We arrived in the middle of their first song, “The Outsiders,” and they were already jamming. Two electric guitars, one bass, one set of drums, and a rocking keyboard. It wasn’t a creative mix of instruments, but great googly moogly did they mix well.

They have been a band for nearly eleven years now and it showed. They didn’t talk much, except to thank the audience. Appreciation was expressed for the attendance because as Bear Rinehart said, “We’ve played plenty of shows with eleven people.” The band’s maturity was something that might go unnoticed by a novice show attendee, but it was obvious to anyone who has seen one too many immature artists pop off about politics, spout some ridiculous joke, or just mumble about something because he or she feels that its artsy. Thankfully, none of that was on the menu. Needtobreathe simply played and played well. Their timing was spot on, maybe save one instance in a jam session. The fact that they nailed nearly every transition and tempo change was a testament to their maturity and skill as musicians because they changed pace a fair amount of times. They still had to look at the drummer for the ending blasts, but I got the idea it wasn’t so much for timing as it was that they were just communally experiencing rock music. Either way, they killed the beginning, middle, and end of every song. What more do you want of a rock group?

They covered The Beatles and Ben Harper and put them into one medley: “Better Way” and “Get Back.” The Beatles cover was a nice throwback; the Ben Harper inclusion made me smile for the next three songs. I’m always glad when artists, especially Christian, pay homage to talented artists. And let’s be honest, no one is more talented than Mr. Harper.

The most captivating song of the night, however, was, as expected, “Washed by the Water.” I wasn’t looking forward to it leading into the night because I knew it was their most famous song. It’s like John Mayer playing “Your Body is a Wonderland;” it’s cliché and gets all the irreverently annoying eighth grade girls to scream. And Christian eighth grade girls are even more irritating. All that said, as the night progressed I realized that these were musicians and a simple crowd-pleasing, generic performance of the song wouldn’t be enough. Sure enough, they saved it for last and belted it sans sound system. He sang, “Daddy was a preacher,” then half the crowd started singing along and the other half shooshed them. “No reason to get hostile with anyone,” Rinehart said as he stopped singing. “But, I can’t sing over all of you so shut up.” (jokingly, of course)  And they did, for the most part. He began again. Two acoustic guitars and just Rinehart’s voice pounding out the words. Notes were strained and sometimes hard to hear in the back, but that little chapel’s roof got blown up by one man’s unamplified voice. It was soul and it was real.

By the way, Needtobreathe is a blend of Kings of Leon and Band of Horses. If you don’t believe me, buy a 12 dollar ticket to their show.

But what does that say about the state of pop music,  that all of these songs are similar enough to mashed up into one singular song?  I don’t think this a completely untalented group of artists.  I actually enjoyed a fair amount of these songs this year.  But I think it goes to show how much the labels and producers are controlling the sound on these records.  It’s no wonder we eat these songs up and then make ourselves so sick of them that we never want to hear them again. Because we’re essentially listening to the same song over and over again.  What do you guys think?

Here’s a list of all of the songs included in this year’s mash-up.

• The Black Eyed Peas – BOOM BOOM POW
• Lady Gaga – POKER FACE
• Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O’Donis – JUST DANCE
• The Black Eyed Peas – I GOTTA FEELING
• Taylor Swift – LOVE STORY
• Flo Rida – RIGHT ROUND
• Jason Mraz – I’M YOURS
• Beyonce – SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)
• Kanye West – HEARTLESS
• The All-American Rejects – GIVES YOU HELL
• Taylor Swift – YOU BELONG WITH ME
• T.I. Featuring Justin Timberlake – DEAD AND GONE
• The Fray – YOU FOUND ME
• Kings Of Leon – USE SOMEBODY
• Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo – KNOCK YOU DOWN
• Jamie Foxx Featuring T-Pain – BLAME IT
• Pitbull – I KNOW YOU WANT ME (CALLE OCHO)
• T.I. Featuring Rihanna – LIVE YOUR LIFE
• Soulja Boy Tell ‘em Featuring Sammie – KISS ME THRU THE PHONE
• Jay Sean Featuring Lil Wayne – DOWN
• Miley Cyrus – THE CLIMB
• Drake – BEST I EVER HAD
• Kelly Clarkson – MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
• Beyonce – HALO
• Katy Perry – HOT N COLD

The key component for change here was the switch to Modest Mouse and Kings of Leon producer Jaquire King.  He definitely adds a little edge to the final product on several tracks.  She is also playing with a completely new band who have collectively recorded with the likes of Beck, R.E.M., Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, The Roots and Herbie Hancock.  Also the “retired” Ryan Adams and Okkervil River’s Will Shef gave a helping hand and each helped Jones co-write a different song on the album.

The Fall is easily Norah’s best effort since her delightful 2002 debut.  Norah Jones enthusiasts won’t be disappointed and it is sure to attract a brand new batch of fans.  Take a listen to the opening track, which gives you a great idea of the shift taking place on this fantastic record.

Leading up to this amazing festival stay tuned to I Hope Your Ears Bleed for an in-depth look into each band that will be featured this year as well as a pick list of bands to go see if you are fortunate to be in attendance this year.

If you would like to investigate yourself feel free to browse www.aclfestival.com which has bios, songs and videos posted showcasing each artist.  

I hope some of these bands will make your ears bleed with anticipation.

1) Kings of Leon – Manhatten

I thought I had listened to all of the latest Kings of Leon album, Only By the Night.  But apparently I hadn’t, cause I don’t know how I could’ve heard this song and not been completely entranced right away. For that is what happened when I heard this track a couple of weeks ago while listening to an end of the year podcast on NPR’s All Songs Considered.  I don’t care who you are, I think everyone can groove to this tune.  The drum beat and little guitar riff that proceeds throughout just make you wanna just chill and dance at the same time, if that were possible.  And there is a passion in Caleb’s voice like never before.

2) Of Montreal – An Eluardian Instance

I’ve really been into pop tunes that you can dance to lately, and this one has found its way to the top of my playlists again and again this past month.  I am in love with the horn intro.  It is just a fun and danceable.   And as always, Kevin Barnes knows how to use his words to reach your heart.  Again I have no idea how I overlooked this gem of a song.

3) The Killers – I Can’t Stay

Now this song I did not accidentally overlook.   I just ignored it.  In fact I hated this track when I first listened to Day & Age.  But it came up again when I was listening to my library on shuffle a couple weeks ago, and something in the chorus just struck me.  I think it is just an absolutely lovely melody and I have not been able to stop listening to it.