If you hang around the site long enough, you’ll see that the band we have the most posts about is the John Butler Trio, which is probably my favorite band. I’m not big on picking favorites, but its the only band I really follow and check out whenever possible. Some may wonder why; if you check out their music and message maybe you’ll get it. Doesn’t matter. But this is another reason: Ocean.

I’ve seen John play it live 3 times. At Bonnaroo, at the HOB in New Orleans, and in Alabama. Bonnaroo’s Ocean was a little disappointing, because he didn’t do his slap-tap version, which I like best. In Alabama it was the first time I’d seen them live, and had only heard Ocean on CD and seen a video of him playing it at Webster Hall in 2005 in Oz. So that time was amazing, because I was seeing it, and because he did his slap-tap version.

Thats why I’m posting this video. It’s 14 minutes long, and if you can bypass the crowd cheering, you can see why JBT has so many devoted fans and why this is such a favorite. Its entirely instrumental, very impressive, but more than that, it’s just beautiful. I think I know why its called Ocean, if there is a reason for it. I hope you like.

Link to this video.

And heres the video from Webster Hall, much shorter, only 5 minutes.

Handy dandy email has informed me that JBT is releasing a Live CD of their performance at Twist and Shout in Denver, Colorado at June 29th, 2007. Pre-order is 10 bucks in the U.S. Go grab it.

And many congrats to the guys for winning two ARIAS, Best Blues/Roots and Best Independent Artist.

JBT // MySpace

 John Butler - Message In A Bottle (from Like A Version) [3:49m]: Play in Popup | Download

Eric Lyman, of the West Coastian band Slackstring, has released a solo album called Champagne Air. Gotta tell you, I’m a fan. If anyone out there enjoys listening to some simple Jack Johnson grooves at the beach, this guy is for you. It just emits mad mellow vibes and simple, easy grooves, light lyrics and sing-a-long-able tracks with a voice and guitar thats easy to fall in love with. A good name for this kind of music would be ’stupid-rock’. Not because anyone is stupid, but because you don’t have to think about the music when you listen to it. Its just laidback, great for jamming to at the beach or wherever else.

I’m saying this as I listen to the album for the first time, and to be honest, usually it takes me a couple of times to find the rhythm of the album. Not this one. It’s so easy. Hopefully it won’t get old.

Happy Halloween/Samhain/Whatever everyone!

Eric Lyman // MySpace // Buy Champagne Air

Check out Slackstring, too.

 Champagne Air - Eric Lyman [3:45m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Knock on Wood - Eric Lyman [4:20m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Fastest Machines - Eric Lyman [3:51m]: Play in Popup | Download

Check out this video of John Butler playing with Keith urban on guitar and Michael Barker and Shannon Birchall doing rhythm for JBT’s performance of Funky Tonight on the Australian Arias. Pretty sweet, I say. Not Butler’s best performance of the song, but the dueling guitars at the end is pretty kickin’.

So, most folks have probably heard about the new Radiohead release, In Rainbows, simply because the method is so cool. However, some have not, so I will indulge.
Radiohead are not currently signed to a record label. This has not stopped them from making their album available online. This is not new, though certainly not the norm, what’s most interesting about the release of In Rainbows is that you choose how much to pay for the download. Personally, this makes me want to pay more. Really, pay anything instead of getting it for free elsewhere.
For those of you, like me, who still enjoy having some physical evidence of music that you’ve paid for, there is a Discobox package that contains two CDs, two LPs, and a download. There is more music, and having the vinyl is excellent, the drawback to that is that the Discbox costs £40. It is an excellent thing to get to prove you’re a bigger fan than everybody else, if you still visit message boards and such. Also, Chris Hufford, one of the band’s managers, told BBC Radio 4 that, “Ultimately, the band feel that this record, which they are incredibly proud of, deserves to be brought into the mass marketplace.” The CD should be available sometime in 2008.
In the mean time, since the album is available for free, if you want it to be, I don’t wanna be a jerk and post an MP3 from the album. That’s low. What I’ve arranged instead, is an MP3 from the 2006 summer tour, which debuted a lot of the songs that appear on In Rainbows. This song, “Down is the New Up” didn’t make the download, but it is on the second disc of the Discbox. It was one of my favourites of the live bootlegs, judging by what I’ve heard from In Rainbows the studio stuff has been improved and rounded out.
Enjoy!

Radiohead // Buy In Rainbows

 Radiohead - Down is the New Up [live] [5:19m]: Play in Popup | Download

The Buena Vista Social Club was a club in Havana, Cuba that was popular in the forties for holding dances and jam sessions. It has since closed, and is now a recording by Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, and Ry Cooder. I’ve got one of the BVSC albums, and recently got my hands on one called Rhythms Del Mundo: Cuba. It features covers of popular songs with la Cuban flair. It’s very cool. Who knew that Coldplay’s Clocks would be so good with that beat? And Maroon 5’s She Will Be Loved is a definite improvement, as I hate that song anyway. Yikes.

This album was also created to help fund APE, or Artists’ Project Earth, a very cool organization that is concerned with climate change and other humane earthly issues.

I’d love to post the whole album, cos its great, but then I’m sure I’d get into nasty legal trouble. Just to give you an idea, here’s the tracklisting:

1. Clocks - Coldplay
2. Better Together - Jack Johnson
3. Dancing Shoes - Arctic Monkeys
4. One Step Too Far - Dido & Faithless
5. As Time Goes By - Ibrahim Ferrer
6. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For -
U2 & Coco Freeman
7. She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
8. Fragilidad - Sting
9. Killing Me Softly - Omara Portuondo
10. Ai No Corrida - Vania Borges feat. Quincy Jones
11. Modern Way - Kaiser Chiefs
12. Don’t Know Why - Vania Borges
13. Hotel Buena Vista - Aquila Rose & Idania Valdez
14. The Dark of the Matinee - Coco Freeman feat.
Franz Ferdinand
15. High and Dry - El Lele de Los Van Van feat.
Radiohead (samples)

Really, really kickass links (if you don’t know about the BVSC, definitely check it out. Music lovers will appreciate.)

Rhythms Del Mundo // APE // MySpazz (RDM) // Buena Vista Social Club (Wiki) // Buena Vista Documentary (PBS) // YouTube Video showing the collaboration

BUY THE ALBUM

 Coldplay - Clocks [5:02m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Jack Johnson - Better Together [3:28m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved [4:06m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Coco Freeman & U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For: Play in Popup | Download