At a recent solo show, Ben Gibbard debuted a new song called "Codes and Keys" which will be featured on the forthcoming Death Cab For Cutie album of the same name. You can hear it now over at Stereogum. After going on a Death Cab listening kick I revisited this studio performance of Ben's side project 'The Postal Service'. It was recorded at KCRW studios back in 2003 near the end of their tour and features Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis on backing vocals. Rumors of a follow-up Postal Service album seem to swirl around every now and then but are consistently dispelled by Gibbard. The Postal Service - Nothing Better - Morning Becomes Eclectic 5/6/03 by Ledjam311
Setlist:
1 - Intro
2 - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
3 - We Will Become Silhouettes
4 - Nothing Better
5 - Interview
6 - Clark Gable
7 - This Place is a Prison
8 - Such Great Heights
9 - Brand New Colony (Radio Mess Up)
10 - Brand New Colony Download: The Postal Service - Morning Becomes Eclectic
Bright Eyes appeared last week on Letterman playing "Jejune Stars" off their most recent album 'The People's Key'. The album has been on constant rotation since I first got it. Conor almost seems to take the group back in time to the 'Digital Ash From A Digital Urn' era while maintaining the songwriting maturation he's developed over recent years. Although I wouldn't call 'The People's Key' a complete change in direction it is a nice detour from what I'd expected to hear from him on his past few albums.
Over the weekend I realized that it's been a year since I created Bang! Bang! Goes The Night. My first post was on February 17, 2010 about a show I saw at the Khyber featuring Alberta Cross. Numerous concerts, new albums, new artists, and 91 posts later, here we are...
I created this blog for several reasons. The main one being to share my love for music with friends and anyone else who stumbles onto the site. Discovering a new artist or finding a great bootleg really excites me and this has served as a great way to express that. Another reason was simply to chronicle my musical endeavors throughout the year. I still have the ticket stub from when I saw Billy Joel in 1998 but I don't have information on the setlist, opening bands, etc. My hope is that this blog will help me recall those experiences more vividly as I look back years from now.
Finally I'd like to thank anyone who is reading this or has visited the site over the past year. I hope that you've gotten some enjoyment or taken away something positive from this site. I was pretty much flying blind when it came to creating/maintaining a blog when I started. As my understanding of blogging and time permits I'll continue to make improvements and keep things fresh. If you ever have the desire to make a suggestion about the blog or an artist I'm missing out on or anything, feel free to shoot me an email (mmmboboh@aol.com).
It seemed appropriate to end this post with something related to the site's creation. If I didn't tell you personally or if you didn't figure it out on your own, the blog's title "Bang! Bang! Goes The Night" comes from a line in the My Morning Jacket song 'Mahgeetah'. Here's a recording of that song from MMJ's show at Red Rocks in 2008. My Morning Jacket - Mahgeetah - Live At Red Rocks 2008 by Ledjam311
I stumbled across this show and decided to download it simply because it was recorded in Philly. What I discovered was a true gem of a bootleg. It turns out that this is one of the most popular and coveted SRV shows for his fans. The feed is from a broadcast by local radio station WMMR and the sound quality is near perfect.
Stevie had been sober for just about a year at the time of this performance and as noted by the station announcers during the encore break, he'd never sounded better. During 'Life Without You' SRV addresses the audience telling them "Right now the most important thing in my life is to make sure you understand that first of all I thank God that I'm alive today...and I mean that". Hearing him talk like that gave me chills knowing that just a few years later his life would tragically end. Why this hasn't been officially released is beyond me, so get it here for free while you can. Enjoy. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Cold Shot - Philadelphia 1987 by Ledjam311
Setlist:
1 - Scuttle Buttin'
2 - Say What!
3 - Lookin' Out The Window
4 - Look At Little Sister
5 - Mary Had A Little Lamb
6 - Ain't Gonna Give Up On Love
7 - Superstition
8 - Willie The Wimp
9 - Cold Shot
10 - Couldn't Stand The Weather
11 - Life Without You
12 - Come On (Part III)
13 - Love Struck Baby
14 - Rude Mood Download: SRV - Philadelphia 1987
James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem appeared on The Colbert Report this past Monday marking his last TV appearance as LCD Soundsystem. The group will perform it's last show on April 2nd at Madison Square Garden in New York. Murphy sits down for an interview with Stephen and then joins the rest of the group to play "I Can Change". My favorite part of the interview is Stephen telling him "There are only 3 ways to end your career as a rocker: overdose, overstay your welcome, or write Spiderman the musical". Here are clips from the episode.
The Strokes just unveiled the cover design for their upcoming album titled "Angles", which is due out on March 22nd. The first single for the album, 'Under Cover Of Darkness" was also released this past week. Upon first listen it sounds much more crisp and upbeat than songs off 2006's "First Impressions of Earth". Whether or not all of "Angles" will have a similar sound we'll have to wait and see. Personally I'm stoked to have some new Strokes heading my way. It seems long overdue. Solo efforts by the band members fell short for me for the most part and I've been anxious for them to collaborate again. Take a listen to 'Under Cover Of Darkness' below.
I've heard rumors and read a couple articles over the past year or so about a World Cafe venue opening in Wilmington, but it wasn't until this past week that I saw a confirmed opening date and artist lineup. A friend emailed me about the grand opening for the World Cafe Live at The Queen, which is on Friday April 1, 2011. Ingrid Michaelson who has been a favorite of World Cafe Live in Philadelphia will be the venue's first performer that Saturday night.
World Cafe Live at The Queen is located on Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware, just a few blocks from another great venue, The Grand Opera House. Founder Hal Real, who came up with the project, along with the City of Wilmington and non-profits like Light Up The Queen, hope the opening will help revitalize the city. I'm very excited for the opening (bought my tickets for opening night earlier today) and hope it succeeds. Being in such close proximity to other major cities there's a good chance they can recruit some really talented artists.
