Two nights of comprehensive Steely Dan

Music & nightlife"Think Fast: Steely Dan Summer Tour 2008" makes a two-night visit to the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Spearheaded...

Published: 2008-07-25 Provider: Seattle Times

Walter Becker Talks Solo Album, Future of Steely Dan, Reggae

Steely Dan’s Walter Becker recently talked to Rolling Stone’s Austin Scaggs about his love of Jamaican music, the future of Steely Dan and his new solo album Circus Money. Click here for the full interview, including the world-premiere stream of “Somebody’s Saturday Night.” • Q&A: Walter Becker [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-05-07 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Steely Dan demands apology from Owen Wilson over 'Dupree'

The veteran group behind such jazz-rock hits as Rikki Don't Lose that Number says Wilson ripped off its Grammy-winning tune ...

Published: 2006-07-25 Provider: USA Today

Special Report: The Death of High Fidelity; In the Age of MP3s, Sound Quality Is Worse Than Ever

In the current issue of Rolling Stone, Robert Levine delves into the nearly fifteen-year-old revolution in recording technology that has changed the way albums are produced, mixed and mastered — almost always for the worse. One of the central issues: loudness. Since the mid-1990s, engineers have used dynamic compression to make CDs louder and louder, which can obscure sonic detail and leave listeners with ear fatigue. In addition, MP3s reduce a CD audio file’s size, eliminating some of the highest and lowest frequencies. So why is music being produced this way, and can the trend be reversed? Click here for the full story, where Green Day producer Rob Cavallo, Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, Butch Vig and a crew of engineers weigh in on the death of high fidelity, plus get a look at waveforms comparing Nirvana, Arctic Monkeys and U2 tracks to see just how loud contemporary recordings have become, and more. Plus: Read Joe Levy’s attempt to discern the difference between the MP3, CD and vinyl experiences here.

Published: 2007-12-28 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

"Graduation" by Kanye West

Leaving chopped-up soul and orchestral pomp behind, Kanye West has decked out his latest, Graduation, with samples of vintage radio pop and touches of Euro-house. It's a wonderfully gaudy palette, perfectly suited to the messy but engaging mix of ego, luxury and occasional self-doubt that percolates through his third album. Those who dismiss Kanye's new direction as Diddy-esque are completely missing the point. As ever, he's in dialogue with his productions. Just check the first three tracks: he goes from confessional to motivational to supremely confident, supported by brilliant hijacks of Elton John, Steely Dan, and Daft Punk. You're not likely to hear a better opening this year. Kanye continues to make up for his shortcomings as a rapper with witty wordplay, delivering punch-line rhymes that connect more often than they clunk. He's also still wearing his insecurities on his sleeve—though he's more self-aware than self-deprecating these days, as on the

Published: 2007-09-13 Provider: Artist Direct

Album Preview: The Foo Fighters’ Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace

Live Earth hero Dave Grohl has mentioned Steely Dan as a big influence on the Foo Fighters during the making of their sixth album, and after an advance listen to September 25’s Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, we know why: Echoes has a distinct ’70s-rock undercurrent. There are sonic references to early-’70s Zeppelin, late-era Beatles and Bruce Springsteen tossed throughout the otherwise typically loud, brawny and stadium-ready power tunes. Opening track and likely lead single “The Pretender” is a classic Foos tune — all tight, urgent structure building to expansive, choral crescendos. We’re big fans of the more mellow, magnificently Springsteen-like summer jam “Long Road to Ruin” and the spare, almost confessional “Stranger Things Have Happened.” Other noteworthy tracks include “The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners” (an instrumental Grohl wrote and put on the album, as promised, for two men who were trapped in a goldmine in Tasmania earlier this year) and “But Honestly” and “Home,” the last two tracks on the album, which feature Grohl playing piano for the first time ever on a Foo Fighters record.

Published: 2007-07-13 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Foo Fighters Roar Back Into the Spotlight With New LP, Anniversary Re-Release

According to Rolling Stone’s Austin Scaggs, Foo Fighters were the undeniable highlight of Live Earth London, and though the band was certainly there to raise awareness about global warming, they wisely seized the weekend’s internationally telecast moment to announce to the world that they are back. We’re going to be hearing a lot from the Foos in the next few months: Tomorrow the band will re-release its smash album The Colour and the Shape in honor of the record’s tenth anniversary, and their forthcoming sixth album, Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, now has a September 25 release date. Echoes was produced by Gil Norton, and Dave Grohl has described it as a mix between Steely Dan and NoMeansNo. Check out the tracklist after the jump: “The Pretender” “Let It Die” “Erase Replace” “Long Road to Ruin” “Come Alive” “Stranger Things Have Happened” “Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running” “Summer’s End” “The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners” “Statues” “But Honestly” “Home”

Published: 2007-07-10 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Tour Tracker: George Michael, Steely Dan, Crowded House and Girl Talk

George Michael embarks on his first U.S. tour since “Faith,” Steely Dan will dip into Fagen and Becker’s recent solo work on their “Think Fast” tour and Crowded House crowd concert venues to promote Time on Earth, their first album since 1993. Plus, Girl Talk makes college kids dance. Full tour dates to all four treks are after the jump. George Michael June 17 - San Diego, CA @ Sports Arena June 19 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavillion June 21 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand June 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Center June 25-26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Forum July 2 – Seattle, WA @ Key Arena July 4 – Vancouver, BC @ GM Place July 7 – Minneapolis, MN @ Xcel Energy July 9 – Chicago, IL @ United Center July 13 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center July 14 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center July 17 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre July 18 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre July 21-23 – New York City, NY @ Madison Square Garden July 26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center July 27 – Boston, MA @ TD Banknorth Garden July 29 - Washington DC @ Verizon Center July 31 – Atlanta, GA @ Phillips Arena August 2 – Tampa, FL @ St Pete Times Forum August 3 – Miami, FL @ BankAtlantic Center Steely Dan June 8 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino June 9 - Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall June 11 - Atlanta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre June 13 - New York, NY @ The Beacon Theatre June 14 - New York, NY @ The Beacon Theatre June 17 - New York, NY @ The Beacon Theatre June 23 - Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion June 25 - Wallingford, CT @ Chevrolet Theatre June 27 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Event Center June 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre July 1 - Montreal, QC @ Montreal Jazz Festival July 2 - Montreal, QC @ Montreal Jazz Festival July 3 - Toronto, ON @ Casino Rama July 5 - Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Jazz Festival Crowded House April 28­30 - New York, NY @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza May 2 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club May 5-6 - Boston, MA @ Somervill

Published: 2008-03-25 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, On Tour

Rock List: Twenty-Five Favorite Album Covers

On Friday, we lamented the disappearance of striking cover art and asked you, the music fan, what your favorite album covers are. The result is a list of our collective twenty-five favorite record covers — but rather than tell you what they are, we’re showing you what they are. Check out the gallery of winners right here, and because there were so many passionate feelings about this rather personal topic, check after the jump for some RS staffers’ lists of favorites (they’re all subject to change, too). Evan Serpick King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King Led Zeppelin - I Can - Tago Mago The Clash - London Calling Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan Melissa Maerz Beck - Mellow Gold Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - No More Workhouse Blues Daniel Johnston - Hi, How Are You? Swamp Dogg - Rat On! Ice T - Gangsta Rap Kevin O’ Donnell Miles Davis - Bitches Brew Sonic Youth – Goo The Roots - Things Fall Apart Steely Dan – Aja My Bloody Valentine - Loveless Andy Greene Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson Pink Floyd - Animals Ramones - Ramones The Who - Who’s Next Bob Dylan - Bringing It Back Home Caryn Ganz The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Sonic Youth - Goo The B-52’s, The B-52’s The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico Jane’s Addiction - Nothing’s Shocking Daniel Kreps Pink Floyd - Animals The Beta Band - Champion Versions Jean-Claude Vannier - L’Enfant Assassin Des Mouches Nirvana - Incesticide Can - Monster Movie Jennifer Hsu New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies? Kraftwerk - TransEurope Express? The Beatles - The White Album Elvis Costello - The Year’s Model? R.E.M. - Murmur Nicole Frehsee The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed The Band - Music From The Big Pink Bruce Springsteen - The River The Beatles - Revolver Velvet Underground & Nico - Velvet Underground & Nico

Published: 2007-10-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

The Decemberists Spread Midsummer Night’s Dreams in Central Park

Colin Meloy, singer-guitarist and songwriting captain of The Decemberists, is a master of improbable juxtaposition: arcane, detailed fictions of star-crossed passion and avenging bloodshed dressed up in indie-rock jangle, la-de-da choruses and vintage prog-rock bombast. It should all be too much of too many good things, sinking under the weight of Meloy’s literate ambitions and heavy love of The Smiths. But the most striking thing about the Decemberists’ wonderful July 16th show at Summerstage, under a thin, white crescent moon in New York’s Central Park, was the easy, natural buoyance with which Meloy and the band – bassist Nate Query, drummer John Moen and mini-orchestras Jenny Conlee (keyboards, etc.) and Chris Funk (a small world of stringed instruments) – told his stories. There was plenty of Ray Davies to go along with the Morrissey and John Cheever in the bleak, sexual surrender and Victorian-dancehall bounce of “Billy Liar,” from 2003’s Her Majesty. And Meloy clearly relished his guitar-hero moment in the Chaucer-Raymond Chandler cocktail “The Perfect Crime #2″ from The Crane Wife, strutting to the front of the stage to wig out in electric fuzz while the band rolled behind him like Steely Dan in getaway gear. Hewing to a tight curfew, the usually talkative Meloy – who looked like a New Wave professor on holiday, in sneakers and a seersucker suit – kept the chatter to a remarkable minimum in order to play maximum music. He couldn’t help playing the literary-theme card, opening with a hat trick of songs about the season: “July, July!” (from 2002’s Castaways and Cutouts), “Billy Liar” (basically summer vacation gone all wrong) and the gentle drowning, in love and water, of The Crane Wife’s “Summersong.” The encore was almost half as long as the actual set, going all the way back to “Oceanside,” on the Decemberists’ 2001 EP debut, 5 Songs, and

Published: 2007-07-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows

Smoking Section: Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, The Killers, Ben Harper and More

Happy sixty-sixth birthday, Bob! That was the idea behind Smoking Section Presents: Rolling Thunder Reborn, a gig we put on at a club in Manhattan’s Alphabet City, featuring a who’s-who of young New York musicians obsessed with Bobby D. Check out highlights on the RS Web site. The S.S. must admit — with corroboration from actor Mickey Rourke, who was also in the house — that we killed it! That said, if you ever want to be humbled by a team of musicians, go see Steely Dan. That’s what we did, catching SD at their two-night blowout at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Backstage, we caught up with our heroes Donald Fagen — the high-tech, bonus-packed box set of his trilogy of solo albums is out in July — and Walter Becker, who’s nearly done with solo album number two. SD will play at least five gigs at the Beacon this year, just a few shows less than the Allman Brothers played there in March. “Eventually we want to have a monthlong battle of the bands with the Allmans,” says Becker. “It’ll be epic, and the loser will be sent back to Swampfuck, Georgia.” Based on the Dan gigs, our money’s on Steely. “Wait, now the Allman Brothers are gonna beat the shit out of us,” says Becker. “When you write this, substitute Toto for the Allmans.” Done! * * * * We are happy to announce that two of our pals — Dave Matthews and Killers frontman Brandom Flowers — are expecting babies (separately)! “It’s a boy,” says Flowers, whose wife is eight months pregnant. “I’m so excited.” Matthews will welcome child number three, sex currently unknown. “We’ll keep the magic of our eyes being the witness,” says Matthews, already a pop to twin girls. How far along is Dave’s wife? “As my wife says,” he tells the S.S., “it’s cooked.” Yesss! * * * * We really dug Ben Harper’s 2006 double di

Published: 2007-06-02 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Smoking Section

Congressman Mike Doyle — Girl Talk’s Biggest Fan

During a recent congressional hearing on the future of radio, Pennsylvania Representative Mike Doyle did something that might surprise you: he started talking about mashup pioneer Girl Talk. The Congressman — Vice Chairman of the Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee — became aware of Girl Talk a.k.a.Gregg Gillis, the Pittsburgh-based chemical engineer by day and brazen Beyonce-and-Biggie sampling DJ by night, via an especially savvy member of his staff. Congressman Doyle considers Gregg, a “local guy done good,” a prime example of why our government should revamp (or at least reexamine) our nation’s copyright laws. We called up Congressman Doyle and got him to elaborate on his remarkably progressive views. Check it out. What’s on your iPod? I have a lot more Earth Wind and Fire, Steely Dan, and Joni Mitchell on mine than any of Girl Talk. Why did you choose to mention Girl Talk instead of other artists that sample music? I used him as an example because he was a local Pittsburgh guy who had made quite a reputation for himself. The point I was trying to make was here’s a guy who mixes Elton John and Notorious B.I.G. and Destiny’s Child. I never heard many songs from Notorious B.I.G. and Destiny’s Child, but I’ve got a lot of Elton John records and I see this as a way to promote other artists to an audience that may not have heard some of their songs. I don’t understand the record industry’s paranoia that this is somehow going to harm one of those three artists. Do you think that your audience at the hearing knew who Girl Talk is? The person that spoke after me, Representative John Shimkus from Illinois — I think his comment was, “I don’t have a clue what Mike Doyle just said.” (laughs) When I was looking at the audience there were a lot of blank stares there, but I think after the hearing they all went out and Googled Girl Talk and found out who he was. During

Published: 2007-04-27 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: General