Sean McCarthy – Page 3 – The Daily Vault

06 Dec

2004: A Year In Review

Sean McCarthyBest Of

This10. Maroon 5 -- Songs about JaneGee, the first album and I'm already off to a bad start. Technically Songs About Jane came out in 2003, but this year led to the band being recognized. It's a great, funky pop album with a bit of an edge to it. I have high expectations for their next CD. 9. Elton John -- Peachtree RoadThis is an indulgence on my part. Elton John is one of my favorite artists, so I was naturally delighted when I heard Peachtree was going to be a country/gospel/rock type album reminiscent of his early 70's work.…

04 Oct

Pixies Return — Moshing Optional

Sean McCarthyFeature

The sarcasm and cynicism that has defined Generation X is beginning to bite its members in the ass. Case example: the band reunion. In the '90s, the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols and even Fleetwood Mac were often the butt of jokes for cashing in on nostalgia by reuniting and going on $75-a-pop ticket tours.Well, now one of Gen-X's most beloved bands has reunited and is on one of the most successful tours of the year. What's an aging, jaded Gen-Xer to do? Make fun of one of the major founders of the modern alternative sound, or giddily jump in…

21 Jun

Live’s Throwing Copper — Ten Years Later

Sean McCarthyEssaylive

Kurt Cobain's death was marked, and in many media circles, almost celebrated a few weeks ago. His death was a symbolic end to the "grunge" era, even though grunge continued to live a waning existence. However, April 19, 2004 marked the tenth anniversary of Live's Throwing Copper, and with the exception of Live fans, the occasion was marked with virtually no fanfare. Like Cobain's death, but in an infinitely more superficial way, the marking of Throwing Copper's ten-year anniversary can't be met but with a little ping of depression for those who came of age in the '90s. Throwing Copper…

17 Mar

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Invade Emo-ha

Sean McCarthyFeature

What better place than an old gymnasium to showcase an enormously hyped trio from New York that specializes in playing heavily-influenced '70s garage punk? The Yeah Yeah Yeahs could not have come at a better or worse time in the music world. The females who trailblazed the alternative movement of the '90s have mostly settled into maturity, so lead singer Karen O is providing some much-needed young blood to the alternative/college rock scene. However, the band is in danger of slipping under the radar (much to the delight of YYY fans) in the mainstream because of listeners burning out on…

03 Sep

Everything In Its Right Place

Sean McCarthyFeature

"I can't believe, out of all the bloody places to see Radiohead… bloody Wisconsin…" muttered Nick, a Londoner who flew stateside to see the band, to me in the lawn section of Alpine Valley Music Theatre on a crisp, cloudless Saturday night. He had me beat. We only drove nine hours from Omaha. But for the summer of 2003, this was THE act to catch. Four years after cocooning themselves with computer processors and brief stateside appearances, Radiohead released their "pop" album, Hail To The Thief and reviews from abroad and in the states have hailed this tour as possibly…

01 Apr

A Strange Little Girl In Nebraska: Tori Amos At Omaha’s Orpheum Theatre

Sean McCarthyFeatureNULL

For more than a decade, Tori Amos has made some of the most intimate recordings in mainstream music. Consequently, her live shows strongly reflect the intimacy in her recordings. Most Amos neophytes know when to shut the hell up when the lights go down at a show. As intimate as a Tori Amos show can be, she keeps interaction with the crowd to a minimum, opting to let the songs speak for themselves.Before a sellout crowd of about 2,000 at the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska, Amos let her songs do the talking for a mesmerizing two hours. Wearing a…

22 Jan

Joe Strummer: Through Death And Glory

Sean McCarthyEssaystrummer

If I had a time machine that could take me back to see one rock concert, it would have been the Clash, around 1979. No question. No debate. Thinking of all the potential concerts: U2 in Austin during the Joshua Tree tour, Nirvana at a club in Seattle in early, early 1991, Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Ranch Bowl in 1992, when each band was hungry and had something to prove. Public Enemy in 1989 in New York. James Brown at the Apollo in 1968 (OK, that one would be close).But, honestly, at their most…

07 Dec

2002: In Review

Sean McCarthyBest Of

1987. 1992. 1997. 2002. These years kicked the music world in the ass. Each came after years of music business complacency. It started rather calmly last spring. Chemical Brothers released their excellent CD Come with Us. At that time, it may not have been an 'album of the year' contender. But still, the album would be an easy Top-10 selection at the end of the year, right? I mean, unless 10 other albums came along to boot it out of the list. But, how likely would that be? Wilco *wam* Beck *Biff* Blackalicious *Ka-Pow!* Flaming Lips *Zap* And it keeps…