A decade on, the Coen brothers' woefully underrated
O Brother, Where Art Thou? [alt] is remembered for
a lot of things: its sun-drenched, sepia-rich
cinematography (a pioneer of
digital color grading), its
whimsical humor,
fluid vernacular, and
many subtle references to Homer's
Odyssey. But one part of its legacy truly stands out:
the music.
Assembled by
T-Bone Burnett, the soundtrack is a cornucopia of American folk music, exhibiting everything from
cheery ballads and
angelic hymns to
wistful blues and
chain-gang anthems. Woven into the plot of the film through radio and live performances, the songs lent the story a
heartfelt, homespun feel that echoed its cultural heritage,
a paean and uchronia of the Old South.
Though the multiplatinum album was recently
reissued, the movie's medley is best heard via famed documentarian
D. A. Pennebaker's
Down from the Mountain, an
extraordinary yet
intimate concert film focused on a night of live music by the soundtrack's stars (among them
Gillian Welch,
Emmylou Harris,
Chris Thomas King, bluegrass legend
Dr. Ralph Stanley) and wryly hosted by
John Hartford, an accomplished
fiddler,
riverboat captain, and
raconteur whose struggle with terminal cancer made this his last major performance. The film is free in its entirety on
Hulu and
YouTube -- click inside for individual clips, song links, and breakdowns of
the set list's fascinating history.
[more inside]
posted by Rhaomi
on Dec 22, 2011 -
107 comments
People, Let Me Get This Off My Chest is a 65 minute compilation of stage banter by Paul Stanley of KISS.
Paul repeatedly reminds the Army that they’re getting their money’s worth... , that the next tune is the first time they’ve played it on tour, that he was talking backstage to someone... about what kind of alcohol that people in the area like to drink, that they’re just getting started, and that he’s got an “uzi of ooze” in his pants.
posted by Trurl
on Jun 4, 2011 -
69 comments
Full Utah Phillips concert from 2007:
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8. If you don't know who Utah Phillips is, be prepared to meet one of the great performers of our age, telling funny stories and cracking jokes, singing great songs, and generally being a world treasure. If you want to know more about this great singer, songwriter, and peace and labor activist, you can watch
an hour long documentary on him from Democracy Now that was made after he passed away in 2008.
[previously]
posted by Kattullus
on Dec 15, 2010 -
26 comments
40 years ago today, The Rolling Stones played two concerts at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. In the darkness of the audience was a man known to history only as
"Dub"...
[audio auto-plays] [more inside]
posted by Joe Beese
on Nov 9, 2009 -
13 comments
It's every young musician's dream: Quit this town, make it big and come back to show these squares! Well, tonight (and tomorrow)
Muse return home to
Teignmouth in Devon, England (pop. 15,116) to play two home-town, homecoming gigs.
[more inside]
posted by benzo8
on Sep 4, 2009 -
8 comments
There was a historic music festival in the summer of 1969. But it's not the one that took place in Bethel, NY. The
Harlem Cultural Festival ran from
June 29 to August 24 that summer, presenting a concert every Sunday afternoon in
Mount Morris Park (known today as Marcus Garvey Park).
Three hundred thousand people turned out for the
six free concerts, hearing acts like
Nina Simone , Sly & the Family Stone (the only act to play both Woodstock and the "black Woodstock"), Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, The 5th Dimension, Moms Mabley and. Speakers included Jesse Jackson and "blue-eyed soul brother" Mayor John Lindsay. Security was courtesy of the
Black Panthers, since the NYC police refused to provide it. Filmmaker Hal Tulchin recorded
over 50 hours of concert footage, which has remained unreleased.
Historic Films seems to hold the footage; it was supposed to be made into a movie to
premiere at Sundance 2007, but its
release seems to be continually delayed for reasons unclear.
[more inside]
posted by Miko
on Aug 20, 2009 -
19 comments
In 1982,
Steve Wozniak sank a lot of his own money into creating the
US Festivals -- the first large concerts to celebrate the
merging of music, technology (and money). For the second (and final) US Festival in 1983, Van Halen was given
1.5 million dollars, up front, to headline the
1983 US Festival. What did they give back to their fans?
Well, about eighty-four seconds into their first song, David Lee Roth screamed, "
I forgot the f@¢₭n' words!" Along with
a swipe at the Clash, the set that followed remains
evar a
drunken classic of
testosterone-
fueled pop metal campiness. About 3:20 into
this clip, DLR launches into his epic fail version of "God Bless the Child" -- 'nuff said.
posted by not_on_display
on Oct 10, 2008 -
36 comments
The Bang on a Can Marathon is currently in progress at the
World Financial Center in Manhattan. This annual Marathon has taken various forms over the years, with a range of lengths, locations and admission prices; this year's features 26 straight hours of music from around the world, with free admission. Bang on a Can is the
20-year-old new music presenting, producing and recording group co-founded by composers Julia Wolfe, David Lang and Michael Gordon.
posted by allterrainbrain
on Jun 3, 2007 -
12 comments
Sasquatch!, the
indie music festival, returns to
The Gorge with an
impressive line-up headlined by
Bjork and the
Beastie Boys. As usual,
KEXP has a veritable cornucopia of
live performances from the artists. If you're wondering what might be in store, check out select songs from
The Arcade Fire,
M.I.A.,
Citizen Cope,
Neko Case,
The Thermals,
Viva Voce,
Interpol,
Michael Franti & Spearhead,
Spoon,
Ozomatli,
Bad Brains,
The Dandy Warhols,
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter,
Common Market,
Smoosh, and
Minus The Bear. Bring
sunscreen and an
umbrella on your
short drive from
Seattle to
George, Washington
posted by 0xFCAF
on Feb 25, 2007 -
13 comments
If anyone can put together a kick-ass concert DVD, it's Trent Reznor. For your consideration: Nine Inch Nail's upcoming "Beside You In Time," which will be released in HD-DVD, Blu-Ray and some format from the late-90's they are referring to as simply DVD (this is apparently the first music DVD ever to be released on all three formats). View the trailer and some clips
here in 1080P (if you're computer and eyes can handle it). Or, if you're lucky enough to live in one of the chosen cities,
attend a screening.
posted by JPowers
on Jan 26, 2007 -
48 comments
SonicLiving is a website which tracks live events (mostly shows) in your home town, and can read in tracks from your
last.fm or
pandora account to notify you of interesting shows coming up in your area, as long as your area is one of the
currently-limited areas they cover.
(vide intra)
posted by whir
on Sep 21, 2006 -
13 comments
Culture Catch is an online "magazine" featuring vid and podcasts of musicians such as Mark Kozelek, American Music Club, Les Paul and Tony Visconti. Plus: Todd McFarlane, Sir Richard Branson, Henry Rollins, Gisele, David Cronenberg and more.
posted by edlundart
on Mar 30, 2006 -
7 comments
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are a band that, less than a year ago, were making music without the help of a record label, pressing CDs themselves and selling them at concerts and on the Internet. Then the following happened:
June 9: Dan Bierne writes about the band on his MP3 blog,
June 14: Pitchfork Media posts a review of the song "In This Home On Ice",
June 15: Blogger Gothamist posts an interview with the band,
June 20: Blogger Stereogum announces the band's show at the Knitting Factory,
June 21: Gothamist reports that David Bowie was in the audience at the Knitting Factory show, and
June 22: Pitchfork posts one of a slew of reviews of Clap's first album.
Now, they've been named to dozens of
critics 'best of' lists,
they're playing Conan and Letterman, and are about to embark on a new tour. Why choose today to post an article about a band blowing up written in November you ask? Because
their tour kicks off tonight at the 9:30 club in DC, and you can
listen to it live.
posted by ND¢
on Mar 8, 2006 -
140 comments
NPR’s Live Concert Series site offers recordings of recent live performances by
James Brown,
Sinead O’Connor,
Iron & Wine and Calexico,
Son Volt,
My Morning Jacket,
The White Stripes, M. Ward,
Sigur Ros,
Bloc Party,
The Decemberists, and live tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET,
Colin Meloy.
posted by ND¢
on Jan 27, 2006 -
46 comments
Kid Rock To Play Bush Inauguration ... The Bush Twins have invited
Kid Rock to play their inauguration bash after their father is sworn in to a second term. Rock also played the Republican National Convention. This is a guy who stuck his head through an American flag at the Superbowl and has lyrics that say all women are whores and extol drug and alcohol abuse. (The link has actual lyrics from Rock, so if you are offended by cursing don't follow it.)
posted by nathanrudy
on Jan 4, 2005 -
173 comments
Ever been to Merlefest? If you're a returning guest,
Merlefest tickets are now available online. (more inside). Wear your overalls and enjoy some good 'ol "Americana." ( More info inside)
posted by bradth27
on Sep 10, 2003 -
4 comments
Stones 'fail to rock' young Indians The Rolling Stones have failed to sell out their first concerts in India - amid reports that many young music fans are simply not interested in them.
[ the best part is the quote " Tell me how many college kids are into Rolling Stones? " by a guy called Brucelee Mani, Bangalore rock musician ]
posted by turbanhead
on Apr 4, 2003 -
24 comments
My name's not Brian! Ryan Adams gives a fan a refund and asks him to leave a concert when said fan asks him to play
"Summer of '69". Have you ever been to a concert where the performer lost it at the audience? I guess even folk rockers can be divas...
posted by PenDevil
on Oct 17, 2002 -
119 comments
Let the market decide where
Dan Bern will play next. Bern and his band are auctioning off a private concert at the auction winner's house. You can apparently make his appearance as large or intimate as you want. Would a
dutch auction like this be enough to build a U.S. tour on?
posted by Dirjy
on Sep 5, 2002 -
3 comments
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