Cee Lo Green – F*** You

The second album I ever purchased was “Smash” by Offspring. I remember taking the cassette out of the packaging, putting it in my Walkman (which apparently was just discontinued by Sony, but more on that later in the week), and pressing play.

The first track was pretty awesome, but what really struck me was the second track – Bad Habit. It wasn’t the song itself that floored me – musically it’s one of the worst on the album. It was the absurd use of obscenity. I wasn’t much older than ten years old, and this song immediately became an important educational tool for me, teaching me the one thing all ten-year-olds want to know how to do – how to curse.

I realize, that in this day and age, this knowledge is much easier to obtain for a ten-year-old; I didn’t have the internet or cable TV, and network shows were much tamer back them. I remember sitting there, in awe, listening to Dexter Holland spew out an angry string of curse words, and thinking – “I wonder what his mother thinks of him.” That’s right. At the ripe old age of ten, I was worried about Mr. Holland’s relationship with his mother, and wondered if she had any idea how filthy her son’s mouth was.

So whenever a song, featuring excessive expletives, comes out, I feel a pang of nostalgia for my youth (Note: w/r/t this, the Teenage Tunes post will be coming soon, as will an ode to Walkmans). Cee Lo Green, of Gnarls Barkely fame, has released such a track. You can check out the entire album on NPR, or listen to this track here.

Cee Lo Green – F*** You

Gilad Schwartz – The Unreleased Demos

Two months and two days ago, Gilad passed away. Somehow, we’ve all been living and going on, despite this horrible hole in our hearts. And one of the ways that I’ve been dealing with everything is through music: the music that Gilad listened to, the music that he and I played together, and most importantly – his own recordings.

We only have a few tracks, but they are truly to be treasured – to be able to hear his voice, his guitar playing, and his musical talent. We miss you so much Gilad.

Gilad Schwartz – Home (Marc Broussard cover)

Gilad Schwartz – Untitled Instrumental

New(ish) Music – Pixies, Crystal Castles, and Daft Punk

Music news? On this blog? And it’s not about Pearl Jam? I know, it’s kind of weird, but a few things caught my eye in the past few days, and I couldn’t help but post about them:

• Firstly, Daft Punk has a new song out. I don’t know all the details, but I think it has something to do with the new Tron movie coming out. You can read more about that at Stereogum, or download the track below.
• Secondly, Crystal Castles teamed up with Robert Smith of The Cure to cover Platinum Blond’s Not In Love. The track is pretty good. I think Crystal Castles should consider adding Mr. Smith as a permanent band member; it makes their music much easier on the ears.
• Finally, the Pixies just decided to offer a recording of their 2004 Coachella performance for free on their website. If you don’t like the Pixies, then listen to the track below and you’ll be converted. If you still don’t like them, then just rip your ears off; you’re not using them properly anyway.

Daft Punk – Derezzed

Crystal Castles – Not In Love (w/Robert Smith)

Pixies – Monkey Gone To Heaven (live)

Pearl Jam – Bridge School Benefit (Night 2)

Sorry to keep you waiting – here’s night 2. Enjoy!

Again, thanks to Yonah and Dirty Frank for the files.

Download the entire show here.

Pearl Jam – Daughter

Pearl Jam – Bridge School Benefit (Night 1)

Yes, that’s right. In case you’re at all interested in Pearl Jam (which, if you read this blog you probably are), you’ll enjoy this one. For the uninformed, over the weekend, Pearl Jam played two nights at the Bridge School Benefit. In addition to being the first shows Pearl Jam played since they turned 20 last Friday, these shows also happened to be quite amazing – as their Bridge School shows tend to be. Eddie truly shines when he’s in acoustic mode, and as usual, Uncle Neil joined the boys onstage, this time for the new opening cut to his album “Le Noise” – Walk With Me. Enjoy the show!

Thanks to Yonah and Dirty Frank for uploading the shows.

Download the entire show here.

Pearl Jam – Intro

(I’ll) Rise

Lebron’s new Nike commercial is quite awesome:

Also, he references the Maya Angelou poem Still I Rise, a poem that Ben Harper made into a gorgeous song. Check it out.

Ben Harper – I’ll Rise

Pearl Jam & Neil Young – Walk With Me

Neil Young joined Pearl Jam onstage during their set at the Bridge School Benefit last night to perform Mr. Young’s “Walk With Me” – the opening cut on his new album, Le Noise.

Enjoy!

Also, for those of you Buffalo Springfield fans out there, check out this stellar acoustic version of “For What It’s Worth.”

Local Natives at Paradise Club

Last night marked an important point in my concert-going career. Not only did I attend my first concert since moving to Boston, but I went to my first concert alone. I realize that sounds kind of pathetic, but Elana had work to do, I only bought a ticket on Thursday night, and I really wanted to see the band. All of this led me to the conclusion that it was better to go alone than not at all.

Today in Pearl Jam History – The First Show

Twenty years ago today, a gangly group of musicians who had been a band for only a few weeks, took the stage at the Off The Ramp club in Seattle, WA. They called themselves Mookie Blaylock, and even from the soundcheck, it was clear that this would be a fantastic live band.

The band that would soon change their name to Pearl Jam introduced their live show to the world with the soundchecked Even Flow, a churning jam that would soon turn into a fast-paced rocker – an apt analogy for the band’s explosion onto the rock scene.

This, is Pearl Jam.

Download the entire show here.

Pearl Jam – Evenflow (soundcheck)

Pearl Jam – Release

Hyperbolic Hypocrisy

Or: Why I’m Going To See The Local Natives This Saturday Night

I was recently watching the Baseball playoffs when a commercial came on that featured fans and their dedication to their teams. One fan boasted that he’d been to at least 1000 games. Now, with season tickets, at 81 home games per season, with a few seasons of playoffs (not many though, he was a Red Sox fan) let’s assume an average of 82 games per year, this would take him about 12 years to accomplish. Chances are, his boast was hyperbole and he has in fact not been to that many games, but that point is moot. What’s important was my initial reaction to his claim. I didn’t question it’s validity, nor did I think about how depressing that must have been for so many years as a Red Sox fan.