Tired, tired, tired. That sums up my day. I’ve walked across most of the eastern part of downtown Vancouver going to all of the “pavilions” each country brings to the Olympics. By far the best one I went to was the Sochi 2014 House put together by Russia. They gave a great overview of what the 2014 Winter Games will be like in the resort city of Sochi.
I’ll try to post a more detailed update tonight.
Tomorrow night the nominations for the 2010 Grammy awards will be announced. The Grammy awards are notoriously tricky to pick, especially the nominees. I’m going to give it my best shot, though …
Album of the Year
Taylor Swift, Fearless
Green Day, 21st Century Breakdown
Maxwell, BLACKsummers’night
Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreaks
Lady Gaga, The Fame
- Who should be nominated?
Allen Toussaint, The Bright Mississippi
Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It’s Blitz
Record of the Year
Beyonce, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Lady Gaga, Poker Face
Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me
Kings of Leon, Use Somebody
Green Day, 21 Guns
Song of the Year
Beyonce, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Lady Gaga, Poker Face
Maxwell, Pretty Wings
Kanye West, Heartless
U2, If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
Before I post of list of the things I’m excited about ACL, I decided to post a list of a couple of songs I PROBABLY won’t get to hear (they’ve only made it on these artists’ setlist a couple of times in 2009) … but here’s hoping …
5. “Kingfish” – Levon Helm
Hands-down my favorite track off of ‘Electric Dirt’
4. “Zombie” – State Radio
Cover of The Cranberries … but pretty rare …
3. “The Privateers” – Andrew Bird
Just to hear the bass line that closes the song!
2. “The Real Me” – Pearl Jam
Sure it’s another cover … but who cares?
1. “Warehouse” – Dave Matthews Band
More on Dave later … but this is by far my favorite DMB live.
GrooGrux is a made-up word used by several members of the Dave Matthews Band to describe the energy and “wild-sounding rhythms” when the band performed together. Those terms certainly resonate on the band’s seventh studio album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. As a whole, GrooGrux is the most rock-focused DMB album to date, but to no ill effect. Rather, it adds a driving force to the music which finally echos the pace of the band’s live shows.
As noted in the review by Rolling Stone, the band finally produced an album which accurately reflects their live sound. There’s an energy and size to their sound which has never been present on their previous studio releases. Stand-out track in this regard is “Shake Me Like A Monkey,” which is probably the hardest song the band has ever recorded for an album. Credit should undoubtedly be given to producer Rob Cavallo, who previously produced albums for Green Day, the Goo Goo Dolls, and My Chemical Romance. Seemingly absent from GrooGrux is the focus on one specific style, as has been typical of past Dave Matthews albums. Instead, the album melds together the catchy melodies of Under the Table and Dreaming, the lyrical sweetness of Crash, and the jazz-tinged rock of Beyond These Crowded Streets.
Long-time DMB contributer Tim Reynolds is featured prominently on acoustic and electric guitar. Another change from previous studio effort, Stand Up, is a resurgence of drummer Carter Beauford. Back are his intricate rhythms and driving precision. While I’m hesitant to call it the best Dave Matthews Band album so far, it is definitely the most well-rounded, and I suspect many of the songs on the album will be featured extensively in their many years of touring ahead.
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