So this fall, the Decemberists triumphantly return to the road for the Bridesmaid Revisited tour, dragging along 3 new, limited-edition, 12″ singles.  Each contains a new song that has been played live for a bit now.  The first of these vinyls drops in just over 2 weeks, Oct 14th.  The lead track is “Valerie Plame,” referencing the recent scandal, has just popped up on Youtube.  If you look hard enough, you can also find some other tracks like this live version of one of Meloy’s latest epics, loosely titled “Night/Rake.”  And don’t forget to catch Meloy et al when they drop into Rams Head on Nov 08.

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MP3: The Decemberists (Colin Meloy solo) – Night / Rake (Live)

Photo credit: mathr0ck81

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MP3: Built to Spill – Stop the Show (Live) from Live (1999)

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MP3: Built to Spill – Three Years Ago Today from Ultimate Alternative Wavers (1993)

Wednesday was my first time at Rams Head Live to see the always spectacular Built to Spill (Myspace/Wiki).  I got there at about 8:30, just in time to catch the last five songs from poorly advertised opener The Drones.  After going to the bar and specifically requesting the cheapest thing they had (a $5 bottle–which would have been an awful deal if I had selected anything other than the Beck’s I chose) we settled in to watch The Drones, who were a pleasant surprise.  I’ve noticed that Built to Spill seem to tour with bands who match well with their intricate guitar pop audience, and these guys were no exception. Read the rest…

Wednesday, September 24, Ram’s Head Live is proud to welcome Built to Spill and Meat Puppets, two offshoots of the 2008 All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival, which has probably gone down as having the most stacked lineup of a festival in recent rock music history.  Built to Spill will perform their 1997 Warner Brothers debut, Perfect from Now On, in its entirety, certainly the most musically demanding item in their repertoire.  There’s no word yet on whether Meat Puppets will play through Meat Puppets II as they did at ATP fest, but either way the show should be a treat.

Built to Spill is quite simply one of my favorite bands ever. Read the rest…