The profiler’s year in review

If you…
Were regularly mistaken for a boy until you were 11,
Campaigned to be president of the Math Club in high school,
Couldn’t decide who was cooler, Karen or Richard Carpenter,
Consider caring for curly hair a legitimate hobby…

Then you, too, could write The Profiler! I feel so fortunate to live in this amazing place with such a vibrant music scene, and I love writing the Profiler. My brother tells me it’s the perfect marriage of my two loves: music and making fun of people. I’m always excited about what’s next!

2010 Music Recap:

Favorite Shows:
The Avett Brothers: Okay, it was last year New Year’s Eve (they played past midnight, right?), but these guys just continue to blow me away with their passion and energy.

Vampire Weekend: Preppy, polished, plaid … I know, I’ve heard the haters, but I can’t help loving them.

Clem Snide: Eef Barzeley ditched his band for the night and performed solo at the Grey Eagle to a crowd of about 50 people; I so admire his songwriting and style.

Jonsi: One of the highlights of my Moogfest experience. He didn’t play an uptempo song for the first 30 minutes, and he had the crowd captivated the entire time.

Hot Chip: To me this was the most danceable show at Moogfest, and I love me some Girl Talk. These guys were just fantastic.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings: Sharon Jones is just in a league of her own. She truly knows how to perform, and she has the voice to back it up.

The Black Keys: You see these guys take the stage, and they seem like the world’s most unlikely rock stars; then they just take over the place with these searing blues riffs and thundering drums. Good times.

Best Surprises:

Joanna Newsom: She plays the harp, and she can bang on the piano like a crazy muppet. What more could you want?

Josh Rouse: He seemed a little out of it when he first took the stage (his guitar was tuned completely wrong), but as he and his bandmates gathered around one mike to sing “Chan Chan” for the final encore, I was completely won over!

Mayer Hawthorne: “This is what we call an intimate show,” he said before he unleashing his classic R&B grooves that had everyone up dancing.

Broken Social Scene: Never let it be said that Canadians can’t rock it out.

Kinda Disappointing:

MGMT
Ra Ra Riot
Blitzen Trapper

How Did I Miss That?

Modest Mouse (Orange Peel)
Rodrigo y Gabriela (Orange Peel)
Yeasayer (Grey Eagle)
Jamey Johnson (Orange Peel)
Local Natives (Grey Eagle)
Delta Spirit (Grey Eagle)
OK Go (Orange Peel)
The Tallest Man on Earth (Forsythia Hall)

Favorite Concert Moments:

Sharon Jones pulling an unsuspecting guy up onto the stage and serenading him with “Be Easy.”
Mayer Hawthorne breaking into an awesome cover of “What a Fool Believes.”
Vampire Weekend taking the stage and launching into “White Sky.”
When Rooney gave my daughter, Cicely, and her friend Catherine (Xpress intern extraordinaire) a shout out from the stage.
Sitting on the floor at the Grey Eagle with my sweetie listening to Eef Barzeley (Clem Snide) cover Journey’s “Faithfully.”

Worst Concert moment:
When a random woman stopped me in the bathroom during the Black Keys and asked, “Don’t you love being the oldest people here?” (I’m still thinking about how I should have answered that … kicking someone is never the solution.)

Biggest Concert Pet Peeve:
A tie between people who don’t take a drink of their overflowing beer before weaving through the crowd and women who cluelessly and repeatedly bonk me with their suitcase-sized handbag while grooving to the music. 

Favorite Albums of the Year:

Kayne West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Girl Talk: All Day
Broken Bells: Broken Bells
Robyn: Body Talk
Jonsi: Go
Local Natives: Gorilla Manor
Vampire Weekend: Contra
Beach House: Teen Dream
Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer

Songs that I Played Over and Over Until I Got Really Sick of Them:

Joanna Newsom: “Good Intentions Paving Company”
Sleigh Bells: “Rill Rill”
Robyn: “Dancing on My Own”
Rihanna: “Only Girl in the World”
Vampire Weekend: “Giving Up the Gun”
Kayne West: “Runaway”

My Music Fantasy: Prince comes to the Orange Peel.

My Music Nightmare: Chris Daughtry forms a jam band.

2011 Albums I Can’t Wait to Hear (and see live!):

Fleet Foxes
The Ting Tings
Adele
Bon Iver
My Morning Jacket
Santigold

Is This an Amazing Town for Music or What?

Check out this February:
Dr. Dog, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Josh Ritter, Bassnectar, Punch Brothers, Rooney, Budos Band, Los Amigos Invisibles, Trombone Shorty, and the Old 97’s!