Halloween

Tomorrow is Halloween.  The picture above is the Jack-o-Lantern my daughter did last year.  Bad news at our house yesterday, our 10 year old cannot go trick or treating this year because he has the flu so he is very bummed.

Here are some spooky songs for the Halloween parties:

Ray Parker Jr - Ghostbusters
Apollo Sunshine - Ghost
Dusty Springfield - Spooky
Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost
Fanfarlo - Ghosts
White Stripes - Walking With A Ghost

Here are some pictures of previous Halloweens:

Warpaint

I recently heard a new band called Warpaint.  Their haunting sound reminds me of a lot of bands of the late eighties.  The video for the song Stars is really cool.

Warpaint - Stars from Adam Harding on Vimeo.

Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers is also a fan.

Drive-By Truckers Tonight at House of Blues

I am going to see Drive-By Truckers tonight at Dallas House of Blues.  James McMurtry is opening.  I am looking forward to the show.

Drive-By Truckers - Ronnie And Neil
James McMurtry - 60 Acres

Under the Covers

This week's cover is the Bob Dylan song "Like A Rolling Stone".  I have included covers by the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen and the Drive-By Truckers along with a parody by The Replacements.

Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone (mp3)
The Rolling Stones - Like A Rolling Stone (mp3)
Jimi Hendrix - Like A Rolling Stone (mp3)
Bruce Springsteen - Like A Rolling Stone (mp3)
Drive-By Truckers - Like A Rolling Stone (mp3)
The Replacements - Like A Rolling Pin (mp3)

It's Sunday

photo by Ann West

Everyone is recovering from last night so I thought this was an appropriate song for a lazy Sunday.

Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down (mp3)

Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson

Peter's Party

Photo by Ann West

Tonight is the party for Peter.  Music is always a big party of our parties and tonight will be no different.  Here is a partial playlist of what might be heard tonight:

Apollo Sunshine - Today Is The Day
Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
The Black Crowes - Good Morning Captain
Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
The Rolling Stones - Hand Of Fate
The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud
Dr. Dog - Hang On
Monsters Of Folk - The Right Place
The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes
Neko Case - People Got A Lotta Nerve
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Roadside Graves - Far And Wide
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Easy Does It
Modest Mouse - People As Places As People
Drive-By Truckers - Gravity's Gone

Roadside Graves

I have been listening to Roadside Graves a lot lately.  This alt country band is out of New Jersey and with this name you would think they are some type of speed metal band.  I really enjoy their latest album My Son's Home.

Roadside Graves - My Father Sat Me Down
Roadside Graves - Valley

Exercise

Here is a way to get more people to exercise as part of an experiment in Stockholm, Sweden.

Under the Covers

Money (That's What I Want) was a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong.  This song has been covered by a bunch of artists and here are a few of the cover versions along with the original.

Barrett Strong - Money (That's What I Want) (mp3)

The Beatles - Money (That's What I Want) (mp3)

The Rolling Stones - Money (That's What I Want) (mp3)

Sonics - Money (That's What I Want) (mp3)

Flying Lizards - Money (That's What I Want) (mp3)

Here is an interesting version by the Bee Gees and Jerry Lee Lewis:

Wanda Jackson

If you have not heard of Wanda Jackson before, then you need to check her out.  She is the 'Queen of Rockabilly' and has been playing since the mid-fifties.  She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

Wanda Jackson - Fujiyama Mama (mp3)
Wanda Jackson - Riot in Cell Block #9 (mp3)

Wanda is still on the road today:

Classic Wanda - Hard Headed Woman

It's Sunday

The kids have a long weekend from school so we are trying to take it easy but not much luck.  Here is a track from David Byrne and Brian Eno's great album from last year, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.

David Byrne and Brian Eno - One Fine Day (mp3)

Bon Iver Announces Indefinite Hiatus

Justin Vernon announced that Bon Iver was going on indefinite hiatus or at least until next year.  It is too bad but I am sure Justin will have a new project sometime soon.  Check out Bon Iver's two albums:  For Emma, Forever Ago and Blood Bank.

Bon Iver - Skinny Love (mp3)

Bon Iver - Flume (mp3)

Bon Iver - Beach Baby (mp3)

Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips new album Embryonic hit stores this past Monday.  It is good stuff!  They were on The Tonight Show last night and I am sure they freaked the audience out.  I love the guy playing the gong.

The Flaming Lips - Silver Trembling Hands (mp3)

Under the Covers

Well, U2 played the new cowboy stadium last night and I thought it would only make sense to post a U2 song.  It was a great show and the boys still have it.  A big percentage of the world's wealth was in town yesterday with not only U2 but Oprah was at the fair and Tiger Woods was at the concert.  Here is a picture of the stage that the band is hauling around for the 360 tour.

Here are a couple cover versions of U2's One:

Cowboy Junkies - One

Johnny Cash - One

It's Sunday

Here is a song from A.C. Newman who you may know better as a member of the New Pornographers.

A.C. Newman - Prophets (mp3)

Dirk Nowitzki's Hairdo

NBA basketball preseason has started.  The Mavericks opened up against the Orlando Magic and Dirk was sporting long locks.  He usually cuts it all off before the start of the season but the announcer, Skin, recommends he keep the long hair.  What do you think?

Mojo Nixon - Don't Want No Foo-Foo Haircut on My Head

Pavement - Cut Your Hair

BTW - Amazon is offering almost all of Mojo Nixon's songs for free.

Here is Pavement live.

Best Celebrity Beer and Alcohol Commercials

Paste Magazine put a list of the 10 best celebrity beer and alcohol commercials.  It is pretty funny stuff.  I have posted a couple and added a few more.  I forgot how many sports celebrities were in the old Miler Lite commercials.

The Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats were on the Colbert Report last night.  Stephen Colbert did a brief interview with John Darnielle on why he chose to name the band after a mountain goat.  Every song on their new album, The Life of the World to Come, is named after a bible verse.  Check them out.

The Mountain Goats - Genesis 3:23 (mp3)

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
John Darnielle
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Mountain Goats - Psalms 40:2
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

Under the Covers

This week's cover is John Lennon's Jealous Guy.  There are supposedly 92 recorded versions of this song, but here are a few.

John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band - Jealous Guy

Donny Hathaway - Jealous Guy

Roxy Music - Jealous Guy

Elliott Smith - Jealous Guy

Jealous Guy by Gavin DeGraw

Taco Joint

(compliments of Good Records - http://twitpic.com/kdbxa)

This sign was in front of the Taco Joint in Dallas.  Since it has some regional humor with the reference to Big Tex, I thought I would post some Texas music today.   There are a lot of great musicians from Texas.

Pat Green - I Like Texas

Lyle Lovett - Long Tall Texan

Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson - Luckenbach, Texas

Waylon - Luckenbach, Texas (Live)

It's Sunday

(photo by Ann West)

Here is Xavier Rudd all the way from Australia.

Xavier Rudd - Better People

The Olympic Fiasco

(photo by Ann West)

How did Chicago lose the Olympics?  What a drag!

Duran Duran - Rio

The Blues Brothers - Sweet Home Chicago

More on the BlakRoc Sessions

The more I hear stuff from the Black Keys upcoming rap project Blakroc the more I like it.  It is very cool how the different worlds come together.  Here is some video from the sessions.

The Blakroc Sessions:  Episode One (feat. Dash and Mos Def):

The Blakroc Sessions:  Episode Two (feat. Mos Def):