Still one of the best hours of live music on television, Austin City Limits will be taping four new shows.

Monsters of Folk: Wednesday, October 6th
Sonic Youth: Thursday, October 7th
Band of Horses: Saturday, October 9th
The National: Monday, October 11th

The sets will air as part of ACL’s 36th season on PBS, premiering this fall. That’s a nice start.

This week brought us new releases from The Hold Steady, Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, and Josh Ritter. That’s a VERY solid week, and from what I’ve heard so far, they are all very solid releases. May is going to be an absolute embarrasment of riches for music fans. The most anticipated of this week for me was “Heaven Is Whenever” by The Hold Steady. I wasn’t a huge fan of their last release, and while it did have very strong moments (Sequestered In Memphis), it didn’t feel as cohesive as a “Separation Sunday” or “Boys and Girls In America”. I’m liking the new one more on each listen which is always a good sign that this one will stick with me for a while. They seem to embracing the classic rock vibe more than ever on this. Here’s a couple from their performance on the Interface.

Available now for your streaming pleasure.

Sea Of Cowards

All over the net today you are being reminded that today is record store day and that you should be out there buying music at your local independent retailer. While I try to do some of this throughout the year, it would be MORE than disengenuous of me to say this to anyone as I am finding myself buying music off the net at a record pace. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. While it is a nice sentiment and has nothing but good at it’s heart, I for one won’t be telling anyone to support their local store for one day when there are 364 other days a year we could be supporting the indie store to keep them in business. Just the other day I was driving through my old home town and thought to myself “I should stop at “Fine Groove Records” only to find it has been closed. While it’s sad, I haven’t exactly been stopping down there once or twice a month to buy my music. I’m much more likely to go to Amazon, iTunes or emusic to get my music fix. I’m quite curious as to others buying habits. Are you all like me? Or do you get to the record store more than once or twice a year to get your music? Unfortunately, I think we’re well past the tipping point as to keeping a vibrant, physical music marketplace alive.

The Truckers will be releasing their latest “The Big To-Do” on March 16th, and I for one couldn’t be more excited. They’ve released two songs from said album on their website and by all means have a listen here. Loud guitar driven classic rock in the grandest southern tradition.

With the recent release of “The Golden Archipelago”, Shearwater is firmly back on my radar. This four song set pulls from the 2008 release “Rook”, which was a top ten finisher for me that year. You can always get a true sense of just how talented a group is when you strip them to the bare neccesities, a guitar, a soaring falsetto, and.. well… a water phone.

Febuary 19th, Duluth MN

Picture by Clint Austin/caustin@duluthnews.com

Back in 2001, Wilco brought their special blend of Americana Alt rock to First Avenue and treated the enraptured audience to a thrilling set of fan favorites and some less known treats while filmmaker Sam Jones was filming a little known documentary entitled “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”. At the time, I didn’t realize these shows were being filmed, but it was a thrill nonetheless to know you were at a brilliant show that was captured for a celebrated documentary about one of your favorite bands at that moment in time. In recent years, as Jay Bennett “left” the band, and others after him, Wilco had become to me in modern days something of a curio. Something to look at for a couple minutes, and put back down while being reminded that they were once a group capable of writing interesting, melodic songs with fantastic arrangements. As the music went a simpler route (Sky Blue Sky), and I recognized fewer band members, I fell out of love with the band.

On Friday, February 19, 2010 I was reminded why Wilco matters, and why they keep getting more popular. Ripping through a two and a half hour set pulling from all points of their career, this is a band clearly happy and excited about where they stand in todays challenging musical climate. On a personal level, I loved the Jeff Tweedy/Jay Bennett version of Wilco to the point where once Jay was gone, I went a little bit ignorant on the bands music from “A Ghost Is Born” on. I never thought I would see how the group could be better than that group I saw at First Avenue back in 2001. I couldn’t have been more wrong. From the guitar work of Nels Cline to the drumming of Glenn Kotchke and all the way across the board, this is a group at the absolute peak of their powers and career arc, live and in the studio. The new songs work so well in a live setting, and it has made me re-discover “Sky Blue Sky” gems such as “Walken” and “Hate It Here”. Early on in the show, Tweedy joked that some teenager (Fresh faced Duluth Mayor Don Ness) had come up to see the band and made them an honorary Duluth band (a deserved honor as some of their swag purchases were being used to support Duluth area charities). Throughout the night, Tweedy would hold up the folder he was given by the mayor to cheers from the audience, bringing laughs from everyone in the house, every time.

One of the highlights of the night of highlights was Nels Clines guitar work on “Impossible Germany” now a staple of most recent Wilco shows. “Bull Black Nova” from last years Wilco (The Album) was another standout, a dark song on record, it felt even more ominous in a live setting. The fans carried “Jesus, etc” singing the songs first few verses and choruses, with Tweedy conducting frome the stage. They even dusted off rarity “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard” and played a superb “Handshake Drugs” from the “More Like The Moon” EP.

The encore was a ridiculous joyride starting with “Via Chicago” (which at points devolved in to a complete noise freakout only to come out on the other side right on key and in time), “Kingpin” was played for some laughs as Tweedy tried rhyming “Living in… Duluth”, and ended with a guitar duel between Nels Cline and the understated sideman Pat Sansone on “Hoodoo Voodo” pushing the solos to a new level. This was a top notch concert, by a top notch band with a rabidly intense fanbase hanging on every note and I can’t wait for the next swing through Minnesota, wherever they want to play, I’ll be there.

Setlist:
Wilco (the Song) / A Shot in the Arm / I Am Trying to Break Your Heart / Bull Black Nova / You Are My Face / One Wing / Kamera / Ashes of American Flags / Wishful Thinking / Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway (again) / Sonny Feeling / Impossible Germany / California Stars / Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard / Handshake Drugs / You Never Know / Jesus, Etc. / Walken / I’m the Man Who Loves You / Hummingbird

ENCORE: Via Chicago / Airline to Heaven / Hate It Here / Heavy Metal Drummer / Kingpin / Casino Queen / Hoodoo Voodoo

According to a recent poll in Rolling Stone, here are the readers picks for the top 15 best drummers ever. Kind of hard to argue with anyone on that list. Danny Carey belongs much higher and it’s great to see some Jimmy Chamberlin love, totally subjective of course.

1. John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
2. Neil Peart (Rush)
3. Keith Moon (The Who)
4. Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Them Crooked Vultures)
5. Stewart Copeland (The Police, Oysterhead)
6. Ringo Starr (The Beatles)
7. Ginger Baker (Cream, Blind Faith)
8. Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins)
9. Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones)
10. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
11. Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
12. Danny Carey (Tool)
13. Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
14. Buddy Rich
15. Alex Van Halen (Van Halen)

Eels have a new one called “End Times” and it sounds like lost love. Recorded on a four track, it’s obviously quite lo-fi with the songwriting taking front and center with minimal flourish. This seems really autobiographical and I find myself liking this quite a bit more than the recent “Hombre Lobo”. The promos “Little Bird” and “In My Younger Days” capture something universal here, and you can’t help but sympathize with each song’s message.

“In my younger days, this wouldn’t have been so hard,”

A friend of mine emailed this to me today, and I wanted to share. The content of the email follows:

“This video shows the winner of ” Ukraine’s Got Talent”, Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch. The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about £75,000.

She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.
It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears. She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier. This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house. In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine , resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

Kseniya Simonova says:
“I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment.”

Hear the new Spoon album in it’s entirety over at NPR. They’ll be touring the states with Deerhunter very soon (including a two night stopover at the famed First Avenue in Minneapolis) which will be a must see of 2010.

- The National are currently mixing their next release. No news yet on a release date or title.

- Jack White talks to Rolling Stone about the state of the music industry, and a few other things including the possibility of a solo album.

- Michael Stipe of R.E.M. turned 50 this week. Wow.

- Grizzly Bear will be scoring Ryan Goslings new movie “Blue Valentine”.

– Drive By Truckers are readying their new album “The Big To Do” according to Paste.

- Smashing Pumpkins released “Song For A Son”, the first song from their new free album “Teargarden By Kaleidyscope”.

- Bono penned an op-ed for the New York Times called “Ten For The Next Ten” touching on his wish list for the new decade.

Portishead has released a new single entitled “Chase The Tear” with all proceeds benefitting Amnesty International. Head on over to Amnesty International to view the video and if you feel so inclined, buy it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It’s really, really good.

While we’re waiting for the next episode of the epic twelve part musical“Salvo!”, I thought I’d post a couple live clips of this highly entertaining group in action. Wish I had put them in my favorites list from last year, but oh well. This kind of looks like a really fun cult to belong to. I really need to go see them. Soon.

Over at MySpace, you can stream the new Vampire Weekend album “Contra” before it hits stores next week. It sounds very much like an update on anything Paul Simons ever done, which was what the last one sounded like. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Listen and let me know I’m way off base and missing the mark.

Vampire Weekend MySpace Page