I am in 9th grade, and some friends came over to spend the night at my house because my mom ordered the newest MTV channel on cable. The channel was called MtvX and it was all rock videos; MTV2 but nothing but rock music videos for 24 hours a day. One of the first videos we saw was a claymation video directed by a guy named American McGee. Someone all of my nerd friends and I knew to have designed levels for the original Doom games.

Needless to say the song was amazing. It was “Same Ol’ Road” by the band Dredg and it kick started a long love affair with the band. Then, when I was 18 and coming to camp Zac told me that during one of the weeks at this particular year we were all going to go see Dredg and get to meet them. That was an amazing camp experience and somewhere we have video footage of how awesome it was.

Last night Vince (also of TCS fame) and I went to see Dredg here in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall. After sweating through the opening bands (one of which was absolutely amazing: Judgement Day) our senses were treated to an unimaginable cornucopia.  The show was absolutely amazing.  They opened with “Same Ol’ Road” which got me super pumped; and I ended up being that jerk who pushes people closer to the front.  Despite releasing a new album just a few days ago, the band played mostly songs from the previous two albums.  Including my other favorite “The Canyon Behind Her.”  To top all things off the cellist and violinist from Judgement Day played a couple of songs with the band and did a short jam with them.

So the show was amazing, and I am glad I spent all of my lunch money on the ticket.  They still have a few dates on their tour so everyone should try to check them out.  Granted, it wouldn’t be as good as last night because the SF show was their home show, jerks!

Check out this video of them from last night, and stop by their myspace for more music.

- larry (email that fool)

so. larry and i are beginning a once a week onslaught on the blogging world, and since the whole point of the Collective Sound stems from an appreciation and love for music, i’m going to begin this with just that. most of what i do, form here on out, will probably be talking about music, reviewing, discussing and sharing thoughts on new albums, movements and shifts within this beloved industry.

first, PJ Harvey. I’ll admit to being somewhat of a late bloomer when it cam to one Polly Jean. my first introduction came in 1995 with the album, “To Bring You My Love” and the single “Down By the Water,” which most people incorrectly remember as the little fish, little fish, swimming in the water song. vocally, she has always had an incredibly haunting voice and that was the initial hook for me. in regards to “Down By the Water,” it was that voice coupled by the apocalyptic sounding synth, overdriven bass line. upon hearing, i purchased “Bring You my Love” and the preceding albums, but then lost touch with her until the amazing “Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea” in 2000, which came with an unbelievable duet between her and one Thom Yorke.

the new album continues in this vein of defying genre and existing solely as it is. she belongs in a category amongst bands like radiohead who continue to make inspired music uninfluenced by the happening of popular radio trends. and they stay amazing. highly recommended. key tracks: “Black Hearted Love,” “Leaving California,” and the title track.

the other cd i picked up was the new one from one mr. bob dylan. dylan has worn many masks throughout his career; poet, voice of a generation, renegade, pioneer protest singer. he has had many phases; folk, his electric turn, blues, christian, rockabilly. his newest… i’m not sure how to categorize. as i mentioned above, there are a few artists throughout the history of music that tend to do whatever they want, ignoring the ebb and flow of the current scene. honestly, the first few tracks sound like tom waits, and i love me some tom waits. this album follows suit, continuing on a sound from 1997’s “Time out of Mind.”

dylan, at his best, is a whirlwind. he picks you up and makes you run a labyrinth of imagery, backed by a band sculpted throughout the years by the man himself. at his worst, he’s still the greatest storyteller of our time. this album captures both. while not his best work, still better than most else out there, and definitely worth a listen. key tracks: “Beyond Here lies Nothin,” “Life is Hard,” “Jolene.”

here is the first video off the new dylan album.

-tim