SOTD: "Halloweenhead" - Ryan Adams

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

I think this is appropriate......

SOTD: "Hold On" - Tom Waits

Another Bridge School artist, Tom Waits gives us this gem.

"Sleeveface: Be the Vinyl"

I was reading SPIN this month when I came across an article about a guy named Carl Morris who has put together a book basically bringing album covers to life by having people pose with them in various positions. An interesting concept, some funny results.......see here:

http://www.sleeveface.com/?p=108

Ryan Adams: Cafe Select 10/28/08 (Secret Show)

Yesterday afternoon I got a tip that Ryan Adams was going to be performing a secret show in a cafe downtown. I looked up the place quickly on my computer and high-tailed it to the subway, I only had about a half hour to get there. Much to my surprise when I walked up, I easily got in and there were probably only 30 people or so in the cafe (some of which were clearly just there for lunch). I got a spot at the bar, settled in, and waited for Ryan to show up a half hour later.

Sure enough he and his band showed up and put on an 8 song acoustic showcase, mostly songs from his release yesterday but a couple oldies thrown in. Here's the setlist:

"Born Into a Light"
"Evergreen"
"Fix It"
"Magick"
"Natural Ghost"
"If I Am a Stranger"
"Cherry Lane"
"Let Us Down Easy"



The show probably went just over an hour and I'd say at capacity had about 50 people there. It was extremely intimate and the crowd seemed to consist of many friends and some fans. Ryan actually hung out for a bit after so I was able to speak with him for a couple of minutes before he took off. As a huge fan of his stuff, this was a really cool experience for me.......Ryan was very personable and it turned out to be a great surprise for a rainy Tuesday afternoon. Gotta love living in NYC. Here's a few pics.......

Venue shot, tough to see Ryan but he's right under the blackboard




Ryan Adams




Me & Ryan

SOTD: "Kids" - MGMT

Many of you have most likely heard of this band from Brooklyn but if not, definitely check out this song. They have several standout tracks on their album but this is my favorite. My buddies and I saw them at Coachella this year and this was one of the most fun songs of the whole weekend, the crowd was going nuts. They're playing a couple shows this week in NYC, tough ticket but it's a fun show if you can go......

Album Recommendation: Tom Gabel, "Heart Burns"

This was actually a tough call this week as there are several interesting releases. I decided to go with Tom Gabel's "Heart Burns". Tom is the lead singer of Against Me and released this solo album yesterday. It's a seven song EP, executive produced by Butch Vig. I was kind of surprised how much I liked this album but it's a great listen (albeit a bit short). I especially like track 3, "Cowards Sing At Night".


Honorable Mention:

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Cardinology"

Bloc Party - "Intimacy"

Rodrigo y Gabriela - "Live in Japan" (Double Disc CD/DVD) import

SOTD: "Disarm" - The Smashing Pumpkins w/ Josh Groban

Sticking with the "Bridge School" theme of today, I found this clip online. I guess Josh Groban came out and sang "Disarm" with the Pumpkins this past weekend at the festival. I'm not sure what I think about it yet but I have to give some credit for the creativity. Pretty interesting, take a listen.........