pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

Well, this year’s concert seasons were especially good to me… 365 days, 70 shows, 119 artists, 1 wine-tasting rock show, many long nights driving home, and a lot of photos…

My favorite concerts of 2009:

1. Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer (2 nights) :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {14&16 Nov} [reviews with pictures – night #1 & night #2]
2. Nellie McKay & the Aristocrats :: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley :: Seattle, WA {20 Oct} [review with pictures]
3. dredg :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {3 Apr} [review]
4. Holy Fuck :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {4 Jun} [review with pictures & video]
5. The Swell Season :: McDonald Theatre :: Eugene, OR {23 Nov} [review with pictures]
6. Zappa Plays Zappa :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {2 Jan} [review]
7. Flight of the Conchords & Arj Barker :: Arlene Schnitzer Hall :: Portland, OR {14 May} [review]
8. SFJazz Collective 2009 with Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon, and more focusing on the music of McCoy Tyner :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {19 Mar} [review with pictures]
9. Opeth & Enslaved :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {12 May} [review]
10. The Melvins (2 sets) :: John Henry’s :: Eugene, OR {9 Aug} [review with pictures]
11. My Weekend with Peter Mulvey & Krista Detor :: Alberta Street Pub/Sam Bond’s Garage :: Portland/Eugene, OR {7&8 Nov} [review with pictures]
12. Hiromi’s Sonicbloom :: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley :: Seattle, WA {16 Jun} [review with pictures]
13. David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) :: House Show :: Eugene, OR {25 Jul} [review with pictures]
14. Madeleine Peyroux :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {25 Mar} [review]
15. Patton Oswalt :: Newmark Theatre :: Portland, OR {13 Sep} [review]

Runners-Up: Emily Wells & PCP at Cozmic, UofO’s Percussion Ensemble Tribute to Frank Zappa, David Cross at Newmark, Porcupine Tree & That1Guy at Roseland (Portland), Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at Hult Center, and Spinal Tap at Paramount (Seattle).

Biggest Disappointments: missing Zappa Plays Zappa in Eugene in late November due to them getting stuck in California due to snow, missing Tristeza in Portland in early December due to a bad sinus infection, missing Melt Banana in Portland due to freezing rain & fog, seeing Yann Tiersen play an utterly dreadful show in Portland, and not seeing Over the Rhine for the 2nd year in a row (we’ll have to make up for it in 2010).

And to end on a positive note…

My favorite concert photos of 2009: (in no particular order)

• The Swell Season in Eugene
  
  
• Sweethead, opener for Puscifer in Portland
  
• Carina Round and Maynard James Keenan behind their boxes for Puscifer in Portland
  
• Sin Fang Bous, opener for Múm in Portland
  
• Hildur Guðnadóttir of Múm screaming her heart out in Portland
  
• Nellie McKay in Seattle
  
• Aimee Mann smiles in Portland
  
• Sara Watkins of Works Progress Administration in Eugene
  
• Alice in Chains iPhone shot in Portland
  
• Gavin from dredg moves too fast for me in Portland
  
• King Buzzo of The Melvins in Eugene
  
• Zoë Jakes dancing with Beats Antique in Eugene
  
• Jerry Gaskill’s stick action with King’s X in Portland
  
• Brian Borcherdt of Holy Fuck in Portland
  

(all images are free to use under a creative commons designation, simply identify Daniel Temmesfeld with a photo credit and link to jazzsick.wordpress.com)

Past Favorite Concerts Lists:

• Favorite Concerts 2008
• Favorite Concerts 2007

Favorite music of 2009 will be coming the week of Dec 28th… EPs/DVDs/etc, vocal albums, instrumental albums, artists of the decade…

~Dan – np: Anthony Coleman – Freakish: A Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton