It really does seem like it’s on autotune. You can see him turn something on before he starts playing as well, though that could be anything. But his voice sounds really weird.
Judge for yourself.

Was there auto-tune on Billy JOel’s voice while he sang the national anthem? It sounded a bit processed with that characteristic digital flavor.

A mashup of Doctor Who and Monty Python: Doctor Who and the French Dalek

Aqua Teen Hunger Force colon Movie Film for Theaters

New York Times: ‘Office’ Songs in the Unhip Keys of Life and Karaoke: “If a song is popular now, don’t expect to hear it on ‘The Office’ until late next year.”

Behearer: “An interactive archive of jazz and creative music recorded between 1970 and 1989. Who says jazz died in the seventies? This is a database for documenting and discussing one of the richest—most overlooked and underrated—eras.”
NY Times: In the Blogosphere, an Evolving Movement Brings Life to a Lost Era of Jazz: ” But over the last six months, a far-flung contingent of musicians and aficionados has made an effort to upend that prevailing notion, armed with stacks of vinyl, high-speed Internet and a shared conviction that [jazz in the 1970’s was] really far from moribund. Along the way, they touched off the year’s most animated public discourse on jazz, a democratic exchange that culminated last weekend in the debut of behearer.com, an interactive database devoted to the music’s most conflicted period.”

All in all, a fun show on Saturday at the Mercury.
Mancino:

Hymns:

The Bosch:


I was very impressed with Mancino, who go to great lengths to recreate the studio sound live, with all three members picking up extra instruments as the songs demand. Their new album, Manners Matter is out today.
We in The Bosch just finished recording for a new EP last week:

The recording journal recounts the process in detail.

Luna Lounge is opening its new space in Williamsburg this weekend. As you probably know by now, the new space will be a larger venue than the Ludlow Street version. This venue will be larger than Mercury Lounge, but smaller than the Bowery Ballroom and close in size to Northsix The Williamsburg Music Hall. Luna will be open on weekends only for the first few weeks.
Sin-é is expected to close this spring. Oh well.

Speaking of Van Halen, it turns out that the New Year has done nothing to change the news that Michael Anthony is longer in the band, having been fired by Eddie Van Halen. And replaced by Eddie’s son. Seriously.
So, not only will both Sammy and Dave (presumably) be at the Rock Hall ceremony (perhaps Gary Cherone will scalp a ticket), but recently foisted Mike Anthony as well. How many songs before a fight breaks out? Or should that be measures?

The battle of words between The Decemberists and Stephen Colbert boiled over into the rock battle of the century was fought on The Colbert Report, with Stephen Colbert and The Decemberists’ Chris Funk battling in a guitar competition: Rock and Awe: Countdown to Guitarmageddon.
Eliot Spitzer, Henry Kissinger, Anthony DeCurtis, Jim Anderson (NYU), Peter Frampton, Morley Safer, Robert Schneider (Apples in Stereo) and Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) were on hand to make this the best final episode of the Report this year, and one of the best episodes of the series to date.
Henry Kissinger, are you ready to rock?
The Chicago Tribune’s Maureen Ryan recaps: ‘The Colbert Report’s’ guitar shredathon brings in the big guns