Todd is God

Album of the year is never easy and this year in no exception: The Hold Steady, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, The Weakerthans ... but this years winner has to be: 1. Grinderman - Grinderman: Nick Cave and selected Bad Seeds create a side project for some down and dirty blues based noise. Not an easy record, but this really shouldn't be this good. Raw, funny, fuzzy, genius. The rest of my top 20, in no particular order, are: 2. The Hold Steady - Boys & Girls in America: I have to thank JR for turning me on the THS. He named it as a favourite from last year (came out in US then and in the UK this year). Pub rock wrote large, THS are an everyman band. However, make no mistake they have the songs too. 3. Bruce Springsteen - Magic: Bruce rocks again. Like many I had worried that he another great rock album in him, but this is excelllent stuff. Not really a duff track on the whole thing. 4. The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour: Like the Hold Steady, a band with a habbit of writing ca...

My gig of the year this year was pretty much a no-brainer, it has to be Prince. 1. Prince - O2 Arena: Yes, he may be a weird fucker off stage but put him on stage and the guy just has it (whatever 'it' is). This gig was at the tail end of his 21 night stint in London, and the general consensus was that the guy rocks. Yes, there are some duff songs - but this was mainly a Prince plays the 'hits' concert and some of those songs are pretty damn good. And the rest - in no particular order - were: 2. The Hold Steady - Borderline / Shepherds Bush Empire / Electric Ballroom: Yes, Ok, so I am cheating a bit here, by counting all three HS gigs as one entry. If you still haven't either got into this band or seen them live, where have you been?! Recording a new album and due back in the UK in Summer 2008. If you like bands to look like they are enjoying and love what they do on stage, I urge you to go and see them. 3. Scorpions - Apollo Hammersmith: Seriously, who would have...

Picking singles is the hardest thing these days, with track downloads, and I have no doubt missed some horrible pop tunes that should be on here, but this list is still pretty good. These are in no particular order, after the top 5, which have all been my favourite of the year at some point in 2007, and I still couldn't decide who should have the overall crown. 1. Cassette - The Smartest Bomb : I am probably on a the few people that actually bought this, but I love it. It is very 80s in its sound, but it just really works for me. 2. Bruce Spingsteeen - Radio Nowhere : The first signs that the Boss was back and playing some classy, catchy rock again. 3. Funeral for a Friend - Into Oblivion (Reunion) : 4. Foo Fighters - The Pretender : Let's make no mistake, when the FF are good, they are very good; and this single is true class. 5. Public Enemy - Harder than you Think : Not sure where they've sampled the horns from on this, but couple with Chuck D in full flow, thi...

Whilst I am not a huge fan of welsh rockers, FFF , I do think they are one of the better band of the ilk around these days, so felt they could be worth a punt live. Of course this being a Saturday at the Astoria, meant that the gig had to be done and dusted by 9.45pm so that G.A.Y. could take over. As a result FFF were on stage by around 8.20. First the complaints. Singer Matt Davies can hold a tune, so why have his vocals drowned in the mix so much? Also, for me anyway, the set list could have been better. speaking of the Set List, I cannot replicate it here (although I will list the songs I remembering being played, if for no other reason than the forum people on their site apparently don't want people talking about them on there as it may spoil the surprise. What a load of bollocks.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has Todd talking about the new record "It will be a concept album. Essentially, I'm going to do an arena rock record. Hopefully it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy," he says, laughing. "It's big hook, big chords, sing-along choruses and arrangements are designed to echo through an ice rink. It's a bigger challenge than it seems like. Sing-along ability is not something that is automatic. There has to be something anthemic about the music and the subject matter." They also have him comment on producing Bat, Skylarking, and We Are an American Band.

It's November which must mean it is the Weakerthans, who I believe I have only ever seen in November on each of the three occasions I have managed to catch them, but I digress. Touring with a new album (at last) to promote - 'Reunion Tour' - it was great to see that John K Samson and the boys still rock live. Licking off with a duo of ' Our Retired Explorer '/'Civil Twilight', I knew from the off this was going to be a good one. I was not disappointed. JKS is not the most chatty front man, but we did learn that a trip to a London gallery had inspired 'Night Windows'; and that 'Tournament of Hearts' was about that great sport curling (never played but it was prime time on sunday afternoons in Scotland when i was growing up). Also any man who can write lyrics such as "yes a penguin taught me French back in Antartica" (Our Retired Explorer) has my respect. Set list was base heavily around the new album and the previous record ' Re...

Retro Dan has an interview with Brent Bourgeois (Bourgeois Tagg) who has this to say on working with Todd. retroDan: Since you’re a music producer yourself, i thought it’d be interesting to hear your take on all the major producers you’ve worked with in your career- namely Todd Rundgren, Danny Kortchmar, Charlie Peacock? Brent: Todd Rundgren is much more of a musical influence than an ‘in the studio’ influence. He taught me something very important: to be really honest lyrically. His chord changes and melodic sense have obviously influenced my writing as well. As a producer in the studio, he was a disappointment. His idea of a compliment was a heavy sigh and something like, “That didn’t bother me.”

Pitchfork has an interview between Eddie Argos of Art Brut, and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady. Finn talks about the new album ( coming late Spring/Summer 2008) and touring the UK. He also mentions the excellent John K Samson of the Weakerthans ... Craig Finn : That's one of the greatest things. If someone like John Darnielle (of Mountain Goats) says "God, that's a great lyric," you feel, "Whoa!" That's a great compliment. Where it's not like some college journalist saying "this album rocks!", you know? It carries a lot of weight. Like, John Samson from the Weakerthans, another one of my favorite lyricists. Right now.

The Guardian has been compiling a 1,000 albums you should hear before you die list "it's not is the best 1000 albums of all time. Instead, it's a cross-genre, cross-era look at some great music" Todd makes it in with Something/Anything " Rundgren not only produced and arranged this double LP, he wrote it all and played every instrument on three of the four sides. I Saw the Light opened the "pop" side, followed by the "experimental", "hard rock" and "musical" sides. The third solo album from the Philly whizkid is a masterclass in eclecticism" Also this made me laugh from the Washington Post.Music editor and Post Rock blogger David Malitz in a special pre-Thanksgiving edition of 'the chat'. This is from the transcript: A statistic: Todd Rundgren is overrated by 95% of the .01% of the population who know who he is. David Malitz: I like the way your brain works. We need more statistics. Where does that "b...

After the amount of times I have missed Mr Adams on his recent visits to these shores, it was great to be able to catch him (and the Cardinals) at last. Being sat down in the Circle was not ideal, but hey, what can you do. So, was it worth the wait? I'd have to say a resounding yes. I have been getting well into this years release, 'Easy Tiger', of late so was in the mood. Adams is not exactly the most chatty person on stage - and my girlfriend did complain that he didn't do enough to 'work' his audience - but that's fine when the music is so good you can let it speak for itself. Another ove which put the focus on the music was the very low lighting chosen by the band - who were performing almost in darkness - in the shadows, one might say for the majority of the set. Again, this didn't bother me, and indeed it made for some quite cool lighting effects late on. So, what did they play? Well a 2 hour set with a 30 min encore: Peaceful Valley Beautiful Sort...

I thought it was time to give over a few lines to two "giants" of music past and present, who both returned from the wilderness (if not the tabloids in one of the cases) this past couple of weeks. I speak, of course, of The Eagles and Britney Spears. Let's start with Brit. Obviously, all has not been well in the land on Brit over the past few years - marrying K-Fed kind of gave that away. So, partied, she had the kids, she partied, she went out minus underwear, she shaved off all her hair, she lost custody of the kids blah blah blah. So, all eyes were on her when news of a musical comeback hit the headlines. Her performance of her debut single of the new opus at the MTV awards, failed to remove thoughts that she was still out of it; although most admitted 'Gimme More' was actually ok, for what it was. The album too has gotten a surprisingly warm reception. Is it deserved??? Well, I'll admit this isn't the car crash I thought it might be, but it is still a...

Wednesday night, so it must be heavy metal. Having been reasonably impressed with McQueen 's debut album , I thought it was worth parting with £6.50 to catch them live. I must admit I wasn't expecting much, but I was presently surprised to find that McQueen manage to be quite entertaining live (although a bit less of the rock cliche speak by lead vocalist Leah wouldn't go a miss). Anyway, The Line went Dead, Running out of Things to Say, Love for Sale, Neurotic etc all sounded really rather good. The next record should tell us whether or not the band will ever headline bigger venues. Due to standing in a bar drinking Pete and I missed the first of the support acts but arrived in time to catch Fresh Fabrik , a hungarian hard rock band. They seemed like a nice enough bunch, but can't say I left wanting to rush out and buy any of their music.

I have almost gone to see Ray Davies play on a number of occasions, but never quite made it, so when this opportunity came along I jumped at the chance - and I am glad I did. For just about 100 minutes, in a set comprise mainly of Kinks songs - with a few of his better solo numbers thrown in - it was a complete joy. Davies is, without a doubt, one of the best songwriters the UK has produced and in one truly golden period wrote or co-wrote a batch of timeless classics, all of which made the set tonight: Tired Of Waiting, All Day And All Of The Night, Good Times Gone, Sunny Afternoon, Dedicated Follower Of Fashion, Days, Waterloo Sunset, You Really Got Me, Lola ... every one of them, songs that most songwriters would have killed to have written. Things were made even better by the fact that Ray really seemed to be having a good time, and looked like - even at 64 - he still fancied himself a rockstar. For me it all kicked off brilliantly with I'm Not Like Everybody Else from the Ki...

Retroblog ( a personal favourite blog find of 2007) has an interesting interview with Moe Berg , talking about life after The Pursuit of Happiness, life in general, and of course working with Todd. "In terms of a Todd mix tape, I wouldn’t even know what to pick. “Drunken Blue Rooster” would be the first song and “Fade Away” would be the last. In between, it would depend on the day". What would you put in between? what 10 tracks would fit in between these 2? Still with Todd, he gets a mention in this interview with Dominique Leone in the san fransisco bay guardian's blog, and in Compuerworld's famous geek list

Apparently London singer/songwriter Jack Penate (who happens to be from Blackheath, a mere 5 minutes walk from where I live) turned down an offer to have Todd (of whom he is a fan) produce his debut album "Matinee" opting instead for Jim Abbiss (who also happens to be a Todd fan), who has helmed sets by Arctic Monkeys and Editors. You can buy Jack's album on eMusic

I've been a bit slow getting around to Bruce, but after a week of the new album 'Magic' on almost constant repeat on my iPod (brief interludes of the also excellent new Steve Earle CD) I can now say, that this really is a fine record. It is without a doubt his most commercial/mainstream offering since the often overlooked Tunnel of Love album, and continues on with the joyous feel of last year's also rather excellent Seeger Sessions album. Kicking off with the excellent 'Radio Nowhere', this is an album that is a lot of fun. The most interesting thing for me over the week has been how my favourite tracks on the album have actually changed, and how songs that I didn't really rate as much at the start - such as 'Gypsy Biker' (a hint of U2 in this one) and 'Devil's Arcade' - have started to come into there own. Also the title track has grown in stature to become one of the best cuts on the record. Elsewhere, the production is quite interesti...

Retroblog has a fun interview with Michelle Rundgren about live in hawaii, todd, comedy, and the opportunity to rent the rundgren house and choose and item from Todd's wardrobe! Meanwhile it is US Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame time again, which means more moans and more folks lamenting Todd's continued absense from nominations. Fox News (sorry, but it is a good piece. I know I will probably go to hell all the same); The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Harp Magazine comment.

I have been living with the new Foo Fighters album this week (the week delay for Bruce and Steve helped a lot). It is another good record, but my usual disappointment is also present with any new FF record ... you hope it is going to be their classic, but they never really deliver and recently have been a bit flat. On the bright side, this record sees them reunited with producer Gil Norton who helmed what remains, for me, their best work "The Colour And The Shape" Thinks kick off in fine form, with 'Pretender' (a candidate for single of the year). Cut from the same cloth as 'Monkey Wrench' and 'All my Life', it quite frankly rocks. From that point onwards it is a mixed bag, that arguably never quite lives up to the promise of the opening track. This is not to say there isn't other fine stuff here: 'Summers End' is a cracking CSN / Bryds sounding tune, and 'Long road to Ruin' takes elements from that pedigree too. Acoustic Instrum...

A site that I often look at for IT/Internet news mentioned Todd this week. Arstechnica commenting on the final sessions of the Future of Music Policy Summit , said Pinky Gonzales, speaking for promotional service echomusic , pointed to Todd 'as a precedent for a possible patronage system to support music. Through the PatroNet system in the '90s, Rundgren had funded production of at least one CD through the financial contributions of more than 2,000 fans. Gonzales noted that this kind of model can especially work well for older bands on a "long tail" business model and can be combined with demographic tracking to help a band focus their appeal'.

I have to confess I have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the small purple one, but when he announced his 21 nights in London gigs at the O2, I knew I had to go. Playing in the round on a stage the shape of the squiggle (the same as at the Superbowl) Prince cast away gimics, strange shaped guitars (he was back with his trusty Telecaster), and the purples, and peaches (the man was in black and whites all night) and just played the music. Was he any good? Well, where I was sat - quite high up - the sound quality was not the best (the venue's acoustics are pretty poor, esp on louder numbers) I'd have to say he was pretty fucking good. Forget about the man on record, live he really does know his stuff. Also, I have no idea what 'IT' is, but Prince has got it. He has an energy and a presence on stage, so at odds with his off stage persona, that it is quite amazing. The set list was something like this: Let's Go Crazy 1999 I Feel For You Controversy /Hou...

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has a nice little interview with Todd, where he says his current solo gigs are "before I go off to sequester myself to record a new album." Also of note was his look back on his eclecticism: "I have a low threshold of boredom," Rundgren says. As a live performer, "I'm not long for any sort of gig that starts to turn into just a job. ... I'm not likely to do the same sort of presentation for more than 18 months or two years at a time before I have to dream up something else." And as a recording artist, "Even though I've had records that were commercially successful, I wasn't disciplined enough to follow 'em up with more of the same," he says with a laugh. Rundgren's 1972 opus "Something/Anything?" defined him as a singer-songwriter with a knack for timeless pop songs such as "I Saw the Light." But he immediately followed it with the disjointed and psychedelic "A Wizard, ...

The Rocky Mountain News has a 10 questions for Richard Thompson piece where the great man mentions that other great man, Mr R: Your Web site is amazing: Fans can buy exclusive music, hear free music, see videos, send you questions, etc. In one of the videos you call yourself a "folk rock dinosaur," but you're actually way ahead of the curve, don't you think? "I was quite late coming to it, to tell you the truth. Everyone had a Web site but me 10 years ago. Todd Rundgren was one of the pioneers, offering downloads. Every month he'd give you a new track. In a year you'd have 12 tracks and he'd send you the artwork. He was the first one who struck me as being really Internet savvy. I probably took some ideas from him."

According to Pitchfork    Hot Chip have a limited edition 12" due this month with "Shake a Fist"--  featuring  a sample of Todd - 'intro/sounds of the studio' from Something Anything .   Blogged with Flock

News and US tour dates here Blogged with Flock

My girlfriend's favourite song at the moment, and I have to admit it rocks.

I had Diane to thank for spotting this one. It was the final night of 4 multiband nights at the International Student's Union or 299/Club Fandango. Six band divided over 2 stages in the small linked venue. Room One Stage: Electric Soft Parade Misty's Big Adventure The Kissaway Trail Room Two Stage Absentee Eugene McGuiness Tim Ten Yen We missed Tim Ten Yen, but arrived about a third of the way through The Kissaway Trial 's set. And very entertaining they were too. Must confess this bunch of Danes were new to me. Having now listened to some of their recorded stuff, they rock a bit more as a live act, but if Bloc Party and  the Wannadies work for you then worth checking out. The same cannot be said for Eugene McGuinness , a singer songwriter with a nice turn of lyrics but still a set of weak songs. Back in Room One, we had a band that are sort of one part Beafheart, one part Blockheads, with a sprinkling of Arthur Brown. Yes folks, Misty's Big Adventure are are strange e...

What is avant pop? Paul Grimstad takes a look and finds a space for a Mr R   Blogged with Flock

Bebe Buell and Todd Rundgren    Britney's comeback single   Blogged with Flock

Another Hold Steady gig, another venue, another great night (although perhaps Craig and I should have drank a bit less - it effected him less on stage mind you!). Anyway. Things were different this time around, with the band moving away from the 'ok, let's just play all of BAGIA and a few other songs' approach that they took with the Borderline and Sheps Bush gigs earlier in the year - although I think opening with Hot Soft Light instead of Stuck Between Stations was a mistake (for me anyway). Having spoke to a few people the set list seemed to be something like this: - Hot Soft Light Banging Camp Chips Ahoy Stuck Between Stations Cattle and the Creeping Things Massive Nights Party Pit You Can Make Him Like You Stevie Nix I kind of get hazzy around this point and came back to reality with Your Little Hoodrat Friend Southtown Girls How A Resurrection Really Feels [I think Chill out Tent got another airing in my 'blind' patch] The Encore consited of ? another failing ...

Camden Electric Ballroom tomorrow night ... we had some massive nights ....

Whilst it is not officially out until 25 September, the new Weakerthans album is out there and yes I did go get it (although I do also have it on pre-order in hard-copy CD from Amazon). Four years since the band's third - and best album - Reconstruction Site , so the new album has been a long time coming. Thankfully, I can tell you, it is worth the wait. True, it is not as good a RS, but it is still pretty damn good, and John Samson's lyrics continue to amuse and challenge - not many albums where Curling (one of the few sports us Scots are any good at) and Ice Hockey both get songs ( Tournament of Hearts , and Elegy for Gump Worsley ); that you get songs from the perspective of a Bus Driver ( Civil Twilight ) and a Cat ( Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure ). The latter a fine companion piece to Plea From A Cat Named Virtute from the RS album. What's more Civil Twilight, Sun in an Empty Room and (current single) Night Windows could all be hits [ok, so not likely in t...

The Guardian has a link to a free download of 'Radio Nowhere' a track off the new Bruce Springsteen album Magic due out in October. I agree with one review that describes it as a Zevon-esq guitar based rocker. Quality. Now, to try and get tickets for Dec19th gig in London ... Blogged with Flock

Interview with Robert Schwartzman from the band Rooney in Filter Magazine There are a whole bunch of reunion tours going on right now…do you have a favorite? I love Duran Duran. I don’t know if they’re out right now, but I know they were out a year ago. I’d love to see The New Cars. Oh yeah…with Todd Rundgren. Yeah, Todd Rundgren singing. Awesome. He’s one of my favorite fucking artists. John Fields, who made our record, is the hugest Todd Rundgren fan. I mean SCARY huge. Knows everything.

You know that feeling when everyone is talking about the new hot thing and how great it is, and you hear it and go ...er, nope, don't get it? (any band Pete Doherty's ever been in for example). I have been having that feeling again these past few weeks about Kate Nash . Some clever lyrics but the whole mockney singing/talking thing is just annoying. Also, I hate anyone on principle who can make me start warming to Lily Allen. It's just not right, so stop it.

Didn't know until read this today that Todd covered Thelonious Monk's Four in One back in 1984 on the album "That's the Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk"

As usual I thought it was time to pick the 10 albums that have tickled my fancy most thus far in 2007. How many have the staying power to still be there come the end of the year? - Who knows. The following are in no order, but I must confess that The Grinderman and NIN albums are probably the two that have most impressed me thus far. 1. Grinderman - Grinderman: This really shouldn't be this good, and this enjoyable 2. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero: Bit flat for me live, but this may just be Trent's best outing. 3. Mary Chapin Carpenter - The Calling: I had believed that MCC's best days were well and truly behind her, but this album has pleasingly proved me wrong. 4. Ryan Adams -  Lost Highway: Not his best, but his second best is better than most people's best. 5. Queens of the Stoneage - Era Vulgaris: I Just like it. 6. Jesse Malin - Glitter in the Gutter 7. Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full: Obviously drinking Starbuck's Coffee has done the trick. 8. McQueen ...

The excellent Jill Sobule via Mydamnchannel (which has some nice stuff with Slash and Duff too). Downnload MP3 of the track and another track called 'Mom' here

This was the 4th time I have seen Aimee live, and whilst she was great once again, she has never been better than the first two times I saw her (esp the first time in 2000 with husband Michael Penn and comedian Patton Oswalt). Still, let's not look backwards. The gig started off with a nice little set by Jenny Owen Youngs (she remembered to tell us who she was just before she left the stage!). Her debut album is a mostly average singer-songwriter offering; but live she has a humour and a sense of fun that help raise some of the weaker songs above their recorded status. This is not to say she doesn't have a few great tunes: 'Drinking Song'; 'From Here' and 'Fuck I was' are all top draw. Add to this a very entertaining cover of Nelly's 'Hot in Herre' (to the tune of Oasis' Wonderwall) and I think it safe to say she made a number of new fans. She is a star in the making. Aimee was in a fun mood too - even if she wasn't sure whether or n...

The last time I saw the Scorpions live was 17 years ago. They were very good. Why the gap to seeing them again? I'm not sure: a general indifference to most of the material they have released since Savage Amusement most likely. Anyway, a few weeks ago on the spur of the moment I decided I needed a 'Heavy Metal' night out, so the Scorps fitted the bill. Things got more interesting when I read that Michael Schenker would also be on the bill as support with MSG. Cool. I little research this afternoon revealed that young Micky has been back to his getting smashed ways and this had even lead to a fight with older brother Rudy just a few days ago. I also learned that Uli Roth was on the road with the boys and joining them for a few classics in the middle of the set. An interesting night beckoned. And so to the gig. I arrived a bit late so had missed half the MSG set. This turned out to be a blessing. Michael Schenker was having enough problems standing up, never mind playing gu...

Omaha World Herald has a nice interview with the always entertaining Henry Rollins Blogged with Flock

Todays' Guide  in the Guardian has a piece on Simian Mobile Disco (Jas Shaw and James Ford) - Ford produced the last Artic Monkey's album, an the Klaxons album - where they talk about their secret DJ-ing tunes guaranteed to revive flagging house parties. One of them, 'International Feel' by Todd. According to James "He's one of those maverick 1970s producers who went well OTT on his records, but A Wizard a True Star is one of my favourite albums. I suppose this is the tune-after-the-last-tune, the lights up fuck off home tune. Although it could be more 'wow, I've never heard that on a big system, it sounds amazing, what is it?'" Blogged with Flock

Nashville Scene reviews a New Cars Gig and concludes "What could have been a wham-bam retro snoozefest was elevated to a thoroughly respectable performance by little touches such as Elliot Easton’s stellar guitar work and Rundgren’s undeniable stage presence. (No more jokes, though, Todd.)". They also have this

Since I reviewed the latest avril Lavigne album not too long ago, I thought it only fair to also cover some of the competition. Kelly (American Idol) Clarkson, Paramore and McQueen, this is your time! It seems strange listening to the Kelly Clarkson album, as I am hit with the feeling that whilst Lavigne seems to be slowly getting worse as each album goes by, that Clarkson is going the other way and slowly getting better. 'Since you been gone' was a great pop tune off her last album and this new one throws some more decent tunes our way in a performance that reminds me a bit of Pat Benatar - and when I say this , believe me it is praise indeed, as was - and remain - a fan a Pat, the original queen of female based pop/rock. Kicking off with the excellent, 'Never Again', there is also a number of other tracks worthy of attention including: 'Hole', 'Don't waste your time', and 'How I feel' - this really isn't all that bad. And in a time wher...

The Weakerthans new album,'Reunion Tour', is finished and will be released on September 25th. Ian Blurton acted as producer. Full North American and European Tours to back up the release too - excellent news.

The gig started with us being deafened by The Steers , a band who obviously grew up listening to the same records as the Ordinary Boys (with some Blur thrown in). The volume (God, I sound old) and the mix made it hard to decide if they were actually any good or not, and made a number of their songs sound the same. I think this is probably a shame, and that they may be worth keeping an eye on over the next 18 months. And so to the Hold Steady. Playing to a capacity crowd just over 2000 (singer Craig Finn claimed it may have been their biggest headlining gig audience anywhere in the world. As he said - after apologising to those in balcony ("not used to having anyone up there") it's not bad for a band that were deemed 'too American' for an UK audience) they kicked off with the powerful threesome of: Stuck Between Stations, The Swish , and (new single) Chips Ahoy . My companion for the evening, Alison (who replaced Pete who seemed to think a holiday with his girlfrie...

Elliot talks Cars to Hub "If all we wanted was a ringer or someone who could step in and think of Rick, I wouldn't ask someone the caliber of Todd to do the job. We have higher standards and expectations for this band."

The latest issue of the IEEE's Spectrum Magazine has an article on DRM which includes a number of quotes from Todd. 'Rundgren believes traditional record companies are on a path to extinction. To survive, he says, they'll have to become more entrepreneurial, promote their artists better, and recoup their investments in artists by sharing in performance income or other ventures, not through selling recorded music.' “The reality of the music industry,” he said in a phone interview from Raleigh, N.C., “is that artists don't see money from their recordings; we capitalize on music we have recorded by going out and performing live. It is actually more worthwhile to give your music away—and make it up in terms of ticket sales.”

The latest issue of the IEEE's Spectrum Magazine has an article on DRM which includes a number of quotes from Todd. 'Rundgren believes traditional record companies are on a path to extinction. To survive, he says, they'll have to become more entrepreneurial, promote their artists better, and recoup their investments in artists by sharing in performance income or other ventures, not through selling recorded music.' “The reality of the music industry,” he said in a phone interview from Raleigh, N.C., “is that artists don't see money from their recordings; we capitalize on music we have recorded by going out and performing live. It is actually more worthwhile to give your music away—and make it up in terms of ticket sales.”

The new purchases from June: Kelly Clarkson - My December Bon Jovi - Lost Highway The Hooters - Hooterization The Housemartins - Best of Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris Jack Savoretti - Between the Minds Therapy? - Troublegum Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full White Stripes - Icky Thump Dizzee Rascal - Maths + English Kate Rogers - Seconds

When I bought the Charlotte Hatherley album earlier this year my first thought was that it was one of the worst records I'd heard in some time. Thankfully, I have never been a first impressions are alway right person, so I gave it more time and found that it was in fact a pretty decent record. I must however confess to thinking that her voice is rather weak and weedy, a fact that didn't fill me with great expectations when the opportunity to see her perform an acoustic set live presented itself (as it turned out Hatherley was also accompanied on electric guitar by 'charly'). How wrong could I be. Playing a set that cherry picked the best tracks off the current album ( I want you to know, Behave, Be Thankful, Wounded Sky, Siberia , as well as throwing in old favourite Basardo and a few well choosen covers: Simon Dupree and the Big Sounds’- Kite , a Wire song that I recognised and have shamefully forgotten the title of ; and Kim Wilde’s - Kids in America , this was sur...

Part of the regular Thursday night at the club 'The Glitz', this week was Depeche Mode themed, with virtually all the music played by the DJ's outside of the sets by the band being by DM. Each band also threw in a cover or two in the spirit of the evening. I must confess I have gone along primarily to see Cassette , who have released one of my favourite singles of 2007 - The Smartest Bomb. They also turned out to be the best band of the evening in my opinion, wonderfully 80's synth heaven. Global Citizen was a bit odd. Musically not at all bad, but the bad Gary Newman esq. vocals really didn't do much for me and I was happy when his set had finished. The Problem Being all have different 80's haircuts and want to RAWK ... They were ok in a Sigue Sigue Sputnik naff kind of way, but I wont loose any sleep if I don't see and hear them again.

Neil Justin of PopMatters picks his top 10 musical moments and has a spot in it form Todd. Pat Metheny, Todd Rundgren and Taj Mahal, “Sunday Night” (1989): Those who saw NBC’s late-night experimental series are bound to agree with me that it was the finest musical show ever because it took more chances than a Flying Wallenda. I’ll never forget the night the band dressed up in sailors’ uniforms while unlikely geniuses teamed up for a medley from “HMS Pinafore.” Gilbert and Sullivan would have been proud

Shawn Colvin is 51. Hard to believe looking at her sat on stage at the Empire. She delivers a 75 minute set with 15 minute encore filled full of her beautifully crafted folk-pop. The Set draws mainly from her excellent current record, These Four Walls and her Grammy award winning A Few Small Repairs . [I must confess I would personally have liked a bit more from Whole New You and Steady On - still yearn to hear Something To Believe In live]. Highlights in the main set included: Fill me Up; Wichita Skyline and of course Sunny Came Home. In the encore you could not fault her very entertaining cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and wonderful rendition of Amy Grants's If These Walls Could Speak . This was the second time I had seen Colvin having previously seen her support Mary Chapin Carpenter (a great gig by the way). Good value. Also worthy of a mention was the support act Jack Savoretti, a 22 year old whipper-snapper who with singer-songwriters back being 'cool' c...

Contact music has news of the release next month of the Under The Influence Of Giants debut album. The band features Jamin Wilcox (Willie Wilcox's son) on drums (of course)

Happy Birthday Todd - Todd is 59 today. Also a happy one to the wondeful Kris Kristofferson, who is 71, and Cyndi Lauper, who amazingly is 54 already.

Steven Tyler interviewed by today's Daily Mirror , talks about Liv and Todd “Now she’s doing movies all the time I still don’t see much of her,” says Steve. “I surely have regrets about not being there for Liv when she was growing up. It just happened that when I courted Bebe, Liv’s mum, I was stuck in a spot that sounds like the middle section of Whole Lotta Love. You know the one? I was in the way outosphere. I was in the sweet spot, hanging between the lines. Very long lines.” Nowadays, he and Rundgren are pals, although Tyler admits he’s a little jealous of his old rival. “Yeah, I’m envious that he owns all that property in Hawaii!” he laughs. Meanwhile, Today's Times has an interview with BC Camplight who, it comments, "Christinzio’s music is like being run over by a runaway truck stuffed with care bears, glitter and, hell, a few gold-potted rainbows. Like his heroes Brian Wilson and Todd Rundgren, his ambition is nothing less than to create “perfect pop”.

Nice interview with Liv in Australia's Herald Sun Washington Post review the latest offering from Sea and Cake - 'Everybody' and comments that the track "Up on Crutches's" sunny pop-soul recalls early-'70s Todd Rundgren.

The new purchases from May: Twisted Sisters - Best of Scott Walker - The Drift Fishbone - Still Stuck in Your Throat Manic Street Preachers - Send Away the Tigers Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight Funeral for a Friend - Tales Don't Tell Themselves Kings of Leon - Because of the Times Lush - Ciao! 1989 -1996 Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna - Are you the Destroyer? Tracey Amos - Who are we Really? Revolutionary Youth League - RYL EP Cassette - The Smartest Bomb EP Race Card - Race Card Amanda Kaletsky - Between You & Me

Blogcritics has an interview with Todd Fink of The Giving Tree Band who reveals "I've been around music and instruments my whole life. My parents love music and even named me after one of their favorite musical artists, Todd Rundgren. My dad played multiple instruments and taught me a lot on guitar in childhood. I gravitated to the guitar right away".

JamJunky is the site that allows songwriters to get feedback on what others think of their creations. As an artist, you can upload your song, along with any details including tempo, key, lyrics, the song’s inspiration, and liner notes. Then you can send the page to friends to check out and comment on. If you’re feeling confident and want more feedback, you can leave your song open to the criticism of the JamJunky community. (via Profy.Com )

Went over to The Legion pub on Old Street last thursday with Diane to see a few bands. Longview were the headline act with with Autokat and Working For a Nuclear Free City in support. Autokat started off really bad but got a bit better as they went on, NFC were dire, and Longview were not too bad - in a Embrace/Coldplay sounding kind of way. The overuse of pipped in background vocals to make the lead singer sound better did start to get on my nerves a bit, and they are a bit samey (an opinion reenforced by listening to their album) But, they seem to have a small but dedicated following - Michael, Diane's ex that came along being one of them. Don't think I'd go out of my way to see any of the bands again, but at least i wouldn't leave anywhere where Longview were playing.

Nick Jameson, now most likely to be recognised for appearances in Lost and 24 but was originally in the band American Dream - which happened to be Todd's first production work for someone other than himself - gives Todd a mention . Also another gig review . This one from Birmingham.

First off the title makes me think of Iron Maiden's - Two Minutes to Midnight . Boy, I used to love that track. Still ok, but not the classic I remembered. But enough. A few weeks ago I looked at Avril Lavigne's latest record - her third - and lamented how she seemed to be getting worse rather than better. Hello Linkin Park. I love Hybrid Theory. There, I've said it. Listened to it again recently and I still think it is an excellent record. Just before the second album came out I actually said to my flat-mate that I hoped they'd split up and not release another record because they would not make a better record that Hybrid Theory. And then came Meteora ... and guess what? Sides 3 and 4 of Hybrid Theory were ok, but a lot of it wasn't really that great (with the exception of 'Faint' the only track I would actually have put on Hybrid). So ... New album ... Rick Rubin ... over 14 months to create ... and, it really isn't very good. I will say they are tryin...

It was 1989 when I first heard and saw the Manics. I was in my first year at Swansea University. They rocked. It still took a couple of years for their first proper album to come out - Generation Terrorists . This great album was followed by two more before Richey Edwards went missing/committed suicide. But the first post Richy album, Everything Must Go , was pretty good ... and then... It all went tits up musically for me. What followed were three very poor records. To be honest I had given up hope of another decent record. So, imagine my surprise when Send away the Tiger's came along. This is without a doubt the best thing the manics have done since Everything . Yes, some of it sounds a lot like other manics tunes and they seem to have been listening to GnR's Sweet Child o Mine too; but the first half of this album is pure pop/rock magic. The title track kicks things off, followed by a typical manics rocker, Underdogs , before hitting the wonderful first single Your love a...

Apparently Todd is STILL writing that autobiography ... Rundgren also has been writing a high-concept autobiography -- slowly, he says, because it reminds him of "a big homework assignment." Each page of the book can be read separately and will contain three distinct elements: a factual account of something that happened, his fantasy recollection of that same experience ("what I idealistically remember," Rundgren says) and a philosophical summary of what he learned from it. "It's not really chaptered," he says. "Sometimes I think I need a concept to do just about anything." I remember when I joined Patronet for a year, a few years back, this was a coming soon item! Meanwhile the Palm Beach Post has a nice interview with a mention of Bourgeois Tagg too. The Herald Times has a piece on Toby Myers who apparently watched the first-ever broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” in Todd Rundgren’s living room with Rundgren and Bebe Buell

Just bought the new Manic Street Preachers CD. Opinion to follow in a few days.

Not my usual kind of gig, but as a Birthday present to my flat mate in December of last year I arranged tickets to see Mr Marsters (known to many TV fans as Buffy's, Spike). Now funny enough I had already seen Mr Marsters on stage before - several years ago when he came on stage at a Four Star Mary gig. For a while he had a band called Ghost of the Robot, but he disbanded then a couple of years ago and started performing solo and mostly acoustic. What surprised me most (and for anyone who heard James sing in 'Once more with feeling' the classic Buffy musical episode will know what I mean) is how well he sang. He actually has a pleasant voice, especially on the quieter numbers. He is still not the greatest songwriter in the world, but there was some good stuff in there all the same. Able support was supplied by Dan Akio Sherwood - who also displayed a nice sense of humour. If David Gray's guitar based stuff is your thing, then check the man out. The Crowd was a rat...

The new purchases from April: Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero The Hold Steady - Live at Lollapalooza 2006 Blonde Redhead - 23 Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5.55 Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious Hayseed Dixie - Weapons of Grass Destruction Magnum - Spirit: A History Amadeus - Film Soundtrack

Todd's gig opening the Fillmore Philadelphia sounded like it was fun - he even played "Slut" of all things. The Phili Inquirer has the low down

Found this cool little links page.

Now I suppose there is a view among some NIN fans that the last album White Teeth was a bit too mainstream Rock and not enough industrial/electronic sounding and true NIN-like (indeed the recent live set's lack of material from this record may reflect that). Personally I thought/think that White Teeth is a good record, but then I like to Rawk!. But, I digress We now have Year Zero, the first of what is rumoured to be part one of a two-piece concept album release. Lyrically Trent has Re-imagining the US as a police state in 15 years Musically we are back in the very electronic realm. Lyrically it's the usual Trent mixture of good and bad."I pushed the button and elected him to office/He pushed the button and he dropped the bomb" (Capital G) The album kicks off with brief instrumental "Hyperpower!" which moves nicely into the slow-building "The Beginning of the End" (one of the album's best songs) before rushing headlong into lead single "Su...

The Pontomac News talks to Todd

I still remember the first time I heard Avril Lavigne - On a listen post at a Virgin store in Chicago. The album was only just out in the States and still a long way away from appearing in the UK, but being a lover of pop/rock and an old fan of the likes of Pat Benatar, Patty Smyth (Scandal) and that ilk, the first bars of Losing Grip had me interested. When this was followed by Complicated, Sk*ter Boi and I'm With You , I thought, quite like it (indeed I would say that Losing Grip and I'm With You remain her musical high points). Bought it. She then followed this up with Under My Skin. Already I was starting to think, not so sure. And now we have Best Damn Thing. It is hard not to conclude that Avril is going backwards musically, at least unless you're under the age of about 12, in which case you'll probably think this is the best album ever. To be fair it isn't that the album is bad exactly, it is just more of a case that whereas after the first album came out...

"DMGI continues to build its catalog with high quality content from legendary artists, including unreleased, rare, and never-before-heard tracks," said Mitchell Koulouris, Chief Executive Officer of DMGI. "Today's announcement of previously unreleased work by these artists underscores our commitment to acquiring and making available great music to fans and music enthusiasts around the world." Todd Rundgren/Utopia: The Todd Rundgren and Utopia archive features approximately 2,000 never-before-released live recordings, demos, out-takes, and alternate versions from 1977 to 2000. It also includes a significant array of never-before seen video footage as well. Rundgren, both an accomplished songwriter and producer whose hits "I Saw the Light," "Can We Still Be Friends," "Hello, It's Me," and "Bang the Drum" vaulted him from a cult following to stardom, formed Utopia in the mid-1970s. The archive includes never before seen o...

From Phily.com Rundgren's next venture ... He'll make a CD that is a tribute to 1970s arena-rock, a time he believes was a good one for rock-'n'-roll. "It was the overlap between progressive rock and the stuff AC/DC or Yes might do," he said. "The Mahavishnu Orchestra was selling out arenas in those days. Mostly, it is a case of when I see something not being done, I feel I am more useful if I am filling that gap no one is covering."

Seems even Liv's therapist had problems coming to terms with her two dads problem

In one of those (why not) moments I went to see ex Sugababe Mutya Beuna last night at the Borderline. Dragged Pete along. Not exactly a long set - around 45 mins including encore, but tickets were only £7, so still not too bad. The girl can sing. They did always say she was the Sugababe with the best voice. Musically she's not really my bag, kind of soul by numbers for the most part, but there were a couple of stand out tracks: The current single (which borrows Lenny Kravitz's - It ain't over til it's over') Real Girl ; the upbeat and (live at least) rocky 'Strung Out' ; and 'Just a little Bit' . On last night's evidence she should be set for a successful solo career.

You can tell I am not at work with too much time on my hands. New Avril Lavigne song/video - girlfriend. Is is me or does this remind you of Hey Mickey by Toni Basil at times? Chessy (yes); Crap? (quite possibly) am I already humming the bloody thing? (oh yeah). And I only thought of this today, but she kind of reminds me of Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars)

Steve Jobs was in town today (London) and the rumour mill had it that he was here to announce the availability of the Beatles back catalogue online. It wasn't that, however it was more importantly news that EMI (as suspected to be fair) is going to be the first of the Majors to take the DRM off their music they sell through iTunes (or at least for 'premium' material). What does that mean? as far as the UK goes: 79p/$0.99/€0.99/ single track- with drm and at 128kbps quality 99p/$1.29/€1.29 single track- no drm and 256kbps quality Album prices unchanged with no drm and all at 256kbps quality Well done EMI. Great news for album buyers (as no price increase) and even for those single track buyers, the quality will be doubled. Of course, the true way to go is the way of our russian friends as far as choice in format/quality goes, but this is a welcome start. At least they have decided not to take the blanket approach that all their customers and potential customers are music pi...

The very lovely Marion Raven, who is currently on tour with Meatloaf, Kaz and Co has an album on its way and the first single off the album 'Heads Gonna Roll' is already appearing with a video that is a 14 year old male rock fans dream - yes we have nudity. This song was co-written by Nikki Sixx

Ever wanted to be in Placebo Video? Here's your chance. Head over to motionbox, download the lyrics and the instrumental version of the track from the site, and simply film yourself singing along to their new single RUNNING UP THAT HILL. Brian Molko says, "This is a great opportunity to get the fans involved in one of our videos. "Knowing our fans, as visually diverse as they are, we expect some very creative feedback. (It) could make very interesting viewing and we look forward to it."

Another new bit for this blog. Each month a list of new things physically bought/downloaded the previous month. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank Grinderman - Grinderman Paramore - All We Know is Falling Mary Chapin Carpenter - The Calling The Arcade Fire - The Neon Bible Lucinda Williams - West David Bowie - Outside Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse Dean Martin - Live at the Sands Hotel Emma Burgess - Swim 20 Minute Loop - Yawn + House = Explosion Jesse Malin - Glitter in the Gutter Mandi Perkins - Broken Window

So Nick Cave was sitting around one day and decided it was time for a side project away from the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds albums, so he grabbed a couple of the very same Seeds to join him in Grinderman - a wonderfully raw record that dispenses with Cave' usual piano balladry and just concentrates on rocking. And boy does it. Blues rock with lots of fuzz and distortion. Kicking off with the shouting Get it On which moves smoothly into the wonderful No Pussy Blues and the woman who just "didn't want too". There really isn't a dud track on the whole thing, although Depth Charge Ethel , Honey Bee and When my Love Comes Down are current favourites. Some cracking lyrics here too, take these from the album's closer Love Bomb "I been listenin' to the Woman's Hour, I been listenin' to Garden Question Time/ But everything I try to grow, I can't even grow a dandelion." Brilliant. The first essential purchase of 2007.