By: David Schultz

Twenty years ago, an uninspired and jaded Generation X pondered their future while staring at a bleak job market, the trickle down economics of Reagan era failing to bring about feelings of prosperity or any sense of hope in America’s youth. At the same time, a disenfranchised demographic moved their interest from the boy bands and formulaic pop that flourish during economic upswings to the flannel-draped hordes flooding out of the Pacific Northwest. Capturing the zeitgeist, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice & Chains and the rest of their brethren turned self-loathing, insecurity and good old-fashioned rage into grunge rock, possibly saving rock and roll in the process. In contrast to the moody cynicism of the grunge rockers, Lenny Kravitz unleashed Let Love Rule, a psychedelic-drenched, flower-power collection that espoused a message of peace, love and harmony, owing as much to the peacenik nature of the Beatles as it did to Jimi Hendrix’ incendiary interpretation of the blues.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Two decades later, we face a floundering economy, a job market sitting at its nadir and Lenny Kravitz’ eternally optimistic and live-affirming attitude is as necessary and gloriously anachronistic to the times as it was back then. To celebrate the milestone of his debut album’s release, Kravitz has devoted his set list to reviving healthy portions of Let Love Rule, still his finest effort. Last week, Kravitz (finally) finished up his five night New York City residency at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. Originally scheduled to take place two weeks ago, Kravitz postponed the show, not wanting to turn in a subpar performance after his voice gave out on him.

Declaring the evening family night, Kravitz played with his daughter Zoe, who opened the show, perched atop one of the speakers along the side of the stage. Instead of playing Let Love Rule in its entirety, as has become the fashion, Kravitz used selected songs as a framework to resurrect the feeling and mood of the album. The steamroller guitar riffs of “Freedom Train” and “Mr. Cab Driver” remained tight and concise but on “Flower Child” and “Blues For Sister Someone,” Kravitz led the band through extended jams that flowed through organ leads and solos from the horn section. Stretching the songs out also let Kravitz show off his versatility, permitting him to show off the keyboards and jump behind the drum kit.

The free flow of the opening half of the show gave way to a run through Kravitz’ post-Let Love Rule greatest hits. More apropos for stadiums and amphitheaters, Kravitz’ proven arena-rockers like “Always On The Run” and “American Woman” blew the roof off The Fillmore and the ultra-funky elastic spring of the bass line of “Fly Away” got the tightly-packed throng to ignore the overcrowded dance floor. (When large acts come to Irving Plaza, the sound board and extra equipment take up to eight times as much room than that of the bands that usually play the venue; it hardly seems as if the venue adjust admission accordingly).

After an acoustic solo rendition of “Stillness Of Heart,” Kravitz closed the night with a lengthy version of “Let Love Rule,” urging the crowd to sing along until the message became ingrained in their psyche and fostering the communal spirit by jumping down from the stage to mingle with the masses. The Fillmore at Irving Plaza bears a fleeting, exceedingly corporate relationship to Bill Graham’s original venue. For five shows though, Kravitz’ heady vibe came closer to reconnecting with the ghosts of the Fillmore’s past than any number of posters and branding could ever accomplish.

HALLOWEEN 2009 WAS ALL ABOUT THE ROLLING STONES. After weeks of speculation, Phish chose to cover Exile On Main Street for Halloween at Festival 8 in Indio, California and Gov't Mule's first set on October 31 consisted solely of Stones classics. Even Mick Jagger himself took to the stage, albeit on Halloween eve, popping up on stage at Madison Square Garden during U2's Friday night set at the Rock & Roll Fame concerts to sing "Gimme Shelter" with Bono and The Black-Eyed Peas (Yes, that sentence is factually accurate).

Labels: Gov't Mule, Lenny Kravitz, Phish, The Rolling Stones

By: David Schultz

This Sunday night, U2's show from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena will be broadcast live on YouTube. The Worlds Biggest Band will be hosting the Worlds Greatest Listening Party while they help wizen people up to the fact that YouTube is broadening their broadband to show longer video clips. The Webcast starts at 8:30 p.m. and will be repeated twice afterwards. No matter how good your Internet connection, the broadcast won't match being there. It will be much cheaper though and if you aren't in California, well, this is just a great deal all around.

FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT THURSDAY your humble narrator failed to see Lenny Kravitz at Irving Plaza. Last week, Kravitz had to call off his performance due to issues with his voice. Everyone showing up at the venue was greeted with notice of the cancellation and directions to check Live Nation for the rescheduled date. Originally, Live Nation had the new date as October 22 (last night). Perhaps, checking a second time would have been prudent. With CMJ in town, the Fillmore staff thought it quite humorous someone was showing up to see Kravitz. Unless the date is changed again, October 28 will be the night Kravitz officially finished his New York residency.

Labels: Lenny Kravitz, U2

By: David Schultz

If you made your way to Irving Plaza last night intending to see Lenny Kravitz as part of his weeklong residency as part of his tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Let Love Rule, you were greeted with a brief, polite statement announcing the cancellation of the show. Due to an illness, Kravitz was unable to perform. If Live Nation can be trusted (and on this, I think we can), the show has been rescheduled for next Thursday, October 22.

JUST IN TIME TO CASH in on the upcoming onslaught of praise for The Strokes' 2001 debut, Is This It, in the impending slew of Best of the 2000 lists, on November 3, lead singer Julian Casablancas will release his solo debut, Phrazes For The Young. With Albert Hammond, Jr. having released a solo album, Nikolai Fraiture spending time with Nickel Eye and Fabrizio Morretti's success with Little Joy, we're probably more likely to see Nick Valensi engage in his own project than see a 4th Strokes album.

Labels: Lenny Kravitz, The Strokes

Lenny Kravitz debunked rumors that he would be giving up his solo career to join up with his former high school classmate Slash in Velvet Revolver. If ever there was a rock star that seemed perfectly suited to be ensconced in velvet, it would be Kravitz. However, as Lenny tells Rolling Stone, “I know and love the Velvet Revolver guys but there is no truth to the story about me joining their band.”

Kravitz will continue on with his Love Revolution tour, which has dates scheduled Internationally through the new year.

Labels: Lenny Kravitz, Velvet Revolver

By: David Schultz

Just because Earvolution hasn't gotten around to writing about some of this year's notable releases doesn't mean we haven't been listening.

The Black Crowes: Warpaint
A fine comeback for the Robinson brothers, nonetheless Warpaint fails to recapture the genius of the Crowes’ early days. Longtime fans won't be disappointed and would be hard-pressed to dispute the contention that the addition of Luther Dickinson is one of the best things to have happened to the Crowes in years. “Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution,” “Wounded Bird” and “Oh Josephine” have that inimical Crowes swagger but the magic isn’t sustained for the entire album. Even though it’s better than 2 ½ stars, Maxim could have justified its rating had they actually listened to the album beforehand.

Lenny Kravitz: It Is Time For A Love Revolution
Lenny’s “love revolution” seems to involve celibacy. Given how women get a little weak in the knees over Mr. Kravitz, this is slightly offensive to those of us who don’t have the benefit of his je ne se quois. Getting beyond the concept, Love Revolution is a return to the heartfelt hippie-rock that marked the best moments of Kravitz’ prior efforts. He unleashes his moody side on “I Love The Rain,” channels his inner guitar God on “Love, Love, Love” and “Bring It On” and “If You Want It” and “I Want To Go Home” are Kravitz at his inimitable best. This album, his first in four years, is his best effort in quite some time.

Donna Jean & The Tricksters: Donna Jean & The Tricksters
Even though she’s in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of the Grateful Dead, it’s easy to forget that Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay a member of the seminal jamband for most of the Seventies. After listening to Donna Jean & The Tricksters recent self-titled effort, any fading memories will quickly come flooding back. Deadheads who whine and moan about music going downhill since Jerry Garcia passed away will be rushing to take their bongs off the shelf after hearing Donna Jean & The Tricksters latest. “Travelin’ Light” could be a kissin’ cousin of “Tennessee Jed” and “Me And Kettle Joe” is an old-school, Dead-Style thirteen minute jam.

Drive-By Truckers: Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
The Truckers’ latest, the second of their post-Jason Isbell incarnation, is a prolific creative outburst that could have benefited from some prudent editing. Missing a unifying theme, the 19 tracks crackle with Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley’s acutely poignant insights even if the impact is diluted by the sheer volume. In tilling familiar thematic soil, Creation’s Dark is their most contemplative album to date. Even if the album fails to produce a defining anthem, “That Man I Shot” and “The Righteous Path” come close.


Big Head Todd & The Monsters: All The Love You Need
Long before Radio became the poster boys for the concept, Big Head Todd & The Monsters have been exploring the implications of giving away new music through the Internet. All The Love You Need, BHT’s first full-length, fully-free release, puts together definitive versions of many of the tracks they have floated out amongst their fans. It marks a fine return to form for Todd Park Mohr, whose brand of laid-back, Colorado-crunchy rock and roll, percolating with bluesy guitar riffs, never grows old. “Silvery Moon,” “Blue Sky” and “Fortune Teller” are open-air anthems in need of a festival and the horns Mohr breaks out on “Her Own Kinda Woman” are simply sublime.


Atlas Sound: Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Deerhunter’s Bradford James Cox offers an interesting change of pace on this solo effort, a collection of sparse, haunting tracks that offers more mood than riffs. The album unfolds at a leisurely, nearly psychedelic pace, drawing an assured strength from the slowly unfolding melodies. In line with Grizzly Bear’s calmly lilting style, Let The Blind Lead is an engaging effort that warrants repeated listens.


Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: Little Tae Rides Again
The one constant about Brian Haas, Reed Mathis and the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is their unflinching nerve and desire to do something different which each new album. For Little Tae, the JFJO logged in considerable studio time (at least by their standards) and the ambient rock and cerebral rhythms that resulted feel like they’ve been handled with care. With new drummer Josh Raymer manning the kit for the majority of the album, Jacob Fred experiments with an eclectic electric sound that may run counter to many people’s expectations of the band.

The Dodos: Visiter
More immediately accessible than Animal Collective, The Dodos’ Visiter is one of the more off-kilter releases in recent memory. The duo of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber aren’t lazy about their songcraft and the album floats deliberately on hypnotically seductive guitar riffs and intricate drum beats. A cerebral collection, The Dodos ethereal spin on the minimalist formula of guitars and drums bears a serious listen.

The Whigs: Mission Control
The Whigs’ full-length debut is a raucous affair, full of in-your-face songs that waste little time getting to the point. Julian Doro’s precisely crisp drumming starts everything off right and “Right Hand On My Heart” pulses with energy thanks to a wonderful Parker Gispert guitar riff. In a perfect world, this would be the song that helps them crossover into the mainstream. Sounding like a younger, less patient version of Social Distortion, this Athens, Georgia based trio have produced one of 2008’s most exciting debut releases.

The Magnetic Fields: Distortion
Nothing like a little truth in labeling. Stephen Merritt ratchets up the fuzz on The Magnetic Fields’ eighth album, drenching lullabies like “To Drunk To Dream” in feedback or washing anti-California sentiment like “California Girls” in enough reverb to make it sound somewhat comforting. A modern day album with a completely throwback feel.

Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
A re-release of the Wisconsin native’s much talked about debut, Jagjaguwar is making sure Bon Iver’s endearing For Emma, Forever Ago gets a proper audience. A soundtrack for the snowy, winter evening lurking within one’s soul, Justin Vernon doesn’t need anything more than his ethereal voice and an acoustic guitar to draw you in. The album evolves like a dream, “Flume,” “Skinny Love” and “For Emma” floating along peacefully on Iver’s calming melodies. It’s no mistake that NPR had Iver on the bill of their much vaunted SXSW showcase that had people lining up fruitlessly outside of The Parish.

Labels: Atlas Sound, Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Bon Iver, Drive By Truckers, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Lenny Kravitz, The Black Crowes, The Dodos, The Magnetic Fields, The Whigs

[Ed. Note: Earvolution's artist development and production side of the business has a few tricks up its sleeve for 2008 as well; new Pawnshop Roses coming soon and expect a major announcement involving the marrying of new media technology with one of the most revered brands in American music history.]

Labels: Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, Drive By Truckers, Led Zeppelin, Lenny Kravitz, Licorice, North Mississippi Allstars, The Black Crowes, The Hold Steady, U-Melt