But not really. Name’s Matt. Stephen’s off to graduate school on full scholarship, so I’m the new blogger ‘round these here parts.

Quick hits: Leo. Favorite non-Flaming Lips local band is Colourmusic. I know the lyrics to“Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” back-to-front. Random fun fact: My brother is on a first-name basis with Dan Marino. I’m still looking to replace a big LCD Soundsystem-shaped hole in my heart. Taylor Swift’s first and second albums have been known to rattle the speakers in the privacy of my car, on occasion. Big supporter of dance rock.

Underrated: The Drive-By Truckers’ “Brighter Than Creation’s Dark”, dance rock in general, post-“Girls Can Tell” Spoon, Lost in the Trees, and the Rolling Stones’ “Some Girls.”

Overrated: Passion Pit, Animal Collective, My Morning Jacket’s “Z,” and probably James Blake, too, but you’d have to put a gun to my head to make me admit it. Also, everything U2's recorded since “The Joshua Tree”. Though let it be known that “The Joshua Tree” is so unbelievably good that you can’t possibly overstate how good it is.

Let’s get on with the vids, then.

Broncho rapidly ascended to the near-top of my fictional All-Okie Festival bill when I bought their debut album a few months back. Caught them at the Soundpony in Tulsa a little while ago and, sure enough, the Internet warlocks at Delo Creative were there with a butt-ton of camera equipment in tow. I think I speak for the entirety of this state when I say these guys are gonna make it big. And soon:

Novak Djokovic’s appearance in this hilarious video probably had at least a little something to do with his recent #1 ATP ranking:



Freaky, psychedelic, synthy chicks glow in the dark:



Like Stephen, I’m a proud Tulsa native and, save for Hanson, nobody’s name’s better-recognized in Tulsa than Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. Their new “Race Riot Suite” received standing ovations at the Tulsa PAC last month:



Not unlike most of the planet, I really didn’t care much for Radiohead’s latest. I do, however, dig Nigel Godrich’s intimate “From the Basement” series and this frenetic, dual-drummer performance of “Staircase” is intense:  



Everything about Mastodon is massively awesome right now. Album art, track titles, and this puppet-stomping video for “Deathbound”:

Wilco’s March 8, 2008, performance at Cain’s Ballroom during my freshman year of college changed my life.

Known for workmanlike shows, Jeff Tweedy — looking fly in a white suit stitched with roses and a cardinal — and company rocked 29 songs in about three hours, ranging from the guitar-oriented tracks off their then-new “Sky Blue Sky” LP to “Summerteeth”’s many pop classics, super-old material (”Forget the Flowers” from 1996’s “Being There”), a slew of Woody Guthrie covers, and all the best work on their experimental Americana opus “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” That show is the reason I’m typing this sentence right now.

Anyhoo, if you’re an idiot like me and had to leave town the weekend of the band’s glorious May 8 return to Tulsa, then you can stop punching yourself in the head and go to Wilco’s website, where you can stream the show in its entirety. There are only 22 songs this time, but they look to be a pretty good balance of the group’s catalogue. “Jesus, Etc.” is a standout sing-along here, moving Tweedy to declare it “top-5, all-time.” Enjoy.

Cain’s Ballroom is the reason I’m sitting here, in an office, typing about why Cain’s Ballroom is one of the best places on the planet to see a concert.

left, Wilco performs at Cain's back in the spring.

Wilco hit my beloved hometown’s hallmark venue during a hot spring night my freshman year of college. My friend Thomas and I drove the two hours from Norman to hear Jeff Tweedy (who wore a seemingly magical white suit stitched with roses) tell stories and sing some America’s finest avant-garde poetry. That night interlaced my love for the band, Cain’s and indie rock in general so tightly together into the fabric of my life that it sorta took on new meaning.

Well, Yahoo! News seems to agree with me today. It named Cain’s the ninth best place in America to see a concert, right up there with New York’s infamous Bowery Ballroom; the gorgeous Red Rocks venue in Morrison, Colo.; and even the Hollywood Bowl. Flip through their online photo gallery and see for yourself.

Photo from the Cain's Flickr page.