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Leonard Cohen--I'm Your Man

by Rich

This summer, movie audiences can look forward to major Hollywood films such as Miami Vice, directed by Michael Mann, Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer, and Lady in the Water, directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

For those looking for an alternative to the summer blockbusters, Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man might be just right. Long-time fans of singer and writer Leonard Cohen will especially enjoy seeing Cohen himself reflect on his life's work.

For those new to Cohen, the library has many of Cohen's albums and writings, including
The Essential Leonard Cohen, Cohen Live, The Best of, and I'm Your Man.

Ten New Songs, released after Cohen spent several years in seclusion as a Buddhist monk, is also available in the library's collection.

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Blog Post

Erasure, Unplugged?!?!

by Rich

If you're like me and you spent your awkward high school years listening to music from the likes of Erasure, Depeche Mode, and New Order, you'll be surprised to hear that Union Street, Erasure's most recent album, is entirely acoustic. Vince Clarke, one-half of the British duo, describes the making of the album on the official Erasure website by saying, "We just felt there were songs on our albums that had been missed as songs.... It was great going back through those songs, some of which I hadn't listened to properly since we made them - suddenly you heard some of the naivety that was in there in the first place."

Other albums in the library's collection include Cowboy andNightbird. If you're new to Erasure, start with Pop! The First 20 Hits.

So, Erasure fans (surely you're out there somewhere), what do you think of Erasure unplugged?

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Blog Post

Fred Eaglesmith at the Ark!

by tkj

For all you country-folk fans, here's a concert that you won't want to miss... Fred Eaglesmith will perform Thursday night (5/18), 8pm at The Ark. So log on to Ticketmaster and get your tickets will-call; then call your emergency babysitter and plan to leave work early on Thursday so you can catch dinner on Main Street and even stop by the AADL and pick up his CD.

If you love Eaglesmith, you'll also enjoy these artists:

Buddy Miller
Guy Clark
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Joe Ely

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Quirkiness abounds when Leo Kottke and Phish bassist Mike Gordon join forces

by remnil

Acoustic guitar legend Leo Kottke is well known for his masterful fingerpicking on traditional and folk tunes, such as Bach's "Bourree" or his own hauntingly beautiful "Crow River Waltz." But his fans also know him for his quirky original music and odd sense of humor, as demonstrated in his in experimental album That's What (1990). It seems strangely appropriate, then, that Kottke should team up with Phish bass player Mike Gordon on his latest album, Sixty Six Steps.

Sixty Six Steps follows on Kottke and Gordon's well-received first collaboration, Clone (2002). Like Clone, Sixty Six Steps features amazing fingerwork, clever lyrics, and a catchy sound, resulting in an album strangely familiar to fans of both artists while still breaking new ground. Listeners may notice a bit more of a tropical flair in the new album, however, as Kottke and Gordon experiment with island music. The album may seem familiar for other reasons, too: it features a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" and a very deadpan rendition of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion."

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Looking for some live emo?

by jillean

Short for “emotion”, emo is a term used to describe emotionally-charged hardcore punk music. From quiet ballads to high-pitched guitar licks, poetic lyrics to a unique style of dress, emo is alive and well and coming to Ann Arbor!

Rainer Maria, an emo rock band, will play Sunday, May 14th at the Blind Pig. If you like a little pop with your punk or just want to try something new, check out this trio from Madison, Wisconsin. Named after the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, the band has been on the music scene since 1995 and has released four albums. Catastrophe Keeps Us Together is their latest album and was released just last month.

If you like Rainer Maria you might also enjoy:

Crimson by Alkaline Trio
From Under the Cork Tree by Fall Out Boy
Louder Now by Taking Back Sunday

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Hear Them and See Them

by Debbie G.

The Ann Arbor Book Festival boasts an impressive list of guest authors this year. Enrich the experience of meeting these authors by listening to one of their titles on book on cd before or after the festival. Best-selling author Jennifer Weiner, of chick-lit fame, branched out this year with a mystery, Goodnight Nobody. Jacquelyn Mitchard is making a return appearance to the Festival. We have three of her most popular titles, Breakdown Lane, Theory of Relativity and Deep End of the Ocean for your listening pleasure.

Three authors who need no introduction in Ann Arbor will draw crowds, so get in line early and listen to their prize and praise-winning books: Richard Russo’s Empire Falls, Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian and Nicholas Delbanco’s Vagabonds.

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The Play Ground

by Albert

Dave Brubeck has been going strong since his quartet formed in 1951. He received much critical acclaim and was so popular that his picture graced the cover of Time magazine in 1954. Before becoming a legend himself, he kept company with other legends such as Ellington, Parker, Gillespie and Bernstein. In 1996 he was inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 1999. On Saturday, May 13 at 6pm at Hill Auditorium, the 11th Annual Ford Honors Program will present Brubeck Time: A Lifetime Tribute honoring him with the 2006 UMS Distinguished Artist Award. Bravo! If you cannot attend, check him out by audio or video.

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Hullabaloo!

by sstonez

Current magazine says this “rousing band indulges in hip-shaking ska, Latin, and rock.” I’d add swing and rockabilly to that mix, but whatever you call it, Hullabaloo is sheer energy and fun. They play at T.C.’s Speakeasy in Ypsi on Saturday night. If you can’t wait that long, try one of Hullabaloo’s CDs from the Library collection.

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Where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all the children are above average

by remnil

"It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota." So surely will begin 2006 Honorary Oscar winner Robert Altman's film version of A Prairie Home Companion, opening on June 9th.

All of your favorite residents of Lake Wobegon will be there: Guy Noir private eye (played by Kevin Kline), the singing cowboys Dusty & Lefty (John C. Reilly and Woody Harrelson respectively), and of course, hometown boy and host Garrison Keillor (played by none other than himself). Also on hand will be a few new old-fashioned singers from Lake Wobegon: Rhonda (Lily Tomlin), Yolanda (Meryl Streep), and Lola (Lindsay Lohan).

Make sure that you brush up on your Lake Wobegon gossip and A Prairie Home Companion antics to keep abreast of all the town happenings!

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Constructive Construction Commutes

by Debbie G.

It's orange cone season again in Michigan and time to take along a few books on cd to ease the wait. You can’t beat Martha Grimes to keep your mind on the mystery and off the traffic backups. Her newest title, The Old Wine Shades takes Richard Jury on a hunt for a vanished woman and her dog. Science Fiction fans will applaud the audio release of Robert Heinlein’s The Door Into Summer, a time traveler classic. When the ride gets really bumpy, pop in some humor and laugh the rest of the way to work. Try Dave Barry’s Money Secrets Like, Why is There a Giant Eyeball on the Dollar?