you have any interest in John Mayer, Damien Rice, Ray Lamontagne, etc. then you owe to it yourself to download his debut EP These Waters. It is a short six tracks but he packs so much emotion and story into it that has been on constant repeat on my Ipod. The highlight is Cloud Nine, a story of heartbreak and meeting again somewhere down the road. This song is a perfect example of Ben's skill of using the slap technique to give his guitar playing an almost percussion sense. Another one of my favorites off the EP is The Fire, a song with such raw passion in the lyrics that it really is a stunner. It features one of my favorite lines from any music I have listened to in the past couple months, "We'll show the fire how to burn". For some reason that lyric just really struck me...

Anyway this guy is someone I think will be very popular someday so listen to him know before he becomes mainstream. If you enjoy acoustic music at all then this will be well worth your time.

Track Highlights: The Wolves, Cloud Nine, The Fire

http://www.amazon.com/These-Waters/dp/B002FVQ52E/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1268807935&sr=301-1

Vampire Weekend - Contra

Well it's been a couple days since my last post so a couple updates are in order. First of all let me give a huge WHO DAT shout out to my Super Bowl Champion Saints and to the city of New Orleans. I will remember forever my grandpa calling me practically in tears right after they won, he has been a fan since the beginning of the franchise so what a great moment for him. You may be wondering why I wasn't in New Orleans for the game and I actually was living out a longtime dream, being a cowboy for the weekend. I met up with some close friends in Dallas to help out with the Fort Worth Stock Show and work the cattle auction. Yes, I got to put on cowboy boots and herd cows for the day. While I didn't get run over by one (that a boy Bruce!) it was still a blast and something I would do again in a heartbeat.

Well now to the music for today and I think I have picked out a winner in Contra. With all the exciting things happening I have been a very upbeat mood and this album captures that feeling perfectly. This is Vampire Weekend's sophomore album and it is a refreshing dose of indie dream rock. All of these songs have an almost fantastic sense about them and with the exception of the last track they move along at a swift but not forced pace. There are some great beats on every track as Vampire Weekend uses an interesting mix of synths and live instruments. "Holiday" hops along brightly over an offbeat guitar riff while "Taxi Cab" provides an hypnotizing synth melody that draws you into the song for a very chill listen. Vampire Weekend is at their best however on "Giving Up The Gun", a song that features a driving rhythm from the drums and bass with a chorus so catchy it will be days before you get out of your head. And of course Vampire Weekend cannot be discussed without touching on Ezra Koenig's voice and lyrics. While it is an almost female sounding delivery, he is able to project in the higher ranges without sounding whiny. He also delivers some heartfelt and thought provoking lines as there is some poetry hidden within these songs and they are definitely worth giving a closer look at. So check out Vampire Weekend's Contra for a listen into thinking man's indie pop and try not to whistle the songs when you are on the bus to work the next day.

Track Highlights: White Sky, Run, Cousins, Giving Up the Gun, Diplomat's Son

http://www.amazon.com/Contra/dp/B002YP45EQ/ref=pd_ts_zgc_dmusic_digital_music_album_display_on_website_6?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&pf_rd_p=105271282&pf_rd_s=right-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=163856011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=02Q44BVZP479VF8P2643

30 Seconds To Mars - This Is War

I am in Bossier City, LA which is the Vegas of Louisiana. Seriously, there are 6 Casinos within 5 minutes of my hotel. Maybe that explains why this post isn't going up till 1 AM on a worknight? Anyway, Bossier City also happens to be the hometown of everyone's favorite heroin addict in the film Requiem for a Dream, actor Jared Leto. Now you may know this or not but Jared Leto also has quite the voice and is the lead singer and guitarist for alternative band 30 Seconds to Mars. They hit it big back in 2006 with their their sophomore release A Beautiful Lie featuring the songs "The Kill" and "From Yesterday to Tomorrow". Both were huge on MTV and every high school emo punk in America ate it up. Well Mr. Leto and crew just released their third album in late 2009 and it is my pick for guilty pleasure album of the year.

This Is War is an album that critcs love to hate. It is over produced, inconsistent in it's song choices, and tries to be way too epic for it's own good. Well thank God I am not a critic because I freaking love this album. I love that on everything song they go for U2 type heights right out of the gate. I love that Leto has decided that it would be a good idea to throw a children's chorus shouting "This Is War!" on every other track. And I definitely love that Kanye West co-wrote a song, "Hurricane". I guess he heard this album was going to be, well.... epic and he just couldn't resist. But you know what? Who gives a damn that this album takes itself way too seriously, the songs are too catchy to resist and sometimes it's good to have a little fun listening to an album. So pick this one up, try not to think too hard about what the music means, and when he sings, "This is a call to arms, gathered soldiers, time to go to war, this is a battle song, brothers and sisters, time to go to war!", have a little laugh with yourself and go along with the ride.

Track Highlights: Kings and Queens, Hurricane, Vox Populi, Search and Destroy

http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-War/dp/B002XHN776/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1265353755&sr=301-1