David Sylvian, Radiohead, U2, Shearwater, Sufjan Stevens, Elbow, Beck, Daniel Lanois, The Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, Porcupine Tree, Joe Henry, Björk, Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Bill Frisell, Brian Eno, Bob Dylan, Nine Inch Nails, Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Patrick Watson, Loney Dear, Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack, Beirut, PJ Harvey, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, Pat Metheny, The Decemberists, Steve Jansen, Rocco DeLuca & The Burden, The xx, The Beatles, Sonic Youth, Eddie Vedder/Michael Brook/Kaki King, The Rolling Stones, Imogen Heap, James Blake, Thich Nhat Hanh, Talking Heads, Grinderman, Sigur Rós, Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté, St. Vincent, Animal Collective, Brian Eno & David Byrne, Feist.

Don’t feel much like writing tonight, though I’ve had a good run since committing to writing something everyday. Instead, you get a music mix. Hear tracks from Nicolas Jaar, James Blake, Radiohead, Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX, Elbow, and Mogwai. All great new stuff.

I grew up in a musical household, attended church where singing was a regular activity, and learned a couple of instruments (piano and violin). Unfortunately, as I moved into adulthood, I let go of the playing of music and transitioned my passion into developing a very deep appreciation by listening and critiquing music rather than creating. Therefore, I’m always looking for the best method to consume and manage my music hunger and addiction. To complicate matters, I listen to music at home, in my office, and on my 45-minute commute. Continue reading →

Music for your listening pleasure. When I’m feeling down, I like to listen to mellow and sad music. Picks me up. On this mix you can hear David Sylvian, Talk Talk, The Blue Nile, Scott Walker, Mark Hollis, Everywhen, Elbow, Ben Christophers, The Morning Benders, and Sun Kil Moon.

This is round two of using 8tracks – an online mix service. This time I’ve dipped back five years to see what I was listening to then. Here you get Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Paul Simon, Tool, Sonic Youth, Thom Yorke, Michael Brook, and Robert Fripp. Enjoy.

Here’s a few a of the songs I enjoyed during 2010. I hope you take some time to listen.

I was skeptical. Skeptical about the album, Scratch My Back, and skeptical about the May 7 concert at the Hollywood Bowl. A seasoned and talented musician releasing and touring a set of covers reinterpreted with orchestra is certainly different, but it’s still covers. Nonetheless, I bought the album and bought a ticket to the concert when they were released and I’ve not been disappointed. The tour was short, and only touched down in Montreal, New York and Los Angeles in North America. This was the last show of the tour. So, a treat.

For the record, I probably own every standard release by Peter Gabriel (including Ovo – which he performed two songs from this evening) and I’ve seen him once before in September 1993 at the Oakland Arena. A fan? Probably.

Mr. Gabriel performed with the 54-piece New Blood Orchestra. No guitars. No drums. A portion of the orchestra was composed of musicians traveling on the tour and the remainder were picked up in the cities of performance. The orchestra was led by Ben Foster, a young and entertaining conductor who was periodically viewed from a fishbowl camera on the screens throughout the evening.

Our seats weren’t in the fancy boxes or down in front, but we were front and center in the “super seats” (aka, non-benches) with a great view of the entire stage and behind the mixer. The performance began at 8:00pm and ended at 10:45pm (with a 20-minute intermission). The first set was all the songs from Scratch My Back (in order) and the second set was old Peter Gabriel songs. Continue reading →