Kellen Alive II

Date

October 19, 2011

Miracler

Pete Kellen

Location

Milwaukee

Kellen first burst on to the Prodge

with Kellen Comes Alive in Oct. '09, a mix about which Your Hostess went a little crazy with the 5-stars button in her personal music filing system. But she's not the only one; others commented, "It's one of my all-time favorites,"Great album cover art...love it!" and "I'm in you, you're in me. Love the Great Lake Swimmers, and I haven't come across a title as good as "Young Adult Friction" in quite some time," and "This is like a 2009 Noah's Ark of animal-named indie bands,' "This is a lovely time capsule of contemporary fabulousness," and "I put this on last night and have listened to it all the way through 5 times," and "It flows so well—it's an instant favorite."

Then, a scant few months later, Kellen made us 2009—The Leftovers, in which he ran roughshod through the preceding calendar, putting overlooked gems under the spotlight for us. The group's response: "This cements it—you are my musical soulmate" and "Big thanks for keeping us up to speed with the great sounds of 2009" and "Quite a few tracks on here I wanted for my own mix. 2009 was a very good for new music" and "Thanks for adding the aural component to all of those bands that I'd just been reading about on Pitchfork. And I'm sure iTunes and Amoeba Music thank you, too. I've been very good to them because of you." See? We're an honest and very wealthy bunch here, Apple lawyers.

As if that weren't enough, Kellen followed up with The Morning After in Jan. '11, a pop opera that touched off a comment storm, from, "Well Pete, you did it again. You put together a mix of artists and songs that are even new to me!" to "I tend to listen to Prodge Mixes in the background at work, but The Morning After managed to cut through and make a mark on my conscious brain—hooray!" and, "Well, if I had this mix to listen to when I was totally hungover, I may still drink! I love the progression...sounds like you may have done some research" to "The sweetest hangover EVER! Surpassing even Diana Ross doin' The Muppets in gold lamé" to 'Fun mix. I hope you hero pulls through—he has so much potential" to "I am not alone! Somebody else likes Tame Impala! Thank you for giving me my back my life, Pete Kellen" to "Stellar all the way around, Pete. Thanks!" So you get it? Your risk-to-reward-to-return-on-investment ratio seems pretty safe today, based on past performances.

Liner Notes for today's brand-new worth-the-wait mix, by PK

James Vincent McMorrow, Mad Planet, Milwaukee Saw this singer-songwriter open for the Rural Alberta Advantage and was blown away. Inasmuch as one can be blown away by an unassuming Irishman (and Justin Vernon sound-alike) singing achingly delicate pop songs.

Starfucker, Lincoln Hall, Chicago As you could probably surmise from the name, these guys are the poster children for trying too hard. Which is a shame. Because their songs seem pretty effortless to me.

Volcano Choir, Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee I saw Justin Vernon twice this year. Once in Bon Iver. And once in Volcano Choir. The Bon Iver show was a hundred times better. But everyone already has that album, right?

The Head and the Heart, Millennium Park, Chicago This was undoubtedly the biggest crowd THATH ever played for. Unfortunately, the majority of them were only there because it was sunny and the show was free. Newsflash yuppies, the guys onstage aren’t there to provide background music for your inane conversations.

Kurt Vile, Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago In hindsight, a sprawling outdoor music festival might not have been the best place to see a sensitive singer-songwriter who has a tendency to whisper his lyrics. Lesson learned.

The National, Riverside Theater, Milwaukee I took some liberties on this one. Mostly because I’d get kicked out of the group if I used yet another National song. Instead, this is Matt Berninger (of the National) doing a duet with Sharon Jones (sans the Dap Kings). And no, I don’t think he actually knows a damn thing about Memphis barbeque.

TV on the Radio, Pabst Theater, Milwaukee Mrs. Kellen went into this show knowing nothing about the band. 90 minutes later, she loved them AND had a huge crush on the lead singer. So yeah, it was a pretty good show.

The Naked and Famous, Lollapalooza, Chicago Lollapalooza was a nonstop dance party for me this year (The Naked and Famous, Foster the People, Two Door Cinema Club, Crystal Castles, Girl Talk). That was back in August. And I still haven’t recovered. 46-year-old legs are not meant for pogoing.

Crystal Castles, Lollapalooza, Chicago Ouch. My calves! My quads! My other muscles that I didn’t know I had!

LCD Soundsystem, Terminal 5, New York This show was a warm-up for their big farewell at Madison Square Garden. At 3 ½ sweat-drenched hours, it was the concert of the year. And, quite possibly, the best show I’ve ever seen. Alas, they’re gone now. Sniff.

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Until next week, XOK