So I am counting all your fingers.

New Bon Iver track, "Brackett, WI" from the upcoming Red Hot compilation "Dark Was The Night" to be released on 4AD:

 

Given that I am a fellow Wisconsinite, how can I not love Bon Iver?
Anytime I hear his voice, I get a warm and lovely, yet humble, sense of Midwestern pride.
That's how we do it in Wisconsin. 
Strong, yet sensitive, hearty and kind.

 

Invest in a nice flask or some type of polished canteen.

Many years ago I met Andrew W.K. when his manager hooked him up to meet with me.

He wanted to come visit me at my office (I was still working at Wieden + Kennedy
in Portland at the time) 
and didn't have a way to get over to see me, so I drove over to Dante's,
the venue he was performing at later that night, in my little Honda Civic hatchback to pick him up.
After soundcheck was finished, we went back my office and I gave him a tour of the building.
In many ways, he's exactly what you'd expect, even hope.
Congenial, charming, massively positive about everything, goofy.
I believe he learned classical piano as a younger person
and when we stumbled upon the grand piano sitting in our office's atrium, 
he sat down and played for awhile.
While he played, we chatted about politics, music in advertising
and protein shakes to bulk up one's muscles.
Given all this, how could I not love a man like this?

What's Andrew W.K. up to these days?
Probably many things.
In the meantime, check out his advice column, "Andrew W.K.: How To Live",
on Anthem Magzine's website: http://anthemmagazine.com/story/1221
And, ask away.
Andrew W.K. would never steer you wrong.

Also, check out Dan & Mark's cover version of "Party Hard".
Best cover version ever? You be the judge.

Things blow in and don't just cast them, say it now, what you want to stay.

When I got home from six weeks in London last summer, I arrived just in time to catch the PDX Pop Now! 2008 Festival.
http://www.pdxpopnow.com/
Saw some amazing bands, including my favorites White Fang (http://www.myspace.com/whtfng), who I got to play my going-away party at Holocene, as well as the amazing, Eat Skull (http://www.myspace.com/eatskull). 

I also happened to catch Blind Pilot, who I had been hearing a bit about, but thought, oh-boy, not another one, I'm not sure how much more indie folk rock I can take.
Then I stood in the warm Portland July air, forgot that silly notion and got lost in their music.

After that performance, I kind of snoozed on the record for awhile. Got wrapped up in life, in moving to Los Angeles, etc.
And then it was when I was driving out to Phoenix from LA on New Year's Eve, I listened to this album twice in a row.
Killed me.

 In the kinship of Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and The Shins.
Haven't seen/heard a lot about this band outside of Portland, so here I am saying check this out. These guys deserve our support. It's a beautiful album.

http://blindpilotmusic.wordpress.com/

http://www.myspace.com/goblindpilot

http://www.expungedrecords.com/

Be Still, Take Us Back.

Just received the promo copy of Alela Diane's upcoming album for Rough Trade called "To Be Still".
Absolutely kills me.

I first saw Alela Diane in Portland when she and I both still lived in that city and her first album was just coming out on the Holocene label:
http://www.holocenemusic.com/aleladiane/
The last time I saw her was at SXSW 2008.
She's just as amazing live as she is in her recordings.
 
You can pre-order this now at:
http://www.beggarsgroupusa.com/releases/to-be-still/
 
Pretty sure this'll be in the running for Top Albums of 2009.

Re-obsessing about Mirah's post-Hurricane Katrina song "Nola".

I first heard Mirah perform this song at PICA's TBA Festival in 2005, right after Hurricane Katrina had happened.

She had written it that day and performed it live for the first time that night.

My friend Sara Meadows made a lovely live recording of it.

This is the official version that K Records released. It is also on the PDX Pop Now! 2006 compilation:

http://www.krecs.com/Shop/product_info.php?products_id=1944