QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The first record for which I ever slapped down my own pocket money was a vinyl EP. It was ‘Twist and Shout’ by The Beatles. For more than 45 years, record shops have been my reference library, my college and occasionally something like a church. I’ve happily left a small fortune in the collection plate. We should defend and celebrate those still open for business with our last breath.”

—Elvis Costello, talking about yesterday’s release of the four-track EP, National Ransack, composed of outtakes from November’s T Bone Burnett-produced National Ransom

John Grant

Everyone has a favorite band or singer they reckon is subject to criminal neglect. That John Grant’s effortlessly rich, expansive baritone, couched in typically heartbreaking, lush melody, hasn’t found a wider audience indeed drives his fans to consider a crime. But no longer. Because Grant’s first solo album, following three undervalued studio albums (and one similar covers compilation) fronting The Czars, is so undeniably great that the world will surely listen.

It’s a record of gravitas and grace, of FM melody magic laced with raw emotional bleeding. It asks why relationships are roulette and love is hell in a last-ditch attempt at self-improvement and atonement after a decade of alcohol and cocaine dependency. It’s not overstating the case to say – as John has himself in a recent issue of MOJO – that he’s contemplated suicide. And yet there is redemption in its exquisite grooves.   Read more...

Marc Pessar, Heart To Heart

Local singer/songwriter Marc Pessar is sure to delight everyone with his latest release, Heart To Heart. It’s another Birdland exclusive.

Jefferson Airplane, Live at The Fillmore Auditorium 10/15/66: Late Show: Signe’s Farewell

The Grace Slick era of the Jefferson Airplane has understandably received virtually all of the attention paid the band over the years, but the group put out a pretty good album ( Takes Off) and was already an excellent live outfit prior to her coming aboard. They also had a pretty fair female vocalist in the band before Grace, and it is in Signe Anderson s honor that we present not just the first-ever live release from Signe s stint with the Airplane, but also her very last show! Both Marty Balin and Bill Graham give shout-outs to Signe, while the set list includes a nine-minute Jam; “3/5 of a Mile in Ten Seconds” (the first-ever live performance!); “Runnin Round This World” ; “Tobacco Road” ; “Come up the Years” (the last-ever live performance); “Go to Her” ; “Fat Angel” ; “And I Like It” ; “Midnight Hour” ; “Chauffeur Blues” (Grace Slick never performed this song out of respect to Signe), and “High Flyin Bird” . It was the end of an era the new one was to begin the next day

Shannon McNally

Shannon McNally in the crux of a prolific phase. Earlier this year, she released the highly acclaimed Coldwater, grounded in her love for JJ Cale, classic rock and the juncture where blues, soul and country music meet made all the more powerful by the keys of late, great Jim Dickinson. Now, McNally comes forth with Western Ballad anchored by the title track written by Alan Ginsberg. McNally, who co-wrote most of the remaining songs with producer and longtime collaborator Mark Bingham, characterizes the record as “psychedelic Americana. I knew that working with Mark, (known for being fearless with his music) I couldn’t scare him. I could go out as far as I wanted, and he’s going to be out even further.”   Read more...

Afrocubanism

The great world music album that-never-was has finally been realized. The project that became the Buena Vista Social Club has borne its own extraordinary fruit.

In 1996, a group of Mali’s finest musicians were due to fly into Havana for a speculative collaboration with some of Cuba’s most brilliant singers and instrumentalists. For reasons that have never been made clear, the Malians never arrived. A very different album was recorded: The Buena Vista Social Club. The rest, as they say, is multi-million selling history.

But what about that original album? What riches might have been revealed in the interaction of virtuosi from one of Africa’s most musically rich territories, and from Cuba whose music has origins in Africa, and has been hugely influential on the mother continent?   Read more...

MOJO-TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2010

MOJO published their Top Albums of 2010 list today. Your first reaction to their Album of the Year might be “Who is John Grant?” After hearing him you’re likely to say “How have I not heard this before?”

Former frontman of The Czars, John Grant’s solo debut, Queen of Denmark, came out back in April and features Midlake as his backing band. No surprise given the musicians involved, Queen of Denmark has a lush ’70s sound somewhere between The Carpenters and Harry Nilsson (who he uncannily sounds like at times) with some pretty heavy lyrical themes.

1 John Grant – Queen of Denmark
2 Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
3 MGMT – Congratulations
4 Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep
5 The Black Keys – Brothers
6 Paul Weller – Wakes Up The Nation
7 Midlake – The Courage of Others
8 Phosphorescent – Here’s To Taking It Easy
9 The Coral – Butterfly House
10 Doug Paisley – Constant Companion
11 Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
12 Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone
13 Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me
14 Manic Street Preachers – Postcards From A Young Man
15 Avi Buffalo – Avi Buffalo
16 Aerial Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
17 Roots Manuva meets Wrongtom – Duppy Writer
18 Caribou – Swim
19 Rumer – Seasons of My Soul
20 Grinderman – Grinderman 2
21 Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Hawk
22 Sam Amidon – I See The Sign
23 Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings – I Learned The Hard Way
24 The Jim Jones Revue – Burning Your House Down
25 Foals – Total Life Forever
26 Gorrilaz – Plastic Beach
27 Field Music – Field Music (Measure)
28 DangerMouse and Sparklehorse – Dark Night of The Soul
29 Gill Scott-Heron – I’m New Here
30 Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid
31 Neil Young – Le Noise
32 Robert Plant – Band of Joy
33 The Roots – How I Got Over You
34 Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
35 M.I.A. – // / Y /
36 LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
37 Teenage Fanclub – Shadows
38 Gonjasufi – A Sufi And A Killer
39 Wyatt, Atzmon, Stephens – For The Ghosts Within
40 Eli Paperboy Reed – Come and Get It
41 Tom Jones – Praise and Blame
42 Kelley Soltz – To Dreamers
43 The Besnard Lakes – Are The Roaring Night
44 Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
45 Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil
46 Peter Gabriel – Scratch My Back
47 Jane Weaver & Septieme Souer – The Fallen By Watch Bird
48 John Legend & The Roots- Wake Up!
49 Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate – Ali & Toumani
50 Matthew Dear – Black City

ALICE COOPER, NEIL DIAMOND ENTER R&R HALL OF FAME

It’s official — Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Tom Waits will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year. The class of 2011 will be formally feted on Mar. 14 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

All but Waits were first-time nominees to the Hall. Acts who did not make the cut this year included first-time nominee Bon Jovi, as well as multiple nominees LL Cool J, Donna Summer, the Beastie Boys, J. Geils Band, Chuck Willis, Chic and Joe Tex.

The nonination of shock rock icon Cooper and his original band seemed a long time coming given their commercial success — four platinum albums and five Top 40 hits between 1971-73 — and stature as theatrical pioneers.   Read more...

PAUL McCARTNEY ROCKS THE APOLLO

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 13: Paul McCartney plays the world famous Apollo Theater for the first time, celebrating 20 million Sirius XM subscribers on December 13, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Two of the longest-running music icons from the last century had their first date last night.

Paul McCartney made his late-in-life debut at the Apollo Theater, an improbable encounter that came about largely through the quirks of corporate synergy and PR.

Sir Paul paid the visit to Harlem’s most storied hall as a promotional payback to SiriusXM Satellite Radio, which has devoted an entire “popup” channel to the former Beatle’s music for the month of December.   Read more...

GET TWISTED THIS CHRISTMAS

Christmas is here once again so come on in and check out some of our more “eclectic” tunes for the holidays. How can you not celebrate the holidays with Los Straightjackets playing “Holiday Twist”? Or how about Bill Bob Thornton’s band The Boxmasters singing “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas”? Whatever holiday spirit you’re in, Birdland can get you the music thatfits.