Pete Yorn - Ram's Head Live! (7/21/09)

All around quality show. Can't say I was all that surprised either. Pete Yorn's music isn't mind-blowing or experimental by any stretch of the imagination, but it's solid - and that's how I would describe the performance that he and his band put on. The whole feel of the evening was cozy - Ram's Head was, I'd say about 60-75% full so it felt more like an intimate bar setting. About halfway through the main set, the drummer came from behind his kit, sat down on a wooden box in the middle of the stage and whacked his hands on it for a few songs... the only thing that was missing was the campfire. Pete was fairly engaging with the crowd, which was cool. I think the only thing that was missing was "Undercover," which the LOML was a bit bummed about, but you can't win 'em all.

Hooray Friday!

- New music:

• Pete Yorn, "American Blues, Vol.1," American Blues (TBD), I am Fuel

- Much love this week from Aquarium Drunkard...

• My Morning Jacket session on KVRX radio, 2000
• Jim James acoustic "Steam Engine" video
• Beach Boys rehearsal, 1967
• Ryan Adams concert in Seattle, 2000

- Listen to the Of Montreal concert from the 9:30 Club on NPR's All Songs Considered and get a sneak peak of tracks from their upcoming album, Skeletal Lamping (Oct 21st).

Catching up rapid-fire style

- New Pete Yorn track with Mexican band Kinky thanks to I am fuel.

- Same blog, different band. The Kooks cover Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks".

- Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks performs three songs in studio for Minnesota Public Radio. You betcha!

- Death Cab for Cutie's new single "I Will Possess Your Heart" from their upcoming album Narrow Stairs out May 13th courtesy of Ultra 8201.

- Cat Power's Black Session tracks from French radio's France Inter are available on Aquarium Drunkard. Just make sure you don't listen to these under a ladder.

- Peter Moren's (from Peter Bjorn & John fame) solo effort The Last Tycoon is out April 8th and the first single "Social Competence" is available for your ears on Let's Sexy Fighting.

- New Birdmonster track "I Might Have Guessed" had it's coming out party at SXSW. Thanks to the Music Slut.

- More from SXSW. Jim James and M. Ward give us a little acoustic love and Aquarium Drunkard has it zipped up nice and neat like.

- Muse's HAARP DVD/CD is out April 1 and will be screened in a handful of cities. Ultra 8201 has the dates.

- R.E.M. covers the Editors for BBC's Radio 1. Thanks to You Ain't No Picasso for the video.

Hooray Friday (a day late)!

- The soundtrack to the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There (out Nov 21st) looks almost as intriguing as the film itself. 2 discs full of Dylan covers by artists such as Cat Power, Iron and Wine, Jeff Tweedy, Mark Lanegan, Stephen Malkmus, Jim James, and non other than John "F-ing" Doe? Count me in! I am fuel provides the tracklist and a taste of what's to come with a little ditty from Eddie Vedder and the Million Dollar Bashers before the Oct 30th album release.

- Same blog, different goodness. I am fuel also hooks us up with mix of favorites from EPs. I haven't given it a whirl yet, but with the likes of Wilco, Ambulance LTD, Bishop Allen, Iron and Wine, Oasis, The Black Keys and Pete Yorn getting some love, I definitely will.

- It seems like I'm always singing the praises of NPR and there's a reason for that. World Cup Cafe from WXPN has an interview and a 4-song studio performance of Iron and Wine's Sam Beam posted. Get after it!

Sorry for the shortness of this, but I'm hung-over..