2013: Concert of the Year

It's the end of the century and I can't think of anything but you, all, all, I, need,  I got you,  I got you, babe... Wilco - I Got You (At the End of the Century)

The concert of the year was the Americanarama Tour at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.  I got to see Wilco & Richard Thompson for the first time, as well as My Morning Jacket for the second time and Bob Dylan for the sixth time.

The high point was Wilco; they played songs from throughout their career from I Got You (At the End of the Century), Hummingbird to It Dawned On Me.  Richard Thompson joined Jeff Tweedy and company for the Fairpoint Convention Song Sloth and Wilco's great California Stars.  They joined My Morning Jacket on their set to play George Harrison's Isn't It a Pity. 

My Morning Jacket's set was high octane with the crescendo of Wordless Chorus, Victory Dance and Gideon.  Front man, Jim James was very animated and entertaining.

Bob Dylan closed the night with a typical Dylan show, highlighted by Charlie Sexton's great guitar work.  Enigmatic as ever.

2013: No. 5 Song of the Year

I use the state of the art Technology;  Suppose to make for better living... Jim James - State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)

The No. 5 song of 2013 comes from Regions of Light and Sound of God, the debut solo album by My Morning Jacket's Jim James.  The lead-off song seems to be about society relying on technology too much...

No. 5 Song of 2013

The Local Record Store

Buys every rock and roll book on the magazine stand; Every dime that he get is lost to the jukebox man... (The Beatles - Bad Boy)

The one thing about life is that it constantly changes... for worse and for better... all at the same time. The same goes for music. We lose great artists and we gain great artists. The styles and trends constantly change; I grew up really loving 1960's era music...The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and so forth. As a teenager I can remember pouring through record bins looking for those records and the latest releases. In those days there were good record stores all around. Later in my college days I discovered Cut Corner Records in Lexington, KY. The store was magical. It had rare albums and records from groups that I was just discovering. As records gave way to cd's, Cut Corner Records became CD Central.

I still visit CD Central whenever I am in Lexington. Another one of my all time favorite record shops is in Louisville and is the famous Ear X-Tacy. We need to support these stores any chance we get.
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All The Best

I wish you love and happiness; I guess I wish you all the best; I wish you don't do like I do and ever fall in love with someone like you… (John Prine – All the Best)

This month I have had the privilege of seeing two of the best in concert on the University of Kentucky’s campus; John Prine (4/1) and My Morning Jacket (4/17). Last year My Morning Jacket recorded one of John’s songs All The Best for the Prine tribute album Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows (a line from the John Prine song Souvenirs written by Steve Goodman). Neither artist played the song in the April concerts though.

However in a video from The Late Show with David Letterman, John Prine and My Morning Jacket’s front man Jim James (AKA Yim Yames) perform All The Best. I have seen John sing the song in previous concerts. This is a favorite of mine and John would introduce the song as his divorces song.

MMJ at UK

If we holler loud and make our way we'd all live one big holiday (My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday)

I saw My Morning Jacket on the University of Kentucky's campus at Memoiral Coliseum on 4/17/11. The band played a high energy set that spanned their 10 plus year career. Frontman Jim James jumped around and shook his head in youthful exhuberance. James having attended U of K for a few years in the 90's talked about the city reminiscing about living on campus, walking around the city and working fast food.

The rest of the band was very solid; guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Carl Broemel was impressive playing alot of the key parts all the while singing perfect backup; drummer Patrick Hallahan came off like a modern day Keith Moon; Two-Tone Tommy & Bo Koster were on their game as well.

Highlights of the concert: on the epic Dondante, Jim James improvised along as the song built into a crescendo, exploding at the end; I'm Amazed was awesome; Golden, Mahgeetah and One Big Holiday all from 2003's It Still Moves were crowd favorites; Jim James donned on a cape during Wordless Chorus hiding his face like a vampire; both of Touch Me I'm Going To Scream were great, as well as Highly Suspicious.

Setlist:
Mahgeetah
Anytime
Off The Record
Evil Urges
I’m Amazed
The Way That He Sings
Gideon
Circuital
Golden
Lowdown
Dondante
Butch Cassidy
Wonderful (The Way I Feel)
Lay Low
What A Wonderful Man
Dancefloor
Smokin’ From Shootin’
End of Run Thru
Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2
Encore:
Wordless Chorus
Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 1
Highly Suspicious
One Big Holiday



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Consequence of Sound review

Best of the 00's: Evil Urges

I'm amazed at the quiet ocean, I'm amazed at your warm devotion, I'm amazed at what the people sayin'... (My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed)

Louisville, Kentucky's My Morning Jacket has been one of the exciting new bands of the 00's. They caught my ear with 2003's haunting Neil Young folkish It Still Moves and then with 2005's more rocking Z. The band really steeped oun on an edge with 2008's diverse Evil Urges which featured MMJ's successful takes on rock and folk to soul, funk and disco.

Highlights from Evil Urges include the beautiful yearning ballad called Librarian which features the lyrics "Duck into the men's room, Combing through my hair; When God gave us mirrors he had no idea" and "Karen of the Carpenters, Singing in the rain; Another lovely victim of the mirror's evil way; Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 1 and Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 2, it's disco counterpart... "If you touch me; Well I just think I'll scream; Cause its been so long; Since someone caressed me";


the gorgeous soulful Thank You Too; the title track Evil Urges, with Jim James in full falsetto mode; and I'm Amazed, a great tune.




MMJ has gotten heavy rotation on my playlist this past decade. I look forward to see which direction that the band goes in the future.

Disco's Revenge or Disco Strikes Back

Goodbye Sister Disco with your flashing trash lamps, Goodbye Sister Disco and to your clubs and your tramps... (The Who - Sister Disco)

Disco died in the early 80's, right? Punk killed it, right? Well two excellent songs in the last couple of years have left me thinking maybe it still has some life; maybe as a zombie.

http://www.littleshopofvoices.com/johndiscois.wav

Touch Me Im Going To Scream Pt. 2 - My Morning Jacket



Magnificent - U2