So (occasionally) I manage to screw up a recording. Yes. It hurts to admit it, but it happens. You set the recording volumes at to high a level, and the recording clips clips clips.

Its probably happened a half dozen times to me. Sometimes you can't help it - the volumes coming across at a certain level, and its too loud. Other times you just manage to get a setting wrong and then you end up kicking yourself for ruining something beautiful.

A couple of years I had the pleasure of seeing Michael Runion and Whispertown in Houston. It was a crazy day in H-town. A massive storm had moved through earlier in the day - submerged vehicles, helicopter rescues, media madness.

We showed up to a show that had been officially canceled, hoping we could convince the bands to play a few songs. Thankfully they decided to play on for the 8 people that decided to show up.

Now I'd seen Whispertown play before, opening for Jenny Lewis in LA, but I don't think I'd ever heard any of Michael Runion's tracks. He opened the show, just him and an acoustic guitar and it was amazing. Unfortunately, when I got home I realized that the Whispertown recording came out perfect, but I'd completely misset the recording levels for Runion and ruined the majority of the show. I'm still kicking myself to this day. The good news is that two of the songs came out and you can check them out below.

After the show I picked up an EP, but on listening to it I realized that it was missing most of my favorite tracks from the show. Since then I've patiently waited for a record to drop. The good news, he recently dropped a new record called 'Our Time Will Come' produced by Jim Fairchild from Grandaddy and featuring a cast of his friends including Rilo Kiley, Jonathan Rice, The Like and Maroon 5.

I've had it on heavy rotation in my car for the last week and it doesn't disappoint. The record features all those songs I had been waiting for, including the singularly beautiful title track. Check it out below, then head over to his MySpace to check out more tracks - be sure to check out Soft Hands, another personal favorite.

Runion's also on tour right now, opening for the lovely Ms Jenny Lewis. Be sure to head out early and check him out.

Studio MP3 MP3s::
Michael Runion - Our Time Will Come

Live MP3 MP3s:
You & Me
Good For A Laugh

Tour Dates:
30th Sep - Variety Playhouse w/JENNY LEWIS, Atlanta, Georgia
1st Oct - Keswick Theatre w/JENNY LEWIS, Glenside, Pennsylvania
2nd Oct - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue w/JENNY LEWIS, Washington DC
3rd Oct - The Grand Opera House w/JENNY LEWIS, Wilmington, Delaware
5th Oct - Shubert Theater w/JENNY LEWIS, New Haven, Connecticut
8th Oct - Cake Shop, New York
9th Oct - The Ninth Ward (at Babeville), Buffalo, New York

Labels: houston, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s, tour dates

To quote Adam Duritz from A Long December, "now the days go by so fast."I can't believe its been over 5 years since I saw the Counting Crows (or more accurately Adam and friends) at their secret show at the Shim Sham Club in New Orleans during Jazz Fest.

I can't believe I've been a Crows fan since 1994, since I saw them in the front row at a tiny little club on their first national tour supporting August and Everything After - it was the tour they booked before they realized that Mr Jones was going to blow up all over the radio/MTV, etc. It was amazing and I was hooked forever.

I've seen them more times than I can remember, wandering around the country over the years to see them play shows, on pretty much every tour they've ever had. They've even used one of my photos in one of their CDs. Yes. I love the Crows.

So when they went missing for a few years after their Hard Candy album and subsequent tours, it was with patience that I waited for the band to either pull it back together, or at least for Adam to put out a solo record. The wait was worth it.

The band went out on tour a couple of years ago with John Mayer, then followed it up with the excellent "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings", a record that evoked a little bit of every era of the Crows.. the singer-songwriter sway of August and Everything After, quite a bit of rock of Recovering the Satellites, a smatter of the studio-production-experimentation of This Desert Life with a dash of pop from Hard Candy.

And as much as I like the records, the live experience is even better. The band never overplays the "new" record, drawing from all albums and always playing crowd favorites. To top it off, they always experiment with the tracks, bringing out something a little different then what was recorded. I remember the first time I saw them I was frustrated that I couldn't sing along to the tracks I knew so well, but after a while the Crows taught me to appreciate bands who brought something different to the live experience. After all, if I just wanted to hear the record, I could pop it into my CD player.

Seeing them with Maroon 5 this last weekend was no different. The band shut the night down and it was pretty much a perfect night for an outdoor show, cool and breezy - something that Dallas doesn't give us that often in the summer.

The band seemed to be in sync with the evening, opting to focus on a more acoustic, pretty set. They played for over an hour - with 2-3 songs from every record, including the singles that everyone in the amphitheater wanted to hear. It was a great way to see one of my favorite bands, with my favorite person, and be reminded of some great times from the last decade and a half. I could tell that about 15k other people felt the same way.

And to complete the concert experience (like you needed more), after you see them you can even buy the show from livecountingcrows.com . The band's posting every show within a few weeks, and you can download them in whatever format you like, lossless or MP3. The band was good enough to let me tape the first few tracks of the set. If you like what you hear - head over to live counting crows and buy the whole set when its released, or one of the shows from earlier in the tour.

If you've never seen the band, take a friend, your girl, your guy, anyone and check them out the next time they come to your town. They're continuing to wander across America for the next month or so, then heading over to the UK for some shows with Ben Folds.

Oh, and get familiar with the records - it's so much better when you can sing along.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Le Ballet d'Or
Omaha
Richard Manuel is Dead

Labels: concerts, dallas, live mp3s, major, soundboard mp3s, starplex, tour dates

So my bad luck is your good fortune!

Unfortunately I have a prior commitment and can't make it out to Matt Keating show at the Fairmont in Fort Worth this coming Monday (Sept 8th).

The good news is that I'm giving away my tickets to whoever would like them!

First person to email me will have two tickets waiting for them at Will Call! Second person to email me gets a free copy of Matt's new double CD, Quixotic. You can find my email over on the right side of the page, under About Lullabyes or use admin at lullabyes dot net.

I picked Quixotic up about a month ago - its packed full of poppy goodness, in the vein of Elvis Costello. Check out some videos below.

Good luck!
Matt Keating - Runaway Clown (live)


Matt Keating - Saint Cloud


Tour Dates:
September 7 - Hi-Tone Cafe - Memphis, TN
September 8 - The Fairmount - Fort Worth, TX

September 9- Scoot Inn- Austin TX
September 10 - Dan Electro's Guitar Bar - Houston, TX
September 11 - White Water Tavern - Little Rock, AR
September 12- Wonder Root- Atlanta GA
September 13- Common Grounds- Lexington KY
September 14- The Milestone- Charlotte NC
September 15- The Cave- Chapel Hill NC
September 19- NYC Housing Works Benefit- New York NY
September 21 - The Elevens - Northampton, MA
September 22- Hi-Fi Concert Club- Lakewood OH
September 24- The Frequency- Madison WI
September 25- Reggies- Chicago IL
September 26- 400 Bar- Minneapolis MN
September 27 - Sam¹s Saloon - Indianapolis, IN
September 28- Club Café- Pittsburgh PA
October 10 - Java Cabana - Memphis, TN
October 11- House Concert- Little Rock AR
October 23 - CMJ - New York, NY
November 2 - Zuzu's - Beacon, NY
December 6 - Mocha Maya's - Shelburne Falls, MA

Labels: fort worth, free concert tickets, tour dates