Plumplechook

Wilco and Paul Simon - now that's a bad clash but I know where I would have been. I'm seeing them at the Byron Bay Bluesfest this Saturday evening where they are playing an early set on the main stage (6pm). The clash for me is later in the evening - Iggy Pop on one stage, Robert Plant on the other. I'm favouring the Ig-ster at this point!

Keith Carlock absolutely blew me away when I saw him playing with Steely Dan last year. One of the best all round drum performances I've seen. His playing was inspired throughout - but most especially on Aja where he totally nails the famous Steve Gadd drum fills towards the end of the song:

Terrific concert I attended last night at the Sydney Opera House by Kiwi/Aussie song-writing icons Neil Finn and Paul Kelly. The whole thing was streamed live on Youtube and is online for the next 30 days :

Damn that guy could play fast. RIP Alvin Lee.

'Country Disappeared' at the end of recent episode of the weekly US public radio show 'This American Life'. Sounded beautiful and poignant - at the end of a story about Dakota Indians being driven out of Minnesota in the 1860s.

Thanks for that Mahinty. Always enjoy listening to interviews with Jeff. Always thoughtful - never glib.

This guy is bad-ass:

Joe Pernice (Pernice Bros.) and Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) live in Aussie radio studio last week. Doing Go-Betweens cover plus song off their upcoming album.

Joe Pernice (Pernice Bros, Scud Mountain Boys) and Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) playing together tonight as part of the Sydney Arts Festival. Really looking forward to this one.

I hadn't seen this posted before - didn't realize there were were any performances on the night of the Kennedy Center tributes. Surprisingly moving version of the old warhorse by Ann and Nancy Wilson with the added bonus of Jason Bonham on drums. Worth watching for the reaction of Plant, Page and Jones in the box seats - who are clearly moved. ‘Stairway to Heaven’ tribute at Kennedy Center Honors moves Robert Plant to tears http://dangerousminds.net/comments/stairway_to_heaven_tribute_at_kennedy_center_honors_moves_robert_plant_to_t

Them's fighting words! He was my first 'wilko' obsession..

So sad. An amazing character - and one of the finest rythym guitarists ever. The Julian Temple doco on Dr Feelgood 'Oil City Confidential' that came out a couple of years ago is one of the best rock docos I've ever seen - and reminded me how much I love this band.

This amazes me:

Being in the Stones is like being under some magical no-weight-gain spell. Jagger is in ridiculously good shape for his age. But as soon as you leave the band the spell is broken - witness Mick Taylor who looks like a normal 63 year old guy.

Fantastic UK documentary about the history of the single: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R5UUhP-m8E

This from the second night is pretty damn good:

Interesting article by ex Galaxie 500 member Damon Krukowski breaking down the meager royalties currently being paid out to bands by streaming services and what this means for artists today. http://pitchfork.com... 993-the-cloud/

Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter. From guitarist with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers to defense consultant, including chairing a Congressional Advisory Board on missile defense.

There are two terrific documentaries on the Small Faces out there. ''Small Faces: All Or Nothing 1965 1968'' features 27 complete performances as well as interviews with all and sundry. Stumbled on it on TV one night and was blown away. And there was also a BBC doco released in 2010 narrated by Phil Daniels - at least some of which has been posted on Youtube:

Agreed. And I found this speech by Obama to his supporters the day after the election moving and inspirational.

One of the most confounding things about this election was the way the right wing turned on Nate Silver for daring to produce polling stats that showed a consistent Obama lead. The guy is basically a money-ball stats nerd who relentlessy crunches numbers. Among other things he predicted the GOP gains in the mid-terms with uncanny accuracy. But because his stats for this election didn't fit the Republican narrative about Romney's ''momentum'' he was lambasted by almost every right wing commentator for some imagined liberal bias in his modelling. It's bad enough shooting the messenger -

From the Guardian: On Fox News, Republican strategist Karl Rove is refusing to accept reality, calling Fox's own call of Ohio "premature".

Take a bow Nate Silver. Meanwhile Donald Trump calls for a 'revolution'.

Beautiful but creepy at the same time: