Through complacency*, I missed out on seeing Sam Beam here in Houston in a sold out show but at least NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert is a bit of a consolation (and I don’t have to deal with drunk concert goers talking during the set).

*I didn't think I needed to buy tickets in advance. The result of this is that I recently went to buy tickets to The Civil Wars at the Mucky Duck before Rusty even had put the show into the ticket system yet.

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This is a repeat from 2010 (not the first, not the last) but rightfully so because the new album by The Decemberists is just that great. I think I mentioned to a friend that the new songs reminded me a bit of Meloy’s Tarkio days, just a bit more twang in there (I say this having listened to Tarkio back in my college days). Where The Hazards of Love took some time to grew on me, my ears took to The King is Dead instantly. Also, here’s an interesting read about the photos that are featured in this video: “See a Unique Polaroid Portfolio of the Decemberists by Autumn de Wilde”.

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1.20.2011: The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”

Yea, another repeat, although this time a live version of the track on Leno’s show. The Civil Wars don’t even have a full album out and they are already selling out shows. They are playing here in Houston in March where there will hopefully be a good turnout, or I’ll just be embarrassed for Houston.

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1.21.2011: The Bird Channel – “Bad Bones”

I said Fridays would be for local bands, and technically The Bird Channel was local when I lived in Bakersfield (and they went by the name Near Miss Mallet). Actually, I started listening to the very beginnings of the band (pre-marriage of Melissa & Brock) when they played in coffeehouses and bookstores around town.

Track from another solo album from a member of Gomez.

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1.18.2011: Wintersleep – “Weighty Ghost“

Heard this track while watching the US version of “Being Human” last night, but it was also among the songs from SXSW’s 2009 Showcasing Artists.

Friend sent me their cd thinking I would love their music. She was right.

The Head and The Heart – Rivers & Roads (A Doe Bay Session Extra) from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

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1.13.2011: Fitz & The Tantrums – “Money Grabber”

Was catching up on some podcasts and this song came along.

I finally watched Eat, Pray, Love this past weekend. Since I really didn’t like the book, I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t really enjoy the movie other than they used Josh Rouse’s track “Flight Attendant” off his album “1972″ and the scenery made me want to travel more (especially internationally).

1.11.2011: Guster – “Do You Love Me”

Guster.
Conan.
Is there need for any more explanation?

One of the nice things about living in a city the size of Houston is quite a few tours route through (despite my complaining that often bands skip us). When I lived in Bakersfield, it wasn’t unusual for me to make the 100 mile drive (one way) to catch a show down in LA. There were also a handful of local BFL bands that I would listen to – Near Miss Mallet and The Dalloways are a couple I can remember. Over the last few years here in Houston I’ve also delved into discovering the local talent, but not as much as I should so I think that will feature a few of them on Fridays this year. That said, I have several friends (as well as a great local music store – Cactus Music) that are much more connected to the local scene than I am, so let’s start off with a band that while it took me some time, I finally caught a set by – Mason Lankford & The Folk Family Revival. Better late than never, right?

Let’s talk openers. More often than not, when you go to a concert, you aren’t there to watch the opening bands, but you really should. Last year for my birthday I ventured over to Austin to see Mumford & Sons play a sold out show at Stubb’s. I’d been listening to them since early 2009 thanks to Heather at Fuel/Friends so I was pretty excited for the show. Typically I will do a little research on the openers, but for whatever reason I didn’t get around to it. Still, being a sold out show I showed up shortly after doors to grab a good spot and I’m quite glad I did. Both King Charles and Cadillac Sky a perfect pairing with Mumford and Sons (which was made more obvious when they guested during Mumford’s set). After I left the venue, with newly acquired albums in hand, I proceeded to load them into the Smurf’s stereo in order of the night’s lineup.

Where am I going with this? Well, after the show, I mentioned Cadillac Sky to several friends that I thought would also appreciate their music and each month as I prepare my TTDIHWYND email, I was hoping to eventually see a date listing for Houston. It’s not to be though for now at least as earlier this week the band announced they were going on indefinite hiatus. Still, the show must go on that means there are solo project to check out – thus I present to you, the David Mayfield Parade.

I’m not a fan of year end lists, so of course I clicked through to this video from Justin Vernon’s Twitter post to Francis and the Lights’ “single-take live performance, edited with light.”

Boston – 2010 on Flickr.

There are several releases that I’m already looking forward to in 2011, one of them being The Damnwells’ “No One Listens To The Band Anymore” via PledgeMusic. They are pulling out all the stops promoting the album, as you can see from the high tech video.