Year in Music 2012

Another year is over, and I love taking this look back at the shows I saw. Even though I didn't go to as many shows as I would have liked, I still saw some of my all-time favorites, including Wilco, Spoon, Lemonheads, Radiohead, Noel Gallagher, and of course, many Old 97's performances. I do need to try harder to see more local bands this year and not take for granted that I live in this wonderful Austin.

I went back and watched the video overviews I had done since 2008, and it's a great way to reminisce in just a few minutes. If you have a little free time, take a look at this brief tour through my year in music. I hope you had a great 2012, and here's to an even better, more fun, more prosperous 2013!

Wilco, ACL Live at Moody Theater, Dec. 1

It had been such a long time since I had seen Wilco, not once in 2010, having to go all the way back to the Cedar Park show in Oct. 2009. So, I was due. It was extra special to find out that Jeff Tweedy would be interviewed for an Overheard with Evan Smith taping, so I made sure I was in line early for that one. Such a charming and insightful discussion. Make sure you see it when it is aired or appears online.

I missed the ACL taping, but got to see their regular show at ACL Live, which was quite amazing. Their catalog is so huge, but they managed to play things from across the decades. Opening with the melancholy "Reservations,' then launching into the art rock of "Art of Almost," sounds crazy, but set just the perfect tone of contradiction and experimentation. Later it was "I'm the Man Who Loves You," "Pot Kettle Black," "She's a Jar," and even "Box Full of Letters," plus many, many more. Nick Lowe opened, with a special, quiet, acoustic set, then he joined Wilco to close out the show with a rousing "Cruel To Be Kind." Hope I don't have to wait two years to see them again!

Year in Music 2008

I shot video at most of the shows I went to in 2008, so I thought I'd make a compilation of some highlights. There are three things that I realized by looking at the videos:

1. I have gotten pretty good at finagling decent positioning at most shows
2. Bald guys tend to stand in front of me
3. I LOVE living in Austin. I am so inspired by the talented and creative people that I have seen over the past year, and I am honored that many of them are my friends.

The video is 16 minutes, so if you've got a little time to kill, I'd love it if you'd take a look. Features Wilco, Son Volt, Old 97's, Ben Folds, Fastball, Spoon, Okkervil River, Kanye West, Nick Lowe, Jon Dee Graham, Paul Minor, Mario Matteoli, Andrew Duplantis, Lil Capn Travis, Vampire Weekend, Swell Season, M. Ward, Foo Fighters, Brent Adair, Neal Mehta, Phil Dutra, Carrie Rodriguez, Summer Wardrobe, the Steps, the Mother Truckers, Future Clouds and Radar, Hayes Carll... and more!

Have a Happy New Year!

BTW, the new Texas Music magazine is on sale now with writers' picks for top TX CDs of the year. Here are my picks, all of whom are represented in the video:

Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity
Brent Adair - Ostrich
Hayes Carrl - Trouble in Mind
Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
The Steps - The Steps

Wilco on Colbert 10/30/08

My two favorite people, together. Love it!!!

Lolla - Day 2

Day 2 was great. I learned the layout of the festival, figured out how to walk across the grounds maximizing shade, and took a much more laid-back pace than Day 1. It is really best to view it as two festivals, each side. Just focus on one or the other. It is a good mile between each of the main stages. But, the park is beautiful, Buckingham Fountain and the Chicago Skyline all around. It was a little cooler, breezy and was a perfect 60 degrees by the time Wilco took the stage at 8:30pm.

Here are the things I saw on Saturday:

Dr. Dog

Whole Foods at the Green Store

Mason Jennings

Gutter Twins

MGMT

Explosions in the Sky (from Austin), didn't know they were an instrumental group

Okkervil River, also from Austin. They rocked. Love their sound, cross between Spoon and the Cure. Definitely something to watch in the future.

Jeff Tweedy on the big screen, very intense

Wilco rocked, best show I've seen from them. Dear ACL: Wilco definitely needs to headline in the future. Check out their fancy, sequined outfits. Tweedy's first words to the crowd: "We've been doing a lot of sewing."

Wilco - Stubbs - 2nd Night 5/12/08

Another amazing show. My favorite additions to the set were Box Full of Letters, California Stars (accompanied by members of opening band Retribution Gospel), and Monday.

Tweedy was less complimentary to the audience tonight, but only tongue-in-cheek. He started out by saying that the people who didn't come the night before were smarter than those who did, then he switched it around realizing he just pissed off his hardcore fans, then ended up by saying that everyone was dumb.

He also commented that they had stayed at the same hotel as Karl Rove. "I haven't been that close to evil in a while."

My Wilco withdrawal is beginning. But, my week of music continues. I must find something for tonight, Wed night will be local acts at Quacks, Neal Mehta, Brent Adair, and Sarah Sharp.





Box Full of Letters


Hummingbird


Shot in the Arm


Jesus, etc.


I'm the Man Who Loves You

Wilco - Stubbs - 1st Night 5/11/08

It was a beautiful night in Austin, as Wilco took the stage at Stubb's for the first of a two-night stand. The set list covered their entire career, bringing songs from A.M. through their recent Sky Blue Sky. My favorites included Jesus, Etc., Hate It Here, Heavy Metal Drummer, Outta Mind Outta Site, Misunderstood, Shot in the Arm, I'm the Man Who Loves You, and a rousing Kidsmoke to end the first encore. OK, I have a lot of favorites.

Tweedy had rare, yet choice, comments for the Austin crowd. He said that Austin audiences were the best, and they tell that to lots of audiences, but usually they lie. But, Austin is really the best. "Austin knows how to make a band feel special. Austin knows how to make a band feel pretty." Then later, after a perfectly executed hand-clap, Tweedy declared, "Austin, you are superior in every way." OK, we're suckers for those kinds of compliments, but we'll take them.

Looking forward to more of the same...yet different...tomorrow night.







Misunderstood


Hate It Here

Wilco Chicago

I was very lucky to have a good friend in Chicago who invited me to one of the five nights of the Wilco Winter Residency at the Riviera. It was an amazing night, made me wish I had gone all five nights. Braving 8 degree temps, it was completely worth the trip. Since I was trying to follow the rules, I didn't bring a camera in, although I could have - seems everyone else did. But, I did get these photos beforehand of the marquee and the buildings on the cover of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

Wilco!

For me, Wilco was the headliner of this festival. Yes, I did attempt to watch Bob Dylan, but my basecamp location was complicated by the limited camera angles on the jumbotron. I might as well have been watching Lawrence Welk. So, back to Wilco. This was a great set, high energy, beautiful songs, with chaotic (in a good way) accompaniments at times. They played both old and new, with lots covered on Sky Blue Sky, but also early tracks from AM and Being There. Jeff Tweedy's voice was amazing. 75 minutes was just not enough to do justice to the body of work that they have amassed. Come back to Austin soon!