Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Battling The Flu Edition

I’ve been sick this week, battling cold/flu symptoms. Whatever it is, it came on strong Tuesday morning and hasn’t left. No one likes being sick, but for a type A personality like me, it’s a nightmare. When I am unable to do the things that I want due to illness, it drives me crazy. I know that I need to rest and sleep and let the sickness pass, but I find that I am pushing myself regardless. That’s not very bright. In the end, it is most likely going to make me sicker. Thus, my type A battles my rational side, and just makes for a hot mess. The worst part of being sick is not being able to work out in the morning. I know that I can’t push my body that much when I am sick, but I hate not working out – it just makes me feel lazy. I know it’s all mental, but it’s still annoying. Hopefully I will feel better by next week and be back on track with workouts, writing, and getting things done for my day job.

Here’s what rocked this week:

The 2011 Grammy Awards
Did you miss the Grammys last Sunday? Couldn’t stay awake to see who won all of the awards? Not sure which band won hard rock album of the year, because it wasn’t televised? Fear not. The Grammys were kind enough to put together a list of winners so that you can recap the nominees and awards for each category. A listing of who performed and where these performances can be viewed is also available.

Bullet – Highway Pirates
Over at Hard Rock Hideout, I posted a review of Swedish rockers Bullet’s latest album, Highway Pirates. If you’re into hard rock and screaming metal, this is an excellent record that I highly recommend. The fast, heavy beat is bound to get your blood flowing, feet stomping, and fists pumping in no time!

The Map of Metal
Holy Hell! Thanks to Blogs N’ Roses (http://www.blogsnroses.com/) I have been introduced to one of the most addicting rock/metal sites ever. The Map of Metal is a totally unique, wild, and cool map that shows the history of all different types of rock music. From Hard Rock to Progressive to Heavy Metal and more, the Map of Metal has it covered. You can spend hours on this site, listening to all of the different bands that are posted and seeing how they fit into the history of rock and roll. This site is amazing!

The 2011 Bonnaroo Lineup Has Been Released
Another year of Bonnaroo is coming up fast. This year’s lineup was recently announced and while it appears I was wrong about my prediction of Dave Matthews Band performing there in 2011, they still put together another solid lineup. What I like most about Bonnaroo (and always have) is the diversity of musical talent they bring to the festival. This year is no exception. Eminem, Widespread Panic, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, and a reunited Buffalo Springfield are just some of the bands on the bill. Once again, Bonnaroo looks to be the festival to visit if you’re only visiting one.

For more news, reviews, recaps, music loving, and an update on my health status, you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

The 2011 Grammy Awards - The Good, The Bad, And The Oh So Ugly!

Another year of Grammy hype, awards, and performances has come and gone. As usual, there were moments that surprised me, points that disappointed me, and times that had me scratching my head saying “What the…?” Here’s my recap of one of the best nights in music.

Grammy – The Good
Iron Maiden wins a Grammy for El Dorado. That’s very good. Arcade Fire won Album of the Year. That was excellent. Muse’s live performance was magnificent. Rhianna sounded fantastic. She is highly talented and her voice was spot on for her duet with Eminem.

Lady Gaga’s performance of her new song, Born This Way, was decent. I know she’s an odd bird kooky-kat and all that, but she is talented. And while her new song sounds like it rips off Maddona’s Express Yourself, it was still a catchy tune.

David Letterman’s Top 10 for the Grammys was hysterical. I’ve always thought he is a highly entertaining and talented man.

The biggest surprise of the night for me was Cee Lo Green’s performance with Gwyneth Paltrow of Forget You. It was entertaining, over the top, unexpected, and let’s face it, it’s a really good song. This was the Grammy moment of the evening.

CEE LO GREEN PERFORMS FORGET YOU


Grammy – The Bad
Justin Bieber with Usher was just awful. I didn’t even know what was going on during that performance. I know I’m not a big fan of the Bieb to begin with, but that performance was just terrible. Katy Perry was another waste of time. I still don’t understand why people think she’s talented.

Overall, the Grammys lacked some punch this year. I just didn’t find myself excited for most of the awards or performances. That’s not to say they weren’t good, but I just wasn’t anxiously awaiting anything. Last year, I couldn’t wait to see Dave Matthews Band, or Bon Jovi, but this year, everything was so Vanilla. Nothing stood out (except for Cee Lo Green) and nothing was so outlandish that it shocked. Has Grammy gone flat, or have we as a music fan society just become numb to it all?

Grammy – The Oh So Ugly
The opening tribute was horrid. I know we want to pay our respects to the queen of soul, but perhaps Grammy could have searched for a little more talent. First off, Christina Aguilera couldn’t even remember the words to the National Anthem, and now she’s going to sing one of Aretha’s songs? The others were just not talented. Don’t get me wrong, they have talent in their own right, but none of those five performers (Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams, Florence Welch, and the aforementioned Aguilera) have the talent to touch an Aretha song. It was just a train wreck, and an ugly way to open the Grammy awards.

And what was up with Lenny Kravitz? I am a huge fan of the man. I love Kravitz’s music and think he is an incredible artist, but what the heck was he wearing when he introduced Muse?

MUSE PERFORMS UPRISING

Muse - Uprising: 2011 Grammy's
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And so another year of The Grammy Awards has come and gone. I’m already looking forward to next year’s show, hoping that it will be better and trying to figure out which group will get nominated for Album of the Year. What about you? Interested in the Grammys, or couldn’t care less? Comments are open, feel free to post some.

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Pitchers and Catchers Edition

For me, three of the greatest words to hear are pitchers and catchers. It means that baseball season is about to begin. Avid readers of The Rock And Roll Guru know what a baseball junkie I am. I read all the off season reports, follow the trade rumors, keep up with the team transactions and yes, I even watch spring training games when they are televised. I love this time of year. Baseball is about to begin for another season and that means spring and concerts aren’t that far behind.

For baseball fans nationwide, spring training brings hope. Every team has a chance to make the playoffs and every fan can argue why their team can be a contender. Come May, that will no longer be true, but the optimism that spring training brings is glorious. And it all starts next week when pitchers and catchers report for spring training duty. Here’s to another great season of the greatest game ever invented. Play ball!

Here’s what rocked this week:

Old Rocker’s Review of Robert Plant’s Band Of Joy
The old rocker got to witness Robert Plant’s Band of Joy at the Beacon Theater and was kind enough to post a review for us to enjoy. It’s nice to see that Plant still performs some Led Zeppelin hits even if they are re-worked a bit. While a Led Zeppelin reunion is highly unlikely, old rocker claims this is the next best thing. Judging by the clips and his review of the show, I believe him.

Simpson and Wentz File For Divorce
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz have filed for a divorce. It’s hard to be married when you’re living the superstar lifestyle. Hopefully they can part amicably and be able to give their young child support from both parents. Perhaps Pete will have time to get Fall Out Boy back together again. That would be real nice.

LCD Soundsystem Will Call It A (Live) Career
LCD Soundsystem has announced that their final live show ever will be held at Madison Square Garden on April 2nd. While this news disappointed fans, James Murphy was quick to point out that LCD Soundsystem will still be releasing music in the future. It just means that there will be no more live shows. Their farewell performance promises to be magnificent. Tickets are on sale today (February 11th). I am sure they will sell out.

The Grammys Are On This Sunday
And finally this week, The Grammy Awards will be aired this Sunday night at 8PM Eastern on CBS. As I did last year, I will be tweeting during the show and enjoying the live moments as they unfold. Every year I watch the Grammys, celebrating my love of music along with many others across the nation. The live performances for this year’s show are appealing and of course, I am curious to see how I did on Grammy predictions.

Want to join in all the tweeting fun for the Grammys? Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/ryovie

2011 Grammy Predictions

Once again, it’s that time of the year, Grammy time. Every year I watch the Grammys with much anticipation. I look forward to the performances, the awards, and the speeches. It’s a night to celebrate the music we all love and sometimes it’s a celebration of the music we love to hate. The Grammys are a real treat that I enjoy year after year. As in years past, it’s time for my predictions on who will win the Grammy.

Want to see my track record for predictions? Here’s a link to my 2010 predictions, and a link to my recap of the 2009 show. The Grammy awards are on Sunday, February 13th, a mere two weeks away. Tune in to see how your cousin Ryo’s predictions turned out.

Record Of The Year
My first problem with this category is that Empire State Of Mind came out in 2009 if I’m not mistaken. I can remember hearing it being performed during the Yankees celebration parade for winning the 2009 World Series. So then, how is this song nominated for a 2010 Grammy?

Nominees:
Nothin’ On You – B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars
Love The Way You Lie – Eminem featuring Rhianna
F*** You – Cee Lo Green
Empire State of Mind – Jay Z and Alicia Keys
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

Ryo Wants:
Empire State Of Mind. Even if it technically shouldn’t be eligible for this category, it is my favorite song of the five. It’s also a song that I can listen to over and over and over again, especially when Alicia Keys kicks it into high.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Eminem. I expect that he will win most of the awards that he is nominated for.

Album Of The Year
This category is stacked and probably the hardest to pick from. There are some excellent albums to choose from by some incredible artists.

Nominees:
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
Recovery – Eminem
Need You Know – Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream – Katy Perry

Ryo Wants:
The Suburbs. Arcade Fire put out an exceptional album that is a large part of my current rotation. If you get one Grammy nominated album before the show, this is the one to buy.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster. While I respect that Eminem’s disc will give her a run for her money, I still think this is the album that will take home the trophy.

Song Of The Year
There’s quite a different blend for song of the year. Just seeing Ray Lamontagne nominated makes me feel great. He’s an artist that doesn’t get nearly the amount of recognition he deserves. And of course, Eminem is nominated in this category as well.

Nominees:
Beg Steal or Borrow – Ray Lamontagne
F*** You – Cee Lo Green
The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert
Love The Way You Lie – Eminem
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

Ryo Wants:
Beg Steal or Borrow. I love Ray Lamontagne and the rest of the world needs to recognize what a great artist he is.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Eminem, who will win most of the categories he is nominated for. Fans love him. Critics love him. The Grammys will love him too.

Best Hard Rock Performance
This is a category that’s right up my alley. The best hard rock performance is an honor to all those head banging rockers that seem to get a bad rap in the music world. That’s something I never understood. Rock music has been around for a long time, and it would be nice if people would stop being so scared of it. Just because someone listens to Manowar doesn’t mean they are a killer or a stalker. It just means they have great taste in music.

Nominees:
A Looking In View – Alice In Chains
Let Me Hear You Scream – Ozzy Osbourne
Black Rain – Soundgarden
Between The Lines – Stone Temple Pilots
New Fang – Them Crooked Vultures

Ryo Wants:
Let Me Hear You Scream. The Oz man deserves it and this is the best song of the five, hands down.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Most likely Them Crooked Vultures, which is an absolute shame. For a super group, I didn’t think they were that super. Grammy loves stars though, and with a member of Led Zeppelin as part of the band, expect to see them raise the trophy.

Best Metal Performance:
What’s better than the best hard rock performance category? Why, the best metal performance category, of course. Even heavier than its hard rock cousin, metal music is a real motivational tool perfect for getting people to move their ass. Turn up Slayer next time you want to work out and see if your cardio doesn’t raise by a ton!

Nominees:
El Dorado – Iron Maiden
Let The Guilt Go – Korn
In Your Words – Lamb Of God
Sudden Death – Megadeath
World Painted Blood – Slayer

Ryo Wants:
El Dorado by Iron Maiden. This is purely based on my biased love of the band. That doesn’t mean that El Dorado isn’t a great song, because it certainly is, however, I just want to see Maiden walk out with a Grammy.

The Grammy Will Go To:
I have to think that Iron Maiden will win this category. They have the best song to choose from and they are a beloved English band.

Best Rock Song
Ok, let the arguments begin. Yes, some of these songs/artists aren’t really “rock” per se. However, where else could you put them? I’m willing to give Grammy a break here and just roll with the fact that Neil Young and Muse are “rock.” To me, they’re more pop/mainstream, but no one on the board asked for my clarification prior to releasing the nominees.

Nominees:
Angry World - Neil Young
Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons
Radioactive – Kings Of Leon
Resistance – Muse
Tighten Up – The Black Keys

Ryo Wants:
Resistance by Muse. Even If it’s not pure “rock,” it is a great song by an incredible band. The more I hear Muse, the more I really love them.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Angry World. Neil Young wins on reputation alone.

Best Rock Album
This is another category where you could argue if the choices are really “rock.” Add in the fact that Backspacer came out in September of 2009 and Mojo is just an awful record, and I have to wonder who is picking these nominees.

Nominees:
Emotion & Commotion – Jeff Beck
The Resistance – Muse
Backspacer – Pearl Jam
Mojo – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Le Noise – Neil Young

Ryo Wants:
Even though it shouldn’t be in this category, I want to see Pearl Jam win the Grammy. This is another purely biased decision. Backspacer is a fantastic album and Pearl Jam is one of my favorite bands, so why wouldn’t I pick them?

The Grammy Will Go To:
Mr. Young wins again.

And there you have it, my picks for the 2011 Grammys. If you’d like to see a listing of all the categories and bands/songs/records nominated, visit http://www.grammy.com/

Just like last year, I will be tweeting up my thoughts during the Grammy show. Follow me on Twitter and join in the fun! www.twitter.com/ryovie

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - The Holiday Season Edition

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us once again. It’s not like I didn’t know it was coming, I just wasn’t prepared for it to hit. I tried to prepare, but it still came at me out of nowhere. Now the next month of my life is going to be filled with chaos as I try to meet year end goals (for both The Rock And Roll Guru and the job that pays me cash money), decorate the house, get the gift shopping done, and rearrange my social calendar to see everyone.

Not to mention I have a KIX concert and a From Good Homes concert in back-to-back weeks. AND I’m debating on going to see Hinder as well. Whoo! That’s a whirlwind of a month. I’m going to need January to arrive just so I can relax. I always seem to put too much pressure on myself for the holidays. I need to learn to say no more often. It’s that belief that I can fit it all in. Then it becomes too rushed and not as enjoyable as it should be. Maybe I will learn for next year. Less is more.

Here’s what rocked this week:

The Grammy Nominations Are In
While it’s nice to see Eminem lead the pack with multiple nominations, it’s disappointing to see who was left out. Ozzy should have been nominated in several categories for Scream. That album is nothing short of spectacular, but Grammy doesn’t love the hard rock and heavy metal the way Ryo does. I will still be watching come February.

And Here Are The Hard Rocking Grammy Nominations
Note how scant, small, and seemingly insignificant they are. Why metal doesn’t get the mainstream love is beyond me. I guess if it was part of the mainstream though, I wouldn’t love it as much.

KISS is re-releasing the KISS Casket
And they are not limited to just caskets. Kiss has unveiled cremation urns, plaques, prayer cards, and yes, pet cremation urns. Now Fido or Fluffy can eternally rest in the image of Gene and the rest of the band. While I love this band, I wish they would make new records as quickly as they churn out new junk for fans to buy.

Sammy Hagar Is Finishing Up His Autobiography
While the title is pretty lame, I am hopeful for this book. Sammy better not gloss over the VanHalen years, especially the 2nd split (where Michael Anthony left too). I also want the inside story of the “Sam and Dave” tour. Please don’t disappoint us, Sammy.

For more updates, concert happenings, news, views, and music love, you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - The Grammys Edition

The Grammys are on this Sunday. Anyone who reads this blog more than once probably knows that I’m excited about this. I don’t know why I get so happy when The Grammys are on. It’s usually nothing more than an overproduced corporate publicity stunt, and yet I still tune in year after year. Riveted. Dying to see the next performance. Obsessed with who is going to win the Grammy for (take your pick).

I’ve come to the conclusion that I look forward to this annual event because it’s a celebration of music, and unfortunately, that just does not happen enough. Sure, everyone enjoys music, but how often do we come together nationally to celebrate and express our appreciation for musicians and the joy they bring us. Not often enough.

That’s what makes The Grammys so special. It’s a chance to reflect and celebrate the music we love. It’s a moment where we know everyone and anyone could be enjoying the same exact music as us at the same exact time. Everyone could be expressing their love of music at the exact same moment. To me, that’s just utterly fantastic.

What do you think? Do you like The Grammys? Hate them? Will you be watching on Sunday? If you’re interested, I’ll be tweeting during the show. You should follow me on twitter and join in. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Here’s what rocked this week:

Dave Matthews Band Announces Summer Tour Plans
DMB have announced their summer tour plans for 2010 which includes a 3 night stand at the Gorge Ampitheater in Washington, and a two night stand at Citi Field in New York City. Cousin Ryo is a happy man, and just may try to see 6 or more of these shows.

Megadeth Celebrating 20 Years Of Rust
Keeping with the tour theme, Megadeth is going on tour in support of the 20th anniversary of Rust In Peace. To celebrate this landmark milestone, the band is going to play Rust In Peace in its entirety during this tour with Testament. It’s becoming a bit cliché for a band to play an album in its entirety, but it would still be pretty darn cool to see Rust In Peace live all the way through.

A Really Cool Metal Find
The metal man over at Metal Odyssey had a really cool find this week. An apple shaped Saxon picture disc (vinyl). These were hot items back in the 80s and almost impossible to find these days. Seeing this brought back some cool, nostalgic memories. To see the pictures of his awesome find, click on the link above.

Slash Gear Banned From Guns N Roses Concerts?
And it just gets stupider and stupider. I mean… really?

2010 Grammy Performances

The Grammy Awards are this Sunday night. There appears to be another solid lineup of performers scheduled to entertain the masses. Who are you looking forward to seeing perform at this year’s Grammy Awards? Cousin Ryo has his favorites, of course, along with a couple that I have no desire to see, but I’ll watch anyway, because this is what I do every year.

I really want to see Dave Matthews Band and have high hopes for their performance. Obviously they are going to play something off of Big Whiskey, but what is still the question. Funny The Way It Is would be nice, but Seven or Alligator Pie would be nicer. Either way, I think that DMB is going to be incredible and give an amazing performance.

Bon Jovi is having the fans select their song through online voting. It’s a neat way to connect the fans with the show and give them a stronger feeling of inclusion. The choices are Livin’ On A Prayer, Bed of Roses, It’s My Life, Always, Wanted Dead Or Alive, or Have A Nice Day. I personally would love to hear Bed of Roses, but I have a feeling it’s either going to be Livin’ On A Prayer, or Wanted Dead Or Alive. Those are total fan favorites.

Black Eyed Peas should entertain well. Their New Year’s Eve appearance was decent and I’ve always liked this band. I’m looking forward to seeing their live selection. Green Day will also be interesting. I’m guessing their going to perform 21 Guns off of their latest album, but I could be off on that. They could perform a completely different song.

Taylor Swift is probably the act that I least want to see. I might take a popcorn break when she comes on. There’s something about her that I just don’t like. She’s not my kind of performer and I feel that she’s a little too fake. I know she’s had a rough year with the whole Kanye incident and all, but still, she’s not someone that I particularly want to see.

What about you? Who are you looking forward to seeing? Which band are you dying to hear the most? Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Here’s the confirmed list of performers:
Beyonce
Black Eyed Peas
Bon Jovi
Dave Matthews Band
Green Day
Lady Antebellum
Lady Gaga
Maxwell
Pink
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band

The Grammy’s are this Sunday at 8PM Eastern. I’ll be tweeting all during the show over on Twitter. You should follow me and join in the fun. www.twitter.com/ryovie

2010 Grammy Award Predictions

Here we are again, another Grammy Awards show coming up fast. On Sunday, January 31st, CBS will be airing this year’s Grammy Awards. As I do every year, I’ll be watching and commenting on the program in the days following. I still don’t know what compels to watch every year, but I strap in and do it and will be doing it again come January 31st.

Some interesting nominees are up for awards this year. I’ve listed the major ones below with who I would like to see win and who I think will win. We’ll see how I fair, come the end of the month.

Here are Ryo’s predictions:

Record of the Year
Halo – Beyonce
I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

Cousin Ryo wants: The Black Eyed Peas. I’ve always liked them and I Gotta Feeling is a solid song that was (is) a monster hit for the band.

The Grammy will go to: Lady Gaga. Although Taylor Swift is a Grammy favorite, Lady Gaga gets all the buzz this year. She is 2009’s Katie Perry. That’s not meant to be a compliment.


Album of the Year
I Am…Sasha Fierce – Beyonce
The E.N.D. – The Black Eyed Peas
The Fame – Lady Gaga
Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King – Dave Matthews Band
Fearless – Taylor Swift

Cousin Ryo wants: OK, anyone who knows anything about this site knows that I want Dave Matthews Band to win this one. Not just because I am a huge fan, but also because the record was incredible (it was in my top 10 of 2009). The band worked hard on that album and Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King is one of their best records ever.

The Grammy will go to: Unfortunately, Grammy darling Taylor Swift will win here, to placate the fact that Record of the Year went to Lady Gaga. It’s all a conspiracy! I hope I’m wrong, but my gut says Taylor Swift wins.

Song of the Year
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
Pretty Wings – Maxwell
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) – Beyonce
Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

Cousin Ryo wants: I’ve always liked this award because it recognizes the lyrics of the song rather than the performance (or performer). Here I’d like to see Beyonce win. Single Ladies was a well written song and her co-writers deserve the recognition.

The Grammy will go to: Another Lady Gaga win.

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
We Weren’t Born To Follow – Bon Jovi
Never Say Never – The Fray
Sara Smile (Live) – Hall & Oates
Kids – MGMT

Cousin Ryo wants: The Fray, although it’s a tough choice between them and Bon Jovi. Never Say Never is an amazing song though.

The Grammy will go to: The Fray. This song is too good not to win.

Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings

Cousin Ryo Wants: MGMT. Out of these 5, they are the band I know the most.

The Grammy will go to: The Ting Tings. They’ve gotten a lot of recognition this past year and the kids love them.

Best Hard Rock Performance
AC/DC – War Machine
Alice In Chains – Check My Brain
What I’ve Done – Linkin Park
The Unforgiven III – Metallica
Burn It To The Ground – Nickelback

Cousin Ryo Wants: AC/DC. Good song, love this band, and they deserve the recognition, even if they won’t be there to accept their award live (although this year they might be).

The Grammy will go to: Nickelback. Theirs is a great song too, though, so I’ve no complaints here.

Best Rock Song
The Fixer – Pearl Jam
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight – U2
21 Guns – Green Day
Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
Working On A Dream – Bruce Springsteen

Cousin Ryo wants: The Fixer, hands down. One of the best songs I heard in 2009, and I love Pearl Jam.

The Grammy will go to: Bruce. Working On A Dream is a great song on an otherwise lousy album and the Grammy’s love their Bruce Springsteen.

Best Rock Album
Black Ice – AC/DC
Live From Madison Square Garden – Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
21st Century Breakdown – Green Day
Big Whiskey & The Groogrux King – Dave Matthews Band
No Line On The Horizon – U2

Cousin Ryo wants: This is a close one. I want DMB, but if they win for Record of the Year, then I would rather see this Grammy go to U2. No Line On The Horizon is another incredible CD that was in my top 10 for 2009.

The Grammy will go to: Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, which is total BS. A live album shouldn’t even be allowed in this category. If they want a live album in there so badly, then the committee should come up with a best live album category. Recording a concert and then releasing it is nowhere near as difficult as recording a brand new album. It’s like nominating a greatest hits album for record of the year. Come on!

Those are my predictions for this year’s major categories. For a complete listing of all the Grammy categories, goo to http://www.grammy.com/nominees.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

The Grammy Awards

I must admit that I was rather impressed with this year’s Grammy Awards show. There was more good than bad, but there was still some ugly to go along with all that. Below are my thoughts on last night’s program.

THE GOOD
U2’s opening performance was exceptional. I knew they were going to play their new single, which I’m still trying to get into. However, last night’s performance helped a lot. After seeing the song live, I am starting to like it more.

Exceptional performance of the night: Justin Timberlake, Al Green, Boys II Men, and Keith Urban. Wow! That was just an amazing performance. Nothing more can be said.

Shock of the night: Adele winning best new artist. I swore that was going to the Jonas Brothers. Even Adele was shocked. She probably thought the award was going to the Jonas Brothers too.

Paul McCartney with Dave Grohl on drums was really slick. I didn’t know what was cooler: seeing Dave Grohl behind a drum kit again, or seeing him behind one while Paul McCartney performed in front of him.

Stevie Wonder with the Jonas Brothers. I hate to admit it, but it was really good. Stevie’s always good, but the Jonas Brothers did their best to keep up with him, and they succeeded.

Kanye West’s performance of American Boy with Estelle was incredible. I really enjoyed that particular performance.

Radiohead with the USC marching band? Even though I loathe USC right now (for pounding on my Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl), the performance was really cool.

Best Moment of The Night: For me, it was Blink 182 announcing their return. Although, I would have liked it more if there was a group hug or something. Travis still looked a wee bit angry up there. Maybe he was on painkillers.

THE BAD
Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift – Could Miley BE anymore over dramatic?

Carrie Underwood – I know everybody loves her, but learn to enunciate. I couldn’t understand a word she was “singing” and her facial expressions were horrendous. So was her outfit. Not as bad as Katie Perry’s, but certainly a close second.

Robert Plant looked awful. I know he’s rock royalty and blah, blah, blah – put on a suit, will ya? You’re at the Grammys, can you dress somewhat decent? He just looked old last night.

Coldplay winning song of the year was a disappointment. I really wanted Jason Mraz to take this one. I’m Yours is one of the greatest songs to come out in a long, long while.

THE UGLY
Katie Perry – Just horrendous. The outfit was disgusting, the song is so yesterday, and she has no talent. Possibly the worst moment of the night.

What did you think of last night?

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

The 51st Grammy Awards

The Grammy awards are on this Sunday, live from Los Angeles. What is it about the Grammys that compels me to watch year after year? The show always seems overproduced, with a lot of speeches and awards for bands and music that I know nothing about. The live performances are never as good as a regular concert, mostly because the performers are playing for members of the music industry and not the fans. And yet, I still tune in, year after year, to watch the show. It must be my undying love for music.

This year I’m looking forward to seeing Radiohead perform. It will be interesting to see which song they play and how they sound. I’m interested in hearing U2, although I’m sure they will be performing Get on Your Boots, which has yet to grow on me. Paul McCartney with Dave Grohl should be interesting, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy Kid Rock. I’m really interested in seeing Robert Plant and Allison Kraus, as I’ve not seen any live performances from the duo (although I’m sure I could find something on You Tube if I searched for it).

As for nominees, I’m hoping that Adele wins for Chasing Pavement. I know that she may be a one hit wonder, or her career may go the way of Norah Jones (what have we heard from her lately), but I still love that song and hope the best for her. For album of the year, I have no rooting interest. I don’t own any of the five albums nominated and I don’t plan to go and buy them either. I’m sure that the Jonas Brothers will take the best new artist category, but I could have sworn these guys have been around for more than a year.

For Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, I would like to see either Bruce win (for Girls in Their Summer Clothes), or Eddie Vedder (for Rise). You could argue that Bruce isn’t a solo performance, but why bother to argue with the Grammys? They thought Jethro Tull was metal.

Best Rock Performance? I definitely want to see AC/DC take home a Grammy. I know they won’t be there to accept, but I still want to see them get recognition for their amazing work this past year. Best Hard Rock? As much as I love Judas Priest, I want Motley Crue to take this one (for Saints of Los Angeles). Judas Priest can take the best metal Grammy.

Surprisingly, there are four out of five performers I would like to see win the Best Rock Instrumental Performance: Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Rush, and David Gilmour. I like them all, and I think they are all worthy of the trophy.

Best Rock Album? Give it to the Raconteurs. I love Jack White.

What about you? What are you looking forward to, or not looking forward to? Will you even watch?

For a complete list of nominees, click on the link below.

http://content.grammy.com/grammy_awards/51st_show/list.aspx

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