Mat Kearney's Top 10 Albums of All Time

U2 - Joshua Tree

Johnny Cash - American Recordings

Beatles - Revolver

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

Paul Simon - Graceland

A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Emmylou Harris - Wrecking ball

Travis - The Man Who

Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin

Cast your ballot for the 897 Greatest Albums of All Time Countdown!

Led Zeppelin Reunites

And the first clips are in! Miss the show? Expect to see the official DVD sometime next year.

Remembering Rick Danko

Rick Danko Passed In His Sleep On This Day In 1999, A Day After His 56th Birthday

From The Last Waltz, It Makes No Difference




From A 1999 Preformance In Chicago, The Weight

Twisted Christmas Vegas-Style From The Killers

I dare you NOT to laugh at this one! In what is fast becoming an annual tradition, THE KILLERS have put out another holiday song with a twist. This one, DON'T SHOOT ME SANTA, is their second holiday download single- it benefits Bono's RED CAMPAIGN.

So, have a laugh for a good cause and be sure and check out one of the most hilarious moments in music videos I've ever seen (It has something to do with a very young Santa)!



...and this is a first for me: a video segue! The Killers' tune reminded me quite a bit of this one from The Alan Parsons Project. Enjoy!

Who is the Hottest Musical Couple of the Year?

...If you answered Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, you could be right. No doubt, their connection on RAISING SAND is one of the greatest musical surprise moments of the year.

But, to take that kind of chemistry a step further, the two that truly do it for me are Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. It all started with the movie ONCE in which they starred as busking musicians on the streets of Dublin. Then it just exploded when they released a cover of Dylan's YOU AIN'T GOING NOWHERE from the I'M NOT THERE SOUNDTRACK. Glen and Marketa stirred up the ghosts of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris for me....from that California country era that brought rock and roll and country together.

The Frames frontman and the Czech songbird and multi-instrumentalist exude something more than just chemical when they harmonize. There's something, well, kind of sexy going on when you see them onstage...or in the case below, when they heat up the Colorado snow at Sundance. So check it out and melt away!



p.s. It now seems the two are dating. I never would have guessed ;)

A New Take on Music Videos features TMD Artists

Coming back to Baltimore from NYC this weekend I was handed a magazine by the person next to me, Nylon Guys. While flipping through articles I came across an article on Vincent Moon, a filmmaker who is "reinventing the music video" artists include, R.E.M., Cold War Kids, the Kooks and Arcade Fire.

Moon is putting out a DVD The Take Away Shows, with these music videos and more. If you're in the store and see the Nylon Guys magazine, give it a read, it's worth it.

"In The Take Away Shows Moon has also crashed restaurants with Beirut, rolled through a warehouse with Cold War Kids, and serenaded school girls with the Kooks in the streets of Paris" (Mallory Rice, Nylon Guys).

Catch the Arcade Fire Segment here, a great part starts at 03:50, for more details check out The Take Away Shows Website

U2 - Stars...

that like to be seen! Just 2 weeks back Bono was out talking about the song from Joshua Tree that they just finished.
NOW, he and The Edge going to a small intimate space to play a 20 minute acoustic set. Last week's show was for The Little Noise Sessions from London's Union Chapel.
Too cool not to take a look - here's 'Desire' from the gig.

Keep The Fires Burning For Joe Strummer

It was a real nice surprise over the weekend to find the Julien Temple-directed documentary Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten playing in my cable on demand movie section.

The film has only been in limited theatrical release in the US since early this month and I don't believe it has come to Baltimore yet. It should, though.

I just have to tell you how profoundly moved I was by the story of how Joe, son of an Indian immigrant father and Scottish Highlands mum, truly felt for people and their plights (just hear STRAIGHT TO HELL). From his days as the leader of a squatter movement in London (and the formation of his first band The 101'ers) to his post-Clash days creating campfire communities, Joe forever wanted to be in touch with people and spread the news as he did in The Clash. Scenes of collaboartors and fans who sit and strum at campfires around the world in the film to share stories of Joe, I think, are some of the best movie moments this year.

Speaking of "The News," Joe found kindred spirits in musicians who spread street-level information, be it indigenous musicians from Latin America or rap reporters from the streets of New York.

Check out the trailer for the film and an appearance by the Clash on the Tom Snyder show from Sandinista! era 1981...and fire up the fires for Joe sometime and write your own future.

What does Caroline Kennedy and Neil Diamond have in common?

In my daily quest to find bizarre and interesting things going on in the music world, I stumbled upon Neil Diamond. For me, "Sweet Caroline" is a fond memory of late night bar music. For Diamond, "Sweet Caroline" is an ode to President Kennedy's daughter, Caroline. Who woulda thunk it?

When you're spending time with your loved ones or your in-laws this holiday weekend, lighten up the mood with this interesting fact, see what you and your nephews and nieces or cousins have in common with musical taste. I always liked talking more about music then how "well" school was going.

Neil is currently working on a new album with producer Rick Rubin and is saying it's the best one to date.

Happy Turkey Day, Don't forget to wave all five fingers at the nice lady who cuts you off on the way to the mall Friday!

Dab Your Eyes For Godley and Creme

Melissa just played "Cry" by Dan Wilson, and it immediately triggered instant recall for a video that was groundbreaking at the time. Kevin Godley and Lol Creme came to fame in the 70's with 10cc ("I'm Not In Love"). But, it wasn't until they split and became a duo that they truly made their mark on music.

They got into directing videos in the early 80's that were artful, alluring and innovative (The Police "Every Breath You Take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger," Duran Duran "Girls On Film," Herbie Hancock's "Rockit").

But what later became a music video staple (or cliche', depending on how you look at it), was their own 1985 video for "Cry." The video featured faces blending into each other using "analog cross-fading"- that later evolved into a digital effect known as "morphing." Michael Jackson used it for his "Black and White" video and you can see the technique pretty much all the time in ads or even corporate presentations.

In addition to all that, the song was pretty groovy too. See if this video doesn't make you, umm...cry? And be on the lookout for Gonzo and see if you can spy any other celebs!

Two From Tuesday - 11-13-07

Notes From The New Release Show:

Today's post is an Off The Beaten Track approach to the new music of the week. Let's jump right in.

On the new, unfamiliar and edgy side of the show is a band from Down Under. They are Operator Please who are from, you guessed it, Australia. Gold Coast, Queensland to be more precise. They have fun punk pop sound as you can tell from their latest single “Zero Zero.” Right now this tune is only available to us here in the US via I-tunes Australia. Yes, you can switch your I-tunes store home. The possibilities are endless. I’ll go broke one song at a time. The new album, out next week is called YES YES VINDICTIVE.

“Marilyn Monroe” is the latest single from Walrus. They are a dirty little garage band also out of Australia. They are more simplistic in their description: “Walrus is a rock band…we play rock music.” That’s pretty straightforward. They have a new Double A Side Single with Funky Monkey/Marilyn Monroe. Both songs are available for download on their myspace page, which is myspace.com/walrusrock. I happened to like the latter tune and played “Marilyn Monroe.”

I will not be on next Tuesday...WTMD will be broadcasting Towson Men's Basketball. I will however listen and review what we get in this week, so I will be able to share with you on next week's blog. Until then...

The Felice Brothers

The Felice Brothers Where One Of The Openers For Bright Eyes Recently.
I Enjoyed Them Quite A Bit.

Here's "Ballad Of Lou The Welterweight"


And "I'm Saved"


Also "Frankie's Gun "


Here's Their Website http://www.myspace.com/thefelicebrothers

New Track From U2

So it's been 20 years since U2 released the classic album The Joshua Tree.
They'll be giving it the deluxe treatment to re-release it next week. And I found a little gem when searching for details.
Take a look as Bono introduces a song that was salvaged from those original recordings.



The song is titled Wave Of Sorrow and it has the heart of U2 in mind, but I'd love to hear form U2 fans...
Do you think this newly finished song could stand next to the tracks on The Joshua Tree?

Two From Tuesday

Notes From The New Release Show

Two bands from last night's show I thought needed another mention:

Well, let’s get things kicked off with a new disc from John Ralston. John was forced into a solo career when his former band, Legends Of The Rodeo, met their demise because of a Label Split. John ended up with no contract, no label and no outlet for his music. His luck changed upon meeting a production engineer, Michael Seamen, and they began working together in Seaman’s Tennessee home studio. The end product is the album SORRY VAMPIRE. It’s a lush collection of finely penned tunes including the one I played last night, “I Guess I Wasted My Summer Now.”

Let’s keep things moving here with the first full-length release from the Dutch Band, Racoon. The CD is titled ANOTHER DAY and was released in Europe last year and they are searching for new life here in the states. They struck a distribution deal with the Red Eye label; they handle Paul Weller, and have a transatlantic tour scheduled with the Lemonheads starting this December. It’s a pleasant little album and has the Gin Blossoms written all over it, in a good way. I ended up playing the quasi-title track “Lose Another Day.”

See you next Tuesday - TK

U2 Surrender All at Red Rocks

Last night's awful Ravens game in Pittsburgh was matched equally only by the awful weather. It was pouring sheets of rain and fog shrouded Heinz Field. But, trying to look at the glass half full despite the pitiful outcome for my favorite football team, last night's weather coupled with a rabid crowd got me to thinking about my favorite live album of all time, UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY.

Fog and a cold rain enveloped Red Rocks Amphitheater on June 5, 1983, the day four Irish lads took the stage amidst lighted torches and an eager crowd, and blasted out one of the most passionate performances ever recorded in rock and roll history. In fact Rolling Stone named U2's Red Rock performance as one of the "50 Moments That Changed Rock and Roll."

Though, only two of the songs taped at Red Rocks actually made the album, the video of the show captured U2 at the cusp of being something way more than four guys banging on instruments. Plus, it gave us the Bono Mullet.