So, it’s good news & bad news again, both related to CD release dates now.

The bad news first, this time: Billboard has announced that Interscope will be dumping more Guns ‘n’ Roses on us in late November when, after fourteen years and $13,000,000, Chinese Democracy becomes available, exclusively at Best Buy. Bad as it sound, there are two things I’m looking forward to: (1) the best possible review being “It’s an okay album but it really wasn’t worth the wait,” and (2) my free Dr. Pepper. Aside from that, I’m fine if we never post another word about it.

The good news involves the incomparable MC Frontalot’s new album Final Boss, which is released on November 4, but if you preorder it now, as I did, you can download it immediately and listen to it all the time until your physical copy is delivered unto you. Really, there isn’t a reason not to, unless you don’t like Front and are not interested in his new collection of recorded songs.

I’ve been enjoying it a lot, though. The beats are even tighter and more varied than last year’s Secrets from the Future, which could sound a little same-y in places. “Wallflowers”, the first single, and “Tongue-Clucking Grammarian” both have a dancefloor groove designed to get you hopping (”Wallflowers” even gives you instructions on how to dance the “Margaret Thatcher”). “Shame of Otaku” features a very chilled beat, like AM radio lounge meets G-Funk, and a Japanese hook. “Canadia” makes a fat beat out of “Oh Canada” and features Jesse Dangerously and Wordburglar rebutting Front’s accusation that Canadia is unpatriotic. At this point I will stop going song by song and encourage you to do it yourself.

MC Frontalot Official | On Myspace | On Facebook | On Twitter

So, last night’s Weezer show was my fourth, and it was definitely the most unique.  The other three shows, two in support of Maladroit, one for the Green Album, were pretty straightforward.  Everybody stood in front of their mic, Rivers occasional muttered something funny between songs, they left the stage then came back for one or two more.  Simple.  The last show had flame spurts on a couple of songs, that was different, but otherwise it was a pretty basic show by a band that rocks really hard.
I’d always known Rivers was kind of goofy (consider that the first words you likely heard him sing were “What’s with these homies dissin’ my Girl?”), but he seemed pretty reserved on stage.  This made sense on the Extended Midget Tour (supporting Green), because everything about the Green Album seemed like a back-to-basics exercise, Rivers testing himself to see if he could still write pop songs.  On the Enlightenment Tour (I think I caught the European leg of it in Birmingham, it was in support of Maladroit, at least) things were beginning to loosen up a bit.  More songs from Pinkerton (at the Salt Lake show there were more from Pinkerton than from Maladroit), full renditions of “Only in Dreams,” covers, and pyrotechnics, but, like I said, pretty basic stuff.
Then there was last night’s show.  I missed out on most of the promotion for Make Believe, but I caught some AOL Sessions and I knew that if I ever saw the Weez again, it would be a distinct thing from previous shows.  I expected keyboards, and I’d heard that Rivers had a little drum kit that he occasionally played.  I didn’t expect a mini trampoline, or that both Scott (bass) and Brian (guitar) would have keyboard rigs.  To keep me from rambling too much, we’ll do a list.  You kids like bulleted lists, right?

• Rivers didn’t sing lead on every song.  Much like the new album, vocals were shared by various band members.
• This allowed Rivers to become untethered from his microphone and wander the stage as he pleased.  This is why there was a trampoline.  It also meant thatRivers got to play harmonica on “My Name is Jonas,” every other time I’ve seen them it’s just been done on guitar.
• Rivers has often been compared to Brian Wilson because he’s a little eccentric and obsessed with writing the perfect pop song (I guess if he stops singing altogether the comparison can be pushed further), but last night he reminded me more of Andy Kaufman, or, more specifically, Tony Clifton, with the way he shuffled around the stage and made bizarre shaking motions with is hands.
• Tom DeLonge and Atom Willard performed on “Undone - the Sweater Song”, Tom singing and Atom on drums so Pat could play guitar.  Rivers also utilized his drum kit for the build up of this one.
• I’m a sucker for cover songs, and we got two last night. Pat surprised us all by singing and playing guitar on a cover of Oasis’s “Morning Glory.”  Well, he surprised me, at least.  I don’t know how many other people even knew the song.  The other song will be discussed in conjunction with the encore.
• Lots of audience participation.  We were instructed to start of “Dope Nose.”  I felt so important.
• The Hootenanny: you’ve probably heard all about it.  A group of lucky fans get to take the stage with whatever instrument they play and join the band and the audience in a couple of songs.  Lemme tell you, “Beverly Hills” sounds like it was meant to have a saxophone solo.
• After the Hootenanny, which served as the first encore, Weezer’s fifth man Karl Koch (who, earlier, had played Moog on the song “King”) set up a Weezer-styled phonograph, took out a red vinyl copy of the new album and played “Heartsongs.”  During the verse about Nevermind the band came back out (Scott dressed like the Italian Stallion) and played a cover of Nirvana’s “Sliver” before ending the set with “Buddy Holly.”
• As usual, full setlist available at my personal blog.

If you’ve never seen Weezer before, there’s never been a better time (except maybe early ‘97).  Do it do it do it.  I’m tired of writing, any questions you have, though, will be answered.  Ask away!!  Pictures later.
Regarding the opening acts, Tolchok Trio were pretty good and Angels and Airwaves sound like your copies of The Joshua Tree and Disintegration had sex and cried themselves to sleep afterward.

So, there’s good news and bad news.

Bad new first: after a two year hiatus, during which he directed a pair of feature films, rap-rock uber-turd Fred Durst is starting to sound like he’s getting the band back together.

Good for him, right?  I really expect this to go over like a lead air raid vehicle, especially since Wes Borland isn’t likely to rejoin (Wes and I both, separately, came to the conclusion that Limp Bizkit is a terrible band after we heard 2000’s Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water).  So, some time in the future, we may have more Limp Bizkit forced upon us.  For his part, Wes Borland has started playing guitar for Marilyn Manson.

The good news is: New Rademacher record!!  The ERA ep came out on Tuesday and I’m still an internet-less putz (I’m writing from work right now).  They had this to say:

We are really, really, really excited to let you know that we have a new record for sale!!! We recorded it last spring and it is called ERA.  It is a little spooky, a little fun.  There is some ukelele on it and vocoders and loud guitars.

I’m really freaking excited, too.  I just need a chance to listen to it.  You lucky Internet persons, however, can do so now!!  You can buy it on iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and more!!   There’s links to loads of reviews of it here, I can only tell you I love the band and hope you trust my judgment.

An interesting thing has come to my attention regarding my band, Birds Without, playing at the Avalon on Saturday.  It was an exciting prospect from the beginning, playing at a venue where I’d actually been to see a band I’d actually heard of before (I saw Love You Long Time, Dave also saw Eisley there, but I missed that one) and having people in the crowd who didn’t ride there with somebody playing that night, but it just got more exciting.  Turns out the show will be taped and available on ComCast’s On Demand Presents Band Wagon LIVE.  This is copy/pasted from the Avalon website:

ComCasts On Demand Presents Band Wagon LIVE. They will be filming live tonight at this show! Come show your local music support tonight on ComCast!

Tickets are ten bucks, doors at 6:30, show at 7:00.  The lineup will be Going Second, Uncomfortable Silence, Birds Without, The Desert, and our friends in Arienette, with whom we’ve played a few times.
I’m really excited to play this show, guys.  We’ve got a few new songs* that we’ve worked out, Dave got a drum kit, so this will be his first show on that instead of the bongos, and we haven’t played in a few weeks, I’m getting the itch (or maybe it’s just this Mountain Dew I had for breakfast).

Anyhow, come out and support us and Arienette and these other fine bands.  You can even do it without going to the Avalon (3605 South State Street)!  You can watch us at home (at least that’s my understanding of how On Demand works, I’m simple in the ways of cable and satellite teevee).

*”New” here meaning new to me.  Ned put a band together so he could play some of his newer, more experimental songs live, and then Dave (Ned’s brother) and Mick (who went to high school with Ned and played bass for him occasionally back then) got Ned interested in all these old songs he wrote in high school.  We’re working on rounding out the set, and even with all this old material, we’ve written one song since the band formed as such.

My two favourite piano-based pop singers, Ben Folds and Regina Spektor, will be performing together on tonight’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien.  The song, “You Don’t Know Me”, is the first single from Ben’s album Way To Normal, which came out on Tuesday.  When I saw Ben back in June, he played a fair number of songs from the new record and I’m really excited for it (yeah, I haven’t heard it yet, even though it’s up in its entirety on his MySpace page, once I get Internets at home I’ll be a much better informed blogger).  Somebody make sure to upload that one to YouTube so I can watch it later (I don’t have TV at home, either).

You Don’t Know Me by Ben Folds & Regina Spektor (MP3)