The Finale?

Wayne Blogged The..Finale?

So if you haven't noticed, I've pretty much given up on the whole blogging thing...sorry internet.

So as my final post (for now), I'll leave you with a simple reminder to vote Tuesday!

www.barackobama.com

do the research, learn the facts, and I hope you vote for Barack Obama.

Show Review: Ryan Adams

Wayne Blogged The...Show Review:
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals. Bank of America Pavilion, September 7, 2008
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Wait, there must be some mistake. The show I attended last night was a real, genuine Ryan Adams concert? What about the drunken tirades against the fans? What, no stumbling off the stage? And where are the disco boots? Believe it or not, the infamously immature rocker (now 33...acts 16) has mellowed out a bit, and puts on a very acceptable show.

Last night's two sets at the Bank of America Pavilion showcased the many avenues of Adam's catalog: the pop-rock hits, the country shuffles, and the heavy-metal imitating folk rockers. No opening act, no encore, just two sets of music by a band that seems to be truly enjoying their time on stage and their time with each other.

While most of the songs held up very well in a live setting (highlighted by a string of Jacksonville City Nights songs), pushed along by the faux-punker's scratchy vocals, there were some duds. Two of the four new songs The Cardinals premiered sounded like Rock And Roll throwaways, and the extended let's-rock-out-like-an-exp

erimental-band ending to first-set-closing Easy Plateau left the crowd wishing they were at a Wilco concert (where the feedback is tasteful).

But once the band emerged from the 15 minute intermission, the set list's pace quickened, and the true highlights from the show emerged. Let It Ride, Magnolia Mountain, and I See Monsters were a true representation of just how good this band is. And while I do feel that Catherine Popper's place behind the bass hasn't been filled correctly, there's no denying how tight of a band The Cardinals have become. Pitch (and picture) perfect harmonies were intertwined throughout the night, as Ryan Adams and Co. clung to their country roots.

And then it was over. With a wave and a "see you soon" the band left the stage, peacefully, with very, very few musical casualties.

Race for the Presidency

Wayne Blogged The...Race For The Presidency
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John McCain is a crazy, crazy man. A war hero? Yes. But also a crazy 72-year old man willing to change his beliefs in order to get elected. The senator McCain of eight years ago is NOT the same person running for President today. He has become a mirror-image of George W. Bush, right down to the campaign tactics.

Barack Obama on the other hand, is exactly what this country needs. His speech last night (watched by 38 million viewers) was one of the best political moments in recent memory.

So please, for the future of this country, vote Barack Obama!

Current Albums I'm Diggin' On

Wayne Blogged The...Current Albums (He's) Diggin' On
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In the past, I've listed the five albums I've really been into on the sidebar of this blog. But no more. Simply because by the halfway mark of the month, my taste has changed. So, here's the first addition of albums I've been diggin' on lately.

1) Voo Doo- D'Angelo
Pino Palldino is a funky, funky man. His bass playing is unbelievable on this record, so far behind the beat. It's also just a great R&B record, very good to chill out to.

2) Sea Change- Beck
Perhaps his best record to date, Sea Change melds Beck's folk sensibilities with his usual wackiness. Pretty great record.

3) Music For 18 Musicians- Steve Reich
I've been dabbling in the musical style of minimalism lately, and this record has blown me away. There's so much tension and release, and little musical nuances that really only musicians can appreciate. Not for the masses, but definitely for musicians.

4) Boxer- The National
The National have quickly become one of my favorite bands. And their latest release "Boxer" is one of the best albums to come out this decade. From start to finish, not a single dud.

Nod Of Approval: Norm Macdonald's roast of Bob Saget

Wayne Blogged The...Nod of Approval: Norm Macdonald's Roast of Bob Saget.
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Norm's roast of Bob Saget was the only original act of the night. Comedy Central should sell his act alone on ITunes...Either way, I still bought the entire thing for $4.

Check out another blogger's opinion, and the video itself here. Prepare yourself for the driest and funniest humor ever.

Show Review: Radiohead

Wayne Blogged The...Show Review:
Radiohead. Comcast Center, August 13,2008
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My oh my, if the indie rock gods don't smite me now they never will...

Last night's Radiohead concert at the Greatwoodstweetercomcast Center in Mansfield, MA left the 19,889 other fans (a mixture of dads, bros, and hipsters) blinded by the intensity of the performance. But none of them were listening.

Let me precursor this dangerous review with a fact: I love Radiohead. They've made continuley interesting music over the past decade, a feat not many bands can claim. But last night's show let me down.

The stage set up was amazing, the lights were great, the set list was solid, the opening band (Grizzly Bear) was great...but Radiohead's performance just seemed...truly uninspired.

Thom Yorke still did his impression of a chimp doing the running man during the set. The band was pretty tight, and seemed appreciative of the responce they were getting...but they really weren't connecting with the crowd...they were playing TO them. For such a non-conformist, Yorke's stage presence is very contradictory. Early on, you can tell he's uncomfortable in his situation. And instead of making the crowd feel like they're part of the show, or that this is a special night, the band just went through the motions in a very "we are the band, you are the audience, those are our roles." type of way.

And besides the fact that I felt like they were trying to convey the feeling of doing America a favor by touring, their music doesn't translate well live, no matter how hard they try to disguise that with their light show. There's no hope in their music, nothing to smile about. And that's fine, it's part of the reason everyone loves Radiohead. But live, it just brought me down. I don't know about the thousands of over crowd members, but I like smiling at concerts. I even like jumping occasionally (which is more like flailing like a Kermit The Frog puppet), but Radiohead's music just makes me cross my arms and contemplate my existence.

If there was ever a box set of all of Radiohead's albums, it should be called Music For The Bush Administration Years. Just a lot of angst, and uncertainty pumping from the loud speakers in Mansfield last night...

Bands That Need To Retire...part 2

Wayne Blogged The...Bands That Need To Retire
Part 2
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It's time for another installment of Bands That Need To Retire. I neglected to mention some key players in the nostalgia act genre last time...so here we go:

Bands That Need To Retire: NOW

Issac Hayes: You gotta know when to call it quits man.

Goodbye Children!