RIP John Prine

It's weird how a celebrity's death can phase you like they were someone who you really knew. I think in some ways it connects us to those who we have lost who were closer to us in real life, that maybe we weren't able to fully comprehend when we lost them. That being said, John Prine felt like my funny uncle who I wanted to be for as long as I "knew" him. He soothes my soul in a way that few others have, butting a line that will make you laugh out loud up against another line that'll absolutely crush your heart. 

I had the honor and privilege of seeing him perform twice, once in Waukegan with Big Al Larcher (thank you, Al, so glad we got there and survived Waukegan!), and once at the Ryman with Liz for a birthday trip. Sturgill joined him that night and it was one of the most magical performances of my life. After being stationary for most of the night, for the closing number, Prine danced off the stage to a standing ovation, which is how I'll always remember him. 

The below two articles do a great job of summing up Prine's life - a modern-day Mark Twain of the singing variety. Rolling Stone dives into the details and nuances of his storied career, and the Pitchfork piece paints a beautiful, tragic story of personal loss and triumph that reads much like a Prine song by the time you're done with it. 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/john-prine-obit-253684/

 

https://pitchfork.com/features/overtones/life-death-and-john-prine/

Prine's last song on his last album was called, "When I Get to Heaven," and the last song released with his voice on it was called, "Memories," a duet with a 60's Blues artist, Swamp Dogg. "Memories" features the following lines:

Memories
Don't leave like people do
And that's why anytime, anywhere
I can still be with you.

Memories
Don't leave like people do
And that's why in my mind
I'm always gonna be with you.

Needless to say, he crushed his final act better than most. 

Beyond all that, who could say it better than Prine himself? The below lyrics provide an example of Prine's vivid abstract painting, and how he can slowly pull things into focus before yanking the rug out from under your heart...in just a few short syllables. You can listen along at the hyperlink below. Sometimes a verse and a chorus are so damn good, you just do them twice instead of writing a second one. 

RIP, John. Enjoy that vodka and ginger ale and "cigarette that's 9 miles long" in heaven. You earned it, buddy. 

Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)

My heart's in the ice house come hill or come valley
Like a long-ago Sunday when I walked through the alley
On a cold winter's morning to a church house
Just to shovel some snow.

I heard sirens on the train track howl naked gettin' nuder,
An altar boy's been hit by a local commuter
Just from walking with his back turned
To the train that was coming so slow.

You can gaze out the window get mad and get madder,
Throw your hands in the air, say "; What does it matter?";
But it don't do no good to get angry,
So help me I know.

For a heart stained in anger grows weak and grows bitter.
You become your own prisoner as you watch yourself sit there
Wrapped up in a trap of your very own
Chain of sorrow.

I been brought down to zero, pulled out and put back there.
I sat on a park bench, kissed the girl with the black hair
And my head shouted down to my heart
"You better look out below!"

Hey, it ain't such a long drop don't stammer don't stutter
From the diamonds in the sidewalk to the dirt in the gutter
And you carry those bruises to remind you wherever you go.

It's been awhile...

Hello.  I apologize for the lack of posts/updates on here lately.  I've been really busy and all of my free time has been devoted to the following project.  Check it out and help us if you can, and we'll get back to the Beat soon.

CLICK HERE TO HELP!

Top 10 Things to do while the National is opening for Arcade Fire

Matt Berninger, shown here, talking about something called a 

blood buzz that apparently happens in Ohio.

The National are opening up for Arcade Fire for a brief stint, including three shows here in Chicago at the UIC Pavilion and one down in Indianapolis (I'm lucky enough to be attending the Easter Sunday Chicago show and the Indy show at White River State Park).   So, in honor of fellow Indiana native, David Letterman, I've put together a list of the Top 10 things to do while the National is opening.  I love the National's music, and a couple of their members put together one of the greatest compilations of all time (Dark Was the Night), but their lead singer doesn't even sing.  It's just warbled talking over awesome background music.    He makes Johnny Cash's vocal range sound like Jeff Buckley's.  Rumor has it, the band initially just recorded conversations between William Shatner and David Bowie for the vocals on their first album, but they ran into copyright issues.  I heard they also turned to books on tape for vocals, but those just weren't literary enough, so they found this guy.  So here we go...

The Top Ten Things Things While the National 
is Opening for Arcade Fire:

10.  Convince everyone around you that it's not the National opening, but instead, the crowd is supposed to sing a version of "The National Anthem" before Arcade Fire comes out; they just ran out of room to print it all on the ticket.

  9.  Play a game of stadium-wide "I Spy." (If you really want to vex your competition, just say "I spy, with my little eye...a skinny white dude, with a goofy looking haircut" every time).

 8.  Every time Berninger talks between songs, yell "Enough with the a capella!!  Back to the band!"

 7. Bring a bucket.  When he starts singing, sit on the open end and fart into it.  See if the people around can tell which is which.

 6. Start Arcade Fire Oh-oh-oh "Wake Up" chants until your wish finally comes true.

 5.  The National has been closing most sets of late with steady snoozer, "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks," which Berninger closes with the ever so poignant lyrics "I'll explain everything to the geeks." Cheer for this song (even though the lyrics are so wretched that it may go against the grain in every inch of your heart and soul) until they play it and your wish finally comes true.

 4.   Check out UIC's vaunted basketball heritage in the lobby. (They went to the NIT tournament in 2003!!!)

 3.  Talk along to that one song you know.

 2.  Two words: Stadium Laps.  Get your American flag, take off your shirt, and just run laps around the stadium.  It's great cardio, and what's more NATIONAL than that?

 1.  Drugs.

Have more ideas?  Hit me with them below.

ATTN: Vinyl Heads

If you're like me, you really appreciate music on vinyl. It's bulky, cumbersome, and beautiful. The sounds you get out of vinyl resurrects albums to the way they were meant to be heard. Vinyl has enjoyed a recent resurgence and there are a lot of things happening right now to aid you in your vinyl ventures.

For one, 97.1, the Drive (Chicago radio), is running an amazing event the next couple of days.  They are counting down the 100 greatest classic rock albums of all time by playing an entire side of each album uninterrupted on vinyl.  The greatest thing you can ask of a radio station is to teach you something, and with this feature, the Drive teaches not only great albums, but also, in playing an entire side, refreshes the hits, and introduces b-sides.  Would you have known that Tom Petty hits "Free Fallin," "I Won't Back Down," "Runnin' Down a Dream," and "Yer So Bad" all happen back-to-back-to-back-to-back to open the album Full Moon Fever that was released in 1989?  I certainly wouldn't have.  Or that you would innately recognize the majority of the songs on the Grateful Dead's American Beauty?  I certainly had forgotten.  It's an amazing feature the the Drive is airing from 7am-Midnight for Friday and Saturday.  Head HERE for the part that has already played, and HERE to listen along.

Also, Saturday and Sunday, CHIRP ((Chicago Independent Radio Project) Radio hosts a record fair at Chicago Journeymen Plumbers, 1340 West Washington Boulevard. It runs from 10am-5pm both days. The admission is $7/or $5 with any ad that mentions the record fair. There is a special pre-admission on Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 8am-10am. It is $25 and gets you reentry all weekend long. Go HERE for more details.

And finally, next Saturday, April is Record Store Day. On this day every year, artists and record labels release a slew of rare, limited, and new material to help drive the economy of local record stores. This year's date features new and old material from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Panda Bear, the White Stripes (RIP), the Grateful Dead, Phish, Pearl Jam, The Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth, the Beach Boys and many, many more. Go HERE for a complete list.

It's a very exciting time to be into vinyl, and these are just a few of the reasons. Good luck.

The Best Album I Missed from 2010

Justin Townes Earle-Harlem River Blues

There were a few great albums that slipped through the cracks last year as always happens, but the one I most regret missing out on was Justin Townes Earle's Harlem River Blues.  Perhaps it was recent trip to Nashville, or my country roots from Indiana, but rockabilly and Americana sounds have really been doing it for me lately.  I've always been into alt-country from Wilco and early My Morning Jacket back to Uncle Tupelo, early Blitzen Trapper, and ultimately, back to Neil Young and Johnny Cash (keeping country cool since it was cool).  At 28, Justin Townes Earle, a REAL country musician, has endured three lifetimes worth of triumph, tragedy, addiction, and brilliance. The son of Steve Earle with a well documented drug history, Earle's legend precedes him.  He had a drunken fight incident in Indy with the owner (aptly named, Tufty) of Radio Radio (he is currently banned, an honor Think Tank and my good buddy Ryan Millbern share with him, albeit for much different reasons).  Earle seems to be on the up and up since exiting rehab however, again touring and even appearing on Letterman (no fights there, you're welcome Paul Shaffer).

Earle's latest effort, Harlem River Blues, is a mature album that reveals the depth he has picked up from his trials and triumphs.  The opening title track channels Johnny Cash as his rockabilly best, a foot stampin', head bobbing number, where Earle's baritone and twang meld perfectly.  Here's JTE (also named one of GQ's best dressed men...ladies?) live on Letterman performing "Harlem River Blues:"

Justin Townes Earle-Harlem River Blues



The finger-plucked "One More Night in Brooklyn" follows with a flamenco edge and arrhythmic jitters in the background that sound like a train trying to leave the station but just can't get the wheels rolling. The rockabilly continues with "Move Over Mama," which is as much Jerry Lee Lewis as it is Dwight Yoakam. Here Earle flirts with dirtier themes, only to reveal a simplistic innocence describing coming home to a woman in bed with her legs open wide. This could go a variety of directions (let's not get carried away), but the chorus reveals "Move on over, Mama I'm comin' home, woman you've been sleeping in the middle of the bed too long."

Justin Townes Earle-Move Over Mama


From here things slow down a bit, as Earle's most mature songs to date take the helm, revealing subtleties in his song craft that few others possess. "Wanderin'" may as well have been written by his hero, Woody Guthrie, a perfect tale of a ragamuffin wanderer with a need to keep moving, moving from the past, moving from the present. "Slippin' and Slidin'" follows with a boozy woozy sound that reflects Earle's battles with various substances. New Orleans horns drool all over this underwater plunder as Earle's lyrics tell the tale of another relapse.

"Christchurch Woman" fis a straightforward take on a character battling with his deficiencies searching for a woman of the church to come lift him out of it. This is one of the most poignant songs Earle has written to date, almost a confessional, coming to terms with his deficiencies and his desires. The band sounds great on this take, as the horns put a layer of Calexico over Wilco sound (Calexilco?). "Ain't Waitin'" is another boot scooting number, getting back to the rockabilly sound that opened the album.

The album's penultimate track, "Rogers Park," is another brilliant piece of songwriting. Chicago residents will recognize this description of the Northside neighborhood, which Earle confirmed at a recent Metro show, used to be his home. Starting with a slowed down Bruce Hornsby sound, and building in tempo and reflection toward a "Walking in Memphis" sound, this track slowly builds.  It paints a vivid picture of a long, stark Chicago winter, and the isolation one feels when trapped in its seemingly never-ending depth.

Justin Townes Earle-Rogers Park


A gospel hymnal reprise of the title track closes the album with a sing-a-long of the album's catchiest tune.  Overall, this is an incredible album, and I'm sorry that I missed it in the year it came out, but am elated that it came to me when it did.  While the slower numbers may not do much for a lot of runners, the poignancy of Earle's lyrics somehow kept me engaged from top to bottom on a number of runs.  Even when the music slows down, he has you hanging on every word, and while lyrics come in and out of consciousness on a run, his simplicity and earnestness draw you in.  If the slower ones aren't working, the more upbeat "Harlem River Blues," "Move Over Mama," and "Ain't Waitin'" would be good tunes to slide into the middle of a mix to keep you plodding along.

Go here for a complete list of my top albums from last year. Are there more albums I missed? Tell me about them!

Kings of Leon, Let's Bury the Hatchet...

Disclaimer: I apologize for my lack of contributions lately.  I've had a debilitating calf injury that has been holding me back for over a year, and finally, I had to succumb to it and take a break.  I have 6 weeks of rehab scheduled, and should be back on the trail in a month.  In the meantime, I've planned a few posts that I'll be making to keep this rolling.  Even though I cannot currently run, I still have a feel for how music would sound on a run, still listen to music while doing other workouts, and will NOT be creating a blog titled "Rehabbing with the Beat."  Without further adieu, let's get back to the Beat...

For those of you who know anything about me, you know that for the last few years, I have personally led a crusade against all things Kings of Leon.  I got so tired of hearing how their "sex was on fire," how they "could use somebody," that I had to lash out.  Bill Simmons (the Sports Guy) posted a time log about a recent trip to Vegas where he heard the song "Use Somebody" so much, that his once neutral opinion of them had turned to hatred.  This excerpt pretty much sums up my sentiments:

"Heading into this weekend, I wasn't for or against these guys. I had no opinion. Within 25 hours 
in Vegas? I hate them with every fiber in my body. We get it, Kings of Leon: You could use 
sum-BAH-dayyyyyy. Heard you loud and clear. And I understand you're hoping it's someone like you, 
someone like you, someone like you … believe me, I hope you find this person. Because if you don't, 
I'm going to kill everyone in a 25-foot vicinity. Now go away."

And a few hours later, he summed up my entire year after just 33 hours in Vegas:

You know that I could use sum-BAH-dayyyyyyyyyyyyyy! It only took 33 hours in Vegas for me to 
work up a hatred for Kings of Leon that rivals only the way I feel about cancer. 

So yeah, I hated them.  I even went as far as to create a facebook fan page called "Kings of Leon are the New Nickleback," find it here.  But I'm writing today to call a truce.  Many may find this hard to believe, after I have denounced them for so long, but a lot of things have come to light.  First came Joe at Groovin' High Records (my primary record store, Joe runs it and is the only employee there, I have given him the moniker "Wizard," based on his knowledge of all music, a consummate professional with a universe of knowledge), who constantly played the new album, Come Around Sundown upon my visits to the shop around its release.  Joe is also massively into Pearl Jam (my adolescent idols), and they too have endorsed and toured with KoL.  They have also toured with The Black Keys, Band of Horses, and Neil Young, all heroes of mine.  Other people had always told me, "Yeah, the new album sucks, but their old stuff is awesome."  I didn't care.  I was put off not only by the music, but also the people that were into it (see: Dave Matthews fans in the 90's/00's), that I couldn't give it a chance.  Even though a favorite band of mine who has enjoyed a similar vault to the top, My Morning Jacket, had released a string of amazing albums leading up to the somewhat disappointing and super-produced Evil Urges, I still could not give KoL a chance.

All of those facts are auxiliary next to the music.  After a summer of saturation, it was easy to hate everything about them (not to mention feuds with demigods Arcade Fire, requests at festivals for their own showers and bathrooms separate from all other groups, and the pigeon poop incident), the music was tired, and annoying.  However, WXRT (93.1 the second best station in Chicago), keeps feeding me a steady diet of Come Around Sundown, and it features some epic jams, remnant of U2, Pearl Jam, and My Morning Jacket.  The percussion drives and hits hard, pushing a workout to the max as the music swells and flourishes.  I caught a recent show on Palladia (an amazing Comcast channel), that documented their return for a show in their hometown of Nashville.  Maybe it was my sudden love for all things Nashville, but they didn't even come across as annoying.  They actually seemed like people I wouldn't mind hanging out with.  Despite reports of Caleb Followill improvising lyrics for this album, none are as annoying as "Sex is on Fire" or "Use Somebody," and take on a cryptic meaning like he knows something more than you (a great component of any great rock lyricist, you don't always understand, but you feel it, and you do understand that whatever it means, they are feeling it more than you ever could, and even if it means nothing, you're still convinced that it must mean something).

So yeah, Kings of Leon, let's bury the hatchet...for now, but I still won't be seeing them live anytime soon:

Kings of Leon-Sex on Fire (LIVE!):

Wow, can anyone believe that it's the first of April already?  What a significant day.  How time flies!  Happy April 1st everyone!

Radiohead: King of Limbs (to be continued....maybe)

So, the new Radiohead dropped a day early and the interwebs are all aflutter. It's been out a few days, and already there are lovers, haters, and overzealous speculators. They are all eager to chew this up and spit out their opinions of it across the web.  "It's only 37 minutes..." "Where's the band?" "Is this only first half?" (maybe)  As with anything Radiohead does, this has spawned a great deal of hype.  And hey, it's the NEW RADIOHEAD, why shouldn't it?

I have listened to it 4 or 5 times, twice on a run, and in the middle went back to their previous release, In Rainbows, to try to decipher this latest step in their evolution.  While it's drawn a lot of Amnesiac and the Eraser (Thom Yorke's solo album) comparisons for it's seemingly minimal approach, there's a lot more to uncover from King of Limbs than that.  If you take away the more upbeat songs from In Rainbows ("15 Steps," "Bodysnatchers," two songs that my pal Casey always said never seemed to completely fit in with the rest of the album anyway), this album does not seem nearly as minimal in contrast.  There are a lot of live things happening here, and while Thom and Jonny are clearly at the forefront of this album (when are they not?), the other members reveal themselves in the subtle shifts of this album.

Gone are the days of overt crescendos in Radiohead (OK Computer mastered it, and Kid A/Amnesiac bent it, Hail to the Thief twisted and turned it, In Rainbows minimized it, and now King of Limbs has all but eliminated it).  They are now happier creating shape-shifting songs that subtly slide and fall into place.  It takes patience to uncover and appreciate it.  Rather than sounds that move up and down, this album's shifts happen side to side.  King of Limbs is not immediately gratifying, nothing jumps out and makes you scream the way a "2+2=5" did, but with each listen its complexities reveal themselves.

As far as running goes, this one is similar to Amnesiac in that it's a good one to zone out to.  As mentioned, it has even less overt crescendos than Amnesiac (remember "You and Who's Army" or "Dollars and Cents?" Hoooo daddy...), but it's frantic dubstep beats provide enough background to keep you rolling.  The aptly titled "Bloom" starts things off, and it bubbles up to the surface with flitters and glitches before the warmth of Thom Yorke's apprehensive vocals rise above it.

Radiohead-Bloom


At only 8 songs in length (maybe), the album slips by quickly at 37.5 minutes.  "Mr. Magpie" and "Little by Little" follow a fairly traditional song cycle with verses, choruses, and bridges (OH MY!).  They offer a standard amount of reticence and tension that we expect from Radiohead.  "Feral" sneaks up with haunts remnant "the Gloaming."  When listening on headphones, "Feral can be downright terrifying at times, as Thom Yorke's warped vocals sneak up behind you and tap on your ear drums from all angles (not to mention that is sounds like the background vocal from about the 1:32 mark on is repeating "Bieber," quite possibly the most horrifying sound ever in a Radiohead song).  "Feral" is the most innovative, "Ok, I've never heard anything like THAT before" moment of the album, and it really opens the door to a really strong closing of the album (but wait, didn't we just get started?). 

The "single," "Lotus Flower" follows.  It's good.  Here's the video (scroll down to the bottom of this post for a classy remix of Thom's dancing to Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies"):

Radiohead-Lotus Flower



"Lotus Flower" is followed by "Codex," the sexiest Radiohead song in years.  It sounds like "Talk Show Host" (that song from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack), sneaked into bed with "Pyramid Song."  This song is just built for a climax of a movie where everything is revealed and becomes clear to the protagonist.  It's haunting, clear and beautiful, a cleansing comedown of a late album track.

Radiohead-Codex


"Giving Up the Ghost" is a really interesting number as it combines campfire guitar strums with hand percussion and layered voices to create a rich atmosphere in a song that sounds as much like Neil Young as it does "How to Disappear Completely." The album closer (maybe), "Separator," provides a subtle poppy farewell with a melody and optimistic mood similar to Amnesiac b-side "Worrywort."

Overall, as the opening track-title suggests, King of Limbs ultimately blooms, it just takes some time.  It's not going to carry you to new heights running (there's not a standout track that I'm just dying to see live or put on my Shuffle for those moments when I fear I can't go on), but the mood shifts are great enough that this album will keep you engaged.  One of the strong rumors surrounding this release is that this is only the first half.  Due to the announcement that it will be a double vinyl album (albeit 10" discs, similar to the Kid A/Amnesiac reissues), many people feel it has to be longer than 8 songs.  Not to mention, Thom's cryptic lyrics in the album closer (maybe), "If you think this is over, then you are are wrong," which he repeats over and over near it's conclusion.

If this was in fact their plan, it is as usual brilliant, because being Radiohead, and becoming huge just before the internet era, has afforded Radiohead a great deal of luxury in releasing albums.  They are one of the few bands in the world that can do whatever they want right now.  They could release half of an album, let everyone praise and pan it as a complete work, then double its length for the physical release, throwing everything into a tailspin.  (They quasi- did this with Kid A/Amnesiac, with all cuts from the same sessions divided into 2 albums).  And even if this is the entire new Radiohead album (there are undoubtedly b-sides and outtakes), it's like my great-grandmother always used to say, "More Radiohead is better than less Radiohead."

And speaking of more Radiohead...

As promised, Thom Yorke dancing to Beyonce:



Go run.