Plumplechook

Wilco connection, produced by Pat Sansone, and he plays a lot of the instruments. Beautiful album.

Damn. This one hurts. Justin Townes Earle was such a talent. Saw him a bunch of times and he always delivered. An engaging performer but always sensed the sadness and fragility there.

OK let me calm down.

Nick Lowe with Los Straightjackets (last night in fact).

Half Man Half Biscuit : "I'll wipe my snot on the arm of your chair, Because you've got a Roger Dean poster on the wall"

Only 50 - so sad. Saw him a number of times with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals and he was fantastic, terrific guitarist and great harmony vocalist. He really shone on the Dead-inspired stuff from Cold Roses. https://youtu.be/VmGEZDAgtHQ

I've ripped my CD collection to a hard drive as FLAC files and use JRiver Media Center on a laptop linked to my sound system. Works well for me. The added bonus is there's a complementary app JRemote you can use on your cell phone (IOS or Android) that allows you to stream your music collection to your phone. So it's your own streaming service that's never going to be messed with by the likes of Apple Music or Spotify. I have friends who had curated playlists on earlier streaming services that disappeared when the services died. Also, the big streaming services will routinely remove album

A full length concert video compiled from the '7 Worlds Collide' shows in Auckland in Jan 2009 has just been released on iTunes. Features Jeff, John, Glenn and Pat performing with a bunch of other artists including Johnny Marr, Neil Finn, Ed O'Brian, Phil Selway, Lisa Germano etc. Found out about this via a Twitter post today from a guy called Jason Knox. The iTunes link includes a trailer - with a very sweaty looking Jeff and Glenn. "Over the past five years I’ve worked on an exciting creative project / jigsaw puzzle for ⁦‪@NeilFinn⁩. Thank you, Neil, for the opportunity and for being s

I see Ryan Adams current band members are now starting to speak out, with guitarist Todd Wisenbaker calling Adam's a 'monster' on an Instagram posting today and saying he is 'actively afraid for the safety of my family' for speaking out. https://www.instagram.com/totally_tod/p/BuB6cGJhhmb/ I feel bad for cutting this guy so much slack over the years, putting up with his temper tantrums and ranting at concerts on the grounds he was some sort of troubled genius. The truth was always there in plain sight - he's just an asshole.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Neil Finn - Out of Silence The Bats - The Deep Set War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding Real Estate - In Mind Queens of the Stone Age - Villains Justin Town Earle - Kids in the Street Spoon - Hot Thoughts Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway The National - Sleep Well Beast Pond - The Weather

Son Volt - in Sydney, last night. Great. The last night of their first ever tour of Australia.

RIP Glenn. The passing of a legend. A genuine triple-threat - terrific vocalist, performer - and amazing guitar player. Love this clip of Gentle On My Mind, with a bunch of fellow country legends in awe at Glenn's guitar solo. https://www.youtube.com/embed/ETkzK9pXMio

On a lighter note, The B Street Band, America’s No. 1 Springsteen tribute band, have agreed to play Trump inaugural ball:

Gone Dead Train - Randy Newman (from the soundtrack of Performance)

Beck Real Estate The National Neil Finn - believe he's been working on an album with his son Liam

'Girls Talk' by Dave Edmunds before I heard Elvis Costello's original. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT0cwGYwUzA

'This Flight Tonight' by Nazereth before I heard Joni Mitchell's origninal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx7flBWrdSw

Living in Sydney now. Born and raised in NZ and that's where my formative musical experiences were. Those early concerts for a impressionable young mind are mindblowing. Remiss of me because love Flying Nun. I could keep that list going and would certainly include The Bats and The Chills. XTC, Wellington NZ, 1980 Prince, London, 1987 The Bats, Sydney 2010, John Martyn, Wellington NZ, 1977 The Chills, London 1988 Little Feat, Wellington NZ, 1976 Split Enz, Wellington NZ, 1975 Lou Reed (Berlin Show), Sydney, 2007 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, London, 1985 My Morning Jacket, Sydney

Another good podcast review. From NZ radio: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thesampler/audio/201815804/schmilco-by-wilco

These are my most memorable concert experiences - in no particular order. Rod Stewart and the Faces, Auckland NZ, 1975 Rory Gallagher, Wellington NZ, 1975 Graham Parker and the Rumour, Wellington NZ, 1979 Souxie and the Banshees (Robert Smith on guitar), Wellington NZ, 1983 Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Wellington NZ, 1982 Roxy Music, Wellington NZ, 1976 Echo and the Bunnymen, Wellington NZ, 1981 David Bowie, Auckland NZ, 1978 J Geils Band, Academy of Music New York, 1977 The Clash, London, 1980 The Go-Betweens, London, 1986 Wilco, Sydney, 2007 The Who, Hunter Valley NSW, 2009 Queens o

"This Republican convention is a bizarre, sordid, lunatic carnival of grotesques". Some guy on Twitter sums it up.

I mentioned this in the Playing Now thread a couple of weeks ago. Sebastian Steinberg on bass and Glenn on drums and percussion. Terrific rhythm section. Really love the arrangements on this album - as well as the songs and harmonies.

. Really enjoying this. Apart from the gorgeous harmonies great arrangements and backing band including Glenn Kotche on drums and percussion.