HEM, Paul Oakenfold, American Babies and the Boston Pops

(Josh Jackson, Editor of PASTE, Sweet Talk, DJ Paul Oakenfold, Lora Kratchounova from OurStage) So after the whirlwind week of Bonnaroo to Telluride Bluegrass, ST was fortunate enough to arrive back in our hometown of Boston and head straight from the airport to Symphony Hall for an eclectic and elegant night.  Usually Symphony Hall is not the first place you’d think to catch such an amalgamation of music, but with the exception of the opening piece from Westside Story the 96 piece orchestra of the Boston Pops took their chops into new more modern territory.  The series which in the...  read more

Staying Tuned

Some quick bits I liked seeing in my inbox this past week * The Brand New Heavies - my initial entry into the neo-soulfunk movement have been hitting the road hard to support Get Used To It. After a ten year sit on the bench the Heavies with R&B roots vocalist N’Dea Davenport back on the team have been blasting around the world, but are coming by again with Macy Gray.  The Heavies have never sounded so good.  Catch ‘em. * Rogue Wave’s new album Asleep At Heaven’s Gate will be out soon ( September 18th) Leaving Sub-Pop where they...  read more

Wayne Coyne, Pancake Mountain, and Sweet Talk doing Karaoke

Ever since my buddy Burton turned me and my sons on to the inimitable and highly addictive family show, Pancake Mountain, it has been one of my goals to be interviewed by Rufus, the cotton swab lamb who has a penchant for chilling with some solid music peeps.  ie pictured here with Bright Eyes: My desire to hang with a hand puppet has nothing to do with easing some deep rooted childhood neurosis, it has to do with impressing my three year old son.  You see Go-Go Sweet has had the good fortune to have had tea at the Ritz...  read more

Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2007 (Master Blaster)

As I said in an earlier post, Telluride Bluegrass Festival is the benchmark on how to throw a music party.  Yes, it doesn’t hurt that the surroundings are majestic and the weather idyllic, but it’s still a feat to implant perma-grins on 11,000 faces year after year. I’ll admit I’m not a uber bluegrass aficionado, but that’s the beauty of TBF, it’s not only kid friendly it’s rookie friendly.  To the point, if you want to take a break from the main grounds you can amble three blocks into town and sit in on various workshops and seminars at tiny,...  read more

Sweet Talk’s Bonnaroo 2007 Part Four (Day of the W with Wolfmother, Wilco, and The White Stripes )

I know Bonnaroo was three weeks ago but believe me it still lingers like the bizarre and massive smoke rings wafting from the Art of Such and Such’s fire pit. Like an alien jellyfish preying on the sun burnt horde of unwashed, the smoke perfectly captured Sunday’s general vibe; either the apocalypse was near or someone was bogarting a really big blunt.  Our day opened with the first of the three W’s, Wolfmother.  While the Kings of Leon may challenge Tina Turner for best legs in rock, Wolfmother’s was not the first thing anyone should have to see after a...  read more