Todd is God

Thought it was time for another quick, here's what I am listening too, update. The five albums I have listened to most in the past month. I Like them all very much. The Leisure Society - 'Into The Murky Water' Sick of Sarah - Sick of Sarah Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive Foo Fighters - Wasting Light Sarabeth Tucek - Get Well Soon Oh and my favourite song of the moment? Ellie James (unsigned artist) Calm Before the Storm http://soundcloud.com/elliemakesmusic/ellie-makes-music-the-calm - I LOVE it.

Seems Todd's expected appearance (other than in audience on the 6th) was pulled. According to Michelle's Facebook page: "Sorry Everyone...i wish i had better news. American Idol decided to go in a different direction with their musical theme so they didn't use Todd. I think we should show them what they missed by focusing on The X Factor!" Seems in addition to her facebook page , she has also joined Twitter

More records that have caught my attention in 2011 Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes Swedish songstress delivers one of the finest pop records of 2011 thus far. Youth Knows Know Pain live http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oApxDMGZEw&feature=fvst Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi One of the more interesting new female talents to come out of the UK. Great voice and very talent guitarist. Her version of Jezebel by Edith Piaf is quite something. Anna Calvi 'Blackout' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx7rkcEvFm4&feature=fvsr Ron Sexsmith: Long Player Late Bloomer Seems to have been around forever without 'making it'. This album combines classic sounding elvis costello with teddy thompson style vocals. Believe it When I See It http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3dw3Qcr8u4

I have plugged my podcast here before, but here goes again. The Latest music review podcast from Pete and I - which the critics are calling our 'best yet' is now available. You can listen/stream on our site: http://cttbmusic.co.uk/cassette-recording-1977 , or better still subscribe in iTunes THe latest is a little different as we go back in time to look at 'new' LPs from: Fleetwood Mac, The Clash, The Stranglers, Al Di Meola, Judas Priest and Blondie. Do we prefer sides one or two? Do we think this punk / new wave thing will catch on? Will Fleetwood Mac sell any records? Will Scott mention Todd Rundgren? Find out.Listen now. The ideal soundtrack for a lazy sunny day.

Notice there is a site for people to set up own todd pages etc here http://toddfan.com/

Todd will be appearing in a producer role on American Idol on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 it seems. Time to talk about the old days with Randy Jackson, and talk parenting with Steven Tyler, I guess.

Decided to try and write a 'rock' song over the last month, and this is what I came up with. It's called, "Goodbye Hello" and features my nod to Jan Hammer in the Miami Vice influenced Synth on the Chorus [ see him and Al Di Meola playing my fav Jan tune Cruisin' here ]

What records have caught my attention so far 2011?? The Decemberists - The King Is Dead Going for a more folk/REM sound on this record (with a couple of blatant REM rip off tunes – but at least they get Peter Buck to help play them!). A string set of songs and an album that is a grower. Good vocal support from Gillian Welsh. [ Visual Companion piece to album video ] Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts This is their third album (and last if the band are to be believed). It sticks to the musical formula that the band created on their first album taking parts of hip-hop, 60s pop, brass bands and stage musicals and mixes it all up to make infectious pop music. Whilst it could be argued the trick is wearing thin, I think this is one of the more uplifting records of the year thus far. [ Secretary Song video ] The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow The Civil Wars are Joy Williams and John Paul White, and they make simple voice and guitar music that it at times quite beautiful. If you like the stripped dow...

Hello It’s Me is on the soundtrack to the new Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film – Paul. Meanwhile, US band, TV Girl sample this on their song 'If You Want It'

Utopia (Mark II) Reunion that is scheduled to take place at the Highline Ballroom this Saturday and Sunday (January 29th and 30th) will get a webcast. Nevessa Productions announced that they’ll be broadcasting the concert (the Jan. 30th show) via todocast starting February 2nd, on-demand for 30 days. So, get your credit cards out and order for $19.95.

UK band The Mummers have a new EP out entitled 'Mink Hollow Road' which features a cover of Todd's Fade Away.

According to this article in the Sacremento Bee, those auditioning to be on the new Todd album will be helping him record versions of songs by artists he's previously produced ... with a dance beat... 'Rundgren threw the campers a curve Monday by announcing that the songs they'd record on the Gigatone album – remakes of hits he produced for other artists such as the Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way" and Meat Loaf's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" – would be set to a dance beat to reflect contemporary radio.'

The Hold Steady release Live (acoustic) at Soho iTunes Session on January 18th. They also contributed a new song "Just Saying" to the soundtrack of the The Dilemma.

First Listen: The Decemberists, 'The King Is Dead' The band returns with a stripped-down record featuring Gillian Welch and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck [Calamity Song is pure Murmur period R.E.M], and the whole album can be listened to at NPR .

Thanks to my regular reader - you know who you are! - for keeping an eye on the blog and anyone else who has dropped by over the last year. If you can't get enough of me then I do a music podcast (reviewing new albums) with a friend - Come Taste The Band , and I also do my own music that can be found on my Myspace site and also my own music site where tunes can be downloaded. I will also continue to post Todd related and occasional "other" stuff in this new year, such as my views on Paul Myers' book - A Wizard a True Star.

Apparently, Todd Rundgren's Utopia - i.e. the original 1974 lineup: Rundgren, Klingman, Siegler, Schuckett and Ellman (plus Kasim) are doing a couple of gigs at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on January 29th and 30th.

One of my projects for 2010 was to record some more of my music/songs and as a result there are now 12 songs on my MySpace site. It’s a mixed bag musically (including a couple of instrumentals), but it has, for the most part, been fun playing around and putting them online. In the words of a wise man – don’t quit your day job. More songs are planned for 2011 and maybe some better production values as I get a bit more savvy with the software I use. But until then, if you’d like to experience my ‘unique’ vocal styling’s and musicianship, then you can have a listen here . [Oh that’s such a bit of bad Internet-ing there, having a click here link essentially. ]

To be honest, I don’t think 2010 will be remembered as a ‘great’ year music-wise, although some good stuff did get released. It was a year when the hip and happening people told me I should be listening to Tame Impala, Gold Panda, Deerhunter, Beach House and others. And, I did. All were perfectly fine, but none really grabbed me, and I can’t help feeling that tame Impala sounded much better in the context of a Soundtrack album than they did on a full album of their own. So leaving those aside, was there one album that stood head and shoulders above all else this year? Not for me. There were several albums that held my attention at different parts of the year but only a few which didn’t fall away, and less still that made last gasp dashes to improve with time. So, what follows are 20 albums I have enjoyed for various reasons during 2010. If I were doing it another week, maybe O Children, She and Him, Warpaint, Pull in Emergency, Thea Gilmore, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Liz Phair may hav...

This was the fourth time I have seen Jesse live, but the first with a band. Previously it had been acoustic only shows (He excels at this being a natural raconteur and someone who truly engaging with the audience). Whilst the full on band experience meant less chat with the crowd he still found time for repeating a trick I have seen him do before where he jumps down into the crowd mid-song, wanders around, sits down on the floor and gets the rest of those present to follow suit. He then tells a story before heading to the bar, climbing up and finishing off the song. For me he is one of those artists who I'd never tire of seeing live because he is such a natural performer with just natural stage presence and an attitude that means he looks like he is enjoying being on stage (Craig Finn of the Hold Steady has the same thing) The current iteration of the St Marks Social was put together by guitarist Todd Youth – who he played with back in his D-Generation days, and who was also in Agn...