While videos of last night’s Like A Hurricane show off a pretty good version of the classic tune, we can’t stop listening to the monster 15-minute version of the song from Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s June 2nd show in Berlin. There’s fuzz, distortion, noise and powerful riffs throughout. From what we’ve heard, it’s the highlight of the just-completed European tour. See if you agree…

Anyway, Kohler looks to solve all these limitations and has designed a wireless speaker and showerhead combo. It has surprisingly good sound, is rechargeable and has an innovative design. The 1.5W speaker is a magnetic cone that easily pulls out and pops back in for recharging. It pairs with your mobile device via Bluetooth and has great range. In addition to being a good speaker, it is a darn good showerhead to boot. Kohler, of course, is known for extremely high quality faucets and showers so this is no surprise I guess. Read on to learn more about this fantastic little luxury.
 

Basics Yeah, this is quite a luxury. I get that. It is actually an irresponsible purchase because it will likely run your showers a few extra minutes needlessly as you finish up the jam you are enjoying. However, if you love waking up to music, podcasts or anything else you can stream from your mobile device, this can be a terrific way to start your day and a nice touch to add to your bathroom. While the suggested retail price is $199 direct from Kohler, you can find this much cheaper if you shop around. Amazon has it for $149 and “Buy It Now” listings on eBay for $129. What you get for this is both a 60-nozzle showerhead (that comes in a choice of either 2 GPM or 2.5 GPM flow rate) and a Bluetooth wireless speaker that is rechargeable.

Installation and Design Like any modern shower head, installation is a snap. No plumbing experience is needed. Simply twist off the old head (you’ll need a wrench), wrap a bit of Teflon tape around the threads of the arm to prevent drips, hand tighten the Moxie head and finish up with a twist of the wrench. The conical speaker sits perfectly in place with its magnetic design. This allows for easy charging via the supplied USB cable after the approximate seven hours of battery life. The design is sleek and modern and offered in a few different choices of finish (Chrome, Nickel, Bronze and White).

Use Pair with a Bluetooth device and the range is about 30′ which is pretty typical and even allows you to pair with a Bluetooth enabled laptop in another room. Pairing is effortless as you only need to hold the single button on the speaker face to enter pairing mode. You need to control volume from your device as there is no volume dial on the Moxie itself.

[Removable speaker cone for easy charging and playing in other rooms]

Volume and Audio Quality The sound is quite good from this little speaker with reasonable volume. Kohler advertises the speaker also as a ‘stand alone’ device that can be enjoyed anywhere. While it is easy to carry-along and get in and out of the showerhead, I’m not quite sure many would think the sound was good enough to warrant using outside of the bathroom. Shower walls and bathroom acoustics in general seem to help add to the overall sound of the Moxie. The sensation of the sound coming from overhead and “washing” over you is quite enjoyable and relaxing as well. The volume isn’t enough to blow the roof off, but depending on the source, is usually amply loud enough. Some quieter music, low-volume podcasts or news reports can be harder to hear clearly even with the volume boosted up at the source. Keep in mind again, you need to adjust your volume from your device as the Moxie has no volume control itself. I err on the side of “too much volume” which pleases me but hasn’t ingratiated myself to the rest of the family.

Bottom Line The showerhead itself is great in its own right- has strong water flow and 60 nozzles for a satisfying shower. Couple this with a waterproof, wireless speaker that has good sound quality and ample battery life, and this is a real cool item. Given it’s price, it may not be an impulse purchase, even when you can get for less than suggested retail. However, if you have to replace a showerhead anyways: it’s a great upgrade over a traditional showerhead for only $50 or so more.

Moxie Showerhead by Kohler

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Hidden Track Technology Tuesday

email: parker@glidemagazine.com
twitter: @tmwsiy
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The band will play songs off their new album and then will participate in a live Q&A session. You can submit questions via the @ChillerSound Twitter feed. American Babies recently successfully completed a KickStarter campaign to fund the new LP.

Nicki and Tim sat in with ALO for a fantastic version of The Rolling Stones’ Exile track Tumbling Dice.

[Photo via @johnoates]

Audio of the entire set has surfaced on Archive.org thanks to MSTaper and Team Dirty South. You can stream or download the whole thing, but we wanted to present one of our favorite moments of the set – Jim James leading the band through Instant Karma…

If you’re not into a night with Ms. Case, then maybe you’ll be interested in hitting one of these recently announced tours…

• Dave Chappelle/Flight of the Conchords: Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival (8/23 – 9/20)
• Jack Johnson: Fall World Tour (9/5 – 10/20)
• Frightened Rabbit: Fall North American Tour (9/8 – 10/29)
• Graham Nash: Fall Northeast Tour (9/11 – 9/29)
• Franz Ferdinand: Fall North American Tour (10/4 – 10/23)
• Robert Walter’s 20th Congress: Late Summer Tour (8/13 – 9/14)
• Michael Franti & Spearhead: North American Tour (7/3 – 10/12)
• Damian and Stephan Marley: The Set Up Shop Tour (6/14 – 7/2)
• Clutch / The Sword: Fall U.S. Tour (9/14 – 11/23)
• Mickey Hart Band: Summer U.S. Tour (8/3 – 9/26)
• Sebadoh: Summer West Coast Tour (7/30 – 8/11)

NEKO  CASE

06/22 North Adams, MA Solid Sound Festival (MASS MoCA)
07/06 Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa Blues Festival
07/07 Toronto, Ontario Toronto Urban Roots Fest
08/09 Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton Folk Festival
08/11 Regina, Saskatchewan Regina Folk Festival
08/24-25 Monterey, CA First City Festival at Monterey Fairgrounds
09/06 Chicago, IL A.V. Fest Hideout Block Party
09/08 Portland, OR MusicFest NW
09/11 San Diego, CA House of Blues
09/12 Phoenix, AZ Orpheum Theater
09/13 Santa Fe, NM Lensic Performing Center
09/14 Denver, CO The Ellie Caulkins
09/16 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Garden
09/17 Boise, ID The Knitting Factory
09/18 Seattle, WA The Paramount
09/19 Eugene, OR The Cuthbert Amphitheater
09/20 Vancouver, British Columbia Orpheum Theater
09/25 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
09/26 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
10/04-06 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Festival
10/05-06 Los Angeles, CA Way Over Yonder Fest
10/11-13 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Festival
10/15 Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall
10/16-17 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
10/19 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
10/20 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
10/23 Nashville, TN The Cannery
10/24 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre
10/26 Durham, NC The Durham Performing Arts Center
10/27 Charlottesville, VA The Paramount
11/01 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre

[Photo via Wellmont Theatre Facebook]

We give Bowery Presents high marks for the impressive and eclectic mix of shows they presented at the historic theater and wonder what the “Live Nation Club And Theatre Team” has in store. We’d think renovations will be part of the deal, but there’s no confirmation of that at the moment.

Bowery Presents has penned a lovely farewell letter to the Montclair Community…

To the Montclair Community,

When The Bowery Presents was given the opportunity to bring live entertainment back to the historic Wellmont Theater, we could not have been more excited.  Working through renovations, sound systems, getting to know our neighbors and the local scene has been a joy over the last four years. We took the responsibility and charge seriously and have worked really hard to bring the best of the best – from Stephen Colbert and Chelsea Handler to George Clinton, Richard Lewis and Susie Essman, to LCD Soundsystem, Wilco, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, to Yo Gabba Gabba!, The Decemberists, Jane’s Addiction, to Tony Bennett and the Moody Blues — to The Wellmont Theatre. We were even lucky enough to host local fundraisers for the Montclair Film Festival and REED Academy, always with our Essex County neighbors in mind. It’s how we run our business. It is part of our DNA. From the State Theatre in Portland to Union Transfer in Philadelphia to venues along the East Coast, we understand local communities and their sensibilities. And we are extremely proud of what we have accomplished at The Wellmont Theatre.

All too often big business doesn’t understand the needs of a thriving, growing community like Montclair. We tried to become one of you – we were your neighbor, and we liked to think that we were able to help the restaurants, bars and stores grow and prosper.

We look forward to more opportunities to work in Montclair and North Jersey and bring more up and coming artists, amazing comedians and great concert experiences to an audience that appreciates it. We wish our friends in Montclair nothing but the best.

Sincerely,
The Bowery Presents

[via Barista.net]

As of now the MGMT gig is the only performance on the schedule for the Wellmont. We’ll see how soon Live Nation announces its first set of Montclair shows.

Thankfully, the studio albums available on Spotify are all the 2011 remasters, sporting the best audio quality to date of LPs like Meddle, The Wall and Wish You Were Here. Spotify users can head over to the Pink Floyd artist page to stream away.

The former Fleet Foxes drummer, who recently kicked off his summer headlining tour, offered up a gorgeous solo acoustic take on Hollywood Forever Cemetery from his critically acclaimed debut Fear Fun. Let’s check it out…

Father John Misty – Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Photos and Words: Jeremy Gordon

This past Wednesday night, UK exports The Heavy headlined a packed Webster Hall in New York City. Lead singer Kelvin Swaby spent the entire night, dancing, jumping and physically connecting with the audience.  The band focused mostly mainly on tracks off their latest album, The Glorious Dead, while also sneaking in their hit song Sixteen and encoring with How You Like Me Now.

[All Photos by Jeremy Gordon]

Check out a full gallery of photos from The Heavy at Webster Hall from Jeremy Gordon…