abcs

Here's a link to a some classic notes found in record stores.....also a fun site to check out!

Jam Master Jay Doc.

Hey check out this awesome documentary film about Jam Master Jay!

Control Contest

As promised, here's how to win! It's fairly easy, honestly.

Click the image above to make it larger, then print it out. And, if you're one of the first FIVE people to make it through the door, with the above voucher in hand, you'll WIN! That's it!

See how painless that was...

New Dunnys - 3 Bears!

Check out our NEW Commercial!

This commercial was written and directed by David Estrada... We hope you like it, because we love it!



Parker Avengelis is Park Ave CDs!

The White House

Some great folks started to host monthly concerts in their home in September of 2000. The concept is simple; Bring arts and music back into that forgotten venue: the living room. Always FREE to the public. People bring a nice bottle of wine or porto, and a piece of fine cheese or other delicacy. They enjoy an evening of live music performed by some of the best musicians around,
and take in some artwork by local artists.

They put a strong emphasis on living composers, and have had over 112 world premieres so far! That makes them one of the leading new music concert venues in Florida!

For a list of performances, directions and more info, visit: THE WHITE HOUSE website.

Early Memories... Replies!

So, we asked you THIS QUESTION and you gave us these answers... These are our favorites!

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My earliest memory of a song is "Touch of Grey" by the Grateful Dead. I was about three when my deadhead dad and I were watching the music video. I remember thinking that the skeletons were really cool. Thanks,
-Aileen

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Forget what you heard about Edgar Allen Poe, Rod Temperton is "da man" when it comes to scaring a three year old shitless. My earliest memory of music was the soliloquy read by Vincent Price at the end of "Thriller." Nothing would make me run faster out of my brother's room as he laid the needle down on that part of the record. It took me a few more years to actually watch the music video all the way through. I must admit, that even to this day, I still find myself looking around my shoulder as this song is being blasted on every radio station during the month of October.
-Veronica

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The earliest memory I have of a particular song is of Tom Petty's "Breakdown". When I was a child, my parents used to turn up the stereo in our living room really loud and we would all dance around and sing with the songs. I fondly remember "playing drums" to this song, meaning I banged wooden spoons on the collector tins my family had. These living room concerts are what really started my love for classic rock, such as AC/DC, Van Halen, Queen, etc.

This memory is very fond to me still, as "Breakdown" is now my favorite song of all time and I have a real drum set that I like to play. Plus, my family still rocks :)
-Aly

NO AGE Review

As a band, I’m not really sure what to make of No Age. They’re really just a couple of skate punks that make noisy songs, but… there’s gotta be more to it than that. The tracks on their new album Nouns vary from barely contained sound collages to bashing garage stompers, but it’s consistently enjoyable, confounding and above all else: interesting. And let’s face it. Sub Pop releases as of late haven’t exactly blown the proverbial roof off of the sucka. It’s been a whole lot of people that wouldn’t have record deals if they weren’t affiliated with Band Of Horses or Wolf Parade for the past few months. So this begs me to ask: do I actually like this new No Age album or am I just pleasantly surprised that it’s a really good Sub Pop album?

I think the verdict is both. I’m excited to see Sub Pop digging themselves out of a rut, and I’m happy to hear a band that is equal parts Psychocandy, Black Lips and musique concrete. I like how on the opening “Miner”, everything is given such an equal place in the sound field that I can’t tell how many guitars are there, I’m not sure if I can hear a tambourine or not, and I honestly can’t tell if more than one person is singing or not. That might sound sarcastic, but I like a not-so-obvious album here and there.

And then there’s bits like “Keechie”, where it’s just a big pastoral and echoey mess of guitars framing a rhythm track made up of hiss that slowly opens up and goes away. No chorus, no vocals. Just a neat little recording experiment that gives you a quick break from the mid-range pounding that No Age seems to revel in.

On the other hand, I’m glad that Nouns barely lasts over a half of an hour, as it’s not the type of noise pop that I could handle in large doses. You have to understand that the guitar tones often fall somewhere between the I-Doser experiments and the sounds produced by that guitar pedal that Buzz Osbourne made as a joke for DOD back in the day. I’m willing to bet that this band would own you live, though. It sounds like even this relatively lo-fi production is barely able to contain them.

Hats off to Sub Pop for unveiling such a daring signing. Other articles of clothing off to No Age for rocking out with little care for the rest of the world. They sound like they’re having a blast, and it’s contagious.

- Marc

SPONGECELL

Howdy, everyone! This blog is a special blog for us (read: me) here at PARK AVE CDs because we want to share with you a very special Website and Promotion Utility we think you'll love! WE LOVE IT!

It's called SPONGECELL and it's awesome. We use it to post store events and other PACD happenings, too. Best part, aside from being super easy to use and very powerful... it's FREE! You just have to check it out for yourself, honestly. People can add our events to Myspace, Facebook, iCal, and numerous other places. Another awesome feature is folks can set "reminders" about events, and receive them via email or TXT Message!

Hey, it's free and, as far as i'm concerned, (yeah, i'm a little dorky with this kind of stuff) totally badass.

CHECK IT OUT!

- Ryan

Bamboo Zoo is on the loose!

Tom Waits 2008 Tour

Here's a video we found of Tom Waits doing a press conference about his 200 Tour!

Early Memories...

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION #3:
What's your earliest memory of Music or a particular Song?

Send us your replies to feedback@parkavecds.com and we'll post our favorites. Sadly, no one replied to our last Audience Participation request. So, send us something this time to make up for making us all sad and weepy last time. Cool?

$2 Organic Beers!

You read that right! Every MONDAY, through the end of 2008, ORLANDO BREWING will have it's weekly "Happy Mondays" - with All Orlando Brewing Beers costing only $2! If you haven't been up to the Brewery yet, you're missing out! Delicious beers and a clean, smoke-free environment. You can take tours of the Brewery, too. See you on MONDAY! :)

What in the HELL?!

Ok, so, for 500+ years no one (read: babies) have been injured. Great. But, man, i can't stop laughing my ass off when i see them bounce off of the sheet, right before being caught and passed to the back of the crowd. Hopefully i'm not the only one who thinks this is truly hilarious?!

New Toy: ZOMBIE Pet Dunny!

RECORD STORE DAY - 2008!

Here's the final info for RECORD STORE DAY! We have a lot of stuff going on so come on out and have some fun with us, won't you?!

>> Click on image for larger view <<

Stainboy Book Release PARTY!

Saturday, April 19, Club Firestone, Orlando FL. Meet & Greet at 8pm, Doors at 9pm, Admission $5, 18 and up.

Appearing and Exhibiting Artists:
Stainboy
Lindsey Kuhn
Enemy Ink
Jared Connor/Mexican Chocolate Design
Johnny Theif/Seppuku Tattoo
Mike Martin/Enginehouse 13
Chuck Loose/Iron Forge
Jeral Tidwell
Brian Ewing
Jason Cooper/Blackheart Studios
Lil' Tuffy
Jeff Matz/Lure
Thomas Scott/Eye Noise
Brook Pifer Photography

The Bands:
The Attack
The Drug Czars
The Country Slashers


Sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, Real Rock 101.1 WJRR, Uberbot and Park Avenue CDs.
at Club Firestone: 578 N. Orange Ave. Orlando FL, 32801. (407) 872-0068

RECORD STORE DAY!

Yep, this Saturday, April 19th, 2008 is the First Inaugural National Record Store Day. Hundreds of Indie CD Shops all around the USA will be celebrating in unison with all kinds of exclusive events. Things like Special Sales, Autograph Signings, In-Store Performances, Giveaways, Contests and a lot more... This Record Store Day we'll have FILM SCHOOL perform in our store and we'll be having some other great things going on, too. Come check it out!!!!

Review: The Breeders

If a record comes along in 2008 that’s better than Mountain Battles, well . . . then I guess I’ve got a new favorite record of 2008. And I’m not sure that I can take hearing something more wonderfully earth-shattering than this slab of brilliance.

Kim Deal is a musical genius, her sister Kelley is her God-given muse, and when they make noise together, you can always trust that the results are going to blow your mind. And that’s really all you need to know about the album when all is said and done. The Breeders consistently deliver records that are so disjointed that they somehow hand out a new sort of perfection to strive for in rock music.

And while, yes, if you just drop the needle on Mountain Battles with no point of reference, I can understand why you might think that the platter was slapdash and uneven. You also couldn’t be blamed for thinking that about any prior Kim Deal effort, either. I’d be lying if I said that I have ever immediately understood - or even totally liked - anything she’s had a hand in on the first spin. But you’ve got to keep in mind that the Deal sisters don’t rush anything. Hardcore Breeders fans endure long and excruciating periods between records that seem like inactive downtime, though she’s really just taking the time to make the most perfect and refined album possible. People often like to point to the fact that there was a nine-year break between 1993’s Last Splash and 2002’s masterfully dark Title TK, but they also forget to mention that the results were gobstoppingly arranged and produced on the lowest of the lo-fi antique equipment, ensuring that Kim got on tape the exact sounds she’d been hearing in her head. I wonder if those folks that complain about the long wait between Breeders albums would’ve preferred that the Deal gals crapped out a half-baked album full of almost good ideas every year instead of rewarding the more patient fans with brilliant and challenging records when they were absolutely ready to be heard.

And while we’re on the subject, let’s talk about that nine-year hiatus I spoke of above: It’s not as if the main Breeders weren’t doing things in the meantime. Not only did Kim deliver the great Breeders-album-that-never-was under a moniker of The Amps - and frankly, it’s pretty much a Breeders album, despite the absence of Kelley Deal . . . which we’ll get to in a bit - but Kelley Deal gave us two albums with her solo band that often sounded like marginally good Breeders outtakes, and original bassist Josephine Wiggs made an exceptional solo album that encapsulated so much of the dark mystery found in the earlier Breeders
albums that one has to wonder exactly how much of the sound of Pod, Safari, Last Splash and the oft-forgotten Head To Toe EP was actually the influence of Ms. Wiggs. I mean, hell, she’s got more writing credits on those albums and their respective b-sides than Kelley at this point. Just sayin’.

That’s why I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the following: the only constant Breeders member has been Kim Deal. Most of us conveniently forget that Kelley Deal didn’t even know how to play the guitar when the critically lauded Pod was unleashed on an unsuspecting world. She came around when Tanya Donnely was on the cusp of leaving for greener, more Belly-esque pastures. If we follow the Breeders model given to us, then any album or project with Kim Deal at the helm as leader and songwriter should be treated as a Breeders album. If you don’t believe me, don’t forget that the current band of Breeders routinely plays no less than three of the thirteen Amps songs in existence at nearly every concert. Plus, The Amps found plenty of time in their short existence as a Kim Deal “solo project” (that still saw fit to retain then-Breeders drummer Jim Macpherson) to play many choice Breeders cuts in even the shortest of their thankless opening slots. Including “Head To Toe”, written by one Josephine Wiggs. Ahem.

Now that I’ve gotten that off of my chest, I should probably tell you why I feel that Mountain Battles is such an end-all be-all record, huh? Well, for starters, this album turns a new leaf in Kim Deal’s creativity. For the first time ever, she’s reportedly plunged into the world of overdubs, whereas she’s known for being a “wait until the band can play it together as a unit and record it that way” kind of gal. The reason that I find this so remarkable is because the results still sound exactly like a Breeders
album. She’s given in just a teensy bit to studio trickery to shave a year or so off of our waits between albums. Fine by me.

But you’ve also got to take into account the fact that while her usual lyrics can often feel like she filled out a form of mad libs and later put music behind it, this time Kim is wayyy more direct than usual. The opening track “Overglazed” consists of just one easy-to-digest line repeated in various forms like a piecemeal mantra: “I can feel it”. And what can she feel? Judging by the lyrical scope of the rest of the album, it would seem like hints of hope in a bleak world full of reasons to never want to get out of bed. Let’s face it, folks, these aren’t the best years that Western civilization has ever seen, and to explain why or fix it would take more time than most of us will be alive. On Mountain Battles, Kim Deal seems to take on the voice of the world, alternating between hopeful lyrics sung in either English, Spanish or a shaky grasp on a German dialect. And it’s never preachy, either. In the slow and churning “We’re Gonna Rise”, she gently alludes to smallish things that one can look forward to. “Feel the light on my face”, indeed.

Elsewhere on the album, you’ll find the band stripping back to the acoustic guitar/sisterly harmony on the classic country of “Here No More”, the complicated sparseness of the bewildering title track, the best song the Blow never wrote in “Bang On”, and the obvious influence of Kim’s tenure in those Pixies reunion tours with the no-frills rock of “Walk It Off”. But the genius of Mountain Battles doesn’t lie in anything I can verbalize to you in one silly record review. It’s the general feeling that the album conjures up that so perfectly captures the moods, attitudes and issues of living in 2008. Of course, this is masterfully pulled off while somehow sounding neither dated nor like an eventual period piece. The disc is its very own monster, and it takes more listens than even I’ve had to really get inside of it. At every turn, it defies expectations while still delivering on all the promise of an album six years in the making.

So how does it hold up as a Breeders album? Well, everything you love about the band is front and center. The wonderful vocal interplay between Kim and Kelley, the rock solid drumming, the fuzzed-out and uncompressed guitar tones, and arrangements so wonderfully cut-up that even Brian Eno would be jealous. All the traditional Breeders hallmarks are here, but somehow this time they seem to add up to a more important whole. Mountain Battles is the sound of our modern times. And if that fact makes you uncomfortable, then you are the kind of person that needs to hear this album more than even the most seasoned Breeders fanatic.

Ready for the kicker? Mountain Battles isn’t even the best record in the Breeders catalog. But it’s the best and most relevant album I’ve heard so far this year, and that’s enough for me.

- Marc

THE SWORD and LOTR!

Holy Crap, the new Sword album syncs to LOTR!!!!

I just heard from my rep at Kemado that if you start the New Sword album "Gods of the Earth" at the scene "The Corsiars Of Umbar" on the Lord Of The Rings:Return Of the King, it syncs with the rest of the movie!!!! I just tried it out and the folky intro matches perfectly and the heavy guitars drop right when the phantom army comes out!!

I only have the deluxe version, so I hope the rest works, I haven't seen anywhere else mention this, or if it's only the regular or deluxe version...

The leaked version of the Sword is missing 2 songs, and so far seems like it syncs with the CD release!!!

Wow!

Calvin

Chaos In Tejas!

Hey kids, the line up for Chaos in Tejas is up on the Prank Records blog! Los Crudos will be doing a reunion. Punks everywhere - rejoice
Check it out, it’s May 15-17 in Austin, TX.

- Keri

Singer?

Well, we've all had that fantasy of being the singer in our favorite band. Admit it. We're all here thinking the same thing... No need to be timid. IF YOU COULD SING FOR ANY BAND, WHAT BAND WOULD IT BE & WHY? - We'd love to see what you have to say!

Share your story with us and we'll share our favorites on this Blog! EMAIL US and tell us something we wouldn't know otherwise!!

Worst Concert - Replies

We've received a few replies - here's our top favorites to the Participation Question below!

LOYD WROTE:

Let's go back to the dark ages, shall we?

I was in a band that was hired to play dance music for a big homecoming party at the University of Cincinnati, about 3,500 people in attendance. The "headliner" was Tommy James and the Shondells ("Mony, Mony" "Crimson and Clover" "Draggin' the Line" etc). We finished our set, which the crowd seemed to like, and the Shondells took the stage. As I passed Tommy James, who was decked out with massive rock star hair, a "Fat Vegas Elvis" powder-blue sequined jumpsuit open to the waist, and fifty pounds of pancake makeup, he patted me on the shoulder, and said, "Hang around boys, and listen to some real music."

Well, we certainly wanted to hear some "real music," so we hung around the crowd as the Shondells began the galloping riff that opens "Draggin' the Line." The intro seemed to be going on a very long time, and the band members were all looking at each other in that frantic "what the?" way. After what seemed like five solid minutes of redundant Clavinet intro, the bandstopped and left the stage.

It turns out that everything on stage was rented equipment from a local music store, the Shondells being very specific about their choice of instruments. Everything came right out of the box, had never been fired up even once, and the Shondells had blown every speaker, monitor and amp all to hell with the first ten percent of one song.

We had to get to another gig later that night, and the last thing we saw backstage, amidst the pandemonium that was brewing in the audience, was the Shondell's manager, face glowing red, trying to bribe our guitarist to rent the band some equipment. He declined, and just as the elevator doors shut tight, said to Tommy and his manager, "Hang around boys, and maybe you'll hear some real equipment."

*************************

ERIC SAID:

I went to the Cal Jam 2 at Ontario Motor Speedway on March 18, 1978 (ironically 30 years ago today). At 3 AM the crowd broke down the chain link fence and by force we all entered the concert. It was hot and the facilities were deplorable. The sound system was bad and the seating was on the ground and far away from the speakers. The upside was Santana and Aerosmith were very good from what I could hear.

*************************

DAN SAID:

My worst concert going experience ever was Phish's last show, Coventry. The weather was terrible, causing most the gravel roads in the concert grounds to get washed away. Vehicles were getting stuck in the mud constantly. Finally, the Vermont state police, wanting to cancel the event, urged Phish to close the gates. Thousands of ticket holders got turned away after sitting in traffic for up to 18 hours.

On a positive note this prompted many fans to abandon their vehicles on the highway and hike into the concert grounds. Some, not wanting to miss the final Phish show, walked as far as twenty miles. Not many bands have experienced that kind of devotion from their fans.

The show itself was very rough. The emotional climate created by the imminent break-up was detrimental to the bands performance. It was probably the worst performance of their careers. The traffic, the mud, the rain, the turned away fans, the band members' tears. I really wish I hadn't made the trek.

Worst Concert?

WHAT'S THE WORST CONCERT YOU'VE EVER SEEN AND WHY?

Yeah, we've all been to some bad concerts. Whether it's the band, you were fighting with your "Better Half" or you went despite being sick... Share your story with us and we'll share some of the good ones with the world, via this Blog! Sound good? EMAIL US and tell us something tasty!

Enter To WIN!

Come into either of our stores (Main or our UCF Location) and ENTER TO WIN a PAIR of TICKETS to see THE WEAKERTHANS at The Social on April 5th, 2008.

Also ENTER TO WIN a PAIR of TICKETS to see CONVERGE at The Social on April 27th, 2008.

LP COVER CONTEST!

YES! This is something some of the Park Ave CDs staffers came up with by sheer accident... LPs with nearly-life-sized body parts on the covers. Hold it up in front of yourself and try to match the appropriate body part with the rest of your body. We think the photos below pretty much sum it up...

Click on Images for a Larger View

Ok, here's where the Contest comes into play... Simply SUBMIT a photo of yourself using an LP in a similar way and let us know what LP you used!

THE BEST USE OF AN LP COVER WINS!
Well, the TOP-3 Best Submissions WIN!

THE PRIZES:
First Place wins a $20 Vinyl Gift Certificate
Second Place wins a $15 Vinyl Gift Certificate
Third Place wins a $10 Vinyl Gift Certificate

This contest ends on Monday, March 17th, 2008. Winners, and honorable mentions, will be posted upon the contests completion. Keep your eyes peeled, folks!

ps: Please don't submit the same LPs we used in the above examples...

Steve Poltz "Traveling"

If you were looking at a list of Steve Poltz’s career achievements, it’d absolutely stop you in your tracks: toured the world with his revered band The Rugburns, wrote nearly enough songs to compete with Robert Pollard, wrote “You Were Meant For Me” for Jewel, sold a tune or two to well-placed commercials, knocked audiences dead every time he picked up a guitar . . .and was considered “most influential artist of the decade” in some wacky awards ceremony in San Diego.

Now, if Poltz himself were in charge of that resume, it would likely be a list of smaller victories: trick-or-treating at Liberace’s house, meeting Elvis, being allowed to play his guitar for a living, making a children’s album, etc. And most of that might seem like minutia to the average guy, but that’s the type of stuff Steve writes about. There’s no better example of it than the eleven songs collected on his new album Traveling.

Okay, it’s important for you to know that any record with Poltz at the helm can be a bit predictable - and as a huge fan of his, I mean that in the most loving way possible. His earlier releases with The Rugburns started out as quirky tunes that didn’t stray too far from your average wacky coffee house singer-songwriter stuff, and when the namesake eventually turned into a fully fledged band, the ensuing albums - Mommy, I’m Sorry and Taking The World By Donkey - often sounded like your run-of-the-mill bar band, albeit one with a much better penchant for off-kilter lyrics and melodies than you’d expect. And of course, the ‘Burns were at their best in a live setting - beer-soaked shows that could often push the four-hour mark, filled with enough crowd favorites (”I Want To Learn About Love”, “Dick’s Automotive”, “The Ballad Of Tommy & Marla”) to make the punters happy, but also littered with enough unexpected covers (”Little Red Corvette”, “Waterfalls”) to make even the most casual fan of music in general stand up and take notice of what these guys were up to. Thanks to the energetic live shows and inexcusably catchy tunes, you simply couldn’t avoid their radio singles if you turned on a radio in the southwestern area of the U.S. during the nineties. I mean, I personally remember hearing “Hitchhiker Joe”, “Me & Eddie Vedder”, “The Fairies Came”, “I Want A War” and “Better Be Careful” being so ubiquitous at the time that my *grandmother* was actually humming them. No lie.

It looked like the band was gonna take over the world, and then . . . nothing. Poltz’s sidekick Robert Driscoll quit the band seemingly out of the blue, and next thing you knew, Steve embarked on an under-the-radar solo career that saw him effortlessly blowing away every audience he came in contact with, yet producing a stream of uneven and often confounding records. 1998’s One Left Shoe was chock full of good songs, but often moved at the pace of an injured snail on downers. There were albums that followed which were solely recorded on answering machines, a few live albums, and one album that almost completely delivered on all of the promise Poltz had shown as a songwriter/performer - 2003’sChinese Vacation And while all of the songs on the latter album were uniformly phenomenal - with some undeniable classics thrown in, like “Friendly Fire”, “I Killed Walter Matthau” and the glorious title track - it didn’t set the world on fire. Few outside of The Cult Of Steve heard it, and it wouldn’t be out of the question for a newcomer to look at the already-dated production on his show stopping cover of TLC’s “Waterfalls” and wrinkle up their nose. I only say that out of sheer exasperation and confusion, clutching at straws and wondering why this guy hasn’t yet been crowned “troubadour of the millennium” or something. It’s unreal.

Well, finally, he’s dropped not just his best album in years, but the ultimate Steve Poltz album. It’s called Traveling, and it plays just like the album that he’s been working towards his whole life. There’s a lot to love here, and I couldn’t be more honored to tell you all about it. Here’s what you’ve got:

First off, the packaging is out of this world. Traveling comes in an oversized case that looks like a mini-gatefold LP. There’s also an in-depth booklet/passport full of not only production notes, but also a list of things that Steve has accomplished in his lifetime and a few photos of him as a kid. I’ve gotta admit that I’ve never seen this kind of layout, and I was pretty impressed. And remember, this is coming from a guy that usually isn’t bowled over by art layouts unless it’s handmade.

Secondly, we’ve gotta talk about this production. Billy Harvey recorded the record, and a cat by the name of Lars Gorlandson mixed it. Thank god they did, too. Instead of taking the predictable singer-songwriter route of just committing the songs to tape with a dry, yet intimate feel . . . these guys helped Poltz make his most relevant, in-your-face and layered album to date. The first two songs tell the tale best: “I Think She Likes Me” opens with a minute or so of atmospheric layers of acoustic guitars before a single word is uttered, and the build-up in “Rain” is the best usage of multi-tracking you’ll hear this side of Broken Social Scene.

Thirdly, that brings us to the songs themselves. Steve’s never delivered a set this air-tight on even his most unbelievable albums. Uncompromising at every turn, the aforementioned opener “I Think She Likes Me” finally hits the chorus around the two-minute mark, and you’re waiting for the second verse to churn out it’s magic, but . . . poof! The song is over before you
know it. A similar mindfuck occurs during “Rain.” It has one of the few false endings I’ve ever heard that didn’t make me yell at no one in particular for the artist’s usage of silly songwriter tricks to make you think a song is cooler than it actually is. Nope, it actually works as an effective tool to bring the swirling tune back to some kind of normalcy, while also helps move the album back into quirkier territory like “What Would Ghandi Do?”.

Now’s a good time to point out that Poltz can turn a lyrical phrase like nobody’s business. The chorus to the aforementioned “Ghandi” goes something like this: “Holy rollers clutching bibles / Turn water into moonshine like good disciples”. Okay, yeah... religious confusion is nothing new, and neither is pointing out the hypocrisy of (insert organized religion here). But have you ever heard anyone boil it down so perfectly in just two lines without resorting to a dark melody, driving their sinister point into your skull? I didn’t think so, and Steve’s real coup with the track is keeping the song just up tempo and sing-songy enough to give the listener a real “I’m kinda kidding but I’m really not kidding” nudge in the ribs.

After the first three tracks, the album can be divided into three definable groups: break-up songs, Steve’s life story, and the
unclassifiable. The first group is understandable, as the writing of Traveling took place as one longtime relationship ended and a new one began - which is presumably covered in the funky “I Believe” - but man, when he bridges the topics? Forget it. In “Haters Union”, he’s alternately talking about the lack of contact between a lost love and his old band... and his take on The Rugburns? “We were kinda funny / Like the Smothers brothers.” Genius.

Steve tackles his autobiography quite effectively in the sparse “Brief History Of My Life.” And as far as the unclassifiable songs go? Well, “Serve Me My Food” is delivered in a quiet and unexpected falsetto, while “Street Fighter’s Face” may just be the most depressing song I’ve ever heard in my life. The latter is the story of a soldier in Iraq that loses some limbs, and eventually his family and friends. No lyrical twists, no hope . . . just telling it like it is with an attention to detail that will make you squirm in your seat.

Traveling is all over the place on paper, but it plays through as one unified whole. It’s a fucking masterpiece of the genre, and it truly has to be heard to be believed. It’s not a one listen deal, either. Extra aspects become clearer with each play, but the songs are catchy and interesting enough that anyone would likely restart the album as soon as it ends anyway.

I’m not mincing words here: you absolutely need to hear Traveling by Steve Poltz.

- Marc

Jose Gonzalez

Alright, so we had Jose Gonzalez in our store on Saturday, March 1st, 2008. And, honestly, if you missed out, well, shame on you! You can't imagine how amazing a singer/songwriter and guitarist he truly is... Sure his recordings are beautiful and wonderful to listen to but, damn, this guy is truly one-of-a-kind! Sorry you missed out... For those of you lucky enough to have been there... he was totally amazing right?! WOW!


click image for larger version

In this photo is Jose Gonzalez with store friends Matt Nelson and family!

Joe Jackson "Rain"

Let’s get it out of the way: I’m a Joe Jackson fanatic. I own pretty much all of his records, even the “difficult” ones. I often get annoyed that the average music fan only knows him for “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” and “Steppin’ Out” when genius works like “Awkward Age”, “Man In The Street” and “One To One” sit without being heralded as some of the best compositions of the last fifty years. I also get a tad annoyed at Ben Folds fans not readily admitting that the guy has been ripping of Joe’s catalog and sound - possibly unwittingly - for the duration of his career.

With all of that being said upfront, I’m not under any delusions that Mr. Jackson changed the face of music or anything. It’s more like music changed the face of Joe Jackson, and thanks to him, the more astute fan who looks beyond a simple greatest hits album has access to some really wonderful albums that literally touch on every style of music you can think of. Want some angry young man doing proto-punk? Pick up a copy of I’m The Man and wonder what the hell all the fuss over My Aim Is True was all about. Need a swing fix? Give 1981’s Jumpin’ Jive a shot and see where the big band resurgence of the ’90s really took root. If you want some classical compostions, you can always look toward Will Power and Symphony No. 1. And it goes on, whether you want to hear some dub, bossa nova, salsa, or good old fashioned rock and roll.

Joe has been road-testing the songs from Rain for the better part of three years, and I’ve seen early reports of this album calling it a “return to form.” It isn’t, and that’s because the guy never lost the plot. He just wasn’t always willing to smile for the camera. Dude likes to write whatever he’s in the mood to play, expectations be damned. But really, if you wanna get technical, 2003’s Volume 4 not only reunited the original lineup of the Joe Jackson Band, but was also his most consistently brilliant set of tunes since Big World back in 1986. Does Rain continue that trend of harkening back to the Joe Jackson sound of yesteryear while retaining the forward thinking integrity that’s earned him such a rabid cult following? Sure, why not?

Seriously. There are really no bad Joe Jackson records. There are only Joe Jackson albums that the listener doesn’t understand yet. And this one is just peachy on the first, fifth and seventeenth listens. Rain sees Joe focusing on his piano, while his original bassist and drummer - Graham Maby and “Desperate” Dave Houghton, respectively - don’t overplay one bit, instead serving the songs’ needs in a respectful manner.

On Rain, you’ll find uptempo winners like “Invisible Man” and “Too Tough” right off the bat, but it’s the more melancholy stuff that resonates best. “Wasted Time” is a great example, with its superb utilization of Joe’s underused falsetto and a stop-start chorus that keeps you guessing. You’ll also dig the extended jazzy workouts that bookend yet another falsetto marathon called “The Uptown Train”. The hardcore fans will recognize “Citizen Sane” from recent bootlegs, and they’ll be happy to know that the
song really benefits from the rhythm section here, whereas Joe tried to express the snarky anti-drug du jour sentiments with a solo piano reading as recently as 2005 . . . and it simply wasn’t as effective. The total highlight of the record for this listener is the high energy thumper “King Pleasure Time”. I don’t have a good reason for this, either. As soon as that song kicks in, I’m chair-dancing like crazy.

Joe Jackson has made another great record. It’s called Rain. It’s highly enjoyable, and you won’t even notice that there’s not a single electric guitar over the albums forty-seven minute running time. It’s just a really, really good, solid collection of songs. Now it’s just a matter of getting it in the ears of those that aren’t aware of Joe’s compostional power. . .

- Marc

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