MARCH MADNESS!

Three lovely shows for me to attend in the month of March, and the fun is nonstop. These are all at Revolution, so kudos to whomever does the booking, as you take all of my money.

Henry Rollins Wednesday, March 3rd

Rollins is doing is spoken word deal once again. This will be the fourth time I've seen him in action, and I laugh heartily every time. Rollins is intelligent, worldly, and not afraid to admit he doesn't know it all.

Dropkick Murphys Saturday, March 6th

The Murphys is quite a rowdy show, as was demonstrated the last time they came to town and I got crushed on the staircase of the venue by a bunch of drunken jackasses. Still, the need to do a jig outweighs my fear of getting an ass kicking to the tune of "(F)lanigan's Ball".

Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime Wednesday, March 17th

St. Patty's day with Badfish? Yes please. Normally, I'm not a big fan of "tribute"bands, but these guys pack a house full of Sublime fans and play a high-energy set. Nothing is as good as the real deal, but Badfish certainly do an excellent job of trying.

Live Nation/Ticketmaster Merger

One of the biggest changes in the history of live music is taking place, as the Live Nation concert promotions and Ticketmaster have finally been approved to merge into one large business: Live Nation Entertainment.

About ten or so years ago, there was viable competition from other concert ticket sellers like Cellar Door Productions and SFX Entertainment. Those companies were bought out by Live Nation, thereby eliminating said competition.

Many in the industry, myself included, are disappointed to see this merger. It's hard to have a fair and level playing field when the big dogs bullied everyone else off the playground.

Some artists and talent managers are hopeful that this merge will mean increased opportunities for package deals like touring and merch combined with physical album releases.

As a music fan, it's hard to accept, but you feel almost helpless. If you "protest" by only going to concerts run by independent promoters and venues, you are only punishing yourself, as you miss out on the biggest shows by bands you love to see perform live and are more than happy to support.

How do YOU feel about this merger, and what it means to you?

Blacklisted

In previous blogs, I've discussed the idea that songs and albums are associated with time periods in your life and memories. Not all of these memories, however, are positive. Sometimes you are faced with having to give up an album you love, because the memories associated with it are just too painful.

Ryan Adams' disc "Love Is Hell" was released the year I got my heart broken. I listened to it every night as I cried myself to sleep. I have tried on several attempts to listen to it since that year, but it is just too difficult a listen because of what I was going through at the time.

David Gray's "White Ladder" used to be a favorite of mine, but after a rebound went sour, it started collecting dust on my shelf, too.

Dave Matthews has a song from his solo album called "Stay or Leave" that perfectly captured my life at the moment in time it was released. I am happy to report it didn't suffer the same fate as the others. After several years, I was able to put it back in rotation.

Do you have an album you are no longer able to listen to, and why?

You'd Think That People Would've Had Enough of Silly Love Songs

It was suggested to me that I write a blog about songs for people in love. Here are a few of my favorites, bearing in mind that not everything about love is sunshine and roses:

The Aquabats!-"Red Sweater!" About as simple a love song as they come. It's fun, it's cute, and it's true love: Lead singer MCBC is so enamored, he doesn't care if they live together in a garbage can!

The Beatles- "I've Just Seen A Face" Falling in love for the first time never seemed so sweet.

Blink 182- "Josie" A girl that brings her man Mexican food and doesn't get jealous? Sounds like love to me.

Weezer-"Only in Dreams" Rivers Cuomo sings about being in love with a girl that may or may not reciprocate. A feeling we can all relate to.

Dave Matthews Band- "I'll Back You Up" Dave Matthews knows how to write a love song. In this one, he recognizes that love and compromise is not always easy, but he will back up the woman he loves no matter what.

Foo Fighters-"Dear Lover" The subject of this song is in love, and wondering if the object of his affection feels the same.

Incubus-"Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)" The wordplay is just beautiful and poetic in this song.

Jeff Buckley-"Lover, You Should've Come Over" An apology for the mistakes he made in a relationship gone wrong, and a desperate plea to make amends.

John Legend-"Stay With You" A love that has seen many trials, but in the end remains strong.

Monkees-"You just May Be the One" Plainly said, the subject of the song knows what he wants in a woman and may have found it.

What are your favorite songs about love?

Video Game Soundtracks

When I began this blog, my only rule was to write about music. I didn't want the focus to be strictly on music news, or genre intensive. Just any observation I have about music and the way it impacts my life. So it should come as no surprise that I'm set to ramble about the joys of video game nerdery, and the music that accompanies it. Recently, my husband and I pooled our Christmas money together and purchased a Wii. I've been playing a silly and addictive game called "Animal Crossing: City Folk", and the music in it changes hourly, and sets a tone for the time of day. Morning and afternoon songs are light and fun, and as the day wears on, the songs become more mellow and subdued. Kris asked me if I knew ths music by heart, and I do, from playing another one of the titles I used to own for Nintendo D.S. I told him it wasn't that unusual, and betted he could recite the music from the Mario Bros. games, as any child of the 80s probably can. Sure enough, he started that theme for Super Mario Bros. 1 that we know so well. He challenged me to reciting the music for the castle stage, and I knew it immediately.
There are video games that are notorious for getting their catchy tunes stuck in the gamer's head. Sometimes, as in the Grand Theft Auto titles, the songs are ones you recognize from "real life".
In the same vein, you can't tell me after several hours straight playing Guitar Hero, that you don't hear "War Pigs" on the radio and have nightmares about flipping the neck of your guitar up fast enough to get star power.

What are your favorite video game songs?

RJD2 at The Social

RJD2 is a turntablist, setting up at least three at a time when he performs live. The man born Ramble John Krohn can mix beats with the best of them. He is also so much more than just another dj, and last night's performance proved this. Trying to pigeonhole him in a particular genre is an impossible task, and why bother? The music and performance speak for themslves. RJ opened behind the decks, performing several songs before moving to the front of the stage to greet the crowd and play guitar with a live band that consisted of a keyboardist, drummer, and bassist.

Some of the songs he played and sang with the band are arrangements that are traditionally known on his albums as sampled and mixed. It was a welcome change to hear them arranged for a full live band.

Highlights included "1976" and "Good Times Roll Part 2".

RJ played several songs from his first three albums, intermingled with tracks from his new album The Colossus, set to be released this Tuesday.

The mood of the show would change from silly to serious, bouncing between a costumed RJ playing with electronic toys to plainly dressed RJ singing songs and playing guitar. It was lighthearted and passionate all at once, and everyone in the crowd kept up with the energy, singing back to him and dancing to the beats. The cheering was infectious, with one person on the floor starting a series of "woos" that would spread throughout the club.

The show never dragged, the set flowed nicely and th epacing was perfect.

The encore was just one song, the one my friend Luci and I had been waiting to hear all night: "Making Days Longer". We stood leaning on the stage looking upward as RJ brought out his acoustic guitar and played with sweetness and sincerity.

Overall, this was a fantastic show. We traveled from Fort Lauderale to Orlando and back in one night, and I wouldn't change a thing!

Musicians as Restauranteurs

What is it about the marriage of food and music that drives so many musicians to open their own restaurants?

Are they following the old saying "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry"? Or is it more along the lines of "What else can I do that I can slap my name on and earn more money?"

The most recent addition of a restaurant co-owned by a musician is in my own backyard: Rock n' Roll Ribs in Coral Springs, FL. RnR Ribs is owned by Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain. (Insert drummer joke here.) Though I have not had the opportunity to eat there, a glance at the menu shows standard BBQ joint fare at reasonable prices.

Everyone from Justin Timberlake to Chris Cornell has tried their hand at the restaurant biz. Some, like Jay-Z's 40/40 Club, have been extremely successful. Others, like Britney Spears' NyLa, were not.

I'm always game to try new restaurants. Food is something I love almost as much as music. The question is, is the food as good as the gimmick?

Have you ever eaten at a celebrity-owned restaurant? How was it?