Sweet Talk

Amateur

This is one of those amazing Video's you are bound to see many more times, but if you haven't you should, because those things are fun and fun is good.

Musicovery

Mister UK sent along a cool new link.  Much like Pandora's Box but cooler with deeper cuts and better taste.  I suggest sticking with the free Low-Fi option and then buying from Burnlounge or MP3.com when you hear something you like.  I love people who have the wherewithal to attempt these musical DNA projects.  Happy Gobble Gobble. Musicovery

Wolfgang's Vault

Wolfgang was Bill Graham, the man whose genius for bringing performer and audience together shaped the rock concert as we have come to know it. Born Wolfgang Grajonca in Berlin in 1931, he escaped Nazi Germany to grow up in a foster home in the Bronx and anglicized his name at the age of 18. Bill Graham, who would come to be known as the midwife of the modern rock concert, was smart and forward-thinking, an opportunist and a listener, fair and ferociously demanding, and he remembered his roots: in the 1980s he opened a small San Francisco club and named it Wolfgang's.

 

A few years back another opportunistic soul bought the warehouse of Graham's company Bill Graham presents for a couple of million without realizing the full extent of it's contents. Needless to say it was a good investment.

Beginning with the seminal concerts of the mid 1960s and continuing through today, they have assembled a superb collection that is being cared for in state-of-the-art facilities.

They have only begun to mine the depths of the Vault. Opened in October 2003 with an unparalleled collection of Poster Art and  extraordinary vintage t-shirts, backstage passes, laminates and books shortly thereafter. In 2004 they released the BG Archive photography collection, and since then they have become the exclusive online source for five of the greatest rock photographers of all time; Jim Marshall, Baron Wolman, Michael Zagaris, Joe Sia and Gene Anthony.

But the REAL gem is the Live Concert Recordings......  Enjoy this LINK:  Wolfgang LIVE

Advertising Age

This was in this weeks Ad Age Magazine; looking at this pic I can say with honestly I am definitely a "people" not a "player".

Surprise, Beck

In mid October I was asked by the PASTE boys to throw a party in NYC for 425 high end industry types including all the musicians who wanted to attend.  The budget was VERY small, however big things come in small packages:  Here is the press release from the following day which showed up on various media outlets:

From PASTE: Thanks to everyone who made our November Issue (#26) release parties a roaring success. Our New York party at Knitting Factory featured amazing performances by Hem and Hymns with a 50-minute, full-band surprise show from cover artist Beck, and ?uestlove of The Roots served as DJ. James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlessinger (Fountains of Wayne), Ben Kweller, the Benevento Russo Duo, Willie Nile, Matt Maye & El Torpedo and Matisyahu all made guest appearances for a truly memorable night.

Needless to say it was my absolute pleasure to be the emcee of the evening, and I do feel all those in attendance enjoyed our little surprises. 

My favorite account of the evening came from a jaded New York Blogger: Jaded Blogger comes around : The truly unique events of the past 24 hours could be described from two perspectives: the jaded, seen-it-all New Yorker or the wide-eyed, dumbfounded Midwesterner that I very much still am despite all efforts to the contrary. Therefore, I shall write from both P.O.V.s for today's blog post.

1.) The concert
New York Andrew: So, this flack totally calls my office phone on Wednesday and tells me Ken recommended he talk to me about this party Paste Magazine is putting on at the Knitting Factory and that Beck may be there. I say, cool, whatever, I like Beck and all. It'd be neat to see him at a venue that small, but no worries if he didn't. I got tickets to that sweet Daily Show concert with Mountain Goats and Clem Snide at Irving Plaza next month that would make up for it. So, I mean, I go and hit up the open bar with Amy, check out Hem's opening set and jump up and down a little bit for Beck. I mean, he played "Devil's Haircut" and some cuts off the new album, so it was pretty good, I guess. But it's not like it was Patti Smith at the fuckin' CBGB's closing show or anything. And blah blah, James Iha was there and Ben Kweller walked right by me. I interviewed him once no big woop..

Ohio Andrew: Holy shit, I saw a secret Beck show!!! And it was legitimately secret -- Brooklyn Vegan, Rolling Stone, NO ONE knew about it beforehand! Even Paste was surprised -- they were told Beck was going to play a half-hour acoustic set and he ended up playing an hour-long, funkdafied electric set!! It was tremendous — he opened with "Black Tambourine" (one of the best possible songs in his oeuvre to open with) and after just three songs started taking requests. I screamed out "Devil's Haircut," knowing it would be incredible to hear in such a small venue, and what does he do? He plays it!!! The famous riff sounded wayyy better blaring from such small speakers. The main room is the size of my old living room at Sunnybrook! In-fuckin-credible. He also played "Girl," "E-Pro" and of course "Where It's At," plus half the new album, which I bought immediately afterward. Easily one of the best shows I've ever seen, let alone this year. I wanted to hug the editors of Paste on my way out. And oh my God I saw James Iha!!!! Regardless that he doesn't do anything these days except go to shows, he's still a Smashing Pumpkin.

Even uber-cool Brooklyn Vegan gave it some love: "Beck showed up with his skinny well-coiffed band of punky deviants last night at the Knitting Factory to play an hour-long private set in front of 400 celebrating his Paste magazine cover. Roots drummer ?uestlove served as the between-sets DJ." Not bad.  We filmed and taped the show so be on the lookout for some great podcasts and video podcasts in the very near future, and next time you get asked to a PASTE party take us up on the invite.