Third Eye Blind

Released: 08.18.2009

Talk about a blast from the past! My last post was about Better Than Ezra, and this one deals with the latest release of Third Eye Blind (3EB). Can you believe that? Is this 1996 or 2009? Both of these bands peaked during this period, except 3EB was riding the wave of their first release, self-titled Third Eye Blind, which spawned plenty of hits for them for three years. Their next album didn’t fare as well, but then problems started happening with the lineup and they seemed to have disappeared. Ursa Major was released Aug 18th and has all of the elements that keep 3EB as one of my favorite bands – a unique singing style with a great range, heavy guitar, heavy bass (mixed like a rock band!), dynamics, and excellent, excellent backups!

I consider myself a musician and normally am not critical of lyrics, because I tend to listen to them as an instrument so I don’t really know what lead singers are saying and don’t normally care. Normally, I listen for how the voice relates to the other instruments and whether or not they sing on key. However, vocals and lyrics are a big part of this band. They have the ability to sound so sweet lyrically, but they may have a raunchy message that may slip past you. For example, “One in Ten” sounds sweet, but, to me, it sounds like he is trying to convert a lesbian: “What’s the difference, when it goes down. If its girl or if its guy, just close your eyes. Can’t you just close your eyes?” Stephan Jenkins is a very clever writer. Do I think he will be compared to Dylan any time soon? Well, no, but he sure cracks me up! He describes what it must feel like to be involved in an airplane crash in “Water Landing”. He writes from a woman’s perspective when he asks why a man can’t be as reliable as a Waterpik shower massager in “Why Can’t You Be”. Stephan has a creative wit to him that definitely requires a listen.

I was worried when I found out that Kevin Cadogan was no longer the guitarist since 3EB has such a great guitar sound and he co-wrote many of the hits. However, this CD does not disappoint. It showcases that Stephan is more than just the singer/lyricist because 3EB does not skip a beat. From beginning to end, this is a great CD. I could not find a single track that I didn’t like or like something about it. It either rocked or cracked me up. The old fans will welcome them back, but it is such a great CD that it will add new fans immediately. Be sure to grab this one quick.

Better Than Ezra Live

Live 07.31.2009

“Join us tomorrow for lunch with Better Than Ezra!”

What??!?! They’re here? They must have a new CD out!

It turns out they do. Paper Empire was released on May 12th, and Better Than Ezra (BTE) was doing a live acoustic show at Sherlock’s on July 31st. BTE has been one of my favs since they started up for various reasons. They have that college feel and great live shows. How many rock bands can inter-mingle Al Green and Salt & Pepa into their original lyrics? During my heyday as a music store manager, I had seen and met the band on numerous occasions and was very impressed by their professionalism and down-to-earthiness (is that a word?). As a matter of fact, I try to emulate a lot of what Kevin Griffin does with a crowd in a live setting. Yes, I am aware that he has multiple albums to his credit, and I…don’t.


Being that it was a Friday lunch hour, the crowd was different…much older. I’m not sure if it’s because they were in their “work clothes”, or just that I’m older, but it was packed people in their mid to late 30’s (my age bracket)! I was pretty impressed that BTE could still draw the crowd for an afternoon show without any recent airplay in San Antonio. It was standing room only, so I moved stage left to wait for the show to start. Just then, I noticed that someone stood next to me and said, “Hey, what’s up?” Without even looking, I said, “How’s it going?” then I realized that it was Kevin Griffin. I wanted to say, “What up Kevin? Remember me? It’s JJ…1996…Corpus Christi…remember?” Instead I settled for:

“Where’s the show tonight?”

He said, “No show…we’re driving through and we were asked to make a stop to do this [acoustic show].”

I said, “Really? San Antonio?”

He said, “Yeah! I really like San Antonio. I lived her for a while during Hurricane Katrina.”

For those that don’t know, he is a resident of New Orleans. I have to admit; I was a little pissed. He was living in San Antonio and not once did he call me to form a band or to at least jam! I guess we’re not that close. While we were chatting (I was looking up) I noticed mad wrinkles on homeboy's face. He was old, too! Just then, a couple of hot Gen X’ers came by and whisked him away for various cell phone photo ops. I guess he's not THAT old.

The show was brief, but again…it was free. They were up there for approximately 30 minutes and did acoustic renditions of “Good”, “Desperately Wanting”, “King of New Orleans”, “Juicy” with a verse of Lady GAGAs “Poker Face” thrown in there and “Absolutely Still” from the latest CD. It was good to see them and turned out to be a great lunch hour (maybe a bit longer with the wait), but the excellent show made my decision to get their latest CD.

Paper Empire is great and for any one that was a fan of Friction, Baby - you won’t be disappointed!

Arc Angels @ Gruene Hall

Live 04.17.2009


April 1992 stands out in my mind for many reasons. I had just flunked out of college and had just accepted a job offer. It was in a mall at the music (cassettes & cds) store for 4 hours a week. The bad news was that I would have to wear pants and socks for the first time in three years!


During that first week, a new cd was released by the ARC Angels. It was being touted as an Austin super group featuring Double Trouble of Stevie Ray Vaughn fame, Doyle Bramhall II, and Charlie Sexton. This cd did not disappoint. It quickly became one of my favorite cds and it earmarked a curious time for me. The problem was that I never had the chance to see them live. It seemed they broke up as quick as they came on the scene. The reason I never saw them was because I wanted to see them in Austin and unfortunately never got the chance.


Fast forward 17 years and they announced a few reunion shows. I bought my tickets quickly because I love live shows at Gruene Hall but know how small a venue it is. I have to say that I was very impressed. They did the entire album from beginning to end and sounded great. I was surprised because I've listened to the cd so many times throughout the years and had it straight in my mind: Doyle and Charlie trade vocals, but Charlie was the guitar whiz (funny how that happens sometimes). However, this was not the case. I found myself impressed with Doyle's vocals and well as his playing style. His guitar work was simple but bluesy while Charlie had a thinner flashy style. Together it mixes well. Doyle's vocals are also deeper and exude emotion compared to his counterpart. The tracks that stood out for me were Sweet Nadine and Good Time. Of course their two hits, Living In A Dream and Sent By Angels, were crowd favorites.


Being a bassist, I was looking forward to seeing Tommy Shannon on bass. However, he was the only one from the original lineup that did not make the show. Another disturbing fact, that I was not aware of, was how much of a drama queen Charlie Sexton is! He came out in a leather jacket and a few neck scarves. After the first song, he was complaining that someone needed to to turn on the air condition. "C'mon dude! You're in south Texas and we are already creeping up on three digit temperatures and you're wearing a leather jacket with scarves!" Then he made his guitar tech work overtime. He used a different guitar for pretty much every song - Fender strats, telecasters, Ibanez, Gibson, and Rickenbacker just to name a few. He spent the rest of the time dropping in and out of songs trying to get more volume of himself in the monitors or the main mix.


Most people probably did not notice. Realizing that Charlie was high maintenance didn't ruin the show for me. I still enjoyed the music and am glad I finally had the chance to see them live. I am excited and will be looking forward their newest release.

Los Lonely Boys!

It was an early Saturday in 2001 when my buddy (we’ll call him ‘Dave’) called me about this amazing band he saw at Dr. Rockits in Corpus Christi, TX. He then said I HAD to see them and they would be performing in Austin later that evening, so we loaded up the car and headed to Austin to see Los Lonely Boys for the first time. I wasn’t too impressed with their small setup and modest equipment. JoJo had a six string bass, was sharing a tuner with Henry and was playing through an old 15 inch Ampeg. Ringo’s kick drum had a huge rip in the head so the microphone could sit inside. Every time he used it, it flapped in and out. However, when they took the stage…I was floored by the energy, musicianship, and harmonies. Needless to say, I was a huge fan after that night and we began following them around the San Antonio area and they even ended up playing at Dave’s wedding a year later!

Here we are in 2009 with Los Lonely Boys about to take the stage at Cowboys Dance Hall in San Antonio. I was amazed by the diverse crowd. How many of these folks came to see Heaven and that’s it? Well either way, I knew that they would be pleasantly surprised. 

As soon as the band took the stage, they were tight. They have added a percussionist to the live set and it added a huge Latin-flavor to the show. Most of the songs they played were from their latest CD, Forgiven, but they did Crazy Dream, Hollywood and of course ended with Heaven. Of the new songs, the ones that stood out were Forgiven, Staying With Me, and Make It Better. Their big “jam” song used to be Onda, but this time they used I’m A Man, which is an awesome Steve Winwood cover, to show off their chops. They even played a few new songs that have not been recorded. One that was a bit of a joke was Guero En El Barrio, which a Latin version of The Offspring’s Pretty Fly For A White Guy. Normally, I don’t really take to these kinds of songs, but it had a mean hook. :-)

Overall, it was a great show. I don’t know if it is possible, but their singing seems to have gotten better, especially Ringo. He was singing most of the highs for the group. Henry and JoJo’s lead changes still impress me and their sound is very infectious. What I enjoyed the most is seeing all of the people that came for one song and after just one show, left as Los Lonely Boys fans just like I did eight years ago.

U2 - No Line On The Horizon

Release: March 3, 2009

As this is my first CD to review, U2’s new release couldn’t have been a better one. Why? Well, I am a fan, so odds are that I would like this one. I have to say, U2 fans will not be disappointed, but after all this time, this band is still appealing to the casual fan. The haunting vocals, the unorthodox guitar rhythms/leads, and the tight rhythm section are all here.


When people think of U2, they think of Bono. As the front-man, he is the focal point of the band. Here is the thing that stood out for me when listening to this album - It isn’t mixed with Bono as the focal point. As a vocalist I think he is great, and most engineers tend to cater to the “strengths” of the band. However, this CD is mixed like a rock band! The bass and drums are high in the mix with the guitar and the vocals. Adam’s bass is even distorted on “Magnificent” and “Get On Your Boots”! This back-to-basics is what gives it the feel and energy.


No Line On The Horizon was released on Tuesday (Mar 3) and after a few listens, 7 out of 11 tracks stood out for me. That’s right – 7! How many bands can you say that about right now? Not many. The days of buying an entire CD are quickly becoming extinct. However, the mastering of the album seems a little quirky in that it starts off with upbeat material and eventually leads to the slower tunes. I am not a big fan of the slower songs, and tend to lose interest quickly, but the guitar work and vocals in “Breathe” were very soothing and made this track stand out.


All in all, I recommend this CD to everyone. It's what people have grown to expect from U2 and yet still feels fresh and welcoming. While it might not be Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby, it definitely has its place in everyone’s U2 Collection.

Why Blog?

Being very opinionated about music, I decided to write my thoughts or stories pertaining to it. Even though not many people will read it, it's a bit therapeutic. What will I be reflecting on? I want to write my own reviews of new CDs, and concerts and maybe some of my own stories.


What's my street cred? I worked in a music store for many years, so I am used to people asking my opinion about music. However, I haven't worked there in a while, and need a new outlet. I'm also a part-time musician, so my perspective may be skewed from most but should provide for some interesting reading. I welcome any comments.