toast's blog

Dave Carroll and Dave Simonett of Trampled By Turtles

Sometimes the weather in Nebraska can change almost instantly. One minute you're wearing shorts, the next you're in thermals, chattering your teeth under a mound of blankets. This was definitely the case this past weekend, as it seems to be every time Duluth, MN natives Trampled By Turtles (TBT) make their way to the Star City. I spent most of Saturday in bed, recuperating from an extended booze-induced festival that had kicked off for no reason other than it was the weekend. Finally, no day job! Pulp Fiction and Friday were my best friends, as I took myself back a few years enjoyed a lazy day. But when I finally got moving at about 6pm, I found out that it had been about 60 degrees all day, and I'd missed it! I In a moment of extreme optimism, I hoped to be greeted by similar weather the following day as TBT made their way into Lincoln to take over the stage at Knickerbockers on December 14, 2008.

Read more after the jump!

Frontman Chad Urmston and his band State Radio will be taking it to the streets this winter with Rebelution in support on a nation-wide tour. The slew of shows will be kicking off the day after Christmas in Washington D.C. Appropriately, that show will be a goodbye party for Dictator Bush and a welcome party for President Elect Obama. Their music is often politically driven, and can be summed up as a pristine mixture of rock, reggae, punk and a few other things in between. The live experience SR brings is not to be missed.

Tour dates after the jump!

Omaha's Slowdown has consistently brought in a diverse array of acts – ranging from rock and reggae to hip-hop and singer/songwriters – since its inception, and has provided much-needed relief to the rather lagging music scene in the area, forcing me to become increasingly familiar with the Omaha metro area. Saturday, November 22 warranted another trip to the venue for what promised to be a stellar night of music featuring Mason Jennings and support act Zach Gill.

Read about the night and view photos after the jump

Jonny Polonsky, Adam Topol, Mason Jennings and Zach Gill

Look close! Is that Ringo back there?

After months and months of deliberation, MTV, Harmonix and The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd finally agreed and gave the people what they wanted: a Rock Band game featuring none other than the Beatles! As many of you know, I am a loyal advocate of pretty much anything Rock Band related; it has become more than just a drunken pastime for me and my cronies. We'd started to think that none of us Rock Banders would ever see any songs from the Fab Four featured on the game. Well, my friend, the wait is over. At least, the wait for an announcement is over. Representatives from each of the three companies negotiating this project stated that the game would be released in late 2009, and would include songs spanning their entire catalog. From the more pop sounds of the early sixties to the incredibly psychedelic tunes during the late sixties/early seventies, this game will hopefully have something for every Beatles fan out there, and surely make some new fans in the process. With this milestone out of the way, we can now focus more energy on joining the reverberating cry of so many other Rock Band fans around the world: WE WANT ZEPPELIN!!!

As I previously mentioned here on BOT, local act Andrew's Ave. released their debut album on October 3rd at the State Theatre in Lincoln, NE. The night was certain to be a dance-packed drunken event and it was nothing short of that. After a brief hiatus from our bar scene, local act Electric Soul Method took the stage in support, as did Vibenhai, also of Lincoln.

Read more after the jump!

Aaron Boomer of Andrew's Ave.

Just a reminder to go check out Andrew's Ave.'s CD release party tomorrow night at the State Theater in Lincoln, NE. There will be three amazing local acts starting at 9pm, and drink specials will be in effect as well. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. We'll see you there!!!

Steve Patton, Adam Boomer, and Aaron Elliot of Andrew's Ave.

In the process of trying to expand my work as an author, and with a little help from our buddies in Andrew's Ave., I finally took on the operation of writing an album review. It sounded like such an easy task - until I actually began working on it, that is. So hopefully I am able to do these talented gentlemen some justice.

Read more on the new album, after the jump!

Atmosphere

Hip-hop has always been one of my true loves. The problem is, most "commoners" can't audibly separate hip-hop from rap, thus shoveling us fans into one category. In all actuality, they are two very opposite ends of the spectrum. While most mainstream rap artists rhyme about how many cars, women, houses, money etc. they have, hip-hop artists speak truth about real life problems, triumphs, tragedies and other things that you and I can easily relate to.

Read more on the evening after the jump!

The Secret Machines will be heading out on a US tour in support of their upcoming album entitled The Secret Machines, which is being released on October 14th. Although I am not a big fan, I know that my fellow BOT heads are quite intrigued by the New York/formally Dallas trio. The recording will be released on TSM Recordings, obviously their own label.

Brandon Curtis and Phil Karnats of The Secret Machines

Read more on the tour including the dates after the jump!

In my younger years, my aunt Jolene was always talking about this band that she was infatuated with that went by the name of Phish. I had given them a few listens, but never enjoyed it because, in my shortsightedness, I couldn't see their sound for the genius that it was. But while I and the rest of mainstream America wrote Phish off as circus music, the truth was that they were making history. Finally, when I was about 18, another good friend of mine came along and was successful in converting me to the Phish fan base. By 2003, I was finally able to catch them live in Kansas City, which solidified Phish, in my eyes, as the greatest act I had ever personally witnessed. If only this had happened a few years earlier.

Read more on the evening after the jump!