Top Songs of 2012

The list is finally finished. 

25. Panopticon - The Smashing Pumpkins
24. Lover of the Light - Mumford & Sons
23. Memphis in the Rain - Justin Townes Earle
22. Ho Hey - The Lumineers
21. Live And Die - The Avett Brothers
20. Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings) - Silversun Pickups
19. Ten Thousand Hours - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
18. The Only Place - Best Coast
17. Fatty Boom Boom - Die Antwoord
16. Would That Not Be Nice - Divine Fits
15. Mountain Sound - Of Monsters And Men
14. Clique - Kanye West, Jay-Z, Big Sean
13. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
12. 1904 - The Tallest Man On Earth
11. Hold On - Alabama Shakes
10. Sweet Life - Frank Ocean
9. King of the World - First Aid Kit
8. We Take Care Of Our Own - Bruce Springsteen
7. I'll Be Alright - Passion Pit
6. Elephant - Tame Impala
5. Little Black Submarines - The Black Keys
4. The Rifle's Spiral - The Shins
3. Tessellate - alt-J
2. "45" - The Gaslight Anthem
1. Fire's Highway - Japandroids

Stir Cove 2012

Stir Cove announced their 2012 lineup this evening, it looks something like this:

May 31 - The Shins

June 2 - Michael Bolton

June 24 - Buddy Guy/Jonny Lang

June 29 - Chicago

July 3 - The Avett Brothers

July 6 - 311

July 7 - Heart

July 13 - Jamey Johnson

July 21 - Gladys Knight

July 22 - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

August 5 - Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat

August 9 - Barenaked Ladies with Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd & the Monsters

August 14 - George Thorogood and the Destroyers

August 17 - Creed

Sept. 28 - Dwight Yoakam

Of course, Stir Cove is a 21+ venue, so if you are under age and looking to see any of these bands, look elsewhere.

2011 Overview: A great year for music

It has been one exciting year for me personally. This past year, I turned 18, graduated from high school, and started my freshman year at Creighton University as a Finance/Marketing double major. Musically, this has also been a great year. Some of my favorite bands put out new albums, I discovered great new artists, and saw probably 75+ artists perform. I also got a taste of working a music festival; I was on the production team for MAHA Music Festival. That was one of the coolest experiences I have ever experienced and I am all ready psyched for next year. To top it all off, I fulfilled a dream of going to my first major music festival, Lollapalooza in Chicago. The festival was so remarkable, I plan to make it a yearly thing.

Top songs of 2011

10. Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

9. Romance - Wild Flag

8. Rope - Foo Fighters

7. Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars

6. You Are A Tourist - Death Cab For Cutie

5. Get Burned - Sleeper Agent

4. Young Blood - The Naked and Famous

3.Paradise - Coldplay

2. Lost In My Mind - The Head and The Heart

1. Don't Carry It All - The Decemberists

Top Albums

10. Afterlife - Paul Simon

9. Nine Types of Life - TV On the Radio

8. Angles - The Strokes

7. Wild Flag - Wild Flag

6. Celebrasion - Sleeper Agent

5. Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay

4. El Camino - The Black Keys

3. Wasting Light - Foo Fighters

2. The Head and The Heart - The Head and The Heart

1. The King Is Dead - The Decemberists

Top Shows of 2011

5. Queens of the Stone Age

April 2, 2011 at Sokol Auditorium in Omaha, NE

4. Bright Eyes

June 4, 2011 at Westfair Amphitheater in Council Bluffs, IA

3. Foo Fighters

May 23, 2011 at Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs and August 5th at Grant Park in Chicago, IL

2. The Head and The Heart

July 26th in Cleveland, OH and October 9, 2011 at The Waiting Room in Omaha, NE

1. The Decemberists

April 17, 2011 at Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha, NE and July 26th in Cleveland, OH

Monday, October 3

A quick blog post for the week...

This weekend, 1% Productions announced that Smashing Pumpkins were playing a small club show at The Slowdown on October 11th. The last time Billy Corgan and crew were in Omaha was for a show at Civic Auditorium on January 15, 1997 with Fountains of Wayne.They played to over 7,800 people. The Slowdown holds right around 500 people, so as many speculated, tickets went extremely fast. (estimated to have sold out within 10 minutes) If you are still looking to go, your best bet is Ebay or Stubhub. Look to pay $100+

This week in Omaha

Wild Flag will be in town tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at The Waiting Room. Tickets are $14 at the door, it looks to be a great show.

Blue October is playing a Low-dough benefit show at the Mid-America Center.. tickets are $8.97 and available at the door.

The Head and The Heart return to Omaha on Sunday night. I saw them open up for The Decemberists in Cleveland, they played a phenomenal set. This show is sold-out, which is awesome for this great, up-and-coming band.

My band, The Abstract, is opening for Mike Got Spiked and Rock Paper Dynamite on Sunday evening at The Sandbox. I have grown to love RPD and I have heard great things about Mike Got Spiked. This will be a fun show.

My Summer in Music

It has been awhile since my last blog. I'm finally settled into college life at Creighton University, and ready to resume my blogging. Lets start out with a review, not of a specific artist, but of my summer of music as a whole in a few paragraphs or so.

I saw some great performances over the summer. This was sort of my first summer officially done with high school, and I saw myself presented with more freedoms and endless possibilities. From rock to pop, from indie to southern rock, I saw more music than I could have possibly imagined. Some bands I saw this summer included Alkaline Trio, REO Speedwagon, 311, Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, Foo Fighters, Ben Harper, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Head and The Heart, Los Lonely Boys, Cee-Lo Green, Lynyrd Skynryd, Sublime with Rome, Smoking Popes, and many others. Too many to list.

My family and I then took off to Chicago for possibly the most exhilarating, fun-filled weekend of my life. Lollapalooza 2011, the sold out 20th anniversary bash of one of the things that changed music forever. Of course came the sore feet, ruined shoes, and sunburned forehead, but it was worth it. Totally worth it.

On the first day of Lollapalooza, I camped out to see one of my favorite bands, Muse. This was tough to do; sticking around one side of Grant Park meant missing out on some great acts, but I also saw some great shows. I saw The Vaccines, The Naked and Famous, Delta Spirit, Foster The People, White Lies, Two Door Cinema Club, A Perfect Circle, and Muse. All were good, but Muse was spectacular. They have been a band I have wanted to see for a long, long time and it was definitely worth the wait.

Sore feet aside, Keith and I walked to Grant Park early Saturday morning. We eventually split up during the day (he was camping out for Eminem) but we both saw some fabulous shows. I personally saw Grouplove, Walk The Moon, Fitz and the Tantrums, Big Audio Dynamite, Ween, Cee-Lo Green (just as awful as the first time I saw him this summer), My Morning Jacket, and Eminem. Both Eminem and MMJ blew me away. Eminem still had it and Jim James sounded better than ever. This all made for a spectacular second day.

Sunday was more of a chill day. It was raining profusely throughout the afternoon and evening, making Grant Park a soggy mess. Besides finding shelter during the rain storm, I managed to wander to some wonderful stages throughout Grant Park. I saw Iration, The Joy Formidable, Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses, The Cool Kids, City and Colour, Flogging Molly, Cage The Elephant, Portugal The Man, Arctic Monkeys, Manchester Orchestra, and Foo Fighters. Two bands blew me away (besides Foo Fighters of course). The Joy Formidable absolutely killed it. I hope to see them again, sooner rather then later. Flogging Molly were also great; their Irish rock caused a frolic of dancing throughout the crowd, I even did a little jig myself.

I am already surfing through the Lollapalooza forums longing for information on next year. Plan on seeing me there.

I then returned home (after a trip to Milwaukee to see Josh Groban of course) and began my help with MAHA Music Festival. I fell in love with this fest in 2010, not as a volunteer but as a spectator. I spent friday breaking drink tickets and then a walk-around Stinson Park. Though I preferred Lewis & Clark landing, Stinson Park definitely offered a great atmosphere and definitely a great place to work with as far as a festival setup goes. After my walk around, a few of my fellow volunteers ran errands for artist riders.

After a few hours of sleep, the big day began. Filled with last minute setup, errands, and hotel pickups, my first part of the day was fairly hectic but a whole TON of fun. My biggest task was picking up Matisyahu himself. Now generally a pickup is not that stressful. However, Having to pick up an artist and have him on stage in a matter of fifteen minutes wasn't a big bundle of fun, especially when Matis (what I was told to call him) was running late himself. After texts like "in route?" and "where is he?" I finally had him to the venue. Mission accomplished. My night ended with a two hour trip to pick up his wife and basically help her pack up every piece of luggage she had for Matis and the rest of their family.

Although I didn't hear a complete set, what I did hear of Matisyahu, J. Mascis, Cursive, and Guided by Voices was phenomenal. Such an eclectic lineup really put MAHA far and above many other indie festivals. That being said, I am already excited for helping out next year!

So what is next? Well currently Manchester Orchestra and The Head and The Heart are on the docket for the remaining months of 2011. My current list of must see artists includes Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers, and many more. My music-filled summer will be hard to beat, but it will be topped next summer. Hopefully I will find myself at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and again working at MAHA Music Festival.

My Top Ten Albums of the Year (so far..)

Some great music has been released since January, and here is a list of my favorites so far; One being my favorite. Below the album and artist is my favorite song off the album.

1. The King Is Dead - The Decemberists

"June Hymn"

2. Wasting Light - Foo Fighters

"Bridge Burning"

3. Angles - The Strokes

"Machu Picchu"

4. Codes and Keys - Death Cab For Cutie

"Stay Young, Go Dancing"

5. Circuital - My Morning Jacket

"Victory Dance"

6. Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars

"Barton Hollow"

7. Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes

"Helplessness Blues"

8. Several Shades of Why - J. Mascis

"Is It Done"

9. Lasers - Lupe Fiasco

"The Show Goes On"

10. The People's Key - Bright Eyes

"Jejune Stars"

Red Sky Music Festival update and more 6/11/11

Red Sky Music Festival has failed us once again.

Kevin Coffey of the Omaha World Herald broke the news yesterday that MECA and their partner Live Nation had failed to find an act to headline the final evening (Saturday Night) of Red Sky Music Festival. Red Sky's Saturday will now compose of local bands playing their B and C stages.

Red Sky has posted the schedule of the six day event:

Monday, July 18:

Stage C

Sister Hazel 3:45-5:00 p.m.

Better Than Ezra 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Stage B

The Fab Four 4:30-5:45 p.m.

Five For Fighting 6:15-7:15 p.m.

Main Stage

Journey with Night Ranger 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 19:

Stage C

Kids These Days 2:20-3:00 p.m.

Cornmeal 3:30-4:30 p.m.

George Clinton 5:15-6:30 p.m.

Stage B

To Be Announced 3:15-4:15 p.m.

STS9 5:00-6:45 p.m.

Main Stage

311 and Sublime with Rome 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 20:

Stage C

Tonic 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Soul Asylum 5:15-6:45 p.m.

Stage B

To Be Announced 4:15-5:30 p.m.

The Charlie Daniels Band 6:00-7:15 p.m.

Main Stage

Kid Rock 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 21:

Stage C

10,000 Maniacs 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers 5:15-6:30 p.m.

Stage B

Michael Williams Band 3:00-3:45 p.m.

Eric Johnson 4:15-5:00 p.m.

Buddy Guy with Quinn Sullivan 5:30-6:45 p.m.

Main Stage

Zac Brown Band with Blackberry Smoke and Sonia Leigh 6:30 p.m.

Friday, July 22:

Stage C

To Be Announced 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Randy Rogers Band 5:15-6:45 p.m.

Stage B

Ingram Hill 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Cowboy Mouth 6:00-7:15 p.m.

Main Stage

Jason Aldean with Chris Young and Thompson Square 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 23:

B and C stages

Showcase Bands 12:00-close

Hopefully Red Sky Music Festival will move tickets and have a beneficial effect on Omaha. Though the lineup is less than appealing to me, I am sure some will enjoy the lineup.

Lollapalooza Update

Lollapalooza's schedule was released on Tuesday. Muse, Coldplay, Bright Eyes, A Perfect Circle, and Girl Talk play on Friday, Eminem, My Morning Jacket, Cee Lo Green, Ween, and Death From Above 1979 play on Saturday, and the festival closes out with Foo Fighters, Deadmau5, Arctic Monkeys, The Cars, and Flogging Molly playing on Sunday. The complete schedule can be found here: http://bit.ly/igmCRT

Nebraska State Fair

The Nebraska State Fair has announced its initial lineup:

Friday, August 26: The Band Perry

Sunday, August 28: Larry the Cable Guy

Wednesday, August 31: Crystal Gayle

Thursday, September 1: Jeremy Camp

Friday, September 2: LeAnn Rimes

Sunday, September 4: Willie Nelson and Family

Monday, September 5: Cheap Trick

Other news:

Yonder Mountain String Band is performing at The Anchor Inn on August 18. Tickets are $20 and available at Etix.com

All Time Low is playing Sokol Auditorium on August 21 alongside Mayday Parade, The Cab, and We Are The In Crowd. Tickets are $23 and available at Etix.com

Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Far East Movement, Keri Hilson, and Lloyd are coming to the Qwest Center on September 7. Tickets go on sale June 17th at 10 a.m.

Tim Kasher (of Cursive) is playing the Waiting Room on September 10th, tickets are available today at Etix.com