Everybody's a Critic, Part IV: Other Favorite Songs of 2009

OK, so my pledge to post more regularly has apparently gone the way of bi-partisanship in Washington, as it's been over a month since my last attempt.

I began writing this on the day of the Academy Awards, but do I have my thoughts together on my favorite movies of 2009? Of course not, so this entry will begin some long-delayed ruminations on my favorite songs of last year.

As a refresher, here's a link to my five favorite albums of 2009.

Now, for some individual tracks ... not including any from the favorite albums list noted above. I'll keep adding new songs and thoughts to the bottom of this entry throughout the coming weeks, because there's no telling when I'll actually finish the whole thing.

* I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers, You Really Got a Hold on Me by She & Him, and The Weary Kind by Ryan Bingham: If music history had a "most beautiful-sounding recording of all time" contest, and each year got to submit a handful of entries for consideration, these three breathtaking tracks would represent the year past just nicely, in my humble opinion. They're not upbeat by any stretch, mind you, but they're gorgeous and soulful nonetheless. The Avett track is just killer, an aching lament about a relationship ended. The Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward classic cover examines what happens when the heart knows better but can't help itself. And what can one say about Bingham? Got regrets? So does the character in his song ... but one can hope it's not too late.

* Gasoline by The Airborne Toxic Event and Geraldine by Glasvegas: These two songs sat adjacent to one another on just about every mix or iTunes playlist I put together last year. Yes, I realize Gasoline came out in 2008: I was a bit late to the game, so this is admittedly a slight cheat. That said, music history is full of songs about first loves and trying to re-write history: Gasoline's breakneck pace caught my ear and never let up. If the dude from Thunder Road never picked up Mary, this might have been what he was left with as a theme song: "The words you said tore through my head like bullets from a gun/I shoulda just shown up and said 'Get in this car, let's run.'" And looking back at the succeeding, failed relationships that never measured up to that glorious first: "These years have seen so many imitations turning green/Each like the last, they go right past, like credits on a screen/But your memory blazes through me, burning everything, like gasoline." As for Geraldine, simply put, the world would be a better place if everyone knew a Geraldine: "When you're lost in the deep and darkest place around/May my words walk you home safe and sound."

* Kick Drum Heart by The Avett Brothers and Bull Black Nova by Wilco: These two don't have much in common except that they're propulsive, keyboard-driven toe-tappers that I played relentlessly throughout the year.

* Slowly (Oh Slowly) and Nikorette by Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band: The self-conscious, slightly overwrought prodigy of Bright Eyes has evolved into a confident-sounding, virtuoso in his self-titled "solo" debut of 2008 and last year's Outer South: These two songs are my favorites from the latter.

To be continued...

Everybody's a Critic, Part II: Favorite Music (Albums) of 2009

2009 was a slightly confounding yet still exciting time for me when it came to music. First off, four of my favorite artists of all time – Bruce Springsteen, U2, Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan – put out new records this year (Dylan even released two!), and while they all contain thrilling elements that remind me of why I’ve been obsessed with them for the better part of my life, only one of them managed to rank among my top favorites as I look back at the last 12 months.

On the other hand, one of the records I listened to most this year was issued by a band whose previous work I’d been aware of but hadn’t really heard, and three – count ’em, three – of the releases that had the most impact for me were from artists I had never even heard of back in January, so that rush of being overwhelmed by something new was truly a welcome surprise.

On that topic of discovery, just a quick note here to thank those many people who have given me the priceless gift of their recommendations of music, films, books, art, TV series and more over the years.

I still firmly believe in the old-fashioned notion that a transcendent artistic achievement has the power to change a person’s life, and what could be more generous than sharing something that may do just that?

So, with that out of the way, here is the brief list of my favorite albums of 2009 – the furious five.

* The House That Dirt Built by The Heavy: A couple of friends – both from the Philadelphia area, coincidentally – tipped me off to this record at some point in December, and of this writing, I don’t think a day has gone by where I haven’t played it multiple times. Like last year’s Furr, by Blitzen Trapper, but even more so, The Heavy’s The House That Dirt Built is a dazzling assortment of tracks that easily jump from one musical genre to another yet are wholly of a piece and fit together snugly in a tight, 38-minute package that – for me – is the best complete record I heard all year.

Of course, before the kids in Philly mentioned it, I’d never even heard of this powerful UK band: Now, I can’t stop talking about them and this infectious collection.

The album proper starts with a bang, with the punky garage rocker “Oh No! Not You Again!” – featuring sexy backing vocals (“Baby, baby, want to play?” indeed!) – leading into the funky and blistering “How You Like Me Now?,” which sets its lead character’s attempts to reclaim a lost love (“Does that make you love me, baby?”) against a swaggering beat.

The jaunty “Sixteen” comes next, followed by the soulful “Short Change Hero,” which somehow seems to borrow from both Ennio Morricone and Groove Armada’s “Hands of Time” all at once, with vocals that wouldn’t sound out of place on a new Gnarls Barkley single. Undeniable.

“No Time” essentially sounds kinda like Soundgarden, with a horn section that wanders in halfway through (hint: a good thing), while “Long Way From Home” could be the most beautiful thing on the record.

Sure, maybe the reggae-infused “Cause for Alarm” was a bridge too far, but I give ’em credit for wearing their influences on their sleeves, and the fuzzy, propulsive“What You Want Me to Do?” more than makes up for it.

The House That Dirt Built closes with the plaintive “Stuck,” revisiting one of the album’s themes with the narrator once again trying to find emotional connection and a little human touch with someone just out of reach: “I don’t know if I can do it by myself … I’m stuck, ’til you make your mind up.”

All in all, a great album by a band from which I can’t wait to hear more.

* Tell 'Em What Your Name Is by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears: At some point in early 2009, I started seeing posts on music blogs talking about a forthcoming debut record from an Austin, Texas–based group called Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. The name struck me as funny and cool, but I didn’t really pay too much attention until one day, out of the blue, someone sent me the MP3 to the album’s second track, “Sugarfoot.” As will be evident by the end of these ramblings, I’m a sucker for a good horn part, and on this song, the horns had me at hello.

The album is just a joy to listen to, basically from start to finish, full of James Brown–esque old-school R&B–style grooves mashed up with a shambolic punk spirit. Imagine Sam Cooke being accompanied by Chuck Berry on guitar, the Funk Brothers and a garage band.

And the titles of some of the songs – “Big Booty Woman,” “Humpin’” and “Bobby Booshay” – just make me laugh by looking at them.

“Get Yo Sh*t” might be my favorite track, a shaggy dog tale if ever there was one, about Joe coming home to find all his possessions thrown on the front lawn by his rightfully scorned woman, whose name he can’t even bother to remember. Despite his protestations that “I love you baby!,” she isn’t having it.

These guys put on a fantastic live show, too. If they come to your town, don’t miss ’em.

* Animals in the Dark by William Elliott Whitmore: One day, out of the blue, a friend brought me a copy of this record, suggesting it might be something I might like. As usual, she was right, and I’ve been thanking her in my mind every day since.

If I told you that one of the best releases of 2009 was a contemporary folk disc which blended the populist topicality of Steve Earle with Billy Bragg’s fiery indignation and Bruce Springsteen’s humanity, sung by a guy that sounds like the Midwestern spawn of Tom Waits and Keb ’Mo (hat tip to another friend for the latter comparison), would that be something that would interest you? I would hope so.

I could write all day about Animals in the Dark, but I’ll spare you that except to note a few things.

Picks to click are the leadoff track, “Mutiny,” a fiery (and not safe for all workplaces) indictment of our leaders and their reckless stewardship of the country; “Johnny Law,” a rollicking tale of an encounter gone bad with the po-lice; and “Old Devils,” another examination of how the more things change, the more they stay the same (“They tell me there’s a war without no end, the old devils are at it again”). Hey HBO, "Old Devils" is the perfect theme song for your upcoming “Boardwalk Empire” series. Trust me.

Other standout tracks are “Hell or High Water” and “There’s Hope for You.”

But the outright gem is “Who Stole the Soul.” Now, it’s a running joke that I can’t go a day without somehow referencing Bruce Springsteen. Hell, I’ve already done it a few times in this post, and I’m going to do it again right here. In its earnest questioning, “Who Stole the Soul” confronts unchecked imperialism and directly criticizes the Constitution-bending we’ve witnessed over the last eight years in this country. When Whitmore sings that he won’t let go of “these things beyond value that we cherish so dear,” I was reminded of Springsteen’s “Long Walk Home” from the 2007 Magic album, specifically the line about the flag flying over the courthouse meaning that certain things were set in stone, like (1) who we are as a country and (2) what we’ll do in the name of the land in which we live, but (3) more importantly, standing for the things we won’t do in its name – immoral torture, illegal occupation, unjustified military intervention, etc.

At the end of “Who Stole the Soul,” the narrator has seemingly had a breakthrough, happy to proclaim that he’s “got back the spark from inside of me” and urging listeners to hear the shuffle of his dancin’ feet. That determination to meet challenges head-on reminded me of that simple verse in “Racing in the Street” from Darkness on the Edge of Town, about how some guys give up living and start dying little by little, piece by piece, while others come home from work, wash up and go racing in the street. Inspiration comes from mysterious places sometimes.

Anyway, Animals in the Dark by William Elliott Whitmore – highly recommended.

* 1372 Overton Park by Lucero: For years, many of my friends have tried to impress upon me how fantastic a band Lucero is. The testimony came from pals everywhere, whether it was D.C. (yes, Anderson and Company, I’m looking at you), New York, the great state of New Jersey or the locals here in L.A.

Try as I might, I found myself basically appreciating their previous work, but never falling head over heels for it until the day back in August when a friend, Jack, sent along a link to stream the audio of their new single, “The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo.” I think it took about 30 seconds for me to determine this was my favorite track of the year: those horns, that jagged voice, the infectious rock and soul vibe!

I waited – exceedingly impatiently – for the complete album to arrive, and when it did, it was chock full of unexpected treasures, from “Smoke” to “What Are You Willing to Lose,” “Sounds of the City,” “Sixes and Sevens” and more.

Having stupidly missed seeing them not once but twice in two different tiny Southern California venues last year, I hope against hope that they’ll swing back through here again this year.

So, Lucero, my apologies for not having been on the train earlier, but late to the party is better than not showing up at all, right?

* Backspacer by Pearl Jam: The fellas come out swinging on their latest record, with three crushing, guitar-driven rockers – “Gonna See My Friend,” “Got Some” and “The Fixer” – right out of the gate that reminded me of why they’re one of the best bands on the planet.

Now, the record admittedly doesn’t keep that pace throughout, and the collection of songs doesn’t rise to the level of the band’s seminal efforts of years past, but – to me – Backspacer is still a standout piece of musical work for 2009, relative to other releases of the past 12 months.

“When something’s loooooost, I want to fight to get it back again.”

To be continued ... with favorite individual songs of 2009, featuring some of the above plus The Airborne Toxic Event, The Avett Brothers, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band, The Dead Weather, Doves, Elvis Costello, Girls, Glasvegas, Green Day, Justin Townes Earle, M. Ward, Muse, My Chemical Romance, Rhett Miller, Ryan Bingham, She & Him, U2, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wilco and The XX.

Until then...

Let's Get It On: Free Music

For those of you who celebrate Valentine's Day and want some musical accompaniment, Amazon.com is offering a free download of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday, aka Valentine's Day).

Follow this link for the free download.

If you happen to buy anything else on Amazon.com after getting there from that link, your purchase will trigger a charitable donation from my friend, Matt Orel, via Amazon.com's Associates program.

ISO: Sixpack

Super Bowl XLIII kicks off in just over two hours.

The good guys -- aka the Pittsburgh Steelers -- are shooting for a historic sixth Super Bowl championship.

Can they stop the high-powered Arizona Cardinals offensive attack?

Tune in.

And, oh yeah, don't miss the halftime entertainment. I hear they booked a good performer for that.

UPDATE: They won! Congratulations to the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on winning their unprecedented sixth title. In an instant classic contest which featured an improbable 100-yard interception return by NFL defensive player of the year James Harrison, two touchdowns by all-world Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and a rousing Arizona comeback directed by veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger topped them all by leading the Steelers down the field in a thrilling two-minute drive to win the game with a touchdown pass to eventual MVP Santonio Holmes with about 30 seconds left in the game. Simply amazing. And Springsteen was fooking awesome.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives

I've been meaning to offer up some thoughts about my favorite movies and music from 2008, but one thing after another got in the way, and here it is, almost February, and I'm just now getting around to try to do it.

So, today, it's music.

First up will be favorite albums of the year, to be followed (hopefully on Sunday) by favorite songs from albums that didn't appear on the list below.

Sadly, I don't get around to listening to enough new music every year to really make a "10 best" list with any legitimacy. And I often find that I love a track or two from most of the new albums that I do hear, but that the full thing doesn't hold up.

That said, there were a handful of albums that I did think worked as a whole (for the post part) and would constitute my "favorites" of 2008.

So, in no particular order, with my pick for the best of the year at the bottom:

* Asking for Flowers, by Kathleen Edwards: The Canadian Lucinda Williams returned in 2008 with 10 new tracks of alt-country genius and one half-clunker. "Run," "Oil Man's War" and "Alicia Ross," especially, are fantastic tracks.

* Conor Oberst, by Conor Oberst: Recording under his own name for the first time after releasing a number of critically acclaimed records under the moniker Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst is Conor Oberst's best album, or at least equal to the haunting Bright Eyes effort I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. The first six songs on the record -- "Cape Canaveral," "Sausalito," "Get-Well-Cards," "Lenders in the Temple," "Danny Callahan" and "I Don't Want to Die in a Hospital" -- are terrific.

* Stay Positive, by The Hold Steady: It might not be as good as Boys and Girls in America, but seven out of 11 tracks are stellar, so that batting average will have to do. Standout picks to click: the title track, "Constructive Summer," "Sequestered in Memphis," "Slapped Actress" and "Joke About Jamaica."

* Only by the Night, by Kings of Leon: I haven't loved much of their recorded output before this, so I didn't have great expectations when this one arrived on my radar screen. So, I was pleasantly surprised to the point of being overjoyed when, after just one listen, I basically loved it. Essential tracks: All of them. Seriously. But my favorites are "Closer," "Sex on Fire," "Use Somebody," "Manhattan" and "Be Somebody."

* Tell Tale Signs, by Bob Dylan: OK, much of this isn't new material, but it's absolutely brilliant, nonetheless. Essential tracks: The beautiful piano demo version of "Dignity," two unreleased versions of his masterpiece "Mississippi" from 2001's Love and Theft, and "Red River Shore."

* Cardinology, by Ryan Adams: Although "side two" is a bit slow and meandering, the first seven songs struck me as a return to form reminiscent of Gold, his best solo work. Best track: "Magick."

* Rockferry, by Duffy: It took me a while, but I came to really like it. The title track, "Warwick Avenue" and the hit single, "Mercy," are not to be missed.

* Oracular Spectacular, by MGMT: Good, catchy, pop from a pair of snotty young punks. "Time to Pretend," "Weekend Wars," "The Youth," "Electric Feel" and "Kids" -- the first five songs on this album -- will stick in your head.

And, now, my favorite album of 2008...

This is a record I'd heard about for much of the year and seen countless hundreds of words written about it, whether it be from mainstream media, music blogs or friends who took to e-mail and message boards to evangelize about it.

And, still, I resisted picking it up.

Then, I met some friends for lunch around Christmas time, and one of my pals gave me a copy.

For the next month -- until a leak of the new Springsteen fell off a truck a couple weeks in advance to distract me -- I played this record non-stop.

For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver: A dude named Justin Vernon locked himself into a cabin in Wisconsin during the dead of winter, and three months later emerged with this haunting meditation on love, loss, regret and soul. It's hard to describe, but the cumulative power of this aching masterpiece is undeniable. It's difficult to separate out individual songs to listen to out of context, but "Skinny Love," "Flume" and the title track are great places to start.

"Dream" Comes True in January

Today brought the exciting news that Bruce Springsteen will release his next record of new material in January.

Called "Working on a Dream," the new album will feature 12 tracks and will be released by Columbia Records on January 27, in advance of Springsteen's performance with the E Street Band at halftime of Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla. on February 1.

In addition to the new album proper, the CD will also contain two bonus tracks:

* "A Night with the Jersey Devil," originally released in MP3 and video format on Halloween via Bruce's official website

* "The Wrestler," his new song written for the closing credits of the excellent forthcoming motion picture of the same name which stars Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Robert D. Siegel, "The Wrestler" will be released December 19 by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Oscar nominations for Rourke and Springsteen -- at minimum -- should follow on January 22, 2009.

A Night with the Jersey Devil

Halloween is upon us, so that can only mean one thing.

No, not trick or treating or ghosts or goblins.

This year's Halloween treat comes completely out of left field in the form of "A Night with the Jersey Devil," a new Bruce Springsteen song -- with video -- posted to his official website, along with a link to an MP3 download of the audio.

My friend Aaron described the video as "There Will Be Blood" meets "Apocalypse Now" meets a Southern Baptist preacher meets Bruce Springsteen.

That about sums it up for me.

Lord, please let the new album sound as loose and rollicking as this wildman blues/folk stomp.

Reallllly fast, mon

Usain Bolt completed his dominance of the Olympic sprints earlier this week, winning the 200 meters in a world record time of 19.30 seconds, then running a lightning fast third leg of the 4X100 meter relay to set up Asafa Powell for his triumphant burst down the track to a world record finish in a time of 37.10 seconds. That's three-tenths of a second faster than a Carl Lewis-led U.S. team ran in Barcelona in 1992.

Three gold medals for Bolt, with three world records. The most dominating Olympic sprinting performance of all time.

Argentina dusted Brazil 3-0 in the semifinals of men's soccer and then beat Nigeria in the final to defend their gold medal from 2004 in Athens.

The U.S. men's basketball team goes for gold in about 20 minutes against Spain, a team they shellacked by 30+ points last week in group play.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played a 29-song, three-hour-and-15-minute show tonight. In St. Louis, Mo. Sadly, I was not there.

Tomorrow, they play again. In Kansas City, Mo. Sadly, I will not be there, either.

Best. Movie. Super. Villain. Ever.

Weekend report...

* Saw "The Dark Knight" and enjoyed it a great deal. Apparently, so did a few other people, as the picture seems to have shattered box-office records for an opening frame. I don't have much to add to the generally rapturous reviews, except to say that comparisons to "The Godfather" or "Heat" might just be stretching it a bit, or to the discussion of Heath Ledger's performance, which I found vivid and haunting.

It was fascinating to see director/cowriter Christopher Nolan take on critically relevant political and social issues -- like democracy, free will and how an allegedly enlightened and free society reacts to terrorism in its midst, etc. -- within the dramatic construct of a summer super hero movie.

I'd love to see Nolan really sink his teeth into that subject matter in direct fashion, in a film along the lines of Paul Greengrass' upcoming "Green Zone" or -- to a lesser extent -- Ridley Scott's forthcoming "Body of Lies," as opposed to via allegory in the live action comic genre.

Every one of Nolan's films have been confident, assured works of a budding master. He's definitely hit his stride as a mature artist with "The Dark Knight," and I can't wait to see what he does next.

* Saw a Shark swallowed up by a Paddy. Fifty-three-year-old Greg Norman inexplicably was leading The Open Championship when he woke up this morning, having slept on a third-round lead in golf's oldest major tournament ... after not having played in the last 11 majors and entering this one simply as a warmup to next week's Senior Open Championship while basking in the afterglow of his recent marriage to tennis legend Chris Evert.

Sadly, Father Time caught up with the Great White Shark today at Royal Birkdale, as Norman couldn't keep the clocked turned back completely. Defending champion Padraig Harrington turned in a wondrous one-under-par round of 69 in brutal conditions on Sunday for a four-round total of three over par, enabling the Irishman to be crowned "champion golfer of the year" in back-to-back years. Tiger Woods -- injured and unable to compete this week -- had previously held the title in 2006 and 2005.

* Musical musings. Listened a lot to the new John Mellencamp record -- a contemporary folk offering produced by T. Bone Burnett -- and found it to be excellent.

Spent some more time with The Hold Steady's new one, "Stay Positive," and still like it, although its flaws are becoming more evident upon repeated exposure. But the good stuff -- namely the two leadoff tracks ("Constructive Summer" and "Sequestered in Memphis"), the title track and the two closing tracks ("Joke About Jamaica" and "Slapped Actress") are all first-rate musically. I read somewhere (maybe Esquire?) that The Hold Steady's last record -- the sublime "Boys and Girls in America" from 2006 -- sold fewer than 80,000 copies. I realize that musicians now basically make their entire living from touring -- and thankfully The Hold Steady draw a decent crowd on the road -- but that number seemed shockingly low to me. Never underestimate the lack of musical taste in this country.

Found the new Beck to be underwhelming.

Have high hopes for the new Okkervil River advance and have heard good things about -- believe it or not -- a Glen Campbell covers collection coming next month that finds the country impresario interpreting U2, the Velvet Underground, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Replacements, Green Day and Travis, among others.

Downloads

July 15 will bring the release of "Magic Tour Highlights," an Internet-only collection of four songs in MP3 format featuring guest performers from the current Bruce Springsteen tour.

The selections:

* "Always a Friend," an Alejandro Escovedo track sung by its composer with Springsteen in Houston

* "The Ghost of Tom Joad," with Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello threatening to blow the roof off the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

* "Turn Turn Turn" with Roger McGuinn of The Byrds in Orlando, Fla.

* "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," the final live performance by E Street Band organ player Danny Federici with the band, from Indianapolis

In addition to the MP3 files, videos of each track will also be available for download.

All proceeds will benefit The Danny Federici Melanoma Fund.

Springsteen on Russert

Bruce Springsteen's performace of "Thunder Road," via satellite at Tim Russert's memorial service today.

R.I.P. Danny "Phantom Dan" Federici

It's a sad day on E Street, as Danny Federici, longtime keyboard and accordion player for Bruce Springsteen's band, died at the age of 58 after losing his battle against melanoma.

When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, Springsteen called Federici "the most instinctive and natural musician I ever met" and continued by remarking that he was "the only member of the band who can reduce me to a shouting mess. I love you Danny. Your organ and accordion playing brought the boardwalks of Central and South Jersey alive in my music."

I've always thought that one of Springsteen's most powerful songs is "Racing in the Street," a track off the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album that, to me, reflects the resiliency of those who, through the indomitable human spirit, face up to challenges and find a way through.

The song has long been a personal favorite, and I've been fortunate enough to see it in concert a number of times, the last of which was on October 26, 2007, in Oakland, Calif. It features a beautiful Federici organ solo at the end, which eventually merges with Roy Bittan's piano playing to produce a stunning keyboard-driven coda to a heavenly tune.

Below is a clip from a performance of "Racing" from the Capitol Theater in Passaic, N.J. in 1978.

Six years ago, Bruce and company appeared on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" and performed "Kitty's Back," a rollicking, jazzy track that shows the band -- a true band in every sense of the word on stage -- playing wonderfully together. It's one of my favorite video clips ever of this talented musical street gang, showing their pure, unbridled joy at getting to do what they do best.

The song is not a huge showcase for Federici (although there is a nice solo break for him at about three minutes into the clip embedded below), but I've always remembered the broad smile on his face that was omnipresent throughout the nearly 10-minute performance.

This is what they do ... play beautiful, soulful music that deeply impacts the lives of people around the world in ways they would never know.

We'll miss ya, Danny.

"Should I stay or should I go?"

If the question is whether to stay home or go out to the movies and see "Young at Heart," the beautiful, uplifting and riotously funny documentary about a Northampton, Mass. chorus of senior citizens who specialize in reinventing punk, soul and rock 'n' roll classics, then the answer is definitely that you should go.

Seriously.

Bruce + ESB + Tom Terrific in Anaheim

Ticket: $100.

Gas: $50.

Pre-show dog and a soda: $10.

Seeing Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine unleash hell on "The Ghost of Tom Joad": Priceless.

UPDATE: Now with pro-shot video!

"It's been a long time comin', but now it's here..."

In four days, I'll be in Sacramento, followed by San Jose the next night, a day of rest (and travel back home) and then two nights in Anaheim.

Why?

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, that's why.

"Is there anybody aliiiiive out there?"

In Praise of Twangy Ladies

After Bob Dylan's emergence in the 1960s as the preeminent singer/songwriter of the 20th century, record companies were desperate to catch lightning in a bottle and find the next of the hardcore troubadours (c. Steve Earle) who would, in theory, bring them the untold riches and prestige that Dylan himself conferred upon Columbia Records.

Whether it was Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Prine, Loudon Wainwright III, Steve Forbert, Graham Parker or even Willie Nile, the "new Dylan" moniker was hung around several young male necks, a burdensome tag that unfairly served to overhype these new artists and raise expectations for their work to levels not attainable by mere mortals.

Filmmaker Todd Haynes cast a female actor -- Oscar winner Cate Blanchett -- to play the mysterious Dylan in one part of his 2007 movie "I'm Not There," which seemed only fitting to me, as the closest thing we have to a musical heir to Bob Dylan today, in my humble opinion, is, in fact, not a man but, rather, the wondrous Lucinda Williams.

A versatile performer born in Louisiana who has called Austin, Tex., Nashville and Los Angeles home at various times in her stellar career, Williams is perhaps the best American singer/songwriter currently producing music. Since 1988, she has put out six classic records (yes, I still call them records), full of insightful, personal lyrics set against contemporary blues and rock 'n' roll music with traditional folk underpinning. Mix in an unyielding sense of personal integrity, and you have all the ingredients of an enduring artist whose special gifts and talents serve as a guiding light for countless young female musicians who have followed in her wake.

One such performer is Kathleen Edwards. The talented Canadian's debut record, "Failer," was one of my favorites of 2003, and the followup, 2005's "Back to Me," was equally impressive. Her third effort, "Asking for Flowers," was released March 4 to critical acclaim (four stars in Rolling Stone) and cements her as the real deal. She's currently on tour and visits the Troubadour in Los Angeles on May 16. Check out streaming audio of the new album here.

When you're done listening to that, hurry over to this link to hear "Rattlin' Bones," the marvelous title track from the forthcoming new record by Australian Kasey Chambers, written and recorded with her partner Shane Nicholson. Amazing stuff.

But we're not done yet. There's one final kickass lady to love: Nicole Atkins.

The Neptune, N.J. native released her debut record, "Neptune City," back in the fall 0f 2007, but I hadn't learned of it until about two months ago, tipped off by an old friend who has doubled as my musical guru for the past 13 years or so. (Chances are if you've ever heard me talking about new music, it's because this guy told me about it first.)

Anyway, Ms. Atkins is terrific. Imagine a sane -- but still musically fun -- Amy Winehouse, with some Jersey shore girl toughness and a Chrissie Hynde/Pretenders sense of rock and roll fun. Click here for an audio stream of her new record and here to read more about this fresh an exciting talent.

I was waxing rhapsodic to a friend about these new records, and said friend dismissed my exhortations as merely liking the sound of twangy ladies.

Guilty as charged, I guess.

"I'll meet you further on up the road..."

The 2008 portion of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's "Magic" tour gets underway Thursday night at HCC Arena in Hartford, Conn.

That makes it 36 days and counting until my vacation and personal "Goin' Cali" mini-tour begins: back-to-back nights in Sacramento (April 4) and San Jose (April 5), followed by a pair of shows in Anaheim (April 7 and 8).

For the Anaheim concerts, Los Angeles radio station KLOS-FM is running a "pick a song" contest, with the winner scoring 14 seats to a luxury suite for the April 7 date.

Nice.

Weekend in Sight

Plans and considerations for the weekend...

* Meet a friend for dinner at a fine Italian chain restaurant.

* Listen to this CD, a lot.

* Probably go here, here and here. The continued joys of home ownership.

* Perhaps take in a movie. Here are this weekend's contenders: critically acclaimed foreign film "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"; political thriller "Vantage Point" (written, as it turns out, by an old friend's husband); or another foreign entry, "The Counterfeiters."

* Watch episode eight of "The Wire," aka the finest program in the history of American television, on HBO Sunday night. All in the game, yo.

* Finally, tune in the 80th Annual Academy Awards and hopefully win an Oscar pool ... or two (a brutha's gotta make a mortage payment!).

Smells Like Valentine's Day Spirit

Valentine's Day is here. While many will be suffering through price-gouging at local restaurants or desperately rushing to pick up flowers in a commercial attempt to prove their love to someone, I'll be doing the only sensible thing: watching last Saturday's ABC broadcast of "A Charlie Brown Valentine" on DVR. (And finishing unpacking boxes in advance of the parental visit to the new condo coming this weekend.)

For musical accompaniment, every occasion can compel a themed mini-mix.

On this day, how about Steve Earle's "Valentine's Day," Sam Cooke's "Cupid," Bruce Springsteen's "Valentine's Day" (live solo acoustic), Dire Straits' "Romeo and Juliet" (live version), U2's "The Sweetest Thing" and Bob Dylan's "Love Sick," just for the hell of it.

On a similar -- but more funny and darkly downbeat note -- the ever-cool Heather Browne has compiled an outstanding mix of "bitter, brokenhearted songs" at her "I Am Fuel, You Are Friends" blog.

If you like music, Heather is a daily must-read.

Wanna Be Startin' Something

OK, admit it ... before you knew about the chimps, before you heard the rumors about the purchase of the Elephant Man's bones, before the news was floated about the sleeping in the hyberbaric chamber, before the ruinous personal scandals of the 1990s and 2000s ... admit it people, you loved Michael Jackson.

Breaking free from the Jackson 5 and embarking on a solo career, Jackson released the phenomenal "Off the Wall" album in 1979. I was 9 years old when that record came out. Imagine the kind of musical crap that 9-year-olds are stuck with today ... Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus and lord knows what else. We had the freaking "Off the Wall" record! "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," the title track, "Rock With You," "She's Out of My Life," "Workin' Day and Night," etc. Unstoppable!

Then, three years later, comes "Thriller." Yougottabefreakingkiddingme! Eight fantastic pop songs surrounding one clunker ... and the clunker was a duet with a Beatle, so how bad could that be? (Pretty bad, actually, but we'll let that pass).

Anyway, back to back, "Off the Wall" and "Thriller" show a pop genius at the top of his game, dominating the current musical landscape and planting a legacy flag that will stand for all time, regardless of the disastrous future to come.

Don't believe me? Check out this, quite simply one of the most exciting live musical performances in the history of television. Yeah, he probably lip-synced, but notice what was absent from that performance: no pyrotechnics, no posse of backup dancers, no crutch-like guest walk-on ... just one dude, by himself, making history on a stage in front of some of the biggest perfomers of the 20th century.

Today, Sony/Epic released a 25th anniverary edition of the landmark "Thriller" album. I'm long past the time where I buy reissues (the entertainment dollar doesn't stretch as long as it once did, especially with a mortgage payment now), but reading about this today provided a nice opportunity to take a stroll down memory lane.

And, hey, if you don't like it, beat it.