Scratch another super group off my bucket list!

After shelling out close to $1,000 total for both Hangout Festival and Bonnaroo this year, not to mention the 10 club shows I've attended YTD, my 2011 concert budget is officially depleted. Still, fate must be calling when one finds someone selling her U2 tickets for face value two days before the sold-out show in Nashville.

One more down, four more to go.

1. Paul McCartney (in lieu of the Beatles)
2. Robert Plant (in lieu of Led Zeppelin)
3.Bruce Springsteen
4. U2
5. The Rolling Stones
6. The Who
7. KISS
8. Paul Simon
9. Stevie Wonder
10. Foo Fighters

Who's on your concert bucket list?

Shhhh... Free show at Warner Bros Nashville tonight!

(Shhh...) If you're in Nashville tonight, June 23rd, don't miss the second isntallment of this year's Pickin' on the Patio at the Warner Bros. Nashville offices located at 20 Music Square East. This show will feature Brett Eldredge, Hunter Hayes & Jason Jones. 

Doors open at 5:30pm, and the event is 21 and up (No RSVP required). You don't have to be in the music business to get in, but the fact that this hasn't been announced to the general public tells me this event was meant to be kept in the D/L...

The season’s first party last month featured Mandy Barnett performing selections from her new album Sweet Dreams. Pickin’ on the Patio will be held the fourth Thursday of every month through September on the WMN Patio.

Bonnaroo X Highlights

As expected, I needed a couple days to process my experiences at this year's Bonnaroo. I joked after my first Bonnaroo that the festival is a stressful experience you endure, and then later you realize how much fun you were having.  Four days of constantly walking, sweating and head-banging take their toll.

Plus, I think there' probably and FDA health advisory about having topical contact with that much sunscreen in 96-hour period...

Every performance was great, but some definitely shined.

Arcade Fire

I am admittedly a late-comer to the Arcade Fire camp, so I came into their performance with only a vague knowledge of their pre-The Suburbs catalog. I expected a good show, but it definitely beat my expectations. One thing I love about this band is the variety of instruments they pull out, especially Win Butler and Regine Chassagne. Hearing them close with "Sprawl II" was a personal favorite of the entire festival.


Mumford & Sons

 
In my pre-Bonnaroo post, I predicted that Old Crow Medicine Show would join them for an encore of the song "Rock Me Mamma." I was right, and I was wrong. While Old Crow did join them onstage for the encore (along with several Apache Relay members and Jerry Douglas from Union Station), sadly they chose a bluegrass rendition of "Amazing Grace" to close the show instead. Still, I will take it!

Waiting in the hot sun for an hour to get front row is never pleasant, but Mumford & Sons was worth it. They played several new songs that will be part of their next album (to be recorded later this summer, hopefully). Based on what I heard, it sounds like the new record will keep the spirit of Sigh No More while expanding  instrumentation and adding some electric elements.

The highlight of the performance was an audience of several thousand singing along to the chorus of "Little Lion Man." Oh, and seeing Ron Jeremy singing along backstage too...

The Head and the Heart

I wasn't quite sold on the Head and the Heart before Bonnaroo. Their album has been competing for airtime on GeoffFM with the latest offerings from Dawes, Augustana, Danger Mouse/Daniele Lupi and Fleet Foxes - a tough barrier to entry, to be sure. Hearing them live was the tipping point.

I am a sucker for folky roots-rock, and the Head and the Heart are strong contenders. Even though I was nowhere near front row, their closer "Rivers and Roads" was one of those magical concert experiences where the band commands the complete attention of everyone in the audience.

Robert Plant & the Band of Joy

My musical life is complete. I've seen Robert Plant perform 5 of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs from the front row. "Black Dog," "Houses of the Holy," "Misty Mountain Hop," "Gallows Pole" and "Ramble On" were featured prominently in his setlist, along with more recent solo pieces like "Angel Dance" and "Please Read the Letter" (sadly, sans-Allison Krauss).

I was very impressed with Plant's humility and gratefulness onstage. Despite being arguably the great vocalist in rock history, Plant nonetheless fell back to the role of background singer several times to let his Band of Joy members showcase their well-honed abilities. Songwriter-turned-backup singer Patty Griffin, country/rock guitar ace Buddy Miller and multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott all had a chance to shine with Robert Plant humming harmonies behind them (both literally and figuratively).

I was left with the impression of one of rock's elder statesmen; still powerful in prowess, but sincerely thankful to his fans and collaborators for the privileges given him.

Other great memories from Bonnaroo X:

Lil Wayne

Jessica Lea Mayfield

Justin Townes Earle

Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses

The Decembrists

Sadly, I had to miss Loretta Lynn, the Strokes, Wiz Khalifa, Chancellor Warhol, Grace Potter, Buffalo Springfield, Apache Relay and Widespread Panic, among others. With so many overlapping performances, priorities have to be taken. Maybe next year?

Review: Nothing Is Wrong by Dawes

I always find it a challenge to write a review for an album that I fall in love with quickly. In the case of Nothing Is Wrong, the sophomore offering from California band Dawes, I once again seem to be wearing my heart on my sleeve. I'm always a sucker for the type of catchy roots-rock and country-songwriter moods that this record has to offer.

Lead singer/songwriter Taylor Goldsmith first lit up my radar from his work with Americana super group Middle Brother earlier this year. His contributions to Middle Brother ("Thanks For Nothing," "Wilderness" in particular) seemed to resonate with me the most, and currently occupy several slots on the Top 25 Most Played playlist on my iPod. Dawes actually includes a track that was first released through Middle Brother, the she's-gone-away ballad "Million Dollar Bill." I actually prefer Dawes' version.

The opening track on Nothing Is Wrong, "Time Spent In Los Angeles," begins with lonely, surf-washed guitar chords that build through the first verse into a catchy chorus. "You've got that special kind of sadness/You've got that tragic set of charms/That only comes from time spent in Los Angeles/Makes me want to wrap you in my arms." Those lines have been playing in my head for the last two days.

The songs are very well-crafted, my favorites being the 70's rock feel of "Fire Away," the shuffle groove of "The Way You Laugh," and "My Way Back Home" (a great choice for a show-closer). Taylor Goldsmith's classic guitar riffs, Griffin Goldsmith's confident drumming, and Wylie Gelbert's smart, driving bass lines highlight each song in a mix with just the right, satisfying balance of reverb and echo.

There are distinct echos of Jackson Brown, Tom Petty, and the Eagles here, but Dawes consistently temper any over-indulgence in the derivative with their own penchant for clever lyrics and tasteful instrumentals. This is easily one of my favorite records of the year.

Where I will be at Bonnaroo

Three days and counting...

Here's my top picks for Bonnaroo:


1.Mumford & Sons

I never heard of these guys before last year's Bonnaroo. My little sister managed to pull me away from the Avett Brothers because she had to see Mumford. I thought I would see a song or two before sneaking back to the Avetts in time to hear "I and Love and You." Mumford's show was well underway by the time I got there, but it had me hooked from the outset. I managed to hear "The Cave," "Little Lion Man" and "Dustbowl Dance" before they invited Dave Rawlings onstage for a cover of Old Crow Medicine Show's "Rock Me Mama."

This year, Old Crow is playing the same stage on the same day as Mumford and Sons. I will lay down money they they will be invited onstage for an encore...

2. Neil Young (w/ Buffalo Springfield)

It's like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, minus Crosby. It will be great to hear classics like "For What It's Worth," but I am really hoping they repeat on of their earlier tour closers by ending with a cover of Neil Young's "Keep On Rocking in the Free World." Is it wrong that I am looking forward to this more for seeing Neil Young than anything else?

3. Robert Plant & Band of Joy

Duh. Seeing Robert Plant live with any backing group is watching rock royalty, even if I wasn't exactly the greatest fan of his sans-Allison Krauss latest album. What I am really hoping for are some solo versions of classic Led Zeppelin songs like the "Rock & Roll" clip above. I just wish Jimmy And John Paul were there as well. Still waiting on that Led Zeppelin reunion tour...

I am also hoping that either a) Allision Krauss will join him onstage or b) he will join her (w/ Union Station) for her Bonnaroo appearance.

4. Justin Townes Earle

Harlem River Blues was my favorite record last year. It's the perfect mix of vintage country, folk, blues and rockabilly. At Hangout Fest this year, Earle took the stage with a very stripped-down instrumentation - just his percussive acoustic guitar strumming and an upright bass to fill out his distinctive vocals. He didn't draw a huge crowd, but I felt like his set was the best-kept secret of the festival. I am hoping that means I can get up close again for his Bonnaroo appearance.

5. JEFF the Brotherhood

I don't know very much about these guys, other than the sparkling buzz they've been fostering for a while in the Nashville music scene. They recently boosted their street cred last year when they recorded a live album for Jack White's Third Man Records - the ultimate in hipster label/concert venue/record store/Nashville enigma - and they made quite the splash at SXSW this year.

Their sound reminds of a late-60's psychedelic rock, while their two-piece guitar/drum lineup gives me a less-delta bluesy Black Keys vibe. From the rave reviews I've been hearing from friends, their live show is sure to be an experience.I am hopeful they will be one of my better take-aways from this year's Bonnaroo.

Other shows I won't be missing (almost too many to list):

Lil Wayne
My Morning Jacket
Deer tick
The Decembrists
The Strokes
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Arcade Fire
Best Coast
Florence & the Machine
Sleigh Bells
(everything?)