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Buntology’s 2009 Year in Music–Thanks for the Memories!

Wow! We can’t believe 2009 has come to an end. This year saw a lot in music, and so did the staff at Buntology. Between Phish, festies, and a smattering of new and classic rock concerts, it’s going to be hard to top all of the awesome performances 2009 had to offer.

But, before we look at the music, let’s take a second to remember the great musicians that passed away this year: Ron Asheton (The Stooges), Jay Bennet (Wilco), Bob Bogle (The Ventures), Ean Evans (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Adam Goldstein (“DJ AM”), Kelly Groucutt (Electric Light Orchestra), and Michael Jackson (Jackson 5). Rest in peace!

But with death comes rebirth, and this year the stork brought us many new “super-groups” like Them Crooked Vultures, The Deadweather, Further and Tinted Windows. This past year we have seen the rise of young artists like Passion Pit,  Asher Roth, Matt & Kim and Gogol Bordello. We have also seen some older bands dust off their Fenders and start playing again, like The Flaming Lips, Weezer and Blink 182.

Blink 182 reunited this year, not only to record, but also to tour and play shows through the US last summer. Though Blink has not released any new music yet, they have are currently working on a new album. Another band that reunited after a break for a few years was Phish. They released a new album “Joy” and have went on an extensive summer and fall tour. Of course one of the highlights of Buntology staffer Ivan’s summer was the performance by Sir Paul McCartney, who played a show at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.

How about some other musical highlights of the year? In no particular order…

les claypool: no drugs necessary

Crappy cell phone photo, but this is how close we were.
Crappy cell phone photo, but this is how close we were. I took some pictures before getting "spoken to," so stay tuned.

Les Claypool performed at the House of Blues in Boston last Thursday and it was the closest thing to a religious experience I’ve ever had.

Sober as a bird*, packed into the front row of the recently redone HOB (right across from Fenway), Ivan and I rocked OUT.

The concert, billed as The Oddity Faire: A Mutated Mini Fest, featured artists O’Death, Secret Chief 3 and Saul Williams. And of course, Lessy poo. All for 25 bucks!

odds & ends

We’ve been slacking.

st-pattys-hartford-0462
  • A few weeks ago Angela [who is writing this] and her roommates hit up Hartford, Conn. for the annual St. Patty’s day celebration. We met this guy named Stanley who recited us some poetry and it was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. I tried to record it and the sound quality is terrible. Stanley, where are you?!?! Good times were had by all, and good pics were taken by all. Check some of them out after the jump.
  • Ivan and I went to a Les Claypool show at the House of Blues last Thursday. Keep an eye out for the review in the next few hours.
  • Speaking of Ivan, remember Buntology’s March Madness Tournament? It took a little hiatus, but it’s back! The latest contenders, Elephant vs. Gorilla and Tiger vs. Wolf, will be available for voting tomorrow.
  • We’ve added a few new sites to our “we like these sites” area. The Fresh Scent is a counter-culture website I’ve been following for a while. And with the recent news about the potential legalization of marijuana (*crosses fingers*), they’ve had some pretty interesting material lately.
  • The other site, It’s Always Sunny in Orono, chronicles the experiences of UMaine student Brett and his friends (these boys may or may not have souls.) Some of the stories are pretty cringe-worthy, and that’s why Buntology likes them.