Questionable Rants and Raves

Gettin' the Led Out PRICELESS

I never thought I'd see the day, Led Zeppelin reunited to play a benefit show in London.  They preformed a full 2 hour set-SWEET.  Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham came out guns blazin' with a blues infused set that rocked the house.  The thought of a Zeppelin reunion tour coming stateside sends shivers down my spine.  When I was a wee rocker MR.CHUCK would tell tales of seeing Zeppelin at the Uptown Theater in the 70's.  MR.CHUCK has rocked with the best of them over the years, but the Zeppelin stories are my favorite.  He claims that they were so loud he thought his ears were gonna bleed and that Plant is a better front man than Jagger.  That's the "burner" in him right there.  We went to go see Plant/Page in  1995.  It was good, but it was no Led Zeppelin-it was a complete tease.  I wanted to hear the whole crew rock "Over the Hills and far Away" not just two of them.   MR. CHUCK left the show bitter.  He called both Plant and Page sellouts and hacks.  He continued his rant by saying it's a sad day when rockers rock for cash.  I called MR.CHUCK this morning to ask if he'd seen the review in the Times.  It went a little something like this:
ME:  Dude, did you see the article in the Times this morning?
MC:  Hell yes I saw it.  I almost spit coffee all over your Mother.
ME:  I wish I could've seen that.
MC:  She looked worried for a split second.
ME:  Good work.  Way to make her sweat before she leaves for work.
MC:  All in a days work.
ME:  So if they tour are we gonna go?
MC:  You bet KIDDO we are there and FYI we're going solo-without your MOTHER.  She can stay home and watch the dog.  Don't tell her anything.  Like when we went to go see Lou Reed.  Remember?
ME:  Yeah, I remember how pissed she was.
MC:   She needs to mind her own business.
ME:  I hate to say it, BUT IT IS HER BUSINESS.  I AM HER KID.  I can't believe I just said that.
MC:  What's wrong with you?  I raised you, not her.  While she was off doing God knows what-we were at home rockin' out.  Without me you'd be listening to complete shit.  Gotta go the WARDEN is coming back into the kitchen.  Later.
I'm convinced I have the weirdest parents on the planet. 

Josh Rouse...The Obsession Continues

I went to go hear Josh Rouse on Friday night at the Warsaw in Greenpoint.  I forgot how fun the Warsaw is.  I drank this strange Polish beer called Żywiec (no doubt the BUD of Poland) and ate perogies.  The only downer to the whole evening was I had to take the G-train to get there.  What a nightmare.  It took me over an hour and I live in Brooklyn.  Why is the G the only subway line that has 3 cars per train? 

The show was EXCELLENT.  Kyle Andrews  opened up for him.  Andrews is a singer songwriter from Nashville.  He was perfect as the opening act.  He sang some tunes from his album Amos in Ohio.  Book Stud- I think you will dig this guy.  Andrews catchy, bedroom rock might draw comparison Bright Eyes.  The electronic-tinged, acoustic rock from this guy is so catchy it is almost contagious.  I picked up his CD and it is now in heavy rotation at my house.  Normally I'm impatient when it comes to opening acts.  They are simply an obstacle between me and the headliner.  Lately however, I have seen some really good openers.  Rouse took the stage around 10- I was starting to yawn.  What can I say I'm old. He played a blistering set covering almost his entire catalog.  From Dressed Up Like Nebraska to She's Spanish, I'm American. I just love his voice and his affection for pop music. Rouse is almost like the love child of the Carpenter's  and America.  The band he had with him was great and they rocked the house.  At one point I looked out into the crowd and everybody was just rockin' out with him.  Heads bobbing in unison to the beat.  I would say the highlight of the show was when Paz Suay came out and did a couple of tunes.  Rouse also announced that he moved to Brooklyn.  I finally have someone new to stalk.  Heath Ledger is getting tiresome.  As a result of my continuing obsession with Josh Rouse I will be burning mixes devoted entirely to his music.  If you are one of the lucky one's who gets mixes from me be prepared for the ultimate Josh Rouse mix.  I already have the play list brewing in my head.  Below I have attached some Kyle Andrews tunes and more Josh Rouse.

Kyle Andrews:

Download 01_amos_in_ohio.m4a

Download 06_connecting_the_dots.m4a

Download 02_moon_tea.m4a

Josh Rouse:

Download 06_comeback_light_therapy.m4p

Download 01_car_crash.m4a

Download 02_winter_in_the_hamptons.m4a

Download 07_giving_it_up.m4p

Rockin' With Lily Allen

I went with my best pal last night Miz B. to go see Lily Allen-that girl has a set of pipes on her.  She reminds me of the singer in the band "Letter's to Cleo"-you may remember that band from the late '90's.  They did a cover of Nick Lowe's "Cruel to Be Kind"-better than the original if you want my opinion. 
Anyway, Lily rocked the house with a blazing 45 maybe 50 minute set at Webster Hall.  It was refreshing to see a smart ass kid bad mouthing the man while smoking on stage. Webster Hall is a great spot to catch a show it is small and the acoustics are perfect. The only problems I have with the place are A.- $6 Beers (never not if it were the last beer on earth) B.-Leaving I felt like the patrons at the Who show in Cincinnati in the early '80's and C.-Way too many drunk girls with annoying boy friends.  Ladies do us all a favor if you want to go see a show with music that you like LEAVE JETHRO at home so we can all have some peace.
Overheard in the bathroom:
Drunk Girl A-"Would you like to go to a spin class with me in the morning?"
Drunk Girl B-"God NO!  That is like asking me if I want a hot poker jammed up my ass and I say YES PLEASE HARDER." 
Drunk Girl A- "True, but you don't have to be such a bitch about it!"
That exchange made my night...hot poker sounds exciting.