Minus The Bear Comes To Boston

These still-underground Seattle superstars love Boston. They love it enough to celebrate the release of their fourth album OMNI not in their home state but here in the heart of Boston. First, they played an in-store acoustic band show (about three or so songs from the new album) at the famed Newbury Comics store on Newbury Street on Tuesday, May 4th. Afterwards, they stayed around to sign autographs for those who stayed (myself included).

Getting to meet the band and one of my guitar heroes in particular, finger tapper extraordinaire Dave Knudson was a really special moment for me, since I've been following him and his band for 9 years now. The best part was when I told singer/guitarist Jake Snider I couldn't believe it's been 9 years since I first started following "you guys," he said "Man, I can hardly believe myself, either," which cracked up the band. Great guys, all five of them.



Then on Cinco de Mayo, the experimental post-punk rockers played what in effect was their CD release party in front of a packed house at the Wilbur Theatre in the center of Boston's theatre district. Snider might have been playing to the crowd that night after over 75 minutes of a crowd-pleasing set when he stated this was the "best Boston show" they've ever done, but it certainly was the most lively and interactive one to date. The audience roared and got into all the old songs as soon as those first notes rang out of Knudson and Snider's guitars, whether it be "Pachuca Sunrise," "Knights," or their signature and closing number, "Absinthe Party."



Having seen Minus The Bear over 6, maybe 7 times now (I've lost count!) at the Somerville Theatre in early 2003, the Middle East a few times, Axis, and the Wilbur a couple of years back among other places, it's hard to tell which was the "best" show since the band always puts out top notch, highly energetic shows. But this one ranks among my favorites, no question.

Note: Young The Giant and Everest were Minus The Bear's opening bands at the Wilbur Theatre May 5, 2010

BoSox, Week 4: Sox Slay Jays, Reach New Low Vs. The O's

The following is a short excerpt from my most recent weekly Boston Red Sox column, published at Blogcritics Magazine on May 3, 2010

Red Sox Record for the Week of April 26-May 2: 3-3

In my last column, I stated that the Boston Red Sox needed to go at least 4-2 to move up in the AL East standings. After starting their six-game road trip by sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays in three matchups to get back to .500 for the first time since the second game of 2010, the Boston bunch moved one game ahead of the Jays into third place April 28 and got within 5.5 games of the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays. So it looked good for the BoSox as they got ready to play Baltimore in Camden Yards. Then the unthinkable happened.

Read more here

Music Review: Jimi Hendrix - First Rays Of The New Rising Sun

The following is an excerpt from my most recent music review, which was posted at the site of Blogcritics Magazine on May 2, 2010

It’s been nearly 40 years since the most revolutionary guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix, passed away. With three landmark studio albums to his name, plus gems of unreleased material left behind, making a proper posthumous studio album with the latter has always been a tough and controversial task.

No one will ever know for sure how Hendrix himself would have sequenced, fine-tuned and what he would’ve named the follow-up to his third and final album in his lifetime, 1968’s seminal double LP Electric Ladyland. We do know however, it was meant to be a big project - a double or triple LP – that the guitarist had been working on for over two years before his death in September of 1970 at age 27.

The first few attempts at posthumous releases, The Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge from 1971 and War Heroes from 1972 were revealing but felt incomplete. It wasn’t until 1997, when Hendrix’s trusted recording engineer Eddie Kramer and drummer Mitch Mitchell used his last handwritten notes and remastered/resequenced his last tracks on the 17-track-long First Rays of the New Rising Sun that one got a true and mostly satisfying picture of the guitarist’s ever changing musical vision at the time, which struck a more serious tone lyrically and incorporated newer sounds to his repertoire.

13 years later, the newest versions of First Rays, an mp3/digital edition available via online stores such as ScatterTunes, plus a CD+DVD edition out this spring do not exactly enhance the actual sound – not that it’s needed with all the previous remastering over the years. But the former is more convenient for the current digital music age, while the latter contains a viewing experience that does enhance and make you appreciate the audio portion a little more via a new companion 20-minute DVD documentary of the making of this “concept compilation.”

Read more here.

Red Sox, Week Three: Better? You Bet, But Not Good Enough

This edition of my "Dead Red" Boston Red Sox column was published first at Blogcritics 4/27/10

In The News

Last night (Monday), the Red Sox survived Josh Beckett’s worst start of the young season to win 13-12 in Toronto in a wild but exciting game. (More on that game in next week’s Dead Red.)

Elsewhere, the Sox called up LHP Fabio Castro from the PawSox to help the back of its beleaguered bullpen, which now has three lefties (including Hideki Okajima and Scott Schoeneweis). He has an ERA over 8.00 in Pawtucket in three starts in 2010 and is 0-1 with 13 Ks in 10 innings. His stuff includes a cut fastball in the high 80s, along with a decent changeup and curveball. Castro is 0-1 with a 3.30 ERA in 30 career games with the Phillies and Rangers.

Read the rest at the above link

The Whigs - In The Dark

The Whigs, a trio hailing from the same hometown as R.E.M. (Athens, Georgia), has made lots of noise over the past couple of years, and not just from its loud guitars and thunderous skins.

Where debut album Give ‘Em All A Big Fat Lip (2005) introduced them to the world as a promising young band that Rolling Stone named one of “Ten Artists to Watch” in 2006, sophomore release Mission Control in early 2008 got them bigger audiences, complimentary comparisons to The Replacements/Paul Westerberg, festival gigs (Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo) and opening slots for the likes of The Killers, Drive-By Truckers and Kings of Leon over the ensuing couple of years.

So of course, it garnered (mostly) praise from mainstream critics and fans alike, and even earned them appearances on late night shows including The Late Show with David Letterman. Songs like “Right Hand On My Heart” and the straight ahead hard-charging “Like A Vibration” highlighted this era.

With the release this week of third full-length In The Dark (ATO Records), The Whigs are poised once again to take its sound and popularity to a new level.

“Hundred/Million,” the first of 11 tracks, gets bodies moving with its midtempo groove and dirty, distorted bass lines. “Black Lotus” starts and ends well with its jittery guitar parts and includes mildly catchy chorus vocals by singer/guitarist Parker Gispert, but in between suffers from unmemorable chord changes.

First single “Kill Me Carolyne” is where The Whigs take its sound to arena rock level, with its Kings of Leon-like drive. It’s not quite as infectious as KofL’s “Sex On Fire” but is a sturdy second cousin and definite album highlight.

A funky bass line propels “I Am For Real,” while the love-seeking rocker “Someone’s Daughter” is one of a few cuts – one other being the excellent “So Lonely” – that bring back the band’s trademark thick, loud guitars and amplifiers. For these guys, the higher the amp’s gain is turned up, the better.

The momentum gets slowed down with “Dying,” but picks back up quickly with “I Don’t Even Care About The One I Love,” whose warm, light and bright strings contrast with cold lyrics.

What comes next is the best song and sure-to-be future single from In The Dark, the sunny California guitar pop of “Automatic.” The depth of its background vocals is what gives this late-album highlight its radiance and one you’ll have on repeat on your iPod, as will the title track, which spouts the most hum-able chorus you’ll come across here.

With the exception of just a few songs, In The Dark is yet another step up for this Georgia power trio. The sound is bigger, the hooks are sharper, and some are even damn near anthemic. With The Whigs touring yet again this year, this band will continue to be a band to watch. And a fine third record to hit the road with should no doubt help its cause.
4 Stars

For a free download of lead single “Kill Me Carolyne,” go to the official website of The Whigs.

Published at Blogcritics Magazine's website March 15, 2010

Music DVD Review: Gary Moore - The Definitive Montreux Collection (2-DVD/CD)

Published first March 10, 2010 via Blogcritics Magazine

Fans of the glory days of ‘70s hard rock may remember guitar maestro Gary Moore via his three stints with his childhood friend (the late) Phil Lynott’s beloved Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy. There, he made his name as a guitar virtuoso before going on his own in the 1980s, when he continued to be a hit with the hard rock/metal community, while also writing occasional ballads (like many heavy ‘80s groups).

By 1990, Moore had returned to his first love, blues rock, and toured behind the electric blues album Still Got The Blues, released that same year. Over the next 11 years, starting in July of ‘90, he played five memorable shows at the annual Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

Moore’s monstrous Montreux shows from 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001 were released as Essential Montreux in audio form as a 5-CD box set and mp3 download last year. But as powerful as hearing the Belfast bluesman is, the visual aspect is what does his music true justice.

And now, after previously only being available on film via import, for the first time, these shows have been released in America as a 2-DVD set with a bonus CD entitled The Definitive Montreux Collection (Eagle Rock Entertainment).

The two DVDs here highlight 39 different songs from the five concerts and have all the essential post-Thin Lizzy Gary Moore cuts. The sets are mostly blues-based, but Moore does bring back his hard rock and metal sides every now and then.

In his 1990 set, Moore, with long, messy hair ripped through 15 cuts, about half of which are captured on the first DVD. Highlights include the loud and wild slide guitar-propelled hard rockin’ blues of “Moving On,” the soulful blues of “Midnight Blues,” and Albert Collins’ guest lead vocals and guitar playing on “Cold, Cold Feeling.”

In the 1995 set, the beloved hit and strings-aided ballad “Still Got The Blues” is a highlight (but is oddly excluded from the 1990 portion of the first DVD), as is the intimate “All Your Love.” Interesting to note is the sound of Moore’s voice in this performance, which has a trace of Steve Winwood to these ears.

Moving on to DVD two, the 1997 show – a personal fave of the five - sees the ace guitarist wearing sunglasses and a bright yellow shirt, all casual wear for a man far removed from the leather jacket days of the past. Moore’s most straight-ahead rocker “One Fine Day” starts off the set, followed by “Cold Wind Blows,” a slowly building, mid-tempo bluesy metal piece. Like fellow guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, Moore isn’t afraid to try new, exotic sounds, but the sitar featured on this track feels like a natural element of the tune. Its only drawback is the repetitive chorus towards the end.

The blissful “Always There For You” contains another side of Gary Moore you wouldn’t have seen 10 years earlier, one that experiments with electronic beats (like latter day Jeff Beck), and drum ‘n’ bass in particular. Keep in mind that Moore was listening to the likes of Roni Size at the time, and electronic music – The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers - in general was at its pinnacle, at least commercially.

1997 set closer “Out In The Fields” is the true metal-ish masterpiece here. Written by Phil Lynott and Moore and released in 1985, it’s about religious turmoil in their native Ireland and was one of the last (if not the last) tune Lynott wrote before his untimely death in January 1986 at the age of 36. Here, Moore stretches it out with a The Police-ish breakdown, and a raucous crowd enjoyed every bit of it, handclaps and all.

In the 1999 set, the 12-bar blues of “Tore Down” is aced by Moore and a tight backing band which includes keyboardist Vic Martin, who shines and effortlessly keeps up with the guitar whiz as they trade one short solo after another on the hoppin’ blues of “Further On Up The Road.” The strings-aided ballad “Parisienne Walkways,” another Moore-Lynott hit (from 1979) and crowd favorite, ends that track list.

Highlights of the 2001 set include the one-two-three punch of “Walking By Myself,” a rip-roaring cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” where Moore fits every improvised guitar lick he can between verses/choruses, and the swingin’ bluesy hard rock of “How Many More Lies.”

Gary Moore’s face may be a bit bigger by 2001 but his long hair is long gone, and in its place a short hairstyle that makes him look like Paul Simon at times. But looks are pretty much irrelevant here, as he still sings and plays with the same passion and enthusiasm in his fifth appearance at the Fest as he did in his first. The boyish joy he displays on the rockers and the painful expressions on his face during the more somber blues numbers are all elegantly captured throughout these shows.

The CD in this package is merely an 11-song sample of the Moore Montreux experience (or the mammoth Essential Montreux CD set), but a damn enjoyable one. It is highlighted by the metallic Irish rock of his mid-‘80s hit “Over The Hills And Far Away” (not a Led Zeppelin cover). Speaking of which, the only real disappointment in this package is the omissions of “Over The Hills” from the 1997 portion of the second DVD and that set’s opener “One Good Reason” from either DVD or CD form.

That said, with 50 total songs (including the 11 on CD) that total over five hours, The Definitive Montreux Collection captures Gary Moore doing what he does best: playing his ass off. It also serves as a natural and largely satisfactory complement to the Essential Montreux set, which totals over six hours.

To put it simply, Gary Moore fans who've stuck with him over the years, and fans of loud and soft blues music in general can’t go wrong with this three-disc package. If seeing is believing, this marathon set will make you appreciate Moore’s talent and musical works more than ever before.
4 1/2 stars

Music Review: Motion Turns It On - Kaleidoscopic Equinox

Published earlier today first at Blogcritics Magazine

For over five years, progressive and jazz-minded psychedelic post-rockers Motion Turns It On (Chocolate Lab Records) have been developing a tight, yet free form sound they can call their own. In 2007 the then all-instrumental band released its impressive debut six-song Rima EP, and a live record, Live At The Southpaw, followed early the next year.

For its long-awaited debut full-length Kaleidoscopic Equinox, which hits stores Tuesday, February 16, the band recorded plenty of bass parts but went from a foursome to a “bass-free” trio (parting ways with Derek Sinquefield), which now consists of William Kenny (guitar), Steve Smith (drums) and Andres Londono (keyboards). They did however add one new wrinkle to its densely layered mix: vocals (courtesy of Londono and Kenny).

On Rima, MTIO already sounded like seasoned pros. If you had to draw comparisons, hints of fellow Texans Explosions In The Sky and Mars Volta, or even Chicago’s post-rock mainstays Tortoise could be found if you looked hard enough. With Equinox, you get an even more creative, intense and fucked-up beast of a sound. A kaleidoscope of sounds is more like it.

After a brief intro to the album, a heavy, five-minute long math rocker “Exchanging Souvenirs” gets the record off to an enjoyably noisy and forceful start.

Extraterrestrial sounds and feedback make up interlude “Teraform” before the one-two punch of jazz/rock tunes “Lo Pido Con Piedad” and “Occipitalized” blast through your speakers to show off the threesome’s incredibly tight arrangements and tremendous musicianship. The latter track would qualify as a frantic Mars Volta cover if you didn’t know better.

Elsewhere, the seven-minute-long “Moyedi,” despite its indecipherable distorted vocals, has a flair for the dramatic, musically speaking, but gets lost in itself for a bit too long around the halfway point, then without warning, heads into a strong, rockin’ steady finish.

“No Limbo” sounds like the musical equivalent of the Twilight Zone with its weird synths and airy guitars, while the psychedelic "Way Station" could be the soundtrack to a journey into outer space.

All is well that ends well, as they say, and a seamless transition from lead single “Give Up The Ghosts” to the dreamy, warm “Sinking Suns” is a welcomed bookend to Motion Turns It On’s first proper full-length. Here, as in other places on the record, the (heavily processed) vocals serve as another instrument, blended smoothly into its sea of sounds.

It will take a few spins of Kaleidoscopic Equinox to take in all of its crackling energy, intensity, and few moments of relative calmness. But aside from a few periods of over indulgence, it is an adventurous listen that aggressive prog rock fans will surely dig.

The band may be making a lot of noise on this disc, but with a few important gigs lined up at the annual SXSW Festival in March, Motion Turns It On is bound to turn some heads with their explosive live shows as well.

Further Listening:
Download ”Give Up The Ghosts” for free at the Chocolate Lab Records website.

Click on the following highlighted links to watch live Motion Turns It On performances of Rima track “Satelightening” and unreleased live song ”Backspinn.”

Book Review: All You Need To Know About The Music Business, Seventh Edition by Donald S. Passman

Published first at Blogcritics January 28, 2010

Donald S. Passman is a popular, well-respected entertainment lawyer throughout the music industry, having garnered praise from the likes of Jimmy Iovine, American Idol judge Randy Jackson and producer Rick Rubin, among others, and whose many clients over the years include Green Day, Quincy Jones, Tom Waits and Pink.

Late last year, he published the seventh edition of All You Need To Know About The Music Business, a book that aims to give musicians, producers, and anyone else trying to make a living in the ever-changing industry the essential guide on how to survive and thrive in it.

Not counting the Index, the book is 444 pages long. If this sounds like too much reading for you, it’s good to know that author thinks so, too. Passman writes in its first pages, “You can read it as casually or intensely as suits your interest level, attention span, and pain tolerance.” You’ve got to love a writer with a sense of humor – there’s plenty more of that throughout these pages. But everyone starts with “Part I: Your Team of Advisors,” which is a long but useful guide on how to pick your team of professionals as an artist: personal manager, business manager, attorney, and agent.

Of all the great info in this section, the following stands out: A personal manager is the most important member of your pro team, since he/she is more involved in an artist’s day-to-day activities than other members. However, an industry lawyer is “much easier” to get than a manager, according to the author (an attorney himself). That’s because a lawyer’s time with you is minimal compared to a manager’s time, and they’re less expensive, believe it or not. A Passman line worth noting: “It’s the lawyer’s relationships – not their time – that count.”

Key book tip one: The site allaccess.com is an often updated list of people in the music business you might want to contact and make part of your pro team.

Key book tip two: Pick a lawyer with good references and who believes in you as a recording artist, not one who will shop just anyone. Lawyers have good and bad reputations within the music industry and picking the wrong one could backfire on you.

Heading into “Part II: Record Deals,” the biggest change since the sixth edition of the book, according to the author himself, is that though labels are losing lots of money and power in the industry, they are increasing their earnings from an artist’s income in non-recording ways to make up for its financial shortcomings. Called “360 deals,” this means labels (major and independent) can ask for a piece of the “total pie” of an artist’s income, including monies from fan clubs, touring and merchandise.

Arguments as to how fair this is to an artist and how justified labels are for going this route will go on. But Passman’s lay out of the legal rights and financial aspects of so-called “360 deals” is very much worth reading.

This good news for artists is that if you are a “niche” type – a jam band or indie rocker - and appeal to a relatively small number of fans, you don’t need a record company and can use your own resources (or TuneCore) to sell your music to Amazon, iTunes and other popular digital outfits. Digital sales, in fact, are now 25% of the music business revenue and still growing, and artists should take advantage of this development. That said, Passman writes that if you’re a more mainstream-sounding pop rock or country act, you may still need a label and its veteran staff to help your music stand out from the millions of others vying for the same fame you are after.

Speaking of labels, more valuable insight includes his “bummer” of a fact that major record companies don’t listen to musicians’ work unless it’s been submitted to them by a manager or attorney in the business, though this is less the case with independent labels. The reason for this Passman says is because labels can get 300-400 submissions of music in a given week, and listening to what a reputable third party (attorney/manager) hands them is a way to lessen the “floodgates.”

Other areas the author goes knee deep into include the proper and standard fee rates artists pay to members of their pro team. The author includes the latest updates on the record royalty process as well. Hint: Passman says that in the last couple of years, it has become simpler than ever after years of it being “more complex than NASA’s formula for getting the Space Shuttle home.” All of this advice, if listened to carefully, should help you avoid getting screwed or screwing up on your earnings as an artist.

Elsewhere in later chapters and sections, Passman gives you the ins and outs of touring, webcasting and other new technologies, songwriting and music publishing (including how to set up your own publishing company), as well as a chapter on music “Group Issues” that comes complete with a “trivia quiz.” He also includes sections on merchandising, motion picture music, and even classical music. Like the man said, pick what interests you and read it all carefully, with a highlighter and working pen.

The bottom line: Mr. Passman may not take himself too seriously, and he may show his dry humor in words and illustrations throughout the book, but his step-by-step guide and attention to detail in every chapter on how to be successful and avoid failure in the music industry is sincere and simple to understand, even for the most inexperienced among music career seekers. He talks to you like a good friend more than a good lawyer. And what a winning and refreshing approach that is.

All in all, All You Need To Know About The Music Business is hands-down the richest, most informative and of course, fun music business book on the market. It is so comprehensive that I can’t think of a single important aspect of the music business he didn’t cover or at least touch upon.

After over 18 years and seven editions of the book, Passman has surely perfected his craft. Outdated advice and updates in an ever-changing industry such as the music world would be the only drawbacks in a book such as this, but those worries don’t apply here since these pages give you all the basics you need to know about the music industry.

If you’re a pro or novice in the music industry, an executive or an artist, make sure to read and keep this big bright red book nearby, whether it be on your office desk, in your practice space or tour bus. It may very well further your career.
5 Stars

Charlie Doherty’s Favorite 209 Songs from 2000-2009 - Part II: 2005-2009

Published first January 27, 2010 at the site of Blogcritics Magazine

Continuing where Part I left off, this list is shorter but no less eclectic.

You’ll see a little post-punk (Elefant), reggae (Ziggy Marley, Matisyahu), melodic death metal (Into Eternity), hip-hop (Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Beck), indie folk (Bright Eyes), and so much more on this list of the last 89 of my 209 favorite tunes of the 2000's.

Of course, with a list this long, some songs meant more to me than others. For instance, Imogen Heap’s collaboration with legendary guitar whiz Jeff Beck, “Goodnight & Go” helped get me through post-surgery complications back in 2006 (along with Radiohead’s underrated “Lurgee”). And Junkie XL’s “We Become One” is the dreamiest, spaciest song I’ve ever heard that Peter Gabriel never wrote. It was also cool to hear the Dropkick Murphys make the suburb they started out in (Quincy, MA, also my hometown) the subject of the chorus of “Finnigan’s Ball.”

In this half of the decade, I found myself discovering and listening to a boatload more female-fronted bands and artists than the first half, including Natasha Khan’s Bat For Lashes, Neko Case, Arch Enemy, Emily Haines’ Canadian troupe Metric, the blue-eyed soul of Welsh singer Duffy, and the lovely Jenny Lewis, among others. Then there were bands I got more into than ever, including hard rock mainstays Clutch, My Morning Jacket, and Royksopp.

Newer favorites included Silversun Pickups, Company of Thieves, Band Of Horses, Torche and The Whigs. And of course, bands I grew up with kept delivering the goods, including Pearl Jam, a reunited Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Now, without further ado, here are the fine 89. As always, feel free to comment on them below.

Part II: 2005-2009

Allen, Lilly “Smile”
Arcade Fire “Keep The Car Running”
Arcade Fire “Wake Up”
Arch Enemy “Nemesis”
Band of Horses “First Song”
Bat For Lashes “What’s A Girl To Do”
Bat For Lashes “Daniel”
Bat For Lashes “Sleep Alone”
Beck “Hell Yes”
Black, Frank “I Burn Today”
Black Eyed Peas “Don’t Lie”
Black Label Society “Suicide Messiah”
Brazilian Girls “Don’t Stop”
Bright Eyes “First Day Of My Life (f/Jesse Harris on guitar)”
Bright Eyes “Lua (f/Gillian Welch)”
Broken Social Scene “7/4 (Shoreline)”
Broken Social Scene “Fire Eye’d Boy”
Case, Neko “Star Witness”
Chemical Brothers “Galvanize (f/Q-Tip)”
Clutch “10001110101”
Clutch ”Electric Worry”
Company of Thieves “Oscar Wilde”
Corgan, Billy “The CameraEye”
Death Cab For Cutie “Cath”
Down "Mourn"
Dropkick Murphys “Finnigan’s Ball”
Duffy "Mercy"
Flaming Lips “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)”
Future Of The Left “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You”
Gaslight Anthem “The ‘59 Sound”
Heap, Imogen w/Jeff Beck “Goodnight And Go”
Into Eternity “Timeless Winter”
Iron & Wine “Flightless Bird, American Mouth”
Jay-Z w/Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind"/Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind (Part II)"
Junkie XL “Mushroom”
Junkie XL “We Become One”
Killswitch Engage “The End of Heartache”
King, Kaki “2 O’Clock”
Kings of Leon “On Call”
Kings of Leon “Sex On Fire”
Legend, John “Ordinary People”
Lewis, Jenny “Rise Up With Fists!!”
Lewis, Jenny “Big Guns”
Lifehouse “Hanging By A Moment”
Loomis, Jeff “Sacristy”
Low Red Land “Dog’s Hymn”
Marley, Ziggy “Love Is My Religion”
Mars Volta “Goliath”
Matisyahu “King Without A Crown”
MGMT “Time To Pretend”
M.I.A. “Paper Planes”
Minus The Bear “Pachuca Sunrise”
Megadeth “Sleepwalker”
Metallica “All Nightmare Long”
Metric “Monster Hospital”
My Morning Jacket “Anytime”
Muse “Starlight”
Nine Inch Nails “The Hand That Feeds”
Oakenfold, Paul “Ready Steady Go”
Paramore “That’s What You Get”
Passion Pit “The Reeling”
Pearl Jam “Got Some”
Phoenix “1901”
Radiohead “All I Need”
Radiohead “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Snow (Hey Oh)”
The Rifles “The Great Escape”
Royksopp “Only This Moment”
Royksopp “Vision One”
Satellite Party (Perry Farrell) "Milky Ave"
School of Seven Bells “Half Asleep”
Silversun Pickups “Rusted Wheel”
Silversun Pickups “Substitution”
Silversun Pickups “Three Seed”
Smashing Pumpkins "Stellar"
Smashing Pumpkins “That’s The Way (My Love Is)”
Sonic Youth “Incinerate”
Stevens, Sufjan “Come On! Feel The Illinoise!”
Third Eye Blind “Non-Dairy Creamer”
Torche “Across The Shields”
Travis “Selfish Jean”
Travis “Colder”
Tunstall, KT “Black Horse And The Cherry Tree”
TV On The Radio “Wolf Like Me”
West, Kanye “Gold Digger (f/Jamie Foxx)”
Waltham “Cheryl (Come And Take A Ride)”
The Whigs “Right Hand On My Heart”
The White Stripes “Blue Orchid”
Wolf Parade “The Grey Estates”

Charlie Doherty’s Favorite 209 Songs from 2000-2009: Part I: 2000-2004

Published originally on January 26, 2010 in Blogcritics Magazine

As one would imagine, this was a bit of a hefty project, coming up with a ridiculous amount of music from 10 years gone by and putting it on a digestible list. I don’t know if I actually accomplished that goal, but after dividing it into two parts (2000-2004 and 2005-2009), it does look impressive, if I don’t say so myself.

2000-2004 Overview

In the first half of this decade, I dug everything from nu metal (Disturbed, System Of A Down, Slipknot) retro synth-pop (The Killers) and electronica (Royksopp) to the garage rock revival, led by a bunch of “the” bands (i.e. The White Stripes, The Strokes).

Veterans like U2, Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Filter, Joe Satriani and supergroups of sorts like Broken Social Scene, Audioslave, A Perfect Circle, Velvet Revolver and Zwan were also exciting to follow well into the new millennium - and BSS still is. But it was indie rockers like Death Cab For Cutie, Pinback and “m” bands like Matt Pond PA, Minus The Bear and Modest Mouse that I started listening to and seeing live more and more as the years went by.

There’s music for all moods and seasons in here, whether it’s feel-good hip-hop from Outkast, a metal masterpiece like “Stick Figure” by West Virginian group Byzantine, or more mellow music like M83, Blur’s Cocteau-Twins-esque “Battery In Your Leg,” and Sigur Ros. So yes, as if you couldn’t tell, I like a variety of music, to say the least. The amount of it is insane, I know.

It’s nearly impossible to do a meaningful ranking of all these songs, so here now, in alphabetical order are the 120 songs I remember listening to time and time again that came out during the first five years of the 2000s. Part II, the other 89 favorites from 2005-2009 will be published soon.

If any of these first 120 songs were your favorites too, feel free to comment below.

Part I: 2000-2004

2 Skinnee J’s “Big Beat Evangelist”
311 “Amber”
A Perfect Circle “3 Libras”
A Perfect Circle “The Hollow”
A Perfect Circle “Vanishing”
Adams, Ryan “Nuclear”
Afroman “Because I Got High”
Ashcroft, Richard “New York”
At The Drive-In “Pattern Against User”
At The Drive-In “Invalid Litter Dept.”
Audioslave “Show Me How To Live”
Audioslave “Gasoline”
Beck “Lost Cause”
Black Eyed Peas “Let’s Get Retarded”
Blink 182 “Stay Together For The Kids”
Blur “Battery In Your Leg”
Broken Social Scene “Cause = Time”
Broken Social Scene “Guilty Cubicles”
Byzantine “Stick Figure”
Coldplay “Yellow”
Cypress Hill “Rock Superstar”
Daft Punk “One More Time”
Death Cab For Cutie “Lowell, MA”
Death Cab For Cutie “405”
Death Cab For Cutie “The New Year”
Death Cab For Cutie “A Lack Of Color”
Deftones "Change (In The House of Flies)"
Dianogah "Wrapping The Lamb, Sir"
Disturbed “Stupify”
Dropkick Murphys “The Gauntlet”
Elefant “Misfit”
Eminem “Lose Yourself”
Evanescence “Going Under”
Filter “God Damn Me”
Filter “The Only Way (Is The Wrong Way)”
Flaming Lips “Do You Realize??”
Foo Fighters “All My Life”
Foo Fighters “Times Like These”
Fountains of Wayne “Stacy’s Mom”
Fountains of Wayne “Hey Julie”
Furtado, Nelly “Turn Off The Light”
Godsmack “Sick Of Life”
Gorillaz “Clint Eastwood”
Green Day “American Idiot”
Harvey, PJ “This Mess We’re In (f/Thom Yorke)”
Hot Rod Circuit “Radio Song”
Howe, Greg “A Delicacy”
Idlewild “Idea Track”
In Flames “Pinball Map”
Incubus “Wish You Were Here”
Interpol “Obstacle 1”
Interpol “PDA”
Jimmy Eat World “Sweetness”
The Killers “Mr. Brightside”
The Killers “Smile Like You Mean It”
Lamb of God “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For”
Lekman, Jens “Rocky Dennis’ Farewell Song To The Blind Girl”
Lekman, Jens “The Opposite Of Hallelujah”
Linkin Park “Somewhere I Belong”
Linkin Park “One Step Closer”
Linkin Park “Lying From You”
Ludacris “Saturday (Ooh! Oooh!)”
M83 “Run Into Flowers”
Mars Volta "Eriatarka"
Matt Pond PA “Measure 3”
Matt Pond PA “Summer (Butcher Two)”
Mayer, John “Clarity”
Mayer, John “No Such Thing”
Minus The Bear “Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse”
Modest Mouse “Float On”
Modest Mouse “Paper Thin Walls”
Muse “Hysteria”
Muse “Time Is Running Out”
My Morning Jacket “One Big Holiday”
My Morning Jacket “Mahgeetah”
New Order “Turn My Way (w/Billy Corgan)”
Opeth “Windowpane”
Opeth “The Leper Affinity”
Outkast “Hey Ya!”
Outkast “Ms. Jackson”
Pearl Jam “Thumbing My Way”
Pinback “Concrete Seconds”
Postal Service “Such Great Heights”
Pretty Girls Make Graves “Speakers Push The Air”
Queens Of The Stone Age “No One Knows”
Radiohead “Motion Picture Soundtrack”
Radiohead “Wolf At The Door”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Can’t Stop”
Rehab “Sittin’ At A Bar”
R.E.M. “Bad Day”
The Roots “The Seed 2.0”
Royksopp “Poor Leno”
Satriani, Joe “Until We Say Goodbye”
Satriani, Joe “Up In Flames”
Sigur Ros “The Nothing Song (Njosnavelin)” from Vanilla Sky
Slipknot “The Heretic Anthem”
Smashing Pumpkins “Try, Try, Try”
Soulfly “Jumpdafuckup (f/Corey Taylor)”
Snoop Dog “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
Sparta “Air”
Sparta “While Oceana Sleeps”
Springsteen, Bruce “The Rising”
Springsteen, Bruce “Waiting On A Sunny Day”
The Strokes “Hard To Explain”
Sunny Day Real Estate “The Ocean”
System Of A Down “Chop Suey”
Tool “Parabola”
Travis “Side”
U2 “New York”
U2 “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”
U2 “Yahweh”
Velvet Revolver “Slither”
Weezer “Hashpipe”
Weezer “Island In The Sun”
The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army”
Wilco “Heavy Metal Drummer”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Pin”
Yorn, Pete “Life On A Chain”
Zwan “Come With Me”
Zwan “Settle Down”

Charlie Doherty's 40 Favorite Songs of 2009

Link to original Blogcritics Magazine article is HERE

After years of reading respectable music magazines (PASTE, SPIN, Rolling Stone), and online sites (Pitchfork) and their year-end so-called "best of" lists, I've realized that they never truly reflect more than 40-50% - if that - of the music I dug in a given year. It's become an almost completely useless exercise for me.

Now if you're talking about someone's list of "favorite" songs/records of the year, they are more valuable, not to mention less arguable than "best of" lists, for the authors usually give a more personal and passionate explanation as to what a certain song or album meant to them. Such write-ups may convince you to check out such music yourself to see if you get that same reaction.

Therefore, when you read a list such as the one below, it only reflects my personal taste, not my "music critic" side, though some of these songs were ones I did indeed discover as a reviewer. With audio/video links and descriptions accompanying many of these choices, I hope you find this list at least somewhat useful since you are taking some time out of your busy life to read it.

Without further ado, here are my Top Forty Favorite Tracks of 2009.

40. Appleseed Cast “Raise The Sails”
A dreamy, shoegaze tune that (top music blog) Stereogum is directly responsible for me hearing. Thanks!

39. N.A.S.A. "Spacious Thoughts (f/Tom Waits & Kool Keith)"
Whoever came up with the idea of pairing up a crazy cool veteran underground rap star in Kool Keith with this legendary New Jersey elder statesman of rock deserves to be paid handsomely.

38. The New Up "Bitch"
A young San Francisco band with a female lead singer (ES Pitcher) that’s being compared to Chrissy Hynde and Emily Haines definitely got my attention this year. This track is the clear highlight from the group’s Better Off EP.

37. Jack’s Mannequin "Swim"
This is one heck of an inspirational and hope-filled song written by Andrew McMahon, a cancer (leukemia) survivor.

36. Julian Lennon "Lucy"
Speaking of inspiration, the last song I added to my Top 40 list is a tribute to the late Lucy Vodden, who as a young girl inspired a drawing by Julian Lennon, which his dad John Lennon saw and wrote into a song with his fellow Beatles you may have heard of, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds."

35. Let Me Run “Like A Fish”
Love the punk spirit here.

34. Rocketboys “All The Western Winds”
Discovered via PASTE magazine late in the year, these guys deliver slightly ethereal alt-rock in the vein of the best aspects of Coldplay.

33. Amazing Baby “Headdress”
The twin guitar work here impresses me every time.

32. Dead Weather “New Pony”
Jack White holds his own on the skins while the band rocks out '70s garage hard rock style.

31. Wild Light “California On My Mind”
The lyrics might be angry/negative but this is a care-free, fun, guitar pop tune with some happy harmonica parts to boot.

30. Washed Out “Feel It All Around”
Listening to this track, I picture a slightly cloudy, summery day circa 1986. It's retro chill music indeed, from South Carolina.

29. Prince "Ol’ Skool Company"
If you wanted to order a tune with a fresh mix of soul, rock and funk this past year, this hot (and slightly political) track was it.

28. Serena Ryder “Little Bit of Red”
She could be the next Melissa Etheridge with more tunes like this.

27. Cut Off Your Hands “Happy As Can Be”
It’s like Echo & The Bunnymen, but less dark - for New Zealand.

26. Street Sweeper Social Club “Promenade”
This bouncy rap rocker features some of Tom Morello's finest soloing in years.

25. Kentucky Nightmare “Caroline & I”
A little Americana never hurt anyone.

24. Phoenix “1901”
2009 was a breakout year for these guys, and this is arguably their best song yet.

23. Favours For Sailors “I Dreamt That You Dreamt You Loved Me In Your Dreams”
This infectious powerpop rocker will have you wondering when they will get their big break. They'd be a perfect opening act for Weezer. (Hint, Hint)

22. Future of the Left “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You”
It’s loud, ridiculous and most importantly, fu***** rocks your socks off.

21. Annie “Anthonio”
The Norwegian electro-pop singer/DJ always has a sweet or downright hot voice to match her music, and this track is no different.

20. Kiss “Modern Day Delilah”
Simply the best song they've written in more than a couple decades.

19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs ”Heads Will Roll”
A great workout/dance song that also rocks from Karen O and the boys.

18. U2 “Magnificent”
They've made more elite albums than No Line On The Horizon, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have great material. This one made the list for its memorable chorus alone, the end of which slightly recalls the chorus of Achtung Baby favorite “Even Better Than The Real Thing.” And that’s a good thing, of course.

17. Silversun Pickups “Substitution”
I'm so glad they released this as a single as it is one of the most dynamic tracks on 2009 CD Swoon.

16. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse “Revenge (w/Wayne Coyne)"
A late night track perfect to relax to after a long day.

15. Metric “Blindness”
Definitely the most emotion-filled track on the Fantasies disc, one that sees Emily Haines presumably empowering herself to overcome drug addiction.

14. Clutch “Struck Down”
Yet another ace track from the veteran Maryland stoner rockers, this tune proudly wears its current blues rock influence on its collective sleeves.

13. Jay-Z “Run This Town (w/Rihanna/Kanye West)”
You couldn't avoid liking this tune if you tried, mostly because of Rihanna's stadium-sized vocals.

12. Jay-Z w/Alicia Keys “Empire State Of Mind”
As anthemic and cool as this version is, Keys' own piano-based version turns it into a beautiful number that's just as great, if not better.

11. Neko Case “People Got A Lotta Nerve”
A short, jangly hooky pop song from one of the best female indie rock artists of the 2000s.

10. Imogen Heap “First Train Home”
The genius of electronic pop hits a home run again with this one.

9. Third Eye Blind “Non Dairy Creamer”
The subject matter may be political, but it's also humorous. And the music (pop rock) is undeniable ear candy.

8. Royksopp “Silver Cruiser”
Phenomenal production, out-of-this-world soothing sounds. Electronic music doesn't get cooler than this.

7. Pearl Jam “Got Some”
It's their most urgent and energy-packed loud rocker they've released since "Go" came out in 1993.

6. Bat For Lashes ”Sleep Alone”
A hot beat behind retro electronic drums and synths, and The Cure-ish atmospherics equals an A+ track to these ears.

5. Passion Pit “The Reeling”
These Boston boys came out of nowhere to score a hit with the most swirly, hypnotic, synth-pop tune I've heard in years.

4. Low Red Land “Dog’s Hymn”
Discovered via SPIN magazine, this San Fran group's best song evokes Minus The Bear (one of my favorite bands of the 2000s). Thus, it easily became one of my favorite songs of the year.

3. Bat For Lashes “Daniel”
This darkly romantic '80's-style synth rocker ruled my world this year - not to mention my mp3 player.

2. Bright Eyes w/Gillian Welch “Lua”
First released in 2005 solo acoustic, this beautiful re-recording is the most improved version of any song I've ever heard, period.

1. Company Of Thieves “Oscar Wilde”
It's got a funky bass line, emotive guitar work, a fine vocalist with powerful pipes and a message that serves as an indictment of humanity: "We are all our own devil/And we make this world our hell." It's my song of the year and thanks goes to Carson Daly for introducing the Chicago band to the world in 2009.

Brand New Music From Julian Lennon: Lucy EP

Tuesday, December 15 marks the release of new music by John Lennon's son Julian for the first time in 11 years with the release of the Lucy EP.

The back story of the four-track EP goes back as far as The Beatles' legendary Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record and as recently as a couple of months ago. The song "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" was recorded by John Lennon for Pepper's upon seeing a painting Julian did of his childhood friend and classmate Lucy Vodden.

During a conference call with journalists around the world last week - which including this author - Mr. Lennon revealed that he met a "developing artist" named James Scott Cook in New York just a couple of months ago and soon started recording new music. They eventually co-wrote what became the pop rocker "Lucy," a tribute to Lucy Vodden, who died of Lupus disease during the recording sessions. By coincidence, Cook's 89-year-old grandmother also suffers from Lupus.

Starting December 15, the Lucy EP can be purchased through Lennon's new full-service, musician-based company and website The Revolution, as well as through Amazon.com. A copy of Julian Lennon's original watercooler drawing of Lucy Vodden comes with all physical releases. The title track itself will be sold via iTunes exclusively from the 15th through the end of the year.

The EP also features an acoustic version of "Lucy," a Cook-only composition ("Sober") that will appear on his solo debut next year (via The Revolution), and Lennon's sentimental piano-based number "Beautiful," from his sixth album Everything Changes, also to be released in 2010.

It will be Julian Lennon's first studio release since 1998's Photograph Smile. He has been recording records sporadically since his much lauded 1984 debut record Valotte, which spawned radio hits including the title track and "Too Late For Goodbyes."

Fifty percent of all proceeds of the Lucy EP will go to Lupus causes such as St. Thomas' Lupus Trust and Lupus Foundation of America.

Note: First posted at Blogcritics December 14, 2009

Book Review: Wicked Good Year: How The Red Sox, Patriots & Celtics Turned The Hub Of The Universe Into The Capital Of Sports by Steve Buckley

Posted at Blogcritics December 9, 2009

Steve Buckley has been a sportswriter for 30 years, the last 15 for the Boston Herald, and has also been a frequent face on local TV and radio sports talk shows in Boston, MA, and author of several books, the latest of which is called Wicked Good Year.

Chronicling the highly successful 2007-2008 seasons of the Boston Red Sox, Celtics and New England Patriots, Buckley uses historical research and personal stories from athletes, coaches, team personnel and fans to paint a narrative as to how extraordinary a time it was to be a fan of major Boston sports teams between October 28, 2007 and June 17, 2008. That seven-month span is when the Red Sox won the ’07 World Series, the Patriots achieved an undefeated 16-0 season (before losing the ’08 Super Bowl) and Celtics won the ’08 NBA title.

Doc Rivers' Motivational Techniques

The book starts out with the history of “Duck Boats,” first their use for transporting American soldiers in World War II and starting in 1994, its use as a tourism vehicle in and around Boston. Rivers also knew the Patriots and Red Sox rode them in celebrations of championships in 2002, 2004, and 2005. So just as Celtics training camp for the 2007-2008 season got underway, Doc took the new Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen on a private Duck Boat tour so they can see what it means to win a title in this town.

The C’s coach also found a way of stressing team unity via the South African word “ubuntu,” which means “I am because we are.” Buckley writes that (professor) Rivers even had the rookies, led by Glen “Big Baby” Davis do a presentation of the importance of ubuntu in front of the veterans during training camp, which they aced, of course.

The Fan Perspective: The Nantucket Gals, Andrew J. Urban II & Donnie Wahlberg

Perhaps more unique in the telling of Boston sports success stories than most other Boston-based sports books is the view of it all through the eyes and ears of dedicated fans. Whether it was pro autograph collector Andrew J. Urban II, former New Kids On The Block and avid Celtics fan Donnie Wahlberg making front row friendships with fellow C’s enthusiasts Marty Joyce and Mike Rotondi, or 1995 collective Patriots Fan Of The Year, the Nantucket Gals (sisters Jane, Jeanne and Joan), Buckley masterfully writes of their life stories and perspective on the successes, setbacks and controversies of their favorite teams.

One fan moment among many stands out in this book. Wahlberg, it turns out, not only knows his Celtics past very well but this Boston native predicted the future as well. During an ESPN interview that took place before Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett, he declared with a straight face that Boston would have three championship teams in one year, including his beloved Celtics and the Red Sox – he was a few minutes and an incomplete pass to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII away from being incredibly correct on all three fronts.

How Dustin Pedroia Came To Boston

Throughout Wicked Good Year, Buckley does a page-turner of a job of writing how the C’s, Pats and Sox planted the seeds of success, which is to say that he writes of the dark years, disappointments and trades and draft picks that eventually paid off. His insight into the Randy Moss trade with Oakland is excellent but the most revealing story is how second baseman Dustin Pedroia got drafted to Boston out of Arizona State. The Sox scouting department initially looked at teammate Jeff Larish as its potential pick from the squad, Buckley reveals, but took a closer look at him after 2003 draft pick Jeremy West told an intern at the scouting department in the fall of ’03 that Pedroia was ASU’s best player. In the 2004 baseball draft, Epstein chose Pedroia after all, passing on catcher Kurt Suzuki as well.

Useful And Obscure Patriots, Red Sox And Celtics Facts

One thing readers of this book will notice is that there are more useful factoids than you’ll know what to do with. For example, the Red Sox won the first ever World Series in 1903 vs. Pittsburgh as the Boston Americans, 5 games to 3. The New England Patriots were the Boston Patriots of the AFL until the 1970 merger with the NFL, which permanently placed them in the AFC East division. The Boston Patriots, with Gino Cappelletti and the late Ron Burton as star players, played at Nickerson Field, formerly the home to the Boston Braves, in its first three seasons (1960-1962) and then played six seasons at Fenway Park.

On the more obscure front, Red Sox manager Terry Francona’s father Tito was part of a Cleveland Indians team that hit four homers in a row off of LA Angels pitcher Paul Foytack on July 31, 1963. In April 2007, Terry himself saw four Sox hitters accomplish this same feat for only the second time in MLB history, off of young Yankees pitcher Chase Wright. Buckley not only relays these facts but was able to find out that Foytack (then age 76) watched this game and felt compelled to write Wright a letter of encouragement afterwards, having gone through this rare shellacking himself.

Also, the official NBA logo’s white silhouette you see on the bottom-left of every NBA game backboard was modeled after Lakers great Jerry West. This is barely scratching the surface of fascinating sports facts, and reading this book will reward you far more than I could ever list here.

Nobody’s Perfect

With all the great research and game recaps of C’s/Pats/Red Sox 2007 regular season and playoff games, interview quotes and historical analogies in this book, there are some errors to point out, however trivial they are. First, Buckley contradicted himself in Chapter 5 (“Savior?”) by writing on page 46 that the late former Sox owner Tom Yawkey bought the “laughingstock” that was the Red Sox in 1932, then (correctly) saying he bought the franchise in 1933 on page 49. Also, 110-85 was not the score to “Game 2” of the ’08 Eastern first round playoff series between the C’s and Hawks, it was Game 5.

Also surprising was some contextual omissions on Buckley’s part in regard to the “Spygate” chapter 12, and his insight and recap of the ’08 NBA Finals. First, the author does an excellent job in laying out the similar background Pats coach Bill Belichick and his once protégé Eric Mangini have but makes no mention of his Jets’ own questionable taping of the Patriots in a wildcard playoff matchup in January 2007 at Gillette Stadium, which the Pats contended the Jets never got permission from the Pats to do in the end zone.

The chapter focuses on a lot more subjects than Spygate itself (and thus should’ve had an expanded title), and I’m not about to rehash the whole thing. But as Buckley wrote, the Jets-Pats ’07 opener that turned into the Spygate game was dedicated to the late Marquis Hill, a young Patriots player who died in a tragic accident earlier in 2007. His telling of Patriots players who paid tribute to Hill throughout the season by wearing in games some of the late player’s equipment, including Super Bowl XLII is valuable and powerful insight.

With regard to this respected sportswriter’s analysis of Game 1 of the ’08 Finals between the C’s and Lakers, I would respectfully argue that his declaration that Paul Pierce’s dramatic comeback from injury in the game the Celtics would later win at home was either a great miracle or one of the best “acting jobs” in modern sports history is way off.

The truth is, The Truth never asked for a wheelchair and drama that made his knee injury seem worse than it was. As he would later say, he was hurting but could still play; Pierce just could not bend the knee down all the way without pain. It was the Finals and he did play through whatever ailed him to lead his team to victory in Game 1 and eventually the NBA title in six games, after which he was named Finals MVP.

Conclusion

All told, Wicked Good Year accomplishes the tall task of weaving together the necessary facts and inside (athletic and fan) stories of the successes of three of Boston’s major sports franchises that occurred in a span of seven months and twenty days. It goes well with other Boston championship-minded items like the fan-centered DVD Return To The Rafters, about the Celtics’ 08 NBA title run, Red Sox Rule, Michael Holley’s semi-bio and story of Terry Francona and his Red Sox’s ’07 World Series run, as well as another excellent read, Peter May’s comprehensive recap of Celtics title #17, Top Of The World.

Buckley uses tons of historical facts to put present-day accomplishments in perspective – and perhaps to show off his thorough research skills as well. And they’re not just Boston-related ones but pro baseball, football and basketball facts in general. It might actually take you multiple reads of the same page just to digest them all. And it is fascinating, enjoyable material to read if you’re an avid sports lover. Even Yankees fans like author Jonathan Eig raved about this book. And enjoying what you read is the ultimate goal, isn’t it?

Boston sports fans and other curious minds, get yourself ready to set aside enough time to get through this 317-page journey, because reading Wicked Good Year will be time well spent. In fact, “Spygate” and Super Bowl XLII aside, you’ll definitely have a wicked good time reading it all the way through.
4 1/2 stars

Music Review: Kiss - Sonic Boom

Rock ‘til you drop. Or at least until you can’t do it anymore. For B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Daltrey and so many other active icons of rock and blues circuits, those are words to live by. And 35 years after influential NYC quartet Kiss came on the scene with its self-titled debut and immediate follow-up Hotter Than Hell, they too are back touring the world and releasing new music.

Released last month exclusively to Walmart as a three-disc set, Sonic Boom is Kiss’s 19th studio album and first since its 1998 album Psycho Circus. Disc one has 11 new tracks, disc two has 15 re-recorded Kiss Klassics, and disc three is a six-song excerpt from a Kiss show this past spring.

Age is of no concern to this band – half of whose members are pushing 60 years of age. Nor does it show on record or in concert for these make-up-wearing mega rock stars. Founding member and rhythm guitarist/singer Paul Stanley still has his dynamic vocal range and knack for writing instant hard rockin’ classics, like album opener “Modern Day Delilah.”

Co-founder and bass machine Gene Simmons still effortlessly spouts out groove-laden licks (not to mention fire, in concert) and gruff vocals. Guitarist Tommy Thayer, who plays a similar style of lead guitar as the “space man” he replaced, Ace Frehley, does a more than admiral job throughout the album of playing exciting leads and fills, as on “Delilah,” the excellent ‘80s-ish “Danger Us,” and the Simmons-sung “I’m An Animal.”

Not all 11 tracks are A-material, however. Recycling is good for the environment but doesn’t always work in a musical setting. For example, the Thayer-sung and cowbell-strong “When Lightning Strikes” again recycles the same old AC/DC chords and rhythm in its chorus you’ve heard before. Thayer’s ascending guitar solo is the song’s pure highlight. “Never Enough” has an anthemic-sounding chorus but from its beginning sounds like “Rock And Roll All Nite” if it was written by AC/DC or Ozzy (think: “Flying High Again”). And silly, clichéd lyrics like “If it’s too hot, then you’re too cold” drag down “Hot And Cold” a bit.

Disc two’s Kiss Klassics compilation was, before this release, exclusively sold in Japan in 2008, along with a live 11-track DVD of a Kiss show in Budokan in 1977. Most of these re-recorded Kiss Klassics don’t veer much from the originals. But, the new version of fan favorite “Black Diamond” (with drummer Eric Singer replacing Peter Criss on drums and lead vocals) is an improvement over the original simply because the slowed down tape at the end lasts for under 30 seconds now instead of going on and on for nearly two whole minutes.

Disc three, the six-song DVD, is a short excerpt of a Kiss show from Buenos Aires, Argentina in April of this year during its KISS Alive/35 World Tour. And the selections from it are all aces, from “Deuce” and “Hotter Than Hell” to “Watching You” – one of Kiss’s most underrated hard rockers – and closer “Rock And Roll All Nite,” the band’s signature party rock song. Also included is a stretched out version of “100,000,” which on record and on stage still has a vintage Black Sabbath-type rhythm to carry it along.

The only disappointing aspect of the DVD portion of this release is that it is only six songs long. Ones guesses that the band had to resort to the short DVD in order to keep this three-disc set at a reasonable price. Kiss fans can certainly live with and appreciate that. And besides, any fan looking for a full Kiss show has decades of live albums and bootlegs to choose from. Ones does hope that eventually Kiss will release this full Buenos Aires show, as the rowdy, enthusiastic fans down in Argentina always seem to bring out the best in bands who play there, especially metal bands.

In short, Sonic Boom, even with its few flaws, is a fun, sleazy hard rock and roll record mostly in the vein of its ‘70s material. In other words, it’s the album Kiss fans have been wanting the band to make for over 20 years and likely wondered would never be made.

With 33 tracks for a recession-friendly price of $12 at your local Walmart, it’s one hell of a bargain (though one wishes it was available at this price at other actual music stores). Nonetheless, if you’re a new or longtime fan, you’d be a fool to not pick it up. And with the holiday season fast approaching, Sonic Boom will make a great stocking stuff for dad as well.
3.5 stars for the album
4.0 stars for the whole package

FYI, Kiss will continue its current tour in the USA and Canada in November and December. For dates and more info on Kiss, visit KissOnline.com.

Please note: This article was first published by Blogcritics 11/5/09

Bushisms & Bidenisms: The Gifts & Gaffes That Keep On Giving

I had originally planned on doing a comparative summary of the worst political gaffes ever made by ex-president George W. Bush and current vice president Joe Biden for Suite101.com. It would've been a Bushisms v. Bidenisms type of piece. But that article ran WAY too long, to the point of becoming nearly unreadable.

Therefore, I put together two distinct Top 10 compilations of Bush and Biden's weirdest, funniest, and most embarrassing statements ever uttered in public - who knows what kind of buffoonery they've engaged in private over the years.

These are by no means the "ultimate" lists, since neither of these politicians are capable of going a year without making another political gaffe and thus will likely continue to make embarrassing remarks for years to come. These lists, however, are up-to-date, through comments made in 2009.

First, here's my best of Bushisms article, followed by a best of Bidenisms article.

Note: The articles in the above links were originally published at Suite101 in late October.