Queens of the Stone Age does "In the Fade" at First Act Guitar Studio, proving they are just as awesome acoustically as they are plugged in.



James Parker reads a poem about Britney Spears's wild night with Criss Angel, backed by a bunch of jellyfish.



Rilo Kiley live, proving, much to our amazement, that there were actual good songs lurking underneath the studio polish of Under the Blacklights.



No list of internet videos in 2007 would be complete without a Soulja Boy reference...



Spiritualized performs "Soul on Fire," an excellent song from their upcoming album at the MFA.



We visited with the cast of Superbad at a bowling alley. Nice dudes.



Paddy-O's in Faneuil Hall may seem like an odd choice for a rock show, particularly one by a band like The National, but in spite of some dark conditions, it turned out to be a great show.



Way back in February, we checked out the Boston Burlesque Fest. Bet you had forgotten all about the Moononite incident.



Paramore took a break from their march towards world conquest with this performance at First Act Guitar Studio



We got a sneak peek at the truly awesome Rock Band at the offices of the game's developers, Harmonix



Tegan and Sara entertained First Act Guitar Studio with their music and their words.



In advance of the Police's big show at Fenway, we talked to David Bieber, the Phoenix's archivist about the band's early years.



Spoon broke through to the mainstream in 2007 on the strength of their hit single "Underdog," performed live and acoustically here at First Act Guitar Studio.



Film editor Peter Keough interviewed Michael Moore about Sicko in Manchester, New Hampshire



Yo La Tengo brought their Freehweelin' tour to the Museum of Fine Arts in November, and performed a lengthy set of covers and fan favorites like "Stockholm Syndrome."



Michael Palin spoke to the Phoenix's Peter Kadzis, and revealed the origin of the Lumberjack sketch.



We got some bonus footage of Isis.



And now we're premiering this video of My Brightest Diamond covering Roy Orbison. See you all in 2008!

12/20/2007 3:28:37 PM by Carly Carioli | Comments [0] |  

As previously mentioned, here is video of our visit to Harmonix's Central Square offices, where a few of us got a chance to play around on Rock Band, the awesome new game from the folks who brought you Guitar Hero. One-sentence review from Will Spitz: "It's really awesome, especially the drums."

The Rock Band Tour Bus is at MIT today and tomorrow, with a performance by Bang Camaro (a band which features some Harmonix employees) scheduled for 1 pm. You'll be able to check out the game for yourself there.

PREVIOUSLY: Our complete interview with Sean Baptiste

Also, here's the list of tracks that have so far been confirmed for the game. This is not the final set list, but it's still damn impressive.

10/25/2007 3:12:48 PM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [1] |  

Last Friday, the Phoenix visited the Central Square offices of Harmonix, the video game development house behind the first two Guitar Hero products, and, with help from their new parent company, MTV, the upcoming, hotly-anticipated Rock Band, which, as you may have heard, takes Guitar Hero's authentic musical simulator feel and stretches that to accommodate a drummer and vocalist. There's video forthcoming, but in the meantime, we present our conversation with Sean Baptiste, their director of community development, and one of the game's de facto spokespeople. One of the things that came across that might not come through in text, though, was just how passionate and genuinely excited about Rock Band he was. You get a clear sense talking to him that he will gladly talk about it for hours, and never lose interest. He even told us as much. Anyway, here it is after the jump:

10/19/2007 12:13:56 PM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |  

We keep thinking we couldn't possibly be more excited about Harmonix's Rock Band (see previous entries here and here), but each time we learn more about the game, we find a way to geek out even more. Today's news: Nirvana's Nevermind joins Who's Next as downloadable content in the game. Okay, so maybe you aren't so hot on playing "Polly" or "Something in the Way," but you'd be nuts to deny the opportunity for potential awesomeness this presents, especially to those of us who were in middle school in the early 90s. This is a slam dunk for Harmonix, as they continue to make Activision and Red Octane look silly. Stay tuned for more as always...

7/30/2007 2:57:22 PM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |