The Best of the 2013 Grammys

I was mostly impressed fun. didn't get electrocuted. 

I usually approach the Grammy Awards with a certain amount of dread because I know I'll regret wasting three hours watching the show. I even stopped writing about them on this blog. Still, every year I keep coming back in hopes of seeing something really great. This was the first year in a long time that I've felt like my time investment was worth it on account of three* great performances.

Despite a mediocre start– Taylor Swift and LL Cool J's ambiguous and rambling opening remarks– fun. delivered some early satisfaction with their performance of "Carry On." Having followed the band since 2009's Aim and Ignite, it always makes me unspeakably happy to see a much-loved band get such a huge audience. Plus, it was kind of awesome when it started raining on stage. 

After fun., I was fading. The Bob Marley tribute was ok... but really I was waiting for Jack White. Holy Smokes. White played "Love Interruption" and "Freedom at 21"and generated just an incredible amount of power. You watch that and you've just got to be converted to the cult of rock. I mean. My God. And then in some final blast of lights, he was just gone. Dude might as well have dropped the mic. How could anyone dare take the stage?

Let me follow that up by saying: Mavis Staples, Mumford and Sons, and Brittany Howard. Apart from when The Apache Relay joined Simone Felice at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville this August to play tribute to the late great Levon Helm, this Grammys performance was the best nod to Levon I've seen. There's something powerful in the way that artists seem to be at their best while tipping their hats to Helm. 

With special regard to the last two acts, I felt that it said something about where you can find great and honest music. It's always going to be at the roots. Jack White played straight up rock and roll, and The Band sit at the very heart of what we know today as Americana. Forget Taylor Swift in a top hat, or even Justin Timberlake prepackaged as a legend. The good stuff is the pure stuff. 

*The Black Keys with Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band should be included in this post, but man, am I tired. Good night. 

TMI Turns Two

Well, it seems that another year has gone by, and we're still here. In the past few months TMI had some pretty cool posts, if I don't say so myself. Here are a few highlights.

The Musically Inclined...

• Conference called with Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla (Vision article here)


• Found a cool band called Their Hearts Were Full Spring


• Saw Andrew Bird at Grimeys


• Joined the fight to save Paste Magazine


• Wrote about Grammy posters (You wouldn't believe the number of hits TMI got)
  
• Covered Rites of Spring


• Found a pocket of Jesus-friendly hip hop behind a coffee house


• Reviewed a ton of albums for Twisted Ear


• Made derisive remarks about Jack White

As you can see, it's been a good time and this next year, hopefully, will be even better. Thanks for reading and stay tuned, kids!

Peace,

Erin

Since When Have Grammy Posters Been This Fantastic?

Never. Saw this little item today on NME (my music news feed is currently dominated by British publications and it's Twisted Ear's beautiful fault) and didn't think much of it until it popped up on Pitchfork. Let's face it, if Pitchfork is going on about posters, Seattle has either exploded or the posters are cool...but not too cool, just cool enough to be Pitchfork-worthy. Right. Anyway, Coldplay, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Thom Yorke all have their likenesses made out of the lyrics and names of thier favorite artists, albums and songs.

Part of the story here has to do with the Grammys trying to revamp their ad strategy in light of crappy (gross understatement) ratings in recent years. Last year, no surprise, was the lowest rated since '92. Ouch.

The other interesting portion is that Radiohead's Thom Yorke is involved in this. Radiohead is a notoriously and unapologetically not radio-friendly band, God bless 'em. Commercialism isn't really their thing, but I guess if your album gets nominated for album of the year, a poster might be in order, even if it is for the Grammys which are, as Pitchfork put it, "patently lame."

In any case. I found myself some new artwork for the walls.