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REVIEW: Erin McKeown & Emily Wells @ Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – 4/21/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
(despite these pictures, this show was not a head-scratcher)
Last night, the Mississippi Studios in Portland had a triple-bill tour de force. Almost two and a half hours from three wonderful musicians – violinist indie-rapper Emily Wells, folk-pop songwriter Erin McKeown, and Portland-based singer Timmy Straw. All three were showered us with great music (both old and new)…
Timmy Straw hit the stage late and quickly went into the first number. Timmy’s vocals were gorgeous, in that gristly-yearning kind of way. Songs were mostly haunting piano numbers, but there was some electronic-infusion on a song or two. I picked up Timmy’s equally gorgeous debut CD, 2009’s State Parks. Timmy only had a little banter during the set, playing fairly straight from one to the next (playing about 6 or 7 songs in a half hour). Songs I did catch names for are “Rock of Ages,” “Scoops,” and “Herakles.” I highly recommend State Parks. I think you can only get it at shows at this point (if someone has other info, please pass it along).
Erin McKeown went on around 10 and his us with a lot of gems from her latest album, Hundreds of Lions, out on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. I’d seen her a couple times prior (in Cincinnati), and she was just as adorable and delightfully charming with her stories and music as she can be. My wife noted (and I agree) that Erin has such great stage presence and spark. She’s a ball of joy and it comes through in her songs…
Erin’s Setlist: ~45 mins
- “Manifestra” (new song)
- Cinematic
- Santa Cruz
- You, Sailor
- (Put the Fun Back in) the Funeral
- Queen of Quiet
- Didn’t They
- “Train of Steel” (new song)
- Lullaby in 3/4
Emily went on around 11 and started swinging with her crowd-pleasin’ hip-hop numbers. She employed Doug from the Portland Cello Project during half of her set. I saw her play with the PCP last summer, and it’s what had me sold on her music. She switched between violin and various other toys in her arsenal (toy pianos, drum loops, toy microphones, guitar, ukulele, etc). She relied a lot on looping – which is always fun, as far as I’m concerned. The hour-long Emily Wells “solo/live remix” included some of her Symphonies, her über-fun Notorious B.I.G. cover, as well as some newer songs… oh, and she was sportin’ some bling…
Emily’s Setlist: ~1 hour
- If You Love Me, Really Love Me
- Symphony 1 In the Barrel of a Gun
- Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well & the Requiem Mix
- Juicy (Notorious B.I.G.)
- Mama’s Gonna Give You Love (new song)
- Give Ya Everything (new song)
- Let Your Guard Down (new song)
- The Fire Song (new song)
- Passenger
- Encore: Symphony 9 & the Sunshine
Emily has a new album coming out later this year, and also a project with Dan the Automator called Pillowfight. Check her out on the MySpaces to keep in the loop. We headed back home to Eugene around midnight… tired, but content.
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Emily Wells on MySpace
- Erin McKeown’s Site
- Erin McKeown on MySpace
- Timmy Straw on MySpace
- Mississippi Studios
~Dan – np: Ozomatli – Fire Away
no download or free torrent mp3 flac available
support music by buying it
EMILY WELLS, ERIN McKEOWN
& TIMMY STRAW PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld and Margaret O’Brien,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Jónsi of Sigur Rós @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 4/13/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Jon Thor Birgisson aka “Jónsi” has a majestic voice and a penchant for clever, extravagant, and utterly gorgeous stage show that converts the already beautiful music into something worthy of an art exhibit. His voice is well known in the indie rock scene via his long history bringing the enigmatic Sigur Rós to our shores/ears.
Sigur Rós is on a hiatus while many of the members’ families welcome new children into their lives; so Jónsi decided to follow-up his last album (Riceboy Sleeps with his partner Alex) with a “solo acoustic album.” That “solo acoustic” album morphed into what became GO, a not-so-acoustic album. Go fits in with the most recent Sigur Rós album (Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust). It’s a “more accessible rock” affair full of the ideals, quirks, and high quality craftsmanship we’ve come to expect.
That high quality craftsmanship shows in Jónsi’s decision to bring in 59 Productions to work up his tour stage. If I wasn’t sold on going to see Jónsi before, the lead-up to the show was almost unbearable after seeing the 59 Productions behind the scenes video. More on that later… first, the opener…
Death Vessel (aka Joel Thibodeau) hit the stage around 8 and played a 35 minute set (6-7 songs). His songs were gentle acoustic numbers, and his voice reminded me a lot of the late Jeff Hanson (nice falsetto). The crowd seemed a little restless near the end, but I thought Death Vessel put out an enjoyable set.
Jónsi went on right at 9pm and started the show with just an acoustic guitar solo tune, Stars in Still Water. Shortly thereafter the band joined him and the stage show began. The walls and projectors played for about half of the songs in the set, and ranged from butterflies, to other animals, to a rainstorm that turned into a flood. Some of the coolest effects were the burning stage-pieces early on, as well as the water flood. It was quite astonishing how well done everything was… and it didn’t take away from the music at all.
Setlist: ~85 minutes
- Stars in Still Water (solo)
- Hengilás
- Icicle Sleeves (K14 or Red Bicycle)
- Kolniður
- Tornado
- Saint Naive (K7)
- Sinking Friendships
- Go Do
- Boy Lilikoi
- K12
- New Piano Song (K365)
- Around Us (with acoustic piano intro)
- Encore: Jonsi New Guitar Song
- Animal Arithmetic (Jonsi donned a colorful headdress)
- Grow Till Tall
The fave songs of the night were Tornado, Go Do, Boy Lilikoi & Grow Till Tall – as those were the ones that resonate with me the most from the record. All in all, it was an utterly superb show, and it ranks easily in my favorite shows ever (which includes many Sigur Rós shows, too). The stage, the songs, the voice, the beauty… I hope Jónsi comes back through soon – either solo or with his “main band.”
Speaking of bands… the band members for Jónsi’s solo tour are Alex Somers on guitar, Úlfur Hansson on bass, þorvaldur þorvaldsson on drums and Ólafur Björn Ólafsson on piano
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Jónsi’s Site
- Jónsi’s 2010 Tour Recap splashpage
- Jónsi on MySpace
- 59 Productions (Jónsi’s stagecraft masters)
- Sigur Rós’ Site
- Sigur Rós on MySpace
- Death Vessel
- Death Vessel on MySpace
- Roseland Theater
- Other Reviews of Interest:
- My Sigur Rós Oct 2008 Review (with photos)
- SPIN‘s Vancouver Review (April 2010)
- Brooklyn Vegan‘s Vancouver Review (April 2010)
- RAW Pie Recipes from Jónsi & Alex’s cookbook
OK, I’m off for a while… if you comment, sorry if I won’t/can’t respond (or potentially be able to approve comments) for a bit. Anyway, for those of you who are going to one of the upcoming dates, have fun. It is an AMAZING show. Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Derek Webb – Stockholm Syndrome
JÓNSI (from Sigur Rós) & DEATH VESSEL PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 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 (5 DV, 27 Jónsi pics)
2010 North American Tour Dates
- april 6 vancouver, canada vogue theatre
- april 7 vancouver, canada vogue theatre
- april 9 seattle, wa the showbox sodo
- april 10 seattle, wa the showbox sodo
- april 13 portland, or roseland theatre
- april 15 berkeley, ca zellerbach auditorium
- april 16 san francisco, ca palace of fine arts
- april 18 indio, ca coachella
- april 21 denver, co paramount theatre
- april 22 lawrence, ks liberty hall
- april 24 minneapolis, mn pantages theatre
- april 25 minneapolis, mn pantages theatre
- april 26 milwaukee, wi the pabst theatre
- april 27 chicago, il vic theatre
- april 28 chicago, il vic theatre
- april 30 toronto, canada sound academy
- may 1 toronto, canada sound academy
- may 2 montreal, canada metropolis
- may 3 philadelphia, pa electric factory
- may 5 boston, ma house of blues
- may 6 boston, ma house of blues
- may 8 new york, ny terminal 5
- may 9 new york, ny terminal 5
REVIEW: Tegan & Sara @ Keller Auditorium (Portland, OR – 4/8/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Last night’s Portland show was near the end of a long, 3 month tour for Tegan and Sara‘s sixth album, Sainthood. The record (out last fall) is rockier than their prior, but fits in with their near history. A great mix of pop songwriting with an alternative, modern rock edge. The twin sisters trade off on vocal duty, and this is their first record where they actually wrote the songs together in the same room. The closeness shows in the cohesiveness of this record compared to 2007’s The Con or 2004’s So Jealous (both great records as well).
Upon arrival to the Keller Auditorium, I got a good chuckle out of “tailgators” in a nearby park running through the oddly entrancing “Alligator” dance (see the music video). If you hadn’t heard, there’s also a remix LP out now of the Alligator Remixes.
Holly Miranda was the first opener and went on right after 7:30. I wasn’t expecting a full band for her, but more of a singer-songwriter. Her band put together a great 30 minute set – more like a singer-songwriter vibe with a rockin’ boost. I didn’t know any of her music, but I’ll definitely check her out soon.
Steel Train hit the stage after a short set break. They’re all seemingly young guys from New Jersey, but they played a very throw-back, ‘cross-the-big-pond 30 minute set. Really reminiscent of 80s Brit-poprock, they had a great stage presence. The lead singer was very humbled alongside his rock energy… again, they seemed like really nice gents. Great tunes, great energy. Their set was capped by some crew coming out and drumming alongside them – one in a gorilla costume.
Tegan and Sara hit the stage right at 9pm. They came out blazin’ with quartet of songs from their latest record… The Ocean, On Directing, The Cure, and Alligator. I’m actually a little surprised they didn’t try to incorporate some of the aforementioned “Alligator dancers” in their stage show.
Tegan and Sara both switched between guitars and keys. Most of the vocal duties for the night were Tegan’s, but Sara had a few of her songs in the mix as well. The set was primarily made up of selections from Sainthood and The Con, but they threw in a handful of older tunes for good measure. Both Tegan and Sara had some funny stories (and a little bit of sisterhood bickering). It was cute… :)
Setlist: about 95 minutes
- The Ocean
- On Directing
- The Cure
- Alligator
- You Wouldn’t Like Me
- I Bet It Stung
- The Con
- Nineteen
- Northshore
- Night Watch
- Red Belt
- Monday Monday Monday
- Where Does The Good Go
- Speak Slow
- Walking With A Ghost
- So Jealous
- Hop A Plane
- Sentimental Tune
- Hell
- Encore: Back In Your Head (acoustic)
- Dark Come Soon
- Divided
- Call It Off
- Living Room
Due to it being the last night of the tour, emotions ran high (for all bands). The bands also seemed really well practiced. The show ended early (comparably to most rock shows), but due to its earlier start time, we all got a great amount of bang for our buck. I imagine Tegan and Sara will take a bit of time off before the summer festival circuit, but I hope they swing through Oregon again soon!!
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Tegan & Sara’s Site
- Tegan & Sara on MySpace
- Steel Train’s Site
- Steel Train on MySpace
- Holly Miranda’s Site
- Holly Miranda on MySpace
- PCPA/Keller Auditorium
Check out their past 2010 tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Jónsi – Go
no free download or torrent available
TEGAN & SARA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (15 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (28 pics)
The North American Sainthood 2010 Tour Dates
- January 5 – 6 Vancouver, BC Orpheum
- January 7 Kelowna, BC Community Theatre
- January 8 – 9 Calgary, AB Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
- January 11 – 12 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
- January 13 Saskatoon, SK Saskatchewan Place Concert Bowl
- January 14 – 15 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre
- January 18 Montreal, QC Place des Arts
- January 19 – 20 Toronto, ON Kool Haus
- January 22 – 23 Ottawa, ON Bronson Centre
- January 25 Quebec City, QC Imperial Du Quebec
- January 26 Fredericton, NB Fredericton Playhouse
- January 27 Halifax, NS Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
- February 12 Northampton, MA Calvin Theater
- February 13 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
- February 16 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
- February 17 Washington, DC Warner Theatre
- February 18 Richmond, VA The National
- February 20 Tampa, FL Tampa Theatre
- February 21 Boca Raton, FL Sunset Cove Amphitheatre
- February 23 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
- February 24 New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s Uptown
- February 25 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
- February 26 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall
- February 27 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
- March 2 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues
- March 3 San Diego, CA Copley Symphony Hall
- March 5 – 6 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
- March 24 Minneapolis, MN The Orpheum Theatre
- March 25 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
- March 26 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
- March 27 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
- March 28 Lakewood, OH Lakewood Civic Auditorium
- March 30 Columbus, OH PromoWest Pavilion
- April 2 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
- April 3 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
- April 4 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
- April 6 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
- April 8 Portland, OR Keller Auditorium
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Berbati’s Pan (Portland, OR – 3/31/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Nellie McKay‘s most recent album, As Normal As Blueberry Pie, came out last year, and while different from her prior records, it definitely fit in her catalog nicely. It featured her at her campiest but also her jazziest, versus her edgier side. For evidence of the campiness, check out the lovely publicity shots over on nelliemckay.com. The serious and silliness perfectly fit her personality. I wouldn’t want Nellie any other way.
On to the show…
The venue, Berbati’s Pan, was known to me more for its rock acts. The “jazzy, bluesy, singer-songwriter evening” in store for us was bound to be a big question mark regarding how it would come across… well, it was delightful. The lighting and small couches on the outskirts of the club made for a nice atmosphere. We got to the show just before Howard went on. Most of the people were hanging out on the chairs & couches; so we got some spots right up front.
Howard Fishman opened up the show and hit the stage around 8:45pm. He played guitar in Nellie’s backing band, the Aristocrats, last fall. He played a good set of bluesy standards and originals. He had a lap steel guitarist, Henry Bogdan, playing with him. He played about 25-30 minutes, primarily “upbeat blues” tunes… with a few darker tunes thrown in near the end. Some of my favorites were “The One Rose (That’s Left in My Heart),” a silly song about the Red Sox, and the capper called “Best Days.”
After a short break, Nellie hit the stage alongside both Howard and Henry around 9:20pm. Her set was a more stripped down version of what she brought to Seattle last fall. A great selection of Doris Day and other older standards, with a few of her own songs thrown in for good measure. Her originals were some of my favorites for the night – specifically “Toto Dies” and “The Dog Song.” The newer cover tunes added to her setlist – “Small Day Tomorrow” and “Two Sleepy People” – were really great as well.
She was a giddy and lovable as usual… very jokey and generally in a delightful mood.
Setlist: about 75 minutes
- Do Do Do (Doris Day cover)
- Sentimental Journey (Doris Day Cover)
- A Wonderful Guy (Doris Day cover)
- Georgie Girl (The Seekers cover)
- Mean to Me (Doris Day cover)
- Prisoner of Love (Kitty Wells cover)
- Close Your Eyes (Doris Day cover)
- “Happy Birthday” (to Becky)
- If I Ever Had a Dream
- Toto Dies
- P.S. I Love You
- Mother of Pearl
- Alone When It Rains (duet with Howard Fishman)
- The Dog Song
- A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Ella Fitzgerald cover)
- Small Day Tomorrow (Bob Dorough / Fran Landesman cover)
- Crazy Rhythm (Doris Day cover)
- Encore: “Old-fashioned Bodega” (title unknown)
- Two Sleepy People (Hoagy Carmichael cover, duet with Howard Fishman)
many more photos below
Howard joined her on vocals on two songs. “Alone When It Rains” is actually a song of his, which was sung last night as a tribute to her former dog, Charro. The Hoagy Carmichael duet (“Two Sleepy People”) had a giggle-fit lyrical screw up, but they kept rolling with it. Henry’s lap steel changed the Doris Day sound to a more bluesy feel from the jazz sound of the Aristocrats backing band. The more stripped down Nellie backing band was a treat. I hope she keeps on swinging through the Pacific Northwest.
They’re off to Seattle next (check out more tour dates below). Catch them if you can!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Nellie McKay’s Site
- Nellie on MySpace
- A good Nellie fansite at .NET
- Howard Fishman’s Site
- Howard Fishman on MySpace
- Berbati’s Pan (venue)
- My Prior Nellie McKay Reviews~
~Dan – np: Coheed & Cambria – Year of the Black Rainbow
no free download or torrent here
2010 Tour Dates (so far)
- 3/28/2010 Los Angeles, CA Alex Theatre
- 3/29/2010 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
- 3/31/2010 Portland, OR Berbati’s Pan
- 4/3/2010 Seattle, WA Paramount Theater A Prairie Home Companion
- 4/10/2010 Delaware Water Gap, PA Deerhead Inn
- 5/15/2010 Sellersville, Pennsylvania Sellersville Theater 1894
- 6/1/2010 through 6/12/2010 New York, NY Feinstein’s at The Regency
- 9/17/2010 Monterey, California, United States Monterey Jazz Festival
NELLIE McKAY with HOWARD FISHMAN PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 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 (32 pics)
REVIEW: David Bazan @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene, OR – 3/4/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So, what is there to say about David Bazan that I haven’t already said? Well, not much; so I’ll just recap. In short, he’s a genuine song-writer, an honest thinker, a gentle soul, and a wonderful song-weaver. Since moving to Eugene, I’ve had the opportunity to see him three times… now a fourth. All in a shorter window of time compared to the rare opportunities when I saw him in Ohio.
The show last night was one of the first shows from his Winter/Spring Tour (and the first with opener Headlights). For more tour dates, check out the list at the bottom. At Sam Bond’s Garage, David Bazan isn’t on the same A-frame as a delicious quiche (click for picture from a recent gig), but he does share the venue with some mighty fine pizza and beer.
Headlights were really good. They played about 45 minutes and had some good indie rock / pop songs with nice melodies. They are a traditional four piece (guitar, keys, bass, drums) and swapped lead vocal duties around a bit. Their sound at Sam Bond’s Garage last night was a little too loud, but that’s definitely not the band’s fault. I think Sam Bond’s doesn’t seem to have the acoustics for rock bands (this issue spilled over into David’s set, too). Anyway, Headlights = good. Check ’em out! Here’s the video for their song “Secrets“:
David went on with his band a little after 10pm. His band this time around is Blake Wescott on guitar, Andy Fitts on bas, and Alex Wescoat on drums. The set was filled with songs from his most recent solo album, Curse Your Branches, as well as older material – including a nice collection of Pedro the Lion and Headphones songs. Outsider of the aforementioned curse that Sam Bond’s Garage has on rock bands’ sound, it was a highly enjoyable show. The mix of tunes and passion with which David sings is fun to take in.
Setlist: about 75 minutes
- I Do (Pedro the Lion)
- Transcontinental (Pedro the Lion)
- Man in Me
- Please, Baby, Please
- June 18, 1976 (Pedro the Lion)
- Q&A #1
- When We Fell
- Magazine (Pedro the Lion)
- How I Remember
- When They Really Get To Know You, They Will Run (Pedro the Lion)
- Q&A #2
- Shit Talker (Headphones)
- Harmless Sparks
- Fewer Broken Pieces
- Q&A #3
- Bands With Managers (Pedro the Lion)
- Bad Diary Days (Pedro the Lion)
- Cold Beer and Cigarettes
- I Never Wanted You (Headphones)
- Penetration (Pedro the Lion)
- In Stitches
- No Encore
Personally, ending the show with “In Stitches” is perfect. That song sunk in with me last fall, especially the last verse…
When Job asked you a question,
You responded, “Who are you
to challenge your creator?”
Well if that one part is true
It makes you sound defensive
Like you had not thought it through
Like you didn’t have an answer
Like you bit off more than you could chew
So, yeah, the well documented pivot from religious to questioner to agnostic suits Bazan’s songwriting especially well in my book.
more photos below
SO, if you haven’t gotten it already, go check out his new live in the studio recording from his Fall 2009 band tour. Bazan: Live at Electric Audio is a great recording, and it’s out on CD, vinyl, or digital only (for insane people):
The Appropriate Linkage:
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Bill Frisell – Rambler
DAVID BAZAN & HEADLIGHTS PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Winter/Spring 2010 Tour Dates
- 03/03/10 Wed – Salem OR – Ike Box
- 03/04/10 Thu – Eugene OR – Sam Bond’s Garage
- 03/05/10 Fri – Sacramento CA – Blue Lamp
- 03/06/10 Sat – Visalia CA – Cellar Door
- 03/07/10 Sun – Santa Barbara CA – Soho
- 03/08/10 Mon – Long Beach CA – Alex’s Bar
- 03/09/10 Tue – Las Vegas NV – Beauty Bar
- 03/10/10 Wed – Phoenix AZ – Sail Inn
- 03/12/10 Fri – Norman OK – The Opolis
- 03/13/10 Sat – Springfield MO – Gallery Sounds
- 03/14/10 Sun – St Louis MO – Old Rock House
- 03/15/10 Mon – Newport KY – Southgate House
- 03/17/10 Wed – Nashville TN – Exit/In
- 03/18/10 Thu – Asheville NC – Grey Eagle
- 03/19/10 Fri – Columbia SC – New Brookland Tavern
- 03/20/10 Sat – Richmond VA – Alley Katz
- 03/21/10 Sun – Baltimore MD – The Ottobar
- 03/22/10 Mon – Philadelphia PA – First Unitarian Church
- 03/23/10 Tue – Brooklyn NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
- 03/27/10 Sat – Grantham PA – Messiah College
- 03/28/10 Sun – Columbus OH – The Summit
- 03/29/10 Mon – Bloomington IN – The Bishop
- 03/30/10 Tue – Grand Rapids MI – Calvin College
- 04/01/10 Thu – Iowa City IA – The Mill
- 04/02/10 Fri – Urbana IL – Canopy Club
- 04/03/10 Sat – DeKalb IL – House Cafe
- 04/04/10 Sun – Milwaukee WI – Pabst
- 04/05/10 Mon – St. Paul MN – Turf Club
- 04/06/10 Tue – Fargo ND – The Aquarium
- 04/08/10 Thu – Missoula MT – The Palace
- 04/09/10 Fri – Spokane WA – Empyrean
- 04/10/10 Sat – Bellingham WA – Western Washington University
REVIEW: Damien Jurado @ Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – 2/27/10)
I’ve been into Damien Jurado since the late-90s when his first Sub Pop record came out. I’d only had a few chances to see him play live, but it never seemed to work out. This weekend, since I was already up in Portland for the PDX Jazz Fest, I figured I could swing on over to Damien’s show at the Mississippi Studios after the Dave Holland Quintet show.
While I was “studying” for this show, I listened to Damien’s most recent album, 2008’s Caught in the Trees. Wow. I was reminded why I like this guy so much. Great songwriting in an unassuming package. Clever and gritty/lo-fi, but well crafted, melodically framed songs… quintessential indie rock. Damien has the honesty and drive in his lyrics a la Elliott Smith and Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan. There must be something about the Pacific Northwest that brings these things out in songwriters.
On to the show…
I got there late due to Dave Holland’s killer show across town. John Vecchiarelli was nearing the end of his set, but I caught his last four songs. I really liked him. He had a genuine voice (kind of reminded me of Jeffrey Foucault). John is from Portland; so hopefully I’ll get a chance to see him again soon.
Next up were another Portland group, The Robinsons (formerly of Viva Voce). They were a nice indie rock / americana duo, also from Portland. I had heard a little bit of their Viva Voce music before, but not much. They were good, and had nice melodies. They were a little bit folky and a little bit rocky. I imagine a fuller band setting would suit them very well. They played a short set (only about 30 minutes). They have a new album coming out soon under the bank moniker Blue Giant.
Up next was Damien Jurado. While his latest album, Caught in the Trees, was a more collaborative trio effort, this show was just Damien with a guitar and two vocal mics. The first 5 songs were completely new, and it struck me to the genius that is Damien Jurado (song names complete guesses below). He is a pure songwriter. I didn’t know these songs from Adam, but they captivated me completely. They are for an upcoming album called Saint Bartlett (out in May), and it is a collaboration between Damien and Richard Swift.
He played some older songs, as well as a few Caught in the Trees songs as well… serious help on setlist needed. Any help?
Setlist: 80 minutes
- Beacon Hill (aka “Return to Me”) (new)
- Kansas City (new)
- “I Could Float” (new)
- Arkansas (aka “Fade Out”) (new)
- Wherever I May Lay (aka “Finally Tasted the Dawn”) (new)
- Abilene
- Denton, TX
- Ohio (false start) into “Sound of Settling” spoof of Ben Gibbard
- Ohio (false start again, Damien couldn’t stop laughing)
- Harborview (aka “speak for me, would you”)
- Ohio
- Sheets
- Pear (new)
- I Am Still Here
- “Diamond Sea” (new)
- “not the best time to fall to pieces” (song title unknown)
- The Killer
- Lose My Head
- Encore: Wyoming Birds (aka “sorrow replaced our joy”) (song title unknown)
- Caskets
- Paperwings
I hope he continues to tour, at least in Seattle and Portland (the “quiet crowd” towns).
The Appropriate Linkage:
REVIEW: Van Dyke Parks with Clare & the Reasons @ Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – 2/10/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Van Dyke Parks is recognized around the world as a musical genius… he’s a brilliant session musician, composer, arranger, lyricist, and singer. He has contributed to many masterpieces (check out his rap sheet). He is most well known for his collaboration with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. While Brian is a prodigiously gifted composer, he was no lyricist, and needed one who could match the daring new music he was devising in his head. The result is their collaboration on the much vaunted SMiLE album.
I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of the Beach Boys. I just don’t care for their music. Well, I connected with Van Dyke Parks via a newer band… Silverchair (VDP did string arrangements for Diorama and Young Modern). Yeah, yeah… if you only knew them from 1995’s “Tomorrow” (from when they were 15 years old)… well, they’ve grown.
Anyway…
Van Dyke Parks rarely ever records or tours, putting at most one or two records per decade. When I heard about the shows via the Clare & the Reasons‘ email, I jumped at the chance of seeing both of these artists on the stage together. I had seen Clare & the Reasons open up for My Brightest Diamond back in Nov 2008, and I loved their French bohemian meets modern indie rock vibe.
There were only four shows slated for this rare double bill tour…
02.09.10 – Seattle, WA Triple Door
02.10.10 – Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
02.12.10 – San Francisco, CA Swedish American Hall
02.14.10 – Santa Monica, CA McCabe’s
This was only my second time up to the Mississippi Studios. I really like the intimate setting, even the crazy hovering piano. The last time I was there was for David Bazan in November. For the VDP & Clare show, I’m glad they had chairs down… whew. :)
Opener Josh Mease went on around 9pm and played 6 songs. He had a very gentle singer-songwriter style. His guitarwork was good, but his voice was simply superb (nice lyrics, too). Josh is on Frogstand Records, the same record label as Clare & The Reasons. I dug his own tunes more than the Randy Newman cover. For his last song, Clare & The Reasons came up to play with him…
Josh Mease’s Setlist: about 20 mins
- missing song name
- missing song name
- Marie (Randy Newman cover)
- Days Like This
- Eleanor
- Start Over (with Clare & The Reasons)
Clare & The Reasons stayed up after Josh’s last song and moved some instruments around (and subsequently lost a percussion brush). Off to a great start! :) They joked lightly about it and then… viola, they found it! Their set was a sandwich of Arrow songs, The Movie songs, and more Arrow songs.
Arrow came out late last year, but I didn’t get a chance to pick it up until yesterday. I also picked up Olivier Manchon’s brand new instrumental CD, Orchestre de Chambre Miniature Volume 1, with saxophonist John Ellis, Gregoire Maret (from a Herbie Hancock band), and more string and woodwind players. Check their albums out (click pictures below)…
What I love about the band is not just limited to Clare Manchon’s vocals, but also the wonderful multi-instrumentation from Olivier and the well rounded guitarist and upright bassist. The set was full of great percussion, strings, garbage ukelele, french horn, pizzicato strings, a borrowed saw, acoustic & electric guitars, and sublime vocals. Van Dyke Parks & Josh Mease joined them on stage for their next to last song… (apparently Bill Frisell also joined them on stage up at the Seattle show).
Clare & the Reason’s Setlist: about an hour
- You Got Time
- All the Wine
- Perdue A Paris
- Ooh You Hurt Me So
- Wake Up (You Sleepy Head)
- You Getting Me
- This Is The Story
- Alphabet City
- Pluton
- Pluto
- Our Team Is Grand
- Love Can Be A Crime (with VDP & Josh)
- That’s All (Genesis cover)
Van Dyke Parks came on after a short break. He was seated at the piano and brought The Reasons (sans Clare) as his backing band. They started out with a great instrumental piece. The rest of the songs we heard were poppier tunes with some great instrumentation (as expected). VDP is an amazing pianist and composer. His voice wasn’t superb or sublime, but it fit the songs. I wasn’t familiar with his songs, but of the ones he announced while we were there… Opportunity for Two, Orange Crate Art, and Sail Away.
VDP was also a great banterer in between songs. Usually short, but funny… one of my faves was “my wife thinks that ‘cook’ is a noun.”
We only stayed for half of his scheduled hour-long set (as we had a 2 hour drive back home), but it was a great set of tunes. If anyone has the complete VDP setlist, let me know.
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Van Dyke Park’s Site
- VDP on MySpace
- A VDP fan’s review of the show on Oregon Live
- Clare & The Reason’s Site
- Clare & The Reason on MySpace
- Josh Mease’s Site
- Josh Mease on MySpace
- Mississippi Studios
~Dan – np: Sade – Soldier of Love
VAN DYKE PARKS, CLARE & the REASONS and JOSH MEASE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: The Album Leaf @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 2/9/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So, I just saw The Album Leaf & Sea Wolf show up in Portland on Friday. Last night’s show wasn’t much different… which means… highly enjoyable. Since I’m in the midst of “work a ton because I chose the path of becoming a CPA and now is the rough work schedule” month, I’ll keep my comments brief – but include setlists and photos, of course.
The main difference for the Eugene show was the lack of string quartet – but where I was in the crowd for the Portland show, I didn’t get much of the string quartet in my ears anyway. It was about a half-packed WOW Hall, which was good for a Tuesday. Sea Wolf was great. I was more familiar with their songs, and I really started digging them. Same 45 minute set as Portland.
Sea Wolf’s Setlist:
- White Water
- Winter Windows
- Dew in the Grass
- Black Leaf Falls
- Middle Distance Runner
- The Traitor
- O’ Maria
- Turn the Dirt Over
- Wicked Blood
- You’re a Wolf
The Album Leaf came on around 10pm. I could definitely hear more strings this time around, even though there was only the primary violinist and not a whole quartet. Again, that was more due to my location at Portland’s show. They played the same setlist as Portland. I was digging the new songs, as I had gotten a few days now to let the album sink in. I could tell Jimmy was having some problems with his in-ear monitor during a few songs. Overall, the sound quality wasn’t as good in Eugene as in Portland. I moved around the venue and it seemed way more bass heavy than is normal for TAL. All in all, though, a great set…
The Album Leaf’s Setlist:
- Perro
- Blank Pages
- There is a Wind
- Within Dreams
- Falling from the Sun
- Stand Still
- 2214
- Outer Banks
- Shine
- Until the Last
- We Are
- Almost There
- Wherever I Go
- Encore: Always For You
- Red Eye
- Tied Knots
many more photos below
Definitely check out The Album Leaf’s new album, A Chorus of Storytellers…
The Appropriate Linkage:
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Sachi Hayasaka – Minga
THE ALBUM LEAF and SEA WOLF PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Album Leaf Spring 2010 World Tour Dates
- Feb 3: Sacramento, CA @ Harlows
- Feb 5: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 6: Seattle, WA @ Neumos (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 7: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater(w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 8: Bellingham, WA @ Nightlight Lounge
- Feb 9: Eugene , OR @ WOW Hall
- Feb 11: Santa Cruz @ The Crepe Place
- Feb 12: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 13: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 25: Lisbon, Portugal @ Lisbon Santiago Alquimista
- Feb 26: Madrid, Spain @ Moby Dick
- Feb 27: Bilboa, Spain @ 12 & Medio
- Feb 28: Barcelona, Spain @ Apollo 2
- Mar 2: Toulouse, France @ Le Phare
- Mar 3: Milan, Italy @ Circolo Milano
- Mar 4: Lucerne, Switzerland @ Sudpol Club
- Mar 5: Dunidgen (Bern), Switzerland @ @ Bad Bonn
- Mar 6: Sankt Gallen, Switzerland @ Theater Palace
- Mar 7: Munich, Germany @ Feierwerk
- Mar 9: Vienna, Austria @ Szene
- Mar 10: Dresden, Germany @ BeatPol
- Mar 11: Berlin, Germany @ Lido
- Mar 12: Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
- Mar 13: Rotterdam, Holland @ Rotown
- Mar 14: Koln, Germany @ Gebauude 9
- Mar 16: Antwerp, Belgium @ Club Trix
- Mar 17: Colmar, France @ Kraken
- Mar 18: Heidelberg, Germany @ Karlstorbahnhof
- Mar 19: Paris, France @ Maroquinerie
- Mar 20: Lille, France @ L’ Aeronef
- Mar 21: Bristol, UK @ The Thekla
- Mar 22 Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
- Mar 23: London, UK @ Bush Hall
- Apr 2: Tokyo, Japan @ Shibuya Ax
- Apr 3: Nagoya, Japan @ Club Quatrro
- Apr 4: Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro
- Apr 7: Hong Kong @ Grappa’s Cellar
- Apr 9: Taipei, Taiwan @ The Wall Live House
And just announced on Feb 3rd (and from Pollstar; so a different format)…
- Tue 04/20/10 – Tucson, AZ – Plush
- Wed 04/21/10 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
- Thu 04/22/10 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
- Fri 04/23/10 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
- Sat 04/24/10 – St. Louis, MO – Luminary Center For The Arts
- Sun 04/25/10 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
- Tue 04/27/10 – Grand Rapids, MI – Ladies Literary Club
- Wed 04/28/10 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
- Thu 04/29/10 – Montreal, QC – Music Hall
- Fri 04/30/10 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
- Sat 05/01/10 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
- Sun 05/02/10 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
- Tue 05/04/10 – Washington, DC – Rock And Roll Hotel
- Wed 05/05/10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
- Thu 05/06/10 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft At Center Stage
- Fri 05/07/10 – Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
- Sat 05/08/10 – Orlando, FL – The Social
- Mon 05/10/10 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
- Tue 05/11/10 – Austin, TX – The Parish Room
- Fri 05/14/10 – San Diego, CA – Birch North Park Theatre
REVIEW: The Album Leaf @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 2/5/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I got into The Album Leaf back in 2004 with In a Safe Place after hearing about the Sigur Rós collaborative songs (and Icelandic former-swimming pool studio). I’ve been a fan of frontman Jimmy LaValle ever since In a Safe Place, which also spanned into a love of his prior band, Tristeza. His mold of organically-infused electronic post-rock fits me well. I missed him on his last time through (Jan 2009); so I vowed not to let it happen again… so this time, I’m hitting both Portland and Eugene, Oregon.
We got to the venue, got our tickets and ran off to grab some unfortunately salty grub (East End Bar must own stock in Morton’s). After a speedy walk back, we arrived back at the Doug Fir shortly after Sea Wolf started . They are an indie rock band from Los Angeles, and played a solid 45 minute set…
Sea Wolf’s Setlist:
(as per stage copy)
- White Water
- Winter Windows
- Dew in the Grass
- Black Leaf Falls
- Middle Distance Runner
- The Traitor
- O’ Maria
- Turn the Dirt Over
- Wicked Blood
- You’re a Wolf
Sea Wolf reminded me a lot of Wilco… maybe it was singer/guitarist Alex Church’s vocals. They have a roots rock meets singer-songwriter vibe that hearkened to Wilco in my mind. They busted out a harder rock tune (in comparison to The Album Leaf), but also had nice cello throughout their set. Great opener… I’m looking forward to Eugene’s show to hear more.
After a short break (and a move to the front), The Album Leaf (aka TAL) came on. The Portland show featured the Anomie Belle String Quartet (shown at the left), which presumably added nice textures to the already large, six piece band. Where we were lopcated, we could barely hear them.
With this new album (see below), Jimmy opened up the recording to more than just himself as well. Previous records were more in the “one man band” realm, with a band assembled for tours. It was nice to the see the band that hit the studio with him on A Chorus of Storytellers play those same songs live. The band was Jimmy LaValle, Matt Resovich, Drew Andrews, Gram LeBron, Tim Reece, and Andrew Pates – all on various instruments.
Being the first time seeing TAL, I honestly had no idea what to expect. We lucked out in the placement department… as Jimmy’s gear was right in front of us.
I was skeptical if the studio lushness would translate to the stage. Quite frankly, I think the electronic post-rock goodness, complete with drum machine and a regular drummer, worked out fantastically. They played a lot of material from the new record, which fit in well with earlier songs…
The Album Leaf’s Setlist: about stellar 80 minutes
- Perro
- Blank Pages
- There is a Wind
- Within Dreams * fave of the night *
- Falling from the Sun
- Stand Still * fave of the night *
- 2214 * fave of the night *
- Outer Banks * fave of the night *
- Shine
- Until the Last
- We Are
- Almost There
- Wherever I Go
- Encore: Always For You
- Red Eye * fave of the night *
- Tied Knots
The band members switched around on instruments. Jimmy played several different keyboards, including a Moog and a modulator of some sort. Other members pitched in on keyboards when a violin, trumpet, small vibraphone, bass, or guitar weren’t in their hands. While I still associate TAL as a primarily instrumental band in my mind, their last few albums have had increasingly more vocals. I’d estimate a 1/3 to a 1/2 of the songs had vocals last night – covered by Jimmy, but with frequent backing vocals from various band members. My friend who went along with me commented that the songs seemed fairly similar throughout the show. Alas, I suppose that’s the rub with TAL, but I dug it fairly well.
many more live photos below
I’ll also be at the Eugene show on Tuesday; so check back for that review next week. Oh, and definitely check out The Album Leaf’s new album, A Chorus of Storytellers. I got it at the show, and it is fantastic!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- The Album Leaf’s Site
- TAL’s MySpace
- Sea Wolf’s Site
- Sea Wolf on MySpace
- Anomie Belle String Quartet on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: The Album Leaf – A Chorus of Storytellers
THE ALBUM LEAF and SEA WOLF PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Album Leaf Spring 2010 World Tour Dates
- Feb 3: Sacramento, CA @ Harlows
- Feb 5: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 6: Seattle, WA @ Neumos (w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 7: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater(w/Anomie Belle String Quartet)
- Feb 8: Bellingham, WA @ Nightlight Lounge
- Feb 9: Eugene , OR @ WOW Hall
- Feb 11: Santa Cruz @ The Crepe Place
- Feb 12: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 13: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater (w/Magik*Magik String Quartet)
- Feb 25: Lisbon, Portugal @ Lisbon Santiago Alquimista
- Feb 26: Madrid, Spain @ Moby Dick
- Feb 27: Bilboa, Spain @ 12 & Medio
- Feb 28: Barcelona, Spain @ Apollo 2
- Mar 2: Toulouse, France @ Le Phare
- Mar 3: Milan, Italy @ Circolo Milano
- Mar 4: Lucerne, Switzerland @ Sudpol Club
- Mar 5: Dunidgen (Bern), Switzerland @ @ Bad Bonn
- Mar 6: Sankt Gallen, Switzerland @ Theater Palace
- Mar 7: Munich, Germany @ Feierwerk
- Mar 9: Vienna, Austria @ Szene
- Mar 10: Dresden, Germany @ BeatPol
- Mar 11: Berlin, Germany @ Lido
- Mar 12: Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
- Mar 13: Rotterdam, Holland @ Rotown
- Mar 14: Koln, Germany @ Gebauude 9
- Mar 16: Antwerp, Belgium @ Club Trix
- Mar 17: Colmar, France @ Kraken
- Mar 18: Heidelberg, Germany @ Karlstorbahnhof
- Mar 19: Paris, France @ Maroquinerie
- Mar 20: Lille, France @ L’ Aeronef
- Mar 21: Bristol, UK @ The Thekla
- Mar 22 Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
- Mar 23: London, UK @ Bush Hall
- Apr 2: Tokyo, Japan @ Shibuya Ax
- Apr 3: Nagoya, Japan @ Club Quatrro
- Apr 4: Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro
- Apr 7: Hong Kong @ Grappa’s Cellar
- Apr 9: Taipei, Taiwan @ The Wall Live House
And just announced on Feb 3rd (and from Pollstar; so a different format)…
- Tue 04/20/10 – Tucson, AZ – Plush
- Wed 04/21/10 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
- Thu 04/22/10 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
- Fri 04/23/10 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
- Sat 04/24/10 – St. Louis, MO – Luminary Center For The Arts
- Sun 04/25/10 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
- Tue 04/27/10 – Grand Rapids, MI – Ladies Literary Club
- Wed 04/28/10 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
- Thu 04/29/10 – Montreal, QC – Music Hall
- Fri 04/30/10 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
- Sat 05/01/10 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
- Sun 05/02/10 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
- Tue 05/04/10 – Washington, DC – Rock And Roll Hotel
- Wed 05/05/10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
- Thu 05/06/10 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft At Center Stage
- Fri 05/07/10 – Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
- Sat 05/08/10 – Orlando, FL – The Social
- Mon 05/10/10 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
- Tue 05/11/10 – Austin, TX – The Parish Room
- Fri 05/14/10 – San Diego, CA – Birch North Park Theatre
REVIEW: Fulero + Day’s Elliott Smith Tribute @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene, OR – 1/23/10)
I had two shows last night… first was the Bill Frisell Trio. I’ll post that review later today (or first thing Monday morning). After the show I rode over to Sam Bond’s Garage and got there right around 9:30. There was Elliott Smith music already going on. I was confused, as I knew the band was supposed to be a duo, but this was just one guy doing Elliott Smith tunes. I found at after the fact that I had walked in on the first song (yay!). I guess the Elliott Smith tribute duo of Fulero + Day had an Elliott Smith solo tributer go before them. I caught him name as Scotty Paray, but the spelling may be suspect. No doubling up on songs, from what I stuck around for…
Scotty Paray’s Setlist
- Son of Sam
- Can’t Make a Sound
- Happiness
- Alameda
- A Living Will
- Miss Misery
Scotty was good, switched between keyboard and guitar. Perhaps not all that strong in the vocal category, but Elliott’s songs shone through, and Scotty’s effort was evident (the crowd was a bit noisy/talky, though). Fulero + Day came on shortly after Scotty was done. It was Asher Fulero on keyboard and Nathan Day on guitar. They switched off in the vocal category. Great tribute, and again, despite the noisy crowd, Elliott’s songs shone through.
Fulero + Day’s Setlist
- Pretty (Ugly Before)
- Bottle Up and Explode
- No Name #4
- Clementine
- Rose Parade
- Sweet Adeline
- Coast to Coast
- Baby Britain
- Somebody’s Baby
- (…the show continued whereas I didn’t…)
I left around 10:30pm… partly because it had been a long day, but a lot to do with the annoying, loud & talky crowd. I caught an hour of great songs that made me remember seeing Elliott play many of them himself back in 2000 at Southgate House in Newport, KY. He is missed.
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Wayne Shorter – Juju
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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Raquy & the Cavemen @ Joe’s (Eugene, OR – 9/24/09)
In Cincinnati, we got to see Raquy Danziger, Liron Peled, and the rest of the Cavemen about twice a year due to the large tribal bellydance scene. Well, luckily, Raquy’s sister lives in Eugene; so we get a visit roughly once a year. They always put on a great show, full of wonderful percussive world rhythms.
I’d never been to Joe’s Bar & Grill… if I get a chance, I hope I’ll choose not to go again (or at least on a Thursday). You see, last night, besides the four different sources on the web with different start times and openers listed, was “ladies night.” So, during Raquy’s set, we got a nice dose of “two drunk ‘ladies’ shouting too loudly over the music.” One girl was literally explaining in a PhD dissertation-length exchange about how her phone was ringing, that she was going to pick it up, that she did pick it up, that she was going to talk on it, and then the volume didn’t decrease much when she was talking on it. It must have been listed as “classy ladies night” in the local paper.
Despite prior interweb research, the Ruins of Ooah (a local band) was not the opener, but rather the last band. We didn’t stick around for them, but I’ll try to catch them at another venue around town. Up first was Mood Area 52 (a local bohemian/gypsy-style band). They usually have a larger band, but last night was just accordian/vocals, cello, and double bass. The cellist, Amy Danziger, is actually Raquy’s aforementioned sister who is Eugene-local. I’ve seen MA52 several times, but usually in a more “secondary” setting… meaning, they happen to be playing I stop by for a few songs during a Saturday Market, art walk, or coffee shop visit. They played about 6 songs over 30 minutes. They weren’t mic’ed at all, but it didn’t seem to matter. They missed the loud lady convention that seemingly descended on the venue during Raquy’s set. MA52 was quite delightful, and I recommend them if they’re playing and you’re in town.
Raquy and the Caveman hit the stage around 9:45 or so. This time it was sans Nezih (only a Raquy & Liron duo band). We had caught their long-ish soundcheck, and due to it being a “school night” only stuck around until about 10:30 for their main set. They started out with several dual dumbek / dumset* songs… mostly fast, showing off both Raquy’s and Liron’s insane percussive skills. We left shortly after their song that featured Raquy on kemenche (a Persion stringed instrument) and Liron on a Liron-custom 11-string guitar (stringed and tuned with a saz in mind). A great performance by both of them… we wished we could have mustered up enough to stay longer. Next year, we shall!
*-The “dumset” is a small set-up by Liron with a dumbek set up to a kick pedal, a dumbek in hand, cymbals, riq, etc. It’s played like a regular drumset.
Raquy & the Cavemen’s fifth album, Bewitched, is out now. We picked it up at the show, and I look forward to spinning it today. Click the picture for more information on the new release:
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Raquy and the Cavemen’s Official Site
- Raquy and the Cavemen on MySpace
- Mood Area 52
- Mood Ares 52 on MySpace
- Ruins of Ooah
- Ruins of Ooah on MySpace
- Joe’s Bar & Grill
~Dan – np: Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
REVIEW: Sunny Day Real Estate @ Crystal Ballroom MFNW (Portland, OR – 9/18/09)
(photo: Rebecca Blissett, from Vancouver show)
I saw Sunny Day Real Estate in Oct 2000 on the Rising Tide Tour (Bogart’s in Cincinnati), which would ultimately be their last. I had a few chances to see Jeremy Enigk solo or The Fire Theft, but the shows never meshed with my schedule. Seeing as I count the 2000 SDRE show as one of my favorite shows of all -time (Top 25 at least), I was soooooo stoked when it was announced that they were getting back together for a tour.
This was only my second time at McMennamin’s Crystal Ballroom. The room was packed with tons of Music Fest Northwest (MFNW) people; so I’m hoping the hardcore SDRE fans got in. The venue was set-up like most Portland venues with the odd barrier between the drinkers and the youngins’. This was one of the rare shows of late where I don’t think I saw anyone younger than 25.
The opener, The Jealous Sound, were pretty good. I listened to them on MySpace before the show and they seemed like a pretty good power pop/rock band. At the show, the sound was a little muddled, but I could still get a good feel for their groove. Maybe like a slightly less hooky Heatmiser? I don’t know… they’re definitely worth checking out.
No cameras were supposed to be allowed in the venue last night (I asked). Yet, when I get in (without my camera), I see a few people with cameras. Damn me for asking. :( Anyway, Rebecca Blissett’s photos from Vancouver will suffice as my pictorial show of the reunited SDRE…
SDRE’s set went by blisteringly fast. They played a solid hour plus before leaving for a short break before their 3 song encore. Jeremy’s voice was on top of its game, yet as indecipherable as usual. I think he ranks up their with Karin Bergquist of Over the Rhine as misheard lyric contributor. :) The rest of the band seemed really tight. The “muddliness” of the opener’s set seemed to be cleared up. And while Sunny Day haven’t been a cohesive unit for 8-9 years, they sure seemed like one tonight. It seems like they didn’t miss a beat at all.
Setlist: 80+ mins
- Friday
- Seven *a fave of the night*
- Red Elephant
- Song About An Angel
- Grendel
- Shadows
- Inscarabaid
- 47
- Theo B
- 10 [new song]
- 48
- Sometimes
- Encore: In Circles *a fave of the night*
- Spade & Parade
- J’Nuh *a fave of the night*
They only played material from their first two discs at this show (they have played at least “Guitar & Video Games” off of How It Feels to Be Something On on this tour), which was kind of odd. And I know, this may be heresy, but I really love their last album the best (2000’s The Rising Tide). It’s probably just a factor of when I got into them as a band. So, as far as the only downside, that was it. But the fact that they wrote a new song as recent as a week or so ago… well, that bodes well for future album(s) & tour(s).
Sunny Day Real Estate’s Diary & LP2 (aka Pink) have been remastered and re-released by Sub Pop in 2009 (click pictures for info). No word on a remaster of How It Feels to Be Something On, though… hmm…
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sunny Day Real Estate‘s Official Site
- Sunny Day Real Estate on MySpace
- Jeremy Enigk on MySpace
- The Fire Theft on MySpace
- Spin‘s SDRE – Vancouver Review(2nd reunion show, 9/17)
- The Jealous Sound
- The Jealous Sound MySpace
- Crystal Ballroom
- Music Fest NW
SDRE on Jimmy Fallon (9/29/09)
~Dan – np: Pearl Jam – Backspacer
no free download or torrent available here
SDRE Reunion Tourdates
09-17 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
09-18 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (MusicFest NW)
09-20 Murray, UT – Murray Theater
09-21 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater
09-23 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
09-24 Chicago, IL – Metro
09-25 Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
09-27 New York, NY – Terminal Five
09-28 Boston, MA – House of Blues
09-30 Washington, D.C. – 930 Club
10-01 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
10-03 Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage
10-05 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
10-06 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live – Ballroom
10-07 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
10-09 Tempe, AZ – Marquee
10-10 Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
10-11 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theater
10-13 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
10-15 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
10-16 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theater
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,
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-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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