Traveling the Globe to Bring You New Music

It’s been a busy year seeing live music and traveling the world to prepare for my annual top picks CD for the CD club I’m in.

Maggie and Sam join me at EDC. Or did I join them?

Made it to Lollapalooza and Coachella, raved at the Coliseum with my 18 year old for EDC over two days, traveled to Red Rocks for STS9, saw Andrew Bird perform for 500 people at USC, caught Delphic, Grizzly Bear and Beach House in London, discovered Mumford and Sons, reveled in MGMT, danced under the full moon with Dave Matthews at the Hollywood Bowl, rose with Phoenix at the Bowl and closed the Music Box at 5 am with Benny Benassi, strained to see Vampire Weekend with my kids at the Bowl, danced insanely at the Orpheum with Widespread Panic and saw my 12 year old on stage with Michael Franti holding the set list at the Wiltern.

Like Dad like daughter. Dana grabs the Michael Franti Club Nokia set list.

But NONE of those bands or experiences made this years list.

Arcade Fire opened the show at the Shrine the other night with “Ready to Start”. Favorite line “I would rather be wrong then to live in the shadow of your song. My mind is open wide and I’m ready to start”. Not a bad way to kick off the 90 minute show in which every song was an anthem. There’s a reason Rolling Stone Magazine called them one of the top 50 shows of all time.

Primal Scream’s been around for a long time but I’d never heard of them. “Rocks” just pumps energy and their catalog is deep. They perform mostly in Europe – one of the reasons I’ve not seen them yet. They’re on the list.

Lisa McClung and I before Gossip at Coachella

My friend Lisa found me one day and told me – “you have to hear Beth Ditto and Gossip”. From the first hit of the bass and drum she controls the room. She blew up our little tent at Coachella and her energy for rock and roll is insatiable. “Dime Store Diamond” is deliciously trashy.

I remember hearing a Bud commercial with one of their tunes so I searched the Chemical Brothers out and then got mesmerized by their progressive style at the Hollywood Bowl. “The Golden Path” stuck with me.

Local Natives are indeed, local natives – from Silver Lake, CA and can be found selling out clubs up and down Sunset strip. It took 10 years for their first album to make it from the UK to the US but anyone who saw them at Coachella this year (or last month at the Music Box) will tell you they kill. “Sun Hands” just plays nicely into this collection.

Athlete played the Troubadour in June and the UK band hit me hard with “Tokyo”. Found them through hypem.com

The Troubadour, good friends and my favorite club in LA

If I wasn’t already at Band of Horses at the Greek I’d have surely gone to see Passion Pit open for Muse – even if it was Staples. Their Coachella set on the first day was plagued with technical difficulties but the Cambridge, MA band got through it and still sounded stellar. “Moth’s Wings” burn “incandescently” for me.

Justin Vernon, lead singer for Bon Iver, left that band after one album to collaborate with a Collections of Colonies of Bees and created Volcano Choir and this song, “Island, IS” that reminds me how talented this guy is and how much I miss Bon Iver.

If you missed the VMA’s you missed Florence and the Machine, but I didn’t miss when my daughter and friends packed into the Troubadour last Halloween to see this porcelain skinned red headed goddess with a voice that makes me “Howl”. She’s doing three nights at the Wiltern in November. If you miss her there – you’ll be missing a spectacular talent. She was THE highlight of Coachella.

Florence and the Machine, Troubadour 10/09

Lissie is part Stevie Nicks, part Regina Spector and all soul. One verse from “When I’m Alone” by accident a few months back sent me into a frenzy to find this fresh faced mid-western farm girl that had all of us at the Troubadour last week in a trance. Humble, grateful and hugely talented. Plus her piercing blue eyes just melt me.

The Stereophonics are the best band most people have never heard of. It’s very hard to choose from their very deep catalog but “Show Me How” is right up there for me. If you’ve ever been in a “blackened mood”, been in a funk and wanted to just get that black cloud “out of your life” close your eyes and let this song course through you. Reach out to your friend, your lover, your spouse and let them “show you how” to see the light again.

I was lucky enough to catch some of Frank Turner’s set at Lollapallooza this year, having missed him open for Gaslight Anthem at the Music Box. The most appropriate lyric in “Substitute”….“If music was the food of love, then I’d be a fat romantic slob. Music, it’s my substitute for love.”

You progressive techno fans may know the Happy Mondays. I didn’t…until I saw them open for the Psychedelic Furs at the 930 Club in Washington, DC (a bucket list whole in the wall for sure!). “Angel” is a song you want to be in the fast lane for. Crank it up and hit the pedal.

Thievery Corporation at the 9:30 Club in Washington where I was lucky enough to see the Happy Mondays as well

He calls himself “The Little Idiot” but Moby is far that. He sings, plays keyboard, guitar, bass guitar and drums. He can DJ or play all those instruments through electronics and he CRUSHED at EDC this year. He’s been around since the early 90’s but I came across him just a year or so ago. “Extreme Ways” says it all… “I would stand in line for this. There’s always room in life for this”.

How can you go wrong with three people named Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo. The trio, better known as Faithless just plain gets my trance on without being too “house”. I chose “No Roots” as a great example of how they cross over into rock and trip hop. But I could have easily gone with “God is a DJ” which appropriately describes my love of live music…”This is my church. This is where I heal my hurts. For tonight God is a DJ”.

Call them dance, call them punk, call them electronica or just call me if you want to come to the Hollywood Bowl on 10/15 to see LCD Soundsystem. I’m missing my 30th HS reunion to see them for the 4th time. Take the time to feel “Yr City’s a Sucker” and then just plow into their three album catalog.

Phish covers Exile on Main Street cover-to-cover. Indio 10/31/00

Warning – this song is admittedly self indulgent and probably out of character with the rest of this collection but I couldn’t hold back. At 2pm on Halloween Day 2009, I got word that Phish would be performing my favorite ALBUM of all time “Exile on Main Street” for their annual cover to cover cover performance. Forty-five minutes later I was on the road to Indio. By 930p I was out of mind dancing to “Loving Cup”; my very favorite song on that album. I love that I can share that performance here with you today. Tens of thousands of glow sticks reigning down with each chorus hook – maybe the single best song of the 1000+ shows I’ve seen. And I’m not even that into Phish. Take time to enjoy this one and remember that The Rolling Stones may still be the best rock and roll band ever.

This has been H-On Music.

Peace. Love. Go see live music.

Trust me…Again…On Lissie

You trusted me on Florence and the Machine. Trust me on Lissie. She just sold out the Troubadour and doused us in her beauty and humble mid-west upbringing. Rocked the house and got us all jumping.

Check out her range while you turn up the volume and let her wash over you.

Don't Let the Soft Looks Fool You...Lissie Rocks HARD!

A soulful voice with a raw intensity that comes from her love of music and her gratitude for being able to share it with us.

Many thanks to all my friends at the Troubadour for a great night. Alysia, Mike especially.

Lucky Austin, TX – you get her next at this weekend’s ACL Festival