Conor Oberst Drunk At Glastonbury, Calls John Peel "A Cokehead"

Conor Oberst appeared "wildly intoxicated throughout" his set Sunday night on the John Peel stage during Glastonbury and unleashed a tirade of insults and bile fired in all directions. Throughout his set, he made "disparaging remarks about John Peel and the Make Poverty History campaign."

I've pieced together some of what happened during the bizarre set: At one point, Oberst yelled, "John Peel was a cokehead. I suppose that's why I like him; we have a lot in common." Some audience members left; some heckled Oberst. "You're a dick!" was "the most popular" choice. Oberst threw the mike stand at the crowd during the second song and left the stage for seven minutes before returning and complaining of technical problems. He told the crowd, "John Peel is shit and so is the festival."

Making light of Glastonbury's Make Poverty History campign, he said, "What am I doing? Making poverty history, that's what kids... This next song is definitely going to make poverty history. Poverty - you're fucked!" More people then left. Toward the end of the set, he encouraged the crowd to leave after his next song, as it wasn't going to improve. A naked girl jumped on stage and rushed at him, and was removed by security, but briefly improved his spirits. He declared the moment "pretty great" and said he took it "all back, RIP John Peel, Make Poverty History, yay." He then threw "every bit of equipment he" could at the crowd and left.

Oberst has now given his "sincerest apology" for his remarks about John Peel in "a statement issued exclusively to NME.COM." I think exclusive statements are usually the best way to apologize for pretty much anything.

"I would like to express my sincerest apology to the friends and family of Mr. Peel for anything I said during our performance at Glastonbury. I truly don’t remember much of the show but have been informed since of what I said and it was way out of line and far from my real feelings. I have nothing but respect for John Peel and his beautiful gift for sharing music. I never had the pleasure of meeting him but by all accounts he was an outstanding man and deserves much more respect then I showed." - Conor Oberst, in his exclusive statement to NME.COM

Since it's an exclusive statement, I left out the last sentence, but here's a hint as to its brief content. Oberst claims he is sorry, and not just a little bit.

Let's hope John Peel's family and friends are loyal NME.COM readers, or that word spreads to them, since the apology to them is in the form of an exclusive statement to NME.COM. Oberst offered no apology for the part about the Make Poverty History Campaign, unless he is saving that apology for another website or publication. NME received e-mails from people who were "appalled" about his remarks about both John Peel and the Make Poverty History Campaign. If he isn't sorry for those remarks, however (once someone told him what he said), it is more honest of him to not issue a phony apology. I also hate those "I'm sorry if anyone was offended" non-apologies.

A Glastonbury attendee who wrote to NME, upset about Oberst's remarks, thought he was upset that Peel didn't play his songs; I'm not sure whether Oberst said something like that. Maybe Oberst wanted to rub it in that now he was playing the headline set on the John Peel stage, although I tend to think not considering how badly it went. It is also a bit less impressive knowing that he was only promoted to headliner when Ryan Adams had to cancel due to an ear infection.

On the positive side for Oberst, the person who wrote that e-mail feels he is "quite possibly a genius." However, they did add, "clearly, he is a complete cock." They say he lost them as a fan, and they "think and hope" he lost a lot of fans. I would think so, even without the remarks about John Peel and Make Poverty History. Throwing equipment at the crowd is dangerous. Telling them they should just leave is asshole behaviour.

The overriding question remains: Why is Oberst performing while "wildly intoxicated?" He says he truly doesn't remember much of the show. Doesn't that concern him? This confused me, and I wondered why he didn't attempt to explain his behavior or seem alarmed about it. I started googling. I'm not a Bright Eyes fan -- far from it. I didn't know that being drunk is a lifestyle choice for Oberst. Turns out, he is well-known for playing shows while extremely drunk, and not infrequently, he also acts obnoxiously toward the audience. This behaviour is apparently acceptable to some of his fans, who are willing to support and encourage his, let's say, "behaviour that is not inconsistent with alcoholicism" by continuing to attend his shows after seeing him play drunk. He plays drunk on a regular basis. Some people feel sad about it; some think it's funny. I would think people who like him would want him to get help. Going to his shows helps him pretend he is functioning just fine. I'm not googling the cocaine reference too. He might have been joking about being a cokehead or not. If not, obviously it's in his best interests to address that too.

I've never liked him (not that I actually know him), and I still don't, but I do feel empathy for him now. I think it's bizarre that some people consider it okay, funny or cool that he seems to spend much of his life, at least much of his working life, drunk off his ass.

"This is really fuckin' early to be doing something like this. But it's kinda fun being drunk in the morning." - Conor Oberst, Friday, midmorning, Pyramid stage, Glastonbury

The Dandy Warhols Next Album: Odditorium or Warlords of Mars

The Dandy Warhols have revealed the details of their next album, "Odditorium or Warlords of Mars," which will be released September 13. The album is partially named after the band's "infamous Portland studio headquarters." Word is the Dandies have moved away from their recent heavily synthesized sound "into expansive new musical terrain, while frequently revisiting the stripped-down sound of their earlier years."

Good news for those who miss Weezer's video for Undone (The Sweater Song)? "A video for first single "Smoke It" finds the band performing in front of 40 dogs." 50 would have been just too much. 30 would have made it look like they had no budget. They're on Capitol! They can afford to hire 40 dogs!

The Dandies will play at Lollapalooza in Chicago in July, and plan two separate tours, a fall North American tour and an acoustic "suitcase" tour. During the suitcase tour, the band "will play using everything they can fit into a single suitcase (besides acoustic guitars)." So it's not really a suitcase tour? This is a nifty idea, though.

I liked the synthesized songs of "Welcome to the Monkey House," but the new album sounds promising too. The song titles are great... I'll single out Love Is The New Feel Awful and Everyone Is Totally Insane, but I like most of them.

Odditorium or Warlords of Mars Track Listing:

1. Colder Than The Coldest Winter Was Cold
2. Love Is The New Feel Awful
3. Easy
4. All The Money or The Simple Life Honey
5. The New Country
6. Holding Me Up
7. Did You Make A Song With Otis
8. Everyone Is Totally Insane
9. Smoke It
10. Down Like Disco
11. There Is Only This Time
12. A Loan Tonight

mp3: The Dandy Warhols - Sleep, from Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia

MIT Weblog Survey

I wanted one that said "I whored out my personal data and all I got was this lousy gif" but no such luck. Actually, I like the gifs (you get a choice), and the questions weren't terribly intrusive.

MIT's survey is a "general social survey of the greater weblog community." It's for science, people! The survey doesn't take too long either. Everyone who maintains a weblog (I wish they would say "blog") is invited to spill their guts about their blogging habits (reading and writing-wise). Questions also cover topics such as e-mailing, phone calls, instant and text messaging, and actual people.

Click on the lovely gif if you have a blog and would like to answer the survey.

Art Brut Wants Morrissey to Forgive His Parents

Art Brut literally means Raw or Rough Art but the usual English phrase is Outsider Art. The term was coined by artist Jean Dubuffet to describe "art created outside the boundaries of official culture." He concentrated on art made by people who were committed to asylums, but the term also covers the work of self-taught artists, and others outside the mainstream art world.

Art Brut the band is brash, fun, bitingly witty, bratty, but sometimes sweet. The subject matter of their songs reveals a wide range of items on singer Eddie Argos' wish list, such as:

1) Peace -- "I wanna be the boy/The man that writes the song/That makes Israel and Palestine/Get along" -- We Formed a Band

2) Reconciliation with High School Girlfriend -- "Other girls went and other girls came, I can't get over my old flame." -- Emily Kane (Argos' girlfriend at the age of 15)

3) For His Own Body to Cooperate When He Wants to Get Laid -- "It's got nothing to do with anything I've had to drink./It's more to do with the way I think." -- Rusted Guns of Milan (grab this song while you can at The Smudge of Ashen Fluff)!

3) Stardom -- "Sometimes it's hard to stop, when your heart is set on Top of the Pops" -- Bad Weekend

5) Friendship with Morrissey -- "I'm drinking Hennessey with Morrissey, on a beach, out of reach, somewhere very far away" -- Moving to L.A.

The last item might be a little harder to attain, given their other song that references Moz. In About Time, the B-side on their Emily Kane single, Argos claims "There was a time when I couldn't stomach Morrissey/I thought he can't have had as hard a life as me." He pretty much spends the rest of the song urging Moz to forgive his parents.

mp3: Art Brut - About Time

Now that's just silly. Forgiving your parents isn't very rock. I haven't found an interview where the band discusses this song, but pending that, I think it's fair to infer that they're probably saying "Oh, enough already with the angst thing, Moz." They could feel this way and still be fans, I suppose ... possibly. Only, encouraging Morrissey to abandon his angst entirely would be like telling Tom Cruise to stop being manic and mentally unstable.

On a more amusing note, Eddie Argos spread the word that the band wanted people "to form franchises of Art Brut: Art Brut 2, Art Brut 3..." Ask and ye shall receive, at least if you're in a band. Several franchises' "Brutlegs" are available on Art Brut's website.

Watching Glastonbury from Home

There's more to Glastonbury than muddy tents and slacker youth who use adorable words like telly and chuffed. Fortunately, some of the three-day festival is accessible without traveling to England and going back in time (all 125,000 tickets sold out within a day).

As part of their Glastonbury coverage, the BBC have named 6 Picks, their choices for "the best veterans and ones to watch" at Glastonbury. They selected Ash, The Magic Numbers, Maximo Park, New Order, Rilo Kiley, and The Tears. Those artists are given extra coverage by the BBC.

Just posted a couple songs by The Magic Numbers the other day, so here are MP3s by the others:

MP3: Ash - Burn Baby Burn

MP3: Maximo Park - Going Missing

MP3: New Order - Perfect Kiss (extended)

MP3: Rilo Kiley - Hail to Whatever You Found In the Sunlight That Surrounds You

MP3: The Tears - Refugees

The BBC guide to Glastonbury also features interviews and archived songs performed by artists at the present Glasto and in years past. Check out the live webcam to alleviate any twinge of jealousy toward the festival attendees. A still picture of the muddy tent city that is Glastonbury 2005 might make you glad to be warm and dry.

Play Louder offers live and archived webcasts of the following artists' performances from this weekend: Babyshambles, Bloc Party, Doves, Fatboy Slim, The Futureheads, Interpol, Roisin Murphy, New Order, The La's, The Wailers, garbage, and Basement Jaxx. Not the same thing as being there, but at least you can probably watch them while dry.

I watched The Futureheads' archived show yesterday; it was pretty cool. The audio disappeared very briefly a few times, but that was the only glitch. The Futureheads have quite the rep when it comes to their shows, and it's not for staring at their shoes. Actually, I love some shoegazer music too. Still, it's fun to see a band with loads of energy and some great alt-rock songs have fun playing their set. Naturally, they did their traditional divide-the-audience-into-two-sections bit to have the crowd help them out with their excellent cover of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love. I hope y'all have that already. You can check out the video at the band's website.

MP3: The Futureheads - Le Garage

Assorted information is available at the official Glastonbury website, including the line-up, reviews, links to Glastonbury blogs, and oh, so much more. Not more than you could shake a stick at though. If you have a stick and dedicated enough time to the endeavor, you could shake a stick at all the official Glasto content. There's a lot of stuff though.

Ye Olde Glastonbury Track:

MP3: Orbital - Chime (live at Glastonbury 1994)

The Magic Numbers - Tasty, But Not as Popular as Food

The Magic Numbers are often compared to the Mamas and the Papas. The band does cite them as an inspiration, along with Lovin Spoonful, the Beach Boys, David Axelrod, and "many sources." They compare themselves to Beck and Flaming Lips in drawing from many sources to create a unique sound. Fair enough, and if you check out the mp3s at the end of this post (oh no, no one is reading the rest of this now), you'll see... er, hear that there's quite a distinctly different sound, and mood between those two songs. Both have a retro cast to them, but feel new.

The band consists of Romeo and Michele Stodart, who are brother and sister, and Angela and Sean Gannon, who are also siblings. They seem to get along better than those Oasis lads.

"Obviously there are going to be little fights and stuff but we get over them quicker because we know each other so well. So it's easier to take it on chin really. But I'm just really happy to be in a band with my brother and my best friends really." - Michele, in a group interview

In the UK, they have played festivals, opened for bands such as Travis (and in July, will open for U2 before launching a headlining tour) and
their first album debuted at #7 on the U.K. album chart.
However, they were not a success magnet from the get-go. It took their band a while to even take shape with its four members. Once it did, they played in pubs for several years (not continuously, don't worry. They went home and slept and ate in between gigs) before Ed Harcourt saw them play, and recommended them to his label, which signed them. They have since opened for Athlete, the Doves, and ... Ed Harcourt. They're presently on tour with Brian Wilson, which is kind of nifty, given their fondness for the Beach Boys. So far no word on any plans for a U.S. tour.

mp3: The Magic Numbers - Anima Sola

This song isn't on their album, which is a shame. It's so pretty. File under dream-pop?

mp3: The Magic Numbers - Forever Lost

Their summertime UK hit, which sounds so different. Upbeat, bouncy, fun. The lyrics are not exactly all cheerful happy sunshine time, but the music and the hand-claps set a dramatically different musical background for the lyrical angst than Anima Sola's quieter, tropical-flavoured music and simpler, more sedate vocals. I'm fond of both.

"‘Forever Lost’ is that rarest of things, a jangly feelgood hit of the summer which manages to be sweet without being marshmallow, brimming with sensitivity but never likely to corner you at three o’clock in the morning and start dribbling on about old girlfriends." - NME review

NME concludes the review, "The Magic Numbers, then: soon to be as popular as food."

NME, then: not likely to stop exagerrating. That's okay, because I find it both funny and vaguely yummy.

Iron & Wine and Calexico to Release EP, Tour This Fall

Billboard reports that Iron & Wine and Calexico will release an EP, titled "In the Reins" September 20 and then tour together. They plan West Coast concerts for October; the East Coast will get its turn in December. They plan on having Iron & Wine and Calexico perform separately at each show, then close each concert with a final performance together.

Iron & Wine's Sam Beam tells Billboard that the EP was planned for a couple of years, but Calexico's "pretty intense" touring schedule delayed it. Sure, Sam, blame the other guys. He also says, "We ended up using some of my old songs that either didn't make it on my first two records or were out and about on the Internet. We tried to reinterpret them in new ways for people that may have heard them already." Good idea. People will feel less ripped off if they don't get something very similar to "some" of your previously released songs.

So, oooh, recycled songs! And what's with the phrase "ended up using," which makes it sound as though they had something else in mind but then were short of ideas? These are such talented guys! Everyone has creative dry spells, though... and of course there can be innumerable ways of using old material that make it fresh.

Joey Burns of Calexico tells Billboard that "Sam was very adamant for this project not to sound like his previous recordings." These could be some very inventive reinterpretations. Iron & Wine and Calexico don't lack for originality, including when they do covers, so I really shouldn't be cynical.

Other guests on the EP include Lampchop's Paul Neihaus and vocalist Salvador Duran, who sings the opening track,"He Lays in Reins." Burns calls it "a very spacey, moody number that floats on two chords." Burns hopes to have special guests, such as Richard Buckner and the Shins, on the tour as well.

MP3:Iron & Wine - Sleeping Diagonally (The Six Parts Seven cover)

MP3:Calexico - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover, from the Starbucks compilation, Sweetheart: Love Songs, which I actually did buy from them. Perhaps my later shout-out to the Starbucks Delocator on this blog was a form of penance. Hey, the CD has Calexico, The Old 97's, Sondre Lerche, and Dean Wareham. They weren't playing fair)

Hit Me Baby, One More Time

The lineup for tonight's episode of Hit Me Baby, One More Time underwhelms me.

Greg Kihn - "The Breakup Song" (covering Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams")

Why isn't he singing Jeopardy, which was a bigger hit? The Breakup Song hit #15 on the pop charts; Jeopardy made it it to #2. This show is a sham! Moreso because the right artist rarely wins. Anyway, I feel like hearing Jeopardy. If you've got Greg Kihn there, you have him sing Jeopardy. Maybe he refused, because everyone always wants him to sing it everywhere he goes and he's sick of it.

Thelma Houston - "Don't Leave Me This Way" (covering, according to Houston, "a ballad" by Alicia Keyes. Might it be... Fallin'? Wasn't that song banned from American Idol? I guess that's no protection from having to hear it covered elsewhere. Good original song though.

Glass Tiger - "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (covering Vertical Horizon's "Everything You Want")

Club Nouveau - "Lean On Me" (update: covering Dido's Thank You)

Billy Vera - "At This Moment" (cover not revealed)

KROQ's entertainment news reported this morning that Rick Springfield and Deborah (a.k.a. Debbie) Gibson have turned down offers to appear on Hit Me Baby, One More Time. The Deborah Gibson story at least is a bit old, and neither are surprising. Still, I don't think the well will run dry too soon on artists willing to appear on this show. There are too many artists who have had at least one "hit" and would like a bit of publicity. If need be, the producers can always be flexible on their definition of "hit."

This show is the TV/musical equivalent of a Cheeto ... it isn't just cheesy. It's so lightweight that it's almost lighter-than-air. It's also about as phony and artificial as a Cheeto. They evoke an eerily similar array of emotional reactions: pleasure, nostalgia, the desire to stop, feeling helpless to stop, uneasiness, guilt, and a feeling of uncleanliness.

Seven Summer Songs

Seven songs in honour of the start of summer. I could really go for a popsicle right about now.

mp3: 14 Iced Bears - Summer Nights

Summer lovin', had me a blast...

mp3: Felt - Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow

You're trying much too hard to make your world seem like a dream

mp3: Sing-Sing - Feels Like Summer

Fun and lively.

mp3: Archer Prewitt - Way of the Sun

Sad and lovely.

mp3: birddog - Summer Again

Intriguing and a bit sinister.

mp3: Bananarama - Cruel Summer

Obligatory nostalgia track.

mp3: Sarah Harmer - Summertime

I love Sarah Harmer, but I must admit this song does nothing for me. Reasonable minds may differ.

Spin's 100 Greatest Albums of 1985-2005

Music magazines love making lists. No "greatest albums" list can please everyone, but they generally make for good discussion material, and they're fun. I like to think there are some people who will be motivated to check out the Pixies or The Smiths for the first time because of a list like this. The 100 greatest albums of the last 20 years, according to Spin:

1. Radiohead - OK Computer - 1997 (Radiohead - No Surprises, from OK Computer)
2. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - 1998
3. Nirvana - Nevermind - 1991
4. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted - 1992 (Pavement - Perfume-V, from Slanted and Enchanted)
5. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead - 1986 (The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out , from The Queen is Dead)
6. Pixies - Surfer Rosa - 1988
7. De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising - 1989
8. Prince - Sign 'o' the Times - 1987
9. PJ Harvey - Rid of Me - 1993
10. N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton - 1988
11. U2 - Achtung Baby - 1991
12. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique - 1989
13. Hüsker Du - New Day Rising 1985
14. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation - 1988
15. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville - 1993 (Liz Phair - Stratford-On-Guy, from Exile in Guyville)
16. Beck - Odelay - 1996
17. Nas - Illmatic - 1994
18. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction - 1987
19. Hole - Live Through This - 1994
20. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - 1993
21. Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet - 1990
22. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless - 1991
23. Outkast - Stankonia - 2000
24. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out- 1997
25. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral- 1994
26. Bjork - Post-1995
27. The Cure - The Head on the Door - 1985
28. Oasis - Definitely Maybe - 1994
29. Fugazi - 13 Songs - 1989
30. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die - 1994
31. Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me - 1987
32. The Replacements - Tim - 1985
33. Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - 1990
34. Elliott Smith - Either/Or - 1997
35. Dr. Dre - The Chronic - 1992
36. Pixies - Doolittle - 1989
37. Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand - 1994
38. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory - 1991
39. Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams - 1988
40. Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell - 1986
41. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream - 1993
42. Jane's Addiction - Nothing Shocking - 1988
43. Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded - 1987
44. Green Day - Dookie - 1994
45. Kanye West - College Dropout - 2004
46. The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace - 1985
47. Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full - 1987
48. Radiohead - Kid A - 2000
49. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - 1998
50. New Order - Low Life - 1985
51. Nirvana - In Utero - 1993
52. Beastie Boys - Licensed to III - 1986
53. Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles - 1999
54. The Breeders - Last Splash - 1993
55. The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole - 1997
56. PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love - 1995
57. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells - 2001 (The White Stripes - We're Going to Be Friends, from White Blood Cells)
58. Metallica - Master of Puppets - 1986
59. Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West - 1997 (Modest Mouse - Trailer Trash, from The Lonesome Crowded West)
60. De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead - 1991
61. Weezer - Pinkerton - 1996
62. Missy Elliott - Supa Dupa Fly - 1997
63. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - 1994
64. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP - 2000
65. Basement Jaxx - Remedy - 1999
66. Outkast - Aquemini - 1998
67. Slayer - Reign in Blood - 1986
68. Tricky - Maxinquaye - 1995
69. DJ Shadow - Entroducing DJ Shadow - 1996
70. Jay-Z - The Blueprint - 2001
71. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy - 1985
72. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - 1995
73. Pulp - Different Class - 1995
74. Portishead - Dummy - 1994
75. Le Tigre - Le Tigre - 1999
76. Belle and Sebastian - If You’re Feeling Sinister - 1997
77. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - 2002
78. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses - 1989
79. Moby - Everything is Wrong - 1995
80. D'Angelo - Voodoo - 2000
81. Beck - Mellow Gold - 1994
82. Jeff Buckley - Grace - 1994
83. At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command - 2000
84. Soundgarden - Superunknown - 1994
85. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People - 1992
86. Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun - 1985
87. Blur - Parklife - 1994
88. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup - 1996
89. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell - 2003
90. Sonic Youth - Sister - 1987
91. XTC - Skylarking - 1986
92. Big Black - Atomizer - 1986
93. Pearl Jam - Ten - 1991
94. Slint - Spiderland - 1991
95. Elastica - Elastica - 1995 (Elastica - Car Song, from Elastica)
96. The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash - 1985
97. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane over the Sea - 1998
98. Cornershop - When I was Born for the 7th Time - 1997
99. Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen - 1993
100. The Strokes - Is This It - 2001

The Queen is Dead is one of my all-time favourite albums, so I'm glad it placed so high. Radiohead, Nirvana, The Pixies... all worthy choices. I wouldn't have ranked Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted nearly as high as Spin did. Glad that My Bloody Valentine's Loveless got the props it deserves. I would muck around with the order some. XTC's Skylarking deserves to place higher in my mind, but it's such a matter of personal taste. The Stone Roses should be much higher, and that somehow isn't just a matter of personal taste. Ditto for R.E.M. ranking below Soundgarden, and several of the other artists. It just seems wrong.

Unjustly missing: Rilo Kiley, Franz Ferdinand, They Might Be Giants, Saint Etienne, garbage, and others to occur to me when I am nowhere near a computer.

Rilo Kiley at The Wiltern

So Rilo Kiley is playin' the big venues now. I have mixed feelings about the band's increasing popularity, but they certainly deserve success and they were excited to play at the Wiltern for the first time. And big venue and all, this was my favourite Rilo Kiley concert.

The doors opened about 20 minutes late, but the show started right on time. The Brunettes, a winsome group from New Zealand, started the night off. Their sound is very much in a bubbly 60s pop/bachelor's lounge mode. Lots of handclapping and sha-la-las can't be a bad thing. Still, it took them a couple songs to win me over. Lead singer/guitarist Jonathan added a bit of bitter to his bandmates' sweet attitude. Lead singer/keyboardist Heather told us they had never been in Los Angeles before and they were so happy to be here. Harry said how excited they were to be so close to where Captain Beefheart was from. Jonathan said he was going to give away a bunch of stuff to the best dancers after "Mars Loves Venus" then didn't. They had showed us some bags with CDs and said they had a lot of "junk" left over since it was the end of the tour. After the song he said he wasn't feeling inspired to give stuff away so he'd just throw his guitar pick at random and he hoped no one was hurt. Then they played another song. I didn't see whether any stuff was given away after that song. True that not a lot of people danced, but some did, and the guy just looked like a jerk. Maybe he's going through something... during the last song of the night, when all the bands were singing together, he walked offstage early on, and did not return.

They played a pretty song about extraterrestrials falling in love that Jonathan told us was the theme for a TV pilot for New Zealand television, but it was rejected. It was likely an unusual show, possibly featuring very long credits. Maybe its rejection is what has him feeling down.

I quite liked a few of the songs. Heather has a beautiful voice. Jonathan was also very good, mood aside. To mark a reference to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in their last song, the band donned Mary-Kate and Ashley masks (as did several familiar-looking visitors). And the band played on. It's a gimmick, and an interesting spectacle, though not terribly creative.

.mp3: The Brunettes - These Things Take Time (album version; You Send It link)

The second opening act was Feist. Her first song was odd, with an awful dissonance between her normal-sounding voice and her incredibly loud and screechy guitar. They seemed to belong in different songs, and I didn't want to hear at least one of them. The second song didn't start off much more promising. I went to purchase some official band merchandise to proclaim my fondness for Rilo Kiley to the public. Many others had the same idea, and I missed most of Feist (though I was told I didn't miss much). She sounded good momentarily upon my return, and then started yelling horrible ba-ba-bip (or something like that) sounds into the mike. Earlier in the song, she had encouraged the audience to make the same sound and told them they would be rewarded. Feist lies.

Also, apparently while I was away she used an audience member's cellphone to call her father in Canada and wish him a Happy Father's Day and did not offer to reimburse him for the call. Feist lies and is a cheapskate.

Nada Surf wouldn't have hurt my ears or stolen money from some innocent American. I'm just sayin'.

Rilo Kiley was amazing. They began with the standard opener for this tour, "It's a Hit". The highlight for me was the second song, "Hail to Whatever You Found In the Sunlight That Surrounds You." Absolutely amazing. Transcendent. I've never seen Rilo play anything with quite as much passion.

Another treat for me, and definitely a crowd-pleaser as well: "The Execution of All Things". Rilo played a lot of older songs, such as "Pictures of Success", "Wires and Waves", and "The Good That Won't Come Out". They don't play those songs often, and they're wonderful. Everyone sounded great throughout the show.

A weird moment came when Blake followed a shout-out to some band members' fathers in the crowd (and a shout out to Pierre himself, because he's a dad) by playing Ripchord. It's about Elliot Smith's death, and includes the line "your daddy always fails," and is otherwise of course not exactly cheerful. The rest of the band sat next to each other in front of the drum kit, and swayed a bit during the song until toward the end when they started singing back-up and playing tambourine and making it into some sort of cheerful oddity. How was this a tribute to Elliot Smith? Or to dads?

It would be rare to love every song during any concert. I don't care for I Never; it feels manufactured and artificial to me. I find Pull Me In Tighter one of the weakest Rilo songs, lyrically and musically. The guys' stage antics livened it up a bit, but that song is no friend of Rilo's. It manages to make Jenny Lewis' voice sound briefly unpleasant (during the repetitious "I will survive" bits), no mean feat. I have to reach deep to complain, though. It was a pretty wonderful concert, and Jenny's voice was beautiful. To steal an observation from a first-time Rilo concert-attendee, "She sounds as good as she does on the CDs." I agreed with him, and added, "If not better." I realized I had taken Jenny's voice a bit for granted, though. She seems to get a bit nervous during some TV appearances and not sound her best, or the audio has been bad. Yet she seems incapable of delivering a less than stellar concert performance (I just don't like the way that damn "Pull Me In Tighter" is supposed to sound).

The Setlist:

It's a Hit
Hail to Whatever You Found In the Sunlight That Surrounds You
Portions for Foxes
Paint's Peeling
I Never
Pull Me In Tighter
So Long
More Adventurous
Ripchord
With Arms Outstretched (with crowd sing-a-long at the end)
The Execution of All Things
Wires And Waves
Love And War (11/11/46)
The Good That Won't Come Out
Pictures of Success
Does He Love You?/Go Ahead Jam (Jenny seemed to spontaneously add about four lines from Go Ahead toward the end of the jam at the end of Does He Love You? but was barely audible for some of them)

Encore:

Spectacular Views (with the house lights off and everyone's cellphones on)

Lost in Your Eyes (with Deborah Gibson) -- Jenny said they were going to do a song with "our friend Deborah." A blond woman walked onstage and sat at the keyboard facing the audience. Jenny took a place at the less prominent keyboard and faced away from the audience, letting Deborah have the spotlight. She started singing, and the crowd recognized the song, and then her. She said, "I know, it's random for me too." She soon moved away from the keyboard and walked around the stage. She was good, and it was a fun moment. Her performance shouldn't overshadow everything that preceded it though.

Let My Love Open the Door (with all the bands, minus Jonathan from The Brunettes after the beginning. Deborah Gibson played tambourine. Blake played ukulele).

Everyone in the band seemed to be in a great mood and have a ton of energy. They gave their hometown an awesome show.

MP3 Rilo Kiley - Pictures of Success (album version, from Take Offs and Landings, which I highly recommend, and the same is true for Rilo Kiley's other albums).

Paul Westerberg and The Replacements

Paul Westerberg's latest release is Besterberg: Best of Paul Westerberg, which gathers some highlights of Westerberg's thirteen-year solo career and at long last gives Westy a chance to use a pun he has probably been wanting to use on an album for decades.

Westerberg's solo career has been a bit under-the-radar, which is not necessarily a bad thing. His song Dyslexic Heart attracted a fair bit of attention on the Singles soundtrack, which likely helped his first official solo album 14 Songs snare some buzz (The Replacements' All Shook Down was a Westerberg solo album, but the record company insisted it be released under the Replacements moniker). I really liked 14 Songs, enough so that I overplayed it and grew tired of it. I found his next album somehow too similar but I think the overplaying of 14 Songs made it too difficult for me to give it a fair chance. Some critics have been similarly harsh, not exactly trashing Westerberg, just finding themselves a bit underwhelmed by his solo work. However, last year's Folker garnered more attention, so perhaps the tide is turning.

Of course Westerberg is best known as the singer in the Replacements, a raucous, rebellious, messy, wildy talented, but sometimes just wildly drunk alternative rock/pop band that tore their way through the 80s (and touched upon the 70s and 90s). They had range, but a lot of the Mats' songs conveyed both an attitude that was both devil-may-care and angst-ridden, sometimes adding another layer -- a message, a romantic sweetness, loads of profanity. Some songs were sloppy and abrasive. Others were sloppy and awesome. A few were pop perfection.

Songs:

The Replacements - I Will Dare (From Let It Be, 1984)

The Replacements - Left of the Dial (From Tim, 1985)

The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait (From Pleased to Meet Me, 1987)

The Replacements - I'll Be You (From Don't Tell a Soul, 1989)

The RIAA Pretty Much Sucks

I'm just sayin'.

"A piece of art is not a loaf of bread. When someone steals a loaf of bread from the store, that's it. The loaf of bread is gone. When someone downloads a piece of music, it's just data until the listener puts that music back together with their own ears, their mind, their subjective experience. How they perceive your work changes your work. Treating your audience like thieves is absurd. Anyone who chooses to listen to our music becomes a collaborator. People who look at music as commerce don't understand that. They are talking about pieces of plastic they want to sell, packages of intellectual property."
-- Jeff Tweedy, Wilco

The Recording Industry Association of America has sued 11,456 people. They blame those who trade music online for declining music sales although sales increased in 2004. Plus, so far this year, the RIAA has sued over 1,000 people. Last year, they sued 382 people.

What's more, even if the people who are sued were illegally file-trading, a new report indicates that other factors "are more likely to have had a significant impact on music sales."

In particular, the study attributes any fall in CD sales to "the rise in the number of entertainment sources." However, it would be very difficult for the RIAA to sue a lot of entertainment companies for ... er ... "alienation of consumer affection" or some such thing. The RIAA has to do something. Much like George Costanza, who tried to look impatient and annoyed so he would look busy, the RIAA sues children, college students, and grandparents to try to create the illusion of progress of some sort.

According to Rolling Stone, in August 2003, the month before the lawsuits started, there were 3.85 million peer-to-peer users and in April 2005 there were 8.63 million. The Electronic Frontier Foundation says over 60 million people in the United States alone use file sharing. Not all of them trade music, but you don't have to trade files to be sued by the RIAA.

Maybe if the RIAA stopped spending so much money on lawsuits, they could lower CD prices like they said they were going to oh so long ago. People might buy more CDs if they were less outrageously expensive. Too bad the RIAA would still get a cut of every one we buy.

Links:

Electronic Frontier Foundation - File-Sharing

Stop the RIAA Petition to Congress

Church Sign Generator

Jagged Little Sellout?

Provide a zip code and The Starbucks Delocator will give you suggestions for independently-owned Starbucks alternatives in the area. Some of these places are kind of weird, with menu items like "coffee" in small, medium, and large sizes. The good thing is, if you try one and it freaks you out too much, you can always flee and find a Starbucks a yard or two away.

Inspired by the Starbucks Delocator, the folks at Stay Free! have created the Alanis Morissette Delocator. Some folks are peeved at Alanis, and it's not about her misunderstanding the meaning of "irony" this time.

Alanis' latest album is an acoustic version of Jagged Little Pill, and for the first six weeks it will be available exclusively through Starbucks. Even if you would like to go to your friendly local record store and purchase a copy, you can't. Not for a while, anyway. Instead of going to Starbucks to buy quieter versions of songs you've heard a million times, why not treat yourself to something new? Stay Free! is being subversive about it and urging people to use their post about the delocator, with links to "small-label female singer/songwriters who are not Alanis Morissette" as a link for Alanis Morissette. Okay, done. So I couldn't resist going a bit superliminal. Definitely worth checking out though -- links to some excellent artists who are not Alanis Morissette. One, Michelle Shocked, has a free show tonight at Amoeba in Hollywood.