en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal The Last.fm journal for mobydickulous. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2011/04/21/4caeq7_concert_history_%28last_update%3A_042111%29 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:41:31 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2011/04/21/4caeq7_concert_history_%28last_update%3A_042111%29 Most Recent Update:
04/21/11 - Added Raul Midon and Ingrid Michaelson shows.

2 Skinnee J's (2) - Toad's Place Newhaven CT, Rocks Off NYC Boat Cruise Reunion Show NY Harbor NYC
~A byproduct of my Rustic obsession, the J's were headlining a show down in CT that PSC and Rocktopus opened. B and I took the opportunity to see the two bands formed out of Rustic play together and made the trip south. What we weren't expecting was the spectacle of the J's. Having only heard snippets of songs we were both blown away by their showmanship and lyrical abilities. Following that show (which we ended up having to leave early to get back home) we got our hands on as much J's material as possible. Unfortunately, the band went on a 3 year hiatus before reuniting for a series of shows in July of '05, an event Brandon and I had no intention of missing. We took the train down to NYC and rocked out on the water with the J's and a couple hundred other devoted fans. I'd be hard pressed to describe the J's music, but they've been classified as "Nerd Rap". I invite you to go check them yourselves at their Myspace page.

6gig - Opened for PSC Asylum Portland ME
~I only vaguely remember this show. I'm pretty sure we missed part of it for one reason or another and only caught a couple of songs. 6gig was always more of B's band than they were mine, but they were in that big group of bands loosely affiliated with Rustic and PSC and they had a really solid sound and quite a following in Maine. PSC did a cover of their song "Hit the Ground" for the "Beautiful Locals" album that I really dig.

As Fast As - Northern Lights Clifton Park NY
~Part of the New Years Eve extravaganza with Rustic and PSC, I finally got to catch an AFA show after having been to so many Rocktopus shows back in the day (the former name for most of the AFA lineup). I must say I was impressed. They've been on a break while the Rustic album was put together, since the keyboard player is in Rustic, and they still sounded tight and played a great, high energy set. They rocked the crowd hard and had the best set of the night, even as the first of two opening bands (with PSC being the other). I really enjoyed their "debut" album, and was eager to see if they could pull it off live and they certainly did.

Barenaked Ladies (7) - Memorial Auditorium Burlington VT, Verizon Center Manchester NH [3], Fleet Center Boston MA, Orpheum Theatre Boston MA [2]
~I've been seeing these guys play since '95, soon after they released Rock Spectacle, and they continue to impress with great high energy, hilarious and flawlessly performed shows. One of many under appreciated artists on this list, I'll continue to see BNL as long as they continue to tour and I've been introduced to a couple of great acts who've opened for them over the years. For pictures and details about my most recent BNL gig, peep this.

Ben Folds (2) - UNH Fieldhouse Durham NH, Fleet Center Boston MA, Walnut Creek Ampitheater Raleigh NC
~Another artist who sat on my "must see" list for a long time before I had the chance to catch his show. Folds uses the piano in ways it was never intended, though clearly should have been. His geeky power over a crowd can't be denied and his consistently well composed improv songs rarely disappoint. Though it was extremely hot at the fieldhouse, that was my only complaint about this show. I'd see Folds perform over and over and never tire of hearing him play.

Blue Man Group - Blue Man Theatre Boston MA
~After years of wanting to see the show, I took a UNH sponsored trip down with a friend and about 40 other folks on a bus to Boston. There's no way to accurately describe a Blue Man show. It's surreal, powerful, loud, hilarious and inspiring. Such simple concepts, but executed perfectly and with energy that really does seem otherworldly. If you haven't seen Blue Man, you should.

Bonnie Raitt - Stowe Concert Series Stowe VT
~The Stowe Concert Series were a bunch of shows I got to attend for free with my mother. She got tickets through her place of work at the time and it was an excuse to sit outside on a summer night and enjoy some good company and some tunes. I was quite young for all these shows (maybe 13 by the time we stopped going to them) and I certainly wasn't always a fan of the bands, but hey, free concerts should never be dismissed. This was the only one of the Stowe shows I can honestly say I really enjoyed. My mother being a huge Bonnie Raitt fan I had grown up listening to her music and her live show was really great. More than the show itself I think I got a kick out of how much fun my mother had.

Brett Dennen - Opened for Jason Mraz Hollywood Bowl Hollywood CA
~This was my first exposure to Dennen's music and I was pleasantly surprised. Mraz always manages to pick great openers and this was no excepetion. I thuroughly enjoyed Brett's set and vibe and look forward to hearing more from him in the future.

Butterfly Boucher - Opened for BNL Verizon Center Manchester NH
~One semi-hit and that was it. Her single never really did a whole lot, but she put on a pretty good show and really played to the crowd well. I was expecting big things from her but they never developed.

Carbon Leaf - Opened for Jason Mraz Orpheum Theatre Boston MA
~A pleasant surprise at the Mraz show. An interesting and eclectic modern rock band with a lot of Irish influence. Their set was hot and cold and they seemed less polished than they should have been for such a seasoned act but the songs that hit were great.

Cornmo - Opened for Ben Folds UNH Fieldhouse Durham NH
~There aren't even words...wait, yes there are, not good.

Dane Cook (4) - Comedy Connection Boston MA, Hampton Casino Ballroom Hampton NH, UNH Fieldhouse Durham NH, Fleet Center Boston MA
~I first caught Dane's act on Comedy Central in '99 when he did the Comics Come Home special. I was immediately drawn to his style and took the first chance to see him perform down in Boston. I had his independently released cd and got him to sign it and take a picture with me and my crew. Since then his career has exploded and I'm happy to have had the chance to watch it grow. I hope he continues to be successful in whatever he does.

Dave Matthews Band - Molson Center (now the Bell Center) Montreal Canada
~I was 18 or 19 and my fried Kevin called me one day to ask what I was up to the following afternoon. Not having any plans he said he'd be by to pick me up and that we were driving to Canada to see Dave Matthews. Both fairly robust DMB fans we were unstoppable balls of crazy all the way there. Late getting started, and even more so after getting lost in Montreal, we finally rolled into the Molson Center, ran to Will Call and grabbed our tickets and proceeded to the nearest usher. The tickets were a gift from Kevin's wonderful mother who worked for Ben and Jerry's, one of the primary sponsors of the tour. We had no idea where our seats were located and it wasn't until the usher led us to our 11th row center final locations that we had the chance to turn to each other and share looks of absolute amazement. Two solid hours of grooving out ensued, from which my neck was sore for three days. The show was incredible and the entire trip will probably always stand as one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Dominic and the Lucid - Opened for Rustic Overtones Stone Church Newmarket NH
~A fairly talented young band from the Portland area. The show was lackluster due to poor vocal mixing and a low energy set. The crowd was there to see Rustic and most of us were tierd of waiting by the time the set came to a close. I've heard good things about them but I was not impressed.

Empty Pockets (many) - Wainer Park Hinesburg VT
~My mom's old band, I catch their show whenever mom and her husband (the guitar player) make the trip up from NC. I was too young to get into any of their shows when they played in the Burlington area regularly back in teh day. Great covers of clssic rhythm and blues, rock and whatever else floats their boat.

Even All Out - Opened for Rocktopus State Theatre Portland ME
~A now (thankfully) defunct high school band out of Maine who opened for Rocktopus at their CD release party.

Famous - Opened for PSC Stone Church Newmarket NH
~A decent young band with a lot of talent and some really good songs. In terms of personality though, I just a got a really annoying vibe from them. Maybe it was just that night, but they came off a bit to cocky for my taste and the lead singer annoyed the hell out of me during his between song rants. Their whole attitude is probably what kept me from really enjoying the music and probably from buying their album.

Four Tops - Champlain Valley Fair Essex Junction VT with the Temptations
~I don't really remember much about this show. I was fairly young and my mother took me. I remember being surprised by how many of the songs I knew and I know I had a good time and I'm certainly glad I can say I saw them.

G. Love & Special Sauce (3) - UNH Fieldhouse with Run DMC Durham NH, Bank of America Pavilion opening for Jason Mraz Boston MA, Hollywood Bowl opening for Jason Mraz Hollywood CA
~It was an odd bill that night at UNH, at least to me, but odder still was that G. Love was the headliner. DMC ended up running late so G. Love went on first and put on a hell of a show. Though much of the setlist consisted of his standard style of bluesy, laid back tunes, he still held the crowd's attention and you could really feel the passion he had for the music. A large portion of the crowd was there for Run DMC, but I think even many of them were fully into G. Love by the end of his lengthy set. As the years have gone by, G. and the guys have continued to put out good music and are still kickin' just as hard if not harder these days and I enjoyed having them along for the Mraz tour.

Gavin DeGraw - Opened for BNL Verizon Center Manchester NH
~I had never heard of him before the show but man did he blow up soon after it. I wore out his album but I must say I've tired of hearing about him at this point. Unless he puts out some new and interesting material soon I don't expect to hear much from him in years to come. A great talent though and his show and band were awesome.

Gratton Brothers Band - Enosburg High School Enosburg VT
~A collection of Gratton family members and friends who play family events every so often, in this case for RenFest.

Guster - Opened for BNL Fleet Center Boston MA
~I think I might have known one or two Guster songs before I saw them play but as soon as I had the chance I picked up more of their material and they've become a favorite of mine. Their show is intense. If you don't have the Guster On Ice cd/dvd, run out and get it. The show was taped at the State Theater in Portland and B and I foolishly missed our chance to be there.

Ingrid Michaelson - Higher Ground Burlington VT
~Another artist whom I've come to know through Jason Mraz. Ingrid opened for Mraz on his European tour a few years back and since seeing a few of her videos on Youtube I've become quite a fan. She has an amazing voice, is a quality piano and uke player and has a great way with melodies. She's come up in the industry on her own terms, making a name for herself as an indie artist and licensing her songs for use on TV. Her show was full of great surprises, dynamic covers and amazing reworkings of her own hits. She's an artist that clearly enjoys performing and makes sure the audience is having just as much fun. She's definitely on the list of artists we'll always see when she's in the area and I hope she keeps pumping out great music.

Jason Mraz (4) - Orpheum Theatre Boston MA, Pickel Barrel Night Club Killington VT, Bank of America Pavilion Boston MA, Hollywood Bowl Hollywood CA
~There aren't enough words to express how amazing Mraz is. I only wish I had known about him sooner. After being forced to play his first album over and over again while working at a record store during its release, I swore that if I never heard another Mraz song I could die happy. But when he released Mr. A-Z I was intrigued and dug deeper into his older material. What I found were dozens of amazing songs and an artist with more talent then will every truly be appreciated. I'm happy to call Mraz my favorite modern artist and all time favorite singer/songwriter. The Boston show (my first) was great, with two really high quality opening acts. My mother drove all the way up from North Carolina to come to the show with me and we both had an amazing time. I was lucky enough to get third row seats and with the Orpheum being a fairly small venue, Mraz was literally a couple of feet away (pictures here) and put on a great show. All in all right up there in my top three concert experiences ever. If you're interested you can read about it here. Update 01/30/08: Head over to my journal entry here to read all the details about the incredible, small venue Jason Mraz show I was lucky enough to attend in Killington earlier this month. His first gig back in the states after touring and recording in Europe in preparation for his new record We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things that'll be released on May 20th. It was an amazing night and the new songs are incredible. Just read the recap for full details and a few pictures.

The Jazz Guys - Opened for Mike Doughty Higher Ground Burlington VT
~A fun local band and a great opener for Doughty. They're getting pretty big locally and for good reason. Fun lyrics and a good live show.

John Mayer (3) - Mullins Center Amherst MA, TD Banknorth Garden Boston MA, Walnut Creek Ampitheater Raleigh NC
~One of the glaring standouts on the "list of artists I need to see" for a long time I knew Mayer would be a great show but it was even better. Hannah and I were in awe the entire set and the show rocked much harder than I would have imagined. The band was on point, the stage set was comparatively minimal but added wonderfully to the show, the set was well constructed and the guitar work was simply amazing. There will be more Mayer shows in my future without a doubt. Edit: Since that first show, Hannah and I caught the Mayer/Folds tour when it rolled through Boston. I didn't know it could get better, but our seats owned and the show was even more amazing. Easily at the top of my concert list as one of the greatest shows with one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I had such a good time that I flew down to NC and took mom to the show in Raleigh.

K'NAAN - Bank of America Pavilion opening for Jason Mraz Boston MA
~I was really looking forward to seeing K'naan after checking out some of his stuff on Myspace and Youtube. He's got a flow built for storytelling and wears his Samolian heritage on his sleave. We ended up missing his first couple of songs thanks to traffic but I was impressed with his ease on stage and evident enjoyment of what he's doing. I'm hoping to catch him again at a headlining show that's a bit more intimate.

Lewis Black - State Theatre Portland ME
~As good live as his is on his albums and the Daily Show. For a guy who's entire act is built on being angry he really seems to have a great time doing standup and he connected with the audience really well. I was lucky enough to have second row seats and laughed my ass off even though I had heard a bunch of the jokes.

Live - Whittamore Center Durham NH
~Not a show I would have stood in line for, but the tickets were cheap, the company was good and it turned out to be fun anyway. I actually preferred the opening band but this road-tested group did their part and I rocked along to the hits that I knew.

Looker - Enosburg High School Enosburg VT
~My uncle Brian's band, reunited after about 20 years for the RenFest bennifit for my Aunt Renee. Just great to hear my uncle sing and as a bonus he had my cousin Dylan (his son) fill in on drums, a great experience and the greatest of causes.

Loudermilk (2) - Opened for PSC Muddy River Smokehouse Porstmouth NH, Asylum Portland ME
~I am not a fan of Loudermilk

Lyle Lovett - Opened for Bonnie Raitt at Stowe Concert Series Stowe VT
~Yeah, he's definitely strange looking and just a bit to twangy for my taste.

Mat Kearney - Opened for John Mayer at Mullins Center Amherst MA
~I didn't know anything about Kearney before his show with Mayer but I was quite impressed. I figured he'd have to be decent to stand up next to a talent like John Mayer and he didn't disappoint. Good songwriting and a really distinct and fun delivery I'll definitely be picking up his album when I get the chance.

Michael Bolton - Stowe Concert Series Stowe VT
~Again, not a concert of my choosing. The only redeeming factor had nothing to do with the performance. Before the show, the guy in the raised sound booth in the center of the audience was juggling facing the left side of the crowd, the opposite side to me. I was about 12 and went around to ask him if I could give it a try. He handed me down the objects, I juggled for a second, threw one behind my back and caught it and that entire side of the audience started clapping. I, of course, freaked out, handed him back his objects and walked briskly back to my seat. In hindsight it was pretty cool, but at the time I couldn't have been more embarrassed.

Mike Doughty (2) - Verizon Center Manchester NH, Higher Ground Burlington VT
~After getting into his music at the start of '06, I finally had the chance to catch Doughty's show when he opened for the Barenaked Ladies and then again at his Halloween show in Burlington a week later. The former Soul Coughing front man has grown up a lot since he split with his SC mates, and grabbed onto a sort of folk/rock/new-wave style that suits his poetic lyrics well. With such an interesting artist I was concerned his live act might not live up to the hype I had created for him but he didn't disappoint. With great energy and a fun, improvisational show, Doughty and his very capable band entertain the hell our of the crowd and he continues to create compelling and intersesting music.

Paranoid Social Club (many) - Stone Church Newmarket NH, Higher Ground Burlington VT, Club Metronome Burlington VT, Barley Pub Dover NH, Asylum Portland ME, Big Easy Portland ME, Tin Palace Durham NH, Muddy River Smokehouse Portsmouth NH, Toad's Place Newhaven CT, Northern Lights Clifton Park NY
~PSC is comprised of the lead singer, bassist and drummer (for the last few months anyway) from Rustic. It was a natural progression from one band to the next and PSC took from Rustic much of the same vibe and energy. More of a classifiable rock band, PSC is all about good music and good times. With rock solid riffs and amazing vocals the band always puts on a great show and is at all times determined to rock an audience no matter how many they are or how excited they seem. Some of my best memories stem from PSC shows and sharing the band with new fans and old fans alike.

Pete Kilpatrick (5) - Big Easy Portland ME, Barley Pub Dover NH [3], York Highschool York ME
~An up and coming songwriter out of Maine with a rockin' band (the Pete Kilpatrick Supergroup or Pete Kilpatrick Band) and a fun live show. He was a frequent opener for PSC and Rocktopus at their NH and ME area shows.

Raul Midón (Raul Midon) (2) - Opened for Jason Mraz Orpheum Theatre Boston MA, Higher Ground Burlington VT
~An awe inspiring guitarist who I was very excited to see. His very simple "man with a guitar" set held the audience's full attention the whole time. His flamenco strumming and soulful vocals should truly be experienced live to be appreciated. My only wish is that he had more than one album and an EP worth of music for me to enjoy. UPDATE 04/2011: Hannah and I managed to catch Raul at Higher Ground a few months ago and he was fantastic. So incredibly engaging and full of amazing stories. We met him briefly after the show and got to thank him for coming up to play for us and had him sign a CD. I hope he comes back our way again and keeps putting out quality music. His last two albums have both been great.

rebel alliance - Roques Burlington VT
~My step brother's band, also one known as Given Groove. They do both covers and originals that Paul writes and they've been playing together for a few years now. Paul is an amazing guitarist and song writer and I expect big things out of him in the future if he can just get a bit more motivated.

revision - Opened for Rustic OvertonesHigher Ground Ballroom Burlington VT
~A fun three piece from Ithica NY. Great energy, fun songwriting and an energetic jam-band feel. Nice to see the use of piano and organ and all three band members were into the set from start to finish. They're always high energy from what I can gleen from short clips of other performances I've seen, but they were especially excited to open for Rustic, one of their favorite bands. They sat up the the balcony and rocked out to Rustic's set just as hard as anybody there.

Rocktopus (many) - Stone Church Newmarket NH, Barley Pub Dover NH, State Theatre Portland ME, Bull Moose Music Portsmouth NH, York Highschool York ME, Toad's Place Newhaven CT
~The band of former Rustic keyboard player Spencer Albee that has since changed its name to As Fast As. Following the Rustic split B and I would try and catch these guys whenever they were in town. They had a catch sound and a fun-loving, if a bit pretentious, vibe. After a while it began to feel as if the band thought they were huge stars on some imaginary stage and our interest wained. When they fired the one down to earth member of the band, their drummer Brian, and changed the name, we stopped going to shows. I've heard some of their recent stuff and am unimpressed. Even the retooled versions of old Rocktopus songs feel overproduced and radio polished. It was the raw, reckless keyboards and bass lines that I enjoyed about Rockto and that seems to be missing in the more modern As Fast As product.

Run DMC - UNH Fieldhouse with G. Love Durham NH
~Hip-hop royalty in southern NH, a little strange yes, but a great show still. The stage setup was minimal but it didn't matter at the group put on a high energy show, even after touring for over 20 years. It was an honor just to have the opportunity to see them perform.

Rustic Overtones (6) - UNH Granite State Room Durham NH, "Final Show" at the State Theatre Portland Maine, "Summer Reunion" shows at the Asylum Portland Maine, Higher Ground Burlington VT, Stone Church Newmarket NH, Northern Lights Clifton Park NY
~The band that started my rock renaissance and pulled me out of an extended, exclusively hip-hop phase. Rustic was a rock-centric seven piece out of Maine who's influences and output can't be nailed down to one genre. After being dragged to their show my Freshman year, I was immediately drawn to their energy and unique sound. I spent the next few years trying to get my hands on everything Rustic related and by my junior year I found myself front and center for their farewell performance. Rustic's music touched a lot of people, and though they never made it to the main stream, their rhythms live on in their passionate fans, such as myself, who do whatever they can to pass on the Rustic love. Edit: 08/25/07 Rustic has reunited for the summer of '07, playing a bunch of shows around New England, the last of which went off tonight in Troy NY. There's still hope that they may book more but no word yet on how long the reunion will really last. The one show I had a chance to see was simply incredible and I can only hope they book a Burlington area date. Edit: 11/15/07 Ask and ye shall receive, Rustic played their triumphant return to Burlington at Higher Ground on the 9th to a packed house. Awesome show as always and the fanbase is really starting to pick up steam again. The folks over at RockLikeWar.com are good people and a buch of us were able to make it out, resulting in a bunch of good pictures and finally a live recording of one of the summer tour shows! Edit: 01/11/08 A dream come true for fans of Rustic and the bands that their breakup spawned, PSC and AFA opened for Rustic at their New Years Eve extravaganza down in Clifton Park NY. Awesome show you can read all about on the message board ar Rocklikewar.com.

SO GLAD - Foothills Juice & Java King NC
~The new incarnation of my mother's band with just her vocals and her husband Dave on guitar. They have a bass player fill in on ocasion and are looking for a regular drummer. Such a good time whenever they play and they always draw quite a crowd.

Splender - Opened for Live at Whittamore Center Durham NH
~Now reconfigured as Headrush these guys grabbed my attention from the first note they played. With hard charging melodies and thoughtful lyrics I was really impressed by their energy and command of an audience almost completely unaware of their music. They promised to come back to UNH later in the year but never returned. They released two albums, as Splender and I'll probably pick up the Headrush album if it ever actually comes out. You can check out the new band on their Myspace page.

Strangefolk - Johnson State College Johnson VT
~I don't remember much of this show other than getting a serious contact high from everyone there. I was hanging out with an old friend from high school who's sister was attending JSC at the time and we decided to hit up this show. I must say, they were better than I would have expected, just not my type of music.

Temptations - Champlain Valley Fair Essex Junction VT with the Four Tops
~I don't really remember much about this show. I was fairly young and my mother took me. I remember being surprised by how many of the songs I knew and I know I had a good time and I'm certainly glad I can say I saw them.

Tony McNaboe - Opened for Rocktopus State Theatre Portland ME
~Former Rustic Overtones Drummer turned R&B singer. I was both shocked and impressed by his abilities when I first caught his act at the Rocktopus show. I bought his debut disc that night and enjoyed the hell out of it. It seems his career has stalled somewhat, which is too bad because I certainly would have picked up another of this albums and I'm always down to support anything with Rustic roots.

Full Update List:
04/21/11 - Added Raul Midon and Ingrid Michaelson shows.
11/25/09 - Added Hollywood show
08/28/09 - Various Edits, added BOAP show.
01/30/08 - Added Jason Mraz Killington show
01/11/08 - Added Rustic/Dominic and the Lucid Stone Church and New Year's show with AFA and PSC, added Ben Folds Fleet Center show.
11/15/07 - Added Rustic Overtones/Revision show, and RenFest acts.
08/25/07 - Added a few shows, Rustic, Mayer/Folds and mom's bands.
02/28/07 - Added John Mayer/Mat Kearney show, slight edit on a couple entries.
11/24/06 - Added The Jazz Guys as the opener for Doughty at Higher Ground.
11/02/06 - Added links to blog entries about BNL and Mraz shows, edited Doughty entry following Higher Ground gig.
10/25/06 - Added another BNL show and Mike Doughty shows.
10/19/06 - Added the 6gig show that B reminded me about.
10/08/06 - Added DMB show I somehow managed to leave out, added venues to PSC and Rocktopus, spell checked.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2011/04/21/4caepj_concert_history_%28last_update%3A_042111%29 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:40:56 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2011/04/21/4caepj_concert_history_%28last_update%3A_042111%29 Most Recent Update:
04/21/11 - Added Raul Midon and Ingrid Michaelson shows.

2 Skinnee J's (2) - Toad's Place Newhaven CT, Rocks Off NYC Boat Cruise Reunion Show NY Harbor NYC
~A byproduct of my Rustic obsession, the J's were headlining a show down in CT that PSC and Rocktopus opened. B and I took the opportunity to see the two bands formed out of Rustic play together and made the trip south. What we weren't expecting was the spectacle of the J's. Having only heard snippets of songs we were both blown away by their showmanship and lyrical abilities. Following that show (which we ended up having to leave early to get back home) we got our hands on as much J's material as possible. Unfortunately, the band went on a 3 year hiatus before reuniting for a series of shows in July of '05, an event Brandon and I had no intention of missing. We took the train down to NYC and rocked out on the water with the J's and a couple hundred other devoted fans. I'd be hard pressed to describe the J's music, but they've been classified as "Nerd Rap". I invite you to go check them yourselves at their Myspace page.

6gig - Opened for PSC Asylum Portland ME
~I only vaguely remember this show. I'm pretty sure we missed part of it for one reason or another and only caught a couple of songs. 6gig was always more of B's band than they were mine, but they were in that big group of bands loosely affiliated with Rustic and PSC and they had a really solid sound and quite a following in Maine. PSC did a cover of their song "Hit the Ground" for the "Beautiful Locals" album that I really dig.

As Fast As - Northern Lights Clifton Park NY
~Part of the New Years Eve extravaganza with Rustic and PSC, I finally got to catch an AFA show after having been to so many Rocktopus shows back in the day (the former name for most of the AFA lineup). I must say I was impressed. They've been on a break while the Rustic album was put together, since the keyboard player is in Rustic, and they still sounded tight and played a great, high energy set. They rocked the crowd hard and had the best set of the night, even as the first of two opening bands (with PSC being the other). I really enjoyed their "debut" album, and was eager to see if they could pull it off live and they certainly did.

Barenaked Ladies (7) - Memorial Auditorium Burlington VT, Verizon Center Manchester NH [3], Fleet Center Boston MA, Orpheum Theatre Boston MA [2]
~I've been seeing these guys play since '95, soon after they released Rock Spectacle, and they continue to impress with great high energy, hilarious and flawlessly performed shows. One of many under appreciated artists on this list, I'll continue to see BNL as long as they continue to tour and I've been introduced to a couple of great acts who've opened for them over the years. For pictures and details about my most recent BNL gig, peep this.

Ben Folds (2) - UNH Fieldhouse Durham NH, Fleet Center Boston MA, Walnut Creek Ampitheater Raleigh NC
~Another artist who sat on my "must see" list for a long time before I had the chance to catch his show. Folds uses the piano in ways it was never intended, though clearly should have been. His geeky power over a crowd can't be denied and his consistently well composed improv songs rarely disappoint. Though it was extremely hot at the fieldhouse, that was my only complaint about this show. I'd see Folds perform over and over and never tire of hearing him play.

Blue Man Group - Blue Man Theatre Boston MA
~After years of wanting to see the show, I took a UNH sponsored trip down with a friend and about 40 other folks on a bus to Boston. There's no way to accurately describe a Blue Man show. It's surreal, powerful, loud, hilarious and inspiring. Such simple concepts, but executed perfectly and with energy that really does seem otherworldly. If you haven't seen Blue Man, you should.

Bonnie Raitt - Stowe Concert Series Stowe VT
~The Stowe Concert Series were a bunch of shows I got to attend for free with my mother. She got tickets through her place of work at the time and it was an excuse to sit outside on a summer night and enjoy some good company and some tunes. I was quite young for all these shows (maybe 13 by the time we stopped going to them) and I certainly wasn't always a fan of the bands, but hey, free concerts should never be dismissed. This was the only one of the Stowe shows I can honestly say I really enjoyed. My mother being a huge Bonnie Raitt fan I had grown up listening to her music and her live show was really great. More than the show itself I think I got a kick out of how much fun my mother had.

Brett Dennen - Opened for Jason Mraz Hollywood Bowl Hollywood CA
~This was my first exposure to Dennen's music and I was pleasantly surprised. Mraz always manages to pick great openers and this was no excepetion. I thuroughly enjoyed Brett's set and vibe and look forward to hearing more from him in the future.

Butterfly Boucher - Opened for BNL Verizon Center Manchester NH
~One semi-hit and that was it. Her single never really did a whole lot, but she put on a pretty good show and really played to the crowd well. I was expecting big things from her but they never developed.

Carbon Leaf - Opened for Jason Mraz Orpheum Theatre Boston MA
~A pleasant surprise at the Mraz show. An interesting and eclectic modern rock band with a lot of Irish influence. Their set was hot and cold and they seemed less polished than they should have been for such a seasoned act but the songs that hit were great.

Cornmo - Opened for Ben Folds UNH Fieldhouse Durham NH
~There aren't even words...wait, yes there are, not good.

Dane Cook (4) - Comedy Connection Boston MA, Hampton Casino Ballroom Hampton NH, UNH Fieldhouse Durham NH, Fleet Center Boston MA
~I first caught Dane's act on Comedy Central in '99 when he did the Comics Come Home special. I was immediately drawn to his style and took the first chance to see him perform down in Boston. I had his independently released cd and got him to sign it and take a picture with me and my crew. Since then his career has exploded and I'm happy to have had the chance to watch it grow. I hope he continues to be successful in whatever he does.

Dave Matthews Band - Molson Center (now the Bell Center) Montreal Canada
~I was 18 or 19 and my fried Kevin called me one day to ask what I was up to the following afternoon. Not having any plans he said he'd be by to pick me up and that we were driving to Canada to see Dave Matthews. Both fairly robust DMB fans we were unstoppable balls of crazy all the way there. Late getting started, and even more so after getting lost in Montreal, we finally rolled into the Molson Center, ran to Will Call and grabbed our tickets and proceeded to the nearest usher. The tickets were a gift from Kevin's wonderful mother who worked for Ben and Jerry's, one of the primary sponsors of the tour. We had no idea where our seats were located and it wasn't until the usher led us to our 11th row center final locations that we had the chance to turn to each other and share looks of absolute amazement. Two solid hours of grooving out ensued, from which my neck was sore for three days. The show was incredible and the entire trip will probably always stand as one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Dominic and the Lucid - Opened for Rustic Overtones Stone Church Newmarket NH
~A fairly talented young band from the Portland area. The show was lackluster due to poor vocal mixing and a low energy set. The crowd was there to see Rustic and most of us were tierd of waiting by the time the set came to a close. I've heard good things about them but I was not impressed.

Empty Pockets (many) - Wainer Park Hinesburg VT
~My mom's old band, I catch their show whenever mom and her husband (the guitar player) make the trip up from NC. I was too young to get into any of their shows when they played in the Burlington area regularly back in teh day. Great covers of clssic rhythm and blues, rock and whatever else floats their boat.

Even All Out - Opened for Rocktopus State Theatre Portland ME
~A now (thankfully) defunct high school band out of Maine who opened for Rocktopus at their CD release party.

Famous - Opened for PSC Stone Church Newmarket NH
~A decent young band with a lot of talent and some really good songs. In terms of personality though, I just a got a really annoying vibe from them. Maybe it was just that night, but they came off a bit to cocky for my taste and the lead singer annoyed the hell out of me during his between song rants. Their whole attitude is probably what kept me from really enjoying the music and probably from buying their album.

Four Tops - Champlain Valley Fair Essex Junction VT with the Temptations
~I don't really remember much about this show. I was fairly young and my mother took me. I remember being surprised by how many of the songs I knew and I know I had a good time and I'm certainly glad I can say I saw them.

G. Love & Special Sauce (3) - UNH Fieldhouse with Run DMC Durham NH, Bank of America Pavilion opening for Jason Mraz Boston MA, Hollywood Bowl opening for Jason Mraz Hollywood CA
~It was an odd bill that night at UNH, at least to me, but odder still was that G. Love was the headliner. DMC ended up running late so G. Love went on first and put on a hell of a show. Though much of the setlist consisted of his standard style of bluesy, laid back tunes, he still held the crowd's attention and you could really feel the passion he had for the music. A large portion of the crowd was there for Run DMC, but I think even many of them were fully into G. Love by the end of his lengthy set. As the years have gone by, G. and the guys have continued to put out good music and are still kickin' just as hard if not harder these days and I enjoyed having them along for the Mraz tour.

Gavin DeGraw - Opened for BNL Verizon Center Manchester NH
~I had never heard of him before the show but man did he blow up soon after it. I wore out his album but I must say I've tired of hearing about him at this point. Unless he puts out some new and interesting material soon I don't expect to hear much from him in years to come. A great talent though and his show and band were awesome.

Gratton Brothers Band - Enosburg High School Enosburg VT
~A collection of Gratton family members and friends who play family events every so often, in this case for RenFest.

Guster - Opened for BNL Fleet Center Boston MA
~I think I might have known one or two Guster songs before I saw them play but as soon as I had the chance I picked up more of their material and they've become a favorite of mine. Their show is intense. If you don't have the Guster On Ice cd/dvd, run out and get it. The show was taped at the State Theater in Portland and B and I foolishly missed our chance to be there.

Ingrid Michaelson - Higher Ground Burlington VT
~Another artist whom I've come to know through Jason Mraz. Ingrid opened for Mraz on his European tour a few years back and since seeing a few of her videos on Youtube I've become quite a fan. She has an amazing voice, is a quality piano and uke player and has a great way with melodies. She's come up in the industry on her own terms, making a name for herself as an indie artist and licensing her songs for use on TV. Her show was full of great surprises, dynamic covers and amazing reworkings of her own hits. She's an artist that clearly enjoys performing and makes sure the audience is having just as much fun. She's definitely on the list of artists we'll always see when she's in the area and I hope she keeps pumping out great music.

Jason Mraz (4) - Orpheum Theatre Boston MA, Pickel Barrel Night Club Killington VT, Bank of America Pavilion Boston MA, Hollywood Bowl Hollywood CA
~There aren't enough words to express how amazing Mraz is. I only wish I had known about him sooner. After being forced to play his first album over and over again while working at a record store during its release, I swore that if I never heard another Mraz song I could die happy. But when he released Mr. A-Z I was intrigued and dug deeper into his older material. What I found were dozens of amazing songs and an artist with more talent then will every truly be appreciated. I'm happy to call Mraz my favorite modern artist and all time favorite singer/songwriter. The Boston show (my first) was great, with two really high quality opening acts. My mother drove all the way up from North Carolina to come to the show with me and we both had an amazing time. I was lucky enough to get third row seats and with the Orpheum being a fairly small venue, Mraz was literally a couple of feet away (pictures here) and put on a great show. All in all right up there in my top three concert experiences ever. If you're interested you can read about it here. Update 01/30/08: Head over to my journal entry here to read all the details about the incredible, small venue Jason Mraz show I was lucky enough to attend in Killington earlier this month. His first gig back in the states after touring and recording in Europe in preparation for his new record We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things that'll be released on May 20th. It was an amazing night and the new songs are incredible. Just read the recap for full details and a few pictures.

The Jazz Guys - Opened for Mike Doughty Higher Ground Burlington VT
~A fun local band and a great opener for Doughty. They're getting pretty big locally and for good reason. Fun lyrics and a good live show.

John Mayer (3) - Mullins Center Amherst MA, TD Banknorth Garden Boston MA, Walnut Creek Ampitheater Raleigh NC
~One of the glaring standouts on the "list of artists I need to see" for a long time I knew Mayer would be a great show but it was even better. Hannah and I were in awe the entire set and the show rocked much harder than I would have imagined. The band was on point, the stage set was comparatively minimal but added wonderfully to the show, the set was well constructed and the guitar work was simply amazing. There will be more Mayer shows in my future without a doubt. Edit: Since that first show, Hannah and I caught the Mayer/Folds tour when it rolled through Boston. I didn't know it could get better, but our seats owned and the show was even more amazing. Easily at the top of my concert list as one of the greatest shows with one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I had such a good time that I flew down to NC and took mom to the show in Raleigh.

K'NAAN - Bank of America Pavilion opening for Jason Mraz Boston MA
~I was really looking forward to seeing K'naan after checking out some of his stuff on Myspace and Youtube. He's got a flow built for storytelling and wears his Samolian heritage on his sleave. We ended up missing his first couple of songs thanks to traffic but I was impressed with his ease on stage and evident enjoyment of what he's doing. I'm hoping to catch him again at a headlining show that's a bit more intimate.

Lewis Black - State Theatre Portland ME
~As good live as his is on his albums and the Daily Show. For a guy who's entire act is built on being angry he really seems to have a great time doing standup and he connected with the audience really well. I was lucky enough to have second row seats and laughed my ass off even though I had heard a bunch of the jokes.

Live - Whittamore Center Durham NH
~Not a show I would have stood in line for, but the tickets were cheap, the company was good and it turned out to be fun anyway. I actually preferred the opening band but this road-tested group did their part and I rocked along to the hits that I knew.

Looker - Enosburg High School Enosburg VT
~My uncle Brian's band, reunited after about 20 years for the RenFest bennifit for my Aunt Renee. Just great to hear my uncle sing and as a bonus he had my cousin Dylan (his son) fill in on drums, a great experience and the greatest of causes.

Loudermilk (2) - Opened for PSC Muddy River Smokehouse Porstmouth NH, Asylum Portland ME
~I am not a fan of Loudermilk

Lyle Lovett - Opened for Bonnie Raitt at Stowe Concert Series Stowe VT
~Yeah, he's definitely strange looking and just a bit to twangy for my taste.

Mat Kearney - Opened for John Mayer at Mullins Center Amherst MA
~I didn't know anything about Kearney before his show with Mayer but I was quite impressed. I figured he'd have to be decent to stand up next to a talent like John Mayer and he didn't disappoint. Good songwriting and a really distinct and fun delivery I'll definitely be picking up his album when I get the chance.

Michael Bolton - Stowe Concert Series Stowe VT
~Again, not a concert of my choosing. The only redeeming factor had nothing to do with the performance. Before the show, the guy in the raised sound booth in the center of the audience was juggling facing the left side of the crowd, the opposite side to me. I was about 12 and went around to ask him if I could give it a try. He handed me down the objects, I juggled for a second, threw one behind my back and caught it and that entire side of the audience started clapping. I, of course, freaked out, handed him back his objects and walked briskly back to my seat. In hindsight it was pretty cool, but at the time I couldn't have been more embarrassed.

Mike Doughty (2) - Verizon Center Manchester NH, Higher Ground Burlington VT
~After getting into his music at the start of '06, I finally had the chance to catch Doughty's show when he opened for the Barenaked Ladies and then again at his Halloween show in Burlington a week later. The former Soul Coughing front man has grown up a lot since he split with his SC mates, and grabbed onto a sort of folk/rock/new-wave style that suits his poetic lyrics well. With such an interesting artist I was concerned his live act might not live up to the hype I had created for him but he didn't disappoint. With great energy and a fun, improvisational show, Doughty and his very capable band entertain the hell our of the crowd and he continues to create compelling and intersesting music.

Paranoid Social Club (many) - Stone Church Newmarket NH, Higher Ground Burlington VT, Club Metronome Burlington VT, Barley Pub Dover NH, Asylum Portland ME, Big Easy Portland ME, Tin Palace Durham NH, Muddy River Smokehouse Portsmouth NH, Toad's Place Newhaven CT, Northern Lights Clifton Park NY
~PSC is comprised of the lead singer, bassist and drummer (for the last few months anyway) from Rustic. It was a natural progression from one band to the next and PSC took from Rustic much of the same vibe and energy. More of a classifiable rock band, PSC is all about good music and good times. With rock solid riffs and amazing vocals the band always puts on a great show and is at all times determined to rock an audience no matter how many they are or how excited they seem. Some of my best memories stem from PSC shows and sharing the band with new fans and old fans alike.

Pete Kilpatrick (5) - Big Easy Portland ME, Barley Pub Dover NH [3], York Highschool York ME
~An up and coming songwriter out of Maine with a rockin' band (the Pete Kilpatrick Supergroup or Pete Kilpatrick Band) and a fun live show. He was a frequent opener for PSC and Rocktopus at their NH and ME area shows.

Raul Midón (Raul Midon) (2) - Opened for Jason Mraz Orpheum Theatre Boston MA, Higher Ground Burlington VT
~An awe inspiring guitarist who I was very excited to see. His very simple "man with a guitar" set held the audience's full attention the whole time. His flamenco strumming and soulful vocals should truly be experienced live to be appreciated. My only wish is that he had more than one album and an EP worth of music for me to enjoy. UPDATE 04/2011: Hannah and I managed to catch Raul at Higher Ground a few months ago and he was fantastic. So incredibly engaging and full of amazing stories. We met him briefly after the show and got to thank him for coming up to play for us and had him sign a CD. I hope he comes back our way again and keeps putting out quality music. His last two albums have both been great.

rebel alliance - Roques Burlington VT
~My step brother's band, also one known as Given Groove. They do both covers and originals that Paul writes and they've been playing together for a few years now. Paul is an amazing guitarist and song writer and I expect big things out of him in the future if he can just get a bit more motivated.

revision - Opened for Rustic OvertonesHigher Ground Ballroom Burlington VT
~A fun three piece from Ithica NY. Great energy, fun songwriting and an energetic jam-band feel. Nice to see the use of piano and organ and all three band members were into the set from start to finish. They're always high energy from what I can gleen from short clips of other performances I've seen, but they were especially excited to open for Rustic, one of their favorite bands. They sat up the the balcony and rocked out to Rustic's set just as hard as anybody there.

Rocktopus (many) - Stone Church Newmarket NH, Barley Pub Dover NH, State Theatre Portland ME, Bull Moose Music Portsmouth NH, York Highschool York ME, Toad's Place Newhaven CT
~The band of former Rustic keyboard player Spencer Albee that has since changed its name to As Fast As. Following the Rustic split B and I would try and catch these guys whenever they were in town. They had a catch sound and a fun-loving, if a bit pretentious, vibe. After a while it began to feel as if the band thought they were huge stars on some imaginary stage and our interest wained. When they fired the one down to earth member of the band, their drummer Brian, and changed the name, we stopped going to shows. I've heard some of their recent stuff and am unimpressed. Even the retooled versions of old Rocktopus songs feel overproduced and radio polished. It was the raw, reckless keyboards and bass lines that I enjoyed about Rockto and that seems to be missing in the more modern As Fast As product.

Run DMC - UNH Fieldhouse with G. Love Durham NH
~Hip-hop royalty in southern NH, a little strange yes, but a great show still. The stage setup was minimal but it didn't matter at the group put on a high energy show, even after touring for over 20 years. It was an honor just to have the opportunity to see them perform.

Rustic Overtones (6) - UNH Granite State Room Durham NH, "Final Show" at the State Theatre Portland Maine, "Summer Reunion" shows at the Asylum Portland Maine, Higher Ground Burlington VT, Stone Church Newmarket NH, Northern Lights Clifton Park NY
~The band that started my rock renaissance and pulled me out of an extended, exclusively hip-hop phase. Rustic was a rock-centric seven piece out of Maine who's influences and output can't be nailed down to one genre. After being dragged to their show my Freshman year, I was immediately drawn to their energy and unique sound. I spent the next few years trying to get my hands on everything Rustic related and by my junior year I found myself front and center for their farewell performance. Rustic's music touched a lot of people, and though they never made it to the main stream, their rhythms live on in their passionate fans, such as myself, who do whatever they can to pass on the Rustic love. Edit: 08/25/07 Rustic has reunited for the summer of '07, playing a bunch of shows around New England, the last of which went off tonight in Troy NY. There's still hope that they may book more but no word yet on how long the reunion will really last. The one show I had a chance to see was simply incredible and I can only hope they book a Burlington area date. Edit: 11/15/07 Ask and ye shall receive, Rustic played their triumphant return to Burlington at Higher Ground on the 9th to a packed house. Awesome show as always and the fanbase is really starting to pick up steam again. The folks over at RockLikeWar.com are good people and a buch of us were able to make it out, resulting in a bunch of good pictures and finally a live recording of one of the summer tour shows! Edit: 01/11/08 A dream come true for fans of Rustic and the bands that their breakup spawned, PSC and AFA opened for Rustic at their New Years Eve extravaganza down in Clifton Park NY. Awesome show you can read all about on the message board ar Rocklikewar.com.

SO GLAD - Foothills Juice & Java King NC
~The new incarnation of my mother's band with just her vocals and her husband Dave on guitar. They have a bass player fill in on ocasion and are looking for a regular drummer. Such a good time whenever they play and they always draw quite a crowd.

Splender - Opened for Live at Whittamore Center Durham NH
~Now reconfigured as Headrush these guys grabbed my attention from the first note they played. With hard charging melodies and thoughtful lyrics I was really impressed by their energy and command of an audience almost completely unaware of their music. They promised to come back to UNH later in the year but never returned. They released two albums, as Splender and I'll probably pick up the Headrush album if it ever actually comes out. You can check out the new band on their Myspace page.

Strangefolk - Johnson State College Johnson VT
~I don't remember much of this show other than getting a serious contact high from everyone there. I was hanging out with an old friend from high school who's sister was attending JSC at the time and we decided to hit up this show. I must say, they were better than I would have expected, just not my type of music.

Temptations - Champlain Valley Fair Essex Junction VT with the Four Tops
~I don't really remember much about this show. I was fairly young and my mother took me. I remember being surprised by how many of the songs I knew and I know I had a good time and I'm certainly glad I can say I saw them.

Tony McNaboe - Opened for Rocktopus State Theatre Portland ME
~Former Rustic Overtones Drummer turned R&B singer. I was both shocked and impressed by his abilities when I first caught his act at the Rocktopus show. I bought his debut disc that night and enjoyed the hell out of it. It seems his career has stalled somewhat, which is too bad because I certainly would have picked up another of this albums and I'm always down to support anything with Rustic roots.

Full Update List:
04/21/11 - Added Raul Midon and Ingrid Michaelson shows.
11/25/09 - Added Hollywood show
08/28/09 - Various Edits, added BOAP show.
01/30/08 - Added Jason Mraz Killington show
01/11/08 - Added Rustic/Dominic and the Lucid Stone Church and New Year's show with AFA and PSC, added Ben Folds Fleet Center show.
11/15/07 - Added Rustic Overtones/Revision show, and RenFest acts.
08/25/07 - Added a few shows, Rustic, Mayer/Folds and mom's bands.
02/28/07 - Added John Mayer/Mat Kearney show, slight edit on a couple entries.
11/24/06 - Added The Jazz Guys as the opener for Doughty at Higher Ground.
11/02/06 - Added links to blog entries about BNL and Mraz shows, edited Doughty entry following Higher Ground gig.
10/25/06 - Added another BNL show and Mike Doughty shows.
10/19/06 - Added the 6gig show that B reminded me about.
10/08/06 - Added DMB show I somehow managed to leave out, added venues to PSC and Rocktopus, spell checked.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2010/05/20/3neyq1_mraz_mp3_song_collection Thu, 20 May 2010 04:49:12 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2010/05/20/3neyq1_mraz_mp3_song_collection Here is my collection of Mraz tunes that started off as a way to keep all of the lesser known or rarely played tracks in one place. It has expanded to include pretty much whatever I felt like uploading. I thought I'd post this here since it's been a while since I updated the list in the Jason Mraz group. I've added a few things since then and wanted to have somewhere to store the complete list.

All of these songs can be downloaded from my folder on Mediafire. There's also a somewhat better formatted listing on Livejournal. If you notice I'm missing anything please let me know in the comments.

Updates:
04/16/2010 - Changed titles of "Life Rolls On" and "Gentleman" to the semi-permanent "Sea Captain" and "Don't Change at All", added "Be Love" and "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" from the Stronghold gig, added the piano version of "0% Interest", added orchestral version of "Beautiful Mess" from the Nobel Peace Prize concert.
03/09/2010 - Added "In the Name of Love" (Kenny Rankin Cover) Live from NAAM 2010 and "Summertime/In the Name of Love" (Porgy & Bess/Kenny Rankin Cover) Live from Twiggs 06/25/2010.
03/02/2010 - Added new version of "A Way to Remember Me (Song for a Dancer)", "Gentleman (Don't Change at All)", "Life Rolls On (Sea Captain)", "Lovely Day" (Bill Withers cover), and "What Mama Say" all from the Cord Progression show. Also added "Freedom Song" (Luc and the Lovingtons cover) from the LoVE Benefit concert.
02/08/2010 - Added both versions of "Love is All Around".
02/07/2010 - Added the Christmas Tunes folder to the list.
01/19/2010 - Added a much cleaner version of "Avocado Tree Song" from Twiggs.
11/25/2009 - Added "Hope for the Flowers" live from Twiggs, 2007.

A * after a song indicates my personal recommendation

AOL Tour Doc (Video)
-Intro
-Peeps
-Equipment
-Showtime
-About Showtime
-The Fans
-Lisa Hannigan
-A Day with Jason & Toca
-Relationships and Friendships
-Rest
-Cameraman Vs. Tour
-Sense of Home and the Road
-The Re-cap/Good Feeling Ending

Christmas Tunes (Audio)
-All I Want for Christmas is Us (Live)
-All I Want for Christmas is Us (Studio)
-Felize Navidad
-Happy Holidays 2009
-Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (w/Colbie Caillet)
-Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (w/Jessie Payo)
-Merry Holidays
-Oh Come All Ye Faithful
-The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
-Traditional Christmas Bell Song
-Walking in a Winter Wonderland (Live)
-Walking in a Winter Wonderland (Studio)

Here We Are Documentary (Video)
-Part 1
-Part 2
-Part 3
-Part 4
-Part 5
-Part 6*

Live at EBS Space, Korea 07/27/2006 (Audio)
-Geek in the Pink
-I'm Yours
-Life is Wonderful*
-Please Don't Tell Her
-The Remedy
-You and I Both (Nobody Likes Me Intro)*
-Wordplay

Live at Farm Aid 10/04/2009 (Video)
-The Reggaedy
-Never Too Late
-Anything You Want
-Spirit in the Sky*
-Dynamo of Volition
-I'm Yours

Live at the Highline Ballroom 04/14/2008 (Video)
-Plane
-Make it Mine
-Geek in the Pink
-Dramatica Mujer
-Dynamo of Volition
-Beautiful Mess
-If it Kills Me
-The Remedy
-1000 Things
-Live High
-Only Human
-Butterfly
-I'm Yours
-No Stopping Us
-Fall Through Glass
-No Stopping Us
-Full Show Zip Part 1
-Full Show Zip Part 2
-Show MPEG Videos*

Live in the AT&T Blue Room 05/21/2008 (Audio)
-The Remedy
-Make it Mine
-Dynamo of Volition
-Bella Luna
-Not So Usual
-If it Kills Me
-Live High
-Only Human
-I'm Yours
-Butterfly
-No Stopping Us*
-Full Show

Live on 3fm 03/03/2008 (Audio)
-Colby Caillet Shoutout
-Questions from callers
-I'm Yours
-Billie Jean*
-Outro
-Full Show

Live on BBC 2 with Janice Long 05/14/2008 (Audio)
-Interview Part 1
-I'm Yours
-Interview Part 2
-Love for a Child*
-Interview Part 3
-Lucky*
-Outro
-Full Show

Live on the Kidd Kraddick Show 04/21/2008 (Audio)
-Kidd Kraddick Theme Song*
-This is Why I'm Hot*
-I'm Yours
-Dynamo of Volition
-Full Show With Interview Part 1
-Full Show With Interview Part 2

Live on Sirius Radio 04/22/2008 (Audio)
-(Interview - What's been up?)
-I'm Yours
-(Interview - I'm Yours and the new album)
-The Remedy
-(Interview - Collaborations)
-Billie Jean
-(Interview - The tour and fun facts)
-1000 Things
-Full Show

Live on the Today Show 08/07/2009 (Video)
-I'm Yours
-The Remedy
-Make it Mine

XM Sessions 10/18/2005 (Audio)
-Wordplay
-The Remedy
-Life is Wonderful
-Please Don't Tell Her
-Geek in the Pink
-Curbside Prophet (longer version)
-Full Interview

Myspace Songs (Audio):
-Cannabis College*
-God Be With You
-Good Orderly Directions
-I'm Yours
-Life is Wonderful
-Longest Day of the Year*
-Mechanicsville
-Ms. Heather and Mr. Grey*
-Myspace Theme
-Song for a Friend

Tracks With Bushwalla (Audio)
-A Whole New World/Reading Rainbow - Live at Twiggs 10/01/2006*
-Bone Dry (feat. MC Razz) - Live at Twiggs Green Room 09/10/2006*
-Dragonflies and Hummingbirds (feat. MC Razz) - Live at Twiggs Green Room 09/10/2006*
-Fall Through Glass - Live at Pearl Concert Theatre 05/10/2009
-In the Future - Live at Mueller College of Holistic Studies 01/20/2008
-Jesus Bo Bezus (feat. MC Razz) - Live at Twiggs Green Room 09/10/2006*
-Personal Ads (feat. MC Razz) - Live*
-Song About Duality - Myspace Rip
-Titty Bangin' (feat. MC Razz on vocal kaleidoscope) - Live at Twiggs 10/01/2006*

Assorted Tracks
-0% Interest (Piano Version)
-10,000 MFers - Live at the Roseland Ballroom 08/13/2003*
-A way to Remember Me - Live at the Montbleu Theatre Lake Tahoe, NV 01/20/2007
-A way to Remember Me (Song for a Dancer) - Live at Long Beach Terrace Theater 02/27/2010*
-All Dialed In - Live in Rotterdam, Holland 07/13/2007
-All Dialed In - Live from Cafe Dachkammer, Germany 06/08/2007*
-All I Want for Christmas with Tristan Prettyman - Live on WRLT Lightning Lunch 09/23/2005*
-All Night Long - Live at the Pearl Concert Theatre 05/10/2005*
-Anything You Want - Live at the Palais Theatre Melbourne, Australia 04/20/2009*
-Avocado Tree Song - Live at Twiggs, 06/25/2006*
-Avocado Tree Song - Live at the Big Easy 07/10/06
-Ballad of Flo'z Kid
-Beautiful Mess
-Beautiful Mess (orchestral version)- Live at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert
-Be Love - Live at The Stronghold 04/05/2010
-Better - Live at Copley Symphony Hall 06/20/2004
-Billie Jean - Live on 3FM with Nikki (Dutch Idol), Netherlands 03/03/2008
-Billie Jean (partial) - Live at the Webster Theatre, Sacramento, CA 07/23/2003
-Blitzkrieg Bop - Live at the Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA 07/25/2005*
-Build Me Up Buttercup - Live at San Diego State University 10/31/2008
-Burning Bridges - Live at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall 06/18/2005
-Butterfly - Live at U Buffalo 04/22/2007*
-Cannabis College - Live at Virginia Tech 10/19/2006
-Catch Up to You - Live at Twiggs 10/01/2006*
-Childlike Wildlife - Live at the Montbleu Theatre Lake Tahoe, NV 01/20/2007
-Coffee Cup Song - Live at Wilbur's Messiah College 11/23/2002
-Collapsible Plans with Raining Jane - Live at the Hotel Cafe 03/12/2007*
-Curbside Prophet (long version) - Live at Twiggs Green Room 09/10/2006
-Curbside Prophet (a cappella) - Live at Copley Symphony Hall 06/20/2004
-Daddy Sang Bass - Live at The National 04/18/2009*
-Dead End*
-Dear Anna - Live at Jive 08/06/2006*
-Don't Change at All - Live at Long Beach Terrace Theater 02/27/2010
-Dramatica Mujer - Live at the Home Depot Center 08/28/2005*
-Dynamo of Volition - Live from Rotterdam, Holland 07/13/2007
-Dynamo of Volition (no rap intro) - Live at the Rock Werchter Festival Belgium 06/29/2007
-Express Yourself - From Cheaper by the Dozen 2
-Fine Dining - Live at Lestats 04/15/2004*
-Ffun - Live at Pearl Concert Theatre 05/10/2009
-Freedom Song - Live at Slavic Evangelic Church 02/28/2010*
-Future Boy - Live at Schuba's Tavern on 01/15/2003*
-Galaxy (with Bigmac Verse)*
-Ghetto Blaster - Live at Manchester Lane 03/22/2006
-Gypsy MC (Rap Version with Ain't Got No Dope) - Live at Prince of Wales Hotel on 07/08/2006*
-Gypsy MC - Live at Lestats 01/30/2005
-Halfway Home - Live in Jason V's Living Room 05/06/2000
-Halfway Home - Live at the Electric Factory 08/12/2003
-Happy Endings
-Hope for the Flowers - Live at Twiggs 01/28/2007
-How Do You Do (In Love) - Live at Twiggs 12/10/2006*
-I Can't Go For That - Live in Ventura CA 01/08/05
-In the Name of Love (Kenny Rankin Cover) - Live Backstage at NAAM 2010*
-If it Kills Me - Live at World Cafe Live 04/13/2008*
-I'm Yours (with Davidson Androgyny) - Live at Davidson College 04/13/2008
-It's Already Over - Live at Jason V's Living Room 05/06/2000
-Land Down Under
-Life's Great Work - Live at the Coffee House 06/05/2001
-Lisa's Hands - Ripped from Take Away Show Video
-Live High - Live at U Buffalo 04/22/2007*
-Love for a Child - Live at World Cafe Live 04/13/2008*
-Love is All Around (Quote Christian)*
-Love is All Around (Quote Christian) - with Intro
-Lovely Day (Bill Withers cover) - Live at Long Beach Terrace Theater 02/27/2010
-Lucky (Spanish Version) feat. Ximena Sarinana
-Make it Mine - Live at World Cafe Live 04/13/2008*
-Man Gave Names to All the Animals (Bob Dylan cover) - Live at The Stronghold 04/05/2010
-Mary Jane (acoustic) - Live at Rialto Theatre 11/17/2008
-Millionaire with Anya Marina - Live at Java Joe's 08/31/2001
-Mr. Curiosity (Upbeat Version)- Live at the Gorge Amphitheater 09/04/2004
-Never Too Late - Live at Mueller College 02/01/2009
-No Woman No Cry
-Nobody's Fault But Mine (with the North Mississippi Allstars) - Live at E-Town on the Road 06/18/2003
-Oh Happy Day - Live at Radio City Music Hall 10/10/2008*
-Older Lover Undercover - Live at the Coffee House 06/05/2001*
-Page 3
-Peg - Live at the Prince of Wales Hotel 08/13/2008*
-Piano Man - Live at the Crystal Ballroom 06/26/2003
-Plain Jane - Live at Lestats 01/30/2005*
-Podcast Episode 1: Show Me Your Licks
-Podcast Episode 2: I Want My House Back*
-Podcast Episode 3: Plane Crash
-Podcast Episode 4: Did You Get My Podcast
-Prettiest Friend - Live at the Belly Up Tavern 08/20/2004
-Rainbow Connection
-Ray of Sunshine - Live at Mueller College 02/01/2009*
-Rocket Man
-Rocky Raccoon - Live at Jason V's Living Room 05/06/2000
-Saturday in the Park - Live at Merriweather Post Pavilion 07/25/2009*
-Sea Captain - Live at Long Beach Terrace Theater 02/27/2010*
-Sewing Machine - Live at the 9:30 Club, Washington DC 12/13/2005*
-Shy That Way with Tristan Prettyman - Live at the 9:30 Club 12/13/05
-Silent Love Song with Raining Jane - Live at the Hotel Cafe 03/12/2007
-Song for Peace (partial) - Live at Twiggs 10/16/2006
-Spinning (with Stand by Me) - Live at Jason V's Living Room 03/11/2000
-Still Working - Live at Java Joes 08/30/2001
-Strange - Live at the Montbleu Theatre Lake Tahoe, NV 01/20/2007
-Summer Breeze - Live at Wilbur's Messiah College 11/23/2002*
-Summertime/In the Name of Love - Live at Twiggs 06/25/2006*
-Tacos & Mojitos - Live at Virginia Tech 10/19/2006*
-That's Just Not Cricket - Live at The Vanguard Sydney, Australia 03/26/2006
-The Beauty in Ugly - Live at the Montbleu Theatre Lake Tahoe, NV 01/20/2007
-The Divorce Song - Live at the Coffee House 05/08/2001
-The Dreamlife of Rand McNally - Live at the Coffee House 06/05/2001
-The Longest Day Of The Year - Live at the Pike's Peak Center, Colorado Springs, CO 07/05/2006
-The Purpose is the Porpoise - Live on Mad TV
-The Remedy (with "French" verse, Man in the Mirror and Wonderwall) - Live at Prince of Wales Hotel on 07/08/2006
-The Remedy (with Dynamo rap) - Live at U of Buffalo 04/22/2007
-Traveler - Live at Hersheypark Stadium on 07/24/2009
-Try Try Try
-Warming Up - Live at Lestats 04/15/2004*
-Water - Live at Prince of Wales Hotel 08/07/06
-What Mama Say - Live at Long Beach Terrace Theater 02/27/2010
-What Would Love Do? - Live at the Triple Crown 05/21/2009*

iPod Videos (MP4)
Java Joe's 06/27/2002*
-On Love in Sadness
-Too Much Food
-Common Pleasure
-Who Needs Shelter
-Creed Impersonation
-Little You and I
-You and I Both
-So Unusual
-1,000 Things
-Unfold
-10,000 Motherfuckers
-Dream Life of Rand McNally
-Older Lover Undercover
-Curbside Prophet
-Say Anything Game
-I'll Do Anything
-The Remedy
-Did I Fool Ya?
-Better
-Sleeping to Dream
-Absolutely Zero
-Zero Percent Interest
-Sleep All Day

Lestats 04/15/2004
-Plane*
-Warming Up*
-Song for a Friend
-Life is Wonderful
-Jesus Bo Beezus
-Soul Train
-Fine Dining*

Take Away Show*
-Clockwatching
-Collapsible Plans
-It's a Lovely Day
-Live High
-The Louvre is in Lisa's Hands

Jason Mraz
Waiting for My Rocket to Come
Mr. A-Z
We Sing We Dance We Steal Things
Live at Java Joe's
RKOPers
acoustic
singer-songwriter]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2009/08/07/2x73vv_mraz_at_boap_08042009 Fri, 7 Aug 2009 00:18:56 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2009/08/07/2x73vv_mraz_at_boap_08042009 Re-cap here: http://rightkindofphrase.yuku.com/sreply/319585/t/PAST-SHOW-Bank-of-America-Pavillion-Boston-MA-8-4-8-5.html

Tue 4 Aug – Jason Mraz, G. Love & Special Sauce, K'naan, Bushwalla]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2008/03/13/1v7n_album_bonuses%3A_subtraction_by_addition Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:22:25 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2008/03/13/1v7n_album_bonuses%3A_subtraction_by_addition We want more. From the first time we were told "just one cookie" it's been the driving force in our lives. Whether we like it or not, we all constantly strive to come by as much as we can. It's this motivation that creates a blurred line between the value we place on quality over quantity and an environment in which the marketing mastermind who can offer more to his or her perspective customer can be king.

It seems the music industry has ramped up its offerings of "more" in recent years and the last month has seen a number of such "opportunities" of varying value and complexity take shape and cause me more and more concern for my music-buying future. What began, for me at least, with the "iTunes Exclusive Bonus Track" has ballooned into a seemingly endless array of choices and stumbling blocks in the previously simple pursuit of purchasing a new album. I offer you these three examples of problematic CD buying situations I've found myself in recently.

Light At The End - The recently reunited Rustic Overtones released their first new album in 5 years to much fanfare and excitement. The independently produced and distributed effort became the fastest selling disc at the Bull Moose music chain and spurred the band on to a full blown reunion, subsequent tour and eventual record contract with Velour. Now with Velour's marketing team gearing up to release their version of the record on March 18th, Rustic fans find themselves in a quandary. With the independent release having been on the market for almost 8 Months, there's little doubt that most of Rustic's healthy fanbase has already picked up their copy of the album. It's come to light that the Velour version of LATE will offer new packaging and the "bonus track" Valentines Day Massacre, which appeared in the same form on Rustic's 2002 release Viva Nueva. Bull Moose music is also apparently offering an exclusive 7" vinyl with the purchase of the "new" record. The consensus amongst Rustic fans is that the inclusion of a previously released song (as well as the inexplicable culling of the track Black Leather Bag from the Velour release) leaves little reason to re-purchase the CD. The vinyl freebie may be incentive for some, but there seems to be little information as to the content of the LP or even hard confirmation of its existence. The issue here is the assumption that the record-buying public which made the first version of LATE so successful will scoop up the new version in the same, if not greater numbers. Velour's extended marketing abilities gives the album longer legs, but I have doubts that they'll be strong enough to carry Rustic to the nationwide success they deserve with record sales in their strongest market, here in the northeast, sure to suffer from the duplicate offering.

Golden Delicious - Mike Doughty is quite in tune with his fans. Between his admitted internet fascination, his Myspace page and regular blog updates, he's endeared himself to those who enjoy his music by making himself, at least seem, more accessible than the average rock star. While he's very much a part of every music-based decision on his records, it seems at least for Golden Delicious, there were a number of breakdowns in communication. Doughty's official website offered a pre-sale of his new release through Musictoday, a popular online distributor. Emails were sent from the Doughty camp to fanclub and newsletter members to announce the pre-sale. Unbeknownst to me, as well as many others it seems, other retailers were offering pre-sales as well. Musictoday only guaranteed that the first 100 people to purchase the album would receive a signed insert. Meanwhile other retailers carried the same offer, with little to no advertising to that affect. Still other online and brick & mortar outlets were offering a special limited edition EP with the purchase of Golden Delicious. While interesting incentives, some of these offers weren't discovered until well after the pre-sales had been shipped to customers paying full price for a CD while others received discounts and bonus materials. It was also later revealed that iTunes was exclusively offering a bonus track, The Book of Love, to anyone who purchased the album through the iTunes music store. The lack of complete information led many Doughty fans to feel slighted in having missed out all together or being "forced" to purchase multiple copies of the album to receive all of the bundled content.

We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things - It's simply not enough these days to release your album and leave it at that. The record companies, as well as the record-buying public demand more. Jason Mraz and his team came up with a plan for his latest release, one that involved the staggered release of 3 bonus EPs to compliment the full length disc. The EP, each titled with one part of the full length album's moniker, would be released one per month leading up to the May 20th album release date, starting in March with the We Sing EP. The EPs will contain acoustic versions of the songs on the album. While an interesting and well-received concept, once again, the lack of information to the knowledge hungry fans has been excruciating. There have been conflicting reports about how the EPs will be released and whether they'll be available as both physical CD or exclusively digital downloads. That question was finally answered today with a press release from the Mraz camp containing pre-sale information about the EPs and the full length album. Hazy still however, is how exactly the EPs will be packaged and whether a physical CD purchase entitles the buyer to the subsequent digital download. Add to the mix the availability of a "limited edition vinyl LP" and a complete lack of pricing information in the press release and once again the interested buyer is left to ponder what they might be missing out on, or getting themselves into, if they act too quickly or too late.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2008/03/06/1v7m_track_listing_for_jason_mraz%27_%22we_sing%22_ep_%28march_18th%29 Thu, 6 Mar 2008 07:05:19 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2008/03/06/1v7m_track_listing_for_jason_mraz%27_%22we_sing%22_ep_%28march_18th%29 From the Mraz website:

"So... we know you can't wait until May 20th to get the entire We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things? That's why we are releasing the first of a three set EP March 18th on JasonMraz.com! We Sing will include unique, intimate recordings of the following, which you will not be able to get anywhere else!"

I'm Yours
Live High
If It Kills Me
A Beautiful Mess

Good news and bad news I guess. I'm happy to have a track listing and I'm very pleased to see that If It Kills Me will be on the first EP since I think it has the potential to be a stand-out track (plus I sort of hope it's one of the Killington recordings that makes it). I'm also glad Live High is getting more circulation since it's just a fantastic song. I really enjoy Beautiful Mess, though I'm curious if the "A" is a typo or something they changed on purpose. It's going to take some getting used to (though much less than now calling Sewing Machine, Details in the Fabric for the album).

I'm less than stoked about I'm Yours, though not at all surprised it's here. I'm just tired of it, bottom line. I do like what they did with the album version and I'm interested to hear which recording makes the EP but I'm pretty much over it. I'm also disappointed to see that the EP is made up exclusively of songs on the full length album. I was still holding out hope that some of the newer songs that didn't make the studio album would find their way onto the EPs. I guess it's grasping at straws to hope that EPs would have hidden tracks right?

Jason Mraz]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2008/02/21/1v7l_mraz_to_release_3_eps_before_new_album_%252B_potential_album_tracks Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:59:43 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2008/02/21/1v7l_mraz_to_release_3_eps_before_new_album_%252B_potential_album_tracks After a month or so of rumor, Atlantic has confirmed that Mraz will release three alternate version EPs leading up to, and along with, the May 20th release of his new album "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". No firm details on content but the press release reads:

""WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS." will be heralded by a trio of individual EPs: "WE SING," due March 18th; "WE DANCE," out April 15th; and "WE STEAL THINGS," which will be available as a digital bundle with purchase of the album on iTunes, and as part of a bundle when purchased via JasonMraz.com or AtlanticRecords.com. The EPs will feature unique versions of various album tracks recorded during special intimate sessions."

Click Here For Full Press Release

I think this is fantastic. The biggest problem I've had with all the studio releases is the simple fact that no Mraz song can truly be appreciated until you hear it live. For those who can't get to a show before they pick up the CD, these EPs will hopefully serve as a reasonable substitute. It's more money to spend, sure, but hardcore fans will have no problem plunking down a few extra bucks and the casual listener may come back and purchase them after hearing the full album or catching a show. Maybe he'll even do what Ben Folds did with his supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp and remix them all together a few years from now. From what I understand the actual EPs may be limited edition pressings, which would be pretty cool. Though even if that is the case I imagine they'll be available for download indefinitely.

As for the tracks on the new album, as well as these freshly announced EPs, Mraz had quite a few choices to make. Since his last studio album a plethora of new tunes have trickled out at shows and on line. Along with confirmed tracks like I'm Yours, Make It Mine, and Dynamo Of Volition there are a slew of potential hits with varying levels of likelihood for finding their way onto WSWDWST.

Probable Album Tracks:
Beautiful Mess
Live High
Sewing Machine
Lucky
If It Kills Me
Ms. Heather and Mr. Grey
Only Human

Possible Album Tracks:
All Dialed In
Butterfly
Collapsible Plans
Lisa's Hands
Catch Up To You
Coyotes
Happy Endings
Love For A Child

Other Newish Tracks:
A Way to Remember Me
Avocado Tree Song
Good Orderly Direction
Mechanicsville
Silent Love Song (Already on the San Diego Fire Relief CD)

With such a wide array of material to chose from, I have high hopes that this new record, along with the EPs, will be a great success and I'm really looking forward to hearing how they turned out and cathcing a show on the full blown tour in the spring.

Jason Mraz
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2008/01/19/1v7k_jason_mraz_-_pickle_barrel%2C_killington_vt_01-15-08 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:42:49 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2008/01/19/1v7k_jason_mraz_-_pickle_barrel%2C_killington_vt_01-15-08 Tue 15 Jan – Jason Mraz

Opening Set:
You and I Both - Just Jason and Toca on the warm up tip
Lucky - The first new song of the night. This song will feature Colbie Caillat on the album but Toca did his thing on this one. A really nice song, a tad sappy for my tastes in terms of repeat listening but very sweet and smile-inducing for those of us who are indeed in love with our best friend. Lots of hugs were had during this song.
Did I Fool Ya? - I still love this song so much. Great energy and I love the way Jason leads into it live. First hint that there were a good number of people at the Pickle Barrel not entirely familiar with Jason's older stuff.
Conversation With Myself - Jason seems to really dig this tune, he plays it nearly every show.
Sleeping to Dream - Jason's voice was warm and crisp, evidence of the amount of singing he's done in the past few months.
Dear Anna - I may have had a small heart attack when Jason said "this one is actually by Toca's brother, Carlos Olmeda" and then started strumming the chords. The harmonies and melody on this song have always really impressed me and I never thought I'd get to hear it live. This was a full-on fanboy moment for me and I'm not ashamed.
0% Interest - Major laughter on the "Mi Casa" chorus, another indication that there were plenty of new folks in the crowd. He actually didn't do the Spanish at the Orpheum show back in '05, so it was cool to get in on the bi-lingual sing-along this time.
The Remedy - Jason actually started out playing the wrong chords and had to stop and start over. Chuckling he said "yeah, we haven't been playing this one lately". I really got a kick out of it since I have a LOT to say about artists feeling obligated to play their singles (a rant for another time).

Set Two:
Gypsy MC (w/Mudhouse chorus) - The perfect way to kick of the set. I've been hoping to hear Gypsy MC live for a long time but that urge has been even stronger since Jason started inserting parts of Bob Schneider's "Mudhouse" into his rap-versed road anthem. The energy was crazy and the sing-along was strong. One of many highlights for me.
No Stopping Us - The horns really got to shine on this one, they added a lot to the entire set. When I heard there was going to be a horn section for this show I was a bit concerned they'd overpower the acoustic sound that I love so much but I was so wrong, they're a great addition to the band and I hope he brings them along on the full blown tour in the spring.
If It Kills Me - The second new song in the set. The part I envy most about Jason's song writing, his opening verses, was on full display here. He has a way of writing and playing that always grabs your attention and then hits you with something memorable. In this case a sweet ode to a potential lover is punctuated with the realization that "I could love you so much better than your boyfriend".
Dynamo of Volition - Even more amazing live. I'm a sucker for the Mraz rap tunes and this one has to be one of my favorites he's done. The opening, rapid-fire verse is just awesome and the change of pace for the rest of the song works so well.
Love For A Child - Another new tune and the point at which it becomes very clear that they're still nailing down the new material as Toca has to fumble a bit with his lyric sheets as he follows along adding his backing vocals. This was a glorified practice after all and I personally find it very cool that they'd share it with us, I think it just added to the fun.
Beautiful Mess - This is quickly becoming the stuck in my head tune of the new batch of songs. I burned a cd to listen to on the way to Killington and show to Hannah and after listening to it she, smiling, asked what the song meant to me. I think it's the imperfections in a relationship that make it special and worthwhile and no song better expresses that. I was really psyched he played it.
Please Don't Tell Her - I'm not the only one who noticed how slow this song was played for some reason. When Beautiful Mess started I actually thought it was PDTH and I think the tempo was affected as a result of the two being played back to back. Regardless, the audience ad-lib "Fuck You!" was fairly strong. Jason commented after that it must make the girl the song is written about feel "really special" that not only does she have a breakup song written about her but an audience of people shouting "fuck you" in the middle of it every time.
Live High - Just a great song. I really started appreciating it after watching the video he made playing it on the streets for France. It comes off as something of an anthem for the way Mraz would like to see life lived. I can see it wining a lot of acclaim for the record. And taken literally, a great lead-in to...
Cannabis College - This song has evolved a lot since the first of many live recordings I heard. The quickened pace makes it really funky and I find myself singing the "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la" parts between the versus when I listen to those older recordings. This one got quite the reaction from the VT crowd, I saw some people absolutely dieing from laughter. Jason even added a chorus of "la-la-la-la-la-Obama". It's quite the experience live and probably best that it won't make the album (at least I highly doubt it), it'll remain one of the many live gems in the Mraz lexicon.
Make It Mine - Another awesome new song. I'm super excited that all of the new material sounds so good. That's not to say I'd expect anything less, but when one of your favorite artists is putting together an album, it's always a joy to really dig everything you hear. On the flip side of course, it makes me nervous about what these songs could turn into once they make their way through the studio and past the powers that be, but time will tell.
Geek In the Pink - It's still fun no matter how many times I hear it.

Encore:
Sewing Machine - Another newish favorite of mine. This song has been around for quite a while and I dragged my feet on tracking it down until a few months ago and really hadn't listened to it much until the show was announced. Turns out I hadn't given it enough of a chance. It's really beautiful and catchy and I'm excited to hear it get a studio recording.
I'm Yours (w/ 3 Little Birds) - I wasn't particularly excited to hear I'm Yours since I'd heard it so much in the last couple of years, but Jason and the band really made it their own and added some great new bits. The 3 Little Birds snippet was fantastic and the crowd sing-alongs can't be beat. There were a LOT of people psyched to hear it though, it got the loudest reception of the night by far.
Butterfly - Wow, so funky live. The band really grooved on it and Jason seems to really enjoy singing it. He dedicated it to "Candy on stage two" and he's changed the chorus to "You've got everything you need ESPECIALLY me" rather than "except for me", which I think I like better.


Other Show Notes:
-The people talking on their cell phones and having full volume conversations during the songs they didn't know caught every sort of dirty look and occasional "shut the **** up!" from those of us with the heart but they were pretty bad back where we were (under the balcony).

-The RKOPers up front were rockin' it and we tried to bring that to the back but, once again, there were SO many "standers" at this show. I'll never understand that. There were a lot of really excited people but also a lot of clearly new fans who it seems may have been there on the strength of I'm Yours alone. I'm fine with not dancing and flailing like a hippy on E, in fact I frown upon that, but for the love of all things musical, nod your head or sway or something.

-The horn section was absolutely amazing and added so much to the set.

-Jason and Toca broke out the Vermont accents from time to time during story telling and commented on how insanely windy the road into Killington is.

-Somebody's mom baked the boys cookies and they eagerly passed them to the front where Jason took the time to ridicule Toca for his debilitating cookie habit. "Dude, you're the only guy I know who carries milk around in a sports bottle". He then called him a "baked good" himself.

-Toca's shocker t-shirt was in full effect.

-Jason was wearing a shirt that said "Guns Don't Kill People" over a picture of a hand holding a pistol and under that it read "Wait...Nevermind I was thinking of dandelions".

-Toca's solo on Lucky really was killer, glasses up, reading the lyrics, sounding great.

-Some crazy dance floor strobe light action took place during a few of the more upbeat numbers, that was very cool.

-From a mix standpoint, I thought the show sounded great and I snagged the setlist from the sound guy when I went to compliment him.

-All the new stuff is awesome, "If it Kills Me" and "Lucky" are instant favorites.

Jason Mraz
You And I Both
Lucky
Did I Fool Ya?
Conversation with Myself
Dear Anna
0% Interest
The Remedy
gypsy mc
No Stopping US
If It Kills Me
Dynamo Of VolitionBeautiful Mess
Please Don't Tell HerLive High
Cannabis College
Make It Mine
Geek In The Pink
Sewing Machine
I'm Yours
Butterfly]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2007/04/13/1v7i_my_dream_festival Fri, 13 Apr 2007 10:28:29 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2007/04/13/1v7i_my_dream_festival (unapologetically swiped from the journal of Piano_Guru)

The "Dream Festival" meme. I tried to make sure the bill was at least somewhat logical versus just sticking my top six acts together. I'd like to think that there would be plenty of other people who would enjoy this entire lineup. I had to add a second stage because there were a bunch of acts that just missed the main stage in my opinion.

The first act plays 5 songs.
The second act plays 5 songs.
The third act plays 8 songs.
The fourth act plays 8 songs.
The fifth act plays 10 songs.
The sixth act plays 14 songs.


Act 1: Ben Folds - Ben solo
Tom and Mary
Philosophy
Emaline
Sentimental Guy
Song for the Dumped

Act 2: Barenaked Ladies - Acoustic with single multi-directional mic
Gangster Girl
Same Thing
For You
Wishing Well
The King of Bedside Manor

Act 3: Jason Mraz - Acoustic with Toca and Ian
EP
Older Lover Undercover
Not So Usual
gypsy mc (Mudhouse version)
Fine Dining
All That Lies
Bone Dry ft. Mraz
Personal Ads ft. Bushwalla

Act 4: Guster
Come Downstairs And Say Hello
Airport Song
Barrel of a Gun
Jesus on the Radio (Acoustic)
Amsterdam
(Nothing But) Flowers
Fa Fa
Happier

Act 5: O.A.R.
Hey Girl
Black Rock
Night Shift
Old Man Time
James
She Gone
About Mr. Brown
Road Outside Columbus
Dareh Meyod
That Was a Crazy Game of Poker

Act 6: Rustic Overtones
Brand New Friend
Check
Pop Trash
20 Years
Scarecrow
Long Division
Gas on Skin
History Crush
Car Sick
SugarCoat
Month And A Half
Ride
Iron Boots
Combustible

Second Stage

Mike Doughty
Bushwalla
Raul Midon
KT Tunstall
G. Love
Jurassic 5

Comments:

~The order has more to do with ramping up the energy level as the show goes on rather than my artist preference but I tried for a balance of both.

~Choosing songs for Folds and BNL is damn near impossible since there are so many more that 5 I'd want to hear.

~BNL ends up second only because I've seen them so many times and because they'd play a short, all acoustic set.

~It kills me to put Mraz third, but I'd want his set to be acoustic as well, so in the interest of putting the higher energy acts later he gets bumped (though I did cheat and put the EP as the first tune. It's 35 minutes and comprises an entire album, but it doesn't stop so I'm counting it as one).

~Guster and O.A.R. are pretty evenly matched in my book but I'm on a pretty serious O.A.R. kick right now so I'd like to hear a couple more songs from them.

~I had a three song encore for Rustic because I couldn't pair it down but I moved some things around instead to try and stick to the rules.

~This was much harder than I thought it would be.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2007/04/08/1v7h_23%2525_mainstream Sun, 8 Apr 2007 06:00:52 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/mobydickulous/journal/2007/04/08/1v7h_23%2525_mainstream First, list your top 20 artist and the number of listeners on last.fm

Jason Mraz - 107,389
Rustic Overtones - 1,376
Barenaked Ladies - 129,502
Paranoid Social Club - 1,431
Mike Doughty - 25,473
John Mayer - 190,853
2 Skinnee J's - 2,420
Ben Folds - 168,043
Jack Johnson - 310,953
Linking Park - 351,090
Rocktopus - 194
Splender - 5,234
Say Anything - 71,822
Guster - 78,437
Jay-Z - 194,986
Dane Cook - 73,094
No Doubt - 273,223
Green Day - 525,108
Arctic Monkeys - 302,140
Bushwalla - 174

Total = 2,812,942

Divide by 20

Average = 140,647

Divide by the number of Radiohead listeners - 622,101

140,647 / 622,101 = .22608

Multiply by 100 and round

~23% Mainstream


Comments

- Rocktopus only had 194 listeners while As Fast As (not on my list) has almost 3,000. That, my friends, is a travesty and you need only ask if you desire an explanation. I'll be more than happy to provide the appropriate diatribe.

- PSC actually had more listeners than the Rustic Overtones. I'd be interested in tracking down those PSC fans not hip to RO and giving them the business and links to some tunes.

- It's amazing how ignorant to music from outside of our own country Americans are and there are plenty of folks from the UK on last.fm. These two facts are supported by the 300,000+ listeners of the Arctic Monkeys.

- I was pleased to see that Mike Doughty had over 25,000 listeners. Not Green Day numbers by any means, but I'm glad to see he's getting some decent play.

- I would actually call myself a little bit more mainstream than my number portends.]]>