Neil Young in 1984/1985

Neil's tours with the "International Harvesters" in 1984 and 1985 have provided me with some of my favorite concert bootlegs. The new "A Treasure" release next week provides us official release of 12 live tracks from those tours. The new album probably won't stack up to the complete Austin 1984 soundboard tape or 3-disc 1984 tour compilation that have been in circulation for a long while, but I look forward to hearing it nonetheless.

My Upcoming Disaster Songs Compilation (Coming Summer 2011, mofos)

I have been working on my disaster songs mixtape for many a month. Here are two of the selections:

O'Death -- "Fire on Peshtigo":



Obviously, side B will open with Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald":

The 4 things I am currently liking about TV on the Radio

1. New single from the forthcoming album Nine Types of Light which comes out April 12th on Interscope Records:

TV On The Radio - "Will Do" by Interscope Records

2. I preordered the new album on amazon.com.

3. The new album cover -- photo by band member Dave Sitek.

4. I just bought tickets today for a TV on the Radio show in April.

I am one happy TV on the Radio fan, mofos.

I've Been Partying with Jann Wenner

All apologies for the lack of updates in the last 7 weeks.

Ever since this blog was featured in the year-end music coverage in Rolling Stone (well, actually by a music column on rollingstone.com), I have had little time to post. Once Jann's private jet picked me up on December 31st, I have been hitting the international rock-n-roll party circuit on Mr. Wenner's dime. Chatting about surrealist poetry with David Bowie and Chevy Chase at a party in Paris? Check. Making fun of Mick Jagger with Keith Richards and Johnny Depp on a rooftop in South Beach? Check.

I ducked out of the non-stop Jann-guided party right before the Grammys.  I had to draw a line somewhere.

I hope to provide capsule reviews soon on some of the new albums that I have heard this year--from the likes of PJ Harvey, the Decemberists, the Drive-By Truckers, New York Dolls, Wire, Radiohead, Gang of Four, Ghostface Killah, Yuck, Hayes Carll, The Dirtbombs, Wanda Jackson, Iron & Wine, Destroyer, Smith Westerns, etc.



I haven't watched the Grammys since 1998 [then it was mainly to watch the Dylan lovefest that culminated in Time Out of Mind winning album of the year], but I sought out this fine Janelle Monae clip from this year's Grammys. I am still beating myself up over missing the Monae/Of Montreal tour this past fall. Arghhh.



Be cool, stay in school.