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REVIEW: Sean Lennon/Charlotte Kemp Muhl’s Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger @ The Woods (Portland, OR – 1/28/11)

29th Jan 11 (Sat) 4 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Sean Lennon‘s last studio album,  Friendly Fire, was brilliant.  Not only was it chock full of great pop songs, but it also came with a DVD with a full album’s worth of cinematic music videos… for the entire album.  Back in 2008, his new band Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (with Charlotte Kemp-Muhl) had a presence on MySpace… and put out some songs that eventually blossomed into the debut album – Acoustic Sessions (out in late 2010).  They hit the road this past December & January, winding up with their last few shows here on the West Coast.

Opener Laura Gibson is a Portland local who has been the support on this recent GOASTT tour.  Of all the venues on the tour, she said she could have “roller skated to this venue” (The Woods in the Sellwood neighborhood).  She played 45 minutes with her drummer / multi-instrumentalistSean Ogilvie.  Their set was quite wonderful: a folky, poppy duo… similar to the Weepies with a bit more charm, and very reminiscent in some of her vocal delivery to Maery Lanahan (from Seattle via Dayton, OH).  Charming, well-crafted songs… and with anagram nicknames like “Albino Sugar” and “Eagle Vision,” you simply can’t go wrong with Laura Gibson & Sean Ogilvie!

After what seemed like a long-time, Sean, Charlotte & horn-player C.J. took the stage.  They dug right into a new song, the only song I didn’t previously know… Sean rattled off the song name quickly.  I didn’t catch it, except for they did sing “she’s got a meanstreak” a few times throughout.  They played mostly everything from their Acoustic Sessions album except for “Robot Boy,” and also threw in a couple covers and a great song from Sean’s Friendly Fire album.

Sean sang and played guitar & drums.  Charlotte also sang, played bass, accordion, toy piano/xylophone, melodica and other percussion.  We never really got the real name of the horn-player, but “C.J. Calamari” played french horn and trumpet.  He used several foot pedals to run the horns through effects processors… giving it a jazz-fusion sound that reminded me a lot of NYC-trumpet player Dave Douglas‘ Freak In album.  It was a great electronic-rooted-in-brass timbre that really worked well with Sean & Charlotte’s poppy, eclectic-folky sound.

Setlist: 90 minutes

  • new song “she’s got a meanstreak”
  • Rainbows In Gasoline
  • Jardin du Luxembourg
  • Lavender Road
  • Shroedinger’s Cat
  • Dark Matter, White Noise
  • Songs For James
  • Girl From The North Country [Bob Dylan]
  • Candy Necklace
  • Dead Meat [Sean Lennon]
  • The World Was Made For Men [false start x3 / giggle fest]
  • Bennie and the Jets [Elton John]
  • The World Was Made For Men

When they announced “Lavender Road” as being their “rocking song,” I internally chuckled, but wow… they tore it up at the end with guitar, drum and horn solos that truly rocked out.

Throughout the night, the band joked a lot in between songs, many times to the point of inability to hold back the laughter (both the crowd & band).  You’d think this was a comedy tour instead of a music tour.  There were stories of bar fights at Tex-Mex restaurants.  Sean added a silly little impromptu “reggae rap” at the end of “Candy Necklace.” And the “worldwide venereal disease of tuning / history of world music” from Sean after Charlotte pulled out the accordion for “Song For James” was quite piece of stagecraft with many bad accents.

The 90 minutes they were on stage flew by far too quickly.  They spared us the “ruse that is the encore,” but when they couldn’t get past the first 15 seconds of “The World Was Made For Men” due to a giggle fest from both Charlotte & Sean, they rocked into a seemingly impromptu “Bennie & the Jets” with the house piano on stage, and then finally hit “The World” again with a giggle-free completion and many cheers!

I’ve been privileged with many shows, but this was one of the best shows in a while – definitely for the year.  Great songs, great people, great humor, great musicianship, great souls… and you could tell that they were having fun on stage.  Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger plays Seattle tonight before heading back home.  Check out their album Acoustic Sessions… it’s bueno!

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… Nels Cline Singer and Yuka Honda on 1/30.

~Dan – np: GOASTT – Jardin du Luxembourg 7″ vinyl

GHOST OF A SABER TOOTH TIGER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

GOASTT 2010/2011 Tour (backwards order)

  • Saturday 1/29/11 – The Crocodile, Seattle WA
  • Friday 1/28/11 – The Woods, Portland OR
  • Tuesday 1/25/11 – Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco CA
  • Saturday 1/22/11 – Pappy & Harriets, Pioneertown (Joshua Tree) CA
  • Friday 1/21/11 – Club Congress, Tucson AZ
  • Wednesday 1/19/11 – Cactus Cafe, Austin TX
  • Tuesday 1/18/11 – Dan’s Silver Leaf, Denton TX
  • Saturday 1/15/11 – The Earl, Atlanta GA
  • Friday 1/14/11 – Melting Point, Athens GA
  • Thursday 1/13/11 – Evening Muse, Charlotte NC
  • Wednesday 1/12/11 – Local 506, Chapel Hill NC
  • Tuesday 1/11/11 – Ioata, Washington D.C.
  • Saturday 1/8/11 – Rockwood Music Hall, New York NY
  • Friday 1/7/11 – Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia PA
  • Thursday 1/6/11 – Great Scott, Boston MA
  • Friday 12/17/10 Bercy, Paris, France (with -M-)
  • Thursday 12/16/10 Bercy, Paris, France (with -M-)
  • Wednesday 12/15/10 Bercy, Paris, France (with -M-)
  • Tuesday 12/14/10 Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Monday 12/13/10 Frannz Club, Berlin, Germany
  • Saturday 12/11/10 MOD, Hasselt, Belgium
  • Friday 12/10/10 Zenith, Saint Herblain, France (with -M-)
  • Thursday 12/9/10 Zenith, Saint Herblain, France (with -M-)
  • Wednesday 12/8/10 Grand Hall, Tours, France (with -M-)
  • Tuesday 12/7/10 Zenith d’Orleans, Orleans, France (with -M-)
  • Friday 12/3/10 Arena de Montpellier, Montpellier, France (with -M-)
  • Thursday 12/2/10 Nikaia, Nice, France (with -M-)
  • Wednesday 11/17/10 Largo, Los Angeles, CA
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Derek Webb @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 1/20/11)

22nd Jan 11 (Sat) 3 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

I’ve been a fan of Derek Webb ever since seeing him in Caedmon’s Call in the mid-90s.  His voice and lyricism is something I connect with, regardless of my now-differing beliefs.  He’s a genuine artist & thinker, and I think he’s a Christian that I think really “gets it”… or is at least trying to “get it” (we’re all a work in progress)…

His last two albums, 2009’s Stockholm Syndrome and 2010’s instrumental Feedback, have some of the best material he’s put out, in my opinion.  Since I went into a long-ish discussion about my connection and thoughts about Webb & Christianity in my review of the Jennifer Knapp tour in the Spring 2010 and my thoughts about Feedback, I’ll keep this review shorter and sweeter…

We showed up a little after the early start time… I got a chuckle out of Derek’s tweet about it being a “Christian seated show” (with photo) and took in the last half of opener Anna Gilbert‘s set…

Anna is an Oregonian, went to the University of Oregon, lives in Portland, and has a handful of delightfully sonic pop albums.  Her third CD, Your Love My Medicine, was produced by none other than knob-wizard Charlie Peacock (his wiki).  Anna’s sound… poppy, singer-songwriter.  Nice positive songs.

After a short break and a beer, Derek hit the stage at 8pm…

Great set, a mix of songs from his solo albums, a couple of Caedmon’s tunes… and one lonely cover song.  Based on my prior experience with Derek, and his recent Democracy covers series (now heading into Volume 2), I figured he’d hit us with another cover or two.

The acoustic version of the mostly electronic Stockholm Syndrome songs worked well.  “What Matters More” is a favorite, and while the studio version is full of electronics, the stripped down version still remained one of my favorites from the night.  For other Derek fans (or Derek himself), have the Stockholm songs ever been played out live with keyboards and/or a full band (Joshua Moore, etc)?  That would kick ass.

Setlist: about 90 mins

  1. The End / The Very End
  2. The Spirit Vs. The Kick Drum
  3. New Law
  4. I Hate Everything (But You)
  5. Freddie, Please
  6. A Love That’s Stronger Than Our Fears
  7. I Love/Hate You
  8. God’s Hometown [Caedmon’s Call]
  9. I Just Don’t Want Coffee [Caedmon’s Call]
  10. Wedding Dress
  11. Heaven
  12. What Matters More
  13. She Must And Shall Go Free
  14. (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding [Nick Lowe]

“Spirit vs. Kick Drum,” “Love/Hate,” and the Caedmon’s “Coffee” were some other favorite selections from the night.  His banter was charming as usual.  I was surprised he didn’t talk about Shawn Colvin being on his flight to Eugene… alas, perhaps he was distracted by Delta not being as gentle with his guitar as he’d have liked… assuming his guitar makes it back to Nashville with him, he needs to get a few things checked out (loose screw or something).

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

He’s playing Seattle, WA, tonight (1/22 @ the Q Cafe).  Check out more tour dates at http://derekwebb.com/.

Next concert for me… Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp-Muhl’s Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger on 1/28.

~Dan – np: No-Man – Returning Jesus

DEREK WEBB PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Charlie Hunter Trio @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – 12/16/10)

17th Dec 10 (Fri) 1 comment

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Having just seen Charlie Hunter in May at WOW Hall, I was debating going to see him again so soon.  I mean, he did just release a new CD since the last outing (the solo work Public Domain), but amongst the busy bustle of December, I was hemming & hawing about going.  Boy was that dumb.

Eight words of advice:
Never debate going to see Charlie Hunter.  Ever.

We got there for soundcheck, and our thoughts of skepticism about Sam Bond’s Garage‘s acoustics was quickly put asunder.  Charlie, Eric Kalb (drums) and Mike Williams (bass trumpet) treated us with a few tasty bits of goodness – which included some Thelonious Monk (thanks, Aaron, for the identification).

The show proper was comprised of two hour-long sets… a lot from both of his recent albums, the aforementioned Public Domain and the most excellent Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid.  Charlie’s guitar-work was mesmerizing.  My comments from the WOW Hall show stands…

“One of the most amazing things from the night was watching Charlie play.  His seeming ease at which he plays bass and guitar on one instrument is stunning (and curse-worthy for the guitar aficionado in the crowd).  If you weren’t watching the stage, you’d easily be fooled that it was a quartet and not a trio.  It’s quite an amazing thing to see and hear.  He’s so unassuming about it, too… a showman without the show-off attitude.”

Or as my guitar-playing friend Aaron likes to say… “f*ck that guy” (said lovingly in awe of Charlie’s chops).  He’s so good, yet so unassuming… and he surrounds himself with great musicians.  Eric & Mike filled in the groove where Charlie didn’t.  They all looked like they were having a great time doing it, too.

No setlist, per se.  Just two-plus hours of groove, jazz awesomeness.  They play Mississippi Studios in Portland tonight (Friday, December 17th).

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

~Dan – np: S (Jenn Ghetto) – I’m Not As Good At It As You

CHARLIE HUNTER TRIO PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Le Serpent Rouge @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 11/30/10)

1st Dec 10 (Wed) 4 comments

 FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
12/3 update: emobie photographs added

Last night, the Indigo Bellydance group and friends brought Eugene the stupendously entertaining Le Serpent Rouge: An Evening of Beguiling Dance and Strangely Familiar Music.

Le Serpent Rouge is a traveling road show that captivates.  At its core it is the Indigo: made up of Mardi Love, Rachel Brice, and Zoë Jakes (L-to-R in picture to the right).

While they have danced in various groups — including the Bellydance Superstars, Beats Antique and the Yard Dogs Road Show — The Indigo is the group that they call home. They each bring their own influences to make their own modern dance forms unique. Love’s fluidity, Brice’s sinewy strength, and Jakes’ intensity and charm make their sum greater than each one individually. They are known to be theatrical and playful, often playing characters within their performances.

While rooted in Middle Eastern styles, their dance style for this tour might be found in an old West saloon mixed with a Prohibition-era speakeasy. The burlesque and tribal fusion bellydance fits snugly with steampunk-meets-flapper blues/jazz/jug band from the Crow Quill Night Owls and Gallus Brothers. Tub bass, washboard, kazoo, banjo, guitars, percussive bones, feathers, tattoos and legs.

Local group Blair Street Mugwumps were the openers the show… fantastic performers.  I had never heard them, but I had heard of them, and well, now I’ll make a point to hear more of them.  All fantastic musicians, and while not all that dissimilar from the main group, they were a noticeable difference from “just another opening band.”  A jug band with a modern edge.  Quite entertaining.

Le Serpent Rouge started with Rachel Brice coming out dressed as an old lady… and introducing the show for us.  The show was a nice mix of saloon tunes from Crow Quill Night Owls and the Gallus Brothers with dancing (group, duo and solo) and skits mixed in.  The dramatic side of the Indigo shone through in their silly stage presence.

As far as the backing bands… the Gallus Brothers were actually part of the Crow Quill Night Owls band, but then splintered off to do silly tricks, juggling, and of course… glitter throwing.  Here’s a shot of one of their silly tricks during a song…

Of course, the ladies of the Indigo were lovely… here are a few photos, with more at the bottom.  I’ll also post some from Margaret O’Brien (emobie photography) once she gets them edited… update: added 12/3.

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Tonight is their last night of the tour (Dec 1st at Portland’s Mississippi Studios).  For a list of where they’ve played, check below.

~Dan – np: Puscifer – C is for…

LE SERPENT ROUGE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld
and Margaret O’Brien (emobie photography)
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Le Serpent Rouge Fall 2010 Tour Dates

  • 11/5 – Seattle, WA – Market Theater
  • 11/6 – Bellingham, WA – Wild Buffalo
  • 11/9 – Ashland, OR – CultureWorks
  • 11/11 – Sabastopol, CA – Hopmonk Tavern
  • 11/12 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
  • 11/14 – Reno, NV – The Great Escape
  • 11/16 – San Diego, CA – Casbah
  • 11/18 – Tucson, AZ – Solar Culture
  • 11/20 – Albuquerque, NM – Low Spirits
  • 11/23 – Los Angeles, CA – King King
  • 11/28 – Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley
  • 11/30 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
  • 12/1 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios

 

Categories: Concert Photos, Hip-hop, Indie Rock, Singer-Songwriter, World Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Over the Rhine @ Aladdin (Portland, OR – 11/17/10)

18th Nov 10 (Thu) 4 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

I went into a little history about Over the Rhine on my 11/15 WOW Hall show blog (link).  This Aladdin show was OTR Show #52 for me.  Yep… I’m OCD, I love music, and I’ve had far too many opportunities to see this wonderful band.  I’m fortunate.  Since I blathered on in the blog from two days ago… I’ll jump right into it…

Lucy Wainwright Roche did a similar set… no discussion of the car break-in clean-up, but she’s quite the humorist.  I found myself humming along to some of her tunes, as if they were long lost friends.  I only first heard her music two days prior… so I guess that’s a testament to her craft.

Over the Rhine played a fairly similar set, with a few things swapped around and the addition of “The Trumpet Child” and “Ohio.”  They nixed the instrumental, but the additional tunes made up for it in my book.  Lots of stuff from The Long Surrender.  The album is really growing on me.  I’m looking forward to the lush vinyl that will hit my mailbox sometime in early 2011.

Setlist: about 75 mins

  • The Laugh Of Recognition
  • I Don’t Wanna Waste Your Time
  • Trouble (horny & inebriated mix)
  • “The Bluebird” by Charles Bukowski [poetry reading by Karin]
  • There’s A Bluebird In My Heart
  • Rave On
  • Undamned
  • I Want You To Be My Love
  • Oh Yeah By The Way
  • I’m On A Roll (to be covered by The Judds on their next record)
  • The King Knows How
  • Drunkard’s Prayer
  • Only God Can Save Us Now
  • The Trumpet Child
  • Days Like This [Kim Taylor song]
  • All My Favorite People
  • Encore: Ohio [Karin solo on piano]
  • Infamous Love Song
  • No Kill Shelter

Once again, Over the Rhine deliver a beautiful evening.  Thanks for stopping by Karin, Linford, Nick & Lucy!  Have fun in Seattle!

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Mr. Bungle – Disco Volante

OVER THE RHINE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Fall 2010 Tour Dates

  • Fri, 2010-11-12 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
  • Sat, 2010-11-13 San Franscisco, CA Great American Music Hall
  • Mon, 2010-11-15 Eugene, OR W.O.W. Hall
  • Wed, 2010-11-17 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
  • Fri, 2010-11-19 Seattle, WA Triple Door
  • Sat, 2010-11-20 Seattle, WA Triple Door
  • Sun, 2010-11-21 Seattle, WA Triple Door
  • Fri, 2010-12-03 Marion, OH Palace Theatre
  • Sat, 2010-12-04 Kent, OH Kent Stage
  • Sun, 2010-12-05 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
  • Tue, 2010-12-07 Columbus, OH Lincoln Theatre
  • Fri, 2010-12-10 Louisville, KY Bomhard Theater
  • Sat, 2010-12-11 Chicago, IL Old Town School of Folk Music 7pm & 10pm
  • Fri, 2010-12-17 Cincinnati, OH THE LONG SURRENDER PREMIERE @ the Jarson-Kaplan Theatre (in the Aronoff Center)
  • Sat, 2010-12-18 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre
  • Sun, 2010-12-19 Norwood, OH St. Elizabeth’s
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Over the Rhine @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 11/15/10)

16th Nov 10 (Tue) 3 comments

 FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

It’s been three long years since I’ve seen Over the Rhine.  I missed them on their last tour through Portland (Doug Fir 2009) due to illness.  Going three years between shows is odd… I mean, when I lived in Southwest Ohio, I would see them 5 times a year (on average) for about 10 years.  Well, I’m making up for lost time by seeing them in both Eugene and Portland (Aladdin show review link).  One might call me a fan.

For those that don’t know Over the Rhine, they started out as a four piece in Cincinnati in 1989 and put out their “post-nuclear, pseudo-alternative, folk-tinged art-pop” indie debut ‘Til We Have Faces in 1991.  It was Karin Bergquist on vocals & guitar, Linford Detweiler on bass & keyboard (later focusing on primarily keys), Ric Hordinski on guitar, and Brian Kelley on drums.  They put out four studio albums and a dark, broodingly beautiful Christmas album as a four-piece.  Then in the late 90s, Ric & Brian left.  Ric went off to do some amazing records under the moniker MONK (check it!).  Brian still drums for various groups around Cincinnati.

Karin & Linford carried on the Over the Rhine flame throughout the years… moving away from a rockier feel to a more folky-pop-Americana thing.  What I like about Over the Rhine is they continually change and evolve into a different band with each album and each outing.  I’ve seen them rock out, I’ve seen them jazz it up, I’ve seen them happy, I’ve seen them somber, I’ve seen them celebratory, and I’ve seen them tell stories that will make you laugh and cry.

They’re on their annual West Coast tour as a precursor to their forthcoming album, The Long Surrender – which (last I saw in print) comes out on January 11, 2011 (aka 1/11/11).  I’ve heard the songs from it (it pays to pre-order), and I’m digging it a bunch.

They also have a huge back catalogue (my count: 8 studio albums, 2 Christmas studio albums, 3 studio & live b-side releases, 4 official live releases, 1 greatest hits, and 3 Linford solo releases).  While it’s hard to limit a large catalogue to a few albums, go check out some of my faves: the indie rocker Eve (1994), the acoustic homespun Good Dog Bad Dog (1996), the re-imagined band on Films for Radio (2001), or the magnum opus Ohio (2-CD 2003).  You can’t go wrong. Happy scout’s honor.

So, being that I haven’t seen them in three years, it was noted as a duo show by their publicist, and they have a large catalog of songs to play, I was excited for the hopeful surprises.  But first the opener…

Lucy Wainwright Roche played a humourous 30 minute set prior to Over the Rhine going on.  She was a great mix of stand-up comedian (unintentional?) and singer-songwriter.  Nice banter in between the songs.  You can see her father Loudon’s humour in her.  Where else are you going to hear about a car break-in “clean up” instead of a theft?  Or a first date whose lung collapsed at dinner?  And then top it off with a “Hungry Heart” sing-along?  Lucy was a very formidable crowd warmer-upper!

A suprise to me based on the initial reports, Karin & Linford weren’t just a duo on this West Coast jaunt.  They also brought along percussionist and cuatro player Nick Radina.  He provided some nice layers to the already grogeous sounds coming from the guitars and keys and voices.  Nick and Linford also played a nice instrumental which was called “Descarga” on the Santa Fe setlist.  I don’t know if this is the actual name, or just some other setlist identifer.  Anyway, it had a nice Latin feel.

They played a lot of their forthcoming The Long Surrender songs, with a few Trumpet Child and Drunkard’s Prayer songs thrown in.  Linford was on keyboard for most of the night, but did join Karin on guitar for a handful of tunes.  Karin also busted out some poetry prior to their “Bluebird” tune and a nice backstory about her mom’s nursing home prior to “Only God Can Save Us Now.”  The backstory made the song make much more sense to me… especially all of those characters.

Setlist: about 75 mins

  • The Laugh Of Recognition
  • I Don’t Wanna Waste Your Time
  • Trouble (horny & inebriated mix)
  • “The Bluebird” by Charles Bukowski [poetry reading by Karin]
  • There’s A Bluebird In My Heart
  • Rave On
  • Undamned
  • I Want You To Be My Love
  • (Instrumental)
  • Oh Yeah By The Way
  • The King Knows How
  • I’m On A Roll (to be covered by The Judds on their next record)
  • Drunkard’s Prayer
  • Only God Can Save Us Now
  • Days Like This [Kim Taylor song]
  • All My Favorite People
  • Encore: Infamous Love Song
  • No Kill Shelter

It was soooooo great to see them again after too many years.  We got to chat with Linford for a bit after the show.  I forgot to ask / confirm the release date of The Long Surrender (the merch lady said Feb 8th instead of Jan 11th).  Here’s hoping they stick to 1/11/11, because that’s a superb release date… if I remember and I see him, I’ll check on Wednesday.

Anyway, Linford was glad to be able to spend a little bit of time in Oregon.  He said that had a great experience on their Roots on the Rail tour (go here for Bill Ivester’s write-up of the experience).  They might be doing another train tour next year in the west/central United States (Colorado area?).  I’ll be seriously considering it for 2011 vacation plans.

For the meantime, enjoy some Eugene photos.  Sorry about the primarily black & white and graininess… WOW Hall is a dark venue with normally high use of red lights (i.e.- death for my camera’s focus).  Here’s hoping I’ll get some better shots at the Aladdin Theater show in Portland on Wednesday.

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill

OVER THE RHINE PHOTOS
these 11 pictures (cc) 2010 Margaret O’Brien (emobie photography),
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

these 22 pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Fall 2010 Tour Dates

  • Fri, 2010-11-12 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
  • Sat, 2010-11-13 San Franscisco, CA Great American Music Hall
  • Mon, 2010-11-15 Eugene, OR W.O.W. Hall
  • Wed, 2010-11-17 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
  • Fri, 2010-11-19 Seattle, WA Triple Door
  • Sat, 2010-11-20 Seattle, WA Triple Door
  • Sun, 2010-11-21 Seattle, WA Triple Door
  • Fri, 2010-12-03 Marion, OH Palace Theatre
  • Sat, 2010-12-04 Kent, OH Kent Stage
  • Sun, 2010-12-05 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
  • Tue, 2010-12-07 Columbus, OH Lincoln Theatre
  • Fri, 2010-12-10 Louisville, KY Bomhard Theater
  • Sat, 2010-12-11 Chicago, IL Old Town School of Folk Music 7pm & 10pm
  • Fri, 2010-12-17 Cincinnati, OH THE LONG SURRENDER PREMIERE @ the Jarson-Kaplan Theatre (in the Aronoff Center)
  • Sat, 2010-12-18 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre
  • Sun, 2010-12-19 Norwood, OH St. Elizabeth’s

 

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – 10/29/10)

2nd Nov 10 (Tue) 2 comments

I wasn’t able to attend the Nellie McKay show at the Shedd in Eugene on Friday (due to Sufjan Stevens in Portland the same night).  I was completely torn, but I’ve had the opportunity to see Nellie several times since living here in the PacNW (four times in 3 years) and Sufjan far fewer times (i.e.- none).

I did send someone in my place… here are some lovely photos and a write-up of the show taken by guest blogger Margarita O’Brien from Emobie Photography…

many more photos below

Margarita’s write-up of the show:

Let’s face it. I just love Nellie McKay. I am extremely grateful that The Shedd here in little ol’ Eugene, Oregon, keeps managing to bring her back. She has serious musical talent, diversity, and a quirky, silly sense of humor that I dig. That makes a great show when she’s solo, but holy cannoli, there was a five piece backup band! THAT makes for a phenomenal, knock-your-socks-off show.

The introductions for the band members were extremely silly (“And just released on bail for jay walking…”) and the crowd was enthusiastic so I will likely have the names completely wrong and I am seriously sorry about that, ‘cause these guys were the bomb diggity. It was seriously hard to hear with the laughing and cheering. Corrections greatly appreciated!

Guitar: Terry Park?
Bass: Willy Harvey
Sax: Mark Fischer?
Trumpet: Willy Mario?
Drums: Benjamin Barnum?
“That’s right! We have two willies!”

There are few things I tire of more quickly than a show with a “sound” that never changes.
Me-“Is this still the first song? Good Glory, it’s long.”
Dan-“This is the fifth song.”
Me-“*Giant Eye Roll*”

This exchange could not happen at a Nellie McKay show. She skillfully flutters her way through Big Band, Reggae, Jazz, Blues, Pop, sweet old Doris Day tunes (and a number of Ella Fitzgerald tunes this time).  The band was right there with her making everything fuller, brighter, grander, and making it difficult for some folks to stay put in their seats.

The crowd was fairly enthusiastic and really seemed to love “Mother of Pearl.”  This is Eugene after all. There were even a couple zombies dancing around at the end.

Go See Nellie! She’ll make you think. She’ll make you laugh. She might make you whistle.

Setlist:

  • Bruise on the Sky
  • Sentimental Journey [Doris Day]
  • Do Do Do [Doris Day]
  • Caribbean Time
  • Dispossessed
  • Meditation [Doris Day]
  • Georgy Girl [The Seekers] (dedicated to Barbara Billingsly)
  • Vote for Mr. Rhythm [Ella Fitzgerald]
  • Bluebird
  • No Equality
  • The Portal
  • Dig It [Doris Day]
  • It’s Alright With Me (with skat)
    <<intermission – costume change>>
  • A-Tisket, A-Tasket [Ella Fitzgerald]
  • Beneath the Underdog
  • Crazy Rhythm [Doris Day]
  • Early Autumn [Ella Fitzgerald]
  • A Wonderful Guy [Doris Day]
  • Don’t Fence Me In [Ella Fitzgerald] (with group whistle)
  • Mother of Pearl (crowd favorite)
    “I’m Sarah Palin and I approve this message”
  • Adios
  • ¡Bodega!
    “Support the Arts, but sponsor a Bodega.”
  • Coosada Blues
  • I’ve Got Rhythm (impromptu instrumental as she ran to get her notes)
    “Don’t worry folks, they’re professionals!”
  • Broadway Melody
  • Really
  • Unknown Reggae (veggie anthem)
  • Encore: Zombie

Nellie’s 10/29 KLCC interview is here:
http://klcc.org/audio/NellieMckay102910.mp3

Nellie is out supporting her latest album, Home Sweet Mobile Home.  Check it out here:

More 2010 Tour Dates:
Oct. 30th SF Jazz Festival – San Francisco, CA
Nov. 1st Kuumbwa Jazz Center – Santa Cruz, CA
Nov. 4th The Roxy – West Hollywood, CA

The Appropriate Linkage:

~Dan – np: William Ryan Fritch – Library Catalog Music Series: Music for Honey and Bile

NELLIE McKAY PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Margaret O’Brien – emobie photography,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Higher Resolution (14 pics)

Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (33 pics)

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Sufjan Stevens @ Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 10/29/10)

30th Oct 10 (Sat) 12 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

So, the last few months has been a flurry of unexpected, yet superbly exciting information coming from Sufjan Stevens and Asthmatic Kitty.  First was the tour announcement (on Aug 9th), then a week and a half later came the immediate release of the All Delighted People EP, and less than a week later came the news of the new full length album The Age of Adz (pronounced ‘odds’).  Outside of the orchestral The BQE piece, Sufjan had been silent for a couple years (which we recently found out was due to nervous system health issues).  Within the past two months, he came roaring back in 2010 with a North American-spanning tour and two new adventurous albums (the “EP” is 58+ minutes).

The new music from Delighted and Adz is a little less accessible compared to Seven Swans or his “State” albums, but a little more poppy/accessible compared to BQE or Rabbit.  I think the new music strikes a nice balance between the adventurousness and electronic-ness in his past music… possibly “A Sun Came! updated for the Sufjan listener in 2010.”  While I don’t think it’s a repeat of A Sun Came! (at all) – that’s the best Sufjan repertoire comparison I can muster.  It’s sweeping and glitchy, quiet and loud.  But how would it translate into a live show?

Before we could find out, labelmate DM Stith hit the stage.  He only played 20 minutes, but was a good warm-up.  Nice singer-songwriter fare, with Sufjans’ horn section on “Thanksgiving Moon.” I’d heard DM’s music via AK samplers and free downloads.  It never struck me as solidly as Sufjan has, but in the live setting, he seemed to carry himself well.  After he did his tunes, he left to go put on shiny pants for Sufjan’s band.  I was slightly disappointed that he left after only 20 minutes, but that disappointment soon went away as the anticipation for Sufjan mounted.

Sufjan and his 10 piece band hit the stage around 10 ’til 9pm in shiny outfits.  His band was comprised of DM Stith on keyboards, two drummers, a 3-member torn section, a guitarist, bassist, and two backup singers/dancers.  After a short hello, they went immediate into “All Delighted People” and didn’t stop with the new material until 10:30.  I’d been listening to the new material for the past week, and glad they played some personal favorites: Heirloom, Futile Devices, The Owl and the Tanager, and the 20+ minute Impossible Soul.

Sufjan’s “slow jam” dancing to “I Walked” was charming.  The projected graphics and dark, hallowed lighting during “Vesuvius” made my friend mention that it seemed like a weird, ancient worship service.  The auto tune hip-hop near the end of “Impossible Soul” is one of my favorite parts, and it really worked in the live setting. I wish cameras had been allowed near the end, as a large luminescent diamond descended*, and Sufjan busted out the jams in front of the back-lit, strobe-diamond facade.  While that was his most “rockstar moment,” most of the show, he was talkative, yet unassuming and grateful to the audience.

* Amanda McAuley got some photos of it (some shown below), plus I found an “Impossible Soul” part 2 video snippet – see alphaleonis’ youtube for more from the show.

Setlist: about 2 1/4 hours

  • All Delighted People
  • Too Much
  • Age of Adz
  • Heirloom
  • I Walked
  • Futile Devices
  • Vesuvius
  • The Owl and the Tanager [Sufjan solo with backing vocals]
  • Get Real Get Right [with story about Royal Robertson]
  • Enchanting Ghost
  • Impossible Soul
  • Chicago
  • Encore: Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois [Sufjan solo piano]
  • Casimir Pulaski Day

It was a brilliant show.  He was quirky and subdued, gentle and cacophonous, amusing and bewildering, and all around charming.  He saved the old tunes for last, and only three Illinois tracks made the cut.  I got goosebumps as he hit the intro for “Concerning the UFO Sighting.”  While the older tunes were nice (and I wish there had been more sprinkled in), I can honestly say that the new tunes hold their own.  There’s a reason Sufjan has a piece of our hearts.  Seeing the new songs live definitely elevated those albums to being amongst my favoritesfor 2010.  After seeing them performed live, I think they fit better within his catalogue, too.  I hope it’s not another 3+ years until I get to see Sufjan and his band of musicians again.

Sidenote: Sufjan’s one of the only artists who could have pulled me away from a reported, equally awesome Nellie McKay show in Eugene (check back tomorrow for Nellie McKay photos from Margaret O’Brien – who went in my place).

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan –Dave Douglas & Keystone – Spark of Being: Expand

SUFJAN STEVENS PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Sufjan’s 2010 Tour Dates

  • Tuesday, 12 October – Metropolis Theater, Montreal QC
  • Wednesday, 13 October – Massey Hall, Toronto ON
  • Thursday, 14 October – Royal Oak Music Theater, Royal Oak MI
  • Friday, 15 October – Chicago Theater, Chicago IL
  • Saturday, 16 October – Orpheum Theater, Minneapolis MN
  • Sunday, 17 October – Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO
  • Tuesday, 19 October – The Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin TX
  • Wednesday, 20 October – McFarlin Memorial Auditorium, Dallas TX
  • Friday, 22 October – Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theater, Mesa AZ
  • Saturday, 23 October – The Wiltern, Los Angeles CA
  • Tuesday, 26 October – The Paramount Theater, Oakland CA
  • Thursday, 28 October – Orpheum Theater, Vancouver BC
  • Friday, 29 October – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland OR
  • Saturday, 30 October – The Paramount Theatre, Seattle WA
  • Monday, 1 November – Kingsbury Hall, Salt Lake City UT
  • Tuesday, 2 November – Paramount Theatre, Denver CO
  • Thursday, 4 November – Hilbert Circle Theatre, Indianapolis IN
  • Friday, 5 November – Bijou Theater, Knoxville TN
  • Saturday, 6 November – The Tabernacle, Atlanta GA
  • Sunday, 7 November – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville NC
  • Wednesday, 10 November – Kimmel Center, Philadelphia PA
  • Thursday, 11 November – Orpheum Theatre, Boston MA
  • Sunday, 14 November – Beacon Theatre, New York NY
  • Monday, 15 November – Beacon Theatre, New York NY

 

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Peter Mulvey & Jeffrey Foucault @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene, OR – 10/24/10)

25th Oct 10 (Mon) 9 comments

Summing Peter Mulvey and Jeffrey Foucault‘s travelling show in one word would be: “authentic.”  This was round two for me (link here for my Friday Portland review with photos); so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

They hit the stage at Sam Bond’s around 8:45 and played two great sets.  The show was partially more of the same, but don’t take that the wrong way… it was definitely not a disappointment.  Switching off on vocal duties, about a half originals and half covers.  They also switched up about half of their setlist from the Friday show… great show as usual for these gents.  Quite a talky crowd, but still a bit more subdued than a normal Sam Bond’s crowd.

Setlist: 90+ minutes

  • Set 1: Starlight and Static (Jeffrey on vocals, new tune)
  • Kids in the Square (Peter on vocals)
  • Mesa, Arizona (JF)
  • The Obvious Child [Paul Simon] (PM)
  • Pretty Girl in a Small Town (JF, new tune)
  • Shirt (PM)
  • Last Night I Dreamed of Television (JF, new tune)
  • Some People (PM)
  • Goners Most (JF, new tune)
  • But I Do [Bobby Charles] (PM)
  • Set 2: Everybody Knows [Leonard Cohen] (PM)
  • City Flower (JF)
  • Ithaca [Redbird] (PM)
  • Tulsa Time [Don Williams] (JF)
  • Duncan and Brady [P.D.] (PM)
  • Late Season (JF)
  • Diamond and Gold [Tom Waits] (PM)
  • Tea and Tobacco (JF, new tune)
  • Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (and Far Away From Home) (PM)
  • 4 & 20 Blues (JF)
  • Encore: Tecumseh Valley [Townes Van Zandt] (PM/JF)
     thanks to Eric for JF new tunes/song identification



more photos below

Re-posting Friday’s NEWS from the stage:

Jeffrey Foucault has a new album out called Cold Satellite. Peter Mulvey has recorded a new duet instrumental album with longtime collaborator David “Goody” Goodrich – release next year(?). And the Peter & Jeffrey collaboration with Kris Delmhorst and Goody called Redbird has a second installment on the horizon. It’s already been mastered (woot!), and the last four songs will have the explicit tag in iTunes. It was recorded live, but they didn’t mention live in studio or live on stage. I guess we’ll see.

Kris Delmhorst (Jeffrey’s wife, fellow singer-songwriter) is coming to Eugene… Tsunami Books on Saturday, November 6th – 8pm.  Make note!

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Carissa’s Wierd – Songs About Leaving

PETER MULVEY & JEFFREY FOUCAULT PHOTOS
Eugene pictures (cc) 2010 Margaret O’Brien
of Emobie Photography, you may use freely
under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Mulvey & Foucault West Coast 2010 Tour Dates

  • 10.22 – The Woods – Portland, OR
  • 10.23 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
  • 10.24 – Sam Bond’s Garage – Eugene, OR
  • 10.25 – Arcata Playhouse – Arcata, CA
  • 10.26 – Freight and Salvage – Berkely, CA
  • 10.27 – Maverick Saloon – Santa Ynez, CA – w/ Bonnie Prince Billy
  • 10.29 – McCabe’s – Santa Monica, CA
  • 10.30 – Janey’s Coffee House – Cave Creek, AZ
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Peter Mulvey & Jeffrey Foucault @ The Woods (Portland, OR – 10/22/10)

23rd Oct 10 (Sat) 1 comment

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Last night was my first time to The Woods in SE Portland.  One word: melikey.  Nice cozy living room feel in the middle of an old funeral parlour.  Random chairs, couches, beer & wine, candles, and a well laid out listening room.  It was actually the perfect listening room for the likes of Peter Mulvey and Jeffrey Foucault.  They had the early show last night; so we shuffled into the venue and found some seats… we got up close (but to the right of the stage).  There’s not really a bad spot in the house… but a tip, if you come to a show at The Woods – show up early for the primo spots.

The guys got on the stage shortly after 7:30, and kicked into a hour and half set of songs, trading off in the vocal slot.  They played a few originals, a few covers, told some stories, and warmed the crowd with their all around genuineness.  Both of these men are prime performers – excellent songwriters and guitarists in their own right, but they really draw you in with their humanity, humility and… well… their charm.


They reminded me a lot of the Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt show from last fall in their trade-off approach and general witty banter.  Their song selection was also excellent… I didn’t know all of the songs, but I loved them all.

Setlist: about 90 minutes

  • Everybody Knows [Leonard Cohen] (Peter on vocals)
  • Starlight and Static (Jeffrey on vocals, new tune)
  • On the Way Up (PM)
  • Mesa, Arizona (JF)
  • Some People (PM)
  • Last Night I Dreamed of Television (JF, new tune)
  • Trempealeau (PM – new song?)
  • “Don’t Fuck with my Miller Time” [Andy Friedman & the Other Failures] (JF/PM)
  • O My Star! [Anais Mitchell] (PM)
  • Train to Jackson (JF)
  • Knuckleball Suite (PM)
  • Passerines (JF, new tune)
  • We’ll Go No More A-Roving [Kris Delmhorst/Lord Byron] (PM)
  • Anybody’s Heaven [Kris Delmhorst] (JF)
  • Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me [Mississippi John Hurt] (PM)
  • Real Love (JF, new tune)
  • Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (and Far Away From Home) (PM)
  • 4 & 20 Blues (JF)
  • Encore: Moonshiner [Bob Dylan] (JF)
    thanks to Eric for JF new tunes/song identification

I’ll be seeing Peter & Jeffrey again in Eugene on Sunday at Sam Bond’s.  Oh, and I almost forgot… the NEWS from the stage:

Jeffrey Foucault has a new album out called Cold Satellite.  Peter Mulvey has recorded a new duet instrumental album with longtime collaborator David “Goody” Goodrich – release next year(?).  And the Peter & Jeffrey collaboration with Kris Delmhorst and Goody called Redbird has a second installment on the horizon.  It’s already been mastered (woot!), and the last four songs will have the explicit tag in iTunes.  It was recorded live, but they didn’t mention live in studio or live on stage.  I guess we’ll see.

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Carissa’s Wierd – Ugly But Honest

PETER MULVEY & JEFFREY FOUCAULT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Mulvey & Foucault West Coast 2010 Tour Dates

  • 10.22 – The Woods – Portland, OR
  • 10.23 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
  • 10.24 – Sam Bond’s Garage – Eugene, OR
  • 10.25 – Arcata Playhouse – Arcata, CA
  • 10.26 – Freight and Salvage – Berkely, CA
  • 10.27 – Maverick Saloon – Santa Ynez, CA – w/ Bonnie Prince Billy
  • 10.29 – McCabe’s – Santa Monica, CA
  • 10.30 – Janey’s Coffee House – Cave Creek, AZ
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Weepies Portland photos now up…

23rd Oct 10 (Sat) Leave a comment

Photos now posted.  Low light, but you get what you get… Full review with setlist over here:

https://jazzsick.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/weepies-portland/

~Dan

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , ,

REVIEW: The Weepies @ Aladdin (Portland, OR – 10/20/10)

20th Oct 10 (Wed) 2 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

The Weepies have a new album out, Be My Thrill.  It’s fantastic!  And unlike their prior album, Hideaway, they’re touring behind it.  To be fair, they weren’t able to tour behind Hideaway due to a new baby at the time.  With Be My Thrill, they have a 3 year-old and a 6-month old… they’re on the road, and Oregon got a chance to see them twice on their “sponsored by 755 diapers” tour (Eugene and Portland).  I caught the Portland show tonight…

Opener Lucy Schwartz and her two lovely backing ladies hit the stage around 8pm and played a 30 minute set that flew by too fast.  All three women sang, with Lucy at the center but not the sole shining star.  Mona was also talented and fantastic on providing the energetic percussion for the set.  I didn’t catch the guitarist’s name – but again, a great part of the trio.  Favorite songs were “Rain City,” “Seven Hours” (with Aqualung on the recorded version), and “When We Were Young.”  She has a handful of albums, an EP, and songs on soundtracks.  Her latest CD is Life in Letters… and if it’s anything like her live show, it’s a delight.

The Weepies hit the stage around 9pm, surrounded by guitars, candles, and Weepies-cover art lamps.

The light was low due to trying to rely primarily on candles for effect – which was quite nice aesthetically.  Not great luck on the photos in low light (some below, though). The lighting person was also trying to be clever a bit too late or didn’t know the Weepies songs were generally short.  A swirling sun, swirling green light, and fade-in blue light all came on during lyric-instigated songs… right at the end of the song (10 seconds left and boom goes the dynamite).  Awkward at best for the lighting… it would have been best to stick to the candles. :)

Luckily the lighting didn’t impact the songs.  And, in fact, the Weepies via candlelight was sublime.  Deb and Steve played with a backing four-piece band that created some nice folksy, indie-rock, singer-songwriter splendor.  They packed in twenty songs in their 90 minute set – roughly a third from Be My Thrill, and the rest from their other three equally-excellent albums.

Setlist: about 90 minutes

  • Please Speak Well of Me
  • Stars
  • Can’t Go Back Now
  • I Was Made for Sunny Days
  • Orbiting
  • Riga Girls
  • Gotta Have You
  • Painting by Chagall
  • Hard to Please
  • They’re in Love, Where Am I?
  • Be My Thrill
  • Citywide Rodeo
  • Sing Me To Sleep
  • Antarctica
  • World Spins Madly On (with slight false start)
  • Just Blue
  • Not a Lullaby
  • Encore: Nobody Knows Me at All
  • Little Bird
  • Hope Tomorrow

A beautiful end to a beautiful evening.  If you’re on the fence about checking out the Weepies, either in concert or on record – get off the fence!  It’s great music.  If you’re a fan and are on the fence about going to a show, get your tickets soon.  They’re selling out many of the shows before the day of the show.

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tourdates below.

~Dan – np: Peter Mulvey – Letters from a Flying Machine 

LUCY SCHWARTZ & The WEEPIES PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

The Weepies Fall 2010 Tour

10/10/2010 Los Angeles CA El Rey Theatre
Lucy Schwartz
SOLD OUT
10/12/2010 Santa Barbara CA SOhO
Les Shelleys
SOLD OUT
10/13/2010 San Diego CA Winston’s
Lucy Schwartz
SOLD OUT
10/14/2010 San Juan Capistrano CA Coach House
Parlor Hawk, Sarah Wallace
SOLD OUT
10/15/2010 Visalia CA Fox Theatre
The Gospel Whiskey Runners
10/16/2010 San Francisco CA Great American Music Hall
Lucy Schwartz
SOLD OUT
10/17/2010 Chico CA El Rey Theatre
MaMuse
10/19/2010 Eugene OR John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts
10/20/2010 Portland OR Aladdin Theater
Lucy Schwartz
SOLD OUT
10/21/2010 Seattle WA City Arts Music Festival – The Crocodile
The Head and The Heart, Lucy Schwartz
SOLD OUT
10/22/2010 Boise ID The Bouquet
Blaze & Kelly
10/23/2010 Salt Lake City UT The State Room
Joe Pug
SOLD OUT
10/24/2010 Englewood CO The Gothic Theatre
Matt The Electrician
10/26/2010 Iowa City IA The Englert Theater
Matt The Electrician
10/27/2010 Minneapolis MN Cedar Cultural Center
SOLD OUT
10/28/2010 Madison WI High Noon Saloon
Matt The Electrician
10/29/2010 Indianapolis IN Radio Radio
Matt The Electrician
10/30/2010 Evanston IL SPACE
1st SOLD OUT
2nd SOLD OUT
11/1/2010 Grand Rapids MI The Fine Arts Center
11/2/2010 Ann Arbor MI The Ark
The Chapin Sisters
SOLD OUT
11/3/2010 Cleveland OH Beachland Ballroom
Carsie Blanton
11/5/2010 Philadelphia PA World Cafe Live
Greg Tannen
SOLD OUT
11/6/2010 Londonderry NH Tupelo Music Hall
Greg Tannen
SOLD OUT
11/7/2010 Boston MA Royale Nightclub
Greg Tannen
11/8/2010 Fairfield CT FTC Stage One
Greg Tannen
11/10/2010 New York NY Hiro Ballroom
Greg Tannen
SOLD OUT
11/11/2010 Falls Church VA The State Theatre
Greg Tannen
11/12/2010 Norfolk VA The Attucks Theater
Greg Tannen
11/14/2010 Charleston WV Mountain Stage
Punch Brothers, Infamous Stringdusters, Trampled By Turtles
11/15/2010 Annapolis MD Rams Head On Stage
11/16/2010 Raleigh NC The Lincoln Theatre
Carsie Blanton
11/17/2010 Atlanta GA Variety Playhouse
Beth Amsel
11/19/2010 Dallas TX Lakewood Theater
Seela
11/20/2010 Austin TX Momo’s
Seela
SOLD OUT
11/22/2010 Tucson AZ Plush
Leila Lopez
11/23/2010 Phoenix AZ The Rhythm Room
Rachael Sage
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Dead Kenny G’s & Trio Subtonic @ Mt Tabor (Portland, OR – 10/16/10)

17th Oct 10 (Sun) 2 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

OK, so I have to start this out with an apology.  I absolutely wanted to see Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey.  I had been up in Portland for a third night in a row (driving back to Eugene late each night)… and was thus quite tired and I couldn’t possibly stay for their set (which was posted to start at 12:30am).  It’s a running theme on this blog… I miss them for one reason or another.  Last night wasn’t gonna be a missed opportunity.  Alas, it ended up as such.  Damn.  SO, JFJO, I’m sorry.  I’ll do better next time. I dig your new one, Stay Gold.  I’m getting old.  I have no other excuse for bailing at midnight.

So, unfortunately this amazing triple modern jazz bill turned into an pretty damn good double bill for me.

Trio Subtonic started things off around 9:30.  No Radiohead as in the past, but still a great groove for their 45 minute set.  They really are what I’d consider to be Portland’s own Medeski Martin & Wood.  Great piano-based three piece combo.  They’ve got two killer albums out over at CD Baby (aka the best indie CD seller in the universe).

Skerik, Mike Dillon, and Brad Houser hit the stage after a short set change…

While also a three-piece modern jazz combo, the Dead Kenny G’s definitely weren’t a repeat of Trio Subtonic’s sound.  Fitting with their name, they bring powerful elements of punk rock and a “fuck you” attitude to a jazz trio.  Mix some sax groove from Skerik with some harder edged beats, avant-garde squeaks, gonzo drumming, and punk vocal belts…

I’d seen them before (at Sam Bond’s in Eugene), but it was nice to see them able to spread out a little more on the Mt Tabor Theater stage.

Setlist: over an hour

  • Death Panel
  • Birther Blues
  • Black Goldman Sax
  • “Black Death”
  • unknown
  • Bewildered Herd
  • I’m Your Manager, I’m Your Pimp
  • unknown
  • Yeah, Cat
  • Improv with some JFJO guys

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more DKG’s tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Milli Vanilli – Girl, You Know It’s True

DEAD KENNY G’S & TRIO SUBTONIC PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

DKG’s Fall 2010 Tour Dates

Date Venue Band
10.9.10 Coda
San Francisco, CA		 With Mike Dillon’s Go-Go Jungle and Black Frames
10.10.10 Harlow’s
Sacramento, CA
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.12.10 Forestville Club
Forestville, CA
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.13.10 HumBrews
Arcata, CA
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.15.10 Sam Bond’s Garage
Eugene, OR
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.16.10 Mt. Tabor Theater
Portland, WA
 Dead Kenny G’s and
Jacob Fred Jazz Oddysey
10.17.10 Chop Suey
Seattle, WA
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.18.10 The Top Hat
Missoula, MT
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.19.10 Knotty Pine
Victor, ID
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.20.10 The State Room
Salt Lake City, UT
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.21.10 Aggie Theater
Ft. Collins, CO		 Dead Kenny G’s
10.22.10 Cervante’s Otherside
Denver, CO
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.23.10 Davey’s Uptown
Kansas City, MO
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.28.10 Kessler
Dallas, TX
 Dead Kenny G’s
10.29.10 Momo’s
Austin, TX
 Dead Kenny G’s and
Hairy Apes BMX
10.30.10 La Bon Ton Roule
New Orleans, LA		 Dead Kenny G’s
10.31.10 The Blue Nile
New Orleans, LA		 Dead Kenny G’s
11.12.10 11.13.10 Bear Creek Music Festival
Live Oak, FL		 Dead Kenny G’s
12.1.10 Momo’s
Austin, TX
 Dead Kenny G’s
12.2.10 Kessler
Dallas, TX		 Dead Kenny G’s
12.3.10 The Deli
Norman, OK
 Dead Kenny G’s
12.4.10 Eclipse
Tulsa, OK		 Dead Kenny G’s
12.5.10 Chester’s
Fayetteville, AR
 Dead Kenny G’s
12.8.10 Momo’s
Austin, TX
 Dead Kenny G’s
12.9.10 Chelsea’s
Baton Rouge, LA
 Dead Kenny G’s
12.10.10 DBA
New Orleans, LA
 Dead Kenny G’s
12.11.10 Martin’s
Jackson, MS		 Dead Kenny G’s
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Holy F*ck & Indian Jewelry @ Holocene (Portland, OR – 10/14/10)

15th Oct 10 (Fri) 4 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

First off… if you haven’t seen the adorable and infectious new music video for Holy Fuck‘s “Red Lights,” you need to go check it out now.  OK, now that you’re back, on to the review…

This was the first time to the Holocene for me.  It’s a nice venue, trendy looking bar, good beer on tap (Double Mountain IRA for me).  They had a few side rooms with colorful lights, practically unusable mirrors in the bathroom, and odd fabric or paper christmas tree looking things in the performance area.  In other words, everything that makes Portland its quirky, trendy self.

I got there near the middle of the first opener’s set.  Clipd Beaks, from Oakland, were good from what I heard.  Fuzzy rock with somewhat melodic vocals, use of trumpet, but primarily traditional rock sounds coming forth.  I didn’t get any usable photos from their set as the lights were in force, yet.

Next up was Indian Jewelry, a four-piece from Houston, put out a 40 minute blast of tom percussion, dirty guitars and keyboards.  They were a little warbly, drone-y in spots, and switched off between male and female vocalists.  I enjoyed them, but I couldn’t really “re-sing” any of their songs… nice and percussive, genre-less but not aimless.  I can see them working way better live than on record, but then again, I’ve been wrong about that before.  Anyway, I’d recommend checking them out if they swing by your neck of the woods… cracked cymbals and all.

Holy Fuck started setting up immediately after Indian Jewelry’s set ended.  They went on right around 11:30 and played a full hour, with encore.  Not dissimilar from their Mississippi Studios show from earlier in the year… lots of tunes from Latin – which I am legally required to state in every mention of its name… it’s the best album of 2010 so far.  Great groove-based live/organic electronic.

There were a few absent fab live tunes (Royal Gregory, Super Inuit, Milkshake), and I think I’m going crazy, as now I’m doubting my own note-taking… did they end with Lovely Allen?  Or was it Safari?  Or am I going crazy?  Anyway… they played Red Lights, which smoked!  I love Punchy’s bass on that track…

Setlist: about an hour

  • 1MD
  • Super Inuit
  • Foxy
  • Jungles
  • Red Lights
  • Lucky
  • Stay Lit
  • Silva & Grimes
  • Stilettos
  • Encore: The Pulse
  • Lovely Allen (I should know this with confidence, but my brain fell apart)
    italics – unsure of in the setlist, any help is appreciated

Great show as usual from Holy Fuck.  But… severe lack of dancing again… or at least in comparison to the grooves.  This seems to happen (i.e.- not happen) in Portland; so I don’t blame the band at all.  They should swing down to Eugene next time… we’ll show ’em how to party!  Pretty please!

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Metallica – S&M

HOLY FUCK & INDIAN JEWELRY PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Holy Fuck Fall 2010 Tour:

08-28 Leeds, England – Leeds Festival
08-29 Reading, England – Reading Festival
09-08 Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
09-09 Birmingham, AL- Bottletree
09-10 New Orleans, LA – Howlin’ Wolf
09-11 Austin, TX – The Mohawk
09-12 Houston, TX – Walter’s on Washington
09-13 Mobile, AL – Alabama Music Box
09-14 Athens, GA – New Earth Music Hall
09-15 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
09-17 Washington, DC – Black Cat
09-18 New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
09-19 Boston, MA – Paradise
09-20 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
09-21 Buffalo, NY – Soundlab
09-22 Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox
09-23 Cincinnati, OH – Midpoint Music Festival
09-24 Urbana, IL – Pygmalion Music Festival
09-25 Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop
09-26 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick (Fucking Awesome Fest)
09-27 London, Ontario – London Music Hall
09-28 Hamilton, Ontario – Studio Theatre
09-29 Toronto, Ontario – Phoenix Theatre
09-30 Montreal, Quebec – Espace Dell’Arte
10-02 Ottawa, Ontario – Capital Music Hall
10-03 Guelph, Ontario – Vinyl
10-05 Winnipeg, Manitoba – Pyramid Cabaret
10-06 Saskatoon, Saskatchewa – Louis Pub
10-07 Toronto, Ontario – Republik
10-08-09 Edmonton, Alberta – Pawn Shop
10-11 Victoria, British Columbia – Element Nightclub
10-12 Vancouver, British Columbia – The Rickshaw Theatre
10-13 Seattle, WA – Neumos
10-14 Portland, OR – Holocene
10-16 San Francisco, CA – Treasure Island Music Festival
10-17 Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
10-18 Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room
10-20 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
10-21 Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
10-22 St. Louis, MO – Firebird
10-23 Indianapolis, IN – Radio Radio

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Post-rock, Rock & Pop Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PHOTOS: Jason Webley @ Eugene Celebration (Eugene, OR – 8/29/10)

30th Aug 10 (Mon) Leave a comment

I missed this show, but my wife took some good pictures of Jason Webley‘s “damn the power outage” performance…

~Dan

JASON WEBLEY PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Margaret O’Brien,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock Tags: , , , , ,

REVIEW: Holy Fuck @ Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – 6/6/10)

7th Jun 10 (Mon) 2 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

“Analog electronica at its finest.”

One of the best bands that you may have never heard of because of a fear of the unknown and/or an aversion to George Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words is Toronto’s experimental electro-rock band Holy Fuck.

Starting off more experimental with their self-titled debut in 2005 and moving into a more groove-fueled diet of instrumental rock in 2007, Holy Fuck has been tearing up clubs around Canada, Europe, and the United States for the past few years.  Their records are superb, and their live shows are even better.  This show in Portland was stacked with some other electro-pop favorites…

Portland-based Fake Drugs went on a little after 9pm.  They are made up of a few guys from Starfucker – Keil Corcoran and Shawn Glassford.  Their sound was a nice pop electronic.  Primarily rhythm guitar & live drums with primarily pre-recorded keyboards & loops.  Danceable and fun… not what I expected from Starfucker gents, but a good warm up.

Another Portland band, Nice Nice had a great electro-pop sound.  This two piece band was the primary tour support for Holy Fuck.  Fewer guys on stage compared to Fake Drugs, but it seemed like they had more going on.  The drummer played both live drums and electronic drum pads… there was a nice juxtaposition of both the organic and artificial sounds – usually intertwined with each song.  The singer played keys, electronic drum pads, as well as guitar.  They have a building, electronic-rock sound, much like Holy Fuck… they meshed really well, and I can see why HF brought them along.

On to Holy Fuck…

The seemingly scattered performance with keyboards, toy instruments, live drums & bass, 35mm audio strip replay, guitars, and distorted vocals ultimately leads into the music that is undeniably catchy and composed.  Brian Borchedt and Graham Walsh man the up-front melodic and non-melodic drive of the band, and bassist Matt McQuaid and drummer Matt Schulz are an excellent battery to fuel the groove.  They’re out supporting their latest, excellent record, LATIN.  It’s out now on CD, vinyl, and download formats (click picture to the right).  Personally speaking, it’s one of my favorite albums this year so far.

Holy Fuck went on at 11:25 and kicked it right off with the charged “Latin America.”  The band seemed pretty charged up, especially bassist Matt McQ… who really looked to be having a blast.  They plowed through an over hour set, hitting many of their new tunes, with some choice cuts from LP and the new version “Jungles” (on the +Ghost EP, based on the 2005 debut’s “Tonebank Jungle”).

Even if you aren’t a dancin’ fool… you’ll usually be turned into one at a Holy Fuck show.  The very danceable set was met with a severe lack of dancing from the crowd compared to past shows I’ve witnessed.  Perhaps it was a “Portland on a rainy Sunday” thing, because Holy Fuck was deep in the groove but the crowd seemed more concerned with their PBR’s.  Regardless of the “dancin’ deficit,” the crowd definitely showed their appreciation for the mighty HF via hoots & hollers…

Here’s what they played as best I remembered the song names…

Setlist: ~70 mins

  • Latin America
  • Super Inuit
  • Foxy
  • Jungles
  • 1MD / Red Lights
  • SHT MTN
  • Frenchy’s
  • Stay Lit
  • Lovely Allen
  • The Pulse
  • Stilettos
  • Encore: unknown… a really dirty, fuzzed out riff
  • P.I.G.S.

Brilliant show… my favorite was Red Lights, and its deep groove and killer bass.  Jungles and Stay Lit were close behind.  Stay Lit is probably HF’s most mellow song, and it features Brian on guitar instead of the electronics table.  They ended the night with a new song (or at least new to me) featuring a really fuzzy, dirty bass followed by P.I.G.S..

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Waka/Jawaka

HOLY FUCK, FAKE DRUGS & NICE NICE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Holy Fuck 2010 N.A. Tour Dates (so far)

  • May 28 Le Poisson Rouge New York, New York #
  • May 29 The Middle East Cambridge, Massachusetts #
  • May 30 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania #
  • May 31 Rock N Roll Hotel Washington, Washington DC #
  • Jun 1 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, Ohio #
  • Jun 3 Turf Club Saint Paul, Minnesota #
  • Jun 6 Mississippi Studios Portland, Oregon #
  • Jun 8 The Independent San Francisco, California #
  • Jun 10 Troubadour Los Angeles, California #
  • Jul 5 Club Soda – Festival International de Jazz de Montreal Montreal, Quebec
  • Jul 9 Molson Amphitheatre Toronto, Ontario ^
  • Jul 30 Sappyfest Sackville, New Brunswick
    # w/ Nice Nice
    ^ w/ Metric and Passion Pit
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Post-rock Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Kaki King with An Horse @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 5/16/10)

17th May 10 (Mon) 1 comment

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Last night the fine folks of Eugene were treated to two lovely indie rock acts… Kaki King and An Horse. Kaki had played a short, but fantastic set earlier on Sunday at CD World (review with photos/videos) – and she brought up Kate Cooper from An Horse at the end, which had been my only exposure to An Horse outside of the WNYC Soundcheck podcast a month ago.  Kate’s “Camp Out” with Kaki solidified it to me that I shant be late to the opening set…

An Horse went on right around 8pm and played a SOLID melodic indie rock set.  Being only vaguely familiar with their songs didn’t matter.  It was 45 or so minutes of indie rock goodness.  “Camp Out” was played, which is perhaps their “single” but it far from being their only good song.  The Aussie duo put out a nice wall of sound, too.  Mighty big for a two person crew!  Check out their latest record, Rearrange Beds!

After a short break, Kaki came on with her band…

They started off strong with a powerful few numbers.  “Bone Chaos” may have been my favorite of the night… it really shows off Kaki’s guitar prowess combined with some haunting EVI by Dan Brantigan.  It was pretty obvious early on that the drums were taking over (unfortunately).  The mid-section of the show was nice, as we got to see Kaki shine solo with some “Pink Noise”…

Kaki’s Setlist: just shy of 2 hours

  • Falling Day
  • Bone Chaos in the Castle
  • Life Being What It Is
  • Pull Me Out Alive
  • Death Head
  • The Betrayer
  • Hallucinations From My Poisonous German Streets
  • Playing with Pink Noise [solo]
  • Goby [solo]
  • All the Landslides Birds Have Seen
  • Doing The Wrong Thing
  • My Nerves That Committed Suicide
  • unknown song
  • Spit It Back in My Mouth
  • Everything Has An End, Even Sadness (which is not new age)*
  • You Don’t Have to Be Afraid
  • Encore: unknown rock jam
  • fucking around on the lap steel
  • Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers
  • unknown dance song

*– don’t ever call Kaki new age… especially if you have balls and would like to retain them.
any help on unknown songs is appreciated

Kaki came out for an encore and treated us to another instrumental favorite, “Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers,” which featured Dan trading the EVI off for a theremin, alongside Kaki’s lapsteel.  She then capped the show off with a “dance number,” which unbeknown to us involved her jumping amongst the crowd and dancing it up while her guitar went on loop above us… a great end to a great day full of music.

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Kaki King – How I Got Lost (soundtrack)

KAKI KING with AN HORSE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Spring 2010 Tour Dates

Apr 15, 2010 Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, New York
Apr 16, 2010 Bowery Ballroom – New York, New York
Apr 17, 2010 Middle East – Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 19, 2010 Iron Horse – Northampton, Massachusetts
Apr 20, 2010 Port City Music Hall – Portland, Maine
Apr 21, 2010 Higher Ground – Burlington, Vermont
Apr 28, 2010 TLA – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 29, 2010 9:30 Club – Washington, DC, Washington DC
Apr 30, 2010 Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, North Carolina
May 1, 2010 The Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, Georgia
May 4, 2010 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, Ohio
May 5, 2010 The Ark – Ann Arbor, Michigan
May 6, 2010 Park West – Chicago, Illinois
May 7, 2010 High Noon Saloon – Madison, Wisconsin
May 8, 2010 Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 9, 2010 The Waiting Room – Omaha, Nebraska
May 11, 2010 The Fox Theater – Boulder, Colorado
May 12, 2010 Cervantes – Denver, Colorado
May 14, 2010 Neumos – Seattle, Washington
May 15, 2010 Wonder Ballroom – Portland, Oregon
May 16, 2010 WOW Hall – Eugene, Oregon
May 19, 2010 Knitting Factory – Reno, Nevada
May 20, 2010 Mystic Theater – Petaluma, California
May 21, 2010 The Fillmore – San Francisco, California
May 22, 2010 The El Rey Theater – Los Angeles, California
May 24, 2010 The Belly Up – San Diego, California
May 25, 2010 The Glass House – Pomona, California

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Kaki King @ CD World (Eugene, OR – 5/16/10)

16th May 10 (Sun) 4 comments

As a warm up for her show tonight at WOW Hall, Kaki King stopped by and wowed us at CD World (i.e.- the best CD shop in Eugene).  Here’s what she played:

(click on the photos for larger)

In-Store Setlist:

  • Bone Chaos in the Castle
  • The Betrayer
  • Death Head [YouTube]
  • Sunnyside
  • Camp Out (An Horse song w/ Kate Cooper) [YouTube]

http://www.kakiking.com/ – http://www.anhorse.com/

all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

See y’all at WOW Hall tonight!

~Dan – np: Ani DiFranco – Live at Bull Moose Music 4/17/09

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: That 1 Guy & Boy Eats Drum Machine @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 5/15/10)

16th May 10 (Sun) 4 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

I’ve been a fan of That 1 Guy and the Magic Pipe since seeing him a dank club in Cincinnati opening for Drums & Tuba in the early 2000s.  He’s toured incessantly throughout the decade, hitting some major festivals and being a supporting act for some big bands.  It’s been nice to see his fanbase grow, and at many times I didn’t think his music was growing all that much.  Well, he proves us wrong with his fourth record, Packs a Wallop.  He seems to have found a nice balance between the experimentation and the groove.  The lyrical silliness is still there, but that’s part of the charm…

The opener was Portland’s Boy Eats Drum Machine.  Boy Eats Drum Machine is a one man band made up of Jon Ragel and his musical toys. I was only familiar with the video for “Hoop + Wire” (see below).  It’s a clever video, but I didn’t think it gave any insight into his live set.  Well, the Eugene crowd was blown away, to say the least.   He put out an incredibly danceable mix of record spinning, drum machine, live drums, saxophone and vocals.  He has a great voice, passion, and energy.

Boy Eats Drum Machine “Hoop + Wire”

Well, no, his live set wasn’t stop-motion animation, but it was as full of energy and fun as the video shows.  Eugene ate Boy Eats Drum Machine.  Portland, you can’t have him back!!

After only a short break, Mike Silverman aka That 1 Guy joined the Magic Pipe on stage for almost two and a half hours of lights, smoke, lasers, and all around jam-worthy tom-foolery…

Mr. Guy played almost non-stop, busting through his catalogue… playing many tunes from his latest album…

Setlist: almost 2 1/2 hours

  • Modern Man
  • Packs a Wallop
  • Buttmachine (with extended jam)
  • How’s Bout Them Holes In The Moon (Butter Side Down)
  • Heaven or Heck
  • Jam
  • Stones Throw
  • Oranges
  • Bananas
  • Laser Beans
  • Step Into Striped Light
  • Mustaches
  • Jam
  • Rainbow
  • Dig
  • One
  • “Magic Show”
  • Credit Card Jam
  • Lounge Outtro
  • Encore: Weasel Potpie
  • The Moon is Disgusting
  • Word Up (Cameo cover)
  • Lounge Outtro

Of the frequent stops through Eugene, this one seemed to be the most action packed.  He had full reign to play a longer set, and his light show has definitely stepped up a notch (I did miss the Mustaches & Laser Beams tour; so maybe this is just a continuation).  He pulled out the magic saw and magic boot near the end of the show.  He also treated the crowd to his magic card tricks and laser bows.  Ever the showman, he was soaking wet by the end of the night, yet still full of energy…

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

~Dan – np: Ben Goldberg Quartet plays Masada Book Two – Book of Angels, Vol 15: Baal

THAT1GUY & BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Derek Webb & Jennifer Knapp @ Aladdin (Portland, OR – 4/27/10)

28th Apr 10 (Wed) 11 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

There’s something about songwriters that draw me in.  With Derek Webb, I’ve been a long time fan since 1996… ever since first seeing him with his folksy-poppy band Caedmon’s Call.  While I dug Caedmon’s a lot as a group, I really enjoyed Derek’s songwriting the most.  He seemed to have the more “real life” songs – ones I could relate to the most.  His initial departure from the band went OK with me, as he kept making solo music… starting out in the traditional acoustic and then morphing into more rock and even electronic-infused meets acoustic.  His last album, 2009’s Stockholm Syndrome, was one of my favorites from last year (#3 to be exact).

Stockholm Syndrome fuses some great keys & beats from fellow Caedmon’s Call member Joshua Moore with Derek’s solid songwriting.  Lyrically, Derek tackles many issues that I think are relevant and important to everyone (not just christians) – including, but not limited to, addressing Fred “God Hates F-gs” Phelps from the hate-mongering Westboro Baptist Church (“Freddie Please”) to one-side of a superficial relationship with a club beat (“Jena & Jimmy”) to the conflict of a walk of faith and easier route living in the world at large (at least, that’s my take on “The Spirit Vs. The Kick Drum”) to the seemingly-singling out of homosexuality in the church as a major sin (“What Matters More“).

“What Matters More” is a song that resonates with me, as it is a big part of why I eventually left the church.  The church’s singling out of one sin over another really hit me as hypocritical, legalistic, and not loving.  If this was the god that the bible talked about, I didn’t want to be part of this disease.  If this wasn’t god’s view, then I didn’t want to be part of this group of “believers.”  Regardless of my personal road that led to a lack of faith and becoming an atheist, I still hold Derek’s music closely, as I think of any christian artist, he seems to “get it.”

Derek going out on tour with Jennifer Knapp ended up being a perfect match (she just “came out” as being in a long-term, committed same-sex relationship).  This isn’t shocking to me, and I wish it didn’t even have to be mentioned.  Why is someone’s sexuality any of our business? I suppose that in this day and age, especially coming from a christian musician, this “coming out” has to occur to set the record straight that there is nothing wrong with this.  I’m happy that she was finally comfortable coming back into making music, touring and coming out to be true to herself.  I didn’t know much of her music prior to this show (though she was on my radar back when I was a music buyer at a christian bookstore in the Midwest), but I was equally excited to see her play alongside Derek.

Amy Courts opened the show right at 8pm.  She only played about 3 songs, but had a lot of banter (she was up there about 20 minutes).  Her banter was quite adorable, and her songs were in a similar acoustic singer-songwriter vein to both Webb & Knapp.  Amy had a gentler song in the middle, but her opener and closer showed off her powerful voice.  Definitely a good warm up…

Derek Webb went on immediately after Amy.  I guess with a bunch of acoustic guitars and no backing bands, it’s easy to stack the artists right after one another.

Prior to the show, I wasn’t sure how the Stockholm Syndrome songs would translate to solo acoustic, and according to Derek – he can only play about half of them on a solo tour.  With that being said, he played a good mix of older tunes, newer tunes, and even a brand new Caedmon’s Call song…

Derek’s Setlist: about 50 mins

  • Heaven
  • A Love That’s Stronger Than Our Fear
  • New Law
  • My Enemies Are Men Like Me
  • Freddie, Please
  • Nobody Loves Me
  • God’s Home Town (new Caedmon’s Call song)
  • Wedding Dress
  • What Matters More
  • American Flag Umbrella

My favorites from his set were the last three, but I enjoyed his set throughout.  Derek was fighting some form of sickness, which contributed a little bit to his normal raspiness (which I love).  Hopefully he’ll come by soon and be able to be more talkative, as that’s usually where things get interesting. :)

After a short 10-minute break, Jennifer Knapp hit the stage.  As mentioned previously, I was not too familiar with her music, but I did recognize one of the tunes early on from my old christian bookstore days – “Whole Again.”  I also recognized “Dive In” from her webpage.  She definitely had a powerful voice and stage presence.  I can totally see her draw… she’s a great performer and has some vocal and guitar chops.

Some of her songs were a bit too “christianeze” for my tastes.  Though, she is decidedly less CCM-y than most, and I can definitely appreciate that. :)  One funny moment (to me) was her describing how “such and such” song was written a while ago but never put on a record because it didn’t have the right mentioning of “Jesus” and wasn’t as religious, etc – but to me, it definitely seemed religious… I mean, why do christians many times think that songs aren’t religious if they don’t use “god” or Jesus’ name directly?  This song’s mentioning being “in need of mercy” (among other things) definitely had a religious bent, if you ask me.  Anyway, christians’ perceptions of christian songs gets a chuckle out of me.  That’s all.  She is enough of a cross-over lyricist where I think she’ll do fine on the Lilith Fair circuit… she’s a powerful woman musician warrior.

I enjoyed just under an hour of Jennifer’s set before heading out back home to Eugene.  I did catch a few songs with Amy Court joining her, and I’m sure Derek joined her later in the set (as he has done in the past).  All in all, I thought it was an A+ triple singer-songwriter bill.  If you have any thoughts on Jennifer’s set or if you have her setlist, please post in the comments.

This was one of the last shows featuring both Derek & Jennifer.  Derek Webb will likely be more involved in the Caedmon’s Call album wrap-up in the coming months (I’m hoping they tour with Derek).  Jennifer Knapp will be on the Lilith Fair tour in 2010 alongside many other great artists.  I’d highly (HIGHLY) recommend Derek’s latest album, Stockholm Syndrome.  Also, check out Jennifer’s album, Letting Go, when it drops on May 11th…

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

~Dan – np: Erin McKeown – Hundreds of Lions

AMY COURTS, DEREK WEBB
& JENNIFER KNAPP PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Philosophy, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,