Zabazoo?

Hey everyone. I might move this blog to a new name, called "Zabazoo", which is a bit more zippy than "jeffliebert". What do you think? Please comment. I know you're out there...

Thank You Trent!!!

When Radiohead came out with "In Rainbows" WAY BACK in February, their "pay what you want" strategy was considered revolutionary. Finally a band had recognized that there was no fighting it. The world had shrunk to the point that pretty much anyone could go over to someone's virtual bookshelf, pull off a cd, pop it in their virtual boombox, and hit play and record at the same time. It was just too easy, and it probably would cost more to fight it than not. Their strategy paid off...people downloaded, people enjoyed, it was relatively cheap to do, and people paid anyway! Genius!!!

And now, a mere 3 months later, always ahead of his time, Trent Reznor has raised the bar even further. He is giving away the latest Nine Inch Nails release FOR FREE online...not only free but in lossless formats like FLAC! I almost shat myself when I heard that part! One of my biggest complaints about the so-called music download revolution is that although every song can be downloaded for around a dollar, they are mostly only available in compressed format like aac, mp3, or mp4, so the only way to get a pristine copy on your hard drive is to buy the cd and rip it into a lossless format. I don't buy the cd for the graphic art and the lyric sheets. I buy it for the sound! Radiohead's kinda free download was only available in mp3 format, which for purists (read weirdos) like me, necessitated buying the cd (I haven't done that yet, but I probably will "have to" at some point ).

You can download the CD at www.nin.com. Now, on his website he writes

"we encourage you to
remix it
share it with your friends,
post it on your blog,
play it on your podcast,
give it to strangers,
etc."

So, you can check out the streaming audio here, or download the whole damn thing yourself...your choice! Thanks Trent! And may more artists follow suit!!!

PS: I'm listining to it now, and it's DAMN GOOD! GET IT!

Tyler Ramsey

I can't stop listening to this song by Tyler Ramsey called "A Long Dream". The best word I can use to describe it is "hypnotic". The lyrics are pretty minimal, but this song is all about mood. Tyler Ramsey is the guitarist of "The Band of Horses", a popular indie group in their own right (Check out "The Funeral" by them). He's is an exceptional guitar player, one of those who makes you wonder whether there are 2 people playing together or overdubs done in the studio. But, although I've never seen him live, I'm told it is all him playing on one track. The main riff on this song is kind of a rip off of Jimmy Page's "Bron Yr Aur", but the melody is all original. Ramsey just released his first album, which is called "A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea", which I have just ordered from Amazon and should be receiving in a few days. Enjoy!

Here's a live version of "A Long Dream". I actually prefer the studio version because of the hypnotic effect of the electronic effects added in the studio, but this is pretty damn good too.


Here's a video of The Band of Horses song "The Funeral". I can't get enough of this song!

The Exboyfriends...becoming REAL Ex's

Yes, it's true!!!!!!!!!!! My group, The Exboyfriends, after 15 years together has decided to call it quits. This a bittersweet time, and I can't help but get nostagic for all the great times we've had as a group. Whether it was traveling all over the country, being on Howard Stern, performing at my favorite venues in NYC, and just generally hanging out, partying, and making great music with a great bunch of awesome guys. It truly has been a dream-come-true for me. I'm not going to write a long treatise on all the ways being in the Exboyfriends has changed my life. Words will cheapen any sentiment, especially with my crappy writing. In general, I'm trying not to be too nostagic about things. After our last gig (April 12th, Mercury Lounge, 7:30PM), we'll still hang out as friends, make music in other ways, and have countless memories of this great thing we created.

I'm really excited about our final gig. We're going to pull out all of the stops, pack the Mercury Lounge, and bring it down for one last time. And after the last note, we're going to keep partying all night long. And you are invited, if you've got the stamina! Well, not you...just you and you over there. You were an asshole to me last time, so you stay home. The rest of you are ok.

Thank you to all of our fans who supported us, our good friends, our family. You are a huge part of what we were, are, and will always be.

Bill Evans

A friend sent me a link to "Waltz For Debby" by Bill Evans on youtube, which was fantastic. But it lead me to this one, which is just so buttery soft and succulent. I'm not even a big jazz fan, but I was touched. I hope you enjoy it too.

Exboyfriends Tonight At The Mercury Lounge

Shameless plug for my a cappella band, The Exboyfriends. If you're in NYC tonight, check us out!

THE EXBOYFRIENDS at MERCURY LOUNGE
Saturday, Sept 29th
7:30PM SHARP
MERCURY LOUNGE
217 E. Houston St.
New York
$10 Cover

www.theexboyfriends.com
www.myspace.com/exboyfriendsnyc
www.mercuryloungenyc.com

Telluride Blues and Brews Redux - 2 weeks late

Lately it's been too busy to blog, which is unfortunate because all the business gives me a lot to blog about!

So, I'll skip backward to 2 weeks ago (9/13-9/16), when I went to the Telluide Blues and Brews festival. It far exceeded my expectations, which is surprising especially considering I had been there 2 years before. I had great memories of the last time I was there, but it mostly had to do with hanging with my friends. For some reason the music part was a bit hazy. I also remember being cold a lot, and having to take naps to be awake enough for the late shows. I was going to be ok with skipping it this year to go to the Austin City Limits festival instead, which was the same weekend. But since I couldn't get any takers for the ACL, I opted to return with my Colorado friends Dave, Evan, and Bethann to Telluride and give it another go.




I'm so glad I did. The more I go to festivals, the more I realize that you can't tell too much from looking at the line-up. If you know every band on the list, and have seen them live, you may have some inkling of what you're up against. But even then, you might be surprised. For example, the first time I saw Keb Mo at the New Orleans Jazzfest in '05, I was mesmerized by his performance. It was just him and his guitar just putting out one good tune after another. No major jamming, no mutant guitar craziness - just good tunes. So, I was so looking forward to seeing him again in Telluride. And I enjoyed the performance. But it was very different - him with a band, different audience, different vibe. Maybe it was because I had seen him before. Who knows? But whatever it was, I was impressed, but not in the same way as that first time in New Orleans. There are so many ingredients that go into a live performance - the sound system, the audience, your view from the crowd, your state of intoxication, the performance itself, whether the band had a gig the night before...i can go on and on.



On the other hand, EVERY TIME I see Henry Butler, he blows me away. This guy plays keyboard like nobody's business. At the festival, he played in a new band called The Rhythm Council which featured Butler on keyboards and Papa Mali on guitar. This was the first band we saw when we arrived on Thursday night. It was a special "BAL DE MAISON" at the "Fly Me To The Moon Saloon", my favorite venue in Telluride. Papa Mali is a fine guitarist, but you could have put almost any blues guitarist next to Henry and he would have sounded amazing. If you've never seen Henry Butler live, DO IT AT ALL COSTS! This gig rocked it out. The whole club was in full boogie. They played until the wee hours of the morning with the crowd pumping 'til the end.


Henry Butler


Papa Mali


My favorite "artist I've never heard before" from the festival was Joe Bonamassa, a young blues rocker who just wails on guitar. He played the main stage at the festival and the crowd was simply open-mouthed. I heard lots of "wow"s and comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan. I don't know Stevie's stuff too well (yes - God forbid), but I can definitely recommend checking out Joe's live show!

There were too many amazing performances to go into detail about every one. But here were some of my festival faves:

Rhythm Council with Henry Butler & Papa Mali - Fly Me To The Moon
Joe Bonamassa - Main Stage
Kent Burnside & The New Generation - Juke Joint at Las Montanas
Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes - Juke Joint at Fly Me To The Moon
Eric Lindell's Soul Roots Movement - Late Night Juke Joint at Fly Me To The Moon
The Black Crowes - Main Stage


Eric Lindell


The Black Crowes

I have to mention of the beer fest part. It was damn fun! I found it a bit hard to listen to the music when I was focused on finding the next drink, but luckily they left the hottest bands for another time.


My buddies and I drinkin' away

And lastly, a bit about the festival vibe. The people who go to this festival were pretty cool. It was mostly an older crowd. It was kid friendly, so there were lots of families. It wasn't crowded in the least bit, so people could stretch out and you could get a good view of the stage for pretty much any show. People were generally cool about you using their blankets when they weren't around. We met some great people throughout the fest, and we ended up hanging out with them a lot. The one negative was the prevalence of scalpers near the ticket sales area. They were like vultures. People were legitimately trying to sell their own tickets for cost, and the scalpers were everywhere ruining it for them. And they just create a sleazy vibe that's hard to shake.



A shout out to Dave, Evan, Bethann, and Elizabeth - my festival buddies!

The Frames at Webster Hall

I had the pleasure of checking out Irish rock band "The Frames" on Monday, 9/10/07 at Webster Hall. I was first introduced to Frames lead singer Glen Hansard's music when listening to All Songs Considered, one of my favorite podcasts. They were reviewing the best albums of 2006, and chose an album of beautiful stripped down songs called "The Swell Season", featuring Hansard and 19 year-old Czech singer Marketa Irglova. I loved the earnest feel of the songs, and the way their voices blended. Hansard sings with so much emotion. I was hooked. Several months later I learned that Hansard had made a movie called "Once" which starred himself and Irglova in the lead roles. The movie is a musical built around Hansard and Irglova's music. It was featured at the most recent Sundance Film Festival and received raves from critics. As soon as it was released in New York, I ran to the theater and saw it, and was enchanted. Even if the movie had sucked, which it didn't, it would have been worth it to hear those fantastic songs through a movie house sound system.

Then I saw Hansard live with the Frames, and...damn, what a show! Hansard plays with an energy that you'd expect to come from someone who had just been given his first and last opportunity to perform in front of a crowd. He's like a kid in a candy store, and his energy is contagious. The Frames have been together since 1992, although they have had marginal success in the US. Hansard's songs are good - not great, but really really good. But I the overall packaging is awesome - the energy, the emotion, the harmonies, the little jokes he throws in. This band is just pure rock and roll in the raw, and i love it! Although his recent popularity in the US is mostly due to the success of his movie, in his main set he didn't play any songs from the "Once" soundtrack or from the "Falling Slowly" album, opting instead for sticking strictly to Frames material. That didn't matter to me - in fact I was that much more impressed by the fact that I was getting so much enjoyment out of songs that I had never heard before.



For the encore they brought out Marketa Irglova, and performed some of the more popular songs from the movie, most notably "Falling Slowly", which is a gorgeous tune.

If you get the chance, see this band live! Buy Glen Hansard's solo album! See Once! Get hooked! Just like I did! You won't be sorry!

Escher's "Relativity" in Lego

You're probably quite familiar with this piece of art. But I doubt you've ever seen it quite like this!