http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/Doug Pullen's Thoughts on MusicenMovable Type Enterprise 4.29-advance http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/noDoug Pullen's Thoughts on Musicpullenmybloghttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/dacF3d61Y-0/gracias.htmlMusic6576010726666955396866692513665552676005136051367666946575866690Doug Pullen | Flint JournalWed, 09 Jan 2008 21:29:00 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.605131 ]]>It's late Monday night and my ears are still ringing, my calves are still aching and my pride is still swelling after Sunday's farewell concert at Jester's. It's funny. For a guy who's made his living writing about the music he loves (and doesn't love), it's hard to put into words what the experience was like last night. I'm not saying it made me change my mind about leaving the Journal and moving home to El Paso, but it did give me pause!...http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2008/01/gracias.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/TeBZ9m0oxi4/adios.htmlMusic6576048091072655512495062603336354225051367237436576365758657619101Doug Pullen | Flint JournalFri, 04 Jan 2008 07:58:47 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.596102 ]]>-30- That's not a typo. That's an editing symbol journalists used long ago to indicate the end of a story. This is the end of my story at The Flint Journal. Today's my last day here, after 17 years. I was one of many people who accepted the paper's buyout. I don't think of it as retiring -- though at 50, it's weird to think I can collect a pension in five years -- and it's not a career move. It's all about family....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2008/01/adios.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/TTjZhdCRT8Q/so_if_i_have_to_pick_just_10.htmlMusicMary Ann Chick WhitesideWed, 02 Jan 2008 21:05:52 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.586338 ]]>I listened to a lot of music this year, but here's my final Top 10 picks for 2007 (and one of my final lists for The Journal):...http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/so_if_i_have_to_pick_just_10.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/3B61XpCaGlc/more_from_the_flint_journal_subscribe_to_the_flint.htmlAmerican IdolMary Ann Chick WhitesideFri, 28 Dec 2007 11:32:02 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.586199 ]]>For a place that doesn't pride itself much on the music that has been made here, Flint enjoyed a banner year in 2007, musically speaking. Between the ascent of a locally trained gospel singer by the name of LaKisha Jones on the biggest TV show in America and the rise of Chiodos, a bunch of hard-working young guys from Davison, the rest of the world is finding out what some of us have known for a long time....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/more_from_the_flint_journal_subscribe_to_the_flint.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/NWHXRSaSY0U/rolling_on_rolling_out_with_music.htmlMusicMary Ann Chick WhitesideWed, 26 Dec 2007 08:30:35 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.581651 ]]>As I alluded to in an earlier post, I'm going to be leaving The Journal and moving back home to El Paso, Texas, to help out my family and start the next chapter. My last day here is Jan. 4. The nice folks with Rusty Wright Blues are throwing me a farewell concert on Jan. 6 at Jester's, 3112 N. Center Road, which is graciously donating the room and the food. RWB will play, as will several other local acts - possibly some very special guests - that are being firmed up as you read this. It'll probably start around 5 or 6 p.m. It's open to the public, so swing by, say goodbye and soak up some good sounds. More on that later....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/rolling_on_rolling_out_with_music.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/Fk6CfkdI6hg/stones_for_christmas_heres_a_final_list.htmlMusicMary Ann Chick WhitesideWed, 26 Dec 2007 08:27:50 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.581643 ]]>My days here are numbered - I'm one of the people at The Flint Journal who's taking a buyout - and I thought I'd indulge myself and my fellow Rolling Stones fans out there with a few early Christmas presents....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/stones_for_christmas_heres_a_final_list.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/N69UtPdzaNM/kid_rock_rolls_over_second_joe_show.htmlBreaking NewsKid Rock364212603351367Doug Pullen | Flint JournalSun, 16 Dec 2007 13:12:15 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.564602 ]]>As expected, Kid Rock has added a second show at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. The new date is Feb. 9. Rock's Feb. 8 show there went on sale Saturday. Heavy ticket demand prompted promoters to add, or "roll over," a second date for the next day. Tickets for both shows are on sale now. They range from $26.50-$45, and are available at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and (248) 645-6666....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/kid_rock_rolls_over_second_joe_show.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/0ED4kcJBBwg/and_i_am_telling_you.htmlMusic3635Mary Ann Chick WhitesideWed, 26 Dec 2007 08:25:12 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.581636 ]]>Flint's "American Idol," LaKisha Jones, makes her Broadway debut Wednesday in "The Color Purple." She'll sing the part of the Church Soloist until Jan. 9, when she'll spell the role of Sofia with the one and only Chaka Khan in matinees and handle the Church Soloist role at the evening shows. LaKisha was in town last weekend for the funeral of her cousin and pal, Yolanda Callaway, who died Nov. 30. LaKisha sang at the funeral. "YoYo" was the daughter of Ethel Brown, LaKisha's aunt and one of her biggest supporters - and one nice lady. My condolences to the family....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/and_i_am_telling_you.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/fTmr9v5t4Rc/mainer_milestone.htmlMusicMary Ann Chick WhitesideWed, 26 Dec 2007 08:24:19 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.581632 ]]>Belated congrats to Wade and Julia Mainer, the bluegrass pioneers (and Flint Township residents) who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary Nov. 28. It's been a big year for the couple. Wade turned 100 last April, and now musicologist Dick Spottswood is doing a book on the banjo innovator for the University of Mississippi Press....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/mainer_milestone.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/Y--4UMcKyN8/been_a_long_time_wish_i_was_there.htmlMusic24958Mary Ann Chick WhitesideWed, 26 Dec 2007 08:23:35 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.581630 ]]>Like myriad rock fans, I wish I had been at London's O2 Arena Monday when the surviving members of mighty Led Zeppelin came out of the deep freeze to pay tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, the former Atlantic Records executive who helped guide them....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/been_a_long_time_wish_i_was_there.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/bHcUw70WdMw/madonna_has_fame_but_does_she_rock.htmlMusicMary Ann Chick WhitesideWed, 26 Dec 2007 08:26:10 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.581626 ]]>The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were announced Thursday and, well, they don't exactly rock. There's Madonna, as big a pop icon as there has been the last two decades. The Michigan native definitely is a product of the rock era. But rock 'n' roll? Well, not really in the way most of us think of rock 'n' roll....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/madonna_has_fame_but_does_she_rock.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/Xs8joIbA5qU/chiodos_added_to_linkin_park_tour.htmlMusicchiodos35926107266101536421161286101751367Doug Pullen | Flint JournalWed, 12 Dec 2007 10:34:50 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.556657 ]]>The upward climb continues to Chiodos. The band has been added to Linkin Park's early winter tour, including a Feb. 16 show at the Joe in Detroit. The shows stretch from Feb. 12 through March 10 and include stops at New York's Madison Square Garden (Feb. 21) and two nights at The Joint in Vegas (March 6-7). Coheed and Cambria is the middle-act on the bill, with Chiodos opening....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/chiodos_added_to_linkin_park_tour.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/Y4OONIq_3tA/kid_rocks_joe_show_on_sale_dec_15.html480936421260335136760692Doug Pullen | Flint JournalTue, 11 Dec 2007 15:07:59 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.555163 ]]>Kid Rock's "Rock N Roll Revival" tour hits the hometown Joe Louis Arena on Feb. 8 . Ticets are $26.50, $38.50 and $45, on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 at the Joe Louis and Fox Theatre box offices, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and (248) 645-6666. Run DMC's Rev Run will open the show and "surprise appearances by other music icons" (Bob Seger, perhaps?) are promised. Rock's original itinerary listed a Feb. 9 Detroit show at a location to be announced. It's unclear if he'll do one that night, but past history suggests that he'll add a second show if the first one sells out quickly as expected....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/kid_rocks_joe_show_on_sale_dec_15.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/cE1jyLE-f7o/dave_kozal_a_rare_talent.htmlMusic60051600436004918388600476004560053Doug Pullen | Flint JournalFri, 07 Dec 2007 12:30:26 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.545377 ]]> It was sad to hear that such a talented and intelligent jazz musician as Dave Kozal died unexpectedly in his sleep Sunday night, Dec. 2, at age 57. Kozal had been a presence on the local and regional music scenes for 30 years, including stints with Joe Freyre's People's Jazz Band, which brought the Muskegon native to Flint from Ann Arbor in the 1970s, and more recently as a music director for some of Vertigo Theatrics' shows. "Dave was extremely intelligent and an awesome talent," said Georganne Erwin, Freyre's widow....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/dave_kozal_a_rare_talent.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/-VDvVjW3bKU/grammy_noms_predictably_unpredictable.htmlMusic36138120952426360037442836003260034406386003960038513672949460036Doug Pullen | Flint JournalFri, 07 Dec 2007 12:26:55 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.545037 ]]>I'll tell you one thing about next year's Grammy Awards: They're going to be interesting. The nominees in 110 categories were announced Thursday, Dec. 6, and they are as surprising as they are predictable, at least in the major categories of album, record, song and best new artist of the year. The album category includes Kanye West's "Graduation," which is not that surprising. He's been raising the bar on hip-hop for a few years now, even if he tends to whine at awards shows where he doesn't win. He may have something to smile about this year; West's eight nominations lead the pack....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/grammy_noms_predictably_unpredictable.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/LtI2qX2A4Fw/new_show_on_sales.htmlMusic60019361376001626033600246001760026600206002236392Doug Pullen | Flint JournalFri, 07 Dec 2007 12:22:37 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.544247 ]]>Just a reminder that tickets for Kid Rock's Feb. 5 show at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8 at Ticketmaster locations and the box office. Tickets are $46.50. Also: • Tickets for the Trace Adkins/Kellie Pickler concert Feb. 14 at the Dow go on sale today. • The Machine Shop has booked Puddle of Mudd for Feb. 16. Tickets are $25. • Flogging Molly comes to Fillmore Detroit on Feb. 9 • Angels and Airwaves headline the Fillmore on Feb. 23. • Supersuckers will play the Magic Bag on Jan. 27. • The Editors and Louis XIV head to the Majestic on Jan. 26. • Super Furry Animals will play the Magic Stick on Feb. 17....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/new_show_on_sales.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/rENdy7BjCMk/food4music_benefit_returns_will_help_food_bank.htmlMusic600105601660009600133750513676001160015Doug Pullen | Flint JournalFri, 07 Dec 2007 12:18:21 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.544235 ]]>Hard rockers Bobaflex will headline the third annual Food4Music benefit, coming to the Machine Shop at 7 p.m. Dec. 21. This year's concert will be a fundraiser for the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. Also performing: Tensionhead, Ghost of the Muse and With a Kiss. Admission to the 18-and-over show is $6 with a nonperishable food item, $8 without, at the door. Details: (810) 715-2650, myspace.com/themachineshop....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/food4music_benefit_returns_will_help_food_bank.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/Heo45mdS5RQ/spice_girls_reunion_spices_up_palace_feb_16.html6000660008600026000416840513676000035280Doug Pullen | Flint JournalFri, 07 Dec 2007 12:15:39 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.544227 ]]>The Spice Girls' reunion tour comes to The Palace of Auburn Hills on Feb. 16. The first and only time Sporty (Melanie Chisholm), Scary (Melanie Brown), Posh (Victoria Beckham) and Baby (Emma Bunton) performed there was on July 26, 1998, after Ginger (Geri Halliwell) had left the group. All five are taking part in the reunion tour, which opened Dec. 2 in Vancouver. Tickets for the Feb. 16 show range from $72 to $122 (there's a six-ticket limit) and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8 at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and (248) 645-6666. Details: (248) 377-0100, palacenet.com....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/spice_girls_reunion_spices_up_palace_feb_16.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/13FN8dtG2Q8/kid_rock_brings_revival_tour_to_dow_feb_5.htmlBreaking NewsKid RockMusic591752603351367Doug Pullen | Flint JournalTue, 04 Dec 2007 22:38:55 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.538039 ]]>Kid Rock's been giving Saginaw fans sneak peaks of his latest stage extravaganzas for the last three tours, so why change now? The Motor City's Early Morning Stoned Pimp-cum-American Bad Ass brings his just-announced "Rock and Roll Revival" tour to Saginaw's Dow Event Center arena on Feb. 5, one day before his Van Andel Arena show in Grand Rapids and four days ahead of his Detroit arena show (the location of which has not been announced yet). Tickets for the Dow show are $46.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 8 at the box, Ticketmasters, ticketmaster.com and 248.645.6666. The shows are part of his 29-city "Rock and Roll Revival" tour in support of his new "Rock and Roll Jesus" CD, which debuted at No. 1 last October. The first leg of the tour runs Jan. 25 (Evansville, IN) to March 22 (Toledo). More dates are expected to be announced, including, presumably, a second Detroit arena show and a summer stop at DTE Energy Music Theatre. Run DMC's Reverend Run will open the show (Rock recently guested on his reality show "Run's House") and other "special guests" are promised, according to Rock's record label....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/12/kid_rock_brings_revival_tour_to_dow_feb_5.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pullenmyblog/~3/GoVsMAGLRfo/funnyman_dane_cook_heats_up_big_palace_crowd.htmlcomedy472641838416840Doug Pullen | Flint JournalSun, 25 Nov 2007 11:28:49 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2007:/flintjournal/pullenmyblog//1100.518880 ]]>AUBURN HILLS - The red circle with the grayish white lines that looked like Band-Aids on it is called a stage, technically speaking. Not when comedian Dane Cook bounds onto it. Then it becomes a playground....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/pullenmyblog/2007/11/funnyman_dane_cook_heats_up_big_palace_crowd.htmlnonadult