Monday, August 31, 2009
Will Blink's Show Go On?
Posted by Michael Gallucci on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 9:16 PM
So ... what do you think the chances are Blink-182 will cancel Wednesday's show at Blossom Music Center?
After this, we think the chances are pretty good. —Michael Gallucci
Monday Music News Roundup
Posted by Michael Gallucci on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Oasis call it quits, surprising most of the world, who thought they broke up years ago.
Blink-182 pay tribute to DJ AM.
Chris Brown still loves Rihanna and would love the chance to beat the shit out of her again.
Call your mom. Whitney Houston has a new album.
Madonna Louise Ciccone explores her Jewish roots. —Michael Gallucci
Poll: Black Cobra vs. White Denim
Posted by Michael Gallucci on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 11:35 AM
In November, two bands with colorful (or is that colorless?) names will enter the Grog Shop, but only one may leave. Who's your money on: Black Cobra or White Denim?
Black Cobra are fistful-of-metal rockers from Frisco.
White Denim are arty, trippy rockers from Texas.
Who do you think could take whom in a Texas death match?
White Denim: 8 p.m. Saturday, November 7, at the Grog Shop. Tickets: $10
Black Cobra/Black Tusk: 8 p.m. Monday, November 23, at the Grog Shop. Tickets: $10
Spoiler: The correct answer is Black Cobra. —D.X. Ferris
Photo Show: Brad Paisley at Blossom, 8/28
Posted by Michael Gallucci on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Mark Pirri braved the stormy weather at Blossom Music Center on Friday night and emerged with a bunch of backstage and onstage shots of Brad Paisley.
Concert Review: Brad Paisley at Blossom, 8/28
Posted by Michael Gallucci on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Brad Paisley's new single, "Welcome to the Future" (from his latest album, American Saturday Night), is the country singer-songwriter's take on the ways technology has changed since he was a kid. The video for the song was filmed in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Japan, and features kids talking about their hopes for the future.
During tour stops on his current tour, Paisley is meeting more hopeful children. Local radio stations asked kids to submit a video where they begin "I want to be a ___." Winners met Paisley before his concert at Blossom Music Center on Friday and had their picture taken with him.
Five children from Northeast Ohio got to hang with the country star backstage as fans poured into the venue. Paisley said that being able to reach out to kids is “the beauty of living in 2009.” The best homemade videos are being incorporated into the “Welcome to the Future” video that plays during Paisley’s encores.
Opener Dierks Bentley also met some lucky folks backstage before the show. Onstage, he played the hit “Feel That Fire” to an enthusiastic crowd. Heavy rainfall didn’t deter concertgoers. Most embraced the slick grass and were reprimanded for turning the muddy lawn into slides.
Paisley was on fire onstage, playing many of his older hits (like “Mud on the Tires,” “Then” and “Fishing Song”) as well as tunes from his new album.
Out-doing his previous tours, Paisley performed until almost midnight, encouraging everyone to siing along. He was dynamic, smiling and energetic, interacting with the band and audience like we were all guests in his home. —Crystal Pirri
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Concert Review: Cracker at the Beachland, 8/28
Posted by Michael Gallucci on Sat, Aug 29, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Back in the mid-’90s, when Cracker was delivering one alt-rock radio hit after another, it attracted a crowd of backward-baseball cap wearing dudes who’d be just as happy pumping their fists to some Soundgarden song as they would to Cracker’s sardonic “Teen Angst.”
Fifteen-plus years down the road, the band now attracts a more sophisticated audience (though I did spot one douchebag with his hat on backward) with its wide-ranging repertoire. Sure, the band trotted out ’90s hits like “Eurotrash Girl” and “Low” during its two-hour set at the Beachland Ballroom last night.
But those songs sounded surlier and edgier in the capable hands of singer-guitarist David Lowery, who’s blossomed into a cantankerous old man (his beard makes him look like he just came down from the mountains). He and guitarist Johnny Hickman are all that’s left of the original band, but they've kept the group’s identity intact and even released a solid new album, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey.
New songs like "Friends,” originally a duet with Drive-By Trucker Patterson Hood (Hickman sang Hood’s parts), and “I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right” had that alt-country sound the band has always cultivated.
“Wilco wanted to be like Cracker, but they were too weak,” slurred one intoxicated fan standing next to me. While that might not be entirely true, Cracker did play with a kind of vigor that belied their small-hall status.
The group closed the show with two encores and then retreated to the lobby, where band members signed merch and met their fans. —Jeff Niesel
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday Music News Roundup
Posted by Michael Gallucci on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 3:11 PM
Just because we love Taylor Swift and will post about her whenever we get the chance.
Well, maybe you should leave the stripper pole at home next time.
Whitney Houston's record company cares more about her career than she does.
Michael Jackson was murdered! And they mean it this time.
They're not nearly as trendy as starving Africans, but they dress better. —Michael Gallucci
