Blog

This list does not include plays/musicals, local bands or ticketless concerts/events.

1993 - dc Talk
1993 - Carmen
1995 - Crystal Bernard and Billy Dean
October 14, 1999 - Goo Goo Dolls & Tonic
September 28, 2000 - Matchbox Twenty
April 10, 2001 - Godsmack, Staind & Cold
August 15, 2001 - Nelly & St. Lunatics
December 29, 2001 - Barenaked Ladies
March 13, 2002 - Sugar Ray & Simple Plan
June 11, 2002 - blink-182 & Green Day
July 25, 2002 - Nickelback
August 6, 2002 - Area 2 Music Festival: Ash, Blue Man Group, Busta Rhymes, David Bowie, Moby, Dieselboy, Avalanches, Dj Tiesto, DJ Tim Skinner, John Digweed & Carl Cox
October 12, 2002 - Incubus & Hometown Hero
December 17, 2002 - The Night 89x Stole Christmas: Trust Company, The Used, The Vines, Zwan, New Found Glory, Good Charlotte & Box Car Racer
April 2003 - Counting Crowes (Working Personnel)
April 18, 2003 - Alkaline Trio
July 15, 2003 - Blues Traveler & Ziggy Marley
August 13, 2003 - Evanescence, Cold & some other bands
November 20, 2003 - 311 & Alien Ant Farm (Working Personnel)
January 9, 2004 - David Bowie & Macy Gray
December 1, 2004 - The Night 89x Stole Christmas 7: The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Franz Ferdinand, Jimmy Eat World, Good Charlotte
May 30, 2005 - 89x 14th Birthday Bash: The Sights, Lost City Angels, The Blue Van, Robbers on High Street, 30 Seconds to Mars, Louis XIV, Tegan and Sara, Acceptance, Unwritten Law, Motion City Soundtrack, Sum 41, Brendan Benson, Keane, The Killers
August 13, 2005 - James Taylor & Band
September 11, 2005 - Green Day & Jimmy Eat World
September 17, 2005 - 30 Seconds to Mars
October 9, 2005 - Rufus Wainwright
October 22, 2005 - Nickel Creek & The Ditty Bops
October 24, 2005 - U2 & Institute
October 25, 2005 - U2 & Institute
November 5, 2005 - 30 Seconds to Mars & Halestorm
December 10, 2005 - U2 & Institute
December 15, 2005 - Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz

In alphabetical order :)
And in parentheses is the year(s) I saw them.

Backstreet Boys (2000)
Broadway Calls (2009)
James Taylor (2006, 2008)
Outernational (2009)
The Rockaroos (1999, 2000, 2000)
Streetlight Manifesto (2009)
Switchfoot (2007)
Wolfmother (2007)

Because I love this sort of thing, let's face it...

'First, make a list of your overall top-20 artists. Then, for each of these artists, add the 8 most similar artists to your list. Delete any duplicates, add up the number of entries on your list and this will give you some idea of how eclectic your listening habits are. A score of 9 represents an extremely unvaried musical taste while a 160 represents an extremely varied one.'

1. Bob Dylan
-1- Bob Dylan and The Band
-2- Neil Young
-3- The Band
-4- Woody Guthrie
-5- Leonard Cohen
-6- Donovan
-7- Joan Baez
-8- Neil Young & Crazy Horse

2. The Beatles
-1- John Lennon
-2- George Harrison
-3- Paul McCartney
-4- Ringo Starr
-5- Paul McCartney & Wings
-6- The Who
-7- Wings
-8- The Rolling Stones

3. Belle and Sebastian
-1- Camera Obscura
-2- God Help The Girl
-3- The Magnetic Fields
-4- The Boy Least Likely To
-5- Jens Lekman
-6- of Montreal
-7-The Gentle Waves
-8- The Shins

4. Joan Baez
-1- Peter, Paul & Mary
-2- Judy Collins
-3- Pete Seeger
-4- Phil Ochs
-5- Bob Dylan
-6- Joni Mitchell
- Woody Guthrie
-7- Arlo Guthrie

5. Vienna Teng
-1- Charlotte Martin
-2- Corrinne May
-3- Rachael Sage
-4- Dar Williams
-5- Sarah Slean
-6- Rachael Yamagata
-7- Thea Gilmore
-8- Sarah Fimm

6. Leonard Cohen
Bob Dylan
-1- Tom Waits
-2- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
-3- Lou Reed
Neil Young
Joan Baez
-4- Nick Drake
-5- Tim Buckley

7. Jim Croce
-1- Harry Chapin
-2- James Taylor
-3- Dan Fogelberg
-4- John Denver
-5- Gordon Lightfoot
-6- Don McLean
-7- Jackson Browne
-8- Bob Seeger

8. John Denver
-1- Jim Croce
-2- Kenny Rogers
Dan Fogelberg
Gordon Lightfoot
Peter, Paul & Mary
-3- Anne Murray
-4- Neil Diamond
James Taylor

9. Over the Rhine
-1- Waterdeep
-2- The Violet Burning
-3- Sandra McCracken
-4- Hem
-5- Derek Webb
-6- The Innocence Mission
-7- The Choir
-8- The Choir

*An aside: I still don't understand why all of OtR's linked bands are Christian, as some of their songs are about sex and none that I have heard have obvious religious messages, they do not mention god during concerts, and they say nothing about Christianity on their website. Still looking for some insight here...

10. Flogging Molly
-1- Dropkick Murphys
-2- The Real McKenzies
-3- The Tossers
-4- The Pogues
-5- The Mahones
-6- The Bloody Irish Boys
-7- Blood or Whiskey
-8- The Dubliners

11. The Shins
-1- Death Cab for Cutie
-2- Band of Horses
-3- The Decemberists
-4- Vampire Weekend
-5- Rogue Wave
-6- The Postal Service
-7- Ra Ra Riot
-8- Fleet Foxes

12. The Traveling Wilburys
George Harrison
-1- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
-2- Tom Petty
Ringo Starr
-3- Jeff Lynne
-4- Electric Light Orchestra
-5- Mudcrutch
-6- Roy Orbison

13. Brandi Carlile
-1- Indigo Girls
-2- Patty Griffin
-3- Ingrid Michaelson
-4- Catie Curtis
-5- Missy Higgins
-6- Melissa Ferrick
-7- Rosie Thomas
Rachael Yamagata

14. Jewel
-1- Sarah McLachlan
-2- Sheryl Crow
-3- Lisa Loeb
-4- Heather Nova
-5- Paula Cole
-6- Alanis Morissette
-7- Natalie Merchant
-8- Anna Nalick

15. Ingrid Michaelson
-1- Meiko
-2- Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
-3- Sara Bareilles
-4- Priscilla Ahn
-5- Jenny Owen Youngs
-6- Erin McCarley
-7- Greg Laswell
-8- A Fine Frenzy

16. Feist
-1- Broken Social Scene
-2- Kings of Convenience
-3- Cat Power
-4- Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton
-5- Stars
-6- She & Him
-7-Metric
-8-Rilo Kiley

17. Alanis Morissette
-1- Tori Amos
Sheryl Crow
-2- Jewel
-3- Natalis Imbruglia
Sarah McLachlan
-4- The Cranberries
-5- Meredith Brooks
-6- Fiona Apple

18. Ludovico Einaudi
-1- Roberto Cacciapaglia
-2- Giovannia Allevi
-3- Wim Mertens
-4- Max Richter
-5- Michael Nyman
-6- Fabrizio Paterlini
-7- David Nevue
-8- Dustin O'Halloran

19. Modest Mouse
-1- Ugly Casanova
-2- Built to Spill
-3- Wolf Parade
-4- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
-5- Neutral Milk Hotel
Death Cab for Cutie
-6- The Flaming Lips
-7- Bright Eyes

138... not bad. Also, this is meaningless, like your life. :) Luckily, it has enabled me to find a few artists I wish to explore further.

SEEN LIVE
(year & alphabetical order)

2004
Toby Keith

2005
Hella
The Mars Volta
System of a Down

2006
Arch Enemy
Blue Man Group
Gogol Bordello
Lamb of God
Megadeth
Opeth
Overkill
Primus
Tenacious D
Tool
Tracy Bonham
Trans-Siberian Orchestra

2007
3 Inches of Blood
400 Blows
The Acacia Strain
Albert Hammond, Jr.
Amon Amarth
Ankla
Army of Freshmen
Art Brut
Behemoth
Bleeding Through
Bob Log III
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Cake
Cephalic Carnage
Chimaira
ChthoniC
Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire
Daath
Darkest Hour
Das EFX
The Decemberists (2x)
The Devil Wears Prada
Diecast
Dream Theater
Dying Fetus
Elvis Perkins
Every Time I Die
Fiction Plane
The Flaming Lips
Gaza
Goatwhore
The Great Redneck Hope
GWAR
Hatebreed
Heavy Heavy Low Low
Incubus (2x)
In This Moment
Into Eternity
James Taylor
Job for a Cowboy
Kings of Leon
Kinski
Lamb of God
The Little Ones
Lordi
Lords of the Underground
Marilyn Manson
Mastodon
Matt & Kim
Mouth of the Architect (2x)
My Brightest Diamond
My Morning Jacket
Nile
The Number Twelve Looks Like You
Operator
Ozzy Osbourne
The Police
Priestess
Redemption
Reel Big Fish
Sevendust
Shadows Fall
The Showdown
Simon Dawes
Skeletonwitch
Slayer
Spoon
Static-X (2x)
Suburban Legends
Tool (2x)
Trans Am
Unsane
A Verse Unsung
Year Of Desolation

2008
Abysmal Dawn
After the Burial
The Aggrolites
As Blood Runs Black (2x)
Beneath the Massacre (2x)
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Business
Black Lips
Blood Stands Still
Broken Social Scene
Cake
Clutch
Cyrusrex
De Novo Dahl
DeVotchKa
Disturbed
DJ Starscream
DragonForce
Dropkick Murphys
Dying Fetus
Emmure
Emmylou Harris
Flobots
Flogging Molly (2x)
Fuck the Facts
The Ghost Inside (2x)
Gogol Bordello
Graveyard
Hell Within
Hemlock
Holy Fuck
Iron & Wine
Jessica Lea Mayfield
The John Butler Trio
John Prine
Kimya Dawson
K'naan
Left To Vanish
Louis XIV
Love and Rockets
Machine Head
The Manhattan Transfer
The Mars Volta
Mastodon
Melvins
Meshuggah
Ministry
Misery Index
Modest Mouse
The National
Necrophagist
Nile
Nine Inch Nails
The Octopus Project
The Offspring
On Broken Wings
Origin
Otto Von Schirach
Paramore
Porn
PsyOpus
Radiohead
The Red Chord
R.E.M.
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
Russian Circles
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Slipknot
Sophie Milman
Stick to Your Guns
Suicide Silence (2x)
The Sword
Terror
Underoath
Unexpect
Veil of Maya (2x)
Venetian Snares
Warbringer
War From a Harlots Mouth
Winds of Plague
Yeasayer

2009
Behemoth
The Black Dahlia Murder
Bullet For My Valentine
Cannibal Corpse
Carcass
Cephalic Carnage (2x)
Coliseum
David Byrne
Decrepit Birth
DeVotchKa (2x)
Flight of the Conchords
God Forbid
Iron & Wine
Kataklysm
Killswitch Engage
Napalm Death
Nine Inch Nails
Psycroptic (2x)
quixotic
Samael
Slayer
Suffocation
Suicide Silence
Toxic Holocaust
Trap Them
Veil of Maya
Whitechapel

Luka Bloom - Eleven Songs


Tracklist:
1. There is a Time
2. I'm On Your Side
3. I Hear Her, Like Lorelei
4. I love The world I'm in
5. Sunday
6. Fire
7. When Your Love Comes
8. See You Soon
9. Eastbound Train
10. Everyman
11. Don't Be Afraid Of The Light That Shines Within You


Luka Bloom is a veteran folk musician from Ireland. One of my personal favorites for years. He releases his new album "Eleven Songs" and with his typical electro-acoustic guitar playing and soothing vocals he once again convinces with a very strong album.

Luka Bloom's a real troubadour, playing his heartfelt music all over the world since forever. While he is pretty well-known he never really reached the super stardom, which is part of his charm. His intimate and personal approach make his music very accessible and relatable. You can sense the emotion and connection in each and every song and on "Eleven Songs" it's no different. The album opens with the beautiful There Is A Time. His signature sound is apparent and his introspective lyrics and pleasant vocals are reminiscent of the late 60s/early 70s folk scene in Britain and Ireland.

The little more uptempo I'm On Your Side is quite catchy and makes a good folk/pop radio single. It has energy, yet it doesn't play down the emotional basis of Luka Bloom's music. And also the gentle I Hear Her, Like Lorelei is another gem. The storyteller Bloom treats you on a heartfelt ballad that ranks somewhere in the middle of Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake & James Taylor. And while I'm naming three of the greatest songwriters in the history of music, Bloom can keep up with that standard.

Not only the song title, but also the track itself has a positive feel to it. I Love The World I'm In is a bit of an alternative folk song with a message. The music serves the message and Luka Bloom knows how to deliver it convincingly.

Sunday has a live feel to it. It's one of those songs you expect to hear in a pub somewhere deep in Ireland. It's not too uptempo, but it has such a powerful basis and Luka Bloom's excellent vocals just make it sound nearly perfect. Fire is the most obvious candidate for a radio single. It's not only called fire, but it has a lot of fire in it musically too. Slightly reminds me of Jim Morrison (from The Doors) in the songwriting style, but it's a flat out good song.

Just listen to the music in When Your Love Comes. Just really listen. The vocals are great, but the real star here is the musical arrangement. It's magical. The beautiful, rounded melodies in See You Soon are what you want to hear from an accomplished songwriter and balladeer. Perfect pop-folk song.

Eastbound Train is another folk single in the making. The infectious rhythm and soulful, empathic vocals are so inviting and the whole arrangement of the song is so very pleasing that it will make you smile. So will the next track, Everyman, which is a typical Luka Bloom song. The dynamic, melodic folk lines intertwine with each other and are only amplified by Luka Bloom's impressive vocals. It's almost a definition of the word heartfelt.

The album is so good that it's a shame that it's coming to an end. Don't Be Afraid of the Light That Shines Within You is another enigmatic folk song and it's a nice ending to this excellent record.

Bloom also has a couple bonus tracks, of which LIGHTHOUSE and ONE ROSE deserve the most praise. ME AND MY GUITAR and Ocean Of Love are also worth listening to, but especially One Rose combines the intimate electro-acoustic guitar playing with Bloom's emotional storytelling-vocals/lyrics in a way that is nothing less of magical.

With "Eleven Songs", Luka Bloom redefines himself as one of the world's best songwriters and with his talent and experience, he knows what he can and can't do. Luka Bloom is at the top of his genre and I don't see anyone that can come really close to him at the moment.

many not by choice...
plus more local/lesser known bands.
and more exciting bands to come :)

A Voice Like Rhetoric*
Anberlin
Angels & Airwaves
Anti-Flag
Armor for Sleep
Atreyu
Band of Horses
Ben Folds*
Beyonce
Bruce Springsteen
Cloud Cult
Coheed and Cambria
Dashboard Confessional
Envy on the Coast*
Fall Out Boy
From First to Last
Funeral for a Friend
Garth Brooks
Gracer*
Head Automatica
Institute
Jack's Mannequin
James Taylor
Jimmy Eat World*
Josh Groban
Kill Hannah
Lostprophets
Love as Laughter
Mary J Blige
Mason Proper
Matt & Kim
Matt Nathanson
Metro Station
Missy Higgins
Modest Mouse
October Fall
Panic at the Disco
Plain White T's
Sheryl Crow
Signal Home*
So Many Dynamos
Speakerfire*
Stevie Wonder
Taking Back Sunday*
The All-American Rejects*
The Clarks
The Format
The Fray
The Photo Atlas
The Rasmus
The Subways
The Varsity
This Is Me Smiling
U2
Underoath
Usher
Viva Voce
will.i.am
Yellowcard

+American Idol seasons 2-4 i think?
and I've seen Lady Gaga speak. Does that count?

* = multiple times.

Carey Bell – Harpslinger [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 8; Fidelity: 8; Mix: 9 – Next-Best-Thing Disc

Dave Brubeck Quartet, The – Time Out
My Written Review
[Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 10; Fidelity: 8; Ambient Mix: 7; Discrete Mix: 0 – Next-Best-Thing Disc

Earth, Wind, & Fire – Gratitude [Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 9; Fidelity: 9; Mix: 9 – Next-Best-Thing Disc

Gloria Estefan – Greatest Hits [Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 8; Fidelity: 9; Mix: 8 – Next-Best-Thing Disc

Jerry Goldsmith – The Film Music of Jerry Goldsmith [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 8; Fidelity: 9; Mix: 8 – Next-Best-Thing Disc

Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [2 Hybrid Multichannel SACD + DVD]:
Music: 10; Fidelity: 7; Mix: 9 – Next-Best-Thing Disc

Elton John – Madman Across the Water [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 10; Fidelity: 8; Mix: 10 – Demo Disc

Keane – Hopes and Fears [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 10; Fidelity: 7; Mix: 4 – Mixed-Bag Disc

Carole King – Tapestry [Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 9; Fidelity: 7; Mix: 5 – Good, Not Great Disc

London Symphony Orchestra and Robin McCabe –
Stravinsky: Petrouchka (1911 Version); The Firebird Suite [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Petrouchka: Music: 8; Fidelity: 7; Mix: 8 – Next-Best-Thing Disc
The Firebird Suite: Music: 6; Fidelity: 5; Mix: 3 – Mixed-Bag Disc

The Moody Blues – Every Good Boy Deserves Favor [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 7; Fidelity: 3; Mix: 9 – Good, Not Great Disc

The Moody Blues – On the Threshold of a Dream [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 7; Fidelity: 2; Mix: 10 – Good, Not Great Disc

The Moody Blues – Seventh Sojourn [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 9; Fidelity: 6; Mix: 9 – Next-Best-Thing Disc

The Moody Blues – To Our Children’s Children’s Children [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 8; Fidelity: 6; Mix: 6 – Mixed-Bag Disc

Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 5; Fidelity: 8; Mix: 8 – Next-Best-Thing Disc

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra –
Holst: Op. 32, The Planets; Op. 29/No. 2, St. Paul’s Suite for Strings [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 10; Fidelity: 9; Ambient Mix:; 9 Discrete Mix: 0 – Demo Disc

Tapestry – Song of Songs: Come Into My Garden [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 7; Fidelity: 10; Ambient Mix:; 10 Discrete Mix: 0 – Demo Disc

James Taylor – Hourglass [Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 8; Fidelity: 10; Mix: 7 – Demo Disc

Utah Symphony Orchestra and Utah Symphony Orchestra And Choir –
Berlioz: Op. 5, Requiem / Mahler: No. 1, Symphony (Titan) [Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Berlioz: Music: 6; Fidelity: 5; Mix: 8 – Good, Not Great Disc
Mahler: Music: 9; Fidelity: 7; Mix: 6 – Good, Not Great Disc

Jeff Wayne – War of the Worlds [2 Hybrid Multichannel SACD]:
Music: 8; Fidelity: 9; Mix: 10 – Demo Disc

Last update: 21.07.2009


— KEEP UPDATING —



Favourite albums of 2009... so far

Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up

M.Ward - Hold Time
Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Leonard Cohen - Live in London

Danny Schmidt - Instead The Forest Rose To Sing
Justin Townes Earle - Midnight At The Movies
Bon Iver - Blood Bank (EP)
Joshua James - Sing Songs (EP)
Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
John Martyn - Solid Air (Deluxe Edition)
Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane and Sugarcane

William Elliott Whitmore - Animals In The Dark
Ben Nichols - The Last Pale Light in the West
Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit - seven-mile island
Jersey Budd - Wonderlands
Dent May - The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
Béla Fleck - Throw Down Your Heart
Barzin - Notes To An Absent Lover
Josh Ritter - Golden Age of Radio /w Bonus CD
Josh Ritter - Hello Starling /w Bonus CD
Jackie Greene - Small Tempest (EP)
Joe Pug - In The Meantime (EP)
The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You (EP)

Cat Stevens - Roadsinger
Ryan Bingham - Roadhouse Sun
The Respectables - Sweet Mama
Conor Oberst - Outer South
Paleface - The Show Is On the Road
The Wild Specialties - Beautiful Today
Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
Okkervil River - Pop Lie (EP)
Ryan Adams - Extra Cheese (EP)
Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day
Jesse Winchester - Love Filling Station
Joe Henry - Blood From Stars



Other 2009 albums I've listened to


Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
Ruarri joseph - Both Sides Of The Coin
The Felice Brothers - Yonder is the Clock
Andrew White - Walk in Light
Gospel claws - Gospel Claws (EP)
Clem Snide - Hungry Bird
Iggy Pop - Preliminaires
The Victor Mourning - Fire Fire Demos
Larry Keel & Natural Bridge - Backwoods
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!
Alela Diane - To Be Still
Basket of Figs - Oh Eye, Oh Night
Bob Alunni - Thinking of Flight
Drew Nelson - Dusty Road To Beulah Land
The Morning Benders - Grain of Salt (EP)
Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards - Saltwater
Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Old School Freight Train - Six Years
Eilen Jewell - Sea Of Tears
J.Tillman - Vacilando Territory Blues
Kate Mann - Things Look Different When The Sun Goes Down
Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commuter
Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey & The Crew Crux King
U2 - No Line on the Horizon
Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
Gurf Morlix - Last Exit To Happyland
James Taylor - Other Covers
Steve Earle - Townes
Richard Swift - The Atlantic Ocean
Alexi Murdoch - Towards The Sun
North Twin - Stronger At The Broken Places
Inneke 23 - Charcoal
David Grissom - 10,000 Feet
The Love Language - The Love Language
Daniel Ward-Murphy - Until the morning light
Chriss Sutherland - Worried Love
Danielle Ate the Sandwich - Things People Do
Ruthie Foster - The Truth According to Ruthie Foster
Charlie Winston - Hobo
The Handsome Family - Honey Moon
The Flatlanders - Hills And Valleys
Radio Moscow - Brain Cycles
Shemekia Copeland - Never Going Back
Neil Young - Fork in the Road
Dakota Suite - The End of Trying
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
A.C. Newman - Get Guilty
The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules
Karima Francis - The Author
Tom Caufield - The Times Are Never So Bad
His Name Shall Breathe - There Is an Earthquake Inside of Me
Ben Harper and Relentless 7 - White Lies For Dark Times
Romi Mayes - Achin In Yer Bones
Neal Casal - Roots & wings
Lance Mills - Wore Out Shoes
Oumou Sangare - Seya
Lene Marlin - Twist The Truth
Beirut - March Of The Zapotec / Realpeople Holland
Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream
Hello Wisconsin -EP