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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. play "Simple Girl" on Conan
Mike McKinley
January 31, 2012
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr made their late-night TV debut on Conan last night with a performance of "Simple Girl." The duo pulled out all the stops -- check out the string section and bow ties.

Funky Monday: Brother Jack McDuff - "The Vibrator"
Mike McKinley
January 30, 2012
It's Funky Monday... because Friday has been owning that shit for way too long.

Check out organist Brother Jack McDuff and his band getting loose on the opening track to 1969's Down Home Style. He calls this one "The Vibrator"...



Wilco & Popeye - "Dawned On Me"
Mike McKinley
January 25, 2012


Wow... Wilco and Popeye, together. Here's the press release:



POPEYE & WILCO: KING FEATURES' MIGHTY MARINER MIXES IT UP WITH WINDY CITY'S ADVENTUROUS ALTERNATIVE ROCKERS

New Video Combines Song from America's Foremost Rock Band withA Return to Classic Animation in the First Hand-Drawn Popeye Cartoon in More Than 25 Years

NEW YORK and CHICAGO -- January 25, 2012 -- Well, Blow Me Down! King Features and dBpm Records are combining creative forces for a series of firsts with the release of a new cartoon and animated music video for Wilco's "Dawned On Me" featuring Popeye the Sailor Man and the Chicago band.

The new video can be viewed in its entirety (above) and at wilcospinach.com.

Wilco's sweet, whimsical love song comes from their latest album, the 2012 Grammy-nominated The Whole Love. The video is directed by Darren Romanelli, the fashion and pop culture innovator who conceived the collaboration between Wilco and King's flagship character.

This collaboration between American icons is one of the first music videos Wilco has released since 1999 and it presents the band to the masses in a fresh, new way: as animated images, side-by-side with Popeye and his friends Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, Wimpy and Bluto.

As one of the earliest animated characters, introduced in 1933 by Fleischer Studios, Popeye has become one of the most enduring and iconic cartoon characters of all time and is forever entwined in the evolution of animation. The music video marks the first new Popeye cartoon since "Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy," the 3-D CGI primetime TV special and deluxe DVD release produced by King Features Syndicate for Popeye's 75th Anniversary in 2004. In what has become a primarily digital world, this new video marks the first hand-drawn, frame-by-frame rendering for Popeye cell animation since the Popeye and Son series from 1987.

This certainly isn't Popeye's first foray into love territory: the Sailor Man first met his "goil," Olive Oyl, in Elzie Crisler Segar's popular Thimble Theatre comic strip in the 1930s and their legendary love only grew and captivated the imagination of fans all over the world. The couple even made People Magazine's list of the Greatest Love Stories of the 20th Century.

In this new video, Popeye vies for Olive Oyl's affections with his usual nemesis, Bluto, and with a new challenger, Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy. 11 Best Songs of 2011
Mike McKinley
January 17, 2012
1. Wilco - "One Sunday Morning"



The Whole Love's epic closer. One of the most beautiful‚ poignant songs Wilco has ever written.

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2. The Barr Brothers - "Beggar in the Morning"



Everything works on the opener of the eponymous debut from the Barr Brothers: the beautiful instrumentation‚ the lyrics‚ and the space they create and build off of -- yes‚ the vibe: "… we may capsize‚ but we won't drown/hold each other as the sun goes down."

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3. Tristen - "Battle of the Gods"



I fell in love with Tristen's Charlatans At the Garden Gate -- each track is an enjoyable ride. "Battle of the Gods" has it all: it sounds minimalist‚ yet orchestral; her delivery is spot on‚ both fragile and big. The ending is immense. So classic… like Phil Spector got his hands on it.

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4. Nathan Moore - "In the Basement"



There are two or three different lines in this song that give me chills every time I hear them. A gem from Nathan's Dear Puppeteer…but I went easy on you this year. If you really want a good kick in the nuts from this record try "Hollow."

"In The Basement" by Nathan Moore by Royal Potato Family

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5. Akron/Family - "A AAA O A WAY" -> "So It Goes"



A little bit of sonic mindfucking‚ some great sounding guitar (and bass and drums for that matter)‚ a nod to Vonnegut‚ and the human circle of being compassionate, then coming to grips with being naïve, and then becoming compassionate again‚ and/or so it goes. You know‚ Akron/Family‚ as beautiful as ever.

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6. Gillian Welch - "The Way It Will Be"



Gillian and David have been playing this one for years -- glad to see it finally recorded properly. Simply put‚ it's crushing.



7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - "We Almost Lost Detroit"



Just about any track on Dale Jr. Jr.'s It's A Corporate World could make this list the album is so strong‚ but they owned this Gil Scott-Heron cover. Check out this live version.

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8. My Morning Jacket - "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)"



This tune is a great example of how MMJ keeps evolving in a healthy way. With every record they put out they expand their sound a bit‚ but in this case they take a huge leap (and risk!) in songwriting. They sound vulnerable here -- the premise of the song could be perceived as naïve or even like a bunch of hippie utopian nonsense to salty fans. But that's what works. They go for it and it sounds sincere. And it sounds like they're challenging both their audience and themselves to dig deeper.

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9. Stephen Malkmus - "Brain Gallop" and "Share the Red"



Malkmus' Mirror Traffic is filled with great songs. So much so‚ that I couldn't pick one. So here are two -- "Brain Gallop" has that classic Malkmus delivery and his awesome‚ blissed-out guitar work. "Share the Red" is all about the sentiment of the lyrics. Malkmus rules.

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10. American Babies - "Streets of Brooklyn"



In addition to writing great hooks and interesting sounding music‚ Tommy Hamilton of American Babies has blossomed into a songwriting voice that provides powerful insight about everyday life for everyday people. Shit‚ don't we need that? This song came out months before the Occupy movement happened‚ but has a verse that taps into the frustration so poignantly.

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11. Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - "Black Wall Street"



JFJO hit it out of the park with Race Riot Suite -- in all its ambitiousness to tell the story of the Tulsa race riots of 1921 through instrumental compositions‚ they vividly paint the story of the event -- it swings‚ it struggles‚ it haunts‚ it prays. You hear life on this record -- jazz at its finest. Here's one of Race Riot Suite's gems.

2. Black Wall Street by jfjo Listen: Jenny Scheinman - "A Ride with Polly Jean"
Mike McKinley
January 15, 2012
Violinist Jenny Scheinman's upcoming record Mischief & Mayhem is fantastic. Here's a little taste‚ the opening track "A Ride with Polly Jean."

Jenny Scheinman -- "A Ride with Polly Jean"



Yeah‚ they don't waste any time getting into it -- they're immediately in a dream-like‚ beautiful space together. And it makes sense considering the musicians in Jenny's band: guitarist Nels Cline‚ bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Jim Black -- an incredibly talented group. But it's all about the chemistry‚ and this group has it. "A Ride with Polly Jean" sets the tone for the rest of the record -- each one of Jenny's compositions taking you on an interesting ride.

Mischief & Mayhem is out March 6th and Jenny and her band will appear at Le Poisson Rouge on February 20‚ 2012 for their NYC CD release party.

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