Link Update

By request, I re-upped the following show:

Rob Dickinson: KEXP 01-19-2006

MySpace Tracks

Every once and a while I run through the MySpace pages of artists I like hoping to find some exclusive songs posted. Here are a few that I came across this morning. There's a link at the bottom to download the songs.

Juliana Hatfield - "This Is What I Think Of You"
A new song from Ms. Hatfield, although there aren't any lyrics to speak of.

The Hiders - "Into The Sun (live)"
A good friend introduced me to this band, and he ranked their debut album #1 in his 2006 rundown. They're definitely worth checking out.

The Jim Cuddy Band (w/ Kathleen Edwards) - "Married Again"
Edwards posted about this duet she sings with Toronto act Jim Cuddy on her website, so naturally I had to check it out. Good times.

Drive-By Truckers - "Outfit (live)"
A random live tune posted by the DBT.

Rob Dickinson - "Hush Little Baby"
Yep, the lullaby. Dickinson recorded it randomly last spring, and if nothing else it's worth one listen if you're a fan.

Download the songs here.

Rob Dickinson - Live @ Filter Magazine

Rob Dickinson swung by the offices of Filter Magazine the other day and played an acoustic set. I've posted lots of his stuff before, but this set is particularly cool because of the versions of Catherine Wheel tunes "Delicious", "Crank" and "I Want To Touch You". "Black Metallic" is ever so slightly cut off at the end. Sucks, but that's the way the original recording was. Because it's the season of giving, I also threw in a live version of the CW song "Heal" that Dickinson played on 94.9 in San Diego.

Rob Dickinson
Live @ Filter Magazine

Oceans
My Name Is Love
The Storm
Delicious
Crank
I Want To Touch You
Black Metallic

Bonus Track - Heal from 94.9 San Diego

Buy Rob Dickinson's music here.

MySpace Goodies

If only every artist would use their MySpace page to post rare/interesting songs instead of the standard slew of radio singles...like these folks!

Rob Dickinson of Catherine Wheel fame has a live version of the CW song "Heal" on his page. The performance was recorded during Dickinson's solo acoustic tour in support of his excellent solo album, Fresh Wine For The Horses.

Heal (live acoustic)

Former Veruca Salt member Nina Gordon posted four songs from her forthcoming sophomore solo effort, Bleeding Heart Graffiti, on her page. This is the first single (ok, not a rarity but so what?).

Kiss Me 'Till It Bleeds

Rocking Irish songwriter Gemma Hayes has a live acoustic rendition of new song called "You Came" on her page. Hayes is playing a few more shows at UK festivals before heading into the studio this fall to record her next record. Her latest, The Roads Don't Love You, was only released overseas but is well worth the cost of an import. In addition to the tune below, she's posted a live track, a demo version of an album cut, and a studio version of an unreleased song. Go raibh míle maith agat, Gemma!

You Came (live acoustic)

------All links expired when EzArchive changed------

Catherine Wheel: BBC 08-09-1995

Catherine Wheel was one of the most tragically underrated bands of the ‘90s and a favorite of mine. Here’s a blistering live set that aired on the BBC in 1995 as part of their promotion for Happy Days. Check out the ridiculously awesome 12-minute version of “Black Metallic”. I’ll have to take a thorough look at Catherine Wheel sometime soon.

Catherine Wheel
BBC 08-09-1995

God Inside My Head
Crank
Judy Staring At The Sun
Heal
I Want To Touch You
Waydown
Black Metallic

Buy Catherine Wheel's records.

Band Practice

Haven't you ever wanted to see your favorite bands rehearse in their own practice space? See a little of what it takes to get that album or that live show up to speed? Pearl Jam let us see some of that in Single Video Theory, and Wilco let us have a glimpse of their inner workings in I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. Now there's a website that puts up cameras and mics in bands' rehearsal spaces and records the results for our viewing pleasure. I stumbled across www.rehearsals.com through Rob Dickinson's website. He's a featured artist on the site, and I must say it was super cool to see him working out his live show with a full band. I only wish he'd bring the whole group on tour here in the US soon...

Too Much Is Never Enough

I've been reminiscing about the Rob Dickinson show I saw a couple of weeks ago at the North Star Bar downtown. Absolutely phenomenal show. I read an online review of another solo gig of his that said something like "the ghost of Catherine Wheel was alive and well during Dickinson's set." So true! His new material, which I think is fantastic, fit right in with the slew of Catherine Wheel tunes he played. In fact, I couldn't believe the number of CW tunes he included.

(If you're reading this wondering who Catherine Wheel is, you need to do a little homework. They are, in my opinion, one of the most tragically underrated and abundantly talented bands of the 90s. Dickinson was the primary songwriter in the band. Check out their MySpace page for a little background. I'm sure I'll post more about Catherine Wheel in the future.)

Anyway, back to Dickinson's show at the North Star... He opened with the CW tune "Heal", one of my faves. In this setting, only Rob and an acoustic guitar with a few effects, the song was even more emotionally compelling than the original. Without the electric guitars and full-band bombast of the studio track, Dickinson's voice took center stage. He didn't have to belt out the lyrics to be heard over the usual cacophony of his former band, so he was able to showcase the subtlety and nuance in his gifted vocal chords. Makes me wish CW had released a full acoustic album back in the day...

The set continued with stellar performance after stellar performance. "All of That"!? "Little Muscle" acoustic?! "Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck"?!!! I couldn't believe it. The highlight from his solo material had to be "Towering And Flowering", the final track on Fresh Wine For The Horses and the last new tune he played at the show. Rob really stretches out melodically on this one. Good stuff.

After "Towering...", the craziness really kicked in. Someone had been screaming out Catherine Wheel requests throughout the night, and in particular this guy really wanted to hear "Delicious". Well, Rob didn't disappoint. He kicked into the sweet opening riff from that song, which turned out to be the start of a string of Catherine Wheel songs that I never dreamed I'd get to hear. Sometime during the evening Rob intimated that Catherine Wheel might still get back together at some point. Now that's what I'm talking about! Thank you Mr. Dickinson for one of my favorite concert experiences in a long time!

Full Set:

Heal
The Storm
All Of That
My Name Is Love
Oceans
Handsome
Bathe Away
Little Muscle
Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck
Intelligent People
Towering And Flowering
Delicious
The Nude
Crank
Black Metallic
Future Boy

There's an audience recording of one of Rob's solo gigs here. The sound quality isn't bad at all.

Check out these Rob Dickinson live tracks from a set he did for KEXP in Seattle.

Future Boy
Oceans
The Night
The Storm

Download the songs here.

Go buy Rob's solo record, Fresh Wine For The Horses, here.