Can They Kick It...

...Yes they can! So what's the, what's the, what's the scenario? The word is that A Tribe Called Quest is reuniting for a tour. The tour seems to be organized around the promotion & release of an NBA video game (NBA 2K7). Hey, whatever it takes..those that long for rap like back in the day have been hoping for this for years. I saw these guys in Chicago in '04...one of the handful of shows they have played over recent years. They absolutely blew the roof off the House of Blues that night. So many MCs & DJs wish they had stage presence like this crew. It will be nice to see Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad layin' it down again. Here we go yo!

A Tribe Called Quest tour dates, according to the 2K Sports Bounce Tour Web site:

9/8 Las Vegas, NV @ Red Rock
9/9 Berkeley, CA @ Berkeley Community Theatre
9/10 Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern LG
9/13 Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
9/15 Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
9/16 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave/ Eagles Club
9/17 Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
9/20 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
9/22 Washington, DC @ Love the Club
9/23 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
9/24 Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
9/28 Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues
9/29 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
10/1 Sayreville, NJ @ The Starland Ballroom

Another Round of Applause...

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has just announced some more shows in the U.S. during the fall. I had the good fortune of catching this Brooklyn band last April in Ann Arbor. That show was at the Blind Pig...a smaller club. Now these guys are booking theatre sized venues...a testament to their rising popularity. This is one band that lives up to the recent hype. They do not take a formulaic approach to music....crazy tempos, awkward vocals & bizarre lyrics, all backed up by some rockin' keys & guitars. They know how to get a room jumping...Expect a very upbeat show. Thank God the energy crisis hasn't affected Rock n' Roll, yet! Here is a clip of CYHSY live (which doesn't capture their force).



09.26.06 Boston, MA / Avalon
09.28.06 New York, NY / Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
09.30.06 Philadelphia, PA / Trocadero
10.01.06 Cleveland, OH / House of Blues
10.02.06 Chicago, IL / Vic Theatre
10.03.06 Chicago, IL / Vic Theatre
10.04.06 Minneapolis, MN / First Avenue - Main Room
10.06.06 Englewood, CO / Gothic Theatre
10.07.06 Boulder, CO / Boulder Theater
10.10.06 Seattle, WA / The Showbox
10.11.06 Seattle, WA / The Showbox
10.12.06 Portland, OR / Crystal Ballroom
10.13.06 San Francisco, CA / Warfield Theater
10.14.06 Los Angeles, CA / Henry Fonda Theatre
10.15.06 Los Angeles, CA / Henry Fonda Theatre

Gathering No Moss...

The Rolling Stones will be coming back to the U.S. this fall for a quick run of stadium dates. Yes, the tix are too expensive...yes, you are too far from the stage...yes, you would have rather seen them back in the 70's, but if you have never seen them, make it to a show. I should also admit that this post is really just a cheap attempt to place the Rolling Stones Logo somewhere on this site. So, here it is....one of the greatest rock logos of all times. Look at it....so perfect. Anybody have any other favorite band logos?....and don't say Journey! Add a post.

September 2006
20 - Boston, MA - Gillette Stadium (on sale 7/31)
23 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Halifax Commons (on sale 7/31)
27 - E. Rutherford, NJ - Giants Stadium (on sale 7/31)

October 2006
2 - Wichita, KS - Cessna Stadium Wichita University
6 - Missoula, MT - Grizzly Stadium
8 - Regina, Saskatchewan - Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field (on sale 7/31)
11 - Chicago, IL - Soldier Field (on sale 7/31)
17 - Seattle, WA - Qwest Field
20 - El Paso, TX - Sun Bowl
22 - Austin, TX - Zilker Park
27 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall

November 2006
3 - Vancouver, British Columbia - BC Place Stadium
5 - Oakland, CA - McAfee Coliseum
8 - Phoenix, AZ - Cardinals Stadium
11 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand
14 - Nampa, ID - Idaho Center
18 - Los Angeles, CA - Dodger Stadium

Gone Fishin'...

So, I have been gone on vacation for a few days....away from a computer (which can be nice)....however, upon return, I quickly slid back into my web ways and began checking out music websites. Here is a site I had bookmarked from a few months ago. I don't even remember how I found it, but it is filled with MP3s......where to begin...Wilco, Replacements, Jose Gonzalez, Ryan Adams, MMJ....live, unreleased, acoustic versions...an AMAZING site! You can grab & save all the MP3s. Don't let the quantity of choices frustrate you...just think of it as ice cream flavors at Baskin Robbins and enjoy a test scoop of each flavor. Check out rbally.net. This should keep you busy for a while...cast your net wide...you never know what you might catch on this site. Just don't forget to come back to The Lone Microphone.

Tweedypalooza...

So, Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) has a son named Spencer who has his own band called The Blisters. Needless to say, Spencer is getting a jump on his old man. The Blisters and Wilco are both scheduled to play at Lollapalooza 2006. This short documentary video is an encouraging reminder that the torch has been passed and rock n' roll carries on. Ten year olds with roadies, sound checks, in front of thousands.....the rock gods have definitely smiled on the Tweedys. Some kids just play "guns" and some play guitars.

A Wrench in the Plans...

Just playing with some video techniques...so, here is a test using one of the Foo Fighter's best (Monkeywrench). Great video...Enjoy!

Homework Assignment...

Here they come:

7/14 India.arie @ Chene Park (Detroit)
7/17 Beth Orton @ Newport Music Hall (Columbus)
7/18 The Eels @ St. Andrews
7/18 Big Head Tood & Toad the Wet Sprocket @ Tower City (Cleveland)
7/21 Deadstring Brothers @ Rally By The River (downtown Toledo)
7/22 LL Cool J & Busta Rhymes @ Freedom Hill (near Detroit)
7/25 Xavier Rudd & Jonah Smith @ St. Andrews
7/26 Jolie Holland & Sean Hayes @ The Ark
7/26 Phoenix @ Magic Stick
7/26 Black Crowes/Robert Randolph/Drive By Truckers @ DTE
7/27 Tapes n' Tapes & Futureheads @ Magic Stick
7/28 Muse @ State Theatre (Detroit)
7/29 Marah @ Toledo Blues Festival (downtown)
7/29 Camera Obscura @ The Grog Shop (Cleveland)
8/1 Cold War Kids & Sound Team @ Magic Stick
8/1 Dave Matthews Band @ Riverbend (Cinci)
8/2 Danielson @ Magic Stick
8/3 The Editors @ Magic Stick
8/3 Particle @ Majestic Theatre
8/3 The Roots @ State Theatre (Detroit)
8/4 Slaid Cleaves @ The Ark
8/5 The Racontuers @ Michigan Theater
8/5 The Flaming Lips/Sonic Youth/Wolfmother @ State Theater (Detroit)
8/7 Gnarls Barkley @ State Theatre (Detroit)
8/8 Rogue Wave, Ray Lamontagne & Guster @ Toledo Zoo
8/11 Tom Waits @ Detroit Opera House
8/13 Wu Tang Clan @ Chene Park (Detroit)
8/13 Tim O'Reagan (ex-Jayhawks) @ Blind Pig
8/17 The Ditty Bops @ The Ark
8/20 Mary J. Blige @ DTE
8/22 Reggae Sunsplash (UB40/Toots/etc.) @ DTE
8/25 Foo Fighters (acoustic)w/ Frank Black @ Auditorium Theatre (Chicago)
8/26 Jurassic 5 @ St. Andrews
8/27 The Flaming Lips @ Lifestyles Pavilion (Columbus)
8/31 Charlie Hunter @ Magic Bag
9/1 Ben Harper & Damian Marley @ Meadow Brook
9/8 Brothers Past @ St. Andrews
9/9 M. Ward @ Little Brothers
9/12 Massive Attack @ State Theater (Detroit)

Go to 5 of these for extra credit. Get to work!

Don't Forget Your Jacket...

The Lollapalooza Lineup just keeps growing...and My Morning Jacket was just added. Can this festival get any more colossal? Nice, colossal in a sentence..are bloggers awarded vocabulary points?

Everybody's Got One...

I stumbled onto a new site for a Chicago Public Radio show, Sound Opinions, which calls itself the World's only rock 'n roll talk show. Think of it like passing a huge mass of ants on the sidewalk...it may just be a momentary curiosity or it may fascinate you for hours. I also added a link for it down the right-hand column on this site for future reference. Enjoy.

We're Watching You Cinci...

The Tall Stacks Festival returns to Cincinnati this fall (October 4th - 8th)...and the musical lineup is starting to slowly take shape. This music, arts & heritage festival has traditionally seen a strong list of musician do their thing along the banks of the Ohio River. So, Wilco has been confirmed to perform and Ryan Adams is rumored to be on the bill, as well. This is a massive celebration that gets it's inspiration from the Tallstack Steamboats, which sail in from all over the U.S. More to come, for sure, as info. becomes available.

What Are You Waiting For...

So, the world must be coming to an end!...there is no other explanation for this tour...the man, the elusive, the reclusive, the explosive, Tom Waits has announced some tour dates. I guess there is a reason for his last name...cuz that is all his fans have been doing, if they want to catch a glimpse of him live (his last U.S. shows were in '99). This is rare, so it is worth the mention. He has some midwest dates that will no doubt sell out in mere minutes. His people will surely clamor for the chance to hear the mythical music man seated at a piano, with his crumpled hat hiding behind a cloud of cigarette smoke. If you go, somebody bring this man a throat lozenge, will ya.
August 2006
1st Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
2nd Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
4th Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre
5th Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
7th Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
9th Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
11th Detroit, MI - Opera House
13th Akron, OH - Akron Civic