Ramblings on Music, Texas, Etc.

RAMBLINGS CD GIVEAWAY: Greg Koons and the Misbegotten

I recently discovered the music of Greg Koons and the Misbegotten.  Now you can discover it for yourself by winning a copy of Welcome to the Nowhwere Motel.

Simply drop me an email with the "Greg Koons Contest" in the subject line.  Two (2) winners will be selected at random to receive a copy of the CD.  Deadline for entries is Monday, July 20.

Also be sure to check out Koons on his upcoming tour:

Jul 10 Cafe Semolino - Hays, Kansas
Jul 11 Gypsy Coffee - Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jul 12 Hole in the Wall  - Austin, Texas
Jul 13 Headhuntrer’s Club - Austin, Texas
Jul 14 Gig on the Strip - San Antonio, Texas
Jul 14  Austin Soup Kitchen - Austin, Texas
Jul 15 Gatsby’s - San Antonio, Texas
Jul 16 Neutral Ground  - New Orleans, Louisiana
Jul 18 Cherry Street Artisan - Columbia, Missouri
Jul 21 Gluek’s - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jul 22nd – 26th-  Motongator Joe’s Country Music Festival - Wallace, Michigan
Jul 28 Nestor Tavern - Fargo, North Dakota
Jul 29  The Frequency - Madison, Wisconsin
Jul 30 Eclipse Records - St. Paul, Minnesota
Jul 31 Red Rooster Coffee House - Aberdeen, North Dakota
Aug 2 Red Line Tap - Chicago, Illinois
Aug 3 The Factory - Rochester, Michigan
Aug 5 Terminal Bar - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Aug 7th-9th- Grand Marias Music Festival - Grand Marias, Michigan
Aug 15  Wonderland Ballroom - Washington DC
Aug 18 Mickey’s Bar and Grill - Lowell, Massachusetts
Aug 21 Boulder Coffee - Rochester, New York
Aug 22 The Milk Boy - Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Aug 28 Open Eye Café - Carrboro, North Carolina
Aug 29 Sentient Bean - Savannah, Georgia
Sep 4th-6th- Texas Music Festival  - Meridian, Texas
Sep 8 Golden Light Cantina - Amarillo, Texas
Sep 10 Bohemeo’s - Houston, Texas
Dec Mocha Maya’s - Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Greg Koons and the Misbegotten - 'Welcome to the Nowhere Motel'

I opened the mail this week to find an intriguing album by Greg Koons, a singer-songwriter entirely unknown to me.  However, what I did recognize was the name of co-producer Matt Keating who released the really great double album Quixotic in 2008.  In fact, most of the musicians who supported Keating on that record appear on Koons' Welcome to the Nowhere Motel (although guitarist Kirk Swann fills the slot for the late Duane Jarvis who contributes only a few dobro parts here).

Much in the same vein as Quixtoic, Nowhere Motel is a shimmering slice of Petty-esque roots rock.  Koons has an interesting voice that can sound conversational one minute and almost crooning the next.  There's nothing particularly revolutionary about Koons' brand of alt-country, but he demonstrates that solid material with stellar musical backing is still a powerful combination.

Keep this one in mind when you're at the record store this week.  Koons is touring like a dog through the summer, including a swing through Texas next week (and a stop in Houston in September).

Best Wilco review yet?

Perhaps.  Here's Aquarium Drunkard's take.  The short version: lighten up, dude - Wilco is having fun.

Oh, and great interviews with Nels Cline and John Stirratt over at Paste.

UPDATE:  Great article in the NY Times.

Wilco Release Day Roundup

Enjoy some light reading while you're spacing out to Wilco (The Album):

• Interview w/ Jeff Tweedy in Time Magazine
• Lots of cool features in Paste (which is having a "Wilco Takeover" day)
• David Fricke's four-star review in Rolling Stone
• An interview w/ Tweedy on Chicago Public Radio
• Magnet Magazine takes a look at the Wilco DVD's
• Reviews in Washington Post and the Philly Daily News

Have at it, Wil-dorks.

UPDATE:  A very nice review from The House Next Door (one of my favorite film review sites).

'Wilco (The Album)' OUT NOW!!

I'm listening to it as I type.  A review?  I dunno - do you really need me to tell you that you'll love (or hate) this record?  We should just about be to the point where everyone knows how they feel about Wilco.  I imagine the band still has another masterpiece in them, but who really cares when their good shit is so freakin' good.

The pacing is solid, more concise than Sky Blue Sky which came to a grinding halt for Tweedy's lovely folk songs.  More balanced on the whole, but the first half still strikes me as stronger than the back half.  Not sure why Feist is on this record, but the song is kinda cute and fun (probably the weakest on the album though).

Pitchfork gave it a respectable 7.3, which wasn't so surprising since they were pretty tough on A Ghost Is Born and Sky Blue Sky.  I've noticed they tend to periodically decide that bands aren't boring anymore and then hop back on their wagon.  Poor indie-rock fans, just can't decide what's cool these days.

Bob Lefsetz on Buddy Miller

Music industry pundit Bob Lefsetz attended the Three Girls and Their Buddy show at the Greek Theater this past week, and he was most impressed by Buddy Miller.  So impressed he included his thoughts in one of his recent newsletters.  Check it out here.

For my money, Written In Chalk is far and away the best album of 2009 thus far.

Wilco Weekend Roundup #2

Some reviews roll in:

• PopMatters is not sold.
• Josh Hurst has a solid, fair review.
• Slant Magazine -- less solid, less fair (points deducted for using the term "dad" TWICE - I'm not sure what "doofy dad fodder" is exactly).

Leslie Feist appeared onstage with Wilco last night at The Wiltern for the duet "You and I" - YouTubes surely to follow.

UPDATE:  Stream the album all weekend on NPR!

MJ

I'm not gonna pretend that the music of Michael Jackson means to me now what it did in my youth.  But, wow - the biggest cultural icon of my adolescence is dead.  Thriller was the first album I bought.  

May he have some peace in death that he obviously didn't have in life.

Wilco Weekend Roundup #1

Around here, we like to get hype going nice and early.  With the release of Wilco (The Album) next week, here's a few tidbits to whet your appetite...

• A four-star review from Glide Magazine.
• Listen to "Bull Black Nova" over at Imeem. 
• See photos of the band's Monday performance at The Wiltern in LA, plus listen to the b-side from the new 7-inch for "You Never Know" (an early version of "Impossible Germany" called "Unlikely Japan").  Both over at Stereogum. 
• Tune into WilcoWorld.net on Saturday for a broadcast of their show at the Greek Theater. 
• Download the new version of the Wilco iPhone app (which will allow to stream Saturday's show). 
• Or watch last night's performance on Conan...   

Patterson Hood's 'Murdering Oscar (and other love songs)' out TODAY

The new solo album from Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood is out today on CD and vinyl.  Murdering Oscar (and other love songs) features members of DBT and Centro-matic, as well as longtime cohort Dave Barbe.

You can also read a great interview with Hood in Paste.  He discusses a lot of topics, including what label is likely to release the band's next record.