It was a week ago that I first heard Don’t Call Them Twinkies, The Baseball Project‘s great but still not officially released Minnesota Twins anthem with lyrics and vocals by Craig Finn, the lead singer of The Hold Steady. Now there is a video of that song, with stills and video footage which includes Sandy Koufax, Jim Kaat, Kirby Puckett, Jane Fonda, and of course, Twinkies, and you can see it below.
Music Video: The Baseball Project (Featuring Criag Finn) – Don’t Call Them Twinkies
September 30, 2010Tonight: Multimedia Science and Music with The Amygdaliods and Special Guests at Don Hill’s
September 29, 2010
A tip of the hat to Claude Scales over at Self Absorbed Boomer who brought this show to my attention. Not only is this a musical performance, there are science lectures, music videos and magic. Even though I’ve not heard of The Amygdaloids before, the list of musical guests has sold me on this show, which is the release party for the Theory of Mind CD. Here’s the rundown:
Lectures on brain and mind by Joseph LeDoux and Daniela Shiller (the science behind the songs);
Muisc by The Amygdaloids (Joseph LeDoux, Daniella Schiller, Tyler Volk, Gerald McCollam):
Guests appearances by: Lenny Kaye, Steve Wynn, Ward White , Kathena Bryant and The Kennedys;
Magic by Mark Mitton; and
Music videos by Noah Hutton and Alexis Gambis
The Amygdaloids, Don Hill’s, 511 Greenwich Street at Spring Street (1, A, C or E Trains to Canal or C or E Trains to Spring Street), doors 7pm /show 7:30pm, $10
Music Video: The Little Willies – Jolene
September 27, 2010Another live recording plus still photo from the YouTuber known as Unreleased Original. This time Norah Jones provides the soulful lead vocals for The Little Willies on this version of Dolly Parton‘s classic, Jolene. This recording was made during a Little Willies performance at The Living Room in 2006. The still picture, however, is from February 13, 2008.
Everyone Is Playing Today: A Guide
September 26, 2010If you missed the guide I posted earlier this week to today’s Atlantic Antic, Dumbo Arts Festival, Tinderbox Music Festival and great string of shows at The Rockwood Music Hall tonight, here it is once again:
With two street fairs, a benefit and some inspired booking by The Rockwood Music Hall, it seems like every band in the world is playing in Brooklyn or Manhattan today. Here’s the rundown:
The Atlantic Antic is a street fair that runs on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and is Brooklyn’s largest. This is the 36th annual Atlantic Antic and it features ten live entertainment stages. I recommend seeing The Demolition String Band, who will be appearing at the stage in front of Hank’s, at the corner of Atlantic and 3rd Avenue. The full schedule is here.
The Atlantic Antic, Atlantic Avenue between Hicks Street and 4th Avenue (2, 3, 4, 5 Trains to Nevins St. or Atlantic Avenue or Borough Hall, R Train to Borough Hall or Lawrence St. or Pacific St., F Train to Bergen Street or Jay Street, B or Q Trains to Atlantic Avenue, N or D Trains to Pacific Street or A, C or G Trains to Hoyt-Schemerhorn or Jay Street) 10am-6pm, Free
The Dumbo Arts Festival takes place through a large area in DUMBO, the area in Brooklyn between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday and has multiple stages located throughout DUMBO. Familiar names playing on Sunday include Tom Verlaine, Flutterbox and Julia Joseph, vocalist with Milton, who is performing a set of her own material. You can get a map here (the festival is quite spread out) and find the music schedule here.
The Dumbo Arts Festival, DUMBO (F Train to Jay Street, A or C Trains to High Street or 2 or 3 Trains to Clark Street), Noon- 7pm, Free
Moving indoors, The first Tinderbox Music Festival will be taking place at Southpaw in Park Slope starting around 3pm. Tinderbox aims to create more space for women musicians by bringing together and promoting established and emerging female artists and will donate 100% of net proceeds to organizations involved in giving rise to the next generation of women’s voices such as Girls Write Now and The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls. There are 19 acts in all performing on two stages and NIHE fave Misty Boyce will be among the performers. Check the Tinderbox website here for a complete list of performers and show times.
The Tinderbox Music Festival, Southpaw, 125 Fifth Avenue between St. Johns and Sterling Places (2 or 3 Trains to Bergan Street), doors 3pm / show 3:30pm $17 /$20 day of show
If you have had enough of the great outdoors, or even enough of Brooklyn, then The Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 lives up to its nickname, The Rockwood Colosseum, by presenting three really good shows in a row.
First up at 7pm is Jon Graboff’s Pedal Steel Guitar World of Discovery w/ Ethan Eubanks, Jeff Hill & Special Guest Dave Schramm. Following them up at 8pm is Poundcake, a band consisting of Teddy Thompson, Ethan Eubanks and Jeff Hill, who perform covers of late 50s-early 60s rock and rockabilly tunes. Finally, at 9pm Sasha Dobson and her band will play.
Jon Graboff, Poundcake and Sasha Dobson, Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2, 196 Allen Street between Houston and Stanton Streets (F Train to 2nd Avenue, use the 1st Avenue exit), 7-10pm, No Cover (but $5 contribution for each band strongly encouraged)
Want more? Then move next door to the original Rockwood Music Hall and catch Kristin Diable (who played a wonderful set at The Living Room on Wednesday) play one last show in New York, at midnight, before she returns to New Orleans.
Everyone Is Playing Sunday: A Guide
September 24, 2010With two street fairs, a benefit and some inspired booking by The Rockwood Music Hall, it seems like every band in the world is playing in Brooklyn or Manhattan on Sunday. Here’s a rundown so that you can make plans in advance:
The Atlantic Antic is a street fair that runs on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and is Brooklyn’s largest. This is the 36th annual Atlantic Antic and it features ten live entertainment stages. I recommend seeing The Demolition String Band, who will be appearing at the stage in front of Hank’s, at the corner of Atlantic and 3rd Avenue. The full schedule is here.
The Atlantic Antic, Atlantic Avenue between Hicks Street and 4th Avenue (2, 3, 4, 5 Trains to Nevins St. or Atlantic Avenue or Borough Hall, R Train to Borough Hall or Lawrence St. or Pacific St., F Train to Bergen Street or Jay Street, B or Q Trains to Atlantic Avenue, N or D Trains to Pacific Street or A, C or G Trains to Hoyt-Schemerhorn or Jay Street) 10am-6pm, Free
The Dumbo Arts Festival takes place through a large area in DUMBO, the area in Brooklyn between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday and has multiple stages located throughout DUMBO. Familiar names playing on Sunday include Tom Verlaine, Flutterbox and Julia Joseph, vocalist with Milton, who is performing a set of her own material. You can get a map here (the festival is quite spread out) and find the music schedule here.
The Dumbo Arts Festival, DUMBO (F Train to Jay Street, A or C Trains to High Street or 2 or 3 Trains to Clark Street), Noon- 7pm, Free
Moving indoors, The first Tinderbox Music Festival will be taking place at Southpaw in Park Slope starting around 3pm. Tinderbox aims to create more space for women musicians by bringing together and promoting established and emerging female artists and will donate 100% of net proceeds to organizations involved in giving rise to the next generation of women’s voices such as Girls Write Now and The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls. There are 19 acts in all performing on two stages and NIHE fave Misty Boyce will be among the performers. Check the Tinderbox website here for a complete list of performers and show times.
The Tinderbox Music Festival, Southpaw, 125 Fifth Avenue between St. Johns and Sterling Places (2 or 3 Trains to Bergan Street), doors 3pm / show 3:30pm $17 /$20 day of show
If you have had enough of the great outdoors, or even enough of Brooklyn, then The Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 lives up to its nickname, The Rockwood Colosseum, by presenting three really good shows in a row.
First up at 7pm is Jon Graboff’s Pedal Steel Guitar World of Discovery w/ Ethan Eubanks, Jeff Hill & Special Guest Dave Schramm. Following them up at 8pm is Poundcake, a band consisting of Teddy Thompson, Ethan Eubanks and Jeff Hill, who perform covers of late 50s-early 60s rock and rockabilly tunes. Finally, at 9pm Sasha Dobson and her band will play.
Jon Graboff, Poundcake and Sasha Dobson, Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2, 196 Allen Street between Houston and Stanton Streets (F Train to 2nd Avenue, use the 1st Avenue exit), 7-10pm, No Cover (but $5 contribution for each band strongly encouraged)
Want more? Then move next door to the original Rockwood Music Hall and catch Kristin Diable (who played a wonderful set at The Living Room on Wednesday) play one last show in New York, at midnight, before she returns to New Orleans.
Ya Gotta Hear This: The Baseball Project with Craig Finn – Don’t Call Them Twinkies
September 23, 2010

I’m rushing this out to you because in my mind this is the best song I’ve heard this year (I’m fickle about such things and I might not feel exactly the same way two days from now; but even so, this song is great). My friends The Baseball Project have teamed up with Craig Finn, the lead singer of The Hold Steady to come up with a song about The Minnesota Twins. Craig does the lead vocals and wrote the lyrics, the music is by Steve Wynn. It will be on the next Baseball Project album, which is due out sometime in 2011. But it’s already being played at Target Field and on Minneapolis/St. Paul radio station KCMP 89.3 The Current. As Baseball Project drummer and Minnesota expatriate Linda Pitmon notes, this song contains
the most anthemic sports lyrics ever written….name-checking no less than 8 Minnesota cities, 2 neighborhoods, 2 streets, 9 Twins players and 2 coaches in just over 4 minutes
So just go here to listen to Don’t Call Them Twinkies by The Baseball Project with Craig Finn!!
Freebies: Download A Track From The New Gin Blossoms Album; Stream Or, The Whale
September 23, 2010
The Gin Blossoms have a new CD, No Chocolate Cake, coming out this Tuesday (September 28). You can download one track from it, Somewhere Tonight, without cost (but you do have to give your email address) by clicking here. You can also go to Amazon on Monday, September 27 and purchase the entire album for $3.99.
One of my favorite bands over the past few years is Or, The Whale. This San Francisco-based seven member alt country, rock and folk band doesn’t get to the East Coast that often but they did play a great sounding 30 minute set on NPR recently and you can stream it in its entirety just by clicking here.
Tonight: Kristin Diable at The Living Room
September 22, 2010
Kristin Diable is a singer-songwriter I discovered a few years back when she was regularly playing The Living Room and The Rockwood Music Hall. Her music is a combination of rock, folk and blues all held together with an amazing voice made even more astonishing with a Louisiana drawl.
Back then, Kristin was living in New York City. But about 18 months ago she decided she had enough of living in a third-story apartment in Greenpoint and moved back to Louisiana.
Kristin, like many musicians these days, turned to the Internet to crowd source the funding for her next album, which she’s currently writing. You can read more about it here.
If you can make it to The Living Room tonight to see Kristin, you should. She is high on the list of talented musicians waiting to be discovered by a larger audience.
Kristin Diable, The Living Room, 154 Ludlow Street between Stanton and Rivington Streets (F Train to 2nd Avenue, use the 1st Avenue exit), 9pm, No Cover (but $5 contribution for the band highly encouraged)
Posted by Eliot 
