TGIF Hodge Podge – Radiohead + Jack White + Les Paul

Without the anticipation of Lollapalooza, the outlook for the looming weekend ahead may seem a bit bleak.  But fear not fellow Chicagoans, there are actually plenty of interesting live music events on the horizon over the next few days.  The Air and Water show means that there will be no notable street festivals offering shows of the gratis variety, but if you have a little change in your pocket and a craving for some good tunes I have some options for you.  For starters, tonight at Schubas you can catch Citizen Dick darlings The Duke and the King, the side project from Felice Brothers drummer Simone Felice, for a mere $10 bucks.  In case you missed Kevin’s review of their record, it is good and we love it.  If that’s not enough for you, tomorrow and Sunday brings the Green Music Festival to the near west side’s Eckhart Park.  Bands playing include Sybris, Say Hi, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Art Brut, Lucero, and Catfish Haven.  A steal at $12 bucks a day or $20 for a two day pass.  And finally, Saturday night at the Metro features a rare Chicago show from Austin’s favorite son Daniel Johnston.  Tickets are slightly steeper at $20 a piece, but this is a unique opportunity to see the indie legend outside of his hometown.  Well, I’ve given you your options so now it’s up to you to get out there and have fun.  And with that, on to the new music…

First up today is the mystery-shrouded track that has taken the blogosphere by storm over the last 48 hours.  That’s right, it’s freshly leaked new song from (maybe?) Radiohead.  First we get a brand new track via their official website last week, the tribute song “Harry Patch (In Memory Of),” and now a mysterious Internet leak of yet another new track from Mr. Yorke and co.  All of this coming on the heels of a recent interview in which the band claimed that they will never make another studio album.  As a result there has been much buzz throughout the music community as to what this all could mean.  Was the announcement of no more albums merely a hoax to create hype for a new record that is forthcoming?  Personally, Kevin and I are of the opinion that this will be the first in a series of leaked songs that fans will be able to download over a period of time, resulting in the eventual collection of a new record one track by track.  Knowing the band, this would make perfect sense as their latest statement against the traditional industry standard of packaged albums.  Radiohead has challenged convention in the past by releasing In Rainbows as a pay-what-you will download, and this could very well be yet another way that they revolutionize the way in which fans acquire and consume music.  The latest leak, which has been dubbed “These Are My Twisted Words,” is very obviously vintage Radiohead, just the way we like it.  While the possibility exists that this is merely a demo or outtake from a previous recording session, all of us here at Citizen Dick are hopeful that it marks the beginning of much more new material in the near future.

Radiohead – These Are My Twisted Words

Next up is another fresh new oddity from another one of my all-time favorite artists, the one and only Jack White.  If you are like me, you have been looking forward to the release of the Sony documentary It Might Get Loud, featuring Jack along with Jimmy Page and The Edge.  As part of the film, which chronicles the three musicians and their unique relationships with the guitars they play, White is challenged to write and perform a song on the spot in a mere ten minutes.  The result is “Fly Farm Blues,” and the entire process will be documented on-screen when the film premiers.  Obviously the track is quite crude given the circumstances, but it is definitely promising.  With rumors of a Jack White solo album in the works, this could be an indication of what we may expect from that project.  If you aren’t familiar with the film that will feature this song, definitely check out the website HERE and watch the trailer, as it is sure to be one you won’t want to miss.  It is opening today in New York and Los Angeles, and it will be coming to select other cities over the next few weeks.  Unfortunately there is no mp3 download of the song, so you will have to watch the YouTube clip below to hear it.  If you want to own it, it is available for purchase as a single via iTunes and will be for sale soon as a one-sided 7” via Jack’s label, Third Man Records.

I assume that by now you have heard about the death of guitar god, inventor, and musical visionary Les Paul by this point.  In addition to revolutionizing the guitar as we know it today, he also introduced the concepts of dubbing, tape delay, and multi-track recording.  Without Les we may have never gotten to where we are now in terms of playing and recording modern music.  I’m not going to waste my breath talking about his incredible life in this space today; if you don’t already know and want to learn you can go to his Wikipedia page for that.  Instead I would prefer to ask all of you to take a brief moment of silence to remember one of the most important figures in the history of music.  Les, if you’re listening, thank you for rock and roll.  Rest in peace.

Les Paul & Mary Ford – How High The Moon