Arizona vs. Pittsburgh

It's Super Bowl Sunday here in the United States. While I'm more stoked for the Chelsea Liverpool match today I'll still eat some hot dogs and watch the game (and of course the Springsteen halftime show).

In honor of the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals being played in Tampa, Florida here are some Superbowl songs. Which song will win? My money is on Kings Of Leon.

ARIZONA CARDINALS:
"Arizona" by Kings of Leon (mp3) from Because of The Times (purchase album here)

vs.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS
"Pittsburgh" by Josh Rouse (mp3) from The Smooth Sounds of Josh Rouse -Rarities
(purchase album here)

and for those of you who don't care who wins but just want to go to the game

TAMPA
"Train to Tampa" by Sam Dees (mp3) from The Birmingham Sound: The Soul Of Neal Hemphill Vol. 1
(purchase album here)

Putting the Christ Back in Christmas

There is nothing I hate more than Christmas music. I mean I have serious issues with hearing that crap this time of year. Its not the holiday I hate - its just the oversaturation of jingle bells I can't stand. However, try as I must its completely inescapable. So figured if you can't beat them, join them - Hops style. Here are some good Jesus songs for you.

Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam by Nirvana (Vaselines Cover):


Jesus, Etc. by Wilco:


Christas With Jesus By Josh Rouse:


and just to prove I'm not a total Bah Humug....or am I?

Fairytale of New York by The Pogues:

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. To everyone else, enjoy your Chinese food. It will soon be over and we can get back to our usual non-seaonal crappy mall music.

All You Need This Week

By the way I didn't want to make it seem that I didn't like the Josh Rouse show on my previous post - I did - it just wasn't the best Josh Rouse show ever (double bill with Leona Naess at the Black Cat on the 1972 tour was).

Anyway, this week I am up in Boston for work. I could have posted a quote from America by Simon and Garfunkel since this immigration news is all the talk today, but I honestly don't care. I could post about Boston, but there is no song called "Red Sox fans annoy me" or "I'd rather not be in Massachusetts" (though I could have posted "Back to Massachusetts" from Guster's "Homecoming Queen"). Instead I am inspired by tomorrow night being the start of Passover. So while I can't quote anything by the band Bread or the Disco Biscuits or even Cracker, I can give you a couple of Passover quotes:

"Come on now, don't you want to see?
This thing that's happening to me
Like Moses has power over sea" from COLDPLAY's song MOSES

and of course

"Left with a mark on the door,
Is this the gift that I wanted to give?"
from JOY DIVISION'S song PASSOVER

Concert Review: Josh Rouse

So what's up Hops fans? Since we last spoke I attended a Josh Rouse show at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. It was my first trip to the venue, though I used to play soccer around the corner from it all the time. I met up there with my pal Kate and her two co-workers. We were joking before the show that this is the 3rd Josh Rouse show we've seen together - in 3 states (NJ, MD and now VA). I've also seen him in Missouri and DC (twice). So I'm a fan. I'd say the show overall was average. The band was a bit smaller than previous tours with only his usual drummer and the great base player Hags (show in background of photo - looking like Jack Osbourne and Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerd's love child). They really missed the rest of the band including Pat Sansome (now with Wilco and Autumn Defense) and especially Kurt Perkins who always seemed to be Josh's right hand man. I think the stripped down band made it less of a rocking show and more of a singer songwriter vibe. That would have been great except for a really annoying drunk guy in front of me who would yell out requests every two seconds and make out with his girlfriend. He yelled "I’m getting laid on account of you Joshy" which gave me the image of him and his girl having sex and I got a bit sick. Totally unnecessary and annoying. The other part of the show that annoyed me was that his girlfriend, Paz, came out for the encore (for her 2nd live show ever). While I liked her on the song she sings, I've already posted about the girlfriend issue I have with this (see album review post). Anyway here is the set list:
It Looks like Love/ Under Your Charms/ Givin' It Up/ His Majesty Rides/ Quiet Town/ My Love Has Gone/ Winter In The Hamptons/ 1972/ Comeback/ Wonderful/ James/ Oh I Need All of The Love/ Dressed Up Like Nebraska/ Direction/ Late Night Conversation
ENCORE: Jersey Clowns/ Streetlights/ The Man Who( with girlfriend Paz Suay) / It's The Nighttime

The opener was Strays Don't Sleep. At first there were literally no people anywhere on the dance floor. A few brave people started creeping up, including our crew and it was well worth it. They are fronted by one of my favorites -Matthew Ryan - and are a new project of his. One nteresting note is that Josh sang backup vocals on his song "I hear a symphony" a few years back on his outstanding album EastAutumnGrin. So it was all in the family at this show. For their closer "Cars and history" Matthew Ryan came onto the floor and sung in the crowd (if 10 people makes a crowd). In a better world it would have been a concert moment of a lifetime for those there. I really enjoyed it, its an awesome song and I’m really digging the band. Listen to some songs and see the Cars and History video here: http://myspace.com/straysdontsleep

New Josh Rouse Album Review

Just picked up the new Josh Rouse album Subtitulo (means subtitled in Spanish)... so far I'm pretty happy with it. His last, Nashville, was a huge disappointment to me. Before releasing Nashvile he released an amazing trio of albums: Home, Under Cold Blue Stars and 1972. Each was perfect. Nashville seems rushed and not well thought out. I know he was going with the whole cheesy 70's think but he went a bit too far, especially considering the brilliance he displayed earlier. Oddly it got the most press of all his work. Considering he had just gotten divorced and moved to Spain I was expected something with more of a Blood on the Tracks feel, not happy sunshine.

Subtitulo is much better. It isn't as whole of an album but all the songs are pretty. You hear alot of the influence of him living in Spain with some bassanova style in there. You also get the feeling like you could sit on a beach on the Mediterranean Sea and listen to it. Really relax, breezy, cool. That said my favorite tunes are "Jersey Clowns", which is obviously not about Spain and "It Look Like Love" which sounds more like what he was trying to accomplish with Nashville. I even like his duet with his new girlfriend (who isnt a singer) "the man who doesn't know how to smile". I wonder how much his ex-wife hates him for putting her on the album?