2008 Woodie Awards
Artist: Mos Def Album: The New Danger Genre: hip-hop Album Highlights: Freaky Black Greeting Blues. Hard rock. Punk. Jazz. Soul. Rap. Hip-hop. These diverse genres compose all elements of Mos Def's new album, "The New Danger." As his second solo album, Mos Def has been able to knit, weave, and sew together this diverse range of influences into a vibrant quilt that redefines hip-hop.
I was clawed, pushed, and I witnessed a drunk girl making out with her boyfriend at a concert recently. What show was I at, do you ask? Not GBH, not The Runnamucks, and no, not The Muffs, it was none of these bands that I love so; I was at a Hanson concert at the Warfield Theatre on Oct.
The tall glass doors of the Zellerbach Hall were a warm welcome from the chilly Berkeley air. The front entrance way was bustling with angst filled "emo-kids," anticipating the performance of their beloved Conor Oberst, the lead man of the band Bright Eyes.
Maybe it was the rain. There was a dampness about Bob Dylan's Oct. 17 Haas Pavilion show. Not only was the audience wet from the torrential downpour that day, but Dylan and his band played like they sat all day under a wet blanket. Or perhaps that comes off too strongly.
Tom Waits, the man, the legend, has done it yet again. His newest album, "Real Gone" released by Anti Records on Oct. 15, has continued his tradition of making powerful music using odd methods. This album is his first since the dual release of his albums "Alice" and "Blood Money" in spring 2002, and it is definitely worth a listen.
"You give me enough footage of Michael Moore in enough situations, and I can make him look like an anorexic right-winger." Even though this statement, spoken by activist, actor and democrat Ron Silver, is placed almost halfway through "FahrenHYPE 9/11," it illustrates the central idea of all the film's 80 minutes: cinematic slicing, dicing and lying can turn a movie into a dangerous weapon of mass deception.
Do you like punk? Do you like show tunes? Do you like punk show tunes? If you answered yes to any of these questions you may already be or should be a fan of Me First and The Gimme Gimmes. This band catches people's attention because they do nothing but cover songs, turning them into punk/ska melodies of deliciousness.
Shannon's picks of the bi-week Bimbo's 1025 Columbus Ave. San Francisco, CA Oct. 22 Super Diamond Notorious Doors at 8 p.m. Show at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 Oct. 24 Ojos de Brujo Doors at 7 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28 Oct. 30 Cheeseballs Stung 8086 Doors at 8 p.
