Watching Wilco last night at one of my favorite venues – the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara – I was struck by a few thoughts simulateneously.

1) It’s rare you get to “grow up” with a band — that they start making great music during your formative years of being a music fan and continue making great music as you journey through adulthood.

Wilco’s first album “AM” came out when I was a freshman in college and I remember the first time I heard it. I was hanging out with a guy who used to alternate sips of Jolt cola and Mickeys malt liquor. Not the type of guy you would think would be listening to alt-country. But when he played it for me,  I knew it was something special — “Box Full of Letters” being the main indication.

One of my favorite things about last night’s show is not just that they played that song, but that the band seemed to be having a blast on stage together. Jeff was chatty with the crowd and seemed in great spirits.

As someone who has followed the band throughout their career –and who has changed so much in my own life over all this time — I’m so glad to see Jeff happy. It seems musical genius tends to be accompanied by a lot of dysfunction (and drugs) and he seems to have made it over that mountain and I can’t help feeling some personal joy as if he is someone I know. We’ve been together over 15 years after all.

2) Wilco is one of my favorite bands. Picking favorites is always hard but if someone asked me to select my favorite bands on the spot, I’m not sure Wilco would have made the list. But now they do. As most of their live shows are, last night was a career retrospective — and it really blows your mind when you hear the breadth of their catalogue in one evening.   Melodic beauty (“I’m The Man Who Loves You” will always be my favorite), somber and sweet, fierce guitar and the cacophony of noise they play around with. They are truly a band that keeps growing and pushing boundaries and I’m with them all the way.

Wilco probably won’t win the Grammy tomorrow night, but they deserve to. Wilco happens to be on the same album cycle as the Foo Fighters, which normally wouldn’t affect them one bit, except that when it comes to nominations in the rock category, they end up against one of the biggest, most successful pure rock bands out there. Wilco is still a bit country and a bit experimental for some, so I think it’s a tough category. But  “The Whole Love” is definitely deserving. “Dawned on Me” is one of their best songs ever.

Since the Grammy for “Best Rock Album” is awarded before the broadcast, Jeff jokingly decided to give part of his “acceptance speech” last night. Who did he thank? His crew. The hardest working crew around, according to Jeff. I’m sure winning a Grammy would be nice but the band seems to know their worth without the acknowledgement and doesn’t take their fans, their crew or anyone else for granted.

That’s why I’m proud to be a Wilco fan. For life.

(and guess what, Wilco loves me back.)

RR

From KCRW DJ Anthony Valadez:

I remember being hipped to Hypnotic Brass Ensemble after hearing them cover “What’s My Name” by Snoop Dog, which they dubbed “Rock With The Hot 8“.

The song was filled with spirit and soul only heard on the streets of New Orleans or in Chi Town.

I began to do my research and found these eight brothers from the southside of Chicago  were also doing gigs with Mos Def, Tony Allen, Maxwell and Erykah Badu.  “Spottie” is another perfect example of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble reworking a Hip Hop classic – Outkast’s “Spottieottiedopalicious”– with layers upon layers of horns.

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Spottie by ArtDontSleep

Download that track, and another called “Starfighter”, here.

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble has a very special live appearance coming up on Feburary 23 at the Downtown Exchange in Los Angeles that you won’t want to miss. It will feature a rare appearance from their father – jazz musician and musicologist Phil Cohran – as well as Venice Dawn w/ William Hart of the Delfonics, Dj Spinna, Lefto and yours truly.

Drop us a comment below.

We’ll randomly select one to send you and a friend to see the show and stop by the merch table to pick up Lefto’s Universal Magnetic mix CD with T-Shirt and DJ Spinna’s Future Shock mix CD. Cool!

Drop your comment now, we’ll select a winner on Tuesday, Feb 14.

Don’t forget to leave your email address in the appropriate field, so we have a way to contact you!
Tickets can be purchased at www.artdontsleep.com. Full details below!

Thursday February 23rd, 2012 :: 8pm-2am

EVFA & ArtDontSleep present: Homage

Live Performances by: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble feat Phil Cohran

Opening Performance by: Venice Dawn feat William Hart (Delfonics)

Main Room DJs: DJ Spinna & Lefto

Lounge DJ’s: Anthony Valadez, Expo, Seano, Rani D.

LOCATION:

Exchange LA :: 618 S. Spring Street :: Los Angeles, CA 90014 :: (213) 627-8070

TICKETS:

21 +
25$ presale :: 30$ @ the door

When I was a kid, there was a lot of talk of Stevie Nicks’ “being a witch.”

I dunno where exactly I heard that, but I distinctly recall it being a topic of conversation one holiday when my aunt found my copy of “Tango in the Night.” (A dubbed cassette given me by a hairspray addicted, white wolf howling at the moon airbrushed jean jacketed, and eye-liner wearing minister’s son from New Jersey, no less. But that’s another story, for another time.)

Now that I’m older, I know that it actually doesn’t matter whether or not Stevie is a “witch” or the Devil’s daughter or the Devil herself, because she’s a stone cold fox with one of the raddest voices of all time OF ALL TIME!

She’s amazing. And although it’s not witchcraft, I often find that random internet radness is Stevie Nicks associated.  Now a lot of snobby dance music dudes will hate hard on a mash-up (admittedly I’ve been guilty of it myself) but, when it’s good, it’s good…and you can’t hate on Stevie…or she’ll turn you into a frog or a put a hex on your ass.

This dude Chris Bithell, under the name ToastSoundsystem, laid a sweet acapella of “Dreams” over Black Van’s sweet DFA single “Yearning” and came up with a magical dancefloor burner that will have you two-stepping your hooves like a satyr drunk on babyblood wine at Baldelli’s Cosmic celebrating the Vernal Equinox under a Full Moon with all those naked people from The Wicker Man village.

:\

Well Done Internets!

Stevie’s Black Van – Toast Soundsystem by AOR DISCO

All of our DJs receive hundreds of CDs a month to consider for airplay. In this regular feature, KCRW DJ Chuck P catalogues his musical bounty from the Post Office each week.

Another odd week and a half of cold rain mixed with spring/summer type temps. I’d feel weird about it if it wasn’t so dang nice. When I lived in the Northwest, I had a friend with an outdoor jacuzzi. I used to love sitting in the nice warm water while there was a foot of snow just a few feet away. That’s what our current (wonderful) weather reminds me of.

Lot of wonderful music at the post office this week too!

1) Team Love Records was kind enough to send me a massive package of vinyl, along with a CDR of their new release (and a current obsession of mine), Conduits. Shoegaze of the highest order, I’m really looking forward to the vinyl version of this masterpiece. Plus, looks like they’ll be on tour with Cursive this spring, so check ‘em out when they hit your town.

2) Third Man Records was also kind enough to send over a couple of incredible 7″s from John C. Reilly, one includes Tom Brosseau and the other, Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond. All three will be performing at the Bootleg Bar at the end of the month! Also included, the new CD from The Black Belles, who rock a la White Stripes and do it nicely.

3) Lambchop “Mr. M” – Kurt Wagner & crew deliver their first since 2008′s OH (Ohio). If I know what to expect, should be some gorgeous understated orchestral country twang with Wagner’s trademark baritone. Great artwork on this new album, and Merge Records delivers again with the poster that was included. Bravo.

4) The Toure-Raichel Collective “The Tel Aviv Session” – Vieux Farka Toure collaborates with Idan Raichel in this dream team up. I’ve only heard the one track I’ve played on my show, but I’m really looking forward to putting this one on later during dinner.

Oh, and here’s a picture of the mail I got this week. LUCY… YOU GOT SOME LISS’NING TO DO…

Honorable mentions include new music from The Shrouded Strangers, Ed Vallance, Balkan Beat Box and Frankie Rose with the digital promo of the week going to one of my top ten of 2011, EMA, who’s just released a radio edit of one of the best tracks on the album, California. I’m so excited to finally be able to play it for you on the radio.

Be sure to catch EMA with Zola Jesus  for First Fridays at the Natural HIstory Museum on March 2nd! KCRW’s own resident DJ Anthony Valadez and myself will be spinning for your pleasure.

Cheers,
Chuck P. 

Chuck P./Music Please - PO Box 1870, Hollyood, CA 90078

Producer/Musician extraordinaire Mark Ronson stopped by KCRW’s studios today to talk about one of his newest creations, the track “A La Modeliste”. It’s a collaboration with Erykah Badu, Trombone Shorty, Mos Def, Zigaboo Modeliste, and Members of The Dap Kings.

It was part of “RE:GENERATION”,  a documentary film that follows Ronson, DJ Premier, Pretty Lights, The Crystal Method, and Skrillex as they remix, recreate and re-imagine five traditional styles of music.

Ronson was given the genre of jazz and says he aimed for the “pure second line” jazz piece and wanted to focus on the “groove that gave birth to the Meters” style of funk. The recording took place over two days and Mos Def ended up on the track because he lived nearby and happened to stop into the studio.

He said it was a magical experience recording with that group of musicians but, as with any project, was “petrified” going into it, saying “what if I show up and nothing comes out.” Clearly that wasn’t a problem as the result is fantastic.

Learn more about the project here.  Mark’s interview will be available in the archives here shortly.

RR

Mark Ronson at KCRW by Larry Hirshowitz