Here are videos I shot of Woods and Silver Apples during the residency.

I just finished up a week-long visit to Virginia. It’s been nice to visit the family and see a bunch of friends. While I was in Charlottesville I saw Joanna Newsom play at the recently renovated Jefferson Theater and reviewed the show for Tiny Mix Tapes.

My friend Gary Canino shot some nice videos of the show. Watch them after the break.

“Good Intentions Paving Company”:

“Jackrabbits”:

“In California”:

“The Book of Right-On” and “Peach, Plum, Pear”:

(Endless Boogie with Matt Sweeney at Market Hotel)

I wrote about two awesome and loving Jack Rose tribute shows that happened in NYC over President’s Day weekend for BOMB Magazine’s blog. Check it out here. After the break you can see some more photos I snapped at the shows.

(Michael Chapman at Issue Project Room)

(Steve Gunn at Issue Project Room)

(Black Twigs at Issue Project)

(Glenn Jones at Issue Project Room)

(Tom Carter at Issue Project Room)

(Marcia Bassett at Issue Project Room)

(Pelt at Issue Project Room)

(Double Leopards at Market Hotel)

(No Neck Blues Band with Michael Chapman at Market Hotel)

For what it’s worth, this is my contribution to the abundant stream of best-of lists that pop up around this time of the year.

Favorite Albums of 2009:

1.) Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
2.) Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
3.) Girls - Girls
4.) Jim O’Rourke - The Visitor
5.) Cold Cave - Love Comes Close
6.) Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle
7.) The xx - The xx
8.) Pontiak - Maker
9.) Woods - Songs of Shame
10.) Sharon Van Etten  - Because I Was In Love
11.) Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
12.) Fiery Furnaces - I’m Going Away
13.) Cass McCombs - Catacombs
14.) Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light
15.) Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

Favorite Songs of 2009:

Girls - “Lust For Life”
Dirty Projectors - “Stillness Is The Move”
Animal Collective - “What Would I Want Sky”
Cass McCombs - “Harmonia”
Cold Cave - “The Trees Grew Emotions And Died”
Bat for Lashes - “Daniel”
The xx - “Basic Space”
Fiery Furnaces -”The End Is Near”
CSC Funk Band - “Bad Banana Bread”
Phoenix - “Lisztomania”
Best Coast - “When I’m With You”
Tickley Feather - “Trashy Boys”
Real Estate - “Fake Blues”
Sharon Van Etten - “Tornado”
Yo La Tengo - “Nothing To Hide”
Bill Callahan - “Rococo Zephyr”
Kings of Convenience - “24-25″
Neon Indian - “Deadbeat Summer”
Pontiak - “Aestival”
Black Lips - “Starting Over”

Favorite Shows of 2009:

Bjork and The Dirty Projectors at Housing Works
Yo La Tengo at Roseland Ballroom
Antony & The Johnsons at Town Hall
Devo at Austin Music Hall (SXSW)
The Pine Valley Cosmonauts at Lovejoy’s (SXSW)
Jandek at NYU’s Kimmel Center
CSC Funk Band - Multiple locations
Sam Mickens Ecstatic Showband & Revue - Multiple Locations
Faust at Music Hall of Williamsburg
Esmont Rocks - Esmont, VA
Bonnie “Prince” Billy at Fry Springs Beach Club
Fuck Buttons at Market Hotel
Sleigh Bells at Le Poisson Rouge
Underwater Peoples Late Summer Showcase at Market Hotel
D. Charles Speer at Coco 66

This space has been pretty quiet lately, and that’s because a few friends and I have been working hard on a new and exciting website, Eardrumnyc.com. Eardrum NYC is a website devoted to live music in New York City, complete with extensive calendar listings, artist bios, show and venue maps, and much more. It’s all interactive and easy to use. Please check it out!

This site will probably continue to be updated less frequently, as I’ll be blogging regularly on the Eardrum NYC Blog. But I’ll still reserve this page for information on other writing pursuits, as well as any material that doesn’t work for Eardrum.

Thanks and I hope you will check out Eardrum NYC!

And maybe a cover?

This next one, “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” from Jay Reatard’s new album, came at me via Robert Hull. His words when posting it on Facebook will suffice: “yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!!!”

And the third is a classic that is in the same spirit as the first two. Yo La Tengo’s “Sugarcube.”

(Liquid Liquid)

I wrote a piece for Tiny Mix Tapes on the world premier of composer Rhys Chatham’s A Crimson Grail for 200 Electric Guitars at the Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park Bandshell. The legendary and wonderful Liquid Liquid also played. After the jump, a video of Liquid Liquid and a few more photos.