Patent Pending Update!

Check out the video from Joe Pending, giving us news on whats going on with his band...as well as some footage of Patent Pending's performance at Bamboozle!

All Points West Festival

Accolades

First it was UK Band the Editors giving me praise....Now it is a very popular New York based Music site "Brooklyn Vegan," giving my blog some respect...I did review of UK dance band Hot Chip and now they added my blog to their site telling people to check it out. "Brooklyn Vegan" is a very popular site that pretty much everyone from Rolling Stone to Spin get their info here.

You can read my review, as well as the quote they took here http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/04/hot_chip_played_1.html

In related news...Also be sure to check out my Verve review at www.thevervelive.blogspot.com the best Verve info site on the web!

Indy Watch

Head on over to Indianajones.com to take a look at all EIGHT brand new TV Spots for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, each spot has something new. Also at the site check out a nice little montage of Harrison Ford behind the scenes in an all new featurette.

...also check out this funny but nostalgic look at Indiana Jones unsung heroes. Maxim did a great job compiling a list of memorable characters. http://www.maxim.com/Entertainment/Unsungheroesofindianajones/slideshow/2453.aspx%20?src=tstush

Rising Artist-Does It Offend You, Yeah?

What a name. What a band. An eclectic electric three piece from Reading, England; Does It Offend You, Yeah? are clearly making a name for themselves not just on the festival circuit, but on the dance scene as well. I came across this band right before I left for London in March, by the time I got there, this band was all over. It wasn't until recently, at this year's Coachella Festival in California where the band starting turning heads here in the U.S. They are the perfect hybrid of thrash and electro with some emotion thrown in. The best way to describe these guys are, picture Robert Smith of the Cure fronting Bloc Party with Justice supplying the beats. Very insane, very fun. Their debut, You Have No Idea What You Are Getting Yourself Into, is a mix of songs with vocals and just straight up instrumental tracks, much like VHS or Beta's Night on Fire. Does it Offend You, Yeah? will be hitting the road here in the states all summer with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Bloc Party as well as the major festivals. Certainly the next band everyone will be talking about. Just remember you read them here first!

Movie of the Month-Everything Is Illuminated

While spring is in the air and outside is in full bloom, May's Movie of the Month explores that motif of planting a seed and idea and watching it grow. The 2005 directorial debut from Liev Schrieber, Everything is Illuminated is a colorful and heartwarming film about discovering ones past, while discovering thyself. Based on the book by the same name, Schrieber adapted it for the screen and has been well received from audiences worldwide. Starring Elijah Wood as Jonathan Foer, a very intelligent and curious American collector who travels to the Ukraine to discover a family and past he never knew existed. Foer hires Alex, a very flamboyant and funny guide played by Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz, along with his "blind" Grandfather as their driver; the three men travel across the Ukraine for a city that was wiped off the map from the Nazi's. The three men try and work out their differences both culturally, linguistically and ethnically. From what begins as the road trip from hell, sparkles into the most meaningful journey of each man's lives. It is a film for all ages and families to see, and shows the ties that bind all of us are there if we are only willing to look. Backed by a great soundtrack from Gogol Bordello themselves (who also make one of my favorite cameo's in film history), as well as Russian Ska band Leningrad. Everything is Illuminated is the perfect film for this perfect season.

Underrated Classic-Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here"

Boasting only five songs, some consider Pink

Floyd's 1975 record, just a really long E.P. Numerically those critics maybe correct, however, clocking in at almost 45 minutes, Wish You Were Here is a conceptual audio odyssey from start to finish. The album was recorded in London's famed Abbey Road Studios as a tribute to late band member and friend Syd Barrett. Floyd created a concept record not only to pay homage to their late band mate, but also mock the music industry and fame. That idea can be found on the albums cover, which mind you I consider one of the greatest sleeves of all time. Two business men shaking hands while one is on fire, some can call this a deal with the devil or the fate of things to come. The philosophy behind the cover can be debated forever. Yet, the content of the record itself is so dense, it certainly is some of Floyd's greatest material. The guitar licks on the title track alone are enough to give you chills. Lyrically and musically it is Floyd on the rise to their finest. Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright stated in a TV special in 2001 that "It's an album I can listen to for pleasure. And there aren't many of the Floyd's albums that I can say that about."I look at Wish You Were Here as a stepping to as per what will come of the band later on in their career. In Europe this record is very well embraced, even to this day. Here in the States, many are familiar with the band from Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall and its accompanying film, but if you turn on any classic rock radio station across the Country you will hear radio friendly versions of "Have a Cigar," "Welcome to the Machine," and "Wish You Were Here." For those that have embraced this album, dust it off and listen to again, for those that have not, go find it and love it.

Hold Steady Tracklisting!

In July The Hold Steady are set to release their fourth record, Stay Positive. While we wait for the band to rock our socks off, we have a track listing to indulge in.... Enjoy

01 Constructive Summer
02 Sequestered in Memphis
03 One for the Cutters
04 Navy Sheets
05 Lord, I'm Discouraged
06 Yeah Sapphire
07 Both Crosses
08 Stay Positive
09 Magazines
10 Joke About Jamaica
11 Slapped Actress

Indy Watch

The time is almost here!! While we wait just weeks now for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, here are the new Trailer and TV spots to savor....