Long Live the CD!

Last week, Justin Ellis wrote a great article in the iHerald about the SINGLES generation and the current and future state of CDs. He interviewed local New Wave band Hiss & Chambers (who I still need to check out sometime) about digital distribution and how it has improved the band's exposure. In the article, Hiss & Chambers drummer Ryan Dolan said, "We're definitely starting to see the singles generation happen." Hiss & Chambers has made the decision to push the online distribution more than the physical, because it will save them greatly on costs and allow their name to get out more.

As more and more people buy music from online stores, the sales of CDs have taken a great descent. The RIAA has reported that CD sales have dropped to $9.1 Billion from $10.5 Billion and $10.4 Billion in the previous years. At the end of the article, Todd Richard is quoted saying, "Shopping on iTunes, however convenient it is, or downloading from your favorite band's MySpace page certainly can't take the place of the kid in the candy store feeling I recall so well from my childhood." And that's where I come in.

Will Gattis at Village Park - 8/27

After two previous attempts in the past year, Will Gattis finally pulled off a free summer concert in the park last night. There was a great turn out, and as I said yesterday, the weather was beautiful.

Photo courtesy of Cam Jones

Will played an hour long set with a mix of new songs and old songs from his 2005 album, Dullard. On some songs, Jeff Beam of Specter played drums and Nick Langley played bass guitar. The drums and bass proved to be a great addition to songs like "Sean" and Dullard's single, "Christopher".

See Will Gattis at Behind Wal-Martstock today!

The day has finally come! The weather is beautiful and the birds are singing! Today is the day that Will Gattis performs a free show at Village Park in Falmouth! It's actually going to happen, folks!

Yes, you heard me correctly. The show is on! Come to Village Park behind the Wal-Mart in Falmouth at 6 to see Maine's very own rock pianist, Will Gattis!

For those who didn't know, Will just performed at Spencer Albee's latest Clash of the Titans show as Ben Folds while he duked out Spencer playing as Elton John. Though I couldn't attend the show, I heard great praise about the show. If you haven't given Will a listen yet, you need to now, because he is one of the hot up-and-coming Portland artists to watch. Check out his Myspace for full songs here.

Rufus Wainwright at the Avalon - 8/21

As another part of my big graduation gift package, I got tickets to see Rufus Wainwright down in Boston. I have been a Rufus fan for a bit more than a year, and I've always loved the diverse rhythms and lyrics from his music, so I was really excited to see him perform.

Concert Review Extravaganza!

I've been to an overwhelming amount of concerts lately, so I haven't been able to write full-quality reviews, but I promise that will resume soon with the upcoming Rufus Wainwright concert. Right now I'm going to write mini-reviews of concerts I've been to for the past 3 weeks. Lets delay no further. Here we go!

Under the cut:
Rustic Overtones at the Ayslum - 7/29

Zappa Plays Zappa at the Bank of America Pavillion - 8/4

Rotundo Sealeg, Zac Clark, and Math the Band at the Portland Friends Meeting House - 8/11 (video included)

White Stripes at the Civic Center - 7/22

Luckily for me, I got a ticket to see the White Stripes for my birthday, and boy, what a treat it turned out to be. The show was simply incredible. It's remarkable how two people can have such an outstanding stage presence.

I'd have to say the highlight of the show was "Icky Thump". Watching Jack White play the guitar and organ synthesizer simultaneous was nothing short of orgasmic. Another highlight was "Seven Nation Army". During the snarling guitars of the chorus, the crowd went nuts, swaying back and forth, jumping up and down.

Jack White was ecstatic to see most of the fans reciting all of the lyrics, so he vowed to come back to Portland again, as this was the first time he has played here with his pseudo-sister Meg. All in all, great concert. I will definitely have to see them again.

Will Gattis playing in Falmouth on 8/27!

If you were disappointed to hear that Will's show in Portland, I have some good news! Will Gattis will be playing at Village Park in Falmouth on August 27th! The show goes from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM and Will will be the only performer.

For those who don't know, Will Gattis is an up-and-coming piano rocker in the Portland music scene. If you like Ben Folds, Joe Jackson, and the like, you will surely enjoy Will's own style of playing the piano and telling stories through song. Check out some of his music here on his Myspace.

So don't forget: Be there at Village Park in Falmouth on August 27th at 6 PM. This will be a great show to finish off the summer with.