The "Maharajah of the Keyboard"

Click here for the BBC article including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, President Sarkozy of France; quotes from Basie and Ellington and also mentions that he was the first living Canadian to be pictured on a stamp.

Diana Krall said Oscar Peterson had been "the reason I became a jazz pianist".

"We all know he was the greatest living jazz pianist after Art Tatum," she said.

"That's my person I looked up to most in my whole life who also happened to be Canadian."

My vibes to Diana and everyone who loved Oscar Peterson. He seemed like a sweet guy offstage, judging from all the honors he received around the world.

Sir John Dankworth: "He was a wonderful player, prodigious technique, fantastic ideas and a very humble man."

CBC Photo Gallery

NHL Highlights with Bad Metal

This is a nice melding of sports, music and web-based video, so I felt it was worth including, from a technical point of view. Revolution Mother is kinda weak (even though I wouldn't say that to their faces!).

Turn off the sound and play it with a band you like. Looks like old highlights though, which makes it pretty irrelevant, news-wise. Maybe they should use newer highlights and better songs, but I'm sure someone thought of that already. They do a nice job with editing and the band and song get excellent exposure with this feature. It's also prominently on NHL.com.

Actually now that I see that they record for Cement Shoes Records, I am willing to give Revolution Mother more of a chance. Aren't you?

Farewell Paul Yeskel and Oscar Peterson

I was driving in upstate New York the other day and a number popped into my head. I couldn't remember who it belonged to. It was 679-9111. If you are reading this post about Paul Yeskel, you might recognize that number. I just realized it was his, with deja vu/weird memories induced by having just read that he died yesterday in his sleep at 56 from undetermined causes. I'm very sorry to hear this news and send my sympathy his brother Dave and the rest of the family. I worked (but mostly hung at events) with both of them over the years, most recently last year's Who concert at Madison Square Garden and the wonderful Island Records reunion Patrick Jordan and Julie Sherwood threw last March. He was a classic rock guy and that's about the best thing you can be.

The songs are played out because they are good and Paul Yeskel helped get a lot of good songs played. I wonder if anyone reading this can name a few he promoted with a story or two. Radio promotion is a dying art and Paul Yeskel was great at it. Good offspring with the Syndicate kids and the legendary Kim White especially. Respect and farewell to Paul Yeskel and Oscar Peterson, who obviously had something to do with music too.

I feel like when I saw Oscar Peterson he was smiling a lot. I saw him at Steppingstone Park in Great Neck and maybe on Blue Note's 50th at Carnegie Hall. He played so many shows, so many notes. Pretty mind boggling to think of all those people, the joy he brought. It had to have been mostly through live shows but Oscar Peterson must have had some big albums too. I'm glad I got to see him. He played very, very fast with a lot of melody and taste. And he had the classic name of Oscar.

Mitt Romney's a Nappy Headed* Ho

Hats off to the Concord Monitor for writing an incendiary, attention-grabbing editorial of non-endorsement about Mitt Romney.

"If you were building a Republican presidential candidate from a kit, imagine what pieces you might use: an athletic build, ramrod posture, Reaganesque hair, a charismatic speaking style and a crisp dark suit. You'd add a beautiful wife and family, a wildly successful business career and just enough executive government experience. You'd pour in some old GOP bromides - spending cuts and lower taxes - plus some new positions for 2008: anti-immigrant rhetoric and a focus on faith.

Add it all up and you get Mitt Romney, a disquieting figure who sure looks like the next president and most surely must be stopped." (Concord Monitor editorial, 12/23/07)

I think James Brown was right, hair and teeth are important for performers.

Who had better hair, Reagan or Romney? I'd say the Gipper, because at least it was a contemporary style for him. A lot of women say John Edwards has good hair, and hopefully he'll get a legitimate shot at the title. I agree with his "Two Americas" rap, but I consider myself a Hillary Clinton supporter. I have voted for her before and she's presently in the lead, so it's hard to get fully on the Edwards bandwagon with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt when there isn't one (yet).

Do we know anyone who roots for Mitt Romney? The Red Sox made him their Governor, I know that much.

* - compared to "Dutch" Reagan that is.

Creole Mustard & JazzFest 2008

A little shot of this mustard on left got me thinking about the Crescent City and that isn't bad (except for the part starring "Katrina's Kolossal Klowns" W, Brownie, Chertoff, et al).

O the humanity indeed.

I haven't ventured that deeply into Zatarain's page but I'm sure it has some wonderful recipes. I have been fortunate to catch a couple of demonstrations in their booths at JazzFest, such as grilled oysters or crawfish. Here is the link to the Creole Mustard page. I don't think it's all-natural but it's good.

A few artists I've seen there before with excellent results have already been announced -- Frankie Beverly & Maze, Tim McGraw and The Neville Brothers.

This past spring, I was at the inaugural Coachella Stage Coach fest with the Sirius Outlaw Country crew, and it will definitely be another major event in its second year too. But JazzFest is one of a kind. I look forward to the announcement of the complete 2008 lineup, but in the meantime, check out some Zatarain's with me, and listen to the incredible WWOZ the Sound of New Orleans.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WATT!

our beloved friend mike watt hit 50 today. at right, watt and i hang at NYU in Oct. '07. here's a poem he sent to his flow today:



funny
line in the sand
I
tripped over and
fell
gravity decidin' where
my
face met the surf
all wet
w/fifty



- watt

A Reggae Shocker for 2008

Please check out this great video of Peter Tosh singing 400 Years!



What do Quebec, Rembrandt and the song in the video have in common? The are all about four centuries old.

But who would have guessed in a hundred years, let alone 400, that our friend Andrew WK would enter into a collaboration with Lee Scratch Perry!?!!? At the recent Carbon/Silicon show, I saw the incredible Matt Pinfield of HDNet, who was at SXSW when they met but was unaware there was an album in the works. It's a shocker no question, but I can't wait to hear it!

And another thing, Josh Groban's no Elvis, I don't care how many weeks in a row his Christmas album is #1. Ok I will give it up to Josh Groban, but don't expect to see any video of him here.

An Intense Campaign for "Cloverfield "

One of the prime directives of street teams is to never take down someone else's poster. Today I saw a few that contained intense images, were not hung very high and were in a potentially offensive spot. I was scared, I was pissed, I was intrigued. In other words, a very effective campaign!

They were posters for the film Cloverfield, a JJ Abrams production that opens January 18, 2008. It was a view of the Statue of Liberty with its head blown off, quite reminiscent of the final scene of Planet of the Apes but also New York's real day of terror (see left).

Placed across the street from two major high schools, but also in front of the 100 year old Ladder Company 35 of FDNY, which commemorates 11 of its members who died that horrible day, sure struck me as effective if not insensitive. They probably are tough enough to handle a poster but I wouldn't be surprised if they complained too.

Personally, I didn't take down the posters and here I am being viral about it. El Diablo and I were just talking about one of the classic films of the 70s, The Towering Inferno, which I saw at least five or six times in the theater before seeing it live on 9/11.

I saw the Cloverfield trailer and all I wish Fantastic Four 2 with the Silver Surfer and Galactus had been really scary like that. Jessica Alba and her ticket buying fans ruin those scripts. None of the others are stars. Of the Marvel films, The Punisher might be one of the best because it is the most violent/realistic. The next Spider-Man will have some bad violence if Gwen Stacey gets it like she did in #122, however.

So enjoy Cloverfield! "PG 13 Warning: Violence, Terror and Disturbing Images."

Lewis Hamilton 2007 earbender sports personality of the year

Lewis Hamilton, the rookie Formula One driver who almost won it all in his first season! As a ten year old, he approached the head of a big race team and let him know that he would be king someday. I'm impressed by his performance and his attitude. He said winning the pole position was better than sex, but maybe he hasn't sampled the supermodels of the formula one circuit yet. He won four times, including Grand Prix races in Canada, Japan and Brasil, and would have won it all if not for a mechanical failure in the last race, ending the season in its closest finish in its 58 year history.

This historic season was barely mentioned in Sports Illustrated's year-end wrap up, but that's the exact reason for an earbender sports personality of the year, it recognizes personality as well as achievement and cultural significance.

Best wishes to Lewis Hamilton for a great career! At age 22, I hope we will get to see him take turns for many more years to come.

earbender 2007 in review/2008 preview

While most of the news from the music world has been doom over the past year, there were some bright spots and plenty to look forward to in the future. Pete Townshend's appearance at SXSW was something to be inspired by. He basically said that he is still doing things the old way on tour with the Who, but is also into the immediacy and freedom represented by what has come to be known as "Music 2.0." I am a bit scared of his computer, but I think he has the right idea.

The earbender ten has always been a multi-experience list. It's not a buying guide, but a living guide.

John Rosenfelder's Top Ten of 2007

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm featuring Larry David, especially the episode where Leon recommends that Larry "become another motherfucker." I was very skeptical about this story line at the start of the season, but Larry (and especially the brilliant JB Smoove as Leon) sure taught me a lesson at the end.



2. Spider-Man 3
As part of Film Week, I attended a premiere of the latest installment in the Bronx of all places. In some ways, the movies limit my imagination compared to the comic books, but it is nice to recognize scenes from the strips, which is a nice reason to see a Spider-Man movie where I know the story already for the most part. The Sandman in the sewer was straight out of Spider-Man #36. The movies are great and I'm also very into seeing Spider-Man on billboards and other advertising. I was so blown away by the co-branding on Spider-Man 3, I almost started a special edition of The Rosenfelder Index for its debut hype.

3. Of Montreal at Sundance, in the middle of the street, performing for the kids and execs. I was very into their album "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?", so to see them chop it up on "Happy" and a few originals during soundcheck was great. Here's a bit of them doing "We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafling." It starts out distorted but gets awesome about a minute in.



4. Kanye West "Graduation" album

5. Chanteuses: Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight for a few weeks at least, same w/new Suzanne Vega "Frank and Ava." Also from my back pages: PJ Harvey - White Chalk. Hats off to a nice result for Amy Winehouse. How often does the Winner of SXSW end up in the Top 40, let alone the cover of the NY Post, Rolling Stone, etc. Not to mention, she's English! Unfortunately it's more for her behavior than her music but at least the public and the media care about a rock star acting like a rock star.

6. Movie, Soundtrack and Concert: I'm Not There
After years of effort, Randall Poster and Jim Dunbar, along with Todd Haynes and Jeff Rosen, breathe new life into Dylan's catalog and his long and winding life story as an artist with a broad range of great artists. The concert at the Beacon Theatre and the after-party was a Hollywood night in NYC, as well. The quality and depth of the album and movie will be dissected for years to come, just like Bob himself.

7. Missed Classic Rock Reunions: The Police, Genesis, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin. I didn't see any of these shows but I did happen to catch The Musical Box do an amazing recreation of the 1973 Genesis tour, complete w/costumes, between-song patter and a great set list. They should give out deodorant to the fans, though.

8. Pete Townshend was inspirational at SXSW, however. His dual career direction (the conventional reunion tour with the Who and his web activities/club gigs) is a sensible approach for us old record guys too.

9. The Robot Guitar by Gibson is a fascinating instrument, and the biggest jump in electric guitar technology since the Roland GR-1 synthesizer in the 1980s. It will be interesting to see how the video game generation of guitar fans will approach the real thing. I was having a blast playing Guitar Hero with Jason Hradil and Eric Molk from Sony one night and just as I thought about getting my own, I realized that I can play a real guitar. I wonder if this will create more interest in guitar and rock music over the next 5 years or so. Considering we can see Lewis Hamilton's growth documented from a remote controlled car to a go-kart to a Formula One racer in 15 years, wouldn't it be great if a generation of Jimmy Pages and Keith Richardses grew from Guitar Hero's influence? The Robot Guitar might be a nice mix of fantasy and reality for them.

Speaking of guitar heroes, one of the great moments of 2007 was witnessing a very intimate hang between Les Paul and Willie Nelson outside Annie Balliro's Hard Rock Cafe event for Farm Aid and Willie's Peace Research Institute. They had a good hang and when Les bailed for his Iridium show, Willie kept repeating "That was Les Paul."

***See you on the second generation (with another price break!): The iPhone

10. U2 Joshua Tree Reissue
The best of the best comes back to remind us how great they have were, and for how long they have kept it going. There is no U2 reunion -- they have never broken up! I am thrilled they have reunited with Eno/Lanois again and expect their next one to be great. Came with a great 2.0 promo from iLike.com featuring a great interview with Bono recorded on a camera phone.

11. Missed reality shows: A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, Bret Michaels, Peter Brady, Scott Baio.

12. Prince for all his 2.0 moves. As talented as he is as a writer, producer and performer (hello, the Super Bowl appearance was amazing), Prince has also set the pace business-wise from the earliest days of his career. London Times giveaway, shutting down bloggers... Maybe he is on Music version 3.0 by now!

13. Robin Quivers - because no one ever puts the great Howard Stern on any lists and that means Robin does even worse. I love the show but I want to give her credit for cracking me up and being pretty on tv too. I love Artie Lange a lot and was pleased to meet him backstage with Amy Salit (who was doing the usual post-appearance NY guest list hang) at the benefit for crazy cabbie.

*** The new Bionic Woman was utterly disappointing as was Fantastic Four 2: The Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Farewell Phil Rizzuto. The Scooter was a big part of our lives for over 30 years and I will miss him and always remember him.


2008 things to look forward to:
Iron Man
new u2 album
Willie's 75th birthday box set
A new US president
Amy Winehouse gets teeth

Tool "Vicarious" DVD Update

Since it was released yesterday, I can feel a bit less freaked out about it -- the old school "security service" vibe was as scary as the content of the video! Speaking of security service, I bet the guy who used that term, Al Coury, is stoked he never had to deal w/leaks over the net. He was an intense old head of promo credited w/blistering conference calls, Fridays off, many #1s and even a legal battle w/Irene Cara that went on for many years longer than her career.

If ANYONE has an issue with the photo above, please contact me and I will remove it immediately. I'm staunchly on the side of the industry/rights holders if they need me to be.

Anyhow, here is a still photo from the Tool DVD Vicarious that came out yesterday on Mr. Richards' 457th birthday. (Keith Richards years are equal to 9-10 human years).

Party on Mr. Richards!!!!!

Nats in the XMAS Spirit

Check out this nice ecard I just received from the Washington Nationals. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman dives through the snow, just like Rock Raines used to do on the old Expos. Zimmerman probably isn't trying to protect the can of coke in his sock, but the image took me back.

No Asterisks for Steroid Cheaters

Everyone knows it was "the steroid era." There should no more be an asterisk for these players' stats than should there be one on the numbers of players from the high mound, dead ball and segregated eras.

It would be heavy if it cost Roger Clemens the Hall, but why shouldn't it? Like Bonds, he was probably already in when they first "went on the program." And like Rose, Shoeless Joe and more recently Mark McGwire, they will be made examples of and kept out.

But Rich "Goose" Gossage belongs and I hope this is the year for one of Willie Nelson's biggest fans.

The Mitchell Report is a bit of a mind-blow, to find out these guys were cheating. But on the other hand, doesn't it seem like they fall into a few categories? There are the border-line journeymen who make up the majority but then there is a circle of bona fide superstars. The superstars all seem to be the wound-too-tight type a personalities. Some of these guys seem like real rats, especially now that the jig is up.

Hank Aaron is still the Home Run King to me.

Bud Selig and College Radio

Had to jump on to add a story in reference to the Mitchell Report of Steroid Use by Major League Baseball Players, as Commissioner Bud Selig is now taking questions from the press. This is a big story, years in the making and this is only the second of three press conferences the principals will be holding today to get the story out.

So Selig makes his comments and invites questions from the assembled media. The third question was from Stephanie Stepp, a reporter from WHCR, New York the radio station at Manhattan's City College!!!!!!

It was a long-winded question that mentioned the Glory Days exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York and how present times seem almost the opposite of the 50s for baseball. Stepp then asked about the implications of Barry Bonds' case on his future efforts, to which Selig answered "it would be inappropriate to comment."

But I'm pumped one of our people was in there along with Bill Madden, Selena Roberts and the other regulars. Here's a link to her program "What's Going On," broadcast on Sunday afternoons at 3pm on WHCR.

Way to go Stephanie Stepp!

Ike Turner RIP

Just heard the news that earbender client Ike Turner has left us.

Incredibly, I had just been in touch with Thrill Mgmt. about a relaunch in January for the great box set The Ike and Tina Turner Story, 1960-1975 from Time-Life. Ike was ready to do some interviews with college and community radio, who over the past few months have accounted for about 20% of all Ike and Tina play in the USA!

College and community radio's support of artists like Ike Turner and the history of music, especially what Max Roach called "the continuum of black creativity" is very important to me and Ike's people were excited to here my term "Black Americana" applied to him and his music. My sympathy to Phil and the folks at Thrill, Ike's family and friends.

He had a lot of miles on that Rocket 88 and they sure aren't making them like him anymore.

Let the conjecture over his value as a person and artist begin.

Tina Turner has the opening closing remark: "Tina is aware that Ike passed away earlier today. She has not had any contact with him in 35 years. No further comment will be made."

According to "Ike Defender," a commentator on NYTimes.com, "Ike Turner met a pregnant teenager named Anna Mae Bullock (impregnated by one of his band members) and married her partially so she wouldn’t bear the shame of being an unwed mother. It was Ike who helped make her a star and - in the process - who gave a break to many R&B musicians as his career took off.

Did he make mistakes? Yes. Did he admit them? Yes.

That’s alot more than most people can say.

Ike was an integral part of American rock and R&B. I’m sorry he’s gone. I am MORE sorry that his legacy is defined by a movie that even Tina admitted was not accurate in its portrayal of Ike Turner, the Man."

You never know what happens behind closed doors and I personally looked the other way on the wife beating reputation.

But I am a fan of Tina and her comeback/recovery from being with Ike. I liked her autobiography I, Tina and the movie a lot. The comeback is the hardest thing in show business and Tina did it -- BIG TIME (as watt would say).

Read the AP obit
Ike Turner Home Page
NY Times by Jon Pareles & Profile from 2001
Ike & Tina Turner in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

2008 Will Be a Great Year for Rock

The Led Zeppelin show was not that important musically, but it has compelled the media and in my case, a classic rock fan -- the target audience. A lot of the music business must be eagerly awaiting its "implications" and I hope there are many. The main thing is people seem interested. To paraphrase Daffy Duck's regret to Bugs after bringing down the house with his suicide, they can only do it once. As Page referred to the repetition of touring, you get the sense they couldn't/wouldn't Vegas-it like the Stones, just doing 100 of the same show over 18 months around the world. Still, the Stones' press conference announcing the Bigger Bang tour held in my neighborhood in May 05 was a great day.

Last night I had the honour of being among the first people to see Tool's new DVD Vicarious. As usual, dark, scary but sort of inscrutable too.

I'm glad I don't totally understand what happened, but to be brief, a translucent being on a desert-like planet has worm-like figures (with faces) come out of its eyes and penetrate a giant orb floating above the barren landscape. Once inside, it looks like a 3D version of the album cover in red. Just wall to wall eyes. It could pull some kids away from video games for a few minutes!

In the meantime, here's a little gold from Tool, 1994's "Sober." Despite the advances in tecnology, Vicarious had a similar look as the older video. Tool has style.

Speaking of which, I thought I would throw up a few good Led Zeppelin reunion links. Hurry on YouTube it looks like WMG may not want it up there. And that is a topic in itself as the the mythical event meets the double edged sword of the "internets." Like everyone else, I'm psyched we get to see it, but if I held the rights I think there would have been a very invasive frisking at the door and confiscation of cell phones, pdas, watches, glasses with cameras in them, etc. I wonder what forms of clothing now have computers built in. Where's Peter Grant when you need him?

Forget the RIAA, if I thought Peter Grant might catch me with these clips on my blog, I would reconsider the following:

Crunchgear is a tech blog but humorously refers to LZ as "indie." If there is a crackdown, note that Roadrunner Records' Blabbermouth has an extensive set of clips. Probably not an accident! If you could direct the fans to a certain part of the company to promote other bands while they watch the classic cuts, that would be the page to send them to. AlleyInsider.com fans the flames of conspiracy but the video of the opening of the show plays on their site.

If there is any company in the world that "gets" the fans and will figure out how to harness the power of the net, it'll be WMG. This reunion was not a baby-boomer thing, I'm sure there was a lot of 2.0 built into the project that may not have even played out yet even at this late date of two days later. Has anyone checked out the contest on Ziddio.com?

The inimitable Ed Christman of Billboard's song for song
CNN "Black Dog"
YouTube "Good Times Bad Times"
Rolling Stone - photos
Rolling Stone - David Fricke review
MOJO - Review by Phil Alexander
NY Times Review by Ben Ratliff
NME clips and comments page (example below):

I ran across an interview in MOJO with Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon about her watercolors (as pictured above instead of Led Zep). I will try to keep it fresh and Sonic Youth is a good inspiration on many levels. The newest issue has a feature on their collaborator on the "Tunic (song for Karen)" video, Todd Haynes speaking about his great film I'm Not There. Remind me to do a whole post about that... it's intense and great.

End of the Year/Beginning of the Year

As previously mentioned, people like lists, so I'm in the process of formulating my best of 2007, picks to click in 2008, the earbender Sports Personality of the Year award and in early 2008, the Rosenfelder Index. I also have to get some kind of Year in Review or highlight reel going.



Winter has finally come climate-wise although I can still see some leaves that hardly turned still on a tree outside my window. What would it take for Bush and Cheney to stop fighting the scientists? I wonder what kind of evidence they would need to see. If you have an opinion, type it in below.

It looks like the Vermont weather has gotten ski season off with a bang and I heard from our friend Chad Reich of KBUT the other day that Crested Butte was "badass." Someday.

A few other ski/snowboard related links you may want to checkout include Okemo's blog where they mention a great event on January 9 to help raise money for various local organizations, Reverb and Ross Powers Foundation with help from members of The Barenaked Ladies, Guster and The Dave Matthews Band.

Earbender has helped with Reverb's Campus Consciousness tour in the past and this sounds like a great event too. January 9 in Vermont is ok w/me as long as there is snow.

I am pleased to announce that "Truly" from earbender client thenewno2's recent ep, was featured in the new Warren Miller film Playground.

"Two musical giants helped revive music at Vail" this past weekend when SnowDaze took over the area. I wonder if President Ford would have loved Ludacris' song "Slap" as much as I do. It really has a John Edwards vibe to it though. It's about economic hardship, in the tradition, and here is the censored version on video.

Following up on a story below, I checked out some of the footage and info about Evel Knievel's funeral from The Montana Standard. I'm very happy he didn't go out out on Wide World of Sports. Thanks for the memories Evel!

On the 70s tip, btw, I hear Led Zep. reunited last night! Being sort of intellectual/analytical about it, I have to say, "who cares"? I think it's exciting for two reasons: one, we get to see new pictures of them, see if they can still play the old music, etc. -- like when the Stones go on tour, it's mostly about nostalgia and repeating an old experience. Today, rock is not the most important genre of music as it was at Zeppelin's peak. The genre is an underdog but a big media event like last night's show can help give some people including the band, hope.

Sigue Sigue Sputnik

Here it is, a photo circa 1986 of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. A lot of college radio stations, including WNYU played them. I also noticed they were recently included in a video game and you know that can't be bad.

Since it's all all-important, maybe a good reason to make them the first band on earbender is that Sigue Sigue Sputnik was promoted ardently college and alternative radio. In 2.0, we would also be pumping them on a blog, so here they are to represent that old idea of artist development,and what could happen on this very page someday.

But having Sigue at the top of my page will also encourage me to keep posting because this picture really should only be glimpsed, not featured -- and even then only once in a while.

I'm stoked that it's become seasonally cold here in NYC, with a few bad rainstorms and strong winds to get the trees up to speed. Even a week or two ago, the colors hadn't come out... very weird autumn here, it felt a few months behind. Could it be climate change?

Anyhow, the traditional record promotion season ends next week with the last chart reports taken as holiday music edges out new albums. I'm sure everyone in that scene needs a good rest. I wonder what albums are coming out in the new year, does anyone have one they are looking forward to?

--What's an "album" anyway?

I will try to come up with some picks for upcoming releases, considering my "lists, and lists of lists" post below. People like lists and I have to make some of mine public. I do know there is a new Shelby Lynne ("Shelby Lynne channels Dusty" LA Times live review 11/1/07) album coming out in Feb 08 (just typed 02 by "accident").

I was surprised to see KEXP (not their link -- surprise!) on the cover of the NY Post today (see above for detail). Someone used an mp3 player to record a cop's interrogation and the paper used a Zune tuned to the station. Nice hit for them, it inadvertently shows you can listen to the radio on it and their new colors. Do you know anyone that has one? The new tv ad with kids listening and sharing on a bus seems like a familiar idea.

Remember this: "Won't you please save this seat for someone with a Zune?"

Oh they also mention the Grammys™ on the cover of the Post. Not a bad day for music actually. Amy Winehouse proves the business is still growing new superstars and there is still some meaning to the term "rock star." It's an old fashioned way of doing things that permeates more than just her retro sound, not intentionally of course. But due to her behavior, I'm looking forward to NOT seeing her endorse shampoo, phones, resorts, etc. Maybe she can be on "UK Ink."

It's not a music event but I saw it on the way home from Carbon/Silicon the other night. That was a pretty good show, but not because of their great songs. The band had exuberance, their guitar jamming was a treat for anyone who enjoyed Mick Jones' playing in The Clash. Tony James will never live down pictures of his old band Sigue Sigue Sputnik, one of the grand failures in the history of the business (in my opinion at least). Transvision Vamp also comes to mind, maybe they even had some common pedigree?

Welcome to the A.L. Dontrelle

Exciting news from my friend Hugh Surratt tonight, who informed me that the Detroit Tigers had acquired the highly coveted Miguel Cabrera, and a possibly vastly undervalued Dontrelle Willis (one of my favorite players). Cabrera's talents are well-documented, and Dontrelle has slipped over the past year or two but has also had many moments of greatness, such as his 2 homer game against the Mets.

If the AL is still more curve ball oriented, he could easily have a resurgence and be a force on the mound again. I'm pretty sure it will happen. He will also benefit from being different from most of the other pitchers style-wise, which is rough on hitters over a series. What about the saying that you never trade a lefty under 30? Dontrelle should have many good years left and I wish him and Cabrera the best in the American League. Hopefully I'll get out there to see a game this year. Obviously, those tickets have become harder to get in the past few years!

Lists, and the Earbender Sports Personality of the Year

Everybody breaks out some sort of list or ranking at the end of the year of their favorite movies, records, meals, etc. and I am thinking about doing the same. I want to create a new approach, somehow do things a little differently than just saying "this is my top 10, get into it."

One thing I have always done is throw in a few non recordings, such as books, movies, concerts and other highlights of the year. I'll put up a Top 10 favorite entertainment items of 2007 sometime soon.

With a slightly different spirit than the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, a few years ago I started naming the Earbender Sports Personality of the Year. My nominees for the 2007 honoree include Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton (above), New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, Rutgers Women's Basketball and Jamaica's Veronica Campbell. I want summarize and commemorate the year, publicize achievement and also "character."

Previous recipients include Ozzie Guillen (2005) and Drew Brees (2006).

Some folks who would have won a few of them include Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Thurman Munson, Derek Jeter and Mark Messier. Maybe I should start an Earbender sports Gallery of Greats?

Incidentally, in the coming weeks we will be rooting hard for our friend Rich "Goose" Gossage to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Goose may even get me to mention music on this page!

And 2008 will be the year that I finally, officially launch The Rosenfelder Index, which comes out the week before the Super Bowl, whenever that is.

People like lists.