Dave Grohl shared "pandemic Playlist" with The Atlantic

Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters and Nirvana fame) compiled an eclectic 10 song play list to weather out the pandemic, which appeared over at The Atlantic.

Here's the the track listing:

1. The Cars - Let's go
2. Madness - Our House
3. Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad's waltz
4. LCD Soundsystem - Drunk girls
5. Alice Cooper - School's out
6. Art of Noise - Moments in love
7. The Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with butterfly wings
8. Vince Guaraldi Trio - Linus and Lucy
9. Patsy Cline - Crazy
10. The Beatles - Here comes the Sun

I created a Deezer playlist if you want to take a listen.

A return...

Holy cow! It's been a really long time since I've visited this Blog.

I was about to start a new blog, as a means to document all the ways musicians were coming together to raise awareness about the current COVID-19 pandemic, whether it be through releasing new music for free, streaming live performances from their living rooms, or uploading old concert footage to Youtube. You can find the full list of posts here!

Maybe I should have restarted this project earlier. But, a lot has happened in the years since I last visited: priorities changed, interests shifted, and time poured into other activities. Any way, now seems as good a time as any to get back into blogging.

I don't know how often I'll post (or what additional content will be covered), but for now, I have plans to share new music from Nine Inch Nails, several playlists from live DJ sets by members of Deftones, and a Post Malone playing a Nirvana tribute concert, and a star-studded rendition of Foo Fighters "Times like these." If there are any other videos/playlists/downloads you have come across during your lock down, then don't hesitate to share them in a comment.

#StayHome                                                    #StaySafe                                          #LoveOneAnother

Pre-order the 'Sonic Highways' documentary series

A release date for the DVD/ Blu-ray editions of Sonic Highways has been announced. Pre-orders for physical editions, as well as DRM-free downloads of the series are now available, with the release date set for 7 April.

Stream the new album from Lieutenant

The complete new album from Lieutenant, If I Kill This Thing We're All Going To Eat For A Week is currently being streamed exclusively over at NME.

I like what I've heard so far, and am looking forward to being able to pick up a copy of the album after its released on Monday 9 March.

Lieutenant's new song & album details

Lieutenant have premièred their third track, Believe the squalor, over at Stereogum. In addition to the new music, the article also reveals the album's title, contributors, track list, and artwork. 

If I Kill This Thing We're All Going To Eat For A Week (quite a mouthful of a title) will feature contributions by Page Hamilton (Helmet), Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse, The Shins, Cold War Kids, Mister Heavenly), Josiah Johnson (The Head and the Heart), Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate), and fellow Foo Fighter, Chris Shiflett (Me First and the Gimme Gimmes).

The track list looks a little sparse, with only nine songs:

1. Bell epoque
2. The place you wanna go
3. Believe the squalor
4. Rattled
5. Prepared remarks
6. Some remove
7. Sink sand
8. Artificial limbs
9. Lift the sheet

The album is due for release on 10 March, and can be pre-ordered on CD or vinyl.

Foo Fighters write new song while touring Chile

I think the following video proves that Dave Grohl is one of the best front men in the world, and that the Foo Fighters are easily the best live act around at the moment.

It would be great if the Foos went on to record a version of this track and release it as a free download for their fans, or even as part of a live compilation EP à la Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, and Rodrigo y Gabriela.

New side-project from Foo Fighters member

Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters, Sunny Day Real Estate) has a new solo project called Lieutenant. The first single, Rattled, was announced just a few hours before Mendel took to the stage with the Foo Fighters last night for their first ever performance in Johannesburg.

Rattled is available as a free download in exchange for signing up to the mailing list. 

A second track, Belle epoque can be heard via the Winter Sampler 2014, by Dine Alone Records.

Lieutenant's début album is due out in March 2015.

First track from Foo Fighters' 'Sonic Highways'

Something from nothing is the first full track to be released from the Foo's upcoming record and T.V. series Sonic Highways. Take a listen below, and if you like what you hear why not pre-order the album too.

Foo Fighters on Sonic Highways

'Sonic Highways' full trailer

Every time more details are released regarding the Sonic Highways album/ T.V. series I get even more excited about the project. From the trailer, the series looks as though it is going to be the best thing on T.V. since Game of Thrones finished a few months back. The audio sounds very promising too. 

It would be great if Sonic Highways were to be performed in it's entirety during the Foo Fighters' South African tour. This could tricky though, given the number of additional contributors featured in the video, and on the album.

Foo Fighters forever!

Foo Fighters have confirmed that their upcoming, eighth studio album will be called Sonic Highways. The album shares its title with the HBO documentary, directed by Dave Grohl which will detail the recording process of the album, as well as explore histories behind each of the eight studios visited during the creation of the album.

The cover for Sonic Highways (left) features landmarks from each of the eight cities the Foo Fighters recorded the album in, condensed into a single, inter-connected metropolis. The numeral '8' figures prominently in the centre of the artwork, as well as being hidden a further eight* times throughout the piece.

From the video below, it's evident that '8' not only signifies the eighth album, but is also used to represent infinity, or forever. 

I haven't been this excited for a new album since the announcement of Queens of the Stone Age's '...Like Clockwork' last year. I'm already counting down the days until 10 November 2014!

--

* There could quite possibly be more hidden '8s,' but I stopped searching at eight.

All rise...

Yesterday, Foo Fighters shared the following 8 second clip.

While there aren't too many details concerning the clip, it's likely the either the opening vocal of the record, or part of a verse or chorus for one of the new tracks, possibly the first single. Either way, I'm really stoked for the release of 'Studio Album Eight,' especially since I'll get the chance to hear some of the new songs from the album being performed live in December. 

Coming soon: Dave Grohl's 'Sonic Highways'

Foo Fighters South African Tour details

Following this morning's announcement that Foo Fighters will be touring South Africa this year, here are some of the tour details.

At present there are only two shows scheduled:

10 December - Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

13 December - FNB Stadium, Johannesburg

The opening acts are Kaiser Chiefs (U.K.) and local alt. rockers Blk Jks [pronounced Black Jacks].

Several years ago a couple of the members from Blk Jks joined us for a braai at our student commune. At the time they were still relatively unknown on the local scene, but had already travelled to, and gathered quite a following on the other side of the Atlantic. 

When I traversed the Atlantic in 2011, I was able to attend a Foo Fighters performance on the last night of my stay in New York. It was one of the best concerts I have ever attended, and I promised my friends that if Foo Fighters ever came to South Africa, I'd be getting standing tickets.

Tickets go on sale at 09:00 (local time) this Thursday, and I am already dreaming of attending both gigs. If the Jo'burg concert was first, this would have been more likely, but either way I aim to attend at least one of these events.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Foo Fighters perform live again, and I am relieved that the promoters have chosen artists worthy of opening for the band.

Now to wait for news on the first single from 'Studio Album Eight,' the premier date for Sonic Highways, and ticket sales to open.

Today is a good day...

This is probably the best news I've ever seen on a Monday morning!

It's official, Foo Fighters are coming to South Africa. More details to be announced by Big Concerts at 16:00 local time.

Sonic Highways - Fall 2014

By the far the studio album I am most looking forward hearing this year is the eighth offering from the Foo Fighters. Even more exciting is the decision to record the album at various studios around the United States, document the recording process, and then turn it into the HBO TV series, Sonic Highways!

Unlike Sound City, Sonic Highways will share more of the stories of the musicians, and the music scenes that influenced them while living in cities renowned for their impact on global music trends. in Grohl's own words, "a love letter to the history of American music."

The series will run for eight episodes, with each episode centring around a new location. These are rumoured to be Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Washington D.C. 

Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles are high on my list of "places to go," and New York is at the top of my "places to go again" list, so those are the episodes I'm looking forward to. In all honesty though, I reckon the entire series will be worth watching, and I'll definitely be asking my (future) family in the States to get this for me on Blu-ray once it's been released.

Details on next Foo Fighters album, and Dave Grohl's TV show

I'm too lazy to write my own post tonight, so here's Consequence of Sound's take on the Foo Fighters' eighth studio album, set for release sometime during the Northern Hemisphere's autumn, and their post about Grohl's the HBO series.

If 'Studio Album Eight' is only half as good as Wasting Light, and the accompanying TV documentary series, only half as good as Sound City, then boy are our eyes and ears in for a real treat come autumn. The only news that could possibly be better than this, would be if Foo Fighters announced a three city tour of South Africa, starting off with a small gig at my wedding. I seriously wanted to invite the band to the wedding, but my fiancée said no because she didn't think they would come. I think Em said no because she didn't know who we were going to seat them with. I reckon we could just seated them at the bar.

My Hero

The Birds of Satan - Thanks for the line

Taylor Hawkins, the current drummer for Foo Fighters, has a new side project called The Birds of Satan. The first single, Thanks for the line, can be listened to below, and is also available as an instant download if you pre-order the album.

All-star line-up to close Grammy Awards Ceremony

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards are taking place this Sunday night. I don't normally take much interest in awards ceremony, but this year might just be different. For starters it'll be the first time Gary Clark Jr, Nine Inch Nails, and Queens of the Stone Age perform at the event. 

Clark is the first artist in history to be nominated in the categories 'Best Rock Song,' and 'Best Traditional R&B Performance' in the same year. I saw him perform live in June last year, and he would be a worthy recipient of either award, and probably deserves both.

What I'm really looking forward to seeing though, is the final performance of the evening by Trent Reznor/ Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age, who will also be joined on-stage by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), and Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac). I'm interested to see if they will perform a track off of the Sound City soundtrack (since they were all involved in its creation), or if they perform a medley of tracks by the various groups. Either way, this looks to be an epic Grammy ceremony performance finale performance.

Sound City - Real to Reel full track listing

The soundtrack to Dave Grohl's rockumentary, Sound City, will contain 11 original tracks, featuring collaborations of many of the greatest artists in rock. The album is set for release on the 12 March 2013, and is available for pre-order from iTunes. Folks who pre-order the album will receive an instant download of the first single Cut me some slack, featuring Paul McCartney (The Beatles), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures, Nirvana), Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) and Pat Smear (Foo Fighters, Nirvana).

Here is the fill track list:

1. Heaven and all (Robert Levon Been, Dave Grohl & Peter Hayes)
2. Time sowing down (Chriss Goss, Tim Commerfors, Dave Grohl & Brad Wilk)
3. You can't fix this (Stevie Nicks, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins & Rami Jaffee)
4. The man that never was (Rick Springfield, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Pat Smear)
5. Your wife is calling (Lee Ving, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Alain Johannes & Pat Smear)
6. From can to can't (Corey Taylor, Dave Grohl, Rick Nielsen & Scott Reeder)
7. Centipede (Joshua Homme, Chris Goss, Dave Grohl & Alain Johannes)
8. A trick with no sleeve (Alain Johannes, Dave Grohl & Joshua Homme)
9. Cut me some slack (Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic & Pat Smear)
10. If I were me Dave Grohl, Jessy Greene, Rami Jaffee & Jim Keltner)
11. Mantra (Dave Grohl, Joshua Homme & Trent Reznor)

At this point, I'm most excited to hear the last track, as it has contributions from three of the musicians of my 'dream team.'

Fron left: Grohl, Reznor & Homme in the studio.