Of Montreal : Live Video and a Contest
Of Montreal‘s Skeletal Lamping was one of last year’s best records and the live shows to accompany it have been garnering similar raves. Courtesy of Baeblemusic, check out some live video from their recent Portland stop and swing on over to Baeblemusic to enter to win one of three autographed copies of the Skeletal Lamping disc. Cool stuff.
For entry, just follow these steps:
a) Register on baeblemusic.com
b) Let us know what you think about of Montreal’s performance by leaving a comment
c) You must be registered! – Any comments posted anonymously will not be considered a contest entry
d) Voila! You’ve entered the Baeble Hook Up!
Contest ends on Wednesday, April 22. Winners will be selected randomly from the pool of comment entries.
Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com
BOS Presents : The Shots,Murder Mystery,Thinking Machines, Canadian Invasion PLUS A CD Giveaway !
The M Room in Phildelphia is where you need to be tomorrow night to catch the first “Bag Of Songs Presents” night. Here’s a little preview of what you have in store, plus, read all they way down for info on a CD giveaway !
The Shots:
Colt Morris – Vocals, Bass
Alex Blyskun – Guitar
Marcos Zerpa – Drums
Why you need to see The Shots : Ever say to yourself I wish I could have seen Led Zeppelin in 1969,or The Who Live At Leeds,or U2 in small club,or [insert your most lamented “I wish I saw them when”, musical regret here]. Well don’t blow it again. Your time is NOW to see The Shots delivering their amazing show in small venue.
The Shots – Do Me Wrong
More at [MYSPACE]
Murder Mystery:
Jeremy Coleman: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Laura Coleman: Drums, Vocals
Adam Fels: Bass, Vocals
Graham Roberts: Guitar, Vocals
Making their Philadelphia debut is Murder Mystery who released their album Are You Ready For The Heartache Cause Here It Comes in the fall of 2007 and have been garnering non stop accolades ever since. Bring your dancing shoes because their retro meets indie grooves will have you jumping around like you’re at a fifties sock hop.
Murder Mystery – Love Astronaut
Buy Are You Ready For The Heartache Cause Here It Comes
[MYSPACE]
Thinking Machines:
Cody Brown
Marcus Epler
Sean Wolfe
This essentially the cd release party for The Thinking Machines who released their excellent A Complete Record of Urban Archaeology in early 2008. A rhythmic guitar driven record that translates exceptionally well into a powerful live show. Think something along the lines of Fugazi meets Gang of Four, or The Constantines and you’ll have an idea of what they’re all about.
Thinking Machines – Return To Red Sun
Buy A Complete Record of Urban Archaeology
[MYSPACE]
Canadian Invasion:
Andy Canadian – vocals, guitar
Jim Foley – bass
Eric Miller – guitar
George Groves – drums
Chris Morita – guitar, vocals
Canadian Invasion holed up at Philadelphia’s Miner Street Studios with the amazing production team of Brian McTear and Amy Morrisey to record the followup to their Songs For The Atco Ghost and recorded what is currently one of the best unreleased records of 2008 in Three Cheers For The Invisible Hand, a jangly, harmony laden, lyric rich gem of a power pop record.
Canadian Invasion – Juvenilia
More at [MYSPACE]
GIVEAWAY : You can’t buy their album yet, but I have five copies to give away of a special limited edition 3 song sampler CD from Canadian Invasion‘s Three Cheers For The Invisible Hand. All you need to do to win is leave a comment or send an email to bagofsongs@gmail.com with “CI Contest” in the subject line. I’ll pick five random winners on Tuesday April 22, so don’t waste any time, get those entries in now.
Holiday Cd Giveaway Contest Winners
Thanks everyone for all of the great comments and emails on the Christmas Song Of The Day series. I had a lot of fun doing it and I hope you all enjoyed it as well. As promised, I drew three names at random this morning to win copies of the Mad Dragon Records Holiday Sampler. The Swimmers song we posted on day 2 is included on this disc as are songs from other excellent Mad Dragon artists Andrew Lipke,Ian D.G. Bennett and Matt Duke.
Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations to the winners : Lil’ Leah from the UK, Nicole from Canada, and Mark Rowan.
In case you missed some,here’s a recap of each day’s featured songs for you:
1 Pearl Jam – Let Me Sleep
2 The Swimmers – The Christmas Sound
3 Deanna Kirk – You’re A Mean One Mr Grinch
4 Robert Earl Keen – Merry Christmas From The Family
5 Everything But The Girl – 25th December
6 Vince Guaraldi Trio – Linus And Lucy
7 The Beach Boys -Little Saint Nick(alternate version)
8 John Lennon – Happpy Xmas(War Is Over)
9 Ryan Adams – Hey Parker It’s Christmas
10 Elvis Presley – Merry Christmas Baby
11 Big Star- Jesus Christ
12 Blind Boys Of Alabama w/ Tom Waits – Go Tell It On The Mountain
13 Rilo Kiley – Xmas Cake
14 The Fire Apes – Last Christmas
15A Death Cab For Cutie – Christmas(Baby Please Come Home)
15B Darlene Love – Christmas(Baby Please Come Home)
15C U2- Christmas – Christmas(Baby Please Come Home)
16A Freedy Johnston – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
16B Victoria Williams – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
17 Desmond Reed – December 25th
18 The Smithereens – Christmastime All Over The World
19 Liz Phair – Winter Wonderland
20 Spinal Tap – Christmas With The Devil
21 (Fruit)cake – White Beard, Red Jacket
22 Fountains Of Wayne – I Want An Alien For Christmas
23 The Kinks – Father Christmas
24A Chris Isaak- Blue Christmas
24B Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas
25A James Brown – Christmas In Heaven
25B-James Brown – Soul Christmas
25C James Brown – Please Come Home For Christmas
25D James Brown – Signs Of Christmas
25E James Brown – Santa Claus. Santa Claus
The Top 25 Albums Of 2007 – 1 to 10 And A Giveaway !
Okay here it is the grand finale, my top ten of the year. The albums I listened to and enjoyed most this year. There was so much great music this year that a short list of twenty five doesn’t nearly it do it all justice. There’s obviously way more omitted than included.
And, as I promised I have giveaways. A copy of The Swimmers – Fighting Trees that most of you will need to wait until it’s March release to get your hands on, but I have it for you now, and a copy of The Broken West‘s I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On autographed by the whole band(Thanks Ross!)
Once again I’ll make it easy to win just leave a comment or send me an email to
bagofsongs@gmail.com with “Top 25 Contest” in the subject line.
You don’t have to, but feel free to get creative in the comments – your top albums, what I missed, etc. If you leave a comment make sure you leave an email or some way to get in touch if you win. I’ll pick 2 winners at random on New Year’s Day from all the entries. Good Luck !
1:The Swimmers – Fighting Trees
Back in January of this year when I received a rather unassuming email from Steve Yutzy-Burkey, not so unlike a lot of other emails I receive everyday from bands, letting me know they had shows upcoming and that their new album Fighting Trees was
streaming from their website if I wanted to give it a listen. What I found at the end of the link was a record I would unabashedly call one of the first truly important releases of 2007. Now nearly a year later, I’ve seen the band live more than a dozen times and there is no single album I listened to or enjoyed more this year. It’s the perfect balance of catchy hooks,vocal harmonies and intelligent lyrics that I just can’t seem to get enough of. The record saw a limited Philadelphia area CD release this fall on Mad Dragon Records, who signed the band and will officially release their record to the rest of the world in March 2008. Watch out for it.
MP3: The Swimmers – Pocketful Of Gold
[MYSPACE] [WEBSITE]
2:The Broken West – I Can’t Go On I’ll Go On
Guitar driven, smart, power pop. Reference points of Big Star,The Beatles,Cheap Trick and more come to mind but the sound ends up undeniably all The Broken West. A dozen songs here and each one could be a single in it’s own right, no filler here just great music.
MP3: The Broken West – Down In The Valley
Buy I Can’t Go On I’ll Go On
3:Julie Doiron – Woke Myself Up
The best overlooked album of the year. Emotional, ragged and real with a sound that falls somewhere between fellow Canadians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Forget Feist you need this.
MP3: Julie Doiron – I Woke Myself Up
Buy Woke Myself Up
4:The Clientele – God Save The Clientele
Alasdair Maclean describes the band’s sound on this record: “The band are setting free their inner Monkees; a lovely blend of Big Star twisted power-pop and country achin’, with flashes of the Beatles at their most joyful and upbeat.” He’s dead on, it’s a perfect Sunday morning record, filled with smooth sixties overtones but never sounding retro or dated.
MP3: The Clientele – Here Comes The Phantom
Buy God Save The Clientele
5:Blitzen Trapper – Wild Mountain Nation
What Wilco could sound like if they didn’t sand all the edges off. The perfect mix of alt country and indie rock, they delivered one of the best live shows I saw all year.
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – Sci-Fi Kid
Buy Wild Mountain Nation
6:Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter
One of the best new songwriters of a generation, Josh amped it up a bit more than his earlier records for this one and created a new classic. And as good as this is, I somehow feel it’s still only hinting at the future greatness Josh has in him.
MP3: Josh Ritter – Right Moves
Buy The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter
7:Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
I’ll commit blogger heresy here and say other than a song or two,their debut Funeral did nothing for me. But with only one real clunker(Black Wave),this one is just shy of perfect. Anthmemic and engaging it grabs you right from the first listen. Openly embracing their Springsteen influences in their sound this time around didn’t hurt at all either.
MP3: Arcade Fire – Black Mirror
Buy Neon Bible
8:LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
James Murphy obviously honed his ear for what works during his time as a bouncer at Trenton’s alternative rock club City Gardens all through the mid to late eighties and delivered an album that put all that knowledge together for something relevant right now. Their live show is phenomenal, hearing All My Friends live was one of most transcendent concert moments I’ve ever experienced.
Listen To The Whole Album Here
Buy Sound Of Silver
9:Creeping Weeds – We Are All Part Of A Dream You’re Having
One of Philadelphia’s most original sounding bands this manages to run the gamut from desolate spacey piano, to jagged edgy guitar rockers and all points in between, and it all works. And having seen them live like 8 or 9 times this past year I can tell you they’re an awesome live band as well.
MP3: The Creeping Weeds – Eternity Is A Long Time
Buy We Are All Part Of A Dream You’re Having
10:Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
Twelve solid midtempo pop songs filled with hooks,violin, whistling and more, from th eopening notes of Fiery Crash it creates an alternate world and holds you there right through to the final notes of Yawny at the Apocalypse. One of the best sequenced albums of the year, each song perfectly setting up the next, just like a great mix tape.
MP3: Andrew Bird – Fiery Crash
Buy Armchair Apocrypha
Monday Morning Blues : Stevie Ray Vaughan Video and Contest
I was lucky enough to see Stevie Ray Vaughan live a few times spanning his whole career, from the Pride and Joy days right up through to a few weeks before his tragic death. He was an amazingly talented guitar player, and awe inspiring to watch.
There’s a couple new releases out, one a DVD from the Pride and Joy era and a cd that captures many of his collaborations. My friends at Cornerstone have graciously offered to send me a copy of each to give to you. As usual I’ll make it easy, just leave a comment or send an email to bagofsongs@gmail.com with “SRV Contest” in the subject. You don’t need to leave anything specific but your remembrances of Stevie Ray would be cool to read. Thanks and Good Luck. I’ll pick a random winner next Monday.
Heres’s the some info:
STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN
Pride And Joy
Legacy Recordings / Epic Records
In its original form, PRIDE AND JOY served as a well-sequenced chronology of SRV&DT’s Epic years. Included (in order) were all the promo video clips shot for each of their studio albums: Texas Flood (“Love Struck Baby,” 1983); Couldn’t Stand The Weather (the title tune and “Cold Shot,” both 1984); Soul To Soul (“Change It,” 1985); and In Step (“The House Is Rockin'” and “Crossfire,” both 1989). The centerpieces were two live performances: Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” (from the double-LP Live Alive sessions, 1986) and Howlin’ Wolf’s “I’m Leaving You (Commit A Crime)” (in New Orleans, 1987).
To these, the new edition of PRIDE AND JOY adds the promo video of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” as performed by Stevie Ray, created for the song’s first appearance on the posthumous collection, The Sky Is Crying (1991). The rare track was a staple for the group – an outtake from the 1985 Soul To Soul sessions can be heard on 2002’s The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble; and another version can be seen on Live From Austin, Texas, the VHS chronicle of their 1983 appearance on PBS’ “Austin City Limits.”
STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN
Solos, Sessions + Encores
Legacy Recordings / Epic Records
SOLOS, SESSIONS & ENCORES gathers 14 varied performances – half of them live, including the near-mythic 1984 jam with Jeff Beck at the CBS Records Convention in Honolulu. With one 1978 exception, the album spans five of his years as an Epic Records artist, from 1983 to 1988. There are album session tracks with Albert King, B.B. King, Paul Butterfield, Marcia Ball, Johnny Copeland, A.C. Reed, Bill Carter, Dick Dale, and David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” (the worldwide #1 chart smash that ignited Stevie Ray’s stardom in 1983) – plus six previously unreleased tracks (five of them live) with Lonnie Mack, Katie Webster, Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan, Lou Ann Barton, and Bonnie Raitt.
GIVEAWAY = Free Holiday Music For You !
Hey, what are the holidays without gifts? So mucho thanks to my new friend the lovely Alex from Mad Dragon Records for hooking me with a few copies of their 2007 Holiday Sampler to give to you. I have three copies of this special limited edition disc and all you need to do to get one is either leave a comment on one of the Christmas Song Of the Day posts or shoot me an email to bagofsongs@gmail.com with “Xmas Contest” in the subject between now and December 25th, and on Christmas morning I’ll pick three lucky winners at random(make sure you include an email or some way to get a hold of you). The Swimmers song we posted on day 2 is included on this disc as are songs from other excellent Mad Dragon artists Andrew Lipke,Ian D.G. Bennett and Matt Duke.
And personally many thanks to ALL of the fine folks at Mad Dragon for throwing a helluva great party last night at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia with lots of rocking music from Mad Dragon artists.
Happy Holidays ! And stayed tuned as I have more great stuff to give away this month as I recap 2007.
You Can Make Them Like You : Hold Steady Video Contest
Boys and Girls in America was one of best albums of 2006. The Hold Steady are currently one of the hottest rock and roll bands in the world right now and they want to let you in on the party. So break out those video editing skills and make them proud. Here’s the details:
Film Us a Music Video and WIN BIG!
When Boys & Girls in America was released in October, we challanged the Boys & Girls in America to share their own tales of the ups and downs of love, life & the stories of being yourself. Now, the Boys and Girls in America & the rest of the worlds are invited to take your best shot and shoot/animate/create your own video for one
of the songs from Boys & Girls in America. The rules are simple and you could find yourself with a wad of cash and some great prizes too!Just go to the Boys and Girls in America website – and upload your original music
video!Grand Prize for the winning video include $1000 cash prize, $1000 in JBL products, a free 6 month membership to eMusic.com, a Hold Steady Merch Pack and the chance to have your video on FUSE TV. First Prize includes: $500 cash prize, iPod Shuffle, 3 Month Membership on eMusic and a merchandise package of all of the greatest Hold Steady stuff. A runner –up prize consisting of a $250 cash prize, 1 Month eMusic membership and band merch pack insures that there are plenty of chances to win.
All you need to do is create a music video of any song on Boys and Girls in America.
Here’s a sample to get you thinking
The Hold Steady – First Night
For the rules, prize listing & to enter visit: BoysAndGirlsInAmerica.com
[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE] [iTUNES] [EMUSIC] [HYPE]
CONTEST : Our 10,000 Visitor Giveaway
Thanks to everyone who has stopped by, read, left comments,or sent messages or music. I really appreciate it. I hope you all found something to take away, whether it’s a new favorite song, an old forgotten gem, or just something to think about during the day.
Today in honor of reaching the 10,000th visitor to Bag Of Songs, I’m doing my first contest. Just leave a comment here, and next Sunday I’ll put all the entries in a hat and pick a winner at random. It doesn’t get any easier than that. The lucky winner will receive a copy of the remastered 10,000 Maniacs greatest hits & rarities set, Campfire Songs.
Good Luck ! Comment away ! and don’t forget to include an email or some way I can reach you if you win.
While you’re typing here’s a little taste of what’s up for grabs.
MP3: 10,000 Maniacs – Candy Everybody Wants
MP3: 10,000 Maniacs – Every Day Is Like Sunday (Smiths Cover)
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