Pearl Jam - Live at Easy Street

[Photo Credit]

There was a time when Pearl Jam was the only band that mattered to me. Long before bands like Boris, QOTSA, TV On The Radio and the like invaded my ear canals, Pearl Jam was the end all, be all. I own well over 40 Pearl Jam CDs. Everything from singles to live shows, Christmas vinyls to studio albums.

The first fan club I ever joined was the Ten Club. The first song I learned how to play on the guitar was "Elderly Woman...". And the first concert I ever went to was a (umm) Dave Matthews Band concert at Foxboro. Anyway, PJ is in my blood. You know this. At least, if you stop by from time to time, you know this.

I've recently tried to curb my consumerism with music. It hasn't been easy. And when I came face to face with Live at Easy Street at Amoeba Music in LA, how could I resist? I knew about the album: it came out a little less than a year ago and has 7 tracks from a 16 song set that PJ performed at an impromptu in-store performance at Easy Street Records in West Seattle. Covers of X, Dead Kennedys, and The Avengers highlight the album along with an outrageously great version of "Porch". The album was distributed through the Ten Club website and independent music stores throughout the country.

While (the greedy) part of me wishes all 16 tracks were here, the other part is thankful that some 15 years ago I chose a great band - one that is cutting live EPs of in-store performances while they can still sell-out every arena in America - to be my favorite.

[Earlier: JK's Take]



MP3: Pearl Jam - "Bleed For Me"
MP3: Pearl Jam - "New World" (ft. John Doe)

TV On The Radio - Live @ Amoeba Music

[Photo Credit]

After "the interview". After the introduction to LA nightlife. After the time change had worn off. After completing The Road but while it still lingered, still dominated my thoughts. After all of that I wandered into Amoeba Music in Hollywood. I passed it unintentionally, cruising Sunset Boulevard, looking. Watching. Staring. Wondering. The radio was on 107.9. iPod FM.

Then the big sign. Mecca. Amoeba Music rising from the slowly deteriorating cityscape surrounding Sunset. I rolled in on a mission: The Mars Volta - singles; Pearl Jam - rarities; indie goodness of any form; Boris - Akuma No Uta and TV On The Radio's Live at Amoeba Music.

Four tracks. All of them delicious in their own TVotR way. You can grab this beast online...and I highly recommend it. I guess that goes without saying. Every post is a recommendation in its own little way. "From the depths...I...called...you, ma..."



MP3: TV On The Radio - "Blues From Down Here" (Live @ Amoeba Music)

Getting Nostalgiac via Rough Trade

From the Independent:

Stephen Godfroy, a director of Rough Trade music stores, said he could not confirm any specifics surrounding the opening of the new store, but said: "We are looking to make an official announcement in the next few weeks. Our aim is to deliver something we feel has been missing in this country for far too long - an environment that celebrates music as an exciting art form, not just another commercial commodity - but on a scale that is a departure from the traditional perception of an independent record shop.

"The music industry seems to have a lot of doom and gloom about it at the moment, despite people's passion for music being as strong as ever. We certainly hope to put some smiles back on faces with something that reflects the true public appetite for exciting new music."

At the end of the article they talk about rivaling the Amoeba store in San Francisco. It seems like yesterday I was in Amoeba picking up a copy of John Frusciante's To Record Only Water For Ten Days as I waited restlessly for Game 1 of the 2004 World Series and Day 2 of the Bridge School Benefit. Weekends don't get much better.

TV On The Radio @ Amoeba Music

Watch the video.
Buy the CD.
Read the review at Pitchfork.

What was I saying about my favorite bands in the mofo universe?