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REVIEW: Popovich Comedy Pet Theater @ the Hult (Eugene, OR – 1/31/10)
FYI… A FEW PICTURES from the HULT SHOW at the BOTTOM
So, we got the flyer for the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater in the mail and had to go. It’s sponsored by Greenhill Humane Society – a great pet-friendly organization in Eugene. The show started at 2:30pm and was the same day as the Oregon Truffle Festival. Ack! Quandary! We opted hit the OTF 2010 beforehand. Amazing time at OTF, as usual. Check out my review of last year’s Oregon Truffle Fest, including the Lagotto Romagnolo (truffle dog) demo.
Anyway, back to Popovich… or as I like to call it… Pupovich…
Gregory Popovich has been featured on tons of television shows (Leno, Letterman, America’s Got Talent, et cetera), featuring his amazingly trained pets (all rescue animals – even the geese). Most notably, he has actually managed to train house cats to do tricks.
Let me let that sink in for you.
House cats. Here’s a USA Today article/interview with Gregory with a cat-training Q&A.
The show started shortly after 2:30pm… with a little doggie announcer (see video below). The first set was about 45 minutes until the intermission. It was jam packed with juggling, acrobatics, tight-rope walking animals, and more. Some of my favorite bits were the train intro (cute stuff going on), the snowy park scene, and the class scene (full of about 8 dogs). The end of the train scene with the dog dressed up as an elephant was hilarious. I’m more of a dog fan; so the way they were all working together with Gregory in the class scene was really cute. The dog & cat interaction during the snowy park scene was also really endearing.
(more pictures below)
The second set (about 30 minutes) started off with a cute doggie balloon soccer game. Up next was an adorable doggie medical clinic set, followed by impressive human rope jumpers. The finale was the cat show… about a dozen cats climbing posts, jumping through hoops, tight rope walking, parallel bar work, and all around being cats! At the end one of the cats didn’t want to leave; so Gregory brought out a dog and it got on its hind legs, and then the cat jumped on its shoulders and rode away on the walking dog.
Overall, the afternoon was highly entertaining and adorable! If you are in Vegas or if the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater comes to your town… go!
The Promo Reel:
Now, we need to get our cute, but lazy, dog to do some tricks…
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
- Greenhill Human Society (Eugene, OR)
- The Hult Center
- The Oregon Truffle Festival
~Dan – np: Mycale play John Zorn’s Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 13 – Mycale
POPOVICH COMEDY PET THEATER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Margaret O’Brien,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (8 pics)
REVIEW: Bill Frisell Trio @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – 1/23/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I saw Bill Frisell about a year and a half ago with Eyvind Kang & Rudy Royston… fantastic show, but more on the experimental, avant-garde edge (my review of that June 2008 show). Last night’s show was a trio of guitarist Bill Frisell with bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen (Sex Mob, Electric Masada, etc):
They hit the Shedd stage around 7:30pm. Differing from the retro live photo above, Tony Scherr was on electric bass. Kenny Wollesen played a standard kit, and Bill Frisell had a few guitars, pedals, gear to loop his sounds… and a big screen above them to show the congruous films as they played.
At the beginning of the show, Bill explained the accompanying film pieces: four by Seattle animator Jim Woodring, one by Bill Morrison, and two Buster Keaton classics. The band started out with a Jim Woodring computer animation – all black and white, but with many interesting, morphing shapes. The music started off slow, had some interesting wandering scales with a nice build and finish. The animation was quite enveloping, and the 10 minute piece seemed to fly by…
I was only allowed to take photos for the initial fifteen minutes, but the rest of the Woodring cartoons were somewhat related to the initial computer animations – 
many of the same morphing shapes show up, whether in a character, a beer tap, or a lamp. The primary character in the animations was “Frank.” We follow him around in his travels that either end in a big mess, a violent picnic, or death.
The second Woodring piece introduced us to the aforementioned “Frank.” He tooled around his house and then went up into the hills to some odd looking palace, and when he returned, his house had been ransacked by some fat, troll-like human character. The animation appeared to be paper-based stop-motion animation. The music had a Floratone or possibly Disfarmer feel… I actually recognized the melody that Bill played midway through, but can’t place it now.
The third piece was another Woodring “Frank” animation, but this time with either colored paper or possibly fabric animation. 
The setting was a picnic and got fairly violent near the end. The piece was shorter (maybe 5 minutes), which led into the fourth and final Woodring piece… a claymation “Frank” with a devil-type character. The music had a nice groove, and the animation ended with the beer tap looking piece of furniture tipping over to expose the phrase “And You Call Yourself a Gentleman.”
Up next were three silent films… and quite frankly, I lost the music in the viewing. I think the music worked really well and enhanced the pieces, but it definitely fell to the background of what I was paying attention to …
The first was a short film called The Mesmerist by Bill Morrison featuring a re-worked 1926’s film The Bells which featured Boris Karloff. It had been altered from the original, and I’m not sure what was part of the original and what was part of the re-imagining. It started with a very old, sepia & scratchy feel and grew into more animated splotches. The storyline is of an innkeeper who murders a rich visitor and is haunted by the murder he committed.
Up next were two Buster Keaton films… The High Sign (1921) and One Week (1920)…
Each film was in the 15-20 minute range. I was quite amazed at Buster’s utterly ingenious physical comedy. I was familiar with his work a little bit (trumpeter Dave Douglas and his Keystone band has used Buster Keaton in the past). The first one was a gangster caper with a really basic (but stupendous) cross-section of a house with tons of trap doors and moving walls. The second one was of a cheap home that was hurriedly built after a wedding with hilarity ensuing. For the video (with non-Frisell music) check out YouTube of The High Sign and of One Week.
Seven songs, 90 minutes… the Trio took a bow and left the stage. They hit the stage one last time for a short animation of Woodring’s Frank called Whim Grinder:
I enjoyed the film and animation accompanying Frisell’s music; though, I’ll say again that the music really dropped to the background on some of the wild imagery of the Frank cartoons and storylines & physical comedy going on in the films. Upcoming tour dates of Frisell’s include Eyvind Kang/Rudy Royston dates, some Ron Carter/Paul Motion dates, some 858 Quartet dates, and these Scherr/Wollesen dates (which would presumably feature the films/animations as well)…
- 1/24/2010 – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
- 4/2/2010 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival at Charles Morris Center
- 4/3/2010 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival at Charles Morris Center
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Bill Frisell’s Site
- Bill Frisell on MySpace
- Tony Scherr’s Site
- Tony Scherr on MySpace
- Jim Woodring – Animator
- The Shedd Institute
BILL FRISELL TRIO PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (10 pics)
Favorite Concerts of 2009
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:
- Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer (2 nights) :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {14&16 Nov} [reviews with pictures – night #1 & night #2]
- Nellie McKay & the Aristocrats :: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley :: Seattle, WA {20 Oct} [review with pictures]
- dredg :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {3 Apr} [review]
- Holy Fuck :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {4 Jun} [review with pictures & video]
- The Swell Season :: McDonald Theatre :: Eugene, OR {23 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Zappa Plays Zappa :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {2 Jan} [review]
- Flight of the Conchords & Arj Barker :: Arlene Schnitzer Hall :: Portland, OR {14 May} [review]
- 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]
- Opeth & Enslaved :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {12 May} [review]
- The Melvins (2 sets) :: John Henry’s :: Eugene, OR {9 Aug} [review with pictures]
- My Weekend with Peter Mulvey & Krista Detor :: Alberta Street Pub/Sam Bond’s Garage :: Portland/Eugene, OR {7&8 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Hiromi’s Sonicbloom :: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley :: Seattle, WA {16 Jun} [review with pictures]
- David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) :: House Show :: Eugene, OR {25 Jul} [review with pictures]
- Madeleine Peyroux :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {25 Mar} [review]
- 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 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
REVIEW: The Swell Season @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR – 11/23/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Like mostly everyone who is into The Swell Season (Glen Hansard of The Frames with Markéta Irglová), I got into them via the movie ONCE. They came through Eugene after I had moved to town, but before I had gotten into them. My brother made me watch it when we were home for my other brother’s wedding (July 2008), and I suppose I should thank him for that. With The Swell Season’s original 2009 Strict Joy tour date press release, they didn’t have a Eugene date, but I’m glad they added one…
The opener was Doveman‘s frontman Thomas Bartlett. He played about a half of an hour of whispy piano tunes. He seemed slightly shy, rarely looking towards the crowd… but maybe that’s just his style or how the piano was set up for him. Due to his whispy vocals, he struck me as similar to Jeff Hanson or slimmer, beardless Sam Beam of Iron & Wine – but on piano. He’s worked with The Frames, Swell Season, Antony & the Johnsons, Laurie Anderson, Arto Lindsay, The National, and Yoko Ono in the past – so that put him in my “he’s cool” book. Songs he played included “Angel’s Share ” (about whisky), “The Burgundy Stain” (about wine), and a medley to the Footloose soundtrack. The Footloose songs were fantastically mournful and sad. Classic!
The show opened with Glen and Markéta coming out and crouching down in front of the center mic. I wasn’t close enough to see if someone was playing the electronics / keyboards, but they started out with “Fallen From the Sky” – staying crouched down for the whole song. Luckily that didn’t continue for the rest of the show (or my continued photos would have been lame). :)
After the initial song, the band came out. The band was made up of the rest of The Frames, Glen’s band that was the precursor to Once and The Swell Season. I’m very rapidly becoming a serious fan of Glen’s vocals… which I suppose means that I need to get The Frames’ back catalog. Vocally Glen reminds me a lot of my buddy, Ashley Peacock. Most of the set was Glen on vocals, but Markéta covered lead vocals for “If You Want Me,” “Fantasy Man,” and “I Have Loved You Wrong.” As far as most powerful vocal performance… I’ll have to go with “Say It To Me Now,” where Glen played solo and off microphone. A few songs later, Glen was killin’ his guitar on Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks,” and he shredded at least a couple of strings – luckily his roadie was on top of things and brought out a replacement guitar right away.
Setlist: just over 2 hours
- Fallen From The Sky
- Lies
- Low Rising
- In These Arms *a fave of the night*
- The Rain *a fave of the night*
- The Moon
- If You Want Me
- Fantasy Man
- Say It To Me Now (Glen solo, off mic) *a fave of the night*
- Leave
- Lay Me Down
- Astral Weeks [Van Morrison]
- The Blue Shoes (Colin solo violin song)
- I Have Loved You Wrong
- Once *a fave of the night*
- When Your Mind’s Made Up *a fave of the night*
- Encore: Falling Slowly *a fave of the night*
- High Hope (new song)
- High Horses
- Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
- It All Falls Down (with Doveman)
- Red Chord [The Frames]
- The Parting Glass [The Clancy Brothers]
After leaving the venue, I bet everyone thought they got their money’s worth… a great show, great vocals by Glen & Markéta. While I know this was a break-up record of sort, I’m glad that they’re still able to work together. And while it may be a long shot, I hope they do continue to work together in the future.
many more pictures below
The “Low Rising” video directed by Sam Beam (from Iron & Wine):
The Swell Season’s new record, Strict Joy, is better than the Once soundtrack, if you ask me. You can get it at Amazon below:
The Appropriate Linkage:
- The Swell Season’s Site
- The Swell Season on MySpace
- Jason Segel guesting with Swell Season (in L.A.) (youtube link)
- The Frames’ Site
- The Frames on MySpace
- Doveman’s Site
- Doveman on MySpace
- McDonald Theatre
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Pearl Jam – Backspacer
THE SWELL SEASON & DOVEMAN PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (8 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (30 pics)
Tour Dates
1 – Milwaukee, Wisc. @ The Pabst
2 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Clowes Memorial Hall
3 – Toronto, Ontario @ Massey Hall
4 – Montreal, Quebec @ L’Olympia de Montreal
6 – Boston, Mass. @ Berklee College of Music Performance Center
7 – Providence, R.I. @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
8 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Merriam Theater
9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
12 – New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
13 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live
14 – Dallas, Texas @ Palladium
15 – Austin, Texas @ Paramount Theatre
17 – Mesa, Ariz. @ Mesa Arts Center
18 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern
20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Paramount
22 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Paramount
23 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
24 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
25 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
27 – Boise, Idaho @ Egyptian Theatre
28 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Jeanne Wagner Theatre
29 – Denver, Colo. @ Ogden Theatre
30 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Uptown Theater
December 2009
3 – Chicago, Ill. @ Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
4 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
5 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ State Theatre
REVIEW: Maynard James Keenan’s PUSCIFER 2nd night @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 11/16/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Maynard’s voice shines on Night 2…
Saturday’s Puscifer show (review link) was fantastic, and I happened to be up in Portland for a work training session; so, what the hell… let’s do this again! I heart Maynard!
No wine tasting (for me) this time… in fact, for a more detailed review, definitely check out Saturday’s show review. Monday, I showed up around 8pm and got situated near the front of the general admission section.
Sweethead opened the show again. I switched up where I took in their music this time… I could definitely hear the guitars better, but the vocals were a little muddy until midway through their set. I liked them. Troy’s a good guitarist, and Serrina has some nice energy (ok, and nice legs, too). :)
This was their last night as support for Puscifer, and Troy took a dive into the drum set at the end… crash! buzz!
After Troy and Serrina got up, they left the stage – guitar still buzzing. As the crew pulled Sweethead’s gear and monitors off the stage, they lifted up a large black sheet to hide the stage (something new compared to Saturday night)…
I had seen on setlist.fm that the two nights in the same city had differing set lists, and Portland was no exception. Where Saturday was more of the blasphemy day to kick things off, Monday was… well… at 9pm, then the sheet came down, it looked like it was a camping theme (complete with fake fire). Maynard was inside the tent, and they had him projected on the screen behind him. After some bullshitting, he finally came out to start the show properly…
The stage seemed darker, but at least Maynard was out there for the two songs of which I was allowed to take photos. Both he and Carina were obfuscated again behind the video boxes, which is an oddity fitting of Maynard’s persona. Overall, I think Monday night’s show featured Maynard’s voice better – though the song selection wasn’t much different (other than order). The video breaks were completely different… comedic pitchmen trying to sell reality television concepts to Maynard – who wasn’t paying too well of attention and always got the concept wrong. Hilarity ensued, of course.
Here’s what they played among the campfire and sleeping bags…
Setlist: 90 minutes or so [compare sets with Night #1]
- Rev 22:20
- Drunk With Power
- (Video Break 1)
- Indigo Children
- Trekka
- Potions
- (Video Break 2)
- Momma Sed (with Tim Alexander as a Portland stripper)
- Vagina Mine
- Dozo
- The Undertaker
- (Video Break 3)
- Polar Bear
- Sour Grapes
- Queen B
- The Mission (featuring Carina Round)
- The Humbling River
- No Encore
Maynard’s voice sounded especially great on Indigo Children, Potions, Momma Sed (seemed slower/mellower than Saturday), Polar Bear, and The Humbling River. I’m really digging the new EP’s material… and I’m looking forward to more digital EPs, physical CDs, whatever Maynard wants to throw at us!
more pictures at the bottom
You can get Puscifer’s music via the pictures below:
You can grab some of Maynard’s wines (if you are lucky to be in the shipping area) via this:
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Puscifer’s Site
- Maynard / Puscifer on MySpace
- Caduceus Wine
- Carina Round’s Site
- Carina Round on MySpace
- Tool on MySpace
- Sweethead’s Site
- Sweethead on MySpace
- Spin‘s San Diego Review (Oct 31st)
- My review of Portland Night #1
- Roseland Theater
Check out the Puscifer tour dates below.
~Dan – np: The Swell Season – Strict Joy
PUSCIFER & SWEETHEAD PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (9 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (43 pics)
Tour Dates
- 10/29/09, Las Vegas, NV (The Pearl, Palms Casino)
- 10/31, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/1, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/4, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/5, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/7, Stockton, CA (Bob Hope Theatre)
- 11/10, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/11, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/13, Vancouver, BC (Centre For the Performing Arts)
- 11/14, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom)
- 11/16, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom)
- 11/17, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/18, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/20, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/21, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/24, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/25, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/27, Houston, TX (Jones Hall for the Performing Arts)
- 11/28, San Antonio, TX (Majestic Theatre)
- 12/1, El Paso, TX (Abraham Chavez Theatre)
- 12/3, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
- 12/4, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
REVIEW: Maynard James Keenan’s PUSCIFER 1st night @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 11/14/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Wine followed by Maynard’s blasphemous vaudeville show… Wow.
So, I’ve been a fan of Maynard James Keenan‘s vocal since the first utterances I heard from his “main band” TOOL. I loved his work with his first side-project, A Perfect Circle, especially the first album Mer de Noms. I was aware of Puscifer a while ago, as it started out as a “joke band” that debuted on a skit on Bob Odenkirk and David Cross’s Mr. Show on HBO (Maynard and Tool’s Adam Jones show up in a short clip). Never did I think that joke band name would turn into a real alter ego for Maynard himself, he’d release an album and a batch of remix EPs, and then hit the road!
So, for this 1st Portland show, I bought the VIP ticket which included a meet & greet and wine tasting (I didn’t do that for Portland show #2 as I didn’t know I was going to be able to go until a few days ago). For those not in the know, Maynard has gotten into wine making the past few years. Back in Ohio, I could order the wine to be shipped to me, and I still have a couple bottles of the 2005 Merkin Vineyards Chupacabra sitting in my utility closet… um… I mean in my “wine cellar.” I haven’t been able to taste any of Maynard’s recent Caduceus wines, as unfortunately, they don’t have the ability to ship to Oregon (argh, free the grapes!).
The meet & greet and wine tasting started a little after 5pm. We got shuffled into the back room of Roseland’s downstairs bar. Todd (I didn’t catch his last name) is Maynard’s wine guy, or at least he’s a touring member of Maynard’s crew who knows a lot about the wine. He mentioned several times about being involved in the last A Perfect Circle tour – right around the time Maynard was getting started with vineyard purchases / development. Todd talked for about an hour and fifteen about the various wines, including the one we were tasting – the 2006 Merkin Vineyards Chupacabra (limited to 5,000 cases). The Chupacabra vintages are designed to be different, similar to the folk legend of the chupacabra. The 2006 is a blend of 36% cabernet sauvignon, 13% petite verdot, 22% syrah, 14% petite sirah (all sourced from Paso Robles), and 15% of an unknown grape (yeah, I’m an accountant and noticed the missing % on their info sheet).
(click for larger picture with autograph)
The Chupacabra is Maynard’s most “mass produced” wine, and current batches are in the 10,000 case range. We obviously didn’t get to try any of Maynard’s 20 case batch of very special Judith wines (grown at 5,000+ feet altitude with land spread with his mother’s ashes). Todd also spoke a little bit about current discussions with Whole Foods to get the wines distributed into Portland. He also mentioned a documentary, Blood Into Wine, about Arizona wines with a little bit of Maynard, Fairuza Balk, Milla Jovavich, Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, and others in the footage. It is expected to hit the Sundance Festival and some select theatres in Feb 2010.
After Todd’s info and Q&A session, he went to go get Maynard, who had just finished sound check. Maynard came down and walked around the room and individually handed each one of us a signed copy of the Puscifer debut album (V is for Vagina). He only very briefly chatted with folks. He asked me if I learned anything from the wine talk, to which I replied “yes, thank you.” That’s about the extent of my interaction with Maynard, but I thought it was wicked cool to receive a signed copy of the album directly from his hands. :) Since he’s a busy guy, he took off shortly after making his tour around the room.
I had to leave after the meet & greet to get some grub; so I walked over to my favorite, close-by vegan restaurant (represent!) until show time.
When I got back to the venue, I went over to get my photo pass. I had free reign for the opener’s set, but only allowed to snap photos for the first two songs of Puscifer’s set (more on that later)…
Sweethead was the opener. Sweethead is guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age, Failure, A Perfect Circle) and lead vocalist Serrina Sims with Norm Block and Eddie Nappi from the Mark Lanegan Band. 
They were a good rock group and played about a half of an hour. I was in a place in the venue (front / center) where the sound usually isn’t the best. My spot will be likely different for Monday’s show.
I think every time I’ve seen a Maynard band (three times for Tool and A Perfect Circle each), the opener has either been a Mike Patton-related band (Tomahawk, or on his label Ipecac – Isis & The Melvins) or a Ken Andrews-related band (Year of the Rabbit and now Sweethead is connected to Ken via one step with Troy and Failure). I’m not complaining, as I love Patton and Failure-related projects. I dug Sweethead… hopefully I’ll get a better feel for their sound on Monday.
Puscifer‘s set started with a video Maynard’s Major Douché character barking orders at us. Shortly thereafter, with band in place, Maynard wheeled out on a Segway in his horrible comb-overed, bedazzled sweat pants wearing preacher and kicked into “Sour Grapes.” This kick-off was a not-so-subtle hint that it was going to be a crude, blasphemous vaudeville experience – not your typical rock show.
As I only had photo privileges for the first two songs, I snapped away. Unfortunately, Maynard was off changing during the second song, “Rev 22:20” – so I resorted to snapping away at the band. I’m hoping Monday’s set, I get some more non-be-sweatpants‘ed Maynard. The security guards were quite adamant and nabbing people’s cellphones; so I’m definitely grateful to Maynard’s publicist for getting me the hook-up for these Portland shows.
I didn’t catch all of the band members’ names… but I do know that Carina Round covered the female vocals, and did a smash up job on “The Mission,” which model/actress Milla Jovavich sang on the studio version. Primus drummer Tim Alexander handled drums. Also in the band were two guitarists, an electronic & keyboards guy, and a percussionist. During the songs, if any individual band members wasn’t performing, they’d sit on the sofas or wander around and drink wine (which was laid out all over the stage) and munch on fruit, cheese and crackers. Also roaming around the stage was a cameraman dressed up as a ninja – which was later announced to be the one and only Meats Meier, Puscifer’s official CGI music video madman.
Here’s what they played…
Setlist: 90 minutes or so [compare sets with Night #2]
- Sour Grapes
- Rev 22:20
- (Video Break 1)
- Dozo
- The Undertaker
- Drunk With Power
- (Video Break 2)
- Momma Sed
- Indigo Children
- Vagina Mine
- (Video Break 3)
- Potions
- Polar Bear
- Trekka
- Queen B
- The Mission (featuring Carina Round)
- The Humbling River
- No Encore
I had heard some rumblings of people being disappointed in the past Puscifer shows. I think if you go in thinking it’s going to be a rock show (or a Tool show), you’re in it for the wrong reasons. I got to hear an hour and half of fun music and crazy ramblings, and I was thoroughly entertained. Monday promises to be different… I expect some country hee-haw may be on order…
more live photos at the bottom
You can get Puscifer’s music via the pictures below:
You can grab some of Maynard’s wines (if you are lucky to be in the shipping area) via this:
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Puscifer’s Site
- Maynard / Puscifer on MySpace
- Caduceus Wine
- Carina Round’s Site
- Carina Round on MySpace
- Tool on MySpace
- Sweethead’s Site
- Sweethead on MySpace
- Spin‘s San Diego Review (Oct 31st)
- My review of Portland Night #2 (Nov 16th)
- Roseland Theater
Check out the Puscifer tour dates below.
~Dan – np: The Swell Season – Once
PUSCIFER & SWEETHEAD PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (10 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (49 pics)
Tour Dates
- 10/29/09, Las Vegas, NV (The Pearl, Palms Casino)
- 10/31, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/1, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/4, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/5, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/7, Stockton, CA (Bob Hope Theatre)
- 11/10, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/11, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/13, Vancouver, BC (Centre For the Performing Arts)
- 11/14, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom)
- 11/16, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom)
- 11/17, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/18, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/20, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/21, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/24, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/25, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/27, Houston, TX (Jones Hall for the Performing Arts)
- 11/28, San Antonio, TX (Majestic Theatre)
- 12/1, El Paso, TX (Abraham Chavez Theatre)
- 12/3, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
- 12/4, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
REVIEW: My Oregon Weekend with Peter Mulvey (11/7 & 11/8/2009)
FYI… PHOTOS of both SHOWS at the BOTTOM
I’ve been into Peter Mulvey for the past 10 years, right around when The Trouble With Poets came out. I used to be able to see him at least twice a year in Southwest Ohio (Canal Street Tavern, Southgate House, etc). Since moving to Eugene, Oregon, I’ve only had one opportunity. It was a great show, but I needed more… hence the need to drive up to Portland to see him before he hit my hometown the next day. :)
Alberta Street Pub (Saturday in Portland) was packed when I got there. I didn’t know it was an early show and I showed up right when Krista was going on. The venue was long and narrow… most of the seating was church pews (a la Dayton’s Canal Street Tavern). Given that fact, I gladly stood in back (church pews are horrid on my back). The acoustics in the room were good. The light wasn’t all that great… but I still got a few shots that ended up being decent (see below).
Sam Bond’s Garage (Sunday in Eugene) is a place I’ve been to many times. It is also dark; so I usually don’t bring my camera for shows. I was able to get a few shots, though. The plus of SBG for the Peter Mulvey weekend is that it seems more spread out compared to Alberta Street Pub… plus their beer selection is tops (Alberta seemed to have half of theirs socked up/out of stock). So, as far as venue winner… Sam Bond’s. But I’ll definitely hit Alberta again if a show suits me.
Krista Detor played about a 20-30minute set on both nights. She mainly played piano, but also pulled out the accordion for a song of her own (and one of Peter’s). Her songs that I caught in Portland… “Steal Me A Car”, “100 Years More,” “Mudshow,” “Early Grave,” and “Waterline.”
In Eugene, Krista played the same songs except she threw in “All to Do with the Moon” in between “Mudshow” and “Early Grave.”
Peter Mulvey was in a great mood in Portland. He had a shorter set due to a different show going on after him, but he was a graceful and funny as usual. Some of the best parts of the set were his banter in between songs… his bit on Sean Connery had me cracking up. How can someone with a speech impediment be so well known for his speaking roles? It was schplendid. Peter also went off on a riff about Sting that was also pretty funny, surrounding a “wet t-shirt” promo for a recent Saturday Night Live appearance. I think if Peter’s guitar and voice weren’t so grand, he could be a stand-up comedian. :)
He played a lot from his new album, but also a few older tunes and covers. He had some limited edition The Bicycle EPs for sale, and I snagged one for me and a couple friends. He also mentioned that next September (2010) he might bring his bike tour out to Oregon. Yippie! Anyway, here’s what he played on Saturday night…
Setlist (Portland 11/7): about 80 minutes
- If Love Is Not Enough
- Some People
- Kids In The Square
- Here In The Going Going Gone [Greg Brown cover]
- Letter From A Flying Machine
- “Sean Connery”
- Windshield
- The Knuckleball Suite (with Krista Detor)
- Shirt (with KD)
- “Sting SNL”
- Shoulderbirds (You Know Me) (with KD)
- Bears
- Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (And Far Away From Home)
- (I Don’t Know Why) But I Do [Bobby Charles cover]
- Mailman
- Vlad The Astrophysicist
- On A Wing And A Prayer
- Encore: Our Love Is Here To Stay [Nat King Cole cover]
One food-related add-on… close to the Alberta Street Pub was a place called Grilled Cheese Grill. Holy cow… excellent stuff. It does for grilled cheese what Eugene’s Off the Waffle does for waffles. Yummy!
~*~*~*~
Eugene’s set was similar – Peter seemed to be in a pretty great mood. The crowd was much smaller than Portland, but I figured smaller market to pull from and Sunday night were a factor in that. I will say that I’m disappointed in Eugene a lot for not coming out to some great shows (I made my best attempt for last night). We did conjure up a trio of friends to join us, and there were some other definitely Peter Mulvey fans in the crowd – including a couple of teddy bear loving peeps (that was interesting, to say the least). My friendJenny asked me if teddy bears were a theme with Peter’s fans, to which I blurted out, “noooooo.” And then Peter announced the spoken word piece “Bears.” :)
Setlist (Eugene 11/8): about 90 minutes
- I’m Beginning To See The Light [Duke Ellington cover]
- Kids In The Square
- “Time Machine”
- Some People
- Letter From A Flying Machine
- Abilene (The Eisenhower Waltz)
- The Knuckleball Suite (with Krista Detor)
- Shirt (with KD)
- Shoulderbirds (You Know Me) (with KD)
- …Plus The Many Inevitable Fragments / Dynamite Bill
- Bears
- Moonshiner [Uncle Tupelo cover]
- Vlad The Astrophysicist
- On A Wing And A Prayer
- Encore: Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (And Far Away From Home)
(We also caught a snippet of “Brand New ’64 Dodge” and “A Better Way to Go” in soundcheck.)
All in all, I think the Alberta show was my fave of the two, but both were fantastic. I hope Peter ventures out this way more often. He promised again to head out this way next year – and possibly via bike. It’ll be earlier in the year (September vs November). If you want to check out some of his stuff… his latest record, Letters From a Flying Machine, is excellent. I think it’s his strongest since 2000’s The Trouble with Poets. You can listen to some samples at Petermulvey.com (one free download) or Amazon (samples of all songs):
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Peter Mulvey’s Site
- Peter Mulvey on MySpace
- Krista Detor’s Site
- Krista Detor on MySpace
- Alberta Street Pub
- Shining City Music (promoter for the PDX show, she’s rad!)
- Sam Bond’s Garage
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Galactic Cowboys – Space In Your Face
PETER MULVEY & KRISTA DETOR PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Fall 2009 U.S. Tour Dates
- 11/7 PORTLAND, OR The Alberta Pub
- 11/8 EUGENE, OR Sam Bond’s Garage
- 11/10 ARCATA, CA Arcata Playhouse
- 11/11 BERKELEY, CA Freight & Salvage
- 11/12 FELTON, CA Don Quixote’s
- 11/13 SANTA MONICA, CA McCabe’s
- 11/14 SAN DIEGO, CA AcousticMusicSanDiego
- 11/20 BURLINGTON, VT UVM Recital Hall
- 11/21 FRAMINGHAM, MA Amazing Things Arts Center
- 12/1-2 FAIRBANKS, AK College Coffeehouse
- 12/3 TOK, AK Fast Eddy’s
- 12/4 TALKEEKTNA, AK Whole Wheat Radio
- 12/5 ANCHORAGE, AK Snow Goose Theatre
- 12/6 PALMER, AK Vagabond Blues
- 12/8 KODIAK, AK The Golden Anchor
- 12/10 CARBONDALE, CO Steve’s Guitars
- 12/11 DENVER, CO Swallow Hill
- 12/12 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO Friends House Concert
- 12/13 FORT COLLINS, CO Avogadro’s Number
- 12/15-19 FORT ATKINSON, WI Cafe Carpe
REVIEW: David Bazan Band @ Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – 11/6/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So, last night’s show could have been presented by “Keep Portland Beard.” Every member of both bands sported beards (which, to be fair, had some dual members). I think beards and indie rock are like eye shadow and goth. Except at least the women of indie rock don’t have beards (not that I know of at least).
I drove by the venue around “doors” time… and the line was part way down the block. Yikes. As I parked my car and walked to the venue, I spotted David Bazan and some of his posse hanging out by the nearby burrito cart. He was on his mobile; so I opted not to bug him.
After a delicious hummus plate washed down by a McTarnahan’s Amber, SAY HI started… I found my seat at the awesomely cozy Mississippi Studios.
Say Hi is a trio, and they played what I’d call “power pop indie rock.” I mean, that’s my best explanation… very catchy, hooky – yet retaining that gristle and DIY charm of a touring group of guys. While Say Hi didn’t have the one-two writing & vocal punch of Neil Gust & Elliott Smith’s Heatmiser, I think Heatmiser is my closest comparison to Say Hi. Great pop songs in a rock setting, definitely enjoyable. They played about 40 minutes and, unfortunately, it flew by. But… they’re from Seattle; so they’re totally on my “auto notify” Pollstar radar now.
After a very short set break (5 minutes, maybe)… David Bazan (plus band) hit the stage…
The first time I saw David Bazan (December 2003 with Over the Rhine) was the only time I’ve seen him with a “band.” Even that time, it was a stripped down Pedro the Lion set with just David and T.W. Walsh (drummer). The singer of Say Hi joined David on guitar, the Say Hi bassist traded bass duties for guitar / keyboards / percussion. Blake Wescott joined on guitar, there was a new drummer, and David took care of bass (and guitar during the encore).
The set was a heavy David Bazan “solo albums” set, as expected. I’ve really been digging his latest album, Curse Your Branches; so I picked it up on vinyl last night. Most of the set was CYB stuff and Fewer Moving Parts material. He did throw in a few expected Pedro the Lions and Headphones songs as well…
Setlist: about 90 minutes
- Hard To Be
- Please, Baby, Please
- I Do (Pedro the Lion tune)
- Bless This Mess
- Q&A #1
- I Never Wanted You (Headphones tune)
- Magazine (Pedro the Lion tune)
- Heavy Breath
- Q&A #2
- Cold Beer And Cigarettes
- When We Fell
- Lost My Shape
- Curse Your Branches
- Q&A #3
- Fewer Broken Pieces (aka Fewer Moving Parts)
- Bearing Witness
- Q&A #4
- Keep Swinging (Pedro the Lion tune)
- How I Remember
- In Stitches
- Encore (David solo): Priests and Paramedics (Pedro the Lion tune)
- Will You Still Love Me In December (Julie Doiran cover)
- Q&A #5
- Harmless Sparks
Best David Bazan line of the night… “Infants are necessary, but they’re kinda bullshit.”
I loved David with a band. I think the highlight of the night for me, though, was Say Hi. I usually don’t expect to like an opener, and I like being pleasantly surprised. I didn’t have enough coin to get some Say Hi music last night, but I plan to in the near future.
Another highlight… David’s Q&A sessions are also usually a fun aspect of his shows – it really makes a Bazan show more personal and intimate. Most of the questions surrounded his recent “coming out” as an atheist-leaning agnostic after many years in the Christian indie rock scene. I always loved his candor and questioning of things in religion, even when he considered himself to be a Christian and I had moved out of that camp. I, honestly, don’t think his lyrical themes changed all that much. His Q&A answers last night were more along the lines around around tolerance, regardless of religious beliefs or non-beliefs. Personally, I’m glad to have him in the more doubtful camp. However, above that, I’m glad that he’s not trying to be divisive with things like faith and his “falling from faith.” We should move towards being different than the prior generations who don’t know tolerance.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- David Bazan’s Site
- David Bazan on MySpace
- Pedro the Lion on MySpace
- Say Hi’s Site
- Say Hi on MySpace
- BrooklynVegan’s NYC 10/18 Review
- Fan videos from the Chicago show: video #1 – video #2
- Mississippi Studios
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Lowell Brams, Sufjan Stevens & Bryce Dessner – Library Catalog Music Series: Music for Insomnia
DAVID BAZAN & SAY HI PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Recent/Upcoming Tour Dates
- 10/01 – San Francisco CA – Independent
- 10/02 – Costa Mesa CA – Detroit Bar
- 10/03 – San Diego CA – Casbah
- 10/04 – Los Angeles CA – Troubadour
- 10/05 – Tucson AZ – Solar Culture
- 10/07 – Austin TX – Mohawk
- 10/08 – Denton TX – Dan’s Silverleaf
- 10/09 – Memphis TN – Hi-Tone Café
- 10/10 – Murray KY – Lovett Auditorium / Murray State
- 10/11 – Birmingham AL – Bottletree
- 10/13 – Orlando FL – The Social
- 10/14 – Atlanta GA – Drunken Unicorn
- 10/15 – Chapel Hill NC – Cat’s Cradle
- 10/16 – Washington DC – Black Cat
- 10/17 – Philadelphia PA – Kung Fu Necktie
- 10/18 – New York NY – Bowery Ballroom
- 10/20 – Cambridge MA – TT the Bear’s +
- 10/21 – Montreal QC – Il Motore
- 10/22 – Toronto ON – Lee’s Palace
- 10/23 – Pontiac MI – Pike Room
- 10/24 – Chicago IL – TBA
- 10/25 – Champaign IL – Highdive
- 10/27 – Madison WI High – Noon Saloon
- 10/28 – Minneapolis MN – Turf Club
- 10/29 – Iowa City IA – The Picador
- 10/30 – Lawrence KS – Jackpot Saloon
- 10/31 – Omaha NE – Slowdown
- 11/01 – Denver CO – Hi Dive
- 11/02 – Salt Lake City UT – Kilby Court
- 11/05 – Vancouver BC – Media Club
- 11/06 – Portland OR – Mississippi Studios
- 11/07 – Seattle WA – Neumos
House Shows - 12/9 – Detroit, MI – 8pm – tickets available on db.com
- 12/10 – Cleveland, OH – 8pm – tickets available
- 12/11 – Columbus, OH – 8pm – SOLD OUT
- 12/12 – Indianapolis, IN – 5pm – tickets available
- 12/12 – Indianapolis, IN – 8pm – SOLD OUT
- 12/13 – New Haven, IN – 5pm – tickets available
- 12/13 – Ft. Wayne, IN – 8pm – SOLD OUT
- 12/14 – Goshen, IN – 8pm – SOLD OUT
- 12/15 – Lansing, MI – 8pm – tickets available
REVIEW: Múm @ Aladdin Theater (Portland, OR – 11/4/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
There must be something about the Icelandic landscape
that yields such magnificent music.
I got into Múm (pronounced “moom”) via Sigur Rós. In fact, it may have even been a direct email from Sigur Rós about Múm right around the time Finally We Are No One (aka Loksins Erum Við Engin) was coming out in 2003. Both bands are from Iceland, both bands have quirky, sometimes ambient songs. Where Múm differs from Sigur Rós is that they tend to be less ethereal and have more electronic, glitchiness going on with their music. They came through Portland a couple of years ago on their last album, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy, but I was not able to make it to the show. Ever since hearing their albums, I have been curious how they’d pull it off in a live setting.
After a delicious vegan dinner at the new Irvington Blossoming Lotus restaurant (represent!), I got to the Aladdin right as doors were opening (a little after 8pm) and got a seat right up front. Yay!
The first opener Hildur Guðnadóttir is one of Múm’s vocalists and did a 20-minute instrumental set. She came out and played an initial song with just her on cello and laptop accompaniment. The next song, she was joined by Sin Fang Bous’s drummer, and Múm’s bassist and trumpet player. Her trumpeter played mostly what I’d call “empty notes” – a lot of wind and sputtering through the horn. On Hildur’s second song, I thought, “there must be something about the Icelandic landscape that yields such magnificent music.” The song was utterly gorgeous, flowing, almost glacial. Her next two songs to wrap up her set were also gorgeous, but, wow, that second song really made me want to visit Iceland. Her debut solo album is called Without Sinking and is available here.
Up next, Sin Fang Bous is a side project from Sindri Sigfússon of Seabear. They played a 30 minute set that started off OK, but not all that that great. BUT… by the end, I was really digging it. The music was much louder than Múm & Hildur, and Sindri was also quite mumbly. He was speaking in English, but when he announced song songs early on it was all a mash. Near the middle of the set, his humor came out, which definitely helped me warm up to them. “How come no one is sitting up there? (looking at the box seats) Is that for the King of Portland?”
Later on he also announced that he had CDs, t-shirts… and little vials of blood for sale at the merch table if we wanted something to drink on the way home. Silly. I think my favorite song was “Clangour and Flutes” (from the Clangour album available here). Anyway, it had a nice hook and some nice instrumentation.
Múm went on just before 10:30. I had never seen them before; so I had no idea what to expect. Several of the people up on stage had already been up there before (Hildur as the opener, the keyboardist/trumpter as Hildur’s back-up, their guitarist was also Sin Fang Bous’s guitarist). It was like a little Icelandic traveling family. When Múm came on, the front area without seats quickly filled up… so I got out of my seat and got a spot right at the stage.
Múm’s set was a lot of newer songs (of which I hadn’t heard) – happy, electronic with ambient / chamber music elements. I had no idea they had multiple singers (Hildur, another woman, and a guy who also played keyboards, guitar, etc). Don’t ask for names… it’s too difficult to remember or even research. :) With two keyboardists, Múm’s electronic sounds came through in the live setting… definitely not as lush as the studio versions, but definitely commendable for a live setting. I think, not as expected, the vocals were the primary flavor in the live show. Hildur and the other woman singer were definitely passionate and singing their lungs out. Here’s what the played (any help on missing / incorrect info is appreciated)…
Setlist: about 85-90 minutes
- Illuminated
- Marmalade Fires
- Húllabbalabbalúú
- Blessed Brambles
- If I Were A Fish
- Nightly Cares
- A Little Bit Sometimes
- maybe The Last Shapes Of Never
- Show Me
- unknown… sweeping, operatic, lots of “la-las”
- Dancing Behind My Eyelids
- unknown… kazoos near the end
- Prophecies And Reversed Memories
- Sing Along
- Encore: Green Grass Of Tunnel
I picked up their new one, Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know. I look forward to spinning it later today.
I left about midway through the last song, as I had a 2 hour drive, a hard week already, and an early meeting in the morning. All in all, it was a GREAT show. It wasn’t as monumental / mind-blowing as the first time I saw Sigur Rós, or anything like that, but it was a really great band playing really great music. I’m glad that they’ve been through twice these past two years… I look forward to another trip from them in the near future.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Múm’s Official Site
- A Múm Fan Site
- Múm on MySpace
- Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Official Site
- Hildur Guðnadóttir on MySpace
- Sin Fang Bous on MySpace
- BrooklynVegan‘s NYC 10/24 review
- Aladdin Theater
Check out their U.S. tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Frog Pocket – Come On Primates Show Your Teeth!
MÚM, Hildur Guðnadóttir & Sin Fang Bous PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Their 2009 U.S. Tour Dates
- Oct 21 the Somerville Theatre Somerville, Massachusetts
- Oct 22 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Oct 23 Black Cat Washington DC, Washington DC
- Oct 24 Le Poisson Rouge NY, New York
- Oct 26 Le National Montreal, Quebec
- Oct 27 Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, Ontario
- Oct 28 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois
- Oct 29 McGuire Theater Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Nov 01 Marquee Room Calgary, Alberta
- Nov 02 The Venue Nightclub Vancouver, British Columbia
- Nov 03 Showbox at the Market Seattle, Washington
- Nov 04 Aladdin Theater Portland, Oregon
- Nov 05 The Independent San Francisco, California
- Nov 06 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, California
- Nov 07 Yost Theatre Santa Ana, California
REVIEW: Regina Spektor @ Roseland Theater (Portland, OR – 11/1/09)
I got into Regina Spektor right around the time that Begin to Hope came out (thanks to my apple peeps Luc & Nic!). I really haven’t had a chance to see her until now, as she played near me in Ohio right around the time I was moving to Oregon. Her newest album, Far, is really good. I’ve been “studying” it a lot this past week, and really dig just about every song.
The Roseland Theater show was sold out at least a week in advance. Things didn’t work out to bring my wife, friends, back-ups of friends, couchsurfing hosts, or CS friends to the show… sigh. Oh well, I sold my extra ticket out front. Bah, no cameras again for this show. I attempted to contact RS’s management, but got no response after a 3 week attempt. Oh well… this is my major dissappointment with the Roseland: metal detectors, a fervid security staff, and the near impossibility to get my camera in without pre-approval… argh.
Anyway… on to the show…
The opener Jupiter One was really good. I had only heard of them a few hours prior. They are from New York and seemed to have that “NYC rock vibe.” I’ve seen several bands (usually openers) who have “that vibe.” Jupiter One were more impressive than most. They are a four piece and were smushed to the left of Regina’s piano (which was oddly moved over after their set – which would have given J1 more room). They had a nice groove, and played multiple instruments (violin, flute, etc) in addition to the traditional rock gear. They only played for about a half of an hour, and didn’t really announce many of their song names. I was looking out for one of them (“Platform Moon”), but I don’t know if they played it…
Regina went on a little after 9pm to immediate screams and applause. She had a violinist and cellist (whose names I didn’t get) with her, and Matt Chamberlain was on the drum kit. I’ve seen Matt many times with Tori Amos, and his self-titled solo album from 2005 on (Secret Chiefs 3 & Mr. Bungle) Trey Spruance’s label Web of Mimicry is the bomb – it’s quite a non-traditional “drummer solo album” (check it out).
The first half of Regina’s set was pretty bouncy and fun. I think once it got to her solo acapella and definitely the guitar stuff, well, it wasn’t her strong suit if you ask me. She played a lot from Far, but also mixed in some material from her older albums – especially at the encore…
Setlist: about an hour and 40 minutes
- The Calculation *a fave of the night*
- Eet
- Folding Chair *a fave of the night* (nice use of strings)
- Ode to Divorce
- Riot Gear *a fave of the night*
- Machine
- Laughing With *a fave of the night*
- One More Time With Feeling
- Two Birds
- Blue Lips
- On the Radio
- Dance Anthem of the 80s
- Silly Eye-Color Generalizations (acappella)
- Bobbin’ for Apples (Regina on guitar)
- That Time (Regina on guitar)
- Apres Moi *a fave of the night*
- Poor Little Rich Boy (Regina playing piano and a drum)
- Human of the Year
- Man of a Thousand Faces
- Encore: Samson *a fave of the night*
- Us *a fave of the night*
- Fidelity *a fave of the night*
- Hotel Song
- Love, You’re a Whore
I had a lot of fun, but I’m bummed some people who wanted to see it couldn’t for various reasons. It was a sold out show; so if that’s any indictation, if she keeps touring, I’m sure she’ll be back through Portland. She seemed to have a good stage presence and was more full of mirth than, say, Fiona Apple, yet more grounded than, say, Tori Amos.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Regina Spektor’s Webpage
- Regina on MySpace
- Jupiter One’s Webpage
- Jupiter One on MySpace
- Roseland Theater
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Femina
Remaining U.S. Tour Dates
- Mon 11/02/09 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum
- Tue 11/03/09 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
- Fri 11/06/09 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
- Sat 11/07/09 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
- Tue 11/10/09 – Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theater
- Wed 11/11/09 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Bar-B-Q / Waller Creek Amph.
- Thu 11/12/09 – Grand Prairie, TX – Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie
- Sat 11/14/09 – Kirksville, MO – Truman State University
- Mon 11/16/09 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
- Tue 11/17/09 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
- Thu 11/19/09 – Louisville, KY – Louisville Palace Theatre
Nellie McKay (10/20) photos posted
Photos from Tuesday’s show are now posted… go to…
REVIEW: Nellie McKay at
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (Seattle, WA – 10/20/09)
~Dan
REVIEW: Ani DiFranco @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR – 10/21/09)
Ani DiFranco is one of my favorite artists. The fact that she’s as prolific as an apple slicer at a pie factory doesn’t hurt my need for new music from her. I’ve posted many times before the “stats” behind her release schedule (it is both ridiculous in her velocity and my tracking of said velocity). This last span of time between 2008’s excellent Red Letter Year and, well… no new album is quite uncharacteristic of her. Based on the amount of new songs in the setlist, I expect a new album is right around the corner.
For this recent tour, I got to the venue a little late, as I had to drive in from Portland (I’d been up in Seattle on Mon & Tues for work, and Portland on Wednesday). I couldn’t miss Ani, though. No photos this time around, as cameras weren’t allowed in the venue. I did snap one via my iPhone (below).
Opener Anais Mitchell was good. She seemed kind of shy, but also playful. While I don’t think her sound really set herself apart from the many singer-songwriters out there; she just completed a folk-opera, Hadestown, based on the myth of Hades and Eurydice. Ani appears on it, and it’ll be out on Righteous Babe, I’m sure.
(the sole crappy iPhone shot of the night)
Ani and her band came on around 9pm. Her band this time was Andy Barger on drums, Mike Dillon on percussion (who I’ve seen play with Skerik & the Dead Kenny G’s), Todd Sickafoose on contrabass (who I’ve seen many times with Ani). They started out with, as acknowledged by Ani, a very schizophrenic set of songs.
Setlist: just shy of 90 minutes
- Fuel *a fave of the night*
- Paradigm
- Manhole
- Modulation
- Swan Dive *a fave of the night*
- Red Letter Year
- Coming Up
- November 5th, 2008 (new song – formerly known as “November 4” – free live download)
- Albacore (new song)
- Unworry (new song) *a fave of the night*
- Way Tight
- God’s Country
- Napoleon
- Splinter (new song) *a fave of the night*
- Which Side Are You On? (new song – 30’s tune by Florence Reese, reworked by Ani – free live download)
- Mariachi (new song)
- Both Hands *a fave of the night*
- Encore: Little Plastic Castle *a fave of the night*
- Barroom Girls (Gillian Welch cover with Anais Mitchell and Animal Prufrock)
Thanks for the setlist corrections, francoapple.
A great show, followed by a drive back up to Portland for work. I think of the new songs, “Splinter” is my favorite – – followed by “Unworry” (with a great chorus “facts are pretend anyway” ). Both of those songs are a bit more poetic than the rest. I had “November 5th” from a free download back last fall, and while I like Obama and was happy on November 5th, the song seems kind of cheesy. Same thing goes for “Which Side Are You On?” It’s available for free via the link in the setlist above (note: there may be a limited opportunity for the download). While I agree with its premise/lyrics, I think Ani’s done better, more poetic political songs.
Oh well, I guess with her output, there’s bound to be some songs I don’t like as much. But all in all, a great show. It was good to see her with a band, as usual. Maybe next time, with Mike Dillon’s influence, she’ll bring Skerik along for some horns. :)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Ani’s record label – Righteous Babe Records
- Ani DiFranco on MySpace
- Anais Mitchell
- Anais Mitchell onMySpace
- McDonald Theatre
~Dan – np: Erik Friedlander – Grains of Paradise
Ani DiFranco Fall 2009 Tour Dates
- Sep 11 2009 – Kalamazoo State Theatre – Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Sep 12 2009 – Krannert Center Guitar Festival – Urbana, Illinois
- Sep 13 2009 – Paramount Theatre – Aurora, Illinois
- Sep 15 2009 – Mayo Civic Center-Presentation Hall – Rochester, Minnesota
- Sep 16 2009 – DECC Auditorium – Duluth, Minnesota
- Sep 18 2009 – Fargo Theatre – Fargo, North Dakota
- Sep 19 2009 – Burton Cummings Theatre – Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Sep 20 2009 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Sep 22 2009 – Riverside Ballroom – Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Sep 23 2009 – The Vic Theatre – Chicago, Illinois
- Sep 25 2009 – Michigan Theater – Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Oct 10 2009 – Lobero Theatre – Santa Barbara, California
- Oct 11 2009 – Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, California
- Oct 13 2009 – Rio Theatre – Santa Cruz, California
- Oct 14 2009 – Tower Theatre – Fresno, California
- Oct 20 2009 – Arcata Community Center – Arcata, California
- Oct 21 2009 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, Oregon
- Oct 23 2009 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, Oregon
- Oct 24 2009 – Moore Theatre – Seattle, Washington
- Oct 25 2009 – PAC Concert Hall – Bellingham, Washington
- Oct 27 2009 – Centre for the Performing Arts – Vancouver, British Columbia
- Oct 28 2009 – Royal Theatre – Victoria, British Columbia
- Nov 13 2009 – State Theatre – Ithaca, New York
- Nov 14 2009 – Zeiterion Performing Arts Center – New Bedford, MA
- Nov 15 2009 – Calvin Theatre – Northampton, Massachusetts
- Nov 17 2009 – The Egg – Albany, New York
- Nov 18 2009 – Ridgefield Playhouse – Ridgefield, Connecticut
- Nov 20 2009 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Nov 21 2009 – The Town Hall – New York, New York
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (Seattle, WA – 10/20/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So, I had tickets to see Ben Folds with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra at Benaroya Hall last night. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided to sell my ticket on craigslist to go see Nellie McKay instead. I dig both of them as artists, and the main reason for the hemming and hawing was the whole symphony aspect (I mean, I’ve seen Ben Folds Five or solo a half dozen times already… so the symphony take on it was my main draw). Ah, but… Nellie totally has my heart when in a piano/vocalist celebrity deathmatch with Mr. Folds. She’s quirky, cute, writes and sings both silly and political songs, has a passionate love for animals (she’s a vegetarian with a stance on animal cruelty that makes me proud), and… you rarely know what to expect from her musically on any given night. I’ve seen her twice prior, and both times were fantastical suprises.
Sorry, Ben. Next time?
As a consolation for the Ben Folds fans, there’s a free mp3 stream (or download if you do some research, i.e.- “view source”) from the Huffington Post of the Ben Folds collaboration with author Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, etc). It’s a jab song at the ex-fiance of ex-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin‘s daughter Bristol… from the HuffPo, I present you “Levi Johnston’s Blues.”
Speaking of the HuffPo… here’s a recent article / interview with Nellie McKay by Michael Giltz.
Oh, so Nellie’s latest album, Normal As Blueberry Pie, is all about Doris Day (a total of 14 Doris Day tracks in the recording session, and one Nellie original). Two of the 15 session tracks are more difficult to get ahold of, unless you want to buy both the “exclusive” Barnes & Noble bonus track version and the iTunes bonus track version. Have I mentioned that Universal Music Group’s tactics suck!? Anyway, the album is great (special track tactics notwithstanding). The album lacks some of the bite and wit of Nellie’s prior 3 (and a half) solo albums. But, I love it all the same. It’s got Nellie trademark nostalgia / campiness, as evidenced by the photos surrounding the release (see to the right).
OK… on to the review of the show…
I really dig Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. It’s small and intimate (but large enough for the room to breathe). Also I like the idea of making an experience out of the show – a fantastic meal, great atmosphere, and an attentive audience makes for a wonderful evening. Oh, and free parking in downtown Seattle is like the cherry on top. This was only my second time here (Hiromi in June was my first), but it is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues in the PacNW, if not ever. I just wish it wasn’t so far away from me in Eugene all the time.
Nellie went on around 7:40pm with her backing band, The Aristocrats. This was my first time seeing Nellie with a band. They were excellent. They were all younger than I was expecting. I mean, this wasn’t her studio backing band… but as hired guns solely for touring, they really worked well with Nellie in a fun & playful way. The band was Nellie McKay (piano and ukulele), Howard Fishman (guitar), Charles Schiermeyer (sax), Ben Bynum (drums), Scott Litroff (violin and flute), and Daniel Policar (keys).
Setlist: just shy of 90 minutes
- If I Ever Had a Dream
- Close Your Eyes (Doris Day cover)
- Sentimental Journey (Doris Day cover)
- Send Me No Flowers (Doris Day & Burt Bacharach cover, Nellie on Uke)
- Do Do Do (Doris Day cover) *a fave of the night*
- Mean To Me (Doris Day cover)
- Dig It (Doris Day cover, Nellie dance-off) *a fave of the night*
- The Very Thought of You (Doris Day cover)
- A Wonderful Guy (Doris Day cover)
- I Remember You (Doris Day cover)
- “I Killed Larry David and I Liked It” / Grunge Song *a fave of the night*
- Crazy Rhythm (Doris Day cover) *a fave of the night*
- Black Hills of Dakota (Doris Day cover)
- A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Ella Fitzgerald cover)
- The Dog Song *a fave of the night*
- Encore: Zombie (with Gary Danielson on sax)
- I Wanna Get Married (Doo Wop Version, with Gary Danielson on sax) *a fave of the night*
So, yeah, holy crap… Nellie just keeps on getting better each time I see her. I thought I’d be slightly bummed by a mostly Doris Day set (as I really like Nellie’s original songs a lot), but the Doris Day material was really fantastic in a live band setting. The addition of a jazz combo behind her really made the songs gel, and her interaction with the others was really fun. She’s kinda of a nutty person (or maybe as corny as Kansas in August)… but I wouldn’t want her to be any other way. I didn’t get a chance to meet her after the show, but I had a fun night regardless. Nellie and the Aristocrats are playing a second night (Wednesday, October 21st) at the Jazz Alley. If you go, drop me a line with your thoughts on Night 2.
Some of the best lines of the night by Nellie…
“I still can’t go back to Olympia, because I have overdue library books.”
“There’s hashish in that music… that was a score!” (really funny in context)
The Jazz Alley’s description of Nellie as a “martini cool chanteuse” was kinda of spot on. :) If you don’t have her newest one, get it… it’s fun (and out on vinyl, too):
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Erik Friedlander – Topaz
NELLIE McKAY PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (12 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (49 pics)
Large ZIP file (12.9 Megs)
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REVIEW: Bad Veins @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene, OR – 10/16/09)
Rarely do elements of the Cincinnati music scene tromp through Oregon. I got the opportunity to see Bad Veins about 5 weeks ago up in Portland, and now they’re back through Oregon, but this time in my lovely city of Eugene. They received a nice write-up in the 10/15/09 Eugene Weekly, too…
We showed up late but before anyone started yet; so we moseyed over to One Cup for some delicious coffee. On the way back to Sam Bond’s, we could hear the opener (Blue Horns from Portland) blaring through the door & windows… and we were about 2 blocks away. “Oh, crap, I forgot my earplugs!” Blue Horns were a good rock band. Really loud, though (and I don’t think it was their fault). They had a nice vibe, but it was hard to tell what the guy was singing most of the time. Listening to them on MySpace now, they’re kinda jangly & bouncy indie rock. Maybe I should write a letter to SB’s soundguy to turn it down from 17 to 11. I mean, come on… 11 is enough.
Bad Veins got all set up and ready to go by 11pm… based on the poster (above), they seem to be the main band for this Daytrotter sponsored tour (I ♥ Daytrotter), yet they went on before The Subjects. This was fine with me. Nothing against The Subjects, but I was done after BV’s set. Tired after a long week’s work and ears practically in tears.
Sebastien and Benjamin rocked us out for about a half hour. As they like to say in the industry, Sebastien was “killing the fuck out of his drums.” OK, maybe they don’t say that in the “industry.” He was doing it regardless. Maybe his drums slept with his girlfriend or ate the last breakfast burrito… or… or… both. Regardless, he was going nuts. :)
After about the first song, we moved outside to help shelter our ears (again, Mr. Soundman… 11 is loud enough). I was able to find a good spot on SB’s patio and watch through the window. No pictures this show, as I rarely get any good shots at Sam Bond’s (even with a good camera). For recent Bad Veins concert photos, check my last month’s review (click picture below)…
Setlist:
- Found
- Gold and Warm
- Crosseyed
- Afraid
- Dry Out
- Falling Tide
- The Lie
Their set was identical to the time prior, and my wife made a good comment… “well, they use that reel-to-reel so they have to keep things in the same order.” Duh on my part. Anyway, it was still a really good set, despite the extreme loudness of it all. I think Sam Bond’s is not the place to see rock music (prior to this, I’ve only seen Skerik/ jazz, Talkdemonic/ acoustic post-rock, and various singer-songwriters). Hopefully The Subjects got better sound treatment.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Bad Veins Official Webpage
- Bad Veins on MySpace
- Blue Horns on MySpace
- The Subjects on MySpace
- Sam Bond’s Garage
~Dan – np: Foo Fighters – In Your Honor
Aimee Mann (10/6) photos posted
Photos from Tuesday’s show are now posted… go to…
REVIEW: Aimee Mann @ Aladdin (Portland, OR – 10/6/09)
~Dan
REVIEW: Aimee Mann @ Aladdin (Portland, OR – 10/6/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I got into Aimee Mann after several promptings by my friend Bruce, and then eventually via her quite powerful role in the P.T. Anderson movie, Magnolia (1999). Her spot in that movie and her pervasiveness on that soundtrack made me pay attention. I’ve stuck with her through some great albums, including a doozy of holiday album (but I don’t blame her, I blame the general holiday music content). Her albums are always pretty damn consistent… consistently good. I just never got the chance to see her until now. I happened to be up in Portland for work; so I naturally found my way to the venue. :)
I really like the Aladdin Theater… it’s a classy theater, and every show I’ve seen here has been great (Jude and Yael Naim), and I plan on hitting the Aladdin at least 2 or three more times this year (Múm, the Swell Season, and maybe Stryper… but mainly for the humor aspect of that show).
The opener was Nick Lowe, who I didn’t know. Apparently I knew some of his songs, specifically “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding” (he wrote for Elvis Costello, and I’ve heard the A Perfect Circle version). Nick played about 50 minutes, and probably 15 songs. He had some very good, short pop songs. I can see why people like him. I mean, he kinda blended into the background to me, but he had a charm and lyricism that I can admire.
Aimee Mann came on around 9:20pm with two keyboardists. Throughout the set, they both swapped around many instruments… mainly keys, but also guitar, shakers, drums, recorder. She played a short 40 minute pre-determined set before breaking out into the audience request portion of the show…
Setlist: 2 hours
- The Moth
- Nightmare Girl
- Momentum *a fave of the night*
- Build That Wall
- Par For The Course
- Amateur *a fave of the night*
- This Is How It Goes
- Wise Up *a fave of the night*
- Save Me [false start – see comments below]
——————— - Real Bad News [start to the audience requests]
- Long Shot
- Looking For Nothing
- Freeway *a fave of the night*
- Jacob Marley’s Chain
- 4th Of July
- Mr. Harris
- Video *a fave of the night*
- Ghost World
- You Could Make A Killing *a fave of the night*
- Red Vines
- Invisible Ink
- Susan
- One (Harry Nilsson cover)
- Encore: Save Me *a fave of the night*
- Voices Carry
So, the first attempt at “Save Me” got an odd response from a few ladies… almost like the cheering as you’re going up a rollercoaster. Aimee pointed that out and countered it with how depressing and co-dependent-y the song was. Then she went into some really depressing (but funny) new lyrics for the song… which led into the giggles; so she couldn’t even finish the real version of the song. She came back to it later for the encore.
Aimee was really fun… much more fun than I thought she’d be. I mean, her songs really meander on the line of depressed, melancholic disappointment; however, she was quite bubbly, and giddy in spots. Her three-piece band really worked well together in a pinch. Great, long show… check her out if she swings by!!! She’s only a short West Coast tour this fall; see the remaining handful of dates below…
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Finger Eleven – Finger Eleven
Aimee Mann West Coast Tour 2009
- 10/2/09 UC Santa Barbara CA
- 10/3/09 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre
- 10/4/09 San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass FREE
- 10/6/09 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater …with Nick Lowe
- 10/7/09 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre with Nick Lowe
- 10/8/09 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
- 10/10/09 Coeur D’Alene, ID The Kroc Center
- 10/11/09 Boise, ID EgyptianTheatre with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/12/09 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/14/09 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/16/09 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern with Fountains of Wayne
AIMEE MANN & NICK LOWE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (7 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (24 Aimee pics, 6 Nick pics)
REVIEW: W.P.A. at the W.O.W. (Eugene, OR – 9/27/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Works Progress Administration
I’ve been a fan of Glen Phillips via Toad the Wet Sprocket since back in my “high school days”… Toad is one of the few artists to make it out alive from that period, remaining a cherished part of my collection. Glen’s voice is so evocative and honest and personable… it’s hard not to love just about everything he does. In fact, last year, he pulled a doozy, releasing two albums under different band monikers (without much warning) under Radiohead’s In Rainbows “pay what you want philosophy.” Both the Plover and RemoteTreeChildren cracked my Top 5 albums of 2008.
Well, this time, Glen decided to let us know about his new band and let some buzz build up… the Works Progress Administration (aka W.P.A. / WPA) is more or an Americana effort that is at its core made up of the trio of trio of Glen Phillips, Luke Bulla (from Lyle Lovett’s band), and Sean Watkins (from Nickel Creek). The Eugene show was with the extended band, not just the core trio of Phillips/Bulla/Watkins. It also included Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Bill Frisell), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing), and Don Heffington (Lone Justice… and I remember seeing him play with Over the Rhine at one point).
The first opener, Ehren Ebbage, put on a quick 20 minute set, four songs. He hails from Seattle. He was pretty good – he has the pop singer-songwriter vibe going on. He seemed like a good soul, funny personality. He got a opening slot due to “begging for it.” We didn’t walk out with his CD, unfortunately; but if he swings back through Eugene, I’ll give him another listen.
The second opener, Molly Jenson, stomped on the stage shortly after Ehren. I say “stomped,” as she had these killer heels with jingles fixed to them (see pictures below). Her first song in her 20 minutes, 4 song set was a song that showed that playing guitar, singing and stomping your foot in heels is probably more than I’d be able to handle physically. It’s gotta be much harder than patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Molly was pretty funny, she joked about the disco ball (and had the light guy turn it on). She also talked about how she and Sara Watkins rolled around the hall’s floor that afternoon in their rollerskates. Her sound was more in the country/folk singer-songwriter mold. She ended her set with “You Are My Sunshine.”
Molly Jenson released her Webisode #13 that included footage from the WOW Hall show. Check it out on YouTube.
WPA hit the stage around 9pm and jumped right into material from their new album. “Always Have My Love” is such a good lead-off track to their live show (and CD). It really features all aspects of this huge band. WPA overall is really hard to pigeonhole. They definitely fit in the folky genre, but they have many aspects of bluegrass, pop, rock. Lots of violin, steel guitar, great vocals. Vocal duties were shared by Glen, Luke, Sean and Sara. They played mainly songs from the debut CD, but they also played songs from each of the singer’s “main gigs / solo albums.”
Part way through the set, they invited Alex & Tatiana Hargreaves on stage. I had never heard of them, but they were well received by the crowd. They are both young and are quite the fiddle phenoms. They jammed on two songs with Sara, Luke & Sean – one instrumental and one with Tatiana singing lead on a song from her recent album.
Here’s what they played…
Setlist: 90+ minutes
- Always Have My Love (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- End This Now (Glen on vocals)
- Paralyzed (Sean on vocals)
- Cry For You (Luke on vocals)
- Solar Flare (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Rise Up (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- I Feel the Blues Movin’ In (Luke on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- I Go to Sleep (Sara on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Already Gone (Sean on vocals)
- Not Sure (Sean on vocals)
- Drive By (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Pink Triangle (Weezer cover, Sean on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Garfields (with Alex & Tatiana, instrumental)
- Sugar Babe (with Alex & Tatiana, Tati on vocals)
- Somebody More Like You (Sean on vocals)
- Remember Well (Luke on vocals)
- Long Hot Summer Days (Sara on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Good As Ever (Glen on vocals)
- A Wedding or a Wake (Glen on vocals)
- Encore: The Price (Glen on vocals)
- You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome (Bob Dylan cover, Sean on vocals) *a fave of the night*
Fantastic show. It’s amazing to see so many great musicians on the stage at the same time. They honestly looked like they were having a ball, too. It was also good to see Glen playing guitar again (after his pretty nasty glass table accident last fall). Luke Bulla and Nickel Creek, while already on my radar, made my list of “I should see them if they come through again.” Fantastic players all around…
I picked up the debut WPA CD at the show. It came out a week ago, but I wanted to wait until I saw them in person – you know, to make sure they got all the money, not shipping or some distribution middle-man like Amazon. You can order it directly from the WPA site (click the photo):
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Always Have My Love (live on WNCW)
Introducing W.P.A.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Works Progress Administration Official Site
- WPA on MySpace
- Glen Phillips Official Site
- Glen Phillips on MySpace
- Sean Watkins on MySpace
- Luke Bulla on MySpace
- Tatiana Hargreaves Online
- Alex Hargreaves Online
- Molly Jenson Official Site
- Molly Jenson on MySpace
- Ehren Ebbage Official Site
- Ehren Ebbage on MySpace
- WOW Hall
~Dan – np: Faith No More – Album of the Year
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
WPA’s tourdates:
- Sun 08/16/09 – Schwenksville, PA – Old Pool Farm
- Tue 08/18/09 – Exton, PA – Eagleview Concert Series
- Wed 08/19/09 – New York, NY – Joe’s Pub
- Thu 08/20/09 – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
- Sun 09/06/09 – Yosemite, CA – Camp Mather
- Wed 09/16/09 – Columbia, SC – White Mule
- Thu 09/17/09 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
- Fri 09/18/09 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
- Sun 09/20/09 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
- Fri 09/25/09 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
- Sat 09/26/09 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile Cafe
- Sun 09/27/09 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
- Tue 09/29/09 – Chico, CA – Manzanita Place
- Wed 09/30/09 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
- Sat 10/03/09 – Ventura, CA – The Lodge
- Mon 10/05/09 – Los Angeles, CA – Largo
- Thu 11/05/09 – New York, NY – High Line Ballroom
- Sat 11/07/09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Diesel Club Lounge
- Sun 11/08/09 – Charleston, WV – Cultural Center
- Tue 11/10/09 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage
- Wed 11/11/09 – Vienna, VA – Barns At Wolf Trap
- Thu 11/12/09 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne
- Fri 11/13/09 – Cambridge, MA – Passim Folk Music & Cultural Center
- Sat 11/14/09 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
- Sun 11/15/09 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center For The Arts
- Tue 12/01/09 – Cedar Rapids, IA – CSPS / Legion Arts
- Wed 12/02/09 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
- Thu 12/03/09 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
- Sat 12/05/09 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
- Sun 12/06/09 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School Of Folk Music
REVIEW: Alice in Chains @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 9/26/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
(the new Alice in Chains)
So, I could have seen Pearl Jam, but since I’d seen them (and they put on a freakin’ great live show) and I had never seen Alice in Chains. So, AiC won out in the battle of who to see tonight. Regardless of the lack of Layne Staley, I really dig guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell and the new lead singer (William DuVall) sounds pretty good. So, I’ll have to hold off on seeing Pearl Jam for a 2010 tour (?). This Alice in Chains show was billed as “An Evening With,” which makes me happy. Openers at rock/metal shows are usually for sucks.
Due to crappy Duck Football traffic, it took forever to get to Portland. I got to the Roseland Theater around 8pm, and the band hit the stage just after 8:30. It was a packed crowd, but I was able to move around a bit. No cameras again. Blerg. I’ll have to contact some people before Regina Spektor & Puscifer in this same venue to see if I can get photo access. We shall see. I took some iPhone photos, as that wasn’t expressly disallowed (like it was announced as prohibited for the Porcupine Tree show last week).
Jerry Cantrell was always a big part of their sound, on both guitar and vocals. He did quite a bit of vocals, and William really pulled off “the Layne sound.” It’s difficult coming into a band with a solid career and trying to replace a very distinct vocalist. While I wouldn’t say that William “has his own voice” with regards to the band, he’s definitely helping them carry on and make great music in the wake of losing Layne. Hopefully William’s own voice shines through on the upcoming record (out 9/29).
Here’s what they played…
Setlist:
- Rain When I Die
- Again
- Check My Brain *a new one – it was OK*
- Them Bones
- Dam That River
- A Looking In View *a new one – pretty good*
- We Die Young
- Nutshell *a fave of the night*
- Love, Hate, Love
- God Am
- Acid Bubble *new one – I’m kinda “meh” on this one for now*
- Angry Chair
- Man in the Box *a fave of the night*
- Would? *a fave of the night*
- Encore: Sludge Factory
- No Excuses *a fave of the night*
- Rooster
A great show… again, William does a great job filling Layne’s shoes. Jerry and the rest of the band were as tight as ever. Their setlist covered their career nicely. I’m looking forward to their new album, Black Gives Way to Blue, showing up on my doorstep (I ordered it with the new Megadeth & Nellie McKay). You can pre-order it below (it comes out on Tuesday):
Since my photos are only (subpar) iPhone photos… here are some professional photos from the Seattle show by Savoia Digital Concert Photography:
TONS MORE at Savoia’s Facebook photo album
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Fantômas – Fantômas (aka Amenaza al Mundo)
ALICE IN CHAINS iPhone PHOTOS
(sorry in advance for the lower quality)
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Erik Friedlander @ Winningstad Theatre (Portland, OR – 9/12/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Erik Friedlander grew up spending many of his summers on the road with his family due to his photographer father, Lee Friedlander. I knew his dad was a photographer with some notoriety, but I hadn’t known about the long, cross-country summer road trips – which were the basis for Erik’s 3-day run of Block Ice and Propane at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)’s TBA Festival (aka T:BA:09). More about T:BA:09 later…
I have been into Erik for a while… basically contemporaneously with my immersion into John Zorn, as Erik is a mainstay in the Downtown NYC jazz scene and finds his way on maaaaany of the Tzadik releases that I love. He’s a part of the Masada String Trio & Bar Kokhba Sextet, and has played with Dave Douglas, Ikue Mori, Wadada Leo Smith, severalk of Zorn’s Filmworks series, et cetera.
When I showed up for the event, I was caught off guard by the vast amount of people milling about the lobby. “Does Erik have this big of a draw in Portland?”
Well, the answer to that question is, “now he does.” This was the third night of his three-night run as part of the T:BA:09 festival put on by PICA. The entire 10-day festival was also coming to a crescendo on the 12th… needless to say, the program looked amazing, full of art of all kinds, not just music. I’m definitely putting T:BA:10 on my radar for next year.
Erik’s solo chair, laptop stand, and microphone in front of a projector screen was nicely lit with a blue light as the herd of an audience entered the Dolores Winningstad Theatre. I’d never been to the Winningstad Theatre, but it’s in the same complex as the Newmark Theatre (where I saw the SF Jazz Collective in ’08 and where I’ll see Patton Oswalt tonight), and it’s right next door to the Arlene Schnitzer Hall (where I’ve seen many shows). “The Winny” was a great venue… small & intimate, but seemingly able to fit in a large amount of people, including 2 tiers of balcony seating. Luckily I was solo; so I found a stray seat right up front-left.
As mentioned prior, the show was Erik playing solo cello in front of a backdrop of photos from his childhood, primarily taken by his father Lee Friedlander. The performance, specifically the backdrop, had a very “Americana” feel set to non-“Americana music.” Or perhaps it was Americana music set through the filter of the cello. It wasn’t Woody Guthrie-esque, but it had that dirty, road weary, wow-look-at-this-wonderful-country feel to it. Amongst the photos were also some videos shot by Bill Morrison.
Outside of photographing the country on big summer roadtrips, Erik’s father Lee also photographed many musicians… Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane… even up to the current era like a famous Madonna photo. Lee’s love of music spilled over to Erik, who found a love for music early in his life. He started on guitar and eventually moved to cello. However, his basis in guitar drove much of the style of playing last night. Only a few times did Erik pull out a bow – rather he plucked and strummed his cello like one would with a guitar… well, a guitar that you were holding like a cello. :)
Setlist:
- Block Ice & Propane
- Road Weary
- King Rig
- I’m Not Here
- Cold Chicken
- Yakima
- Pressure Cooking
- Winking at Highway 7
- Rusting in Honeysuckle
- Dream Song
- Airstream Envy
- Night White
Some of my favorite pieces were the lead-in, title track (to the 2007 CD of the same name), as well as “Pressure Cooking” and “Night White” (nice harmonics). The story about “Cold Chicken” was great, about how at a diner they were served very slowly and Lee stormed into the kitchen to complain about “who wants to eat cold chicken!?” while the family scurried away. The music, which I’ve heard several times before on the CD, totally made sense now. Nice…
Block Ice and Propane (the 2007 CD) can be purchased directly from Erik HERE.
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – The Incident
ERIK FRIEDLANDER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Bad Veins @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 9/8/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Bad Veins were only one of the openers last night, but my main draw for the evening. The main band was Division Day, with additional support from Love Like Fire. I knew Bad Veins from kicking around the Cincinnati rock scene a few years ago. I’d seen them once prior in Cincinnati, then shortly thereafter that I moved to Oregon… but I’ve kept up with them on Woxy, Daytrotter, et cetera. This is their first trip out West. They’re also coming back, and playing in my town (Eugene) on October 16th (Sam Bond’s Garage). Yay!
Bad Veins is a two man wrecking crew: Benjamin Davis on vocals & guitar and Sebastien Schultz on drums. They also employ a reel-to-reel for backup music. And by “employ,” I mean, they plug it in… I’m pretty sure a W-2 is not involved. It’s part of the lo-fi charm of Bad Veins. They were pretty true to form, and busted through a solid set from their debut album (out on Dangerbird Records). It was a pretty good wall of sound coming from these two gents. Here’s what they played…
Setlist:
- Found
- Gold and Warm
- Crosseyed
- Afraid
- Dry Out
- Falling Tide
- The Lie
Sebastien cut his finger on the drumkit the last song of their set, and bled on the drums. Oh, the joys of D.I.Y. rock! Seeing as it was a “school night,” and I had two hours of driving to do, I bailed shortly after Bad Veins’ set. (Sorry to both Love Like Fire who played before and Division Day who played after.) I look forward to seeing Bad Veins play again when they’re in Eugene next month.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Bad Veins Official Webpage
- Bad Veins on MySpace
- Division Day on MySpace
- Love Like Fire on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
~Dan – np: Marty Ehrlich’s Dark Woods Ensemble – Sojourn
BAD VEINS PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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