Barack Obama is a Stevie Wonder geek. In the Democratic presidential candidate's new interview with Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Jann S. Wenner, Obama waxed rhapsodic about his favorite artists, many of whom -- Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jay-Z -- have shown him love with endorsements.

"If I had one musical hero, it would have to be Stevie Wonder," says Obama, who grew up on Seventies R&B and rock staples including Earth, Wind and Fire, Elton John and the Rolling Stones. "When I was at that point where you start getting involved in music, Stevie had that run with Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Innervisions, and then Songs in the Key of Life. Those are as brilliant a set of five albums as we've ever seen." [Rolling Stone]

Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from "Hungry Heart" through "The Rising," died Thursday. He was 58.

Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. News of his death was posted late Thursday on Springsteen's official Web site.

He last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis.

Continue reading "Danny Federici, RIP (E Street Band)"

Who's Bad?

* Etta James @ BB King's
* Dead Meadow @ Maxwell's
* Joe Jackson @ The Apollo
* Gossip & Shy Child @ Webster Hall
* Autechre @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Tally Hall and friends @ Bowery Ballroom
* French Kicks & Miguel Mendez @ Mercury Lounge
* Casiotone for the Painfully Alone & Fiasco @ Knitting Factory

Get a new Wolf Parade song.

Tickets went on presale this morning for a Brian Wilson benefit show. Brian is also among those playing the Rainforest Benefit at Carnegie Hall.

Tickets are on sale for some George Michael shows.

Madonna is playing Roseland Ballroom.

Who's Bad ("the ultimate" Michael Jackson tribute band) is playing Canal Room Friday.

Cyndi Lauper is going on tour this summer.

Alejandro Escovedo joined Bruce Springsteen on stage in Houston last night. Video below.

what else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

"You had to put tickets on sale for JULY? What's the reason? I don't even know what I'm doing in FEBRUARY, never mind JULY! But you had to take all that money out of the marketplace, you had to earn all that interest. And to think you built your reputation as a man of the people... Bruce, when you were growing up in Asbury Park did you buy tickets for a gig SEVEN MONTHS AWAY? Did you even have the MONEY FOR IT!" [Bob Lefsetz]

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band have confirmed shows at Giants Stadium, July 27, 28 and 31. While this is significantly short of the 10 shows the band presented at Giants Stadium in 2003, more concerts could (and, probably, will) be added, if the first three sell out. Springsteen has performed at the Meadowlands - Giants Stadium or the arena that is now called the Izod Center - 66 times. Fifty-one of those shows have been with the E Street Band. Virtually all have sold out. [NJ.COM]

Danny Federici, an original member of the E Street Band, is taking a leave of absence from the current Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tour to pursue treatment for melanoma. Charles Giordano, who played with Bruce as a member of the Sessions Band, will temporarily fill in for Danny until he is able to return. Federici has been playing keyboards with Springsteen since the late Sixties. Said Springsteen, "Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."

Continue reading "Bruce Springsteen adds 3 NJ shows, tour dates"

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play Nassau Colliseum in Uniondale, NY on March 10, 2008. Add that on to the other recently announced tour dates. Tickets go on sale January 19th @ 10am.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime which kind of makes sense since I always just assumed that Showtime must have paid them already to name their show "Californication". The Times of South Africa says that, like Bruce Springsteen's Magic, Californication was the Chili Peppers' big comeback album. Are they still back? I don't know.

Velvet Revolver were denied visas by Japan because "Japanese immigration officials appear to have taken exception to the backgrounds of various band members...." In related news, Scott Weiland is going to write a book just like Slash did. And speaking of Slash, he's holding a competition for guitar players.

Bruce Springsteen @ Verizon Center, Washington DC - Nov 11, 2007 (CRED)

Tickets go on sale at 10am today for a Bruce Springsteen show in Hartford on February 28th. That's one of a bunch of recently announced tour dates. Tonight (11/19) Bruce plays for the second night in a row in Boston. All dates below....

Continue reading "Bruce Springsteen - more 2007-8 Tour Dates, tix"

A video of this....

Continue reading "VIDEO: Arcade Fire & Bruce Springsteen - 'State Trooper'"

As pointed out by "Anonymous", Arcade Fire joined Bruce Springsteen on stage last night (Oct 14, 2007) at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario. According to the official setlist posted on Bruce's site, the encore was something like this:

Girls In Their Summer Clothes
State Trooper (with Arcade Fire) (Tour Premier)
Keep The Car Running (with Arcade Fire)
Born To Run (with Arcade Fire)
Dancing In The Dark
American Land

So, just to recap....
* Arcade Fire also played with David Byrne
* And David Bowie
* And U2
* And now Springsteen
* Neon Bible was influenced by classic Springsteen
* Bruce Springsteen hung with The National
* And played with the Hold Steady
* Lou Reed does not hang with any of these people, but he does like the Killers
* And the Killers' last album was also influenced by Springsteen

Eventually some actual pictures and video from last night's Bruce show will turn up. Until then, I'll be entertaining myself by matching up the following two videos....

Continue reading "Arcade Fire played with Bruce Springsteen"

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band in Philly, Oct 6, 2007 (CRED)

"This would mark Springsteen's third No. 1 on The Billboard 200 among his last four studio albums." [Billboard]. AOL is still streaming the album for free.

Bruce's Saturday night Philly setlist below....

Continue reading "Springsteen scores another number one album"

DOWNLOAD: iLiKETRAiNS - The Deception (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Division Day - Tigers (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Division Day - Every Shining Time You Arrive (Sunny Day Real Est)(MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Division Day - Ricky (Tandemoro mix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Division Day - Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Division Day - Reversible (Ginormous Remix) (MP3)

Bruce Springsteen returns this week with a new album, Magic. This week Sony releases a 3-disc career retrospective of another American music legend, Bob Dylan.

Other releases I can recommend this week include Division Day's debut full-length, Beartrap Island, Mobius Band's Heaven, Richard Hawley's Lady's Bridge, and the Sadies' New Seasons. Carol Bui's Everyone Wore White and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings' 100 Days, 100 Nights are simply two of my favorite albums of the year.

Notable reissues this week include two more discs in Rhino's Depeche Mode remaster series (both with bonus DVD), Exciter and Ultra.

My winter holiday mix CD is slowly taking shape, with help from YoYo Kids' Yo It's Christmas and my favorite holiday disc of the year so far, Yep Roc's Oh Santa! (which includes tracks by Marah, Apples in Stereo, the Moaners, and the Minus 5). Over the Rhine gets festive with Snow Angels, a collection of ten original holiday songs.

Have I left anything noteworthy off the list? What new music releases can you recommend this week? What should I avoid?

Continue reading "Largehearted Boy's Interesting CD Releases This Week"

Bat For Lashes @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - Sept 25, 2007 (CRED)

I wasn't totally sold on Bat For Lashes before the Bowery show, and I basically feel the same way after seeing them (or "her" as many people refer to them). Natasha Khan is very talented....

NATASHA Khan, the 27-year-old Brit who is Bat for Lashes, has been compared to PJ Harvey, Siouxsie Sioux, Kate Bush and Bjork. Bjork herself has offered effusive praise for Khan; so have Thom Yorke and Devendra Banhart. [The Age]

She (they) played one cover. At the time I didn't realize it must have been her famous cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Im on Fire". (was it?)

Previously
* Bat For Lashes - more 2007 Tour Dates
* 2007 Mercury Prize nominees ++++++ BAT FOR LASHES
* Blitzen Trapper & Bat For Lashes

Founded in 1967 by Patrick Kenny, Kenny’s Castaways was a haven for new and up and coming local bands to showcase their songs. From the New York Dolls residency to the debut of a singer named Bruce Springsteen (with the E Street Band) in 1973, Kenny’s Castaways has held it’s own for more than 40 years, alongside CBGB as a downtown staple for groundbreaking bands. Past performers who have graced the stage there include Aerosmith, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, The Smithereens, Phish, Professor Longhair and the list goes on and on….. Kenny’s is still presenting live shows every night of the week and in this day and age where live venues come and go, it’s nice to see that this treasure on Bleecker Street is still on the map and continues to be….

On September 28th & 29th, Kenny’s will begin a celebration of 40 years in music, presented by Maria and Tommy Kenny, in memory of their father. Then again on October 4th, 5th and 6th… There will be more anniversary shows added in November (details forthcoming). Known for it’s all star late night jams, Kenny’s will open and close the event with a variety of musicians, old and new, getting together to bring back the traditional Village atmosphere. The Bleecker Street music scene was the key to opening doors for a variety of live venues over the years and Kenny’s is one of the landmarks that continues on as a great live venue, lasting more than four decades. Kenny’s is the real school of rock!

Continue reading "Kenny's Castaways 40th Anniversary"

Continue reading "Bruce Springsteen - 2007 Tour Dates & new album"