Anyone who's watched TV after 11 p.m. has probably come across Cartoon Network's Adult Swim program at some point. For those who haven't: it's a collection of cartoon programs for the over-18 crowd. Some of the stuff they show is pretty eccentric, which is refreshing considering the kind of crap that's usually on television.

Anyway, Adult Swim's projects extend beyond TV shows. The people at Adult Swim have released several records in the past few years, all of them far from the mainstream but many of them good. For example, DJ Danger Mouse and MF Doom teamed up for an album in conjunction with Adult Swim, which resulted in 2005's The Mouse and the Mask.

The most recent Adult Swim release is African Swim, to promote the new video game Far Cry 2. It's a compilation of South African hip-hop artists, since the game's set in Africa. The artists on the album are all from South Africa's burgeoning hip-hop scene. It's actually less exotic than it sounds. Most of the tracks could even pass for American hip-hop, until you notice several of the artists don't rap in English. That aside, the stuff that's here is decidedly different from the pop-rap you'll hear on the radio. And, since it's a compilation, there's lots of variety. Add to that the fact that the album's completely free to download, and you've got yourself a great deal. Head to www.adultswim.com to check it out, or listen to it here.

- Andy

When artists from awful groups go solo, it usually gives me a glimpse of hope. It's kind of like, maybe this it it!

However, when artists from bands that are thriving split off and do something on their own, it always rubs me a little funny. It's like, why, when you're already successful do you feel the need to ditch your group? If I was in a band, I'd be insulted. Well, that's not true. It's better to say I'd be insulted unless I really felt that member was being overshadowed by the rest of us.

Either way, TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe is now an active memeber in an "on the side" project.

And while this solo release, a 7" picture disc, looks pretty sweet, I can't get myself that excited. I wish I could.

Maybe I just can't help but think of things like when Chris Wella made a solo album (bah), or even (excuse me for bringing this up) when Gerry from the Spice Girls decided to pursue the dream on her own.

I don't know, I'm trying to be optimistic, I really am. I know this is just a minor side project, and TV on the Radio is still going to continue doing sweet things.

Who knows, I guess I should focus on what happened to JT after N'SYNC, or John Lennon, or Paul Simon, or Elvis Costello.

For now, I'm just going to listen to Dear Science on vinyl and think happy thoughts.

-Jill

Woah Woah! In case your Halloween party lasts all night, here are some more tunes to check out:

* Robert Rodriguez, "Planet Terror Main Theme"
* Alice Cooper: "Feed My Frankenstein," "Welcome To My Nightmare"
* Rob Zombie: "Living Dead Girl"
* Gnarls Barkley: "Necromancer"
* Marlyn Manson: "Organ Grinder," "Dope Hat," "I Put a Spell on You"
* The Zombies: "Time of the Season," etc.
* Nightwish: "Phantom of the Opera"
* Angelo Badalamenti: "Mulholland Drive," "Dark Mood Woods," etc.
* Bernard Hermann: "Twisted Nerve," etc.
* Dethklok: "Briefcase Full of Guts"
* Iced Earth: Horror Show
* Michael Jackson: "Thriller"
* Charles Manson: "Devil Man"
* Pink Floyd: "Lucifer Sam," "The Trial"
* Slayer: "Reign in Blood," etc.
* Dave Matthews Band: "Halloween"
* Dave Matthews: "Gravedigger"
* The Misfits: "Halloween"
* The Dead Kennedys: "Halloween"
* Siouxsie and the Banshees: "Halloween"
* Matt Pond PA: "Halloween"
* King Diamond: "Halloween"
* Sonic Youth: "Halloween"
* Charlie Daniels Band: "Devil Went Down to Georgia"
* Panic at the Disco: "This Is Halloween"
* Blue Oyster Cult: "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"
* Mudhoney: "Halloween"
* The Eagles: "Witchy Woman"
* The Who: "Fiddle About," "Boris the Spider"
* The Beatles: "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite"
* Warren Zevon: "Werewolves of London"
* Ryan Adams: "Cobwebs," "Halloween Head"
* No Doubt: "Spiderwebs"
* Bloc Party: "Hunting for Witches"
* Iron Maiden: "Phantom of the Opera," "Fear of the Dark"
* Nine Inch Nails: "Dead Souls"
* The Polecats: "Gravedigger Rock"
* 13 Cats: "Hell Bop"
* The Meteors: "Wolfjob," "King Vlad," "Corpse Grinder"
* Van Halen: "Running With the Devil"
* The Rolling Stones: "Sympathy for the Devil"
* Ray Parker Jr.: "Ghostbusters"
* The Specials: "Ghost Town"
* The Allman Brothers Band: "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"
* The Cure: "Lullaby"
* It's a Beautiful Day: "Girl With No Eyes"
* Edgar Winter: "Frankenstein"
* TV on the Radio: "Wolf Like Me"
* Sufjan Stevens: "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!"
* Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: "Howling at the Moon"
* Vampire Weekend
* Talking Heads: "Psycho Killer"
* Tilly and the Wall: "Night of the Living Dead"
* The Shins: "Phantom Limb"
* Gorillaz: "Dracula," "Fire Coming From a Monkey's Head"
* The Pixies: "Wave of Mutilation," "Bone Machine"
* Wolf Parade: "Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts"
* Neutral Milk Hotel: "Ghost"
* The Moldy Peaches: "NYC's Like a Graveyard"
* Modest Mouse: "Dig Your Graves," "Bury Me With It"
* Le Tigre: "After Dark"
* Justice: "Phantom, Parts I and II"
* Phantom Planet
* Echo and the Bunnymen: "Killing Moon"
* David Bowie: Scary Monsters
* Bob Dylan: "Tombstone Blues"
* Antsy Pants: "Vampire"
* Cocorosie: "Werewolf"
* Cut Copy: "So Haunted"
* Danger Doom: "The Mask"
* Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: "I'm a Ghost"
* The White Stripes: "Little Ghost"
* My Chemical Romance: "Cemetery Drive"
* Jethro Tull: "The Witch's Promise"
* Cranberries: "Zombie"
* Alan Parsons Project: "The Raven"

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - J.S. Bach

-compiled by Andrew Steadman

So, as disappointing as it was that everywhere I went when I was in France, Rihanna was playing, I did discover one group that I shamelessly fell in love with: TTC .

They remind me of a mix between JT and some godawful but somehow still fun boy band. Check 'em out. I love the guy who looks like Drew Carey.

The lyrics of the chorus translate to "working" in bed ... oh the French, you've got to love them!

- Jill

About a week ago, a mysterious item appeared on Amazon.com -- a treat scheduled to be arriving a couple days before Thanksgiving and a couple days after Chinese Democracy. Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, an 11-month follow-up to the Weezer frontman's solo project, is due in stores November 25.

Cuomo and his posse have had a rocky career since they creatively peaked 12 years ago with Pinkerton, although part of the blame should be ascribed to stubborn record producer Rick Rubin.

Cuomo may be further alienating himself from his core audience, but at least he's had a prolific year. The experimental Weezer (The Red Album), which dropped in June, saw the band members mixing up their instruments and Cuomo attempting to go falsetto and perform a rap in the same song.

Last December, Cuomo released an introspective home demo LP, Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo. It was rough around the edges, like most solo demo projects, but it was the closest he had come to the awesomeness of his band's '90s work in quite some time.

Considering Cuomo has been all over the place lately touring, talking to fans via YouTube and recording with his band, fans should be excited for a solo follow-up so soon. Come on, it's got to be better than Weezer (The Red Album).

Another Weezer news bit: Spike Jonze, responsible for the genius music video and visual staple of the '90s, "Buddy Holly," will direct the music video for Weezer's next single, "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)."

- Mark

The year was 1979. Ozzy Osbourne had been booted from the band he'd taken to fame and fortune, Black Sabbath, for his erratic behavior and massive appetite for hard drugs. Ozzy didn't know where to turn next, but his wife, Sharon, helped him put together a new band featuring drummer Lee Kerslake, bassist Bob Daisley and guitar prodigy Randy Rhoads.

The resulting album, featuring songs by Daisley and Rhoads, was released in 1980 in England and 1981 in the United States. It was called Blizzard of Ozz.
Since then, Blizzard of Ozz has become one of the most revered metal records of all time, and it deserves the acclaim it received. In particular, Rhoads, formerly of Quiet Riot, was an extremely gifted guitarist. His training in classical theory helped him create a groundbreaking electric guitar technique that would make this album.

Ozzy's voice was never especially impressive. He didn't even write the songs; he only has a writing credit on one track, the simplistic "No Bone Movies." Ozzy rose above the rest of the pack through a mixture of guts and eccentricity. As a result, Ozzy's personality understandably got the most attention, but on Blizzard of Ozz, Randy's talent provided the foundation.

The record finds Ozzy evolving beyond what he'd done with Sabbath. The songs stray from the blues that had always been at the base of Sabbath's music, branching out into far more complex scales for the arrangements and laying the groundwork for the heavy metal of the 1980s.

"Crazy Train," a showcase for Rhoads' guitar prowess, became Ozzy's signature song. The subject matter, mental illness, had been familiar to Ozzy's fans since Sabbath's Paranoid several years prior, but this song was something different. Where Sabbath's Tony Iommi specialized in sludgy riffing and plodding tempos, necessitated by the fact that he was missing part of a finger on his fret hand, Rhoads was a speed demon. His solo breaks throughout the song are the definition of shredding. "Crazy Train" is reason enough to buy the album.

Ozzy's sensitive side, which hadn't really made an appearance before, comes to the surface on "Goodbye to Romance." It's an unexpectedly melodic ballad, with Ozzy lamenting his past failures over a chord progression lifted from Pachelbel's "Canon in D," more evidence of Rhoads' classical background.

The next song, "Dee," is Rhoads by himself on acoustic guitar. Though only 50 seconds long, the touching ode to Rhoads' mother makes the guitarist's stylistic versatility easily apparent. After the controversial "Suicide Solution," Ozzy delves into his other lyrical mainstay, the occult, on "Mr. Crowley." The synth intro is very '80s but menacing all the same, Ozzy's demented howl is at its best, and Rhoads tops himself once again on the solos.

Ozzy would go on to have a successful solo career, but Rhoads tragically died in 1982, his musical legacy unfinished. Blizzard of Ozz remains his most enduring contribution to recorded music, and it does him justice.

Download: "Crazy Train," "Mr. Crowley," "Goodbye to Romance"

-- Andrew

MySpace has a video channel called MySpace Transmissions that hosts videos of live performances by current bands. It's updated every so often, and the most recent band to be featured is The Cold War Kids.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Kids' most recent album, Loyalty to Loyalty, but seeing the band perform some of the new material in a cool looking practice room gives an interestingly different perspective. Most of all, it made me want to go to wherever they recorded this and hang out and jam.

The sparse, live instrumentation of the songs also makes them a good listen. For those unfamiliar, the group has a bluesy indie kind of sound, a little like The Black Keys. For this little performance, guitarist Jonnie Russell plays a hollowbody acoustic-electric so immersed in echo and reverb that it sounds like he's strumming at the other end of a very long hallway. Of the five song set, one ("Coffee Spoon") was previously unreleased, which gives fans a good reason to check this out.

The dudes in the band also do a little interview and explain their recording process, their lyrics, where they're from, and so on.

Cold War Kids "Coffee Spoon" from MySpace Transmission

Album of the moment - 12:51 a.m., Wednesday

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

I've been meaning to write about this record for a while now. It's the second solo release by Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis. Her first was Rabbit Fur Coat, with the Watson Twins, in 2006.

Rilo Kiley fans might be disappointed with this album, as they were with Rabbit Fur Coat. In fact, I know they are. I've talked to a few.

The reason for the disappointment is that these two records find Jenny embracing American roots music rather than the hip indie style that she practices with Rilo Kiley. Acid Tongue is all about folk, blues and (gasp!) country. It definitely has a little twang and a bit of affected Southern accent. And so, if you're expecting Rilo Kiley, you may be surprised, but this is a great album all the same. It's like Rabbit Fur Coat, but better.

The title track is a good example of how well this little change of pace really works. It's a sweet country ballad, mostly just Jenny with an acoustic guitar and some extra voices to sing the harmonies on the chorus. Her voice is beautiful, and the song strolls along like a leisurely lesson in good songwriting.

The lyrics also explain the meaning behind the album's title: "Cause I've been down to Dixie and dropped acid on my tongue/Tripped upon the land 'till enough was enough." Upon closer inspection of the album's cover, I realized that it's a sheet of blotter acid with a little picture of Jenny Lewis on each hit. Guess she's not as innocent as she sounds.

There's more to this album than slow country songs, of course. "The Next Messiah" is a near nine minutes of rocking, stomping blues. It's practically a mini rock opera, with several different movements that eventually make their way back to a common musical motif.

"See Fernando" is another standout rocker, while "Carpetbaggers" sounds a little like something you might hear in a honky tonk somewhere in the Midwest. Elvis Costello repays Lewis for her guest appearance on his most recent album, Momofuku, by contributing to the song. No offense to Mr. Costello, but here Lewis outclasses him easily. The man's a legend, but after hearing an album's worth of Lewis's smooth-as-butter singing, Costello's impression of a constipated Tom Petty on the second verse is rather jarring. He calms down a little after that, and while I'm not convinced his appearance is completely necessary, the song is still ultra-catchy.

Lewis's voice leaps throughout the album from sugary on songs like "Black Sand" and "Trying My Best to Love You" to downright raunchy on "Jack Killed Mom." It's all very satisfying. Acid Tongue comes highly recommended. It might not be Rilo Kiley, but it also might be better.

Download: "Carpetbaggers," "Acid Tongue"

-- Andrew

When I heard Amy Winehouse was backing out of recording the theme for Quantum of Solace, I was disappointed. I don't care about her personal problems, her questionable judgment, her affinity for crack, or her penchant for abusive relationships. She's got a great voice and she made soul music popular (and relevant) again. She would've been a great choice for the new Bond theme, a chance to salvage it from the travesty that was Madonna's "Die Another Day."

My disappointment didn't last long. I discovered Jack White and Alicia Keys would be recording the song instead.

White and Keys are two of the most talented and soulful musicians in modern popular music. Now that I've realized this collaboration was possible, I only wonder why I hadn't been hoping for a Jack and Alicia collaboration for years.
Even better: the two deliver on their promise.

Jack not only performs the song, titled "Another Way to Die." He also wrote it. As a result, it has the hallmarks of a Jack White song. It opens with dirty, overdriven guitar, and the lyrics are lilting, a bit like "The Denial Twist." But this is no White Stripes tune. It also features Keys' piano and a Bond-appropriate horn section. Jack's guitar and Alicia's voice duel in a call-and-response solo section around the three-minute mark.
The end product is a song that sounds like a traditional 007 theme and something completely new at the same time. The song rises in a crescendo as it progresses, beginning with fairly reserved traded verses by Keys and White and ending with Keys belting with abandon, and that's perfect for a song that will play during the opening credits. The horns and strings are key in giving the song that Bond element, but the melody and lyrics are also spot on.

There have been complaints with the song, most notably the claim that it doesn't sound enough like a Bond theme to be a Bond theme. I disagree. I think it fits perfectly into the Bond tradition, and it certainly sounds more appropriate than "Die Another Day."

Decide for yourself:

- Andrew

Aside from the abundant number of drug law violations at the Bryce Jordan Center Monday night, a good time was had by many at Change Rocks, the venue's red, white, blue and tie-dye benefit concert. Below are the respective set lists, courtesy of ratdog.org, for each performance. It is worthwhile to dissect the origins of the studio versions of songs that made the cut, some of which have endured hundreds of live renditions over the course of two to four decades. The reprise of the Dead's "Playing in the Band," a song that amassed a fan following via its recurring pop-ins in live sets, helped to give Monday's show a circular quality.

Allman Brothers Band albums worth acquiring: The Allman Brothers Band, At Fillmore East, Eat a Peach
Grateful Dead albums worth acquiring: American Beauty, Blues for Allah

The Allman Brothers Band:
Revival - Idlewild South, 1970
Statesboro Blues - originally written by Blind Willie McTell, re-recorded by Allmans in 1971 on At Fillmore East
Who's Been Talkin' - cover of Howlin' Wolf
Midnight Rider - Idlewild South, 1970
One Way Out - Eat a Peach, 1972
And It Stoned Me - cover of Van Morrison
Dreams - The Allman Brothers Band, 1969
Don't Think Twice, It's Alright (feat. Susan Tedeschi, wife of Derek Trucks) - alternative version of the Bob Dylan song
Anyday - cover of Derek and the Dominos
Melissa - Eat a Peach, 1972
Trouble No More - The Allman Brothers Band, 1969
Ain't Wasting Time No More - Eat a Peach, 1972
Jessica - Brothers and Sisters, 1973

Encore:
Whipping Post - The Allman Brothers Band, 1969

The Grateful Dead:

Truckin' - American Beauty, 1970
U.S. Blues - Grateful Dead from the Mars Hotel, 1974
Help on the Way - Blues for Allah, 1975
Slipknot! - Blues for Allah, 1975
Franklin's Tower - Blues for Allah, 1975
Playing in the Band - The Grateful Dead live double album, 1971
Dark Star - 1968 single
St. Stephen - Aoxomoxoa, 1969
Unbroken Chain - Grateful Dead from the Mars Hotel, 1974
The Other One - Anthem of the Sun, 1968
Throwing Stones - In the Dark, 1987
Playing in the Band reprise

Encore:
Touch of Grey - In the Dark, 1987
Not Fade Away - cover of Buddy Holly

- Mark

So, last night, Andrew Steadman, one of the music reporters went to the Hanson concert.

Now, let's be serious for a minute. A guy, Hanson. I was a bit skeptical about how this whole thing was going to pan out. Don't get me wrong, every single one of our reporters does a good job of remaining objective, especially in the music beat.

Still, I was pleasantly surprised.

The review was good, and from the sounds of it, the concert was good, too.

I don't know, maybe I'm just still in shock that Hanson still exists, and even more shocked the brothers decided to visit State College on their tour.

Keep walking, boys! And to the rest of you, keep reading our reviews!
-Jill

So, in spirit of these tours for a cause...Obama seems to be the leading influence these days. Word on the street (or on Pitchfork) is that now, groups such as the Beastie Boys, Vampire Weekend and even the Black Keys are joining for concerts either supporting Obama or supporting the Democratic party. I think it's ridiculous how active so many members of the music industry are getting over politics. Vietnam had protests, we have concerts.

And how about The Foo Fighters getting mad that McCain has been using "My Hero" without permission. You know, I bet there are many musicians out there who support McCain... just not the Foo Fighters.

Wrap your mind around this for a second.

This Sunday, Hanson comes to the State Theatre.

I know, I know, this is great news. Unfortunately, Hanson fans who don't have tickets are out of luck. The show's been sold out for a while now. Sorry.
On a brighter note, you'll still have a chance to participate in the walk for charity Hanson will be holding that day.

The walk, which is in conjunction with Hanson's "Walk Around the World Tour," will raise awareness for TOMS Shoes, a charity that delivers shoes to needy children in Africa. For each walker who participates, Hanson donates a dollar.

This is a great idea. Who better to convince people to get involved than famous people in bands? Granted, Hanson isn't the huge cultural icon it once was. But the show did sell out, so someone still cares.

If you're not sold on the idea, maybe this'll work: the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band are coming to the Bryce Jordan Center on Monday to support Barack Obama's campaign.

Bruce Springsteen held a similar concert to raise awareness for Obama's campaign a few days ago in Philadelphia. MTV's Rock the Vote campaign came to State College with a concert featuring Locksley, Hymns and the Bullet Parade. Bands get the word out in a way that no one else can.

Also, like Obama or not, the Grateful Dead are a pretty big deal. When a band supports a cause, people listen. This is the first time since 2004 these four original members have performed together, and they're doing it in State College.

On that note, people who've complained that the Grateful Dead shouldn't get involved in Obama's campaign are kidding themselves. The Dead were a huge part of the counterculture movement during Vietnam. The remaining members are original hippies.

It's more natural for these guys to get involved in a political movement than almost anyone else. Has anyone asked Ted Nugent to hold a concert for McCain? I'd go to that too.

It remains to be seen how much bands actually help the causes they stand for, but it's certainly nice to see bands exercising their considerable influence for a good cause.

- Andrew

Album of the Moment - 6:02 p.m., Thursday

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

I was heading downtown to take advantage of free downtown parking Thursdays, and as I was driving, my car stereo was blasting the folk-rock classic Astral Weeks. Sunset was nearing and there was a cool gentle breeze. The man's music is considered ideal for embarking on a spiritual quest, curing late-night writer's block or babymaking. Maybe driving, but that's more of a personal preference.

When it was first released in the fall of 1968, the critics liked it and the public didn't get it. However, it lingered in the public's subconscious for 30-plus years and it finally achieved gold in 2001.

The soulful Irishman, known officially as George Ivan Morrison OBE, is still as prolific as ever, knocking out a new album every one to two years. Over the course of his career, his music has wandered all over the place, into garage rock, into R&B and occasionally the Celtic corner. Astral Weeks though is one of a kind.

The album is going to be revived next month, as Morrison plans to play it in full, from "Astral Weeks" to "Slim Slow Rider," at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on two nights, according to Pitchfork Media.

My experience of Morrison had been summed up by the Moondance album and his Greatest Hits for quite some time. My friend recommended I give Astral Weeks a listen and I did, but it didn't stick. About a year later, I put it on again and it hasn't yet left the stereo.

The songs are devoid of clear-cut hooks, most tracks run long and are irresolute, but they pack a raw emotional sincerity rarely done this pristinely. The album is definitely free form, like a scat or poetic jam uninhibited by structure.

Astral Weeks is so personal and reflective like Van is encased in a bubble that is invisible to the outside world. It is more mature and introspective then the also-excellent Moondance, which bounces with popping stand-alone songs.

The sum is greater than its parts, whereas Moondance's parts are arguably greater than its sum. A song such as "Sweet Thing," the fastest and shiniest of the lot, is delicately beautiful.

Critical praise has placed it at the top of the Van Morrison concert repertoire and a comfortable seat at #19 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

Van Morrison's Astral Weeks is an atmospheric, melodic treat and it's also a pleasant way to adjust yourself for the fall climate. There's something about this album that keeps people coming back after 30 years and wanting more. I suggest you find it out for yourself.

-- Mark

Every band has at least one song that will get a big reaction from the crowd. It doesn't matter how many amazing songs a band has recorded, the radio hits will always be the ones people are waiting to hear, and those hits will almost always be played at the end of the set.

A few bands transcend this problem. The Beatles or the Rolling Stones, for example, have enough instantly recognizable songs to vary the encore from night to night. Even so, when you're touring 200 cities in 250 days, things are probably going to get repetitious. I saw Bob Dylan play Pittsburgh in August and the final song of the set was "Like a Rolling Stone." He has to be tired of playing it.

And so, I'm forced to feel a bit sorry for working-class touring bands. There are quite a few bands that have had just one reasonably well-known hit. These bands are the ones that have to endure crowds full of people only familiar with that one song.

In a way, it's better than having no hit songs. People are coming to the show, the money's coming in and more hits are bound to come along sooner or later. Unfortunately, the music-listening public is fickle. The chances of scoring one recognizable song are pretty low, let alone the chances of it happening twice.

So bands like the Ataris, Augustana and Phantom Planet are forced to wade through show after show of audience members shouting "Boys of Summer!" or "Boston!" or "That song from The O.C.!" at every possible chance they get.

There are certainly more bands cursed with this albatross than the three I named, but I picked these specifically because they've recently played at Penn State.

Phantom Planet played at Movin' On in 2007. A good number of people complained that the group wasn't nearly high profile enough to be the headliner at the show, but I didn't have any real problem with the choice. Sure, there are hundreds of bands I'd probably have preferred, but I do enjoy Planet's albums from time to time.

Phantom Planet, tragically, recorded the song that went on to become the theme song ("California") for Fox's hit series The O.C. Movin' On is free and open to all students, so most of the people in attendance were familiar only with "California" despite the band's varied catalog of songs. The crowd took to shouting the song's title and variations thereof ("Play that one song from that show!") for the group's entire set.

Heckling the band you're watching is like kicking your disobedient dog. Things aren't going to get better. If you want to guarantee yourself a bad concert experience, work as hard as you can to destroy the band's self-confidence. You're sure to be rewarded.

The Ataris might have it the worst of all. This is a band with several quality records and a following that has an appreciation for many of those songs. Yet, when the Ataris recorded a cover of Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" and the record company forced the group to include the song on So Long, Astoria, everything changed. The Ataris practically became a household name, yet the only song anyone knew wasn't even originally by the band.

Kris Roe, the band's principle songwriter, got to see his own work overshadowed night after night by a cover song. Though the band has tried at times to avoid playing the song, it's what the fans want to hear. So when the Ataris stopped in State College last Sunday, "Boys of Summer" came too.

The next time you see a show, remember: there's no need to shout that one song's name every 30 seconds. It'll be there.

- Andrew