Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Live In Toronto (23/03/13)

By Brent Chittenden

"Great to see you guys but I've got to run."

"Us to, we're off to see Nick Cave at Massy Hall."

"Awesome, I just met the children's choir that is singing with him. Have a good one."

It was about fifteen minutes after the doors had opened for Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds and my friend Evan and I had just ran into my best friend Gavin while hurrying to the venue. In a quick hello, Gavin had completely thrown off our expectations of the show.

Nick Cave was using a children's choir?

I have been wanting to see the Bad Seeds ever since I had caught a glimpse of their show during some festival played on Much Music in the early to  mid 90's. Watching what seemed to be a lounge act from Hell perform in suits in the middle of the day at a completely frantic pace just grabbed me.

Over a decade later, I was blown away.

Click to read more ...

I Feel a Bit Weird Posting This, But Follow Me with This List of Female Drummers

I know I'll get slammed in some quarters for succumbing to sexist portrayals of women with this post, but that's not my intention.

As someone who has played drums for years--I was actually an instructor once--I've always been fascinated by other drummers and their technique and chops.  And I've always hated the stereotype that women make bad drummers--or shouldn't take up the position at all.  

That's total bullshit.

When The Carpenters were around in the early 70s, people were aghast that Karen was the drummer. I remember relatives saying "That's so-unladylike.  Why doesn't she play the piano like a normal girl?"  It took years--decades--before the idea of a female drummer became commonplace in rock'n'roll.  I know that seems goofy now, but it's true.

I've always admired those who broke down that stereotype.  For example, when I was a teacher, I had many female students, including a middle-aged mom whose attitude was "F**k it.  The kids are gone and now I'm gonna do what I wanna do.  And I wanna learn how to play the drums.  Teach me!"  I loved the woman.  Almost no one had those kinds of guts in the early 80s.

Today, though, female drummers (and bass players, another once-verboten position in rock) are as common as the robins on my front lawn.  Yet there are those who still believe that girls can't do drums justice or that they're an un-ladylike instrument.  Really, people?

Take a look at this list of cool female drummers.  Yes, it's under the unfortunate headline of "9 of the Hottest (and Coolest) Drummer Girls on YouTube," but try to ignore that kind of link baiting.  Instead look at their technique and confidence.  They really do rock.

This Should Be a Very Interesting Radio Discussion

From today's Radio and Internet Newsletter:

In today's USA Today "Money" section (here), journalist Chris Woodyard suggests the very existence of AM/FM radio may be endangered by a wave of Internet-delivered audio entertainment in the car.

Most of us closer to the webcasting, broadcasting, and automotive industries doubt IP-delivered content in cars spells doom for American broadcasters. But that's certainly not to say it's not a crucial issue. Jacobs Media president Fred Jacobs wrote last week (here), "The automakers are perfectly content to give consumers lots of choice and let Darwinian-driven choice take over. May the best content win. And that’s where radio needs to rethink its assumptions and givens."

RAIN Summit West (now just two weeks away on April 7 in Las Vegas) leads off by picking up this very important discussion. Moderated by Roger Lanctotfrom tech-focused research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics, the "Dashboard Discussions" panel will hash out some strategies for competing for the attention of drivers and passengers with a world of media options at their fingertips.

Continue reading.

A Very Strange Interview with Moby

He said so himself.  Thanks to Hector for the link.

I Like This: Boxer Rebellion

Here's the first single from the next album, details of which will be made public by the band tomorrow.