Ryan Adams at it again....

A year removed from releasing not one but three studio albums, Ryan Adams is back at it in 2007 with the impending release of Easy Tiger, due out on June 5th. For the tracklist, check out the following release over at Pitchfork.

I'll use the Ryan Adams' news to pimp one of my favorite interweb sites. The Live Music Archive features tons of live performances from great bands such as The Drive-By Truckers, Ryan himself, My Morning Jacket, and an extensive Dead catalogue. The tits about the LMA is that it's not just limited to the heavy hitters. You're likely to find your brother's girlfriend's best friend's boyfriend and his heady friends have their shows on the server as well. For a taste, check out these two Ryan tracks from a helluva show and recording (soundboard!) from Ludwigshafen, Germany on October 17, 2006.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals :: Hallelujah
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals :: A Kiss Before I Go

BK

The New Guy - An Introduction in E minor

Hey there Radio KGB!! My name is Ryan and I'm the new guy here at the ol' blog. I was recently asked to begin contributing to the KGB. So here I am, ready to provide you with up-to-date info and the best insight I'm able.


Now, you might be sitting there thinking to yourself, "Wait a minute....doesn't RadioKGB already do an excellent job of these things?" And well, if that's what you're thinking, you're right. They do. However, I'm into a different type a music than what's typically written about here. The music I listen to tends to be a bit more "indie rock", I guess. The ultimate goal of KGB is to expand everyone's horizons when it comes to the latest and best music (including our own). I know that over the past few months I've heard quite a few new songs or bands I've liked that I might otherwise not have heard thanks to your friends here at KGB. Well, all I intend to do, is add to that experience. And hopefully, between the three of us, there's something on this blog that you can get into...


So how should I get started? What will my first post be? What should I introduce to you first? Well, the best answer I could come up with to that question was.....Me. Why not introduce you to me? My particular tastes, my favorite bands, etc. And what better way to do this than to take a page out of the KGB playbook and create my very own webcast. So without further ado, here is my first webcast available for download. I've entitled this webcast A Taste of Indie as a prelude to the type of music I intend to write about. I hope you enjoy it.

Ryan - Webcast 1

Here's a quick list of the songs I've included on this webcast. It covers a variety of the bands, songs, and genres I enjoy. So, if you don't mind, take the time to download it.....give it a listen.....and then let me know what you think down in the comments section. No more talking, let's get to the music.......


1. Smashing Pumpkins - Age of Innocence
2. Citizen Cope - Son's Gonna Rise
3. The Cloud Room - Hey Now Now
4. Alexi Murdoch - Orange Sky
5. Elliott Smith - Say Yes
6. The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
7. Iron and Wine - Such Great Heights
8. Death Cab for Cutie - A Lack of Color
9. Clem Snide - Joan Jett of Ar c
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
11. Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye


Enjoy folks. Until next time.......

RR

Vanderbilt - Rites of Spring

Members of the Vanderbilt Student Programming Board have announced an initial lineup for the Rites of Spring festival that's held every year on the scenic Nashville campus. While the ROS website has not been updated, you can find artist information in an article in the Vanderbilt Hustler and also through Paste Magazine. I was actually pretty surprised for the Vanderbilt festival to be noticed by such a nice music source as Paste Magazine. Let's cut to the chase - bands to see include The Roots, Keller Williams, Drive-By Truckers, Amos Lee, and the Dynamites. There are a lot of other great performers (including Naughty By Nature!!!), so check out the full lineup and news sources:

Rites of Spring website
Vanderbilt Hustler article
Paste Maganize article

Nashville homage and weekend music haul

This past weekend marked our final trip to Nashville, Tennessee to visit our fellow Communist comrade, Mr. Gerdon. Friends from far and near descended to Tennessee for one last opportunity to eat his food, drink his beer, and trash his apartment before his migration to the west coast. After floating a keg of the sweet nectar that is Shiner Bock and playing copious amounts of Beer Guy, I think all can agree that debauchery was the rule. It was a helluva way to say goodbye to Nashvegas. I am sure Mr. Gerdon can elaborate on all of the good music he was exposed to during his tenure there. As a homage to the capital of Tennessee, the state BELOW Kentucky, here are some of my favorite Tennessee titled tunes.
Bob Dylan -- Nashville Skyline Rag from Nashville Skyline
My Morning Jacket -- Nashville to Kentucky from The Tennessee Fire
Hem -- The Tennessee Waltz from No Word From Tom
The Silver Jews -- Tennessee from Bright Flight



When we weren't playing Beer Guy, we hit the town and visited one of the finest record stores I've ever browsed. Grimey's New and Preloved Music is a magnificent display, featuring a varied selection of new and used music, DVDs, and vinyl.

Not the same Grimey but equally as sweet!

The place also doubles as a venue -- in fact, later that day they were hosting a CD release party for country music legend Charlie Louvin and his new self-titled record (check out this Uncle Tupelo cover of one of his more famous songs, Atomic Power).



In any event, I was able to pick up some great CDs. I found Mark Kozelek's new live album, Little Drummer Boy and purchased used copies of Neil Young's classic, On The Beach, and the Open Season soundtrack, composed by former Replacement's frontman, Paul Westerberg -- all for a reasonable price. Here are some of the highlights from each release.




This bear's idea of gun control is using both hands/paws.


Paul Westerberg -- Right to Arm Bears
Neil Young -- For The Turnstiles
Mark Kozelek -- Salvador Sanchez

The best find of the weekend might've been picking up The Last Waltz DVD from Kroger's for a mere $10. I think that spells good news for The Last Waltz director Martin Scorsese and his quest to win Best Director for the first time at tonight's Oscars for his work in The Departed (a great, great movie, but I am still partial to Little Miss Sunshine). Check out a few songs from The Band's final concert below, featuring a handful of the stars that make this a memorable event.

The Band -- Down South In New Orleans (with Bobby Charles) [With all the NOLA talk around here this week, it seems appropriate].
The Band -- Further On Up The Road (with Eric Clapton)
The Band -- The Weight (with The Staples) [I hazily remember discussing our favorite versions of this song this weekend -- let me throw this in for consideration].

That's it for now but look for some big news to follow as we're looking to expand our musical repertoire. More on that later!

BK

Fat Tuesday: The Music of Mardi Gras

Unfortunately, I wasn't in New Orleans last night, enjoying a rampant Fat Tuesday. The good news is that I was sitting in my apartment getting funky to some fantastic Mardi Gras tunes. I spent a little time trying to figure out just what music I'd want to hear in a Hurricane and plastic bead-filled night. You can imagine, this list is gonna be pretty heavy on the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, but there are others. I'm not calling this a Top 5, but if you have any thoughts, post it!

1. Widespread Panic w/Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Bayou Lena or I Wish
2. Rebirth Brass Band - I Feel Like Funkin It Up >> listen here
3. Maceo Parker - Shake Everything You Got
4. Taj Mahal - You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond
5. Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Lil Liza Jane
6. The Wild Magnolias - New Suit
7. Paul Simon - That Was Your Mother

New Son Volt

As I've mentioned here before, Jay Farrar and Son Volt have a new album due out at the beginning of March. From the tracks available for listen right now, the album sounds fantastic! Okemah and the Melody of Riot was a fine record, but these tracks from The Search sound a little more rootsy and country, just how I like it. Stream two of the songs below (sorry, no mp3s).

Son Volt - Methamphetamine

Son Volt - Highways & Cigarettes


While we're at it, check out some of the songs that will be on Jason Isbell's (of the Drive-By Truckers fame) solo record that's been in the works for a while but we've yet to see released. Cruise on over to this myspace page for a sneak peak of three songs. Sounds great, especially Birmingham Tonight! Hopefully this album will see the light of day sometime this year.

Mayer, Frusciante, and Trucks

I realize that our faithful fans don't actually read about or listen to the webcast and therefore are likely to miss out on the "Rolling Stones" video about the new guitar gods, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to post this video in the most convenient way possible. Thank you YouTube. So, check out the video and enjoy Derek Trucks smokin the other two!

Podcast 2

Neither rain nor snow or a fucking waterfall in my apartment can stop me from mixing my latest podcast. However, the wine I drank while doing it did hinder my ability to correctly mix - hence fucking up the first song once again. I reckon I'll get the hang of it eventually. Anyway, here is this month's set, dedicated to the ups and downs of Valentine's Day!

<-- My apartment







Kendall Podcast 2

1. The Band - Don't Do It from Rock of Ages
2. Ox - Sugar Cane from American Lo-FI
3. Ween - I Don't Wanna Leave You On the Farm from 12 Golden Country Greats
4. Jack Johnson - Broken from the Curious George Soundtrack
5. The Mavericks - Hot Burrito #1 from Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
6. Sufjan Stevens - To Be Alone With You from Seven Swans
7. Sly & The Family Stone - If You Want Me To Stay from Fresh
8. Dolorean - To Destruction from Violence In The Snowy Fields
9. Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell - Warm & Tender Love from Begonias
10. Slobberbone - I Can Tell Your Love Is Waning from Crow Pot Pie
11. Wilco - I Got You (At the End of the Century) from Being There
12. The Shins - Gone For Good from Chutes Too Narrow
13. The Pernice Brothers - Grudge Fuck (2006) from Live A Little
14. Whiskeytown - Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight from Strangers Almanac

Gerdon Webcast - Episode 2

How the time flies. Another month, another webcast. Before all that, I'd like to thank the 2-3 people that listened to last months cast. Bryan and I, we're really reaching the general public here. Maybe word of mouth is the way to go. So, if you hear something and you like it, tell your friend.

Well, Episode 2 of this webcast is loosely titled Blues Run the Game. That's actually the title of a Simon & Garfunkel song (Sounds of Silence album), which is a great song. I'm just stealing the title to highlight the bulk of the songs in this hour. I really dig on the blues these days and I wanted to play some of those great songs for you this time around. Here they are:

>>>>> Gerdon Webcast Episode 2 <<<<<

1. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (1971) – What’s Going On
2. Dirty Dozen Brass Band – What’s Going On (2006) – Mercy Mercy Me
3. Dirty Dozen Brass Band – What’s Going On (2006) – Right On

Here's a great article on the making of this disc!

4. Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds of Silence (1966) – Somewhere They Can’t
Find Me
5. Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds of Silence (1966) – Angie

Anji, written by Davy Graham, “one of England’s finest jazz/blues guitarists”

6. Gillian Welch – Time (The Revelator) (2001) – Elvis Presley Blues
7. JJ Cale and Eric Clapton – Road to Escondido (2006) – Hard to Thrill
8. JJ Cale and Eric Clapton – Road to Escondido (2006) – Dead End Road

As previously mentioned.

9. Wilco – A.M. (1996) – That’s Not the Issue
10. Derek Trucks Band – Songlines (2006) – Crow Jane
11. Derek Trucks Band – Songlines (2006) – I’d Rather Be Blind, Crippled, and Crazy

Check out this article and video from Rolling Stones Magazine!

12. Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal (1968) – Leaving Trunk
13. The Little Willies – The Little Willies (2003) – For the Good Times

Bonnaroo Lineup 2007

Well, it's an exciting day. That day every February when the lineup for Bonnaroo (our local Tennessee music festival) gets announced. The lineup is always kick-ass (see commentary below) and it almost makes you think that this year you're going to go back. Then you remember that hippies smell bad, you don't enjoy living in the slums, its fuckin hot, and you have to sell a kidney to get in the door. Yes, yes, I'm old. But you, yes YOU, should go.

So, like I said, we have a line up. Its already been posted (well they can fuckin unpost it!) Its always great to see Panic at the top of this list, but their company is disturbing. The Police and Tool? Do we really want Sting messing up our high? I guess Bonnaroo is doing a nice job of trying to get the dollars from the unknowing mainstream music lover. Good business, bad vibes. Fortunately, we have the rest of the lineup to look forward to. Here are some highlights, in my opinion:

The White Stripes, Wilco, Damien Rice, Gov't Mule, Ziggy Marley, The Decemberists (looking to the indie crowd? - does playing at Bonnaroo make them less "indie"?), Franti and Spearhead, The Black Keys, Gillian Welch, OCMS, North Mississippi Allstars, John Butler Trio (all the way from Australia), Ralph Stanley, and more! All for a mere $200. Check out the whole list.

AG

Happy VD

Thanks to everyone for posting on Gerdon's VD Top 5. I've got lots of new songs and bands to check out. Apparently this Motley Crue band had a few hits back in the day.

Anyway, happy VD to everyone. Here is my favorite VD song...check it out!

Top 5 - Happy VD

I hate to break it to you, but it’s February and Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. Call it a Hallmark Holiday, call it expensive. The fact is, this time of year most guys (and some girls) have to face those sometimes uncomfortable “feelings” and make some sort of a gesture. I don’t see why it’s so hard – so many songwriters have already laid the ground work for us. So, if you’re not quite sure how to say what you really want to say, let me tell you, there’s always a mix tape - a compilation of those heart-felt melodies that set the mood. The ladies love it.

So, here we go. What are your Top 5 mix tape songs, love songs, songs to set the mood, songs with which to woo? Maybe it’s cheesy, but everybody has their favorite love songs. As a sign of a good faith effort, I’ll even make the first post. Also, be forewarned that any list containing Marvin Gaye is gonna get docked 5 points for being way too obvious.

Finally, just to get you into the right frame of mind, check out this Guy Forsythe tune:

Guy Forsythe - Whatever

He really digs deep on this one.

Back from hiatus....

Or perhaps laziness, I am not sure. Fear not, for I have returned from hibernation, or inebriation, with nothing new except one realization. Yes, this site is for introducing music that I think is worthwhile to my friends, family, cult followers, etc, but it also has morphed into a sort of music biography, as Gerdon's brother once wisely suggested he do.

I swear, my hiatus had nothing to do with teh drugz.

The music I like to post is music that describes my life. You probably already knew that, but I am slow so it took me a while to catch on. Moving on....

Today, Cincinnati got punished by a winter storm and for the last week, mother earth has struck back with a vengenance. Just when we think global warming has conquered nature, she drops the hammer and we get buried in subzero temperatures. All this cold weather makes me look forward to spring time and seeing live music outside. Here's some music that helps get me through those winter blues.

Alison Brown - Fair Weather from Fair Weather
The Decemberists - Summer Song from The Crane Wife
Lucinda Williams - Ventura from Live at the Fillmore
Thad Cockrell - Warmth and Beauty from Warmth and Beauty

Coming soon: Sample tracks from Son Volt's new album and a new podcast concerning the duality of Valentine's Day. Also, Dook sucks!

BK