Happy 20th Birthday, Pretty Hate Machine

Yes, Nine Inch Nails‘ breakthrough album Pretty Hate Machine turned 20 yesterday.

TWENTY.

My first thought when I read that was, “Wow, I’m old.”

But I’m not. And neither are you. And neither is Punky Brewster.

Anyway, I gave the album another spin yesterday, and I gotta say, all these years later, it still sounds as new and fresh as the day it was released. As I was looking around yesterday, it was interesting to see just how many people remembered the first time they heard the album. From “on tape in a friend’s car riding home from school. it was love at first listen” to [...]

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals: Live 9-12-09

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals have popped up a couple other times on the site via our weekly Top 5 Most Played Songs series. I commented previously on how their sound was reminiscent of the great jam bands of the 60’s and 70’s, and Potter’s soulful, bluesy voice is just a joy to listen to. Bonnie Raitt described the band as “one of the most soulful new bands around,” and I tend to agree.

So, today I was quite pleased to come across this live show from the band that took place last weekend at Florence, MA’s Pines Theater. The show was part of the Royal Family Getdown, where Soulive hosted a one-day outdoor festival featuring several friends of theirs, including GPN. [...]

Bruce Springsteen: Songs from “The Rising”

2993 people died 9/11/2001.

It’s been eight years since that awful day, and I still remember where I was, what I was doing, what I was wearing, and even how I was sitting when I heard the news of the attacks. I must say that Sept. 11, 2001 was one of the worst days of my life, and in all reality, nothing happened to me.

Yet anytime I think about my “worst days,” that day seems to pop up in the top 10.

I hope we never forget. [...]

Sounds of the Universe Free CD Giveaway + Bootleg: Depeche Mode Live in Koln 1998

It’s no secret here at TheFrontloader.com that I’m a huge fan of Depeche Mode. So, it will come as no surprise to you that I’m quite excited about today’s release of their new album, Sounds of the Universe.

I am so excited, in fact, that I wanted to buy out the entire stock at our local Best Buy, Target, and WalMart stores and drop them in a sea of CDs from the top of some really tall building onto unsuspecting victims fans. Unfortunately, I was unable to do so because of zoning protocols, BUT [...]

Barefoot Truth: Showcase Live (12-27-08)

A good friend of mine recommended this band to me the other day. I, being an amazing and altogether brilliant buddy, took the recommendation and was exceptionally pleased with what I heard. Barefoot Truth is the band, and their sound is as eclectic as a hot dog.

There are so many influences and elements to their music… a bit of folk, country, rock, reggae, even a bit of rap… [...]

Ryan Adams: Live at Kulturbolaget (4-24-01)

It has been seven days since we’ve written about Ryan Adams here on TheFrontloader.com… which simply will not do. His Valentine’s Day EP, Extra Cheese, came out exclusively on iTunes yesterday. As we mentioned last week, most Adams fans will already be familiar with the songs included on the EP, as it’s a look at some of the “best love songs” in his catalog.

In honor of this release, we thought we’d share with you a great solo acoustic show Ryan did in Malmo, Sweden back in 2001. [...]

Jason Isbell: Live in Nashville (8-24-07)

Last week we wrote about Jason Isbell’s upcoming album, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit. We’re all looking forward to it here at TheFrontloader.com, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, here is a bootleg of Isbell, dating back to August 24, 2007.

The sound quality is excellent here, as is the performance.

A gem of this collection is his cover of Patterson Hood’s song, “Assassin.” Hood is, of course, one of the main singer/songwriters of The Drive-By Truckers, a band that Isbell once belonged to. [...]

Elvis Presley Outtakes X

We made it… the final batch of Elvis Presley Outtakes…

I managed to stretch it out to ten installments! At first I thought I’d only make nine, but after some quick shuffling around, I made it to ten! Is anybody out there proud of me?

No? AWWWWWWWW :-(

That’s ok, though, because I’m glad we’ve hit the last of the bunch. [...]

Nine Inch Nails: Live in Raleigh, 1995

The Downward Spiral was a huge album for Nine Inch Nails. The album brought Industrial Music to the masses, and remains as one of the important albums to listen to from that genre. It received a large amount of media attention because of the single, “Closer,” which included the line, “I wanna f*** you like an animal.” Although the single was played on the radio, that line was obviously edited for content. The video was also in rotation on MTV, which helped fuel sales as well. [...]

Elvis Presley Outtakes IX

I know I keep saying this, but THIS batch of Elvis Presley Outtakes is probably my favorite of the series.

The reason THIS batch is my favorite is that it includes the famous 1969 “laughing” performance of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” I’ve posted this song before, but it’s always worth revisiting because it’s one of the funniest moments in Rock n’ Roll. I never fail to laugh along when I hear this performance… and I always seem to find something new to laugh at. [...]