Root Down in the Shadow

With the high temperatures this last week culminating over the weekend, I chose to limit my inaugural visit to the XPoNential Music Festival in Camden, NJ to one band per day. There were other solid acts to see, but I didn't want to overdo it with Newport Folk Festival just 1 week away. Ted Leo @ XPoNential Music Festival On Saturday, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists took the river stage in 100 degree heat, but fortunately there was a breeze. The heat was nearly enough to keep me away, but I was determined to see the band. As it is 10 years since the release of the Tyranny of Distance, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists played the album in its entirety.  I had hoped his was kidding, when her first started, but I had my doubts as I had read previously of an anniversary show.  Why, when at a festival, and not everyone is a Ted Leo fan, would he not put his best hits out there?  But this was a 45 minute set and it did fit nicely.  I would give it a shot, if that's what they wer

Welcome back everyone! I've got a lot on my mind, but little time to do it/write it.  Here goes: LAST CONCERT: Amy Correia graced NJ during one of her limited concerts in support of You Go Your Way. Great Show, but I need to get a blanket for outdoor concerts!  Check out the review linked at her name NEXT CONCERT(s) : XPoNential Music Festival live from Camden, NJ July 22 - 24, 2011 at Wiggins Park on the Waterfront!   This is a 3 day fest, you can buy for all 3 days, or purchase individual days.  There's even a discount for xpn members.  I am thrilled as I finally get to see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists after a walking away from a venue nearly 3 years ago. I am heading out for Saturday's show on my own.  In support of The Brutalist Bricks Ted & co, take the stage @ 5:15 followed by Booker T . Booker T, is solo now, without the MG's.  He is a lifetime achievement Grammy awardee and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  If I'm lucky enough

*** Part of an ongoing series of TOOLS TO ENJOY MORE MUSIC ***** I will attempt to profile great avenues of finding, listening to, and downloading new music, to help you , the music fan, get more out of your listening experience. The interface  was probably my first podcast.   Back in 2006 I spent many weekends working in my new house, and I needed some new music to get into while I was demolishing, rebuilding and painting.   I think I had been looking up bands for the upcoming Virgin Festival in Baltimore, MD ., but somehow I had stumbled onto four awesome new bands.   Pigeon John, the Raconteurs, KT Tunstall, and Lady Sovereign . During these early podcasts, the podcast was referred to as AOL Interface @ Spinner.com .  It was also mainly an interview with some performance added at the beinning or end.  Somehow they embedded chapters into the podcasts, so you could skip through and listen to the songs.  That was nice as, after the 10th time or so of listening to the interviews y

Ted Leo makes me feel young! Who is Ted Leo, most of you ask????  Hannah Levin's intro of the Live KEXP podcast of his Triple Door concert in Seattl e back in '07( if you follow the link, you'll need to go pretty far down the page ) sums their style and energy best:  "There are some bands that that you see live where you’re just really impressed from a technical standpoint with musician-ship and there’s some bands that are all about the visceral energy that they bring to the stage, and based on the sound check I saw, I feel very safe saying you're going to get both. Please welcome Ted Leo and the Pharmacists” I stumbled onto Ted Leo after I started getting KEXP Song of the Day & KCRW Today's Top Tune.  Oddly enough I thought the punkish Ted Leo & the Pharmacists were a reggae band, as the first song I ever heard from them is "Unwanted Things' with its groovy rhythm. I quickly realized I was wrong, when I found the above live show.

Back in 2007, I came across the the KEXP Song of the Day featuring Ted Leo & the Pharmacists .  The song, 'Unwanted Things' went into my heavy rotation right away, and I began looking for other Ted Leo to get my hands on. This upcoming Sunday, inside the FEATURED ARTIST post, I'll delve deeper into this search for more Ted and more about his recent albums. I did get my hands on a most excellent KEXP live concert and an additional super sweet cover song.  I can't recall where I purchased/downloaded/stole the audio version, I think I snagged it from my brother-in-law. It has been a favorite of mine since.  Truthfully, I didn't realize it was a cover at first.  I eventually caught on after noticing later on the song morphed into a cover of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'Maps'.  I also willingly admit that I had never heard Kelly Clarkson's version before hand, and not for a few years after hearing Ted Leo's version.    Ted weaves both songs together b

On the blog, I have featured my top music of 2010 & 2011.  This isn't meant to be a billboard top 40 by any means.  But instead the best of music, that I'm listening to, and of course what you should check out.  Looking deeper, about fifty percent of it has roots in a track I first found via a free podcast.  In fact many of the songs themselves were free.  A few years back, after finding the AOL interface podcast (now just the interface) where I found recordings of the Raconteurs, Lady Soveriegn, Decemberist, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ted Leo , and KT Tunstall , I branched out to find more song podcasts, rather than just performances.  KEXP & KCRW , two excellent NPR type radio stations each have a daily song with KCRW's 'Today's Top Tune" and KCRW's "song of the day". Today I'll feature the KEXP 'Song of the Day.' Some gems found include, a favorite of my brother in law with Passion Pit 'The Reeling' and radio mainstays, M