nathan

Originally uploaded by danielle larson.

So I have been super busy and have had trouble keeping up with all my different media addictions. This site has suffered the most. But I still love the set up and simplicty and how this content will still end up everywhere else I post.  For more recent updates and to stalk me fairly close go to www.topfiver.com

1. Cornerstone Music festival
This being my 8th time at Cornerstone and my 3rd time with the label. We kind of turned it on autopilot for promotions. We still had really good shows for State Bird and Max Justus. I was really excited When State Bird showed up with a band new EP that was a total surprise. You can even download the whole from The Record Machine site. This years showcase was probably the most fun I ever had the fest. The one two punch of State Bird and Max was really awesome. My other favorites from the fest were probably Dignan and B. Both are really great Texas bands with lots of promise.

2. The Dark Knight
This is probably one of the best comic book movies ever. I don’t really see how it could be upstaged. It was a little on the long side but I really didn’t mind at all. Heath Ledger as the Joker was awesome.  I really wish we could where he could have taken it had he not passed away. I really need to see this a second time on the big screen.

3. Hellboy 2
It is kind of sad this movie came out so close to Dark Knight. It is a really great movie that to me was eclipsed by a really outstanding film. Outside of that I don’t really know how they could have done to make it better.  A great sequel that does a good job of repeating the look, feel and magic of the first one.

2. Show- Buffalo Saints last KC Show at Record Bar
Of course I am a little bias but Buffalo Saints have been one of my favorite local bands for a long time. The boys did a great job of capturing the magic that have had for several years. It is sad to see a band go out like this that had so much more in front of them. I have known everybody in the band for several years and somewhat of a hand in helping Ryan and Thommy start playing together.  I am glad that their will be at least one more show down in Lawrence.

3. Show- Republic Tigers at Crosstown Station
The Tigers have easily become the biggest thing going on KC right now and they are earning it. They have put together a great record that could easily be one of the most mainstream accessible things to come out of this town in years.  The boys live show has started to catch up to their recordings. With all the layers and tracks its hard to have some of the same energy but they are begining to catch up.

4. TV Show- Battlestar Galitica
With my back injury early in the month I wasn’t able to make out to as many shows as I would have liked. But it gave me some time to start and catch up Battlestar. I had heard about this show being really great for several years but I had not given it the time of day. The problem was I have been missing out for several years but now that I have caught I am glad I got to watch in such a short period of time.

Show - Interstates & Foxhole at Main Street Cafe
I have been known to sign bands here and there without ever seeing them. Luckily my judgment of recorded music and how it translate to a live setting has been fairly good. Interstates is no exception to that rule. Besides being some of the nicest people I have ever worked with they put on a great show. Interstates have really great videos projecting in time with their songs.

This was my second time seeing Foxhole. It was nice to see them at a venue instead of Cornerstone. Their songs have a great energy to them. They played a new one called Super Monster that was pretty terrific. I am pretty excited to hear new record by them.

Show- Switched On at Main Street Cafe with Max Justus and Queens Club (show)

I had a lot of fun DJ’ing this event with Mike. I was worried about having shows on back to back nights but it ended up really well. I love how much people get into Max’s music. I know I personally had a blast and knowing about the remix I was really excited to hear what he did with it. Queens Club for being so early on in their career sounded very tight. The boys put on a great show and I am excited to see where they go from here.

Movie- Iron Man & Indiana Jones

I love comic book movies and action movies. They are usually pretty much dumb fun. Both movies were no exception. They are fun to switch off and just enjoy what ever happens on screen no matter how cheesey they may get.

TV Show- Lost

If you know me you know that I love Lost. Its a great show and while the story line and the questions that they bring up may be frustrating. I think the character study that it provides is way more interesting. Seeing the background, present and future of the charcters is really interesting to me. Now if only I didn’t have to wait so long for the next season!

I am always excited when TRM bands come to Kansas City. State Bird is no exception to that rule. As always they put on a captivating show.  Each time the boys go out they do a good job of freshing up the songs for the tour.   What you see is a spontaneous outpouring of what they have inside of them.

Bon Iver @ Mojo’s in Coloumbia

You know a show has to be a must see for me drive 2 hours there and back on  week night to see them. Bon Iver was just that. One of the most heart felt new artist I have heard in the last year. Few shows these days get me thinking like Bon Iver did.

Canon Blue @ The Boiler Room

My friend Gavin and Dan drove in the for weekend and decided to play a show. Canon Blue make some great driving electro meets live instrumentation. Think Radiohead with more a Notwist(sorry bad pun I know).

Caribou @ The Record Bar

This show was probably the most mesmerizing out of all them. Caribou has a killer live band. I was blown away at how tight they sounded and how they could recreate all the sounds from the records. The dueling drummers and visuals really made them a must see band for me. If you get the chance to see them i recommend going in a heartbeat.

Opening bands can be a toss up. Sometimes you love them. But more often then not your there to see one band. Thats kind of how it was with Man Man. I just wanted the main event.  I wish I had heard their new record  before the show. The new stuff sounded great I just wish I had known more of it. Everyone should try to see them.

2. Show- Krusty Brothers

I have been a huge fan of Krusty Brothers since I heard the cd a little over a year ago. I think its funny how much that cd circulated before they ever played a show. They were extremely tight band with 2 drummers, bass, 2 guitars, and keyboards.  Also I don’t want to leave out the fabulous hype man/narrator/ dancer.  He was just as interesting to watch as the rest of the band. I am hoping the band will get out there. It was a great show and they deserve some national recognition.

2. Albums: State Bird- Mostly Ghostly
I don’t like to blog about music till its available. And this record is most certainty available now. I always feel like its cheating to blog about my own stuff. But I invest so much time in it I feel bad not to. This record is really great. We have been doing a lot for this band and it is really starting to pay off.

3. Albums: Nada Surf- Lucky
This band of course is the same as the 90′s one hit wonder. As most people know by now they have put out a lot of really solid records since then. This is just another in the series of really great records. Don’t write them off they are way more Popular then that one song would have let on.

The boys in Ghosty have a new record and put on a great show. While Answers is still growing on me I was quite impressed with Fourth of July. This was my second time seeing them. I think they have gotten a lot better and I am loving their full length On The Plains. The Terodactyls also proved to be one of the best up coming bands from the area.

2. Album: Ida- Lovers Prayers

Of course a new Ida record is going to make my top 5. This band is one of my favorites for a long time. They provide a perfect late night winter soundtrack. They recorded this record in the wilderness and it has more of a live feel to it. I still hear every bit of passion that I feel like their records contain.

3. Movie:Cloverfield

I thought this movie looked pretty interesting from the trailer. I really love trailers that don’t tell you the entire plot of the movie. All you really knew was there was going to be some monster action in NYC. It had a Blair Witch meets Godzilla kind of feel to it. It was just about everything I expected.

4.Album: Basia Balut- Oh My Darling

I really like that left of center female singer/songwriters are starting to get more attention. Basia Balut fits this category to a tee. She has a great voice and great and really great quirky songs.

5.TV Show: The Wire

About once a year I find a new show and pretty much sit down and watch it from start to finish. This year it has been this The Wire. I always thought Soprano’s was HBO’s best drama but I was wrong by a long shot. I love how you see both sides of the story from both the police and the drug dealers side of it. Its just an interesting look at today’s drug trafficking and inner city life in a major American city.

2. The National – Boxer
I had such high hopes for this record. I loved Alligator so much and at first this record didn’t live up to the hopes. This band is known for its slow burners. People say they sound like Interpol slowed down. But I don’t think Interpol has sounded this good in a few albums. Every time I turned around I felt like I saw another another piece of press talking about this record. But even still I think this record will always be underrated. 5 years ago I think this band would be a lot bigger then they are now.

3. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
This is another record I had during that rental car phase. And I seemed to alternate between it and Wilco. Its a great record with some of the catchiest pop songs of the year. Don’t Make Me A Target is another song that I always put on repeat.

4. Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago
This is the total suprise record for the year. I found it way after it got on Pitchfork and I started seeing it on count blogs. I really think if anything needs to break out and be huge in 2008 it should be Bon Iver. Its makes me think of Elliot Smith meets TV on Radio. Sounds like a weird combination I know. He has a huge voice that matches up for sparsity of some songs.

5. The Winston Jazz Routine- Sospiri
Its really hard for me to be too detached from this record. Despite releasing this reocrd this isn’t just a vanity choice. I have never gotten sick of hearing this. I hope someday in retrospect it will get the attention it deserves. This record really makes sense in the winter. Its beautiful instrumentation and glacial speed is a perfect match.

6. Jens Lekman-  Night Falls Over Kortedala
Some records take me back to certain times and places. This record makes me think of my trip to Chicago this past fall. I listened to a few times on the megabus on the way there and back. I also purchased a few books while I was there and Jens was the perfect soundtrack for reading them.

7. St. Vincent – Marry Me
Few records do I look forward to so much by only hearing a few songs. I waited a good 8-10 months to hear Marry Me. I was so glad when I finally got to hear the full thing. Annie is a great young songwriter and guitar player. I am really excited to see her career unfold. I love the pop elements meshed with her technical playing.

8. Of Montreal- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
I listened to this record a whole lot when it came out earlier this year. I came back to it few times but even more recently it got stuck in my car CD player and I was able to fall in love with each track. Each song is wonderful and catchy and so well put together. Everytime I listen I feel like I find inspiration for my own electronic music and what I would need to achieve if I ever went back down that road.

9. Bruce Springsteen- Magic
Of course the best Springsteen record in years made my list. I think he kind of finding his stride again. Each record he has done since the Rising has been getter better and better. It feel like we hear a lot of the early Springsteen song types coming back out.

10. Beirut- The Flying Club Cup / Lon Gisland
Beirut was the only band I really traveled and vacationed to see. While Flying Club Cup might not be favorite record of the year that show was for sure. For such a young musician it is really interesting to see where he is already at. I feel like nothing is going to stop them from being a household name in the next few years.

Top 11 thru 20 in alphabetical order:

Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
When I first heard the glimpses of this record and first read about all the shows they were doing I was extremely excited. While I feel like this is an amazing record. It just didn’t have the stick em that some of the other records from the year did.

Band Of Horses – Cease to Begin
When I first heard the single off this record I thought Band of Horses would fall into the sophomore slump. But this record really was a grower on me.

Bodies of Water- Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink
I don’t know what it is, maybe its just my love of quirky pop songs. I love the child like excitement this band has in their songs.

Canon Blue- Colonies
I got this right before the year ended and only had 2 chances listen to it. I feel from just those few listens and the few more listens this is one of the best records I heard.

Dirty Projectors- Rise Above
When I first heard about how good the live show was I wanted to hear something new. I started getting really excited when I heard 4 songs done on Daytrotter. This is really that didn’t dissappoint and I feel like really pushed a lot of boundaries. Had I listened to it more it would have been a lot higher.

Menomena- Friend and Foe
Records that come out at the first of the year are always doomed on my list. I feel like they always seem to get lost in the shuffle. This record had the best packaging of the year. But my love didn’t stop there. I feel like this is just as good as any of the records in the later half of my top 10.

Okkervil River- The Stage Names
Great record and I really look forward to what is to come from this band. I feel like if every song would have been as good as Girl In Port this thing would super high on my list. Still a great record that doesn’t get enough attention

Page France- …and the Family Telephone
Up until the end of last year I just didn’t get Page France. Somehow the whimiscal songs just didn’t hit home. I felt like there was a lot of other stuff that wasn’t getting noticed that was similar. I am over that now for sure.

Panda Bear- Person Pitch
This record got tons of press and praise. And really it deserves it all. I feel like for me I loved it the first half of the year and then it kind of fell off. And I felt like my desire to listen to record wasn’t as much. I am still impressed and think it is a great record though.

Rogue Wave- Asleep At Heaven’s Gate
Thru repeat listens this record has gotten on here. I feel like as far as purely pop songwriting goes Rogue Wave is one of the tops.

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When I got there and finally got to the courtyard where the bands were Califone was just ending. I only got to see one which was quite disappointing. The art was great I didn’t get to explore as much as I would have liked. I got back after the Eternals played to see Flosstradomas. They are the Chicago’s own mash-up dj’s. They sounded pretty great and put on a good set. Everybody in the place was dancing and excited. The Cool Kids and their brand of old school hip hop. I really wasn’t in the mood to stick around for more then a few songs.

After that I went and explored some near by shopping areas. Spent some time at the Border’s and walked around for a bit. I found this exetremely greasy spoon whole in the wall place. I had some dinner and took my time getting back to the apartment.

I met up with Paul and we went to the local dive bar. Of course the Bears were playing the Packers and the bar was packed with Bears fans. It was a close game and it was fun to enjoy a close game in the home town. The rest of the boys all showed up but took off for the place. After a few drinks we went back the apartment.

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After the restaurant we got on the redline to take it all the way uptown to the Kinetic Playground where our freind Margo May was playing. We got the venue a little early which helped us get into the show for free. The venue itself wasn’t too bad. It was a nice venue similar to the size of the bottleneck down in Lawrence. Here is how we can sum up the venue while in the basement my friend saw a sticker that said “It’s 8:40 Let’s Get Twice as High”. While being a nice venue it was not aimed at a hipster crowd at all. Margo played a great set where she was accompanied by our other friend Jake. The duo did a good job of making a folk set more interesting then just your average singer songwriter.

We ended up staying at the bar later then planned and ended just deciding to go back to the apartment. Which I found out would kind of be a little more of an adventure then getting there. We had to take the redline all the way to down do the loop and then take the blue line to about 7 blocks from thier place. This wasn’t too fun to do at 1 at night with a few drinks but really wasn’t as bad as the night before. You have to remember this may not be all that bad for someone from Chicago but for me where I drive everywhere I go and never really leave the small area of westport and downtown.

The show started with Andrew Bird. I have a few of his records and I am fan for sure. I was really excited to hear that he was opening up for them. Wilco is usually one of those bands that I don’t want to see an opener for. I am always just kind of bored with most opening acts like that. Most of the time I just want the main act. But Bird did just about the oppisite. I love how he was able to loop everything to make it sound likeit was fuller. Looping is something I wish I knew a little bit more about or had a some more experience with. He also had some sort of leslie speaker that was spinning and you could hear a whirling sound from it. Also very few people in the world can whistle better then Andrew Bird.

After a 45 minute set Wilco took the stage. Like most openers at venue like that they had saved all the lights and sound for Wilco. Within the first song Via Chicago the stage and the crowd seemed to be going wild. Wilco played for over 2 hours and playing songs from all their records. I was really happy to hear songs from Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot mixed in with the newer stuff. They also played Shot In The Arm which is one of my all time favorite Wilco songs. All and all this is night I was glad I didn’t miss because of funding. Thanks to everyone that was in the Salon.