It was kind of a shaky year in most respects, but musically, the 00s went out with a bang. Few (if any) records from ’08 will hold their value as long as the best of ’09. A lot of huge debuts this year bode well for a bright decade to come as well. Before we dive headfirst into it, let's take another look back at 2009. (note: album links should take you to some actual music)

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 14:42 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a better year of live music than 2009. 2001 and 2003 were pretty much neck and neck before, but they were both missing one key ingredient: a revitalized Phish. I wish I could’ve squeezed Radiohead in there somehow, but aside from that, it was as if all my favorite live acts conspired to keep my mind blown for most of the year. And since most (if not all) of them will be touring again in the coming months, ’09 may not even hold the crown for long…but we’ll see. My rule for this list, as always, is only one show per artist; otherwise, there might have only been three bands on it.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 13:13 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

No matter what definition of “creep” you try to apply to the admittedly funky music played by Madison, Wisconsin’s Steez, it seems like a somewhat arbitrary prefix that probably just sounded cool and stuck, but I’ll give the band a break on semantics because its music is damn good. Does the music creep up on you? Not really; its basis is pretty straightforward, Galactic-style groove with a dash of techno, with some outstanding brass hooks, a good mix of strummed and picked guitar and a fat but busy four-string. In most cases, even if this type of mélange catches fire live, it ends up as faceless funk on record. Give Steez credit for bucking the trend with some truly memorable songs.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 18:26 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

You might see the term “ambient jazz” and think Kenny G or elevator music, but you’d be way off. Instead, imagine some sparse Brian Eno soundscapes with guitar and sax layered on top. For that extra kick, add some occasional Middle Eastern rhythmic flavor, and you’ve got the gist of Marbin. The Israeli duo (now based in Chicago) has crafted some gorgeous, mellow mood music on its self-titled debut. Saxophonist Danny Markovitch is a bebop player in essence, crisp and breathy, reminiscent of Phil Woods at times. Guitarist Dani Rabin mixes traditional jazz noodling with folky acoustic strumming, prickly classical fingerpicking and echoey dream sequences (à la Buckethead’s Colma). “Crystal Bells” puts the whole package together best, quietly insistent and hauntingly melodic, but with plenty of room for both soloists to stretch out. It’s all very laid back, but the great musicianship will keep you intrigued.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 15:07 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

I like the title of this event. I’m sick to death of the term “Americana”. “Alt-country” is almost as bad. Folk rock gets to the heart of what Wilco nation has been searching for, and Wisconsin and Illinois are at the forefront of at least this particular offshoot of the movement. But this three-act lineup didn’t quite do justice to the lofty ambition of its name.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 19:50

I planned to review the show. I really did. But sometimes that's just not what comes out. It was a good show, though...

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 09:12 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

So, the best weekend of Phish of my life (so far) just happened. It's not every day that you get to take an old friend you haven't seen in 11 years to a Phish show, get upgraded to front row center right behind the stage, have Mike walk by and hand your girlfriend a spicy breaded appetizer of some sort after setbreak, and then have Page walk out after playing a career-defining show and shake her hand, looking up at you and all the fans with the most genuine gratitude and humility on his face...Unforgettable. Naturally, none of that made it into the actual reviews, which can both be found here.

Also, in significantly less ecstatic news, they've posted my review of the new Bebel Gilberto album here.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 13:03 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

I've really been missing the boat on Wilco. A guy I worked with at Edwardo's Pizza introduced me to the band ten years ago and I've only marginally paid attention since then. Only in the past few weeks have I realized that the first Wilco album I ever heard, Summerteeth, is becoming one of my favorite albums ever. So, if you want to read my thoughts on the UIC Pavilion show a week ago, go here.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 17:51 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Better late than never, right? Umphrey's McGee recently unveiled a new event called the "Stew Art Series" (S2), a set of 100% improvised music with themes determined by the audience. I was fortunate enough to attend the inaugural event, held at (WHY???) the Eagles Ballroom. Read all about the experiment here.

Also, I happened across a cool instrumental prog (wince) band out of Chicago called The Hue, and somehow I got JamBase to put up my review of the band's debut album, Beyond Words, which can be found here.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 18:44 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

"Prog" is officially a stupid term to describe modern music. I wish I could just stop using it, but sometimes when concision is required, there's no better word to convey the genre. I can't blame Steven Wilson for rejecting it for so long, as the press insisted on using it to categorize his flagship project, Porcupine Tree. Originally, "progressive" signified a complex new merging of disparate styles into a powerful, forward-thinking evolution and expansion of the definition of rock music. Nowadays, it just means "fancy".

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 14:22 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

I've read at least one mediocre review of this documentary that downplayed the musical excitement generated by its three stars (Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White) jamming together. But I knew going in that there was no way I wasn't going to enjoy the film, and afterwards, I thought to myself, 'what is the point of trying to critically review this movie?' Um, so here's my review:

Do you like the sound of the electric guitar? Do you think Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White are fucking awesome at playing it? Do you want to hear them talk about their philosophies on music and dole out interesting anecdotes from their lives? Do you think it would be cool as shit to watch them all jam on "In My Time Of Dying" and "I Will Follow" and "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground" even if it's just for a minute, even if it isn't all that great musically? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you should see this film. If you didn't answer "yes" to any of them, you should probably stop listening to rock and roll.

(I loved it.)

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 21:01 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Some will insist that it’s cheating, but Buckethead has been toting around a cache of pre-recorded tracks on tour in lieu of actual musicians for longer than almost anybody, and now the market is glutted with one-man bands. Most of these, including the two artists who opened for Buckethead at the Barrymore, utilize a sample-and-loop system to create their own backing tracks onstage, which is ostensibly more authentically “live” than canned backing tracks, but let’s face it, we go to a Bucket show for two reasons: to watch him perform, and to hear him wail. Anything else is just the means for him to keep the beat.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 10:05 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

I couldn't turn down the last-minute offer to go to my first Springsteen show; who knows how much longer the E Street Band can keep playing? I'll say one thing for sure: The Boss looked like he has a good twenty years left of performing in him. Read all about it here.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 06:41 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

If you don't get on the BLK JKS train right now, you will be kicking yourself in the years to come. Their new album, After Robots, is easily one of the year's best. A swell bunch of guys, too. Read all about 'em here.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 09:19 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

“All you need is love,” said Bono, close to wrapping up the triumphant debut of U2 360’s U.S. leg. “And a spaceship.” It was hard to disagree with the sentiment. Ever since the PR-disaster monstrosity that was the PopMart tour, U2 had been delivering no-frills arena rock shows that deservedly won back a lot of doubters. But this is the biggest band in the world, and it couldn’t be kept out of stadiums forever. Fortunately for everybody stuck in the nosebleeds, U2 brought The Claw, and reminded us all what it’s like to go to a SHOW. Only this time around, the spectacle wasn’t a gaudy, obtrusive backdrop for a group of ironic/iconic rock stars; it was generous entertainment and a visual enhancement for the greatest band on Earth.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 20:38 | Comments (4294967295) | Trackbacks (0)

Sorry for all the JamBase links lately. Here's my review of the new Phish album. And here's something I didn't really think belonged in the review: a more fitting tracklisting for the album. Try re-ordering JOY in iTunes if it seems disjointed to you; I think my version works way better, especially if you consider it in double-sided vinyl terms. (If you're feeling really ambitious, some judicious cross-fades help, too...)

Backwards Down The Number Line
Kill Devil Falls
Ocelot
Joy
Time Turns Elastic
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
Sugar Shack
I Been Around
Ten Years Later
Light

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 15:26 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

Oops, this has been up for a while but I forgot to post a link to it; better late than never, right? Go here to read.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 14:38 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

For the first time in years, I managed to get an entire day in at my favorite lakefront festival on Saturday. No big names on the ticket this year other than the ever-present Gaelic Storm and the Trinity Irish Dancers, but some of my best memories of Irish Fest have been when I discovered something I'd never even heard of before, so I always go in with high hopes.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 16:13 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

I guess I needn't have stayed up 'til 6 a.m. Tuesday cranking that mother out...but it is finally up at JamBase here. Kudos go to Wesley Hodges, the dude who wrote the other half of the piece and did a stellar job as well (even if he doesn't get Animal Collective), as well as more photos by Chad Smith and scene institution Dave Vann...

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 09:29 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (3)

Stuff's going up a bit out of order, but anyway...my Phish review is here, with some nice pics by Chad Smith, who has been stalking me at all my JamBase reviews this year...

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 11:57 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (2)

My review-a-thon week is in full swing. The first of several that will be appearing on JamBase went up Friday while I was at Lollapalooza; read all about Sonic Youth in Denver here. Much more to come, stay tuned!

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 11:02 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (2)

Many, many years ago, having gradually come to somewhat of an understanding of the legend of Red Rocks, I said to myself that my first show here has to be either U2 or Phish. As the years went on, the likelihood of that wish coming true dwindled; Phish was banned in '96, then broke up in '04, and U2 seemed less and less likely to cram itself into such a small venue until utter irrelevance sets in. So, Phish finally got back together this year, the rumors swirled, a four-night run materialized, and somehow we managed to get ourselves tickets to the final show of the most highly-anticipated weekend in music since…well, since Hampton. As we made the hike in between the crimson boulders, the only question was whether Phish could outshine the beauty of the venue itself.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 12:53 | Comments (2) | Trackback (1)

Times are tough, so although I hated to do it, I combed through my CD collection to see what discs I could possibly live without (after ripping them all into iTunes, of course). I came up with 41 albums, surely enough to warrant a trip to my local record shop. As it turned out, I had to go to four stores, but I was able to unload all but two. But who will pay the most for your used goods? Read on to find out.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 09:23

It’s nowhere near list season, but I guess it makes sense to at least do a quick rundown of some key releases of 2009 in the middle of the year. No one should have to wait until January to be told what to buy! At this point, I haven’t listened to most of this stuff enough to judge it anyway, but here’s what’s striking me so far…

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 07:22 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (3)

My review of the Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks headlining spot at the Red, White & Pabst Blue Ribbon fest is up on JamBase. This CWM show was one of many aftershows...

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 13:09 | Comments (0) | Trackback (1)

I love this Jack White quote, taken from JamBase. Honestly, this guy may have made a few sub-par albums in his time, but from music to film to just the way he operates, I've never lost respect for him in the slightest. Sort of a Tom Waits figure in that respect...

"I feel it, you feel it – we're all struggling with the trouble that this industry is in right now," said Jack White. "And it's not about sales; it's about beauty and romance and a relationship to art that's turning invisible, and it's affecting people's perception of music. It's affecting whether they think of it as a viable art, because it's so disposable. It's not about being modern or retro or a Luddite or being hopeful or pessimistic about the future; it's about clinging on to what makes sense of our lives, and what gives our lives value, and what gives us a commonality and a feeling of belonging."

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 08:49 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (3)

There ended up being a lot to feel thankful for on this first day of July, but around 10 a.m., I watched someone accidentally drive a skidsteer over a young tree, and I was exceptionally thankful that I wasn’t that guy or that tree. (Trust me, this is mainly a Summerfest review. I just had to mention the tree.)

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 09:47 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (3)

One of the most common names in the history of the world, yet there was one man who possessed it so completely that he may as well have done away with his surname. So completely that now, it will be difficult to hear that name and think of anyone else. How can it be that we’ve suddenly been thrust into the era that comes after Michael?

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 14:08 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (2)

Ahhhhhh, Sunday, knowing you have Monday off. Ahhhhhh, not being stuck in a car for eight hours. Sleep in, cook out, shower at your leisure and get to the lot with plenty of time to spare, it just can’t be beat. We discovered that the green lot is the secret awesome lot (don’t tell anybody), complete this afternoon with free t-shirts and the guy with the “Phish” balloon hat. Coming off a show that felt like one long tease, it was starting to feel like crunch time as I enjoyed a delicious Unibroue 17. This is the last date of the leg. There have been magical moments, but half the shows of the tour have been sub-par. Make no mistake: I am the exact opposite of disappointed. I am utterly appointed. But there’s no point in pretending it was a breathtaking tour start to finish. And in keeping with the last two Alpine runs, there were so many “essentials” that seemed like they had to be crammed in somehow; how would they ever find time for jamming?

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 20:24 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (2)

If the camping hassles, the torrential rains, the oppressive humidity, and the incredible performance at Deer Creek didn’t sap every last drop of energy from us, the eight hours in traffic from Noblesville to East Troy sucked us dry. Tempers were clashing as we scrambled to get showered and ready to go, finally reaching the lot a bit after “showtime”--but of course, we knew we could count on Phish not to start on time. Funny how walking onto the gigantic lawn at Alpine Valley in anticipation of a Phish show can begin to drain away the tensions and irritability of a long, hot day.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 13:07 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (4)

Even in its heyday, you never knew which Phish you were going to get; the potential for greatness has always been tempered by the risk. Deer Creek was my first show since 2004, and although I already knew the band had been steadily gaining momentum and confidence on this tour, it was impossible to completely erase the memories of sloppiness and predictability from ostensibly the last tour ever, when the band was about as faithful as a slot machine. At the same time, the mere prospect of seeing Phish playing Phish songs again, finally, had me giddy as hell. When the four icons walked onstage, the smile on Trey’s face was identical to my own.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 07:54 | Comments (0) | Trackback (1)

Just a quick note: my Op:Ad review is finally up at JamBase.com, as well as my Animal Collective review from last week.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 20:02 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

The thing about Mogwai is that if you dwell on the studio material too much, you can get really burnt out and discouraged and completely forget how amazing the band is live if you go, say, five and a half years without seeing it. It’s not that The Hawk Is Howling is a bad album. In fact, it was a relief after Mr. Beast. But it still sounds like Muzak compared to the live Mogwai experience, just as all the albums do.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 19:37 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

No, I’m not talking about sixteen different kinds of fruit salad and people you don’t know saying they remember you when you were this big. Since this decade can’t seem to produce any decent mainstream rock music, it’s up to 90s artists to keep getting back together to show kids what it was like back in the (intermittently) good old days. But how can you tell which ones are lame, and which ones are okay to admit you want to check out? Leave that to me.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 17:28 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

I finally made it to the Borg Ward on Tuesday, sort of figuring it was going to be a nostalgic experience, where I'd think back to going to the Alumni House in Beloit back in high school, the hallowed grounds where I learned that most of the best music in the world was never going to be played on the radio. Hell, in the case of tonight's headliner, you can't even say the band's name on the radio. I was happy to walk out of there not feeling old, but instead, energized and hopeful; the kids are still up for going to a cheap all-ages show on a school night and moshing the bejeezus out of each other.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 18:07 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Remember when scalping tickets was illegal? Maybe, like me, you thought it still was? As it turns out, these slimy ticket brokers aren't really working any loopholes; they're totally legal. But it looks like there might be a small chance that the tide is beginning to turn against them.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 11:20 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

As Les Claypool’s traveling mini-fest tumbled through the Rave on March 20th, I faithfully stumbled in again, even though I keep wishing he’d pick a different venue. For a few different reasons, this event did not get all the attention it deserved from me, but I feel it is my duty to at least give the best recap I am able to.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 13:50 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

There were at least three different Milwaukee shows I could’ve been happy checking out on this night. The Danglers were playing at Points East Pub, but what I’d heard from the headliners, Consider The Source, was pure soulless, proggy wankery, so I ruled that one out. Originally we were planning on seeing Masonry at the Cactus Club, a band I’d never seen but seemed promising. Then at the last minute, we decided instead to try Frank’s for a sure thing with Call Me Lightning. I’d just seen the band a couple weeks prior but it was difficult to fully enjoy as I could barely move and there were equipment problems; plus, I was eager to see CML play a full set, so off we went.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 18:35 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

This is hilarious. A few weeks ago I was reading in Spin about how Corgan has been spending time onstage with the "Pumpkins" whining about how fans have deserted him, proclaiming at a show in December, "Last I checked, I'm nobody's bitch." But he clearly proved himself to be a Big Box bitch with the release of 2007's awful Zeitgeist album. Not content to lick the boot of just one master, he revealed himself this week to be Ticketmaster's bitch as well. Should've seen that coming, though, as Ticketmaster's CEO, Irving Azoff, is also the Pumpkins' manager. Read all about it here.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 09:36 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (150)

Bono has said in the past that as long as the members of U2 keep challenging themselves, they will remain relevant. That’s got to be a real challenge when ravenous fans are guaranteed to eat up every tour and album you throw their way. Then again, those legions probably wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for U2’s commitment to change.

Posted by Cal in musical meanderings at 14:46 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (150)