Three dollars and 63 cents

I'm not sure about at my funeral, but if I found out I had only five minutes to live, I think the last song I'd ever listen to would be Carla Bozulich's version of Times Square.

I'm really enjoying this album Bebop Fantasy by Good For Cows. They're a drum and bass improvisational duo, classified as alternative, though I'd say they're more jazz. My music collection has become six degrees of Nels Cline lately...not that that's a bad thing

I'm enjoying my first listen to this

I've never seen the end of Awakenings because I cry through it every time. And while I'm not usually one for chick flicks, The Prince of Tides gets me every time.

Ticketmaster is showing the Singers on a double billing with the Charlie Hunter Trio at the Bluebird Theater in Denver July 12. I saw Charlie play with the Scott Amendola Band back in April, and he was great. I think the Singers are headed to Europe right after that. I miss them Scott, it was great to meet you in Indianapolis. I was glad you had such a great time at the show. I wish you could've followed them, too, because the next night in Ann Arbor somehow managed to be even better. It took all three of them to talk me out of renting a car and driving to see them Friday in Charlottesv

Thanks for posting that. The audio quality was great, and really the video wasn't that bad. I'm still dumbfounded over that Scarnella set. The Canadian Broadcasting Company has apparently recorded all of the sets of the Suoni per il Popolo Festival, so hopefully they'll archive some of it on their website. And good god I hope Nels and Carla play more than three shows together in the next four years. I could've watched them play for hours.

Yeah, Carla had to cancel all the June dates except the two in NYC this weekend because of her hand injury. That makes me twice as glad that things worked out for me to get up to Montreal. I was going to Philadelphia next week, so I'm really disappointed. I'm hoping to catch them when they open for Xiu Xiu in Baltimore in August. I was blown away by their set Saturday, and I went out with them after the show. Carla might just be in competition with Nels for Nicest Person In the Whole Wide World. That video is hilarious. I'm more into Lost Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home than I am Bu

Here's my photo set from Sunday's show in Montreal. I wish I would've taken more pictures throughout the week, but I was way too into the music to be fiddling with my camera. They closed the tour with my favorite song of theirs, Blood Drawing, and Nels dedicated it to me

After a really tough last few months, I've just finished a week that's made me feel really lucky to be alive. I'm passing all those good vibes on to you.

They played all three of my requests in St. Louis on the nights I requested them. I was convinced I must've written some really memorable notes to the band or something, but Nels told me they don't usually read the messages because they don't have time to. Jeff usually does the set lists himself, and he tries to pick some songs with a lot of requests and a few that only a few people requested. So really it's much less magical and special than I'd hoped it would be.

I heard Impossible Germany in the bathroom of a McDonald's/gas station somewhere in Ontario on Saturday when I was on my way to Montreal. My first thought was "I'm so not in the United States right now."

Wow...what a week. I got back tonight from what I can only call Nelstravaganza 2008. After catching the Singers in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Ann Arbor, I took a train back to the northeast overnight Friday. Saturday, I got off the train and drove straight to Montreal, where I caught Nels and bassist Devin Hoff with Carla Bozulich's Evangelista. Then Sunday I was front row for Nels and Carla playing as Scarnella (only the third Scarnella show in three years!) on a double billing with the Singers. To risk sounding sappy, the whole week has left me feeling pretty lucky. I see the Chicago show

The Jeff Parker Trio is also on the bill tomorrow night (along with another band). From what I know of Jeff Parker's work through the Scott Amendola Band, I think they'll be a great opener. I'm off to Syracuse to catch the train!

I'll sign up for Dancing with Meat 101

I leave tonight for my week of Singers madness. As soon as I found out about the tour, I knew there was no other way I wanted to spend my summer vacation. I'm glad to hear the tour got off to a good start. Their albums are wonderful (I'm listening to The Giant Pin now, in fact), but they're truly amazing live. I saw them in April, and it was one of the most egoless, generous, and moving nights of live music I've ever seen. They certainly sound nothing like Nels's playing with Wilco, but there's something about their mix of quiet, delicate moments with explosively noisy ones that resonates with

My latest purchase. A really excellent set.

Butch is good, but I like this album a lot more.

For some reason, until a few months ago I always listened to the first disc of Being There a lot more than I did the second disc. I've been listening to this song a lot lately, though. I agree that it has that same rollicking feel of Exile-era Stones, and I think it's a great close to the album. I bet it's a lot of fun live. I was disappointed that it got dropped from the set the last night in St. Louis. I think it would've been a terrific way to end this leg of the tour.

I thought I'd lost this before I ever got to listen to it, but I finally found it

If things work out in my favor, I'll hopefully be seeing them next weekend in Montreal.

October is probably my least favorite U2 album, besides All That You Can't Leave Behind, but I do agree that its bonus material looks the strongest. I'm pretty sure I have that Paradise Theater show, but certainly the sound quality on this release will be better than what I already have. I'm actually glad to see all the Two Hearts Beat As One remixes on the War bonus disc, since I haven't been able to find most of them, and that's one of my favorite early U2 songs. Boy was a dynamite first album, and still one of my favorites, but a lot of those early songs on the bonus disc aren't so good.

Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman for free? You Chicagoans are some lucky dogs.

I'm not even sure why this discussion has derailed the thread about the previous night's show. I was so happy they played Ashes of American Flags. I'd requested it at every Wilco show I'd ever gone to, so I was shocked they finally played it. It was even prettier live than I'd imagined it would be. Nels was a bit more restrained on the solo than he was on other live versions I've heard, but it made sense. It seemed like the right moment in the show for a quiet solo rather than an explosive one.