The Anvil office is a very musical place, with communal tunes blasting away most of the workday. Being relatively new here, one of my co-workers asked me “what do you like to listen to?” Put on the spot, I drew a blank and muttered something vague about “bluegrass, rock & roll, I dunno…other stuff.” So, Jason, here’s a proper answer to your question, along with (to make it blog-worthy) links for your online listening pleasure!
Just a few of my favorite bands and sites:
- PanicStream offers up live recordings of almost every show Widespread Panic ever played (including the 60 or so I’ve seen in person), along with a great library of non-Panic shows.
- If you’ve never seen Archive.org, go there now and check out the Dead collection, or the rest of the Live Music Archive, including taper-friendly artists like Ryan Adams and My Morning Jacket.
- You can find streaming live Phish on phiSHows.com or YawningDrone, or marvel at the uber-geekiness of the infamous Google Spreadsheet.
- Wilco serves up a rotating collection of archived shows as well as live Webcasts via the WilcoWorld Roadcase.
- You can also find online audio sites for Pearl Jam and The Raconteurs.
- Tauthal.com has an eclectic collection of live shows, ranging from Neil Young, to Medeski, Martin & Wood, to John McLaughlin.
- In the guilty pleasure category, Wolfgang’s Vault feeds my occasional cravings for Genesis or Ozzy Osbourne.
- In the “I’d better listen to this before someone shuts it down” category, straight out of Romania, this site offers up streams of the 1001 albums you need to hear before you die. Look up Jeff Beck’s Truth or Dr. John’s Gris-Gris for my most recent obsessions.
- If I’m looking to preview new releases, I check out Spinner’s Full CD Listening Party.
- Finally, NPR Music is downright amazing, with previews of new albums and a huge archive of concerts from Punch Brothers, Jim James, and The Dead Weather. They also broadcast and archive performances from Bonnaroo, the Newport Jazz & Folk festivals, and South by Southwest, and have a nifty iPhone app for listening on the go.
OK, that should be enough to keep you busy (and to give your office IT manager heart palpitations)…
