Listen To This

Musical Guests on Late Night Talkshows: October 4-10

Alex — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:21:09 +0000

Monday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Dierks Bentley
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Christopher Cross
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Pink

Tuesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: KISS
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Anvil
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: They Might Be Giants
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: The Gossip

Wednesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Rosanne Cash
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Toby Keith
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Lenny Kravitz
Jimmy Kimmel Live! KISS

Thursday:
Late Show with David Letterman: N/A
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Backstreet Boys
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: N/A
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Motorhead

Friday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Brett Dennen and Natalie Merchant
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Lady Antebellum
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Cory Chisel
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Backstreet Boys

Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Regina Spektor

Late Nate Musical Guests September 28 – October 3

Alex — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:19:55 +0000

Monday:
Tonight Show With Conan O’brien: Paramore
Late Show with David Letterman: The Avett Brothers
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Dirty Projectors
Jimmy Kimmell Live!: N/A

Tuesday:
Tonight Show With Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Show with David Letterman: Miranda Lambert
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Sunny Day Real Estate
Jimmy Kimmell Live!: Alice in Chains

Wednesday
Tonight Show With Conan O’brien: Brad Paisly
Late Show with David Letterman: Harry Connick Jr
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: N/A
Jimmy Kimmell Live!: Alice in Chains

Thursday:
Tonight Show With Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Show with David Letterman: Tom Russell
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Miranda Lambert
Jimmy Kimmell Live!: Joss Stone

Friday:
Tonight Show With Conan O’brien: Joshua Bell and Tiempo Libre
Late Show with David Letterman: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: N/A
Jimmy Kimmell Live!: Shinedown

Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Lady Gaga

Musical Guests on Late Night Talkshows: September 13-19

Alex — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:49:10 +0000

Monday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Cage the Elephant
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Dave Matthews Band
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Rufus Wainwright
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Maxwell

Tuesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Care Bears on Fire
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Phoenix
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Ghostface
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Kelly Clarkson

Wednesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: John Fogerty
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Q-tip
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Pink

Thursday:
Late Show with David Letterman: N/A
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Megadeth
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Lives of Famous Men

Friday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Gary Muledeer (actually a comedian musician)
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Nelly Furtado
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Keri Hilson
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Shakira

Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Green Day

Van Halen and Red Hot Chili Peppers Had a Baby, and They Named Him Chickenfoot

Alex — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:38:45 +0000

Album Art Property of Chickenfoot

In a perfect world, the idea of a group comprised of some of the best musicians at their instruments sounds kickass. This is not usually the case however as superegos get in the way of a supergroup’s success. But Chickenfoot is helping to make this world more perfect with their self titled debut album. The impetus needed to start this group occurred during a jam session between former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. They loved the chemistry, but didn’t have a band. This little problem was quickly fixed with addition of VH bassist Michael Anthony and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani.

Music today is constantly pushing new boundaries with the rise of the indie genre, yet Chickenfoot is taking us back to basics, back to the days of sex drugs and rock and roll. The rasp in Hagar’s voice bears obvious resemblance to Van Halen, but the group also incorporates subtle styles from bands like Metallica and Guns and Roses. We knew what to expect from drums and bass, but the biggest question was how Satch would transition from the very different world of instrumental guitarist to guitarist in a band. And he has answered that question with authority, sealing the case that he is the best guitarist of this era. His rhythm guitar is unlike anything I have heard in the classic rock genre, and he can flick his solo switch on so fast and can play with the energy of a Jimmy Page or Slash. This dynamic foursome has created a brand of music we have not heard in a while, but the energy they exude makes them fresh and exciting in this time in musical history.

Their self-titled debut album begins with the Metallica influence in “Avenida Revolution,” and then the album breaks down into a little funk groove in “Soap on a Rope,” perhaps their most known and acclaimed song to date. The lyrics are far from profound and are more of an ode to cars, booze and women, but this is what people love about this band. The only statement this group wants to make is that they know how to party, and they want the rest of us to do the same. The album takes a turn for the better when we reach “Get it Up,” which gets my “Best of Album” award. This song is pure energy, and any fan of rock music will find themselves headbanging, air guitaring and screaming along with “Get it up, ariba ariba!” The song is made even cooler by the musicality this group shows when they wrote this melody. For my fellow music nerds, much of this song is written in melodic minor, a pretty rare feat for popular music. The following track “Down the Drain” again displays musical savvy with the silky smooth guitar lick that Satch has going the whole song. This group shows that loud arena anthems don’t have to be all about screaming and power chords.

Even when this group falls slightly in their creativity, Satriani can make up for it with his insane ability on the guitar. Anyone who listens to Joe knows that he can solo with the all-time greats, but his biggest feat in this album is coming up catchy rhythm licks and little fills that can keep people interested even when the rest of the song might not be that great. “Runnin’ Out” is a really good example of this. In my opinion, this song sounds like a generic classic rock tune and it didn’t really hold my interest, except I would smile every time Satch would throw in a little run.

This group is not all positive, nor is any group really. One thing that a lot of listeners find is that their songs are too long and get repetitive toward the end of each track. With an average of around 5 minutes per track, I can see their point, although it really doesn’t bother me too much. One thing that does bother me though is that sometimes Sammy can be over the top. There is nothing wrong with raw energy, but if it doesn’t fit the style of the instrumentals then it seems goofy and out of place.

Where would we be today without a little experimentation? We probably wouldn’t have electricity, musicians would not be using a leafy substance that helps them write and perform, and we would not have Chickenfoot. Who knows how long this experiment is going to last, but at least it brought many people back to a simpler era in music.

Musical Guests on Late Night Talkshows: August 16-22

Alex — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:53:50 +0000

Monday:
Late Show with David Letterman: The Robert Cray Band
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Kate Voegele
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: The Fray
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Daughtry

Tuesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Billy Currington
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Manchester Orchestra
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: The Script

Wednesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: N/A
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: The Fray
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Martha Wainwright
Jimmy Kimmel Live! La Roux

Thursday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Gary Muledeer (actually a comedian musician)
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Grizzly Bear
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Diane Birch

Friday:
Late Show with David Letterman: N/A
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: The Dead Weather
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: N/A
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Jack’s Mannequin

Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Adele

Eric Hutchinson Sounds Like the Next Big Thing

Alex — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:38:08 +0000

This album art is the property of Eric Hutchison

With all of the hard work that goes into making an album, it is so disheartening for the record label to drop someone when they are in the middle of production. But Eric Hutchinson didn’t let that bring him down, he made it inspiration for another one of his songs. Once creating his own record label Let’s Break Records, he was able to produce this new songs and others, all influenced by his careful observation of life as it passes him by, in the debut record he called Sounds Like This.

Once this album was finally released, it got major help from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and skyrocketed to the Top 10 on Itunes downloads. It really shouldn’t have been a surprise either considering the style of music Hutchinson plays. The best way to describe it is Jason Mraz but with better vocal control and range, and who doesn’t like popping in a little Jason Mraz, sitting back, and enjoying your favorite beverage during the summer? Eric’s music makes you want to do the same thing, but unlike Jason, Hutchinson’s musical background is very diverse, making it enjoyable for both the casual poolside listener and the most knowledgeable music lover. He plays both guitar and keyboards on Sounds Like This and takes us through Music 101 by writing instrumentals with pop, blues, jazz, and ska influences. On paper, it sounds like the album would be too diverse to make sense, but Hutchinson can combine and transition these styles seamlessly to make this a very easy album to listen to.

Hutchinson quickly demonstrates his ability to move from style to style with the first three tracks. The album opens up with the laid back piano ballad “OK, It’s Alright with Me” and changes immediately to the raunchy attitude of “You Don’t Have to Believe Me.” In the second half of the album he switches to a Jack Johnson sound on “All Over Now” and finishes it with two blues songs, “Back to Where I Was” and “You’ve Got You.”

These songs are all great, but Hutchinson really reaches his pinnacle on tracks 4 though 6. This creative sprint starts off with “Food Chain,” an extremely catchy and simple pop song about the general hardships of life and how there is always someone above us trying to bring us down. The album moves to its first single “Rock and Roll” which has a slight ska feel with the offbeat guitar riff. Easily the most singable song, this song chronicles the night on the town of both a guy and a girl and comes to the conclusion that both want the same thing at the end of the night even though they go about it differently. Then the album hits its creative climax with “Oh!” the song he wrote after his record company dropped the album. Its musical simplicity is outdone only by its lyrical profundity. This song is Eric’s way of dealing with the surprises that everyday life throws at him, from a cop being envious of his social life to a woman telling him she likes to look good in case she dies.

This is truly a fantastic debut album and is definitely in the discussion of album of the year and breakthrough artist of the year. My only concern is the Eric released his whole arsenal in this album and that his future efforts won’t be too different. Something is telling me that won’t be the case however.

Musical Guests on Late Night Talkshows: August 9-15

Alex — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:00:07 +0000

Monday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Steven Wright
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Lyle Lovett
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Fall Out Boy
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Jewel

Tuesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Elvis Costello
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Cobra Starship
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Bat For Lashes
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Jonas Brothers

Wednesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: N/A
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Chester French

Thursday:
Late Show with David Letterman: N/A
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Avenue Q
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Diane Birch

Friday:
Late Show with David Letterman: MSTRKRFT with John Legend
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: N/A
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: N/A

Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Coldplay

Musical Guests on Late Night Talkshows: August 2-8

Alex — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:43:25 +0000

Monday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Levon Helm
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Gomez
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Incubus
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: N/A

Tuesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Kelly Clarkson
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: All-American Rejects
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Arctic Monkeys
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: The Script

Wednesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: N/A
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: TBA
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Mike Snow

Thursday:
Late Show with David Letterman: St. Vincent
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: The Jonas Brothers
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: N/A
Jimmy Kimmel Live! N/A

Friday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Anthony Hamilton
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Flo Rida
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Julian Plenti
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: N/A

Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Fleet Foxes

Daughtry Releases Sophomore Album, Leave This Town

Alex — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:53:21 +0000

This album art is the property of Daughtry

If you told Chris Daughtry after being eliminated in fourth place on American Idol a few seasons ago that a multi-platinum album, Grammy nominations, and recognition as one of today’s biggest rock groups was in his future, he would tell you there was no way in hell that you were talking about him. But that is exactly the fame his debut album DAUGHTRY gave him. And now his band has released the all-important sophomore album, Leave This Town and it is more of the same, stadium anthems and power ballads full of cliché lyrics that often don’t seem to fit together with each other. But this time, luckily for us, they have sprinkled in songs that are worth listening to more than once.

Chris does have some things going for him. His voice will make men and women alike fall in love with him, and his style of music is perfect for your modern rock radio station of choice. But this is also his biggest downfall; almost all of the songs on this album sound the same, choruses with heavy distortion and Chris’ high voice that moves into a quieter verse with a simple moving guitar riff. This formulaic approach to music may put you on the radio and may sell albums. It’s just whether or not people will listen to that album more than two or three times, and I’m guessing that not many do.

This new album starts off with a track “You Don’t Belong” and a very heavy riff, and I thought that I accidentally was listening to a Linkin Park tune until I heard the distinctive voice we all know as Daughtry’s. And then we move into power ballad territory, starting with the first single “No Surprise” and the cheesy “Life After You.” If that song doesn’t end up in a chick flick or dramatic teen TV show soon, I’ll eat my hat. “What I Meant to Say” and “Open Up Your Eyes” are just more outputs from the formula, although Daughtry shows genuine emotion for the first time in “Open Up Your Eyes.”

The second half of the album is a slightly different story, as the band moves in a more acoustic direction, and that is when this group becomes musically interesting to me. I was pleasantly awoken out of my haze with the acoustic guitar driven verses of “September.” And there is actually harmony here! It adds such a huge layer to the music that makes it so much more interesting. He does it again in the slightly bluegrassy “Tennessee Line,” and then closes the album with the quietest song I think he has ever done, “Call Your Name.” This track may never reach the radio waves, but it gets my vote for best on the album. If I were Daughtry’s manager, I would suggest doing an all-acoustic album, or at least doing an MTV Unplugged show to see how the response is first.

Hard-core Daughtry fans may disagree with my best on album pick, but they can’t be disappointed with this change. The music is still heavy even though there is no distortion. I think Daughtry is heading in the right direction, just as long as they don’t appear to be so calculated. Throw caution to the wind boys and see what happens. I think you will find that the result is better than you expect.

Week of July 19-25 2009

Alex — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:28:10 +0000

A little late on this one sorry.

Monday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Spinnerette
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Kate Voegele
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Tom Jones
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Linkin Park

Tuesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: The Flatlanders
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: N/A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Jordan Sparks
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: N/A

Wednesday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Diane Birch
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Mat Kearney
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Flo Rida
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Jewel

Thursday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Ginuwine w/ Missy Elliott
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: Jason Aldean
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Twisted Sister
Jimmy Kimmel Live! La Roux

Friday:
Late Show with David Letterman: Judy Collins
Tonight Show with Conan O’brien: De la Soul
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: N/A
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: N/A

Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Kelly Clarkson