Love & Memories

Of a Revolution. What comes to mind? Weed and a field of hippy dancers. You know the kind. You're not quite sure if they're fighting a bee or dancing? Yeah, that's what I think of. But maybe that's not fair. No, I know that's not fair. I've been a fan of O.A.R. (as they are more commonly known) for some years now. I don't think I ever bought a full album in college but I had some songs from various places. They had that mellow jammin' groove that I love so much. Bands like Dave Matthews Band, Phish, The Dead, they have this ability to get on stage and create music on the spot. They are so in tune with each other that they just groooove together. It always blows me away to see. O.A.R. is of the same mold. I saw them in concert recently at UNH. It was in the Whittemore Center Arena which probably seats about 6000. Previous to seeing them in concert, I had seen a video of their concert on msn.com. It was at Madison Square Garden and it was packed. Their fan base is the college crowd. Pretty much age 16-30 I would say. They got their start in college so it's only fitting that that is the crowd they tend to attract. I was sadly disappointed initially at the crowd. The floor was 3/4 full and then the rest of us were sitting in the stands. A big part of a show is the energy from the crowd and when it's not a full house, it's not as electric. We got there early, thinking that it was going to be a full house so we had some time to kill. We quickly found our entertainment. There was clearly a high percentage of high school age kids there. The girls were trying to look like they were in college and the boys were trying to pretend they weren't looking for real college girls. It seemed that the majority of them were there because they felt it was the cool place to be. I'm sure the enjoy the music but I don't think that was the number one reason they were there. I'm getting sidetracked.

The show was awesome. They have that dynamic on stage that (to quote Paula Abdul) gives them the "wow factor". Marc Roberge, the lead singer, has a quality to his voice that is very unique. It's sexy and emotional. Most of the songs are about love, lost, new, pretty much any way you can find it. He often ad-libs from the record version, which I love. For me, that is a sign of a true musican. If it sounds like the record every time they perform it, why bother paying to see them?? I can just go watch them on MTV and get the same experience. There were 2 moments in the show that brought out the smile on my face. Well, there were more than 2 but these stuck out. In the middle of a song, I forget which one, they melded into the song, another song. Cannonball by The Breeders. And then they did it again later with So Lonely by the Police. The songs were so well melded in that you almost didn't notice the transition. It was just a few bars of each but I loved it! John Mayer has done that live but it's more obvious. O.A.R. did it with such fluidity!

My favorite song that they performed was Love and Memories. I heard that song on the radio some time ago, on an indie station. I instantly loved it. It sounded like O.A.R. but it seemed more streamlined than their usual mash-up of times (which was one of my favorite things about their music, ever changing beat) When I heard that it was O.A.R., I was surprised and pleased. While some hardcore fans might have been upset at the seeming departure from their grassroots music, I'm more of the mindset, if I like the music, I like the music and that's it. I bought the album, Stories of a Stranger that had Love and Memories and loved the whole thing. I listened over and over. Love and Memories still was a favorite. Sometimes, you find that song that just speaks to your heart. It may not make sense why but you are drawn to it and find yourself playing it on repeat. Can't get it out of your head. When I heard it live, it was even better. He ad-libbed some new lyrics that made it clear to me why I loved it so much. But that's a story for another time. Music speaks better than words, sometimes.

Overall, the show was awesome from the music side. Unfortunately, the crowd took away from it a bit because they were very distracting with their constant crowd-surfing. Yes, crowd-surfing. At a hippy show. Makes sense, no?

Ozomatli

Ever find yourself listening to some latin music and you can't stop yourself from dancing? You could be in the grocery store, pushing a cart, cha cha cha-ing down the frozen food aisle. Or in your house, cooking (because there's nothing better than cooking to latin music) and you find yourself trying to shake it like Shakira. Hopefully I'm not the only one! I love latin music. I can't help myself. It makes me smile and want to channel Charro. Just give me some marraccas.

The newest band that I found is Ozomatli. Granted, they've been together for 12 years but I just found them. It's a melting pot of heavy latin influences coupled with English hip-hop and topped off with anti-war lyrics. Not that I actually know what the lyrics are but they sure sound great. As soon as the music starts to play on my iPod, I'm grooving in my car. And I don't care WHAT I look like to the other drivers on the road. I'm a prime candidate for that show on VH-1 where they secretly video people singing in their car. If it were a contest, I'd win for looking like the biggest idiot.

For that reason alone, everyone should download their music because it's food for the soul!

In a Word...SOUL

Newest discovery- James Morrison. I heard of him in a round about way. I found myself downloading as much of his music as I could find. And I listened to it. And loved it. He's from the UK, which doesn't really matter to me. What matters is how his music makes me feel. I have this filing system with music. If it doesn't make me feel anything, if it's just some low-rate singer with a computer generated backup, that get's the click-and-drag to the recycle bin. If it makes me happy, that goes on the feel good playlist in my head (which I often find myself singing to myself. At work. A few songs in.) Then there's the file that holds all else. The music that makes me really feeeeeeel it in my bones. There are musicians out there that do more than sing a song. They feel it and in turn, the listener feels it. Music that moves the soul. Musicians that do that should be brought to an island somewhere so they can write the soundtrack to our world.

Morrison is one of those musicans. He has this roughness to his voice, like he just got out of bed in the morning-every time he sings. It's this roughness, and the way he feels his way through his music, that brings out his soul. After I listened to his music for a while and just fell in love with him as an artist, I went to his myspace page and found this quote, which I found absolutely fitting for what I felt about his music.

"I grew up on artists like Otis Redding, Al Green, Cat Stevens, The Kinks and Van Morrison. I always loved songs where the singer would sing with real soul, like they really believed in what they were singing about. Those are the kinds of songs that really stayed with me. I can't sing a song about something I don't believe in."

For me, that quote encapsulates exactly how I feel listening to his music. His current album is called Undiscovered. I can't imagine him being undiscovered by the main stream music scene much longer. Sometimes, I'd like to keep secret my favorite musicians so that I could still go see them in dingy, smoky bars in some out of the way town in middle America but that's not fair to them. If I have to, I'll go to the stadiums if it means success for them as they have earned it. I'll deal with Singing (off-key) Sally, Drunk Dan and Talking Tammy if it means hearing music that makes me feel good. Thankfully (for me), Morrison is still under the big-time radar so I have a bit more time to enjoy him as I like to.

Today's Playlist

Cupid's Chokehold-Gym Class Heroes
Sweet Escape-Gwen Stefani
Give it to Me-Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, JT
Love-Matt White
Love is just a Game-The Magic Numbers
Sly- The Cat Empire
Hello, Hello-The Cat Empire
Don't Wait-Dashboard Confessional
Last Request-Paolo Nutini
LDN-Lily Allen
Balancing the World-Eliot Morris
Where Did My Baby Go?-John Legend
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room-John Mayer
Lost Without U-Robin Thicke
Loving You-Paolo Nutini
Bittersweet-Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Boston-Augustana
Careless-Amos Lee
Heaven-John Legend
Will She Ever Love Again-Eliot Morris
I Don't Trust Myself with Loving You-John Mayer

Bits and Pieces

There are 2 new bands that I just discovered. The first is the Cat Empire.

They're from Australia and they remind me of old school No Doubt with a bit more ska thrown in. They have this great song, Sly, that's playing on the indie radio stations right now. They just have this fun sound that makes you want to get up and dance around your house like a kid. Kind of like that Friends episode where Rachel goes jogging with Phoebe only to have Phoebe run like a little kid, arms and legs flailing in the wind. It would be one of those moments where if you were being secretly video taped, it would have ended up on America's Funniest Home Videos. Probably would win the $10,000 prize. I haven't listened to too many of their songs yet but I love what I have! Go Download it!

The second band is the Magic Numbers.

For me, they are music I would cook to or road trip to. I know that doesn't describe the music. It's good. They're from the UK. Mellow stuff, groovy acoustic stuff, background music to my life. There's a really good song, Love is a Game. It's not on their myspace and I haven't checked iTunes yet. Worth a listen!

Grammy Madness!

I sat through all 3.5 hours of the Grammy's last night. Mostly to see the performances (seeing as that's all there really is now-15 performances and 5 awards). I know they have to keep the viewers interested for ratings but I feel bad for the artists that get no time in front of the mic. I mean, at least do what the Oscars does-hold a separate award show for the awards they give out in advance so at least the artists get some kind of visual recognition in front of their peers.

I did watch a bit of the red carpet. Nothing really interesting at all. Except Imogen Heap. She was a site to see. It kind of looked like she was channeling mother earth and Madonna from the 80's.

The Police opened the show, that was no surprise. It's great to see them back together but for someone who doesn't remember when the Police were together, it just looked like Sting and his backup band. I know that sounds bad because it's THE POLICE but it's what I saw. It was a great performance, none the less.

I did have issue with the fact that Prince did the Beyonce intro and all he said was "one word-Beyonce!" Now I know she's talented but at 24, she hasn't earned a one word entrance!! Now if it were Madonna or Whitney or Aretha, that's one thing. But Beyonce? She hasn't earned it, in my book.
Why haven't award winners realized how to accept an award yet?? I mean, people are always bitching about acceptance speeches and how they are too long or too fake or what have you. Listen. We all know you appreciate the award. You can thank everyone in person. There is no need to stand in front of the mic with index cards reading off names of everyone from the producer to the guy who cleaned the record studio (ahem, Mary J. Blige) Just get up there, let everyone see your pretty dress (or tux), say thank you to the fans and everyone who helped in creating the album and walk away from the mic. Maybe throw in a thanks to my wife or god or your parents. That makes you look humble.
Here's the biggest issue I had with the Grammy's. The "My Grammy Moment" segment. The Grammy's is THE award show in the music industry. It celebrates artists and musicians who have produced incredible music (supposedly). Why on earth would they need to bring in a competition for completely unknown singers to give them a chance at singing on stage with Justin Timberlake at the Grammy's? AND to add in that the viewer at home is calling in to vote during the show? For me, that completely missed the mark. It cheapened the whole show but yay for that girl that won! She got to stand on stage with Justin and try not to be upstaged. Maybe next time she's on that stage, she'll have earned it.
They had a good concept with a couple of the performances. John Legend, Corrinne Bailey Rae and John Mayer performing together. But it didn't click. It was basically like they wanted all three to perform but didn't have time for the full songs so they threw them on stage together. There was no cohesiveness. Not to say I didn't enjoy it, they are three of my favorite musicians out there right now. It was great but I would have preferred John Legend or John Mayer doing a whole song.
Shakira's performance kicked Beyonce's ass. Shakira, while she does have a unique sound to her voice, is so entertaining to watch! I watch her and wish I could move my hips the way she does. Beyonce's performance was completely forgettable. She should take some tips from Shakira.
The performance from Gnarls Barkley was just weird. Cee-Lo looked uncomfortable, the singing was slow and there was no movement on stage. When he was done, I felt like Simon Cowell after a really bad audition.
While I do feel that a band like The Eagles should be recognized for their greatness, I don't think there should be tribute performances because the viewers and the audience would much rather see the real thing. If you can't do them justice, don't do it at all.
My biggest gripe about the awards was the fact that Carrie Underwood won best new artist. That is just WRONG. She can sing, I'll give her that. But she has no stage presence and she can't write music or play music. She was up against Corrinne Bailey Rae who is an amazing singer/songwriter and James Blunt singer/songwriter. Two incredibly talented individuals. But Carrie Underwood is one of the biggest selling artists of 2006 so lets just give her the award. That is my issue with the Grammy's. It's a popularity contest for many awards. There are some amazing musicians out there that don't ever get the recognition because they don't have a big label behind them. I thought that was a sad commentary on the music industry. If they want to give her the Best Performance award, that's fine with me. Though I am so sick of hearing that stupid song Jesus Take the Wheel. Every time I hear it, I say, Seriously??

Chris Brown impressed me with his performance. I knew he could sing but didn't realize he could move, too. I love that he incorporated step into his performance. That was really fun to watch. And then his version of James Brown was awesome.

While I'm sure the Dixie Chicks earned all their awards (I love that song-I think I need to go buy the whole album now!) they had the worst acceptance speeches of the night. Next to Mary J. They seemed completely unprepared and unfocused. But yay for them! The Chili Peppers had the best speech of the night. Quick and to the point. Thanks to everyone. And done.
Overall, it was just another award show. Unfortunately, there were only a few moments of brilliance on stage. They should hire me to come produce next year. I bet it would be a lot more entertaining. I'd have the most fun with the seating arrangements. Imogen Heap next to Kanye West.

Bringing Sexy Back

I have to say, he brought it back. I went to see Justin Timberlake in concert last night at The Garden in Boston. I do need to preface this with the statement that my best friend and I have been fans of Justin from his days in 'Nsync. We had seen them in concert at Foxboro many years ago. This was quite a different experience all together. First of all, the unfortunate thing about going to a concert in the winter is the whole jacket/scarf/mitten thing. Being Boston, it was bitterly cold so there was no option of going without. You find yourself sitting in a seat barely big enough for your ass and now you have to find a place for a big, bulky jacket. Inevitably, it ends up under your seat and you really don't want to think of what kinds of things it might be sitting in. We were a few seats in and only 5 rows off the floor so they were amazing seats. The stage was incredible. It spanned the distance of the floor (the short way). It had a catwalk across with a round stage in the middle of the floor (a few steps down from the catwalk) holding the band. He used large sections of sheer fabric around the stage at times for a screen. It was almost surreal to see massive Justin superimposed on little justin on stage. It created a very cool effect for the audience. Brilliant design.

Pink was the opening act and she rocked the house. Definitely a performer. She did her song Stupid Girls and while everyone there was screaming and singing along like they totally got what she was saying, I noticed that most of them looked like they were the stupid girls she was singing about but I judge. For me, the most impressive part of her act was at the end when she pulled out the Cirque de soleil-esque fabric rope from the rafters that she proceeded to wrap up and twirl around in like an acrobat. I had seen Pink dance at the Janet Jackson tribute concert so I knew she could move but this was a "holyshit" moment.

Now, my best friend and I, having experienced the frenzy that is an 'Nsync show, were well prepared for the madness that would ensue upon his appearance on stage. At least I thought so. I feel that after this experience, I now have a better understanding of what it was like when the Beatles came to the United States. I mean, there wasn't any hysterical crying or girls passing out. But there was a deafening high-pitched scream (almost to the level that only a dog would hear, which I would have preferred, actually) that erupted when the lights went down. What I found humorous was that when they were still setting up the stage, every once and a while someone would start screaming across the arena and it was like a wave effect. Who knows why the first girl was screaming but everyone else thought it was because Justin was making an appearance so they started to hyperventilate. They only stopped when they realized that that was the sound guy, not Justin.

He had 8 incredible dancers that accompanied him for various songs. One of the dancers turned out to be Kenny from the MTV reality show, Dance Life. The best performances were when the dancers were on stage. They utilized the full stage for these dance numbers which made them multidimensional. It's tough performing in the round but they pulled it off. When Justin was on one side, some of his dancers were entertaining the audience on the other side.

There was one dancer who we thought was a bit over the top. They should have had a pole on stage for her and she would have felt more at home. The same could be said about the girl that was "dancing" next to me, as well. I wanted to tell her "honey, he can't see you, you can stop trying so hard."

Timbaland joined JT on stage for Cry Me a River. Then, JT took a break while Timbaland performed. He took all these songs and was remixing them on stage. It might have fit better in small club instead of in The Garden but it was still impressive. I do think that it ended up being a little over the heads of the girls around us, though. His performance was accompanied by video and images of all kinds of things from japanimation to horror movies. He brought it back old school with Billie Jean and everyone in the audience went wild when images of Michael Jackson appeared on screen. Seeing as most of the girls in the audience weren't born when he did Thriller, I found it a bit annoying that they were reacting like he did that album yesterday but that's me being snotty. I'm curious about the "break" that he took. Not to criticize because god knows I can't get up there and perform like that. I'd have a heart attack. But Bon Jovi can rock onstage for hours without a break. Was he taking a break because he needed one or was it just so Timbaland could perform and promote his upcoming CD?

During What Goes Around, I have rarely seen such a display of musicianship on stage. I sat there in my seat, while everyone around us was freaking out, mouth open in awe of what was happening on that stage. JT was at the piano and the band was all around him and they were totally feeling it and rocking out. He truly put together a stellar group of musicians to back him up. They make him look and sound even better. I wish backup bands got more credit!

The only moment where I cringed was during the encore. While I am sure that Justin is grateful for his fans (which is clear from how much he gives of himself during a performance) the moment where he wanted to thank everyone for supporting him, the sheen of tears in his eyes was a little much for me. If I didn't think he did that at every show, I would have been more touched by it.

Overall, the show was incredible. Being a member of 'Nsync is a hard reputation to move past. You're looked at as a puppet and computer generated talent. It must be very difficult to break free from that stigma and prove yourself as a true musician. This tour was Justin's way of blowing that reputation out of the water. While he did spend his time showing off his super sexy dance moves, he also spent a good amount of the show at the piano or guitar, proving he was more than a good voice. What I think is the most challenging thing is his audience. With such a young female crowd, it can be difficult to get them to see past how cute he is and how great a dancer. Sometimes, the musician can be lost in a crowd that large and that young. He managed to master the balance between the 2 persona's of musician and entertainer.

I've said in the past that new bands like Maroon 5 don't get it yet. There is a huge difference between singing your songs in a studio and performing them on a stage and captivating your audience. Bands that have been touring for 20+ years get it. They went through the trials and tribulations of being a new band and making it work. And now, they KNOW what it is to entertain an audience. I've seen Bon Jovi and Elton John/Billy Joel in concert and I didn't think I would ever see a young performer be able to master the ability that these veterans have but I stand corrected. Justin left it all on the stage. He knew when to slow it down, when to throw in the dance numbers, he worked the crowd like a pro. And while I would prefer he left out the "Boston let me hear you" comments, the audience loved him. Justin has clearly established himself as a talented musician and performer.

Paolo Nutini

went to see Paolo Nutini last night in Boston at the Paradise Club. What an interesting kid. While I find that sometimes, the smaller venues are the best way to see an artist because you can actually see them, I am not a fan of standing around for 4 hours in a mass of people who inevitably smell, behind the really tall dude who can't stand still so I look like a really bad dancer bouncing around behind him. And then there are those people that, even though you are standing 3 inches from the person in front of you, somehow manage to slide in between you so you're practically eating their hair. Then they proceed to bob and weave behind the tall guy so now it's a sea of people bobbing and weaving behind the really tall guy. I love the people that think they are the biggest fan ever and sing at the top of their lungs to every song. Because that's what I paid to see, some jackass who can't sing overpowering the fantastic talent on the stage. But whatever! It's all part of the experience. And Paolo Nutini was amazing. He kind of freaked me out at first, though. He came on stage, quite a small Italian lad from Scotland. He grabbed the mic and started singing but he refused to look up. He kind of hunched over and sang to the floor. And at moments, his mouth contorted into shapes and sizes I didn't think possible. But what was clearly evident was his passion for what he was doing, he sang beautifully and emotionally. As the night wore on, he got more comfortable, but he definitely seemed unsure of himself, a 20 year old from Scotland playing a club in Boston. It reminded me of how Jim Morrison started off singing with his back to the audience because of his insecurity. I will say this, when Nutini smiled at the crowd, it just made you want pinch his cheek and tell him how cute he was. The tricky part was when he spoke. Couldn't understand a word he was saying. Now, I've heard Scottish people before and completely understood them. But throw a shy kid on stage with a couple hundred talking people and a crappy sound system, and you've got the makings of complete incoherence. At one point, I looked at one of the people I was with and said, "The next song is called love?" and she looked at me and said, "I heard so many pretty faces." Not even close! He did, at one moment, say that he doesn't talk much because we can't understand a word he says anyway. That was pretty much the only thing I did understand. But experience on the stage comes with time and he'll get there. He was amazing and beautiful and I highly recommend everyone go out and buy his CD. My favorite tracks are Last Request, Jenny Don't Be Hasty and New Shoes. Download it!