The latest edition of our annual Auld Lang Syne year in review features reflections from a range of musicians featured in the pages of Relix Magazine and Jambands.com throughout 2009. What Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee loved Caravan of Thieves’ Halloween show? Which world class guitarist “really dug” MGMT’s synthesized pop and who says he didn’t listen to an iPod this year? Read on to find out.
Also, be sure to read Part One Part Two and Part Three of our Auld Lang Syne series to see what Widespread Panic, Galactic, Drive-By Truckers, Danny Barnes moe., Brett Dennen, Tea Leaf Green, Railroad Earth, Rouge Wave, Dodos and a number of other musicians have to say about the past twelve months.
ERIC KRASNO (SOULIVE, CHAPTER 2)
What will you remember most about 2009?
The inauguration of Obama without a doubt.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
I really dug the MGMT record. And, as a guitar player, I always dig the Derek Trucks records.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
Putting our first festival, the Royal Family Get Down with Sharon Jones, Charlie Hunter, Nigel Hall and Grace Potter and being able to perform with them and watch that festival come together was huge for me.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
The London Souls and Chapter 2.
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
My favorite personal artist that emerged was Van Hunt, but I think Beyonce had the most impact.
*****
TOM HAMILTON (BROTHERS PAST, AMERICAN BABIES)
What will you remember most about 2009?
Personally 2009 was an interesting year. The first of my professional career where I spend 90% of the year in the studio in contrast to that time usually spent on the road. Creatively it was an amazing experience writing and recording two albums and one EP of VERY different styles of music. Be on the lookout for American Babies Weight of the World EP and second full length LP Flawed Logic, as well as Brothers Past’s fourth album (still untitled) all coming out in 2010!
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
I spend most of the year listening to anything on the Motown or Stax record labels. The Very Best of Otis Redding taking the cake as most listened to.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
10/9/09—Bruce Springsteen at Giants Stadium. The last concert ever at Giants Stadium, on the floor, and they played Born in the USA from front to back…good times!
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
As I mentioned before, American Babies has an EP and a full length album coming out in 2010 as well as full albums from Brothers Past and Younger Brother. Take your pick.
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
—Radiohead did to the ‘00s what the Beatles did to the ‘60s.
—U2 solidified their spot in Rock history.
—Outkast raised the bar in Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, and Rap all at once.
CHRIS FRANTZ (TALKING HEADS, TOM TOM CLUB)
What will you remember most about 2009?
Nearly getting blown off the stage along with my cymbals during a raging windstorm as Tom Tom Club performed to 55,000 fans at the Festival Internacional de Benicassim 2009 in Spain.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ El Arte de la Elegancia
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
Caravan Of Thieves, Halloween Night, Fairfield Community Theater
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
Kid Ginseng
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
Lady Gaga
*****
JOSH BARON (RELIX, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF)
What will you remember most about 2009?
Getting married to my wife Rachel on August 16th in Brooklyn.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
I tend to play new albums I get four or five times every day for about a week. Then they taper off. Those that got that treatment include M.Ward, Post War; Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Passion Pit, Manners; Hockey, Mind Chaos; Built to Spill, There Is No Enemy; BlakRoc; Miike Snow; The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You. There were also some great archival release from Phish and the Grateful that got good play- The Roxy and both Winterland sets.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
My favorite show is easy: my wedding. We had some friends who were going to be at the wedding anyway play five tunes for us well into the night. The wedding band featured Joe Russo, Aron Magner, Dave Dreiwitz, Scott Metzger, Tom Hamilton, Rob Marscher, Jonah Smith, Leah Segal and my brother, Matt Otto. Our requested setlist was “Let’s Get Together,” “You Make My Dreams,” “Here Comes My Girl,” “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” They killed it. And guess what? We forgot to tape it.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
I don’t know if I would call them emerging but the band Citay has a pretty great record dropping next year. If you get a chance to check out the DJ/singer trio The Very Best, I would. This band Animal Kingdom from the U.K. has some potential I think. So does another British band The Macabees. And this guy isn’t emerging, at this point anyway, by a long shot but the lead singer of Sigur Ros Jonsi is putting out a solo project next year called Go. He did a lot of it with the composer Nico Muhly. I’ve listened to the record and it’s just bursting with energy in a really upbeat, fun way. If I could fly through clouds on a sunny day, this would be my soundtrack.
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
I’m sure people are saying the same bands but with good reason: Radiohead, Wilco, Arcade Fire. Those three- for me- really capture much of it for me. Mind you there are so many artists and records that remind me of it as well: The Strokes, The National, Ryan Adams. And as I write this, I’m thinking to myself but what about the jambands? There were some good records put about by our bands- Panic, moe., Phish- but I don’t necessarily associate them with a time. They’re not anchored or designed that way.
VINCE HERMAN (LEFTOVER SALMON, GREAT AMERICAN TAXI)
What will you remember most about 2009?
I will remember 2009 as the year my son Silas became a kick ass guitarist, and I started doing gigs with him. proud papa!
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
Todd Snider filled my ears a lot this year great timely, funny tunes for a year with lots of weirdness.
I don’t have much showing up in itunes but my CD player has been busy with:
David Via All Night Long (Dig-O-Matic Records)
Punch Brothers Punch (Nonesuch)
Levon Helm Electric Dirt (Vanguard)
Speedy West Guitar Spectacular (Sundazed)
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
My favorite show of the year was the Traveling McCourys with the Lee Boys at Magnolia Fest. Rocking bluegrass-gospel-boogie. This combo was way overdue. Great combination of styles.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
Elephant Revival is going to blow up this year. Great songwriting, singing and playing. Bonnie Paine is an absolutely unique washboard player and a heart wrenching singer. These guys should be in your ears.
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
This will be the DJ decade. As we move to real instruments and songwriting in the next decade, we will wonder what we were thinking listening to laptops!
*****
CHRIS CRISCI (OLD CANES)
What will you remember most about 2009?
There’s so much to remember! We started the year out with tons of hope. Bush relinquished his evil grip on January 20th. On January 21st Obama was officially to blame for the recession brought about by 30 years of conservative economic policy. Then came the Summer Of Screams, “You Lie!”... the Birthers, The Deathers, The Tenthers, The Deniers yada yada yada… The year is winding up with Droopy the wolf in Dems clothing blocking any meaningful reform in the bloated health care industry.
Don’t get me started.
All theater aside, what I’ll be remembering from 2009 is watching my little boy grow up. He’s one now. He’s had his first words, first steps, first pretty much everything this year. It’s amazing that we all started out like that. Tiny, tottering, know nothings. It’s enviable.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
NPR was what I listened to most when I had time to listen to anything… which is rare. I listen to a ton of music, but most of the time it’s because I’m working on it. Either mixing, or tracking, or playing a show… my life is filled with music, it’s just never on iTunes. That said:
Albums I’ve been really into this year, even though I may have listened to them once: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Startdust (David Bowie), the first Van Pelt EP, Doolittle and Surfer Rosa (Pixies), The Stone Roses, 20009 (Drakkar Sauna), Bitte Orca (Dirty Projectors)
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
We played a show with Cursive in Denton TX just a few weeks ago. That was an amazing show. I’ve seen them many times over the years, but that night was the best I have ever seen them. From the start the crowd was into it, singing along, pumping fists during the hooks. The band was loud. The lights. The energy. We sold a ton of merch. It was a good night.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
Definitely Drakkar Sauna. They have a new record out (previously mentioned) called 20009… which is not pronounced twenty thousand and nine… they prefer two thousand ousand nine. Lyrically the best band in the world ever.
There’s another band in Lawrence, that is unsigned at the moment, called Muscle Worship. They have kind of a Polvo, Braid, plus surf rock sound. Awesome live. I want to record them.
Someone else was telling me there’s a really cool little known underground band called Radiohead that gives away their albums for free. Good luck with that! Oh that’s right… we’re all giving our albums away for free now, aren’t we.
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
I don’t know if artists have that much influence or longevity anymore. The wildfire spread of digital media piracy has made it impossible for labels to put time and money into nurturing artists. Now, if they don’t sell on their first and second outing, they’re thrown by the wayside. It’s a hype only world out there. That said, and in that context, the decade can be broken down. Early there was the Rapture, and The Strokes. Then there was The Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. Then there was Devendra and Sufjan. Now it’s Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective.
I like a lot of those bands. And though was a lot of hype around all of them, hype isn’t necessarily a bad thing in terms of the music it surrounds… sometimes it is… but most of the time hype surrounds a band that has it’s own voice, and is doing something new… or perceived to be new… or not new, but done in a different way… There are a lot of bands out there though, the ones that I tend to like the most, that are not the right fit for the hype… but their music is amazing. Keep searching.
MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON
What will you remember most about 2009?
A sinking feeling.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
I didn’t use iTunes or listen to music on a computer this year…sorry. Grahan Nash’s Songs for Beginners has been spending a lot of time on my turntable.
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
The last show of my own tour at The Mercury Lounge in Manhattan.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
Suckers and Wild Yaks from Brooklyn. Warpaint from LA.
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, and TV on the Radio…or maybe that cat that plays piano on the internets.
BOB KENNEDY (GREEN APPLE MUSIC FESTIVAL, GATHERING OF THE VIBES)
What will you remember most about 2009?
Ringing in the New Year with My Morning Jacket at MSG, surrounded by people I love and watching them prove that they are one of the best bands on earth.
Sitting on the front of the monitor riser at Gathering of the Vibes watching Levon Helm play the drums. I was literally holding my breath.
Seeing my dad and Buddy Guy in the same place—collision of two worlds.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
According to that nifty “play count” feature, my top 5 albums were:
Ryan Adams—9/7/08 Bank of America Pavilion Boston
Andrew Bird— Noble Beast
Dr. Dog— Fate
Kings of Leon— Only By The Night
Assembly of Dust— Some Assembly Required
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
Levon Helm, Wilco, Ryan Adams
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
Pimps of Joytime, Caravan of Thieves, Black Taxi.
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
For me: Ryan Adams, My Morning Jacket and Wilco.
For the world: John Mayer, Radiohead, Kings of Leon, Justin Timberlake
ALEX NAIDUS (THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART)
What will you remember most about 2009?
Probably the fact that my life completely 100% changed, and I spent most of it in a van/on a plane/away from home and playing music with my friends. Kinda vague I know, but… it’s true.
What album or albums appeared most often in your iTunes?
Girls, Album
Hunx and his Punx, Gay Singles
Lil’ Wayne, No Ceilings
Smith Westerns, Smith Westerns
What was your favorite show or tour in 2009?
There were so many surreal moments/shows, but a few that stand out are: the Chorlton Irish Centre in Manchester (crowd surfing!), Webster Hall in NYC (unreal) and Primavera Festival in Barcelona.
What emerging band should readers watch out for in 2010?
The Depreciation Guild. Beautiful-yet-super catchy dream-pop stuff with 8-bit flourishes.
What artist or artists will be most synonymous with the past decade?
Hmmm, probably Radiohead, the Strokes, Jay-Z. I’m bad at big-picture culture stuff.
