All Facial Hair, All The Time
I have been blessed/cursed with ability to grow a beard in just a few hours. It’s a power I have guarded carefully with semi-regular grooming. I have never unleashed the full fury of my facial hair. Maybe one day, wife permitting, the world will be ready for Bearded Nate. Until then, let us celebrate artists that embrace the joy of facial hair with wild abandon. This installment of KNATE is a tribute to beards, moustaches, fu man chus and the artists that wear them or sing about them. 1. ZZ Top - “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” (This is the... read more
A New D****?
There are few curses more dire than to be tagged the New Dylan. Anybody remember Steve Forbert these days? So I won’t say it. I’ll keep it vague and say that Ezra Furman’s nasal vocals, harmonica work, and wildly poetic imagery might remind you of somebody. Ezra Furman is a twenty-year-old kid from Chicago, via Tufts University in Boston. He’s got a band, The Harpoons, and he’s titled his debut album Banging Down the Doors. It’s been out for a couple days now, and you ought to buy it. Today. He has got, as they say, one hell of a... read more
Lollapalooza - Chicago - 8/5/07
Above: Paolo Nutini Photos by Mark Austin, except where noted (photo by Sean Edgar) Above: Amy Winehouse Above: Heartless Bastards (photo by Sean Edgar) Above: Ben Harper Above: Modest Mouse (photo by Sean Edgar) (photo by Sean Edgar) Above: The Stooges (photo by Sean Edgar) Above: Pearl Jam Related links: Lollapalooza 2007: Day One Lollapalooza 2007: Day Two Lollapalooza 2007: Day Three ... read more
Lollapalooza - Chicago - 8/4/07
Above: Ryan Shaw Photos by Mark Austin, except where noted Above: concert attendees goofing off Above: Pete Yorn Above: Spoon (photo by Sean Edgar) Above: Kevin Michael Above: The Hold Steady (photo by Sean Edgar) Above: Silverchair Above: Jim James Above: The Roots Above: crowd Above: Regina Spektor Above: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Above: Interpol Related links: Lollapalooza 2007: Day One Lollapalooza 2007: Day Two Lollapalooza.com ... read more
Stay Tuned in Week 32 - Budos Band, Sharon Jones, BRMC, Jesse Harris
Okay….as usual crazy Monday…need to catch up quickly on the inbox nuggets before breaking into my crazy Lollapalooza > Newport Folk Festival Weekend extravaganza. Here it is: • Budos Band – Budos Band II –listening to the newest set of hip gyrating Staten Island Soul tracks climbing out of the Daptone basement and all I can say is their crew just keeps delivering the goods. People music, all ages, all genders…just righteous, people music. Grab it and start imagining what the new Sharon Jones album is going to sound like because word on the street is that it’s coming. Amy... read more
Lollapalooza - Chicago - 8/3/07
Photos by Mark Austin Above: Ghostland Observatory Above: Ted Leo Above: Beatle Bob and Tim DeLaughter Above: Polyphonic Spree Above: G. Love Above: Perry Farrell Above: moe. Above: The Rapture Above: Satellite Party Above: M.I.A. Above: Daft Punk Related links: Lollapalooza 2007 Preview Lollapalooza is happening right now Lollapalooza.com ... read more
All Movie Songs, All the Time
I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately, and one thing I’ve noticed is that the soundtrack or score can really make or break a film. Enjoy this list of our favorite songs from movies. Yes, we love Whitney Houston. Always, Knate 1. Aimee Mann “Deathly” (Magnolia)2. Elliott Smith “Because” (American Beauty)3. Yann Tiersen “La Valse d’Amelie” (Amelie) 4. Gipsy Kings “Hotel California” (The Big Lebowski) 5. Gary Jules “Mad World” (Donnie Darko) 6. Coolio “Gangsta’s Paradise” (Dangerous Minds) 7. Radiohead “Talk Show Host” (Romeo and Juliet) 8. Peter Gabriel “Your Eyes” (Say Anything) 9. Damien Rice “The Blower’s Daughter”... read more
The Appetite for Difficulty
I was struck by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott’s appreciation of the great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who died earlier this week. Like fellow searcher/director Michelangelo Antonioni, who died the same day, Bergman asked the tough questions and probed the great mysteries in his films. They were not easy going, these films. They were dark, obtuse, freighted with symbolism that asked the viewer to actually work at its meaning, and that implied that it might take more than one viewing, and a fair amount of thinking and discussion, to adequately explore that meaning. Scott wrote, in part:... read more
Unfiltered Camels and Jack Daniels Roundup
It’s been a mediocre year for the usual Americana suspects. Lucinda Williams and Son Volt delivered disappointing efforts, and Emmylou, Neko, Gillian, Buddy Miller and John Prine have been missing in action. Except for the ever-delightful Patty Griffin, the latest from The Avett Brothers, Devon Sproule’s wondrous Keep the Silver Shined and Ryan Adams’ surprisingly consistent Easy Tiger, nothing has really wowed me. Until the last few weeks, that is. Steve Earle’s latest, Washington Square Serenade, due out in a couple months, is a fine return to form. And these three albums, all made by relative unknowns, make me remember... read more
If I Were You
I’ve been listening to Chris Knight’s The Trailer Tapes pretty much non-stop all day. Knight’s a great, gravel-voiced folk rocker with a twang, Bob Dylan with a Stetson, but unlike Dylan he’s considerably more plainspoken, if no less intense. He’s got four good alt-country/rock albums that are well worth your time, but these trailer tapes (yep, recorded in the living room of his single-wide in Slaughter, Kentucky) are something else again, raw and plaintive and stripped down to the bare essentials, including the lyrics. It’s just Chris, his acoustic guitar, and his piercing words. Here are some of them:... read more
Observations after a Morrissey concert
Observations after a Morrissey concert It’s clear even before the show begins that there’s something a little odd about this event. Tonight is August 20 and we're at Atlanta's Chastain Park Amphitheater waiting for the headlining act, Morrissey, to come on stage and show why we've been fans of his music for so long. But still, things are off. While the tour is nominally for Morrissey, you can see a 50 ft. tall, black and white picture of James Dean behind the curtains where the stage crew makes their preparations. Old movies are projected onto a sheet, and while maybe... read more
Grizzly Bear - New York - Central Park SummerStage - 7/16/07
Photos taken at Central Park SummerStage by Stephen Lindley Related links: Music Fest NW line-up announced Sweet Talk: Praise for the Take Away Shows Grizzly-Bear.net ... read more
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
The Decemberists with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - Chastain Park - 7/13/07
Photos taken at Chastain Park Amphitheater by Ashley Melzer Related links: The Decemberists - Picaresque The Decemberists go orchestral The Decemberists - The Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA - 9/29/05 ... read more
A Down Year for Music?
It’s been a year without masterpieces, the critical consensus moans. And the critical consensus is right. The Shins didn’t change our lives, and Modest Mouse disappointed. Arcade Fire came through, sort of, and certainly didn’t embarrass themselves. But nobody’s released a certifiable 5-star album thus far in 2007, at least to my ears. So has it been a disappointing year in music? Not at all. If no one has released a perfect album, many artists have come close. Here’s a list of albums that are in 4- to 4.5 star territory for me, all of them released in the past... read more
I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good: The Six Degrees of Harry Bacon
I am trying to be patient, but when it comes to waiting for the final Harry Potter book, I’m as anxious as a third year pacing in front of the gates to Hogsmeade, daydreaming of bursting into Honeyduke’s Sweetshop and pawing at the Chocolate Frogs, Fizzing Whizzbees, Liquorice Wands, and Droobles Best Blowing Gum. I’d even settle for the Shrieking Shack or Knockturn Alley rather than be at work. Oh no. Ashley is most aggrieved. Ashley must iron her hands... For those of you, watching your clocks, counting down the seconds, and experiencing a feeling rather like running your head... read more
Menomena - New York - South Street Seaport - 7/13/07
Photos taken at South Street Seaport by Stephen Lindley Related links: Band of the Week: Menomena Menomena - Friend and Foe Video of the Day: “Wet and Rusting” ... read more
Feist Throws Opening Pitch; Move Over Posh!
Grab your brown bag lunch and head out to the school bus, ‘cause today we’re taking a field trip! That’s right, Paste is going to see the Rome Braves take on the Ashville Tourists today in Rome, Georgia (not to be confused with Athens, Georgia). I’d almost forgotten about the baseball trip, though, because I’ve been too preoccupied… my thoughts are consumed by one momentus thing: DAVID BECKHAM HAS COME TO AMERICA!!!!!!! MY DREAM COME TRUE!!!!! HOW DID I LIVE BEFORE THIS?!?! GOD BLESS AMERICA, LAND OF BECKS!!!!!!!! (read sarcasm in between the exclamation points). So yes, in case you... 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
The Case for the Cases
It’s possible that there are people named Case who are tone deaf and who couldn’t put together a rhyming couplet involving the words “moon” and “June.” But I haven’t found them. So here’s a handy rule-of-thumb: if you find an album by anyone with the last name of Case, buy it. Here are three reasons why, from best known to least known. 1. Neko Case Neko Case is the best musical redhead in the world (sorry, Bonnie Raitt; Danny Bonaduce, you weren’t even in the running). Possessing a voice that is a force of nature, equal parts Patsy Cline and... read more
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