The Spectacle of the Opening Ceremonies
I love the Olympic Games. When 10,000 athletes arrived in Atlanta in 1996, I got to volunteer in the Olympic memorabilia exhibit before the Games started. That earned me a spot in Olympic stadium for the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremonies. I was so proud of my city for the artistry (except for a few minutes when silver pick-up trucks roamed the field). But Beijing just blew away Atlanta and every other city that's hosted the Olympics. The spectacle of thousands of performers moving with precision and grace, the movement through the air, the massive fireworks and the giant... read more
Newport Folk Festival Day 2
I enjoyed music from Richard Julian, Son Volt and Willie Mason, but it was the women that dominated the second day of the Newport Folk Festival, beginning with Brandi Carlile and her powerful lungs. I've probably seen her a dozen times now, starting with a performance at the first Paste Rock 'n' Reel in 2005, but it was fun to see her fill the big stage—and winning over the Parrot Heads who staked out their spots early for Jimmy Buffett. I spoke with Brandi before she went on and she said she's been recording the follow-up to The Story in... read more
Newport Folk Festival Day 1
I walked up to the Harbor Stage at the 2008 Newport Folk Festival right as a soloist from the Young @ Heart chorus began singing Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees." Her 80 years allowed her more passion and earnestness than Thom Yorke could ever possibly get away with, which made it a much more powerful song. Right after she finished, I found my Paste co-hort and Newport programmer Jay Sweet standing next to WFUV's Rita Houston, and both said tears had streamed down their cheeks during the song. I found the hair on my arms standing on end several times myself... read more
Brian Wilson at Newport Folk
I'm in Rhode Island for the first time in my life. We drove past the harbor where a magenta sun was dropping below the harbor and men in white pants were politely sipping strong drinks. The opening night of Newport was held in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where a pristine grass court made me want to play tennis, even though Beach Boy Brian Wilson was about to take the stage.... read more
Best Letter of the Week
I was thrilled to see so many letters in response to our Coolest Record Stores piece back in July. If the passion of letter writers are any indication of the health of indie record stores, they'll be OK for a little while longer. We published several in our September issue that's at the printer right now, but we just got this one in, praising my favorite record store here in Decatur:... read more
Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams & The Best Country/Rock Duets
Listening to the upcoming album by Lucinda Williams, Little Honey, I was thrilled to come across the voice of Elvis Costello on a song called "Jailhouse Tears." Country/rock duets have a pretty long history and even some commercial success (see Jon Bon Jovi with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles). But recently, they've also gotten pretty damn cool. Here are the best country/rock duets of recent years (and a few don't even involve Emmylou Harris):... read more
Caprica Trailer and a Great Wheat Beer
CapricaI just watched the trailer for the Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica. I doubt this will approach The Greatest Sci-Fi Show of All Time, but I'll watch it nonetheless. In wake of the success Battlestar has had in getting reviewers like me to say, "You don't have to like sci-fi to like this show," they've gone out of their way to call it a drama and downplay the sci-fi action.... read more
Conor Oberst on Religion and Politics
I recently spoke with Conor Oberst about his new self-titled album that he recorded down in Mexico for our International Issue which just hit the newsstand. The focus of the story was on his trip, but the conversation strayed onto two of my favorite topics, religion and politics. I asked him about the numerous Christian references coming from an atheist. Here was his response:... read more
Jayhawks Mark Olson and Gary Louris Together Again
Right now I'm listening to "Blue" by the Jayhawks off Tomorrow The Green Grass, and I'm feeling like all is right with the world. The two singer/songwriters behind this seminal country-rock record announced earlier this week that they've just finished recording a new record together —their first since Mark Olson left the band in 1995. He and his then-wife Victoria Williams moved to Joshua Tree and began making music as The Creekdippers. I visited their little hose in the desert for the cover story of the very first issue of Paste.I liked the music of The Creekdippers, and I... read more
The Best Concerts I've Seen
I just finished posting the 12 best concerts I've ever seen. Rather than have them all in 12 separate posts, I thought I'd consolidate the list here. I was recently digging through a pile of ticket stubs I've saved, finding cool concert after cool concert, from high school, college and especially, these last six years since we started Paste magazine. There are some big omissions—I've still never seen Springsteen or The Stones. I've only in the last few years checked off Dylan and Prince (neither made the list and only Prince was close). Some of the best concerts I picked... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #1 Arcade Fire
#1Arcade FireMay 1, 2007, Atlanta Civic CenterThe first time I saw Arcade Fire was at the Austin City Limits festival in 2005. I was up in the photographer pit for the first few songs, and the band started the show with most of its members singing a capella at the top of their lungs. When we had to leave the pit after a few songs, one of our photographers started babbling, "That was one of those completely transcendent experiences where you glimpse a bit of heaven—but I never have those experiences!" So when the snow kept me from leaving New... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #2 Pixies
#2PixiesOct. 15, 1989, The Roxy Theatre (Atlanta)1989 was an exceptional year for music. Oranges & Lemons from XTC, Automatic from Jesus & Mary Chain, Flip-Flop from Guadalcanal Diary, Fun & Games from The Connells, Key Lime Pie from Camper Van Beethoven and self-titled debuts from The Stone Roses, The Ocean Blue, The Innocence Mission and The Indigo Girls. But probably topping them all on my list was the first Pixies album I ever picked up, Doolittle. The band also put on my favorite show that year, which would end up being my favorite show of the first 35 years of... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #3 Beck
#3BeckOct. 28, 2006, The Knitting Factory (New York)For the most part, I’ve only listed traditional concerts and left off festival performances, parties and private shows. But I have to make an exception for one night in 2006. Unlike almost every other major magazine in the U.S., Paste had never thrown a party in New York. We made a conscious decision that our magazine would be based in Decatur, Ga., but most of the people we work with—record label folks, publicists, advertisers, etc.—are in Manhattan or Brooklyn. And when we decided to put on a show at The Knitting Factory for... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #4 Sufjan Stevens
#4Sufjan StevensApril 1, 2005Back in 1998, we launched an online CD retailer called PasteMusic.com, and one of the first CDs we added to the site was by a band called Marzuki, fronted by Shannon Stephens with a multi-instrumentalist named Sufjan Stevens. It featured accordion, banjo, flutes and sounded like nothing else I'd heard. When the musicians went their separate ways, Shannon released a self-titled album with a brilliant song about domestic abuse called "Catch the Morning Line," and Sufjan recorded a solo album called A Sun Came with moments of great promise and moments of silliness, like the line from... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #5 Midnight Oil
#5Midnight OilAug. 28, 1993, Lakewood Amphitheater (Atlanta)A few people were dropped onto this Earth with a natural ability to command a stage and lead a crowd through a night of music. Bruce Springsteen, Bono and Prince all come to mind. But a lot of folks forget that Peter Garrett could put on a show. I had no idea what to expect, but the six-and-a-half-foot singer was just a monster on stage. It was protest music during a decade where no one was singing protest music, and Garrett's earnest pleas for aboriginal fairness and environmental awakening were potent; it wasn't a... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #6 INXS
#6INXSMarch 3, 1988, The Omni (Atlanta)OK, before you get in a huff about INXS topping U2 on this list, you need to know that this is the first concert I went to with my buddies (I'm not counting Bon Jovi, where we got dropped off). You also need to notice the seat number above. Somehow we got third row seats in a 15,000-seat arena. We also were among the few to get there in time to enjoy Public Image Ltd., so I got to hear "This is Not a Love Song" live. Michael Hutchence & co. put on a great... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #7 U2
#7U2Nov. 19, 2005, Philips Arena (Atlanta)I remember missing the Joshua Tree tour. My sister went, and I, being the jobless 15-year-old, stayed home. I remember that The BoDeans opened, and I instead listened to the Joshua Tree cassette on my boombox. I apparently was one of the few people who actually liked the follow-up, Rattle and Hum, and was initially bored by Achtung Baby, Pop and Zooropa. So in 2005, I somehow found myself never having seen one of the best bands of my generation. And they really are. Bono still seems to draw his energy from the adoring masses,... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #8 The Ramones
#8The RamonesNov. 22, 1988, Center Stage (Atlanta)It all started with a crappy job and a mix tape some guy made for my older sister. The job was at a one-hour photo place. My two bosses chafed at my love of '70s classic rock. I'd talk about The Steve Miller Band and the Eagles, and they'd wonder why I didn't listen to anything new and play XTC and P.I.L. It was about that same time I borrowed my sister's mixtape. Among tracks from Drivin' 'n Cryin' and Plimsouls were two Ramones songs—"I Wanna Be Sedated" and a cover of the Beach... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #9 Uncle Tupelo
#9Uncle TupeloFeb. 11, 1994, The 40 Watt (Athens, Ga.)As with Guadalcanal Diary, Uncle Tupelo became my favorite band just in time for me to catch the farewell tour. Whatever personal problems Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy might have been having offstage, when they started playing, they were in lock-step. Not since Lennon and McCartney had a band been as blessed with two songwriters (#98 and #24 on our list of the 100 Best Living Songwriters), and they took turns at the mic singing some great ones from their entire catalog: "Chickamauga," "Anodyne," "The Long Cut," "Watch Me Fall." Plus old... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #10 The Hold Steady
#10The Hold SteadyOct. 25, 2007, The 40 Watt (Athens, Ga.)Craig Finn really isn't even a singer in the proper sense. He kind of half-drunkenly shouts out stories, and the effect live is like he's talking to the audience all night. There's a shallowness to much of the subject matter—ingesting chemicals and hooking up—but he's still so damn insightful and interesting. He's a little goofy and infectiously happy. And so is the music, sloppy bar rock with big '70s muscular hooks. If you look around the room, everybody has big ol' grins on their faces, including guitarist Tad Kubler and the... read more
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