Weekly Roundup & Open Thread

We’re all returning back to work today so here’s to helping your thwart off your case of the Mondays…

Catch up with the archives from last week at Live Music Blog, and definitely continue to welcome our new contributors, Kathryn and Whitperson, to the site. They’re going to be posting a bunch over the next week so keep checking back for new posts…

Gapers Block: Transmission Updated
Gapers Block just did a design refresh and update on their newish music blog, Transmission. I love the new look.
New Year’s Eve Shenanigans: Fun Covers and Big Bust-outs
Some bands bust out a nifty cover or set of cover tunes, others dust off old-school material, while others offer up a fresh take on the countdown to the New Year. Sure, a lot of these tricks and treats can fall short of expectations. But when they work, you can feel the crowd’s excitement build into frenzy. Since the 1st day of the year, the tapes have been filtering in and we’ve since been perusing the LMA and bittorrent sites for some gems we may have missed. So, here’s an LMB run-down of what went down…
Keller Williams | 2007 Tour Dates
U2 and Pearl Jam Rock in Honolulu
“I am lucky that I can travel to see music I like. There are 7 or 8 bands I will travel for. I love the rapture that music can create in our minds and how it can make our bodies dance. Although my passion is Ratdog and all things related to the Grateful Dead, two other bands on my travel list are U2 and Pearl Jam.”
Neko Case | 2007 Tour Dates
Neko always performs well live, sending that vibrating voice of hers out to wash over the audience, so find a date and place that works for you and check her out.
Langerado 2007 | Artist Additions Round 2
Galactic and Spam Allstars were added to the already impressive lineup…
Phish Friday | My First Show
The show ruled, I got a B on the political science test I had the next day, and all the local newspapers reported that many, many Phish fans got arrested for damaging University property surrounding the venue, including dorms, local gas stations, etc. Fans were bumming money from locals. Fans were throwing rocks at dorm windows. Fans got arrested for carrying and/or selling the usual suspects: ganja, shrooms, molly, blotters, etc. etc. etc. All stuff that is extremely scary to the residents of a town called Normal, IL.
The DIY Indie Band Biz Model…
If you read this site, you can probably list a bunch of bands that have also found success with a “go-it-alone” strategy and no major-label contract. You can probably name several bands that have been successful by focusing on their fans, their live shows, and gradually building loyalty and fan buzz over the long-term. So where are the similar press accounts about MMW, moe., Umphrey’s, STS9, or the Disco Biscuits? Why does it seem like these live bands–who are just as independent as your latest “indie rock” buzz band–consistently get ignored?
Podcast #051 – The Raconteurs @ Vegoose ’06
News Shorts from the Internet Ether
Got any random tips or juicy tidbits? Drop us a line in the comments.