KristinG's blog

Yes, it's true, it turns out Dave Grohl can make movies, too, and this debut is exceptional. Utilizing studio footage and interview commentary from many of the greatest rock musicians of our time, the film brings to life a golden era of music that is in many ways becoming a thing of the past. Although a strong message is presented about authenticity and the human element in music, the film decisively stops short of being preachy or tiresomely adherent to a bygone past.

MMW has been around since 1991 and, like most jazz groups, has a complex history deeply intertwined in collaboration with other musicians. Members John Medeski--piano and keyboard, Billy Martin--drums, and Chris Wood--bass, have each dabbled in many projects over the years individually, and together combine a host of talents and backgrounds. Speaking of jazz, you can think of MMW as that, but such a wide variety of other genres go into it that maybe the most accurate moniker would be experimento-jazz-funk-jam-band.

Channeling the heyday of Lynyrd Skynyrd before the plane crash that killed three band members and a crew member in 1977, BBS captures that essence with a sound that has the power to transport listeners straight to Jacksonville. With edge, humorous storytelling, and skilled musicianship, they put together songs rich with a sense of place and time. See for yourself in this recent performance of "Everybody Knows She's Mine":

No song by the Flobots is unremarkable, but listeners less familiar may remember them by their first major hit from the 2005 album Fight With Tools, "Handlebars," which captivated minds and gained the group international recognition.

After recently coming across Spektor's performances of the songs "Small Town Moon" and "Ballad of a Politician" from this album, aired on the Colbert Report, I immediately regretted having previously put off listening to her music.

Maxwell, evidently a jack of all trades, plays bass in Flogging Molly, but in the Bunny Gang surprises and delights in a different niche as guitarist, melodica player, and vocalist. Meanwhile, his dad, the artist known as maxwellvision [sic], plays drums and percussion, Michael Peralta takes the bass, and Nat Nelson is on guitar and vocals. With this humble arrangement, they manage to create a deep grooving smoothness of sound that's tough to surpass. This is music to dance to at its finest.

When I saw Galactic live, I had never heard of them before, and tagged along at the end of an already full day thinking it would be a nice, relaxing evening of New Orleans jazz. I mistakenly thought the opening band was Galactic. Then the real deal came out and the Fillmore filled up to the brim. Sandwiched tightly in the crush of the wild crowd right in front of the stage, I soon learned that Galactic shows are nothing to fool around with.

The story starts with the classics. Charles Mingus (1922-1979), the old school king of walking bass, played upbeat, funky jazz grooves at a pace that could only have been achieved by a master. His music can still make the drive home in heavy traffic somehow enjoyable, as if those busily bustling rhythms somehow match life in the big city and make it better.

Yasiin's solo debut in 1996 was called Universal Magnetic. In 1999, he teamed up with Talib Kweli, known for being a "conscientious rapper" whose lyrical focus is on black self-worth and social empowerment. They came out with one of the greatest rap albums of the day, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are...Black Star. The same year, Yasiin came out with the solo album Black on Both Sides.

I heard about five snippets of SSLYBY's songs and decided in spite of myself that their indie pop tunes were fun, contagiously upbeat, and pretty awesome. Check out their Myspace page to listen to free mp3s, and don't miss their bio, which is worth a read for laughs (on the right side of the page above "contact"). You can also find them on Facebook. If you like what you hear, try out some of these bands through the library and see what you think: