zero

^ exactly! One of the most important groups in American music history in my humble opinion. Has anyone ever heard the stories, pretty credible I believe that Paul Simon was stumbling with Graceland and that the label brought in Los Lobos and there was collaborative stuff they were brought in to do and there was their tunes, I think they played Will The Wolf Survive and they feel Simon rejigged it and it's one of the prominent songs on Graceland now in a different form. I forget the exact details but they felt, and it sounds rightly, massively burned.

Sometimes Brad's hazy about setlist's but this was a sedate setting and we were talking in this little kitchenette cloister behind the pulpit. He was very matter of fact about this one so it makes me think they closed with Devil, again I'm barely familiar with the Barr Bros. repertoire and that Alta Falls is the unnamed song with the lyric Samuel mentioned. I genuinely don't know.

I'm just riding you Samuel I just thought it was funny that I'm transcribing these interviews dutifully the next day and this guy named 'Lucas' (maybe you don't know my name's Luke) who's also a massive slip fan has a whole review with great pics up on his blog. It's funny.

I went to bed thinking Congrats Conan- you're still at 12:00 only on cable and instead of having Jay Leno as your lead-in you've got George Lopez, who is almost to Latino Comedy what Rick Sanchez is to Latino Broadcasting. Christ. Or Hey-sus I should say.

I looked at the mechanics of the deal a bit closer though and they're going to launch him in November due to their baseball coverage and after his non-compete lapses in September. Conan was down about 2 million viewers a night from Leno and Leno is above his old numbers I believe but still skewing 10 years older. I don't think it's the Lopez thing at all as much as, and this comes in part from Bill Carter (NYTimes TV critic and the most astute Conan watcher) who said a few minutes ago on CNN that cable makes sense to Conan because he can appeal to his core audience and 'be a weird and wild and crazy as he can be'. Effectively that Conan's efforts to translate his humour to Jay's Tonight Show (notably not Carson's Tonight Show or The Tonight Show) were in fact a failure and here he can play to his strengths. Plus he retains ownership, plus they got the budget they wanted and needed (likely to retain the bulk of their staff, or what they can, particularly those that made the move or have tenure). The fact that the deal came together in 90 hours is telling as well, and that the executive optimistically said he could see it holding together for the next decade (it'd be very interesting to no the renewal dates on the contract).

"Hopefully, this will be something that lasts for the next decade," said Koonin.

The deal happened quickly, so there was no discussion about how many staff O'Brien could keep.

"In the 90 hours we had to do this, we didn't get into that," Koonin said. He declined to reveal the budget for the show. "They told us what they needed to make the show, and we said, `Let's go make the show.'"

If you want a musical analogy it's almost like Jay Bennett leaving Wilco and going back to playing theatres except Conan's not a self-involved prickly character with limited skill sets- he could very easily write screenplays or produce major motion pictures, write and produce network or more likely HBO features, even (don't laugh) dramatic acting. He's a creature of late night though and much like Letterman years before him he's cutting a deal where he retains ownership and you can bet he has an eye towards long term syndication.

I'm going to weep. Los Lobos was one of my earliest musical loves and not just that La Bamba shit, I remember saving up to get this really expensive at the time double disc set.

Seriously phishtaper you've got to do some back channel communicating with Baijal for me. I gotta get off the blacklist.

Do it! This is a one of a kind opportunity. Ottawa's sold out from what I can gather.

This tour was unfuckingbelievable from the sounds of it the first night during CMW was off the hook with all of the members changing configurations and instruments with swarming regularity. Bahamas is just a monster of an axe slinger and Jason is such a grand showman that he can keep the circus rings together. Zeus of course are the best house band you could ask for. I taped a quick interview with Carlin Nicholson from Zeus behind the ElMo during The Golden Dogs set Saturday and just got some email questions back from Bahamas who had this to say about the nightly onslaught of tunes they've been ploughing through.

Q: If you had to pick a number how many songs would you say you have in your own songbook that is to say originals or covers that you could play and sing at a moment's notice. How many songs would you say then are in the Bonfire Ball Revue songbook and do you see that level of musicianship (artists having large repertoires they can vary from evening to evening) lacking amongst contemporary musicians.

A: There arn't many songs that I don't play. Of course there are staples, but it's refreshing to change it up and to be able to roll with the crowd. If it's a friday night in Regina and the folks are ready to party and girls are doing Jager bombs at the front of the stage, I usually skip the slow sentimental numbers and try and keep 'em dancing. We're doing around 45 songs every night, so pacing is very important. People need a break to get another beer and visit the rest room...

I'm trying to piece together the skeleton of the setlist they're varying off of - it's a sick show by any measure. But everyone says there's been ample variation and as we all know the '>' symbol can sometimes be misleading.

I'd say if you can catch them in Kitchener (13), Ottawa (14) or Kingston for the effective tour closer (17) you'll be kicking yourself if you don't.

Alta Falls definitely fits in where I mentioned. I talked to Brad about it after. In any situation particularly musical I'm into detail so a geographic place (see Ybor City in the Hold Steady's repertoire) immediately sends up a red flag for me, I made him spell it out but curiously there's not good story that goes along with it I guess because the name is actually mispelt and the mispelling stuck. I think that's the gist of it. So the place must be something that sounds like Alta Falls. Altough Falls?

Oh and

Andrew delicately brushed the symbols of his drum kit, painting a careful backdrop for all of the group’s ambient noise to float upon.

But what's the deal with Alta Falls brainiac, seriously I need to know for the completist sake and tracking Weirdness' recording of course (which is working it's way to the top of his pile).

This was seriously off the hook. I'd been talking to Dave alot in the couple weeks leading up and he was crazy busy teaching this choir of 12 chums their parts and all this jazz. Jessica too. Coat of Arms is really sprawling and much more dense and organically produced, less overtly hooky but full of meaty hooks and tunefulness. Jessica's used melodically and more fully in a more prominent way. I think they basically worked their way through the whole album (out in May?) starting with Dear Francis and winding through ...Weapons, Old Hat, Lester... it's a bit of a blur and I don't drink. Great crowd. They played encores that were their old standards including Yeah! it got really hair, Taylor Knox was wiling out on the kit. I'll get the setlist off Dave, rabid chick fans etc. scavenged all the onstage copies.

Okay seriously who is this fucking Lucas guy. Hate on him for awhile. I had to fart around with my mp3 recorder and transcribe interviews with Brad, Andrew and Carlin Nicholson from Zeus at The Golden Dogs show afterward just to piece together the setlist. And yes your setlist is fairly accurate and your essay and photo account of the concert informative and engaging. Thank you for freeing up some time for me to write about other bands like Land of Talk (don't tell me you LOVE them too), The Golden Dogs,Zeus, Jason Collett and Bahamas.

I'd suspect the show at the Horseshoe will be considerably more raucous - I don't doubt they'll stick with a fairly similar setlist to what they played - which was fairly hushed and reflective befitting both the locale and the undercard they were on- that said they did veer into some electric post-blues rock territory that will play alot better in a bar than a church. I was also definitely chuffed for the boys having such an astute audience of good listeners.

I'd bet this 'Lucas' kid knows their material best and his setlist's accurate but I hava Alta Falls (sic.) between Lord I Just Can't Keep From Cryin' and Give The Devil Back His Heart.

This show tonight is going to be unbelievable. Their new album Coat of Arms is a huge step forward for this already hugely prolific live powerhouse. Dave Azzolini sent me this about his intricate planning for the show.

This show is going to be so fun. I've got a choir of chums, lighting cues, little instrument orchestra, a side band that plays off stage. It's a lot of planning but it's going to be worth it.

The small strokes in terms of background on MGMT (besides them garnering some legit star attention from the likes of Jay-Z and all) is that Steve Lillywhite has found himself in an A&R role at Columbia and so signed them to a five record deal - not insubstantial given the label's history and the economic climate in the music industry. The principals then brought in David Friddman but rather than impose their sound on him they basically told him to do his thing which was the 'Yoshimi Battles' sound he's best known for. I don't know who produced it this time out but no one could replicate that sound which has become so iconic and represented a landmark in the last decade's production sounds.

I guess people don't dig on this band that much- I'm sure the people who do - do hard (as I do- that came out wrong). It's two chances for Slip fans to see Andrew Barr on the kit this week. And Lizzie Powell's triumphant return to the stage.

Sorry 'I' totally agree with what you're saying not redd.

I get what you're saying but you know better than most, do the math on some of those bands. I couldn't figure out the programming at first (it veers in a really solid way towards hardcore bands - see Mariachi El Bronx, The Thermals etc.). It's the guest curating for sure, they've obviously created a financial framework in which the guest curators can stretch a bit. The combo of King Khan and Quintron will undoubtedly be devastating.

The first 90 bands out of the bag:

Girl Talk (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

The Melvins (Los Angeles, California)

Built to Spill (Boise, Idaho)

The Thermals (Portland, Oregon)

Les Savy Fav (Brooklyn, New York)

Hot Water Music (Gainesville, Florida)

WhoMadeWho (Copenhagen, Denmark)

The Black Lips (Atlanta, Georgia)

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists (Bloomfield, New Jersey)

The Almighty Defenders (Berlin, Germany)

The Posies (Seattle, Washington)

Fucked Up (Toronto, Ontario)

Quintron and Miss Pussycat (New Orleans, Louisiana)

(Brooklyn, New York)

The King Khan & BBQ Show (Montreal, Quebec)

Deerhoof (San Francisco, California)

The Bronx (Los Angeles, California)

Big Business (Los Angeles, California)

WHY? (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Mariachi El Bronx (Los Angeles, California)

Cex (Baltimore, Maryland)

The Dutchess and the Duke (Seattle, Washington)

Greg Macpherson (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Chain and the Gang (Washington, D.C.)

Chuck Ragan (Gold Country, California)

Mr Jonathan Toubin (New York, New York)

Big Frieda (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Georgiana Starlington (New York, New York)

Mark Sultan (Montreal, Quebec)

North of America (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Panther (Portland, Oregon)

Antipop Consortium (New York, New York)

Babe Rainbow (Vancouver, B.C.)

Boys Who Say No (Toronto, Ontario)

Sleepy Sun (San Francisco, California)

So Cow (Tuam, Ireland)

Angelo Spencer et les Hauts Sommets (Olympia, Washington)

James Husband (Athens, Georgia)

Signals (Los Angeles, California)

C’mon (Toronto, Ontario)

The Nymphets (Montreal, Quebec)

My Gold Mask (Chicago, Illinois)

Turbo Fruits (Nashville, Tennessee)

Jane Vain (Montreal, Quebec)

Valleys (Montreal, Quebec)

Ty Segall (San Francisco, California)

Bloodshot Bill (Montreal, Quebec)

Cave (Chicago, Illinois)

Bart Davenport (Oakland, California)

Past Lives (Seattle, Washington)

Provincial Archive (Edmonton, Alberta)

Azeda Booth (Calgary, Alberta)

Hollerado (Manotick, Ontario)

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (Denver, Colorado)

Passenger Action (Edmonton, Alberta)

Woodhands (Toronto, Ontario)

Nice Nice (Portland, Oregon)

Beans (New York, New York)

Sugar and Gold (San Francisco, California)

No Means No (Vancouver, B.C.)

Cavaliers! (Newmarket, Ontario)

The Pack A.D. (Vancouver, B.C.)

Champion and his G-Strings (Montreal, Quebec)

SSRIs (Vancouver, B.C.)

Tyvek (Detroit, Michigan)

Odawas (Berkley, California)

Unnatural Helpers (Seattle, Washington)

Women (Calgary, Alberta)

The Donkeys (San Diego, California)

Carpenter (Vancouver, B.C.)

UUVVWWZ (Lincoln, Nebraska)

Mockingbird Wish Me Luck (Kitchener, Ontario)

Party at the Moontower (Vancouver, B.C.)

Box Elders (Omaha, Nebraska)

Spookey Ruben (Toronto, Ontario)

In Medias Res (Vancouver, B.C.)

Southeast Engine (Athens, Ohio)

Copilots (Vancouver, B.C.)

Super Nice Bros (Mobile, Alabama)

Bison B.C. (Vancouver, B.C.)

Cheeseburger (Brooklyn, New York)

DM Stith (Bloomington, Indiana)

Austin Lucas (Bloomington, Indiana)

Northcote (Regina, Saskatchewan)

Silje Nes (Bergen, Norway)

Trigger Effect (Montreal, Quebec)

Barn Burner (Montreal, Quebec)

Golden Triangle (Brooklyn, New York)

You Say Party! We Say Die! (Vancouver, B.C.)

Guest curators for Sled Island 2010 are King Khan, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Fucked Up and local curators Adam Kamis and Kallen Law.

Just listened to this show and it's the heat.

I guess people are excited about Drive By Truckers the next couple of nights. I'm imagining my week will look something like:

Apr. 6 - Bear In Heaven w. Cymbals Eat Guitars > Deer Tick

Apr. 8 - LAND OF TALK!!! (presumably with Andrew Barr still on drums)

Apr. 9 - potentially Titus Andronicus really interested to see them live...

Apr. 10 - Barr Bros. > The Golden Dogs at the ElMo

I've been talking a fair bit lately with Dave Azzolini from The Golden Dogs (who no longer kicks me in the chest at shows thankfully). I got this from him by email the other day (their new album Coat Of Arms is a huge development by the way) about his intricate preparation for their show on Saturday.

This show is going to be so fun. I've got a choir of chums, lighting cues, little instrument prchestra, a side band that plays off stage. It's a lot of planning but it's going to be worth it.

Two words. Fruit Bats. Two more words: Ruminant Band.

Fuck The Dog!!!

Fawk I was dying for that to be true and put the last nails in the 'Dead' coffin. You perfectly captured the treacly tones of a Dead-organization press release I was actually shrinking in my seat imagining Bobbie's Little Kids Rock project.

I don't really understand nor care how this new material is less anthemic or hooky but fawk!

Hurricane J

Well in this case 'in the know' meant for me two musicians in prominent (one-ish) bands, one Soundscapes on College record store employee and our own Allison Billings whose literal estimation was that the Cave Singers stood out over headliners Dr. Dog (I want to say M said the same thing)- you have to remember I take straw polls at most shows and recognize alot of people from growing up in TO and covering concerts later in life, I keep my ear to the ground in a way that a casual showgoer doesn't (nor should they).

That shit happens all the time though, someone likes the opener more than the headliner or whatever it just happened more than a few people said that that night and I was pretty struck by them (Cave Singers) too. Also probably Dr. Dog has like 4 or 5 really good songs in their whole book (which is to say my personal favourites, which happen also to be alot of their diehard fan favourites) and they didn't play say the ones I was looking for. And the crowd bordered on a douchebag Of A Revolution concert (seek twattish concert footage indpendently).

After that epic, by my and most reasonable peoples estimation, Fruit Bats show a crew of skanks realized with the early wrap up we could bat over to the Dakota and catch Hot Rock (which is members of Flash Lightnin' and the Beauties, former and current Dakota residents playing the Rolling Stones repertoire). I want to say this is the fifth or sixth time they've done this and I seem to keep missing it. Anyways as it turned out we chanced into the entire second set which was off the fucking charts good (and looks that way on paper).

I:

Happy

Get Off

Monkey

Let It Bleed

Sweet V

Live With

Brown Sugar

Beast of Burden

Shine A Light

Bitch

Waiting On

Can't Hear

II:

Satisfaction

Honky Tonk Women

Loving Cup

Dead Flowers

Wild Horses

Tumblin' Dice

Under My Thumb

Let's Spend The Night Together

Miss You

Jumpin' Jack Flash

Gimme Shelter

Sympathy For The Devil

I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him but the bassist Darren Glover had made the setlist and seemed to be orchestrating things a bit but that said everybody was just belting it out equally particularly the female Lightnin' vocalist (who was wearing a Burrito Bros. shirt to boot) - as were the two guitarists, keys, drums and in the end Ron Sexsmith who sang one tune while I was out puffing and came in later again on keys (with a proud papa Kevin Drew standing right behind him in a strong but sparse crowd of maybe 60).

It goes with saying that the run from, well clearly, Loving Cup (sick, sick, sickness) through Dead Flowers, Wild Horses (both of which he'd slotted into the setlist in an epic call), Tumblin' Dice was sheer hotness. It just built and built with a serious surge towards disco headiness understandably during Miss You... basically the most epic afterparty band you could possibly ever hope for.

Barrring from Toussaint's portion, being the biggest Levon geek going, I found the whole show a bit tiresome. I hate seeing Levon like that for one, the footage is gladly a bit dated I'd imagine his voice is in much better shape - I liked the concession to not having him talk too much with the rim shot bit but it was sad too.

Agreed on never needing to hear The Weight again. Although Lamontagne was a good call and are you guys idiots the cannonball verse other than Toussaint's was the only one that really sung and they shared the mic fine.

As the person who likely does the most running/listening to music and is giving the least ironic answers trust me on these:

In The Morning - Junior Boys (LowRoller's right about this one - a beautiful song, very inspiring and a great way to start any day or run)

Happy Up Here - Royksopp

Rome, Fences, Girlfriend, Armistice, Listztomania, 1901 - Phoenix (so basically the whole Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album)

Moonson, Seasun - Delorean

Right Side of My Brain - The Dream

(the last one would be a really good warm up/cool down song and yes may sound like the slow jam jiggy R&B song that it is but I dare you not to be a) touched motivated by this song)