Still pretty tired from this weekend in Chicago.  Here’s some newly announced shows at the Barrymore:

9/7 - Mason Jennings - Barrymore Theatre, Madison
10/30 - Michael Franti & Spearhead/State Radio

I’ve just arrived in Chicago and I’m getting ready to hop the train to the Pitchfork Music Festival.  I’m excited to be meeting up with a lot of other music bloggers today, so I thought it would be fun to revist their “Get To Know Your Blogger” contributions to this site.  So, if you missed one, here’s your chance to check them out.

Chris - Gorilla vs. Bear

Dodge - My Old Kentucky Blog

Eric - MarathonPacks

Goose - Veritas Lux Mea

Matt - You Ain’t No Picasso

Ryan - Good Hodgkins

Kevin - So Much Silence

After taping a performance at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl last Sunday, the Flaming Lips are halfway done with the first live album of their career. The rest of the material on the CD/DVD set will be drawn from an as-yet-unscheduled September show in the band’s Oklahoma City hometown.

I’ll be heading to the North Star tonight to catch Ben Nichols perform a solo set.  Also performing tonight will be Colour Revolt & Dustin Kensrue, both of whom I am completely unfamiliar.

Shows start at 7pm and are $11, hope to see you there.

I’m in Philadelphia through the end of the work week, and I can’t tell you how difficult it’s been not being able to upload anything new to my ipod since I left California with a broken computer, and all my music gone. Little did I know that there would be a hidden blessing in the fact that I would be able to spend some quality time with all those records that I never really gave a second chance after the initial listen(s) didn’t seem to do anything for me. I’ll spotlight two of them here, but depending on how long it takes me to get a new computer, this could become a regular feature.

Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow

This came out last year, tons of people loved it, the cover scared the shit out of me, Devendra himself scared the shit out of me at the Vegoose Music Festival, and then I quasi fell in love with the album while I was in Japan, but blamed that on the saki.

Even Banhart would appear to agree, as he recently did in an interview with Pitchfork that this album is too long, but the high points on this album like the song, “I Feel Like A Child” sound so incredible that it’s hard for me to not listen to it over and over again. I’d always been kind of the fence when it came to Devendra’s albums, liking some, loving a song or two, but mostly getting tired of it. After revisiting Cripple Crow, I think I’m coming to understand Banhart’s music more, and will probably be going back through some of his older records to see how I feel about them as well.

I must admit that he’s one of the artists that I am most excited about seeing this weekend at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

Hot Chip - The Warning

I have to thank Kyle from I’m Just Sayin Is All for letting me know that Hot Chip will be in Milwaukee on August 5th. First for a DJ set at Atomic Records and later for a full show at Stonefly, but mostly I need to thank him for reminding me to revisit their album The Warning.

Normally electronic music is not my thing. I might dig it for a little bit, but the repetitive nature of most of the albums grow stale to me pretty quickly. I don’t think I ever got past the first couple of songs on this album, but decided to put it on today on my flight from Detroit to Philly. It was enjoyable, I’m pretty sure that It won’t end up on any year end list I would put together, but I could definitely see myself playing it at a party.

I’d be all over those shows in Milwaukee, but I’ll be here instead, and most definitely catching them the following day!

So, that leads me to the question of how much other music I’m disregarding with just a few listens without really giving them the attention that they may warrant before you “get it.” I can remember back before my music collection became digital, I would spend countless days and hours will a new record purchase, but now it seems like just as I’m getting into something, another thing lands in my lap that leads me in another direction altogether.

That in part can be blamed on the fact that the past two years have been incredible as far as new releases, but still I wish I had time to give each album I get sent, purchase, or download a fair shake. I think that’s a main reason that I read blogs or even started to in the first place. If a certain blogger whose site I frequent is saying something good about an album that I may have overlooked or never really sought out it usually is a good enough factor for me to go ahead and see what I’ve been missing. This happened, most recently with Chris and Kyle’s praise of the new Midlake album. Had it not for them, I doubt I would have ever picked the album up or, if I had, it probably would have been sometime next year.

So, do any of you go back and revisit some of those records that didn’t grab you right away? I’d love to know what you didn’t like right away, but recently began to appreciate.

There are a lot of venues I miss seeing shows at since moving from Milwaukee, including Mad Planet, The Cactus Club, and The Miramar Theatre.  They have quite a few good shows coming up that I wanted to let you know about.  Tickets for these shows may be purchased in person at Atomic Records or online via Music Today.

8/4 - Vetiver - The Cactus Club, Milwaukee
8/11 - Silversun Pickups - The Miramar Theater, Milwaukee
8/19 - Bishop Allen/Chris Mills - Mad Planet, Milwaukee
8/24 - Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s - Mad Planet, Milwaukee
9/27 - Lucero/Rocky Votalato - Mad Planet, Milwaukee

Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon will be playing solo acoustic at the Orpheum (Stage Door) on Saturday, October 7th.

Andrew Bird will be playing the Orpheum (Stage Door) in a solo appearance on October 14th.

Finally, Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s will be playing the Annex on August 25th.

You can purchase tickets for these shows on the Virtuous website.

Thanks to Pete for the info!

If you’re waiting until Saturday to head to the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, then there is only one place to be in Madison on Friday night.  Sean Hayes and Jolie Holland will be playing at the High Noon Saloon at 9:30 and is a complete steal at $12.  I’ve been a big fan of Sean Hayes music for a long time, and I’m very excited to have him swing through Madison.

I’ve got a few MP3’s I thought I would share with you if you’re not familiar with either artist.  The Jolie Holland tracks are via her website and are from her fantastic album Catalpa.  The Sean Hayes tracks are from his latest record Big Black Hole and The Little Baby Star, which currently is one of my favorite releases of the year.  Let me know what you think of the tracks and if you check out the show!

Jolie Holland - All The Morning Birds [mp3]
Jolie Holland - December 1999 [mp3]

Sean Hayes - Calling All Cars [mp3]
Sean Hayes - Fucked Me Right Up [MP3]

Richard Buckner is one of my favorites. I was excited to find out that he has a new album called Meadow due out September 12th on Merge Records.

Here is the first track made available from the album:

Richard Buckner - Town [mp3]

More info from Merge Records:

On September 12th, Merge Records will release Meadow, the 8th full-length from
Richard Buckner. Recorded in and around Brooklyn, NY, this new album marks the
auspicious reunion of Buckner and J.D. Foster, producer of Buckner classics
Since, Devotion + Doubt and Impasse. The album was recorded in rather Spartan
environments – Buckner’s apartment, JD’s hallway and an old pencil factory.

Meadow soars and swells around Buckner’s signature trifecta of enigmatic
poetics, swirling melodies, and that voice – a soothing drawl that’s somehow
haunting and buoyant all at once. The melodies are fleshed out by a band that
reads like an all-star line-up: Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices, Cobre Verde,
solo); Kevin March (GBV, Those Bastard Souls, Dambuilders); JD Foster, and
Steven Goulding (Mekons, Gram Parker, Waco Brothers). Doug Gillard’s guitar work
is especially poignant, as he and Buckner play off one another beautifully to
add an element to the recordings that is refreshing and new.

Meadow is Richard Buckner at his finest. Fresh and evocative, poignant and real,
it documents the modern age wrapped up in the frustrations and sympathies of a
wanderer (Austin Chronicle).

Track Listing:

Town
Canyon
Lucky
Mile
Before
Window
Kingdom
Numbered
Spell
The Tether And The Tie