“The Saga Begins” is a brilliant take on “American Pie” but based on Episode 1 of Star Wars. This is the funniest comedy song I’ve heard in a long ass time. “My, my, this here Annikin guy, may be Vader someday later now he’s just a small fry…”
“My Baby’s In Love With Eddie Vedder” is a feisty Cajun flavored original with hysterical, quirky lyrics like “He’s her favorite slacker multimillionaire, Yeah my baby’s in love with Eddie Vedder. “Pretty Fly For A Rabbi” does some comic justice in the form of Klezmer Punk to the obvious Offspring song; “How ya doin’ Bernie? Oy Vey Oy Veh! “Jerry Springer” is a clever take off of “One Week” by the Bare Naked Ladies complete with the rapid fire white boy rap but this time it’s about the Jerry Springer Show; “Five days since they had the show with the hermaphrodite, the slut and the crack ho”

“All About The Pentiums” is a geek rap a la Puff Daddy’s “All About The Benjamins”. But the most fun on any Weird Al album has got to be the top 40 accordion polka medley. This time he sends up “Wannabe “, “Ghetto Superstar”, “Walking On The Sun”, “Tubthumping” and a host of others like the Backsteet_Boys and the Beastie Boys.

Weird Al never fails to entertain and amaze me but best of all he cracks me up, ALL_the time!

“Damn Straight” immediately springs to mind in affirmation!

In a decade of rock n roll, few other bands have emerged with as many accomplishments and genuine accolades as this once little known rock band from Sydney. With their relentless touring and ever highly charged live shows, they are an act that must be seen to be truly believed. Nevertheless, it is only fitting that an attempt has been made to capture the raw power and energy so definitive of YOU AM I – “LIVE”.

This 16 song rollick thru the suburbs of this urban aussie success story is certainly a strong testament to that effect. For a band that has spent so much time gigging like demons, night after night, from one end of the planet to the other – a live retrospective such as this is a fine reminder of the sheer calibre of this act.

With the intention of getting the whole thing to tape, the band performed to a packed house in a big tin industrial shed in Richmond, Melbourne, over three nights in July of this year. Untouched by post-production meddling and possessing more than it’s fair share of electric panache and stage banter, the stuff that made it to disk is typical of this workhorse trio on the road. Except now they’re becoming a ‘quadro’!

Joined for the first time by new member and lead guitarist David Lane, he slots in so seamlessly his presence is almost unfelt. Amid the rumble of Andy Kent’s bass and Rusty boy’s smackin skinwork, Dave’s work just effortlessly fit’s right in.

Spanning the full catalogue of past YOU AM I releases, and including new title track, ‘’round ten’ ; all the gems are here, busting with as much high octane exuberance and fireworks as can be bottled for later consumption. There’s even a selection from tim’s recent solo album too, so you can be sure that all aspects of their work have been thoughtfully covered.

Highlights for me are “Fifteen”, a heart breaking rendition of “Berlin Chair”, Arse-Kicking Lady From The North-West and the brilliantly disguised and reworked, country steel guitar segued “Minor Byrd”. And I can’t fail to mention the ever impressive inclusion of the beautiful strains of “Purple Sneakers”.

Every track here is a top class doozey, and with so many of their great tunes missing out on selection, I wonder that this didn’t come out as a massive great 3 disk boxed set!!!

At least you can be sure they’ll be back along your stretch of road again as soon as they can make it. In the meantime, check ‘em out at your local good music store and get by on this album of hits till you can get your next fix.

ROCK AND ROLL!!!!

Don’t miss out y’all!

This charming band (to paraphrase The Smiths) consists of singer/guitarist Marc Dinkin, drummer Jared Nissim, lead guitarist Steve Cannarelli, and female bass player Anne-Marie Stehn, and their songs are infectiously tuneful, yet offbeat enough, that they don’t sound like anybody else. Marc’s singing voice is reminiscent of the Johns from They Might Be Giants at times, but instead, they incorporate drop dead harmonies into their singing.

Subject matter consists of delightful offbeat topics ranging from visiting the dentist (“Novocain”), Cracker Jacks (“No Toy Surprise”), to a new girlfriend rearranging his place (“My Room”). Combine this with left-of-center, but still catchy tunes, excellent musicianship that takes the songs to a new level, and a killer live gig. With Youngster, you can’t go wrong. Even their name is cool. To quote Imperial Teen’s upcoming CD, “What Is Not To Love?”

Reinvigorated, the band, led by ageless, rubber-limbed singer Steven Tyler (b. Steven Tallarico, 1948), cranked out a string of polished, lascivious hits (among them 1989′s “Love in an Elevator,” “Dude [Looks Like a Lady]“) that put them squarely back on the charts and MTV.

Even as the ’90s Aerosmith has grown stale and formulaic, the band has continued to dominate the channel, particularly with a trio of clips (“Crazy,” “Amazin’,” and “Cryin’”–memorably satirized by Saturday Night Live’s Adam Sandler) that showcased video nymphet Alicia Silverstone (and, in “Crazy,” singer Steven Tyler’s toothsome daughter, Liv).

Rumors of breakups and heroin recidivism abounded during the recording of Aerosmith’s first album under a 1991 megadeal with Sony subsidiary Columbia Records, and sessions with Alanis Morissette producer Glen Ballard were scrapped. Steven Tyler described Sony’s reaction to the initial tapes in Entertainment Weekly: “This isn’t the Aerosmith we spent $48 million on!” The final product, titled Nine Lives, was by-the-book Aerosmith.

(February 1994, the San Francisco Chronicle reported a “Destroy Green Day Now” graffito in the club.) 924 Gilman is adamant about its version of punk ethics: no sexist, racist, or homophobic lyrics; no skinheads; no violence; no stage diving; no hierarchies; no derogatory symbols.

Run by a core of about 20 volunteers, the club puts on two or three shows a weekend ($1 membership, $4 at the door) with up to six bands a night, ranging from straight edge to art rock to riot grrrls. No alcohol is served.