Debates!!!
Thursday, September 30, 2004
OK, the debates are set to start in an hr, not sure how they will go seeing that there are more restrictions than there are people in India. I will still watch tho, u can't miss any opportunity bush has to make a fool out of himself.
As for emusic.com, its a very cool website I have already downloaded 2 cds from it. Downloads are fast and the quality is great. I am still downloading thru my free selections and then I will tap the 40 I have for the month. I am bummed that the new blues explosion is not avail but I did get the new waxwings and a live show of urge overkill. I think I will d/l the latest throwing muses and some other local bands.
Tomorrow nite is the wine tasting event at ford field, I am very excited about it and will give everyone a review afterwards.
Posted by mardenhill 9/30/2004 08:06:00 PM 1 comments
Legal MP3s for Cheap!!!!!
Saturday, September 25, 2004
OK, I think I have found a solution for those of you who want to support artists but not pay .99c a song on iTunes. eMusic has relaunched their website for a pay service and after some research it is looking very promising. Here's the scoop, for $10 you get 40 downloads a month, for $15 you get 65 and for $20 you get 90. If you reach your limit you cannot download until the next month when your acct is reset. There is no DRM (digital rights management) on the tracks so they are yours to do what you want with them. I did the math and each track comes out to about .25c and a 12 song cd would be $3. Cheaper mp3s and no restrictions, this is great but eMusic does not have the library that iTunes has. I have been going thru their catalog and there are some great releases but most of it is older stuff. I think its a good way to replace your old tapes on mp3, I have already found some stuff but they do not have everything I want.
Do some searching on their catalog before signing up, that way you know what you are getting yourself into. I think this one is a keeper, and you get 50 free tracks for signing up so I will be doing so. Just think, if this can do well then maybe it can force iTunes to lower their price. Ok, maybe not, but its worth a shot. I don't think this will be a way to get some new releases unless they are from pretentious indie rockers who havn't moved onto the majors but the hidden jems are present.
www.emusic.com
Posted by mardenhill 9/25/2004 10:16:00 AM 0 comments
New R.E.M. CD!!!!!
Thursday, September 23, 2004
http://www.myspace.com/rem/
Check out the link, you can stream the new R.E.M. cd that comes out Oct 5th. Its great, well what do you expect from one of the greatest bands ever.
Posted by mardenhill 9/23/2004 01:57:00 PM 0 comments
More Detroit Shows
Some new shows to mark your calendars. I am debating about the Jamie Cullum, I have been listening to his cds and they are pretty cool. Yeah he is the male equivilent to Norah Jones, but good none the less. Now the only problem is that its the same nite as PJ Harvey and depending on ticket price will make the decision on who I go see. And lets see, Morrissey and Black Heart Procession on the same night, what is going on here? And I just noticed that all 4 shows are just days apart. Realistically, I will probably only go to 1 of them so now who will it be? If I pick Morrissey, go to Tears For Fears and then the Pixies 11/18, not to mention the Cure this past summer, I would be reliving the best days of music how can that be bad? But you cant live on nostagila forever and need to support the up and coming bands. What is a person to do? Let me know what you think and if you plan on going to any of these shows.
Jamie Cullum: Thu10/14/04 Ferndale, MI Magic Bag
Tears For Fears: Wed11/03/04 Detroit, MI State Theatre
PJ Harvey: Thu10/14/04 Detroit, MI State Theatre
Morrissey: Sun10/17/04 Detroit, MI State Theatre
Black Heart Procession: Sun10/17/04 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
Brendan Benson: Fri11/19/04 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
Posted by mardenhill 9/23/2004 10:00:00 AM 2 comments
Tour Cancelled
Thanks Kathy for the heads up...I went searching and found this on the Mark Lanegan show next week. This sucks, hopefully he reschedules his shows.
US East coast/Midwest dates cancelled - please see article below
From Billboard.com:"Singer/songwriter Mark Lanegan was injured in a car accident in Los Angeles last night, forcing the cancellation of seven upcoming East Coast tour dates. Lanegan was not at fault and was not seriously hurt, but is under doctor's orders to rest for several weeks, his spokesperson tells Billboard.com.
The artist is expected to return to the road Oct. 10 in San Diego, with dates on tap through an Oct. 26 performance in Brussels. The former Screaming Trees/Queens Of The Stone Age vocalist is touring in support of his new Beggars Banquet album, "Bubblegum," which reached No. 39 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart last month. "
Sorry for those hoping to catch Mark on his US East Coast/Midwest dates - refer to your ticket seller for refunds. Let's just be thankful this wasn't more serious - I will post more information as it is known.
Posted by mardenhill 9/23/2004 09:57:00 AM 3 comments
Wine Store Sale
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
The wine store in Royal Oak on Main St, Merchants Warehouse I belive is going out of business. So if you are close to the area, you should check it out. All wine is 30% off but its getting to be slim pickings right now. I loaded up earlier this week on tons of great stuff for cheap. Well not cheap since I spent more than I planned on but when compared to full price it was a steal. I talked to one of the guys that works there who by the way used to be my old neighbor in my apartment in Royal Oak. Anyways, he said they are going to build sky lofts on that property, I imagine the movie theatre will still be there but who knows they may take that whole stretch of property out. In two years they hope to move back into the sky loft stores but that is not in stone. In the meantime they still have 2 more stores, one on Grosse Pointe and the other in Dearborn. I am pretty bummed about this, the store was only 2 miles from my house and they had a great selection. A little wine shopping tip, check Costco, they have excellent prices on wine. They don't always have a great selection and they vary from store to store but if you find what u want, its at least $3-$6 cheaper than anywhere else. The Costco on Telegraph up in Bloomfield Hills rocks for wine selection while the one in Madison Heights is just ok.
Just a reminder about the Detroit Uncorked next friday, Erika and I are going and anyone else who is interested let me know. I talked to them and the dress code is Business Casual and there will be tons of appetisers. There will be about 800 different wines to sample and also a silent auction.
Posted by mardenhill 9/22/2004 09:27:00 AM 2 comments
Its About Time!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Well its about time, Mr Tom Delay is finally getting whats coming to him. It's just a matter of time before "The Hammer" crumbles and crashes to the ground. It will be great to see that scumbag in jail along size Ken Lay.
http://www.ndnblog.org/archives/000523.html
http://blog.dccc.org/mt/archives/001139.html
http://www.talkleft.com/
Indictments Returned in DeLay Investigation
Congressman and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was spared, but several others weren't. A grand jury today returned indictments charging several donors to a political action committee that helped fund his campaign with making illegal campaign contributions and money laundering.
Three people and eight companies, including Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel, have been charged over their alleged actions linked to a political action committee formed by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay....Cracker Barrel and the other companies are accused of making illegal political contributions. The Travis County grand jury today indicted some people associated with the PAC called Texans for a Republican Majority.
James Ellis heads Americans for a Republican Majority -- DeLay's national fundraising committee that helped establish Texans for a Republican Majority. Ellis is charged with money laundering. John Colyandro and Warren RoBold are charged with unlawful acceptance of corporate political contributions.
Posted by mardenhill 9/21/2004 10:21:00 PM 3 comments
Music Review
Monday, September 20, 2004
OK, I will curb the political rants for a while, there has been a lot lately. I just wanted to redirect you to a great review my friend Kathy did for the Twilight Singers - She Loves You CD. This is Greg Dulli's new project since Afghan Whigs broke up. This is actually their 3rd CD and are all covers but you would have never guessed it by listening to it. Greg has a way of taking any song and making it his own. Anyways, please follow the link for the review and remember to bookmark it.
http://lalasandhandclaps.blogspot.com/
I will give you a review of the new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds CD - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus.
This is an amazing cd that everyone should own. It will become a classic Nick Cave, a lot better than Nocturama and just as good as the Boatman's Call. Abattoir Blues starts out loud and rockin with Nick belting out "Get Ready For Love". One thing that is new are all the background vocals done by a chorus of women. They are more in line with the Happy Monday's acid house gospel voices than the duets that were all over Murder Ballads. Nick Cave uses these on more than 1 song, at first I thought it was going to be overkill but it sounds great. Nick is starting to take on a Tom Waits approach to his recording, mixing up his traditional piano ballads with more noise inspired rock songs. It really sounds like he has discovered something new and is not bored with his recordings. "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" is probably the most radio friendly song on the cd with a killer crescendo into the most rockin hymn I have ever heard. "The Lyre of Orpheus" is the typical piano story song but the guitar really makes it, cradling the melody like a pair of lovers. On "Breathless" there is a flute that starts the song out keeps it lighthearted til the end. There are 17 songs spanning 2 cds and is pretty much solid from start to finish. This would be a great cd to see live, the songs are full and majestic at times. This is completely different than the Boatman's Call and No More Shall We Part which are both very intimate and beautiful. Nocturama had it moments but I felt was just thrown together. Nick has reclaimed his hard rockin songs which I thought were lost forever and has recorded some classics that can withstand the test of time.
Posted by mardenhill 9/20/2004 08:23:00 PM 1 comments
Michael Moore Letter
http://michaelmoore.com/words/message/
Check out Michael's latest message to all of us. He is dead on and I am glad that he was able to say this and post it on his site. He makes all the necessary points, and yes he rips on John Kerry but that is needed. I am one of those non polling people, we just have cell phones no lan line but do I get calls? No, and I can't even get jury duty. I have been registered to vote for 12 years, voted in every 2 year election but never been called. Yes, I want jury duty!!!!!! I am convinced I will die without ever getting the chance to serve. Sorry for the tangent, but just remember these polls are all over the place and don't take any stock in them. Kerry was behind in the primaries and pulled it off, I have a feeling that same thing will happen come november.
We still got the debates and here is the schedule.
The Kerry v Bush debate details:
September 30 Miami, Florida
Foreign Policy
Host: Jim Lehrer
October 8 Missouri
Town Hall Meeting with Undecided VotersHost:
Charles Gibson
October 13 Tempe, Arizona
Domestic Issues
Host: Bob Schieffer
Oct 5 Cleveland, Ohio
Cheney v Edwards
Host: Gwen Ifil
Posted by mardenhill 9/20/2004 08:11:00 PM 3 comments
Cool Web Site
Saturday, September 18, 2004
http://www.thousandreasons.org
I just stumbled across this website and found this great book. The site has a ton of amazing links and some good discussions. This was posted on their site, its nice to see a site not slinging mud but for every one of these there are a 100 conservative sites bashing Kerry, Hillary and and Bill.
About Us
One Thousand Reasons began with a simple idea: if voters saw the enormity of bad decisions by George Bush and his party, they would elect someone else. Our vision was a series of full-page newspaper ads listing all the reason to vote against Bush. But our financial resources dictated a different approach, this web site.
From here we hope to reach an even wider audience, to join forces with like-minded people everywhere to stop George Bush from further assaults on our economy, our peace, our liberty, our environment, and our standing in the world.
To participate, simply click here to send us your reason. To receive reason-of-the-day alerts, click here. And to tell a friend about this site, click here.
What we are not:
This is not a "hate" site. We don't hate George Bush; instead, we strongly object to his policies and attitude toward other people and the rest of the world. You can find plenty of hate sites, but this one focuses on the effects of having Bush as president. Our environment is under assault; our standing in the world has been destroyed; thousands of people are dead because of his wars; our liberty has been diminished; the world is more dangerous, not less; our workers are suffering; our schools and highways are being neglected; the rich are being given tax money needed to build and rebuild the country; a conservative, right-wing political agenda is being imposed on the government; and the economy is in sorry shape because of Bush's inept handling. This is not about hate. This is about the bad policies of George Bush.
Posted by mardenhill 9/18/2004 09:39:00 PM 2 comments
Cedar Point
Well Erika and I went to Cedar Point today and it was a lot of fun. For those of you not from this area, you can check out their website below.
http://www.cedarpoint.com
My new favorite ride is the Top Thrill Dragster, u go 120 mph straight up and over a horseshoe track about a million feet up. Its crazy fast and although its over in about 30 seconds its the best ride in the park. It does 0 to 120 in about 4 seconds, almost as fast as my focus. My other fav is the power tower, its the demon drop on steroids. You ride up to the top with your feet dangling and they drop you. I decided that the Millienium Force is kinda boring, after the 1st hill its pretty lame. I would have rather spent the time in line for the Dragster again.
I also decided that when I am president, I am outlawing those annoying hand slapping little girl games. I was forced to listen to not 1, not 2 but 8 highschool girls, 1 mother and her daughter play these games for 45 minutes while in line. They giggled, screamed, held up the line because they were too busy slapping hands to pay attention and I was stuck behind them. If you wonder what hell is like, well I experienced it and its not fun.
Posted by mardenhill 9/18/2004 08:28:00 PM 2 comments
Another Political Rant
Rove Also Avoided the Draft"Except for a lapse of several months, Selective Service records show presidential adviser Karl Rove escaped the draft for nearly three years at the height of the Vietnam War using student deferments," the Salt Lake Tribune reports.According to a friend, Rove's opposition to the Vietnam War "was political. He considered the conflict a 'political skirmish that was not being properly administered.'"
Lets see, Bush, Cheney and Rove all avoided the draft, and who are the 3 in charge right now sending troops to Iraq? I'm glad that we have such talented and experienced people making the tough decisions our country faces.
And to comment on the rippedsigngate, the republican that had his sign ripped up at a democratic rally has a history. He staged the same incident in 96, 2000 and now. The guy's son had a union shirt on and was the one who ripped up his sign just to get the press. You have all the conservative talk shows ranting and raving all day long about the injustice when it was an inside job.
Now John Kerry if u happen to stumble across my blog while surfing the internet, i just want to let u know you're a jackass and get your head out the sand. You nearly blew the election with that pathetic campaign in August. You can't hold hands, sit in a circle and sing campfire songs, Gore tried that in 2000 and we know what happened. Take the gloves off and hit Bush with everything you got. Fire everyone in your campaign who is responsible for the august screwups and promote James Carville to campaign manager. When you are elected, make James your chief of staff, he is the only one who can standup to the other republicans in office. Bush has Karl Rove and James is the only one who can outmanuver this thug. If you screw up again, i will personally come down to your campaign headquarters and kick your ass.
Ok i feel better now, Erika is tired of listening to me so now its your turn...
Posted by mardenhill 9/18/2004 07:11:00 PM 1 comments
Worst Record Covers Ever
Thursday, September 16, 2004
I was reading the new Tracks mag when I came across an article about this website. This has to be one of the funniest things I have seen since mulletsgalore.com and I have found my new calling in life, to collect the worst of the worst. For starters, the lady on the front page is Joyce and this is a real album cover. I need this so if u or anyone u know has it, my birthday is next month and it would be a great present.
http://www.bizarrerecords.com/
Posted by mardenhill 9/16/2004 01:54:00 PM 2 comments
Oasis News!!!
OASIS say their new album will be out next year - and the only problem now is that they’ve got too many songs.
The Gallaghers have been working on songs for their sixth studio album for much of the year and famously scrapped their work following the Glastonbury festival. Early sessions with Death In Vegas in the producers’ seat were also aborted.
However, the band are now back in the studio with producer Dave Sardy, where they started recording from scratch.
Noel said: "We're working with Dave Sardy who done The Thrills’ album. We sent him a few tracks of this cobbled together stuff to mix and he sent them back and it didn't sound right so we said ‘Why don't you come over and we'll start again?’, so we've completely started from scratch bar one song that has been finished for the last, I don't know, ten years."
Two new songs played at Glastonbury, titled ‘A Bell Will Ring’, and ’The Meaning Of Soul’, are slated to appear on the album. Speaking recently to NME, Noel said a new song ‘The Importance Of Being Idle’, is one of his current favourites.
He told NME: "One of the songs on there ‘The Importance Of Being Idle’ is one of the best tunes I have ever written. It is The Kinks meets The La's. It is blinding. We’ve written 66 songs, the majority of which I can’t believe our kid’s done. I’ve only written 14 of them. He’s done most of the rest of them."
Oasis’ new single is likely to be released in February, with the album to follow. An anniversary DVD of ‘Definitely Maybe’ is out now.
Posted by mardenhill 9/16/2004 08:52:00 AM 1 comments
Music Review
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
The Veils - The Runaway Found
Ok, this cd is a bit old, came out in Feb of this year but I am not discovering it and want to let the rest of you know how good it is. I have to thank my friend Denise for lending me the cd and praising it up and down. It has been on my laptop loaded in musicmatch for about a month now and gets play a few times a week. If you are a fan of Suede, The Verve and the whole Brit Rock scene you will love this cd. It has the makings of a classic, not as good as Suede's 1st cd, Urban Hymns or Oasis's Definitely Maybe but is very strong none the less. If you take some of the Verve's layered sound mixed with the personality of Brett Anderson and Brian Molko from Placebo you have Finn Andrews and The Veils. The cd starts off with "The Wild Son" which is a nice sing along then goes into "Guiding Light" that has a more edgy sound to it. "Lavinia" is the 3rd track which is an amazing orchestra ballad with the vocals of a tortured soul. "More Heat Than Light" is the heaviest song on the cd which rocks out. The rest of the cd then mellows out with a couple boring songs thrown in there. I was told that the band broke up already and when Finn played on KEXP he was solo but I have not been able to find any truth to the rumor. I would hope they are still together because I can see a great 2nd cd out of these guys. Check it out if u havn't its worth a listen.
Posted by mardenhill 9/15/2004 02:25:00 PM 3 comments
MP3 Blogs
Check out this link, its for an mp3 blog which posts new mp3s to download and share. I found out that the new Thrills cd is coming out, and there are 2 songs to hear. I am still looking into how to do this nifty feat but until then, I will just post links to all the other smart kids who are able to do this. The new songs are very good, they are not as Beach Boys as the 1st cd which is good cuz I got a bit bored of that. Don't get me wrong, its still sunshine pop but not as cheezy. You can find links to other sites on this guys which I have found a few more good mp3s to download.
So how bout that Ryder Cup, nothing but a huge traffic jam. Its like a hurricane, causing destruction in its path and sending out tropical storm force winds in all directions. Anyways, I can feel those winds in the form of traffic clogging my streets, and its only going to get worse!!! So avoid the Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, pretty much anything from 13 Mile thru 18 Mile west of Woodward.
http://teachingtheindiekidstodanceagain.blogspot.com/
Posted by mardenhill 9/15/2004 09:00:00 AM 1 comments
fotoWords
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
www.fotowords.com
Check out my friend Jonathon's webpage, he is currently living in Norway and has a website with some of his work posted.
Posted by mardenhill 9/14/2004 10:28:00 AM 2 comments
Music Review
Sunday, September 12, 2004
The Bees - Free The Bees
NME has been hyping the Bees for a while now and they deserve it. Think back to the Nuggets era and pure Beatlesque sound. Well thats The Bees and this cd was even recorded at Abbey Road. The sound is lots of jangling guitar with the hammond kickin in the background. Now if this band was from Detroit they would be as famous as the Von Bondies. This is a total summer sing along cd, lots of garage pop and crazy organs. I read one review of them and they were compared to the Beta Band which is fair to say, not as diverse as they are but full of that british sound. No there are no Jarvis Cocker style lyrics or amazing oasis guitar solos, just lots of keys and infectious groove. Another one only on import so let me know. "Wash the Rain" and "No Atmosphere" are great songs, but "I Love You" is a poor attempt at a garage ballad. There is a reason no garage bands play ballads because they suck. There is a lot of Sgt. Pepper throughout the cd, probably because of where it was recorded. Overall, the cd is great, I will admit its one that doesn't make it thru a complete play but the songs that I do hear are worth the time.
Posted by mardenhill 9/12/2004 08:57:00 PM 1 comments
Music Review
Autour de Lucie - Autour de Lucie 2004
I didn't know they were still together but Autour de Lucie have released their 4 cd which is down right amazing. Some of the Trip Hop is back from the 3rd release but this cd has its moments of pure organic sound. I would say its comparible to the last 2 Hooverphonic cds, so if you liked them u will love this one. There are lots of piano/keyboard layered with some chilled out downbeats. "Personne N'est Comme Moi" is probably the most upbeat song on the cd, its not bad but just makes you think of the Cardigans Grand Trasimo era. Valerie Leulliot tries her hands at English on "Guiding Hands" but I was not too impressed, the mystique is gone when she isn't singing in French. This cd was produced by Stephane 'Alf' Briat who has worked with Air in the past but don't think this sounds anything like Air. This cd can only be found on import, so if you are interested let me know.
Posted by mardenhill 9/12/2004 08:38:00 PM 4 comments
Detroit Uncorked
Friday, September 10, 2004
http://www.detroitwineexperience.com/Detroit%20Uncorked.html
Just wanted to remind everyone of the Detroit Uncorked event going on at the end of the month. Erika and I got our tickets, so get yours. I just got an email from the organizers and they said there will be nearly 800 different wines along with food and local musicians. As for the dress code, I am looking into it, chances are we will have to look nice and act like a bunch of yuppies.
My wine recommendation for the day is Cline Old Vines Zinfandel, I never knew that Zins could be good and not just come from a box. Anyways, you can find this for about $20 or if you don't want to spend that much just get the Cline Zin for $10. Another very good Zin is Ravenswood which you can find for about $10 also.
http://www.clinecellars.com/
Posted by mardenhill 9/10/2004 10:48:00 AM 2 comments
Music Review
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Mark Lanegan Band - Bubblegum
Well I am a bit biased with the review, Mark is one of my fav musicians but I have to say this cd rocks. If you are a fan of the Screaming Trees or any of Mark's 5 other solo releases, you will enjoy this cd. It starts out very slow and brooding, nothing different than his other releases but then grabs you with "Hit the City" a duet with PJ Harvey. There is a duet with Greg Duli which is amazing but the only downside is you can barely hear Greg's singing. The style of the song is very reminicent of the Afghan Whigs and I can see why Greg is featured on it. My question, did Mark write the song for Greg or just realized he needed Greg to help pull it off. With the Waitseque "Methamphetamine Blues" Mark has moved on from his folk inspired songs to a more loud and raw sound. "Head" sounds like a b-side from the Screaming Trees - Dust cd, I was singing "Dying Days" all the way thru the song. Overall, the cd explores about 5 different styles of music, but it does not sound like one of those bands trying everything on one cd to see what actually works. Mark is capable of pulling off all these styles and can still add his own sound to them. I highly recommend this cd, and don't forget to check him out at St Andy's Sept 29th. Just read that it will be an acoustic show, Mark and 2 guitarists.
Posted by mardenhill 9/09/2004 02:47:00 PM 1 comments
Today's post
Well to start off, I want to thank Kathy for creating her blog so I have a reason to ignore work and create my own. This is yesterday's news but I think this is a great story and everyone should read it.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/474450a6-01ce-11d9-8273-00000e2511c8.html
I will keep the political commentary down today, I do need to get some stuff done and want to see my very 1st posting.
As for upcoming shows, this is what I have on my radar.
Mark Lanegan: St Andys, Sept 29th
The Libertines: Magic Stick, Oct 10th
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: St Andys, Nov 6th
There are others but right now these are my top 3 must see shows.
New Releases:
REM: Around the Sun, Oct 3rd
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus, Oct 26th
Pink Martini: Hang On Little Tomato, Oct 19th
Blues Explosion: Damage, Sept 28th
My next posting will give some reviews of some recent new releases, stay tuned...well back to work now...
Posted by mardenhill 9/09/2004 10:01:00 AM 3 comments
