How the Web Has Shrunk the World!

No, I’m not going to launch into a Tom-Freidman-style diatribe on the new size and shape of the planet. And yes, it’s still bigger than Pluto, so we won’t get voted out of the solar system. I’m just going to focus on one small example from recent experience.

As I prepare to depart for a week in London, followed by another two weeks in Croatia, I’ve been doing some research. My traveling companion will be my 18-year-old son, a musician who clearly shares my love for listening to live music – so that will be near the top of our list for the visit to the UK. But London is a big city, with literally hundreds of entertainment options every night. So what do we do?

Not to worry, as I have a computer and a free hour or two. I can quickly look up the listings of every single music event during our stay. But I’m not sure what it all means, and I don’t want to leave everything to luck and possibly waste precious time. Well, if the listings’ brief description of the music and venue sound good, I can quickly search for the bands’ Myspace pages and listen to a few tunes to see how they sound. But I’m still concerned that they might be too visually boring to justify watching a whole show. No problem - I can look them up on YouTube, and often find live video clips that reveal whether they have some chops and an interesting stage presence.

So Boom! We are ready to go! But what if the best shows are sold out before we even get to London? Again, no problem - I can pull out my credit card and get the tickets on-line so they will be waiting for me at the door. Print out a map of how to get to the club, and we are set.

So with all these tools at our disposal, what are we going to do in London? Here are a couple of the more promising music options. I don’t know that we will make it to all of these shows; but if we don’t, it will be because we found something even better to do! And, keep in mind that your musical taste may differ.


Acoustic Ladyland – Wild punk jazz and a baritone sax player who channels the departed Mark Sandman from Morphine, but with the reckless abandon of old school punk. I’ve already tracked down their debut CD, which is playing over and over in my car. (note that the clip has two songs - make sure you catch the second one!)




The Urges – This is part of a triple bill of young, Irish, garage bands, playing psychedelic, surf-inspired music - at a club night that is legendary for showcasing future stars.




Neil Innes – This is where I get to drag my 18-year-old all the way back to my own teen years. Most people who happen to recognize Neil Innes picture him as the singing minstrel who accompanies Sir Robin (Eric Idle) in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (sing it with me, “Bravely bold Sir Robin rode forth from Camelot . . . ) He also was the main creative force behind The Rutles, a Beatles parody band, whose songs (including those in the clip) are burned into my brain from repeated listenings on my very first record player. I’ll let my son drag me to the loudest, wildest, hardcore show we can find, but this is how he’s going to pay me back!