Encerrando os textos sobre a Mostra, a agradável estreia em longas-metragem  do diretor de video clipes Marc Webb “(500) Dias com Ela” ((500) Days of Summer, 2009), ele também divide o roteiro com Scott Neustadter).

Quando um filme fala sobre relacionamentos, com ‘pitadas’ de humor para suavizar a trama ‘melodramática’, sempre estampa-se a rótulo de comédia-romântica. “500″ não foge a risca, mas está acima da média, exatamente por trazer elementos próximos da realidade, sem deixar de utilizar todos os recursos que uma montagem bem elaborada pode trazer.

O sucesso de ‘500′ começa pela ótima escolha do elenco, Summer (Zooey Deschanel) está perfeita como o objeto de desejo do romântico e sensível Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Zooey, que esteve totalmente perdida em “Fim dos Tempos” (The Happening, 2008), assim como tudo naquele filme, e foi muito bem como par romântico de Jim Carrey em “Sim Senhor” (Yes Man, 2008), volta aqui encarnando todos os sonhos possíveis em forma de mulher que Tom ousara ter na vida. O que da credibilidade a Summer é justamente seu olhar, que cativa pela beleza, mas demonstra claramente uma certa desilusão que a personagem carrega dentro de si. Tom por sua vez, traz uma carga emocional forte, como vemos em toda ‘história da humanidade’, os românticos que idealizam uma musa, e só enxergam ela como solução para todos os seus problemas. Em contrapartida são justamente as cenas de humor dele que ‘ganham’ o publico.

A montagem sabiamente apresentada de forma não-cronológica, cria paralelos entre períodos distintos do relacionamento entre Tom e Summer, os contrastes na vida dele ficam mais evidentes, tantos os momentos de felicidade como de tristeza. Se fosse diferente, provavelmente teríamos trechos excessivamente melancólicos, e outros extremamente ‘bonitinhos’. A sequência inicial é digna de aplausos, com a bela música “Us” de Regina Spektor, dividindo tela ao meio, apresentando os dois personagens ao mesmo tempo (recurso muito bem utilizado em outro ponto alto do filme).

A trilha sonora (que participa da trama) tem Smiths, a camiseta de Tom estampa Joy Division, o Beatle preferido de Summer não é Paul nem John (um dos encantos de Summer, ela não é uma garota comum), os próprios personagens cantam Clash e Pixies. “500″ não poupa elementos da cultura pop/rock para que os nossos ‘neurônios-espelho’ entrem em ação e sejamos cativados. Aliás, tantos os personagens como os acontecimentos do filme, por serem claramente inspirados em pessoas reais, deixam aquela sensação de que você já viveu coisas semelhantes, ou conhece alguém que é igual ao Tom, ou mesmo se acha parecido com o jeito gracioso de Summer, entre outras ‘coincidências’.

O interessante, site oficial nacional.

Como meu dever oficial, segue abaixo o trailer, mas não recomendo que assistam aqueles que gostam de pequenas surpresas. Aqui tem várias.

‘Para não dizer que não falei das flores’, Zooey além de atriz é cantora, possui uma banda/dupla com o guitarrista e produtor M. Ward chamada She & Him. Esta ‘brincadeira’ de Zooey começou em outro filme “The Go-Getter”, 2008, quando o diretor a convidou para fazer dupla com Ward na musica dos créditos finais. Ela canta tem uma banda em “Sim Senhor”, da uma ‘palhinha’ em “500″, além de ter cantado em “Um Duende em Nova York” (Elf,2003). No post anterior sobre a música “(What’s so funny ’bout) Love Peace and Understanding”, tem uma participação dela na super banda de Elvis Costello.

O clip da música “Why Do You Me Stay Here?” feito especialmente para promover o filme. A música eu não curti muito, mas a dança deles é legal.

Das apresentações de She & Him que encontrei, a que mais gostei foi esta versão de “You Really Got a Hold on Me” dos Beatles.

Para finalizar a musica dos Smiths presente no filme.

#por Jonas Ribeiro#

Seit geraumer Zeit gibt es ein neues Video zum She & Him Song Why Do You Let Me Stay Here. Es entstand während der Dreharbeiten zu 500 Days Of Summer, einem Film, den ich jedem ans Herz legen möchte – auch wenn er alles andere als fröhlich ist. Das Video wurde – wie der Film – von Marc Webb realisiert. Dennoch: An das Originalvideo kommt es nicht heran – oder was meint ihr?

For some insane reason, Hulu deleted Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s amazing monologue from his Saturday Night Live episode, so it’s only available on YouTube presently in a lesser form. Can’t these jackasses on YouTube that manage to get past copyright infringement blocks at least upload widescreen videos correctly?

It’s always a pleasure to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt showing up around every corner being infinitely charming and genuine. He’s clearly a multi-talented, multi-faceted guy and a constant surprise. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER is a wonderful movie, and he played that part perfectly. His roles in recent years have all shown an excellent taste for roles (Cobra Commander excluded?). My realization of just how damn cool this guy really is came when he and the equally charming and all-around perfect woman Zooey Deschanel made the following music video for one of her songs, “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”, from her band, She & Him, from SUMMER’s director, Marc Webb:

That’s the best music video ever. Plain and simple. I will not be hearing arguments. I could gush and gush about this video, that movie, and these people all day long.

Check out Joseph Gordon-Levitt charming the pants off of America talking with Jimmy Fallon and playing laser tag with the gusto of a 10-year-old boy. I can’t help but think of the new trailer for Christopher Nolan’s INCEPTION while he runs, jumps, and dives around the set.

I did it, motherfuckers.

I got back about half an hour ago from the post office, or driving behind it, to put a letter in the mailbox. I couldn’t have it sitting about my house for fear of trashing it and, since I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to meddle with mailboxes, I can’t get it back now. Before leaving I spent only a few minutes writing it after being overcome with a very intense urge.

That’s the loudest my radio’s maybe ever been on a drive. I needed some kind of distraction. Thank God for She & Him.

And now my greatest literary masterpiece. Yes, you are supposed to laugh at the parts where it seems funny seeing as nothing you can’t laugh at is worth taking seriously. I share with you because, between you and me, there are no secrets. And I wouldn’t want there to be.

Martin,

My name is Ashley Keniston Caggiano and I have reason to believe you are my biological father. I am 22 years old, so know that contacting you is not an attempt at extorting child support or any other monies from you. Truth be told, I have no idea what I want, maybe nothing, which is why writing this letter has been something I’ve attempted to do an incalculable number of times for the past nine years since I first heard your name and found your address when I was thirteen and have failed at miserably each time.

I also want you to know that disrupting the lives of your family members is definitely not something I want either. You, I admittedly care less about, but to the people who you have chosen to love, or at least take care of, I would never wish any discomfort. This does not mean, however, that they are a good excuse to ignore me. Similarly, I wish no disruption to the lives of my family members, so if you were to write me a letter back I would appreciate if it were done via the internet as opposed to my mailbox which my mother, Helen–you know, always checks.

I can be reached at ashleycaggiano@gmail.com

But that, of course, is all pending on your choice.

I wouldn’t want to be so presumptuous to think that you would want to know anything about me, so I won’t bother to go in depth, but you should probably know that I’m pretty sweet (in both the sugary and colloquially “awesome” ways). Despite how cold and calculating this letter has seemed up to this point, it’s probably the exact opposite of my personality. I also watch too much TV and read too little especially considering I’ve just received my BA in English. I am not the woman who is currently being recruited for women’s basketball, just to be clear. I am afraid of people, but more afraid of being alone, and I have an immense capacity to love which is probably the real reason why I am writing this letter.

There are only two people in this world that I’ve ever been able to harbor hate for. Of course you cannot think you are exempt from this list. The other I sometimes think I can handle and get over despite feeling this way for fifteen or so years about that person, but when it comes to you I have no sense of openness, let alone closure. And this isn’t fair.

I have so many times felt worthless and like my existence, since it was accidental, unwanted, and downright dismissed, was never supposed to be. I don’t want to feel this way anymore, but unfortunately I don’t know if I can get passed it without some kind of validation from you. That is pathetic, but it is the way it is.

But mostly I don’t want to hate anymore. Partially because I want to get into heaven, but mostly because it eats away at me. It makes my soul feel like someone’s shot holes through it and my stomach nauseous. I can pretend like I don’t hate you, like I’m apathetic to the whole thing, but I’ve come to realize that’s a lie. Everyone in this world deserves love, but I’m beginning to wonder how capable I am of it, or how capable I’ll be of it in the future, when I’m filled up with so much hate and it keeps eating away at me. I also don’t want to believe that people can be so disconnected from real life that they can ignore things like the human beings they create and the women that they used, and then feel alright about it all.

It’s weird–I’ve tried writing this letter a billion times. There have been better drafts, just so you know. Immensely better, rage-filled, heart-wrenchingly amazing drafts. There are still things I want to say, but ending it here seems like what’s going to happen.

Do what you will,

Uh, and then I signed it.

Music Go Music, Thousand Crazy Nights
Patti Smith, About a Boy
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, The Golden Age
The Slits, Kill Them With Love
Parlour Steps, Soft Lies
Sleater-Kinney, Get Up
Karen O and the Kids, Heads Up
Sleeper, Sale of the Century
Speakeasy Tiger, Limbs
Nancy Sinatra, Momma’s Boy
Typsy Panthre, Hitch-Hiker
Silversun Pickups, Three Seed
The Lower 48, Bedroom
Sing-Sing, When I Was Made
Pariah Piranha, Hate Beast
Sick of Sarah, Bittersweet
Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle, Officer Down
Shoe, It’s Going to Be O.K.
Boat, We Want It! We Want It!
The Shortcuts, Nothing New
Big Bang TV, Diamond
Shonen Knife, Fruits & Vegetables
Brilliant Colors, Motherland
Shellshag, Gary’s Note
Drink Up Buttercup, Even Think
She Mob, I Took the $
Joe Gideon and the Shark, Hide and Seek
Shelleyan Orphan, Dolphins
The Cribs, Cheat on Me
Tracy Shedd, Won Past Ten
She & Him, I Should Have Known Better
Sex Presleys, Heartbreak Hotel

“Say Please” by Monsters of Folk

Musical hydra Monsters of Folk is the collaborative effort that excites me the most right now. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, it’s an epic supergroup comprising Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, and M. Ward. Essentially, it’s like the folk version of DJ Khaled’s We Takin’ Over, except they formed an official group to make official albums. Jizzworthy? Very much so. Fresh off the reel, this music video for Say Please shows exactly why you should be listening to them, you Philistine.

Download their eponymous debut album here.

Je vous avais déjà fait un article complètement gratuit sur mon amour sans limite pour Kristen Bell (soupir), aujourd’hui je vais vous parler de la sublime et extrêmement talentueuse Zooey Deschanel.

Petit point bio? Allez c’est parti
Née le 14 janvier 1980 (son anniversaire c’est donc dans 3 mois), elle est la fille de Caleb Deschanel (directeur de photographie plusieurs fois nominé aux oscars et de Mary Jo Deschanel, qui a notamment joué dans Twin Peaks. Après avoir obtenu un rôle dans la série “Les dessous de Veronica” elle décroche un personnage secondaire dans le film Mumford en 1999. A seulement 19 ans elle arrête ses études pour se lancer complètement dans sa carrière d’actrice. Révélée au grand public pour sa participation à Almost Famous, la célébrité commence à la rattraper avec le très bon H2G2. Sa filmographie connait des hauts et des bas, notamment dû à son incroyable physique, elle joue souvent la jolie fille potiche des comédies américaines. Mais ses 4 précédents films la propulse alors au devant de la scène. En effet, elle enchaîne L’assinat de Jesse James par le lâche Robert Redford, Phénomènes, Yes man et est actuellement à l’affiche  dans l’excellent (500) days of summer. Et une fois que vous l’avez vu, vous ne pouvez pas oublier ses yeux.

Mais ce qu’on oublie de dire, c’est que en plus d’avoir un immense talent devant la caméra, elle est aussi une excellente chanteuse (comme vous avez pu le remarquer dans Yes man et (500) days of summer). Elle forme en 2008 un duo avec Matt Ward et sort l’excellent Volume One en Mars 2006. Mélangeant la pop, le folk et la country, la voix de Zooey Deschanel se rapprochant de Deborah Harry (la chanteuse de Blondie) se mêle avec merveille à la guitare de M. Ward. Un nouvel album est prévu pour 2010. Je vous laisse avec le clip de Why do you let me stay here et vous propose d’aller voir leur myspace.

Why don’t you sit right down and stay a while?
We like the same things and I like your style
It’s not a secret, why do you keep it?
I’m just sitting on the shelf

The Academy Of Music, that opened way back in 1857, is the oldest grand opera house in the the United States. Usually the venue plays home to the Nutcracker Ballet, the Philadelphia Orchestra or whatever Broadway series playing; however, last night it was the temporary home to the deemed ’supergroup’ of folk–Monsters Of Folk. The bands lineup consists of Jim James(of My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst(of Bright Eyes), M. Ward(solo/She & Him), and Mike Mogis(producer of Bright Eyes, She & Him, more). It would a be pleasure to see each one of the artists by themselves or with their own bands but having them all together on one stage was a treat. MOF played for a little over two hours performing songs off the groups self-titled record, Monsters Of Folk and songs from their other endeavors. Photos and setlist below.

Say Please(MOF)/The Right Place (MOF)/Soul Singer In A Session Band(Bright Eyes)/Slow Down Jo(MOF)/Man Named Truth(MOF)/Vincent O’Brien(M. Ward)/One life Away(MW)/One Hundred Million Years(MW)/Poison Cup(MW)/Smoke Without Fire(BE)/Golden(My Morning Jacket)/Dear God (Sincerely Monsters Of Folk.)(MOF)/Baby Boomer(MOF)/We Are Nowhere And It Is Now(BE)/Lullaby(MW)/At Dawn(MMJ)/To Save Me (MW)/Kathy With A K’s Song(BE)/Bermuda Highway(MMJ)/Look At You(MMJ)/Map of the World(MOF)/Smoking From Your Shootin’(MMJ)/Hit The Switch(BE)/Losin Yo Head (MOF)/At The Bottom Of Everything(BE)/Whole Lotta Losin’ (MOF)/Another Travelin Song(BE)/Master’s Vice(MOF)

If you LOVED the film 500 days of Summer you’ll LOVE this music clip!!

Great music, beautiful cinematography, superb dancing and lots of fun!!

I think I’ll go to the bank now…

(You can find the shorter version – without intro –  here)

Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel have the same face. Fact.  But who’s hotter/prettier/the better singer/etc.?

Guess who? (I'm not going to say. You have to hover over the picture.)

Alright. Assessment time.  I think that Katy Perry is hotter or sexier than Zooey Deschanel. I think Zooey Deschanel kind of gives off this feeling of innocence, whether it’s real or perceived, and therefore they tie at overall prettiness.  (This makes sense in my head. Just roll with it.)

Musically speaking, Zooey’s songs with She & Him are “better.”  They have a nice indie-folk-country vibe.  Katy’s pretty mainstream pop, and while her songs are totally addictive they aren’t anything new.

Vocally, I favor Katy. This is really just a matter of opinion–both are good singers in their own right.

Guess.

Overall, I’d say that I like Katy better than Zooey. Katy’s a better all-around package.  She’s more polished-off as a celebrity than Zooey is.  I still love them both, though.  What do you think?

While actress Milla Jovovich may be trying to draw in your attention with talk of extraterrestrial owls and an imminent fear of the fourth kind, there’s a phenomenon that has been slowly gaining momentum in the music world….

Bands and musicians have been switching members and pairing up like Xenon Octa-Flouride (XeF8) would, if it ever is going to be invented (thanks Wikipedia!). In layman’s terms, we’ve been getting a lot of new supergroups, side projects, and collaborations – some that could have been foreseen, and others that seem to have appeared out of nowhere.

The Almanac Singers seen here with Bess Hawes, Arthur Stern and Sis Cunningham

Now, the idea of a supergroup is not a recent innovation by any stretch of the imagination – the supergroup goes all the way back to the Almanac Singers - a combination of Millard Lampell, Lee Hayes, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie that got its start in 1940. From the 60’s until today, we have been given plenty more supergroups, such as in 1969 which brought us both The Plastic Ono Band (which included the likes of Eric Clapton, both George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and Alan White – just to name a few) as well as Blind Faith (which also featured Mr. Clapton, but had Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech to boot). 1988 brought us the Traveling Wilburys, which was the tour de force of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. And although they Wilburys only stuck together for about a year after Orbison’s death, that cosmic aligning is something that has not met it’s match… yet.

The Monsters of Folk

Among the recent crop of supergroups is a group I mentioned last week – The Monsters of Folk, which consists of folk songsters Connor Oberst and  Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, M. Ward of She & Him, and Jim James from My Morning Jacket. They’ve been associated under the Monsters name since 2004, but have all been so busy with their respective main attractions that they weren’t able to release their self-titled first album until this year. You’ve definitely heard their track “Say Please” on the Peak – and both M. Ward and Connor Oberst gave free concerts in NYC this summer!

Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar

Moving down the line from most folky to least, next up is the recent pairing of Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard with Jay Farrar, member of Uncle Tupelo and frontman for Son Volt, the two bands that he played with throughout the 90’s before he launched his solo career in 2001. Gibbard and Farrar first got together in 2007 to record the soundtrack for One Fast Move and I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur. Both the movie and the album came out on October 20th, the day before the 40th anniversary of the prolific author’s death. You can see the music video for “San Fransisco”, the last track on the album, here. And you can expect to see more from them in the future.

Taking a detour into the realm of electronica, at the end of September, Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, slipped this little surprise into his blog:

Thom Yorke and Flea

Of course, those shows were sold out in 20 minutes. Flea, as you know, is the Red Hot Chili Peppers Bassist – and he seemed to be ecstatic to be on stage with Yorke, playing cuts from Yorke’s solo album The Eraser (2006). There hasn’t been a follow-up to the October concerts, but that’s something you should keep an eye out for as well.

Jack White and Alison Mosshart sharing the mike at Glastonbury this year

Next up come two really driving groups. First is The Dead Weather, whose song “Hang You Up From the Heavens” I featured in my first week of blog-writing. The Dead Weather was formed by Jack White who’s been extremely active – leaping from the White Stripes, to the Raconteurs, to the recent release of “It Might Get Loud” – a documentary featuring White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page. The band also features Alison Mosshart of the Kills on lead vocals, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and Jack Lawrence, who played with White in the Raconteurs. And to sweeten the deal, they just announced a show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 17th! Tickets for that are going on Sale this friday, so get ‘em quick.

The "Them Crooked Vultures" teaser photo from earlier this fall

And finally, we come to Them Crooked Vultures, or TCV as they call themselves. TCV is big news. On drums is Dave Grohl, from Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. On vocals and guitar is Josh Homme, from the Queens of the Stone Age. The kicker is that John Paul Jones comes soaring in on bass. They’ve got a really great sound, full and rocking, but what remains to be seen is whether TCV will be able to stay afloat once their star power has worn off. Their self-titled first record is due out on Sony in a week, which should be an insta-grab for all hard rock fans. But for now, check out the full album on the band’s website!

So, I apologize about all the name dropping – it’s not something I routinely do. If you think a supergroup has been left out, please let me know. Or if you feel the need to justify the Tinted Windows‘ existence, by all means, please try. But if you do, I’ll kindly remind you that their lead singer is from Hanson, and we’ll go our separate ways. Wikipedia to the rescue once again!

——————————–

Peak Keyword: MMBOP

→    ♥HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM♥     ←

Today is November 8th, 2009. My glorious beautiful mother best friend was born today in 1954. We celebrated by doing lots of things together with her and dad. We got to do things all day together – for a long while.

♥      

She & Him -I really like this new video that chelsey told me about- and the lyrics? they are appropriate for my mom’s day today- she’s just so pleasant and i have her for my own (to share with my brother and sister i suppose) She makes me sit down and she makes me smile. 

She & Him – Why do You let me stay here? from their album Volume One

p.s. I’m wondering if Zooey Deschanel is from portland, or? because everyone looks like her there. ESPECIALLY the ladies who work at Powells books. i’m just sayin’.

via we heart it

Good Morning! I really wanted to share this video of Zooey Dechanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt dancing to “Why do you let me stay here?” by She & Him. Love her. Love her outfit(s). Love her album.  

Without further ado,  for your viewing pleasure….

HAPPY FRIDAY <3 and thank you to my boyfriend for finding this video! i heart you.

Music Go Music is a bit odd. They have posted a series of videos of them performing “live” on a 70’s show that was never a real show. But I like their music, and what’s so wrong with oddballs?

(500) Days of Summer was a really cute, super-sweet film. I’m pretty sure anyone who wasn’t already in love with those two sure is after seeing it.

Julian Plenti, (who is actually Paul Banks from Interpol,) tag teams it with Emily Haines for “Games for Days”.

The Very Best did a damn catchy tune with Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend called “Warm Heart of Africa”. And you know you’ve got a catchy song when lots of people remix it. So far, I’ve heard Metronomy, Architecture In Helsinki and Theophilus London all over the internettery and while they are good remixes, it stems from the fact that the original is so solid.

Heath Ledger sure left a nice parting gift for us in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

I’ve been super into The Big Pink. Their debut album, “A Brief History of Love” is awesome.

Remember Dan Deacon? He of Drinking Out of Cups fame? People might not know he’s an actual musician, for real.

Here is a lovely tune from O + S.

Some facts about Ben Lee: He’s released seven solo albums. He is married to Ione Skye. He dated Claire Danes. He had a record deal at 14 with Noise Addict. Noise Addict has their first new album in 14 years for free download at their website.

Since it’s Hallowe’en, here’s the video for “Die Slow” from Health.

…And the horseman roams the streets at night… restlessly searching for his missing head.

That of course, is from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow – one of my favorites, although no one knows how the ghostly Hessian soldier actually lost his head. I’m going to go out on a limb right now and say that maybe if he had known about all of the great concerts going on in November in his own backyard, he could have found some solace.

Segue!

Pete Yorn

November starts off with a bang – Pete Yorn, who performed live for the peak in 2006 will be playing at the Ridgefield Playhouse TOMORROW the 1st. He just released his fourth record Back and Fourth this past June and if you look at the fine print, you’ll notice that Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes helped produce it. What’s more, Yorn put out another album right after that, with Scarlett Johannson this past September – Relator. And coming off touring with Coldplay throughout the summer Mr. Yorn is doing quite well for himself – make sure to catch him in Connecticut!

Popper visiting the troops

On November 4th, Blues Traveler is rolling through town. They’ll be playing a show at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza in the city. They’ve been going above and beyond recently in an effort to support the troops in any way they can. For instance they are offering a free download of “Forever Owed” – the first track of their 2008 record North Hollywood Shootout. This song was written for the troops, and they ask that in lieu of paying for the track you make a direct donation to the USO. Blues Traveler visited the troops in 2004, and in a letter to the men and women of the Armed Forces, John Popper writes,

In addition to the free download, they have been giving away free tickets to their shows for servicemen and women through the USO. So support this noble band by seeing them next wednesday.

The Monsters of Folk

Going back to Mike Mogis for a sec, the indie-folk supergroup, the Monsters of Folk, are playing at the United Palace Theater up in Washington Heights next friday, November 6th. These monsters include Mike Mogis and Connor Oberst, both prominent members of Bright Eyes; M. Ward - well known from his partnership with Zooey Deschanel called She & Him; and Jim James the singer from My Morning Jacket. I know, it’s a lot of names for one band. But it’s going to be a great performance. If you do miss them Friday, it wont be too late – they’re playing again at the Beacon Theater on Nov. 8th a week from this Sunday.

Bruce Springsteen with the E Street Band at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 2003.

In the end, however, no one compares to the Boss. That’s right, Bruce Springsteen is blazing through town after his tour de force performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week. Brucie and the E Street Band will have two performances at Madison Square Garden on Saturday and Sunday, the 7th and the 8th.

Rob Thomas Peak Performance at ACME studios on Sept. 5th, 2009.

That should tide you over for a few days, at least. We return then to the Beacon Theatre, where Rob Thomas will be performing a series of three shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday the 12th, 13th, and 14th respectively.  You may know that Rob Thomas came into the studios this past September, and he’ll be one of the featured artists on the Peak Performances Vol. 2 that’s coming out this December.

And there’s so much more! The Cranberries will be playing at Nokia Theater on the 18th. After that, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones will be performing at the Community Theater at the Mayo Center for the Performing Arts on Friday the 20th, and the Smithereens will be following tham at the Community Theatre the on the 21st.

Also, Ani DiFranco will be playing at Town Hall on the 21st as well. New York’s backyard will also be graced with three shows from the Pixies on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Guster's "Lost and Gone Forever" 1999

Then November goes out with a bang, too, with two sold-out shows from Guster on the 27th and 28th back at the Beacon Theater. They’re touring right now for the tenth anniversary of their ‘99 album Lost and Gone Forever. They’re playing two sets each with one set being the record in its entirety. That album has some truly great tracks like “Barrel of a Gun” and “Fa Fa”.

So happy concert-hunting, and if you do seem to have misplaced your head, then let some great world class rock steer you home.

—————————————

Peak Keyword: ICHABOD

Now if any of you have seen the movie 500 Days Of Summer you would know of Zooey Deschanel. Well she sing’s in a two piece called She & Him with the musician M.Ward.

Below is a track off their one and only LP. It’s a cover of Smokey Robinson’s You Really Got A Hold On Me. Fantastic. Their album is on Spotify, if you like blue grass and folk, this is for you.

Atlas Sound – “Walkabout (W/ Noah Lennox)” – Logos

Phoenix – “One Time Too Many” – It’s Never Been Like That

Four Tet – “Ribbons” – Ringer

She & Him – “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” – (500) Days of Summer Soundtrack

Devandra Banhant – “Quetate Luna” – Cripple Crow

Explosions In The Sky – “Your Hands In Mine” – Friday Night Lights Soundtrack

Grizzly Bear & Feist – “Service Bell” – Dark Was The Night

I just love Zooey Deschanel- and M. Ward, too! What an awesome combo. This video totaly rocks. Check it out. Also worth checking out ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’- it’s such a great cover.

Nok en gang dro vi til området rundt Vestre Jakobselv for å lete etter Varangerjomfrua (en stein). Vi fant henne ikke, men vi tok noen bilder.

Nye! ekte kinesisk plast.

Zooey Deschanel wird nächstes Jahr Janis Joplin spielen. Der Film heißt The Gospel According To Janis. Die 29 jährige Schauspielerin hat optisch zwar wenig Ähnlichkeit mit der legendären Sängerin, dafür ist sie selbst als Musikerin aktiv. Mit ihrem Bekannten M.Ward hat sie das Folkduo She & Him gegründet, der Rolling Stone vergleicht sie stimmlich mit Linda Ronstedt. Deschanel ist mit Ben Gibbard verheiratet. Ihr aktueller Film 500 Days Of Summer kommt morgen ins Kino.

Although this blog is events-based, there are certain building blocks of Triangle music that anyone looking to learn more about it just needs to know, like the history of a little Chapel Hill record label called  Merge Records and its impact on the local scene. However it isn’t just important for the Triangle, it’s a staple in talking about indie rock in general, from Neutral Milk Hotel to The Magnetic Fields to Spoon.

Listen to an interview with founders Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance by Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal about the label’s impact and success.

The now Durham-based label kicked off its 20th anniversary celebration this summer with the XX Merge festival at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro and Memorial Hall at UNC-CH. Tickets for the July 22-26 festival sold out immediately and sad ticket-less locals (like me) were forced to constantly refresh a Twitter search for #xxmerge instead. But now other kindred  spirits can find solace in this performance and interview video archive on Babelgum.

Performances included 33 bands from Merge’s two decades, including The Rosebuds, Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band (Oberst’s otherwise known for his work in Bright Eyes), Telekinesis, Polvo, Arcade Fire, She & Him (M. Ward and actress/as of recently Mrs. Death Cab Zooey Deschanel) and Superchunk, which kicked off the festival and includes McCaughan and Ballance.

The founders recently teamed up with journalist/Superchunk fan John Cook (of Gawker and formerly Radar) to pen the history of Merge in “Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small.” The 320-page book is packed with plenty of text in an oral history from the founders and others integral to the label’s birth, and is balanced out with coffee table-worthy images of concert posters, its first company invoice and enough behind-the-scenes pictures to fill several photo albums. The forward’s even written by long-time Merge fan/N.C. native/musician Ryan Adams. It’s available in stores and Merge’s Web store now.

But the  celebration doesn’t end there, “The Merge Records Companion,” a limited-edition picture book discography of the label’s first two decades is available for pre-order now and set to ship on Nov. 3.

Check out this UNC TV special on the anniversary

For more info on Merge’s anniversary, check out this Indy article by Grayson Currin, the accompanying links on the same page, and an interview with Cook and favorable book review, both by Marc Masters.

If you just happen to be in New York on Friday, Oct. 23, Mac and Laura will  read from “Our Noise” and perform some songs at Housing Works starting at 7 p.m. Check here for more info.

There will surely be many more great things coming from the folks at Merge, but not just musically. It seems that they have a knack for innovation as the label was the first ever to sell “LP3s” in 2005, which means that when a customer buys one of its releases on vinyl, he or she also gets a digital version at no extra cost.

For more general info on Merge, check out its blog and Twitter.

Expect future installments on other locally based labels.