Archive
Wussy @ Alhambra Theatre (Portland, OR – 6/21/14)
I know, it’s been a while since blogging… took too long of a hiatus. At any rate, Cincinnati indie rock band Wussy has a new album out now — Attica! And they just swung through Portland. Here’s what they played…
Teenage Wasteland
Rainbows and Butterflies
Bug
Pulverized
Pizza King
Mountain of Tires
Gene I Dream
To The Lightning
Happiness Bleeds
Muscle Cars
Maglite
Death by Misadventure
Yellow Cotton Dress
Beautiful
Encore: Airborne
Don’t Leave Just Now (not on printed setlist)
Rigor Mortis
My photos below…
~Dan – np: Wussy – Attica!
PALMS’ ‘Future Warrior’ (music video)
One of my favorite albums this year so far is by PALMS, the post-rock super group made up of the Deftones’ Chino Moreno and three-fifths of post-rock icons ISIS,. Well, they finally released a video for “Future Warriors” (a fave track off the debut album)… a creepy love story with an explosive ending.
Get the PALMS debut on Ipecac over HERE for dirt cheap (less than $6):
~Dan – np: Puscifer – All Remixed Up
PHOTOS: Secret Chiefs 3 – The Seattle Residency (5/7/13 & 5/8/13)
Better late than never, I got the Secret Chiefs 3 Seattle residency photos edited. Two days and four amazing sets by this amazing band. Go here for the SUNSET 5/7 SETLISTS (UR & Ishraqiyun) and here for the CROCODILE 5/8 SETLISTS (John Zorn’s Masada Book Two: Xaphan & FORMS).
Note: The new album, Book of Souls: Folio 1, originally announced to come out in May has now been pushed back.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Secret Chiefs 3 / Web of Mimicry Record Label Site
- Secret Chiefs 3 on Facebook
- My Other Related Reviews~
- SC3 in Oregon 2012 (Eugene & Portland – Feb 2012)
- SC3 @ Doug Fir (Portland – Aug 2008)
- SC3 @ Bowery (NYC – Mar 2007)
- (Timba’s old band) Estradasphere @ 2nd Story (Bloomington, IN – Oct 2006)
- The Sunset’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
- The Crocodile’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
SECRET CHIEFS 3 PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2013 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Secret Chiefs 3 – 2013 SPRING RESIDENCY TOUR
Seattle, WA
Tue May 7, 2013 @ The Sunset
Wed May 8, 2013 @ The Crocodile
San Francisco, CA
Fri May 10, 2013 @ Cafe Du Nord
Sat May 11, 2013 @ Cafe Du Nord
Los Angeles, CA
Sun May 12, 2013 @ Bootleg Bar
Tue May 14, 2013 @ Bootleg Bar
New York, NY
Fri May 17, 2013 @ Mercury Lounge
Brooklyn, NY
Sat May 18, 2013 @ Union Pool
Sun May 19, 2013 @ Union Pool
Chicago, IL
Tue May 21, 2013 @ Schubas Tavern
Wed May 22, 2013 @ Beat Kitchen
Toronto, ON
Fri May 24, 2013 @ The Drake
Sat May 25, 2013 @ The Drake
New York, NY @ The Stone (6 nights, 12 shows)
May 28, 2013
8pm: UR
10pm: FORMS etc.
May 29, 2013
8pm: Tesselations / Magic Squares
10pm: Ishraqiyun
May 30, 2013
8pm: FORMS etc. (expanded set + new material)
10pm: Xaphan
May 31, 2013
8pm: John Carpenter tribute + new material from Forms, UR, etc.
10pm: Tessellation 2: with guests Ches Smith and Gyan Riley
Jun 01, 2013
8pm: FORMS (new material adding Ches Smith, pipe organ favorites etc)
10pm: Ishraqiyun Kenny/Ches double-drum Cthulu mutations.
Jun 02, 2013
8pm: Final SC3 set, best of Stone week recap (with Ches Smith & Kenny Grohowski)
10pm: Masada (adding Gyan Riley to previous ensemble, the whole crew)
SETLIST: David Bazan @ Gutenberg College (Eugene, OR – 4/24/13)
David Bazan is off on another jaunt of a 40+ house concert tour. Last night’s show at the McKenzie Study Center at Gutenberg College wasn’t technically a “house,” but it still had that living room feel.
He showed up a tad late, but after quickly setting up, he entertained a few questions and then kicked into his set…
Setlist: about 75 minutes
- Q&A #1
- Hot Girls [Headphones]
- Fewer Broken Pieces
- Big Trucks [Pedro the Lion]
- Man In Me [Bob Dylan]
- Q&A #2
- “I write it down for what it’s worth” [new song, no title mentioned]
- Hard To Be
- Virginia
- Shit Talker [Headphones]
- Q&A #3
- Wolves At The Door
- Selling Advertising
- Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives [Pedro the Lion]
- Q&A #4
- The Fleecing [Pedro the Lion]
- Cold Beer and Cigarettes
- Q&A #5
- Strange Negotiations
No Encore
Some Bazan-related news…
1) His newest side-project Overseas is up for pre-order now. If you pre-order it, you get a download of the full album immediately. I got it a couple weeks ago, and I dig it. Overseas is David Bazan, Will Johnson, Matt Kadane and Bubba Kadane…. and in the 2nd Q&A I asked if they were going to tour. He said that they will likely do a limited set of dates: a few Texas dates, New York area dates, and then a limited West Coast run (LA, SF, Portland, Seattle).
2) On this tour, though he didn’t have them available last night, is a art print that comes with a download code for a Covers EP. He didn’t have them last night, but noted that we could buy it online (soon) without shipping fees. He should have them soon on some of the other dates on this tour. He mentioned the Bob Dylan cover, Radiohead’s “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box,” and a few others will be included.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- David Bazan’s Site
- David Bazan’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- House Show (Portland, OR – Feb 2012)
- Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – Dec 2011)
- House Show (Eugene, OR – Sep 2011)
- Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – Mar 2010)
- Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – Nov 2009)
- House Show (Eugene, OR – Jul 2009)
- The Indigo (Eugene, OR – Dec 2007)
This was his second date of this tour… check out more tour dates below (sorry, many are already sold out).
Next show for me… Infected Mushroom at McDonald Theater (4/25).
~Dan – np: Pet Bottle Ningen – Non-Recyclable
David Bazan – Spring 2013 House Show Tour
04/23/13 Tue – Portland OR – SOLD OUT
04/24/13 Wed – Eugene OR – SOLD OUT
04/25/13 Thu – Redding CA
04/26/13 Fri – Sacramento CA – SOLD OUT
04/27/13 Sat – San Francisco CA – SOLD OUT
04/28/13 Sun – Hollister CA
04/29/13 Mon – OFF
04/30/13 Tue – Los Angeles CA – SOLD OUT
05/01/13 Wed – Costa Mesa CA – SOLD OUT
05/02/13 Thu – Riverside CA – SOLD OUT
05/03/13 Fri – San Diego CA – SOLD OUT
05/04/13 Sat – Tucson AZ – SOLD OUT
05/05/13 Sun – Phoenix AZ – SOLD OUT
05/06/13 Mon – OFF
05/07/13 Tue – Graham TX
05/08/13 Wed – San Antonio TX – SOLD OUT
05/09/13 Thu – Houston TX – SOLD OUT
05/10/13 Fri – Baton Rouge LA
05/11/13 Sat – New Orleans LA – SOLD OUT
05/12/13 Sun – OFF
05/13/13 Mon – Orlando FL – SOLD OUT
05/14/13 Tue – Jacksonville FL – SOLD OUT
05/15/13 Wed – Augusta GA – SOLD OUT
05/16/13 Thu – Atlanta GA – SOLD OUT
05/17/13 Fri – Columbus GA
05/18/13 Sat – Birmingham AL – SOLD OUT
05/19/13 Sun – Memphis TN
05/20/13 Mon – OFF
05/21/13 Tue – St Louis MO – SOLD OUT
05/22/13 Wed – Kansas City MO – SOLD OUT
05/23/13 Thu – Tulsa OK – SOLD OUT
05/24/13 Fri – Oklahoma City OK – SOLD OUT
05/25/13 Sat – Lubbock TX
05/26/13 Sun – Los Alamos NM
05/27/13 Mon – Prescott AZ
05/28/13 Tue – Las Vegas NV
05/29/13 Wed – OFF
05/30/13 Thu – Davis CA
05/31/13 Fri – Chico CA – SOLD OUT
06/01/13 Sat – Phoenix OR (Medford)
06/02/13 Sun – Portland OR – SOLD OUT
SETLIST: Prince @ Roseland Theater {8pm show} (Portland, OR – 4/21/13)
One of two shows on Sunday night in Portland, Prince & 3rd Eye Girl definitely wowed Roseland Theater for the 8pm show… here’s what he played…
8pm Setlist: just shy of 2 hours
- Let’s Go Crazy
- Endorphinmachine
- Screwdriver
- Dolphin
- Guitar
- Plectrum Electrum
- She’s Always in My Hair
- I Like It There
- FixUrLifeUp
- I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
- Colonized Mind
- Bambi
- Encore 1: 2 Young 2 Dare
- Cause and Effect
- Encore 2: Purple Rain
Prelim setlist based on prince.org forums. Not necessarily complete or in order. If you have corrections or more complete info, please let me know!
I have so much more respect for Prince as a musician and guitarist. He puts on an amazing show… and totally shreds, too!
For the 11pm show, check out setlist.fm.
~Dan – np: Mike Patton – The Place Beyond the Pines soundtrack
PHOTOS: Booker T Jones, Charlie Hunter & Carlton Jackson @ Soul’d Out Music Fest (Dante’s, Portland – 4/14/13)
The first time ever playing together, Booker T Jones (keys, voice, guitar), Charlie Hunter (guitar magic) and Carlton Jackson (drums) ripped up a 70 minute set at the Soul’d Out Music Festival last night at Dante’s in Portland. Booker T. actually played on many of, if not all of, the studio recordings of the classics played last night… such a legend!!
Here are some photos and the setlist:
Setlist: ~70 minutes
- Hip Hug-Her
- Melting Pot
- Born Under a Bad Sign (Albert King cover)
- Green Onions
- Oh Pretty Woman (Albert King cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding cover)
- Take Me to the River (Al Green cover)
- Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover)
- Time Is Tight
- I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (Otis Redding cover)
- Encore: Unknown (by me)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Booker T. Jones’ Site
- Charlie Hunter’s Site
- Carlton Jackson’s Site
- My Other Related Reviews/Photos~
- Charlie Hunter Trio @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene – Dec 2010)
- Charlie Hunter @ WOW Hall (Eugene – May 2010)
- Dante’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
- Soul’d Out Music Festival’s Site / Facebook
~Dan
REVIEW: Tomahawk @ Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR – 2/13/13)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Being a longtime Mike Patton fan, I got into Tomahawk right when the self-titled debut hit in 2001. Mike Patton stated early on that Tomahawk was led by Duane Denison (from The Jesus Lizard). It comes and goes at Duane’s pace. With that, Tomahawk has tended to change a fair bit from album to album. While Mit Gas (2003) was fairly similar to the debut in approach, the shape-shifting sound really caught me off-guard with their Native American-inspired third album – Anonymous (2007).
Their latest album, Oddfellows, hit two weeks ago. I’ve let it sink in a bit. It’s a bit more “straight-forward” rock than their prior albums. Still some Patton & Denison-isms thrown in to make it buck the normal rock trend. Overall, it’s a solid record and I’ve been warming up nicely to it, getting ready for the show.
Their official video for the song “Oddfellows” came out late last week. This is the one song on the album that I could see on the final Faith No More album (sandwiched in between Home Sick Home & Pristina perhaps)… it just has that “feel” to me…
The opener was Retox… and they played 30 minutes of homogenous tunes that were fairly screamy with muddy-drumming. Nothing else to say there…
Tomahawk hit the stage a bit later than expected… at about 10pm after a 45-minute loop of the “Tomahawk Chop” chant (think Atlanta Braves cheering section, but with no game). The band this go around is the previously mentioned Mike Patton on vocals/keys/sounds and Duane Denison on guitars with original Helmet drummer John Stanier and Mr. Bungle/Fantômas/Trio Convulsant/many more groups/NYC jazz bassist Trevor Dunn.
They played a great mix from their four records – showcasing the difference in the band’s catalog and the variety in Patton’s voice. As this was the start to the tour, they seemed amped to be out there. At one point during “God Hates A Coward,” Patton got a bit overzealous and yanked the cord out of his mic. He got us to help him out, and while that’s oddly not a song where the “crowd takes over” technique would seem to fit, we worked through the technical difficulty well.
Setlist: about 90 minutes
- Oddfellows
- Flashback
- 101 North
- Stone Letter
- Birdsong
- Rape This Day
- Baby Let’s Play ____
- Capt. Midnight
- White Hats / Black Hats
- God Hates a Coward
- I.O.U.
- Rotgut
- South Paw
- Point and Click
- Waratorium
- Laredo
- Encore 1: Totem
- Stalkin’ [Duane Eddy]
- *Encore 2: Pay To Cum [Bad Brains]
- Just One More [George Jones]
*per FB & Setlist.fm commenters
Apparently they came back on after the 1st encore. The house lights had already come on, and I was out the door before I heard anything; alas, I missed the 2nd encore. Damn! I’m still stoked to have gotten to see them live – it had been far too long!
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Tomahawk’s Site (Ipecac Records)
- Tomahawk’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Retox’s Site / Facebook
- Other Related Reviews~
- Trevor Dunn solo (Eugene – Jan 2012)
- Moonchild Trio (Seattle – Nov 2007)
- Trevor Dunn solo (Eugene – Jan 2012)
- Wonder Ballroom’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
This was only the second date of the West Coast U.S. Tour; so definitely check out more tour dates below. They’re hitting Australia after the U.S. West Coast and then hitting the rest of the U.S. hopefully later in the year.
Next show for me… two shows at the PDX Jazz Fest next weekend in Portland (Steve Kuhn Trio & Steven Bernstein’s Sex Mob).
~Dan – np: Tomahawk – Mit Gas
TOMAHAWK PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2013 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Tomahawk – West Coast & Australia 2013 Tour
- 2/12 Seattle, WA Showbox at the Market
- 2/13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
- 2/15 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
- 2/16 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
- 2/17 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
- 2/19 Los Angeles, CA The Mayan
- 2/23 Brisbane, AUS RNA Showgrounds
- 2/24 Sydney, AUS Olympic Park
- 2/26 Sydney, AUS Metro Theatre
- 2/27 Melbourne, AUS Billboard the Venue
- 3/1 Melbourne, AUS Flemington Racecourse
- 3/2 Adelaide, AUS Bonython Park
- 3/4 Perth, AUS Claremont Showground
- 3/30 Sao Paolo, BR Lollapalooza Brazil
- 4/2 Buenos Aires, AR Malvinas Argentinas Stadium
- 4/4 Santiago, CH Teatro La Cupula del Parque O’Higgins
- 4/6 Santiago, CH Lollapalooza Chile
REVIEW: Sarah Kirkland-Snider’s PENELOPE featuring Shara Worden & FearNoMusic @ Alberta Rose (Portland, OR – 2/2/13)
Ever the Shara Worden / My Brightest Diamond fanboy, I got PENELOPE – the collaboration with composer Sarah Kirkland-Snider – back when it came out in 2010.
I loved the record then… dark, light, moving, haunting, gorgeous emotions not only from Shara’s voice but also from the musical compositions. 
Penelope is a song cycle / concept album, inspired by a journey and coming home a la Homer’s Odyssey. Read more about it here.
Never did I think I’d have a chance to see it performed live. I mean, I’ve seen My Brightest Diamond plenty of times, but I always thought of Penelope as a one-off – solely an album collaboration. A very good album collaboration, but an album collaboration nonetheless.
I only found out about the one-night only show with Portland’s FearNoMusic chamber ensemble about two weeks ago, but I bought I ticket without consulting my calendar. Luckily nothing was on my calendar… but honestly, if something had been, I would have had to change my plans anyway.
The show was as gorgeous as the record,if not more. Quite moving and amazing to hear in the room: the strings, the horns, the woodwinds, the powerful voice. There is a lot of pain in the words, but also a hope in starting over… blown over by the wind, turned over by the tide. At least that’s what I take out of it. It left me with hope.
Setlist: ~70 mins
- The Stranger with the Face of a Man I Loved
- This Is What You’re Like
- The Honeyed Fruit
- The Lotus Eaters [music video]
- Nausicaa
- Circe and the Hanged Man
- I Died of Waiting
- Home
- Dead Friend
- Calypso
- And Then You Shall Be Lost Indeed
- Open Hands
- Baby Teeth, Bones, and Bullets
- As He Looks Out to Sea
- Encore: Be Brave
Shara Worden’s stunning vocal delivery was joined by FearNoMusic conducted by Katherine FitzGibbon with Inés Voglar, violin; Joël Belgique, viola; Nancy Ives, cello; Alicia Paulsen, flute; Mark Dubac, clarinet; Leander Star, French horn; Jeffrey Work, trumpet; Dan Balmer, guitar; and Sergio Carreño, drum set and percussion.
Shara kicked off her heels (literally) for the encore MBD song. I’m glad that Shara played at least one tune from her own catalog… but honestly, it wasn’t needed. Penelope worked on so many great levels in a live setting.
There are a few more Penelope dates scheduled… Minnesota, Indiana, and New York so far. Check out Sarah Kirkland-Snider’s events page.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Website / Twitter
- My Brightest Diamond’s Website
- FearNoMusic’s Website / Twitter / Facebook
- MBD’s record label: Asthmatic Kitty
- MBD music video compendium (non-exhaustive, but pretty chock full)
- My Brightest Diamond’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews & Links~
- MusicNow Fest 2007 (Cincinnati – April 2007)
- WOW Hall (Eugene – Nov 2008)
- Face Time with John Norris 2011 (20 minute interview video)
- Mississippi Studios (Portland – Nov 2011)
- Free for All @ Pantages (Tacoma – Sept 2012)
- Alberta Rose Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
And, I promise, I’ll get my gosh-darn “Best Of 2012” list posted soon… I’m horrible this time. The next show for me is Ben Folds Five @ Roseland (Portland) on 2/5.
~Dan – np: Tomahawk – Oddfellows
Favorite Concerts of 2012
Well, this year was once again good to the Pacific Northwest on the concert front… 366 days, 85 shows, 144 artists, many long nights driving home, and a lot of photos… my best albums lists will likely push off into mid-January (due to being busy & heading out on vacation), but here are my favorite concerts of 2012…
My favorite concerts of 2012:
- Secret Chiefs 3 :: WOW Hall :: Eugene, OR {6 Feb} [review with photos] – I saw them twice on this tour, and both shows were great. The Eugene show gets the nod mainly because it was first in the order. :)
- Roger Waters presents Pink Floyd’s The Wall:: Rose Garden :: Portland, OR {22 May} [review with photos] – Wow. I don’t even think The Wall is in my Top 5 of Pink Floyd albums, but holy cow, this was an amazing show. Truly stunning.
- Radiohead :: Key Arena :: Seattle, WA {9 Apr} [review with photos] – A phenomenal band that keeps making me drive multiple hours anytime I want to see them! I’ll gladly continue, though.
- Sufjan Stevens presents the Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long: Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant On Ice :: Aladdin Theater :: Portland, OR {6 Dec} [review with photos] – I hate Christmas music, but this spectacle of wonderment warmed me over.
- Puscifer :: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall :: Portland, OR {14 Mar} [review with photos] – A wine tasting and a concert from rock’s favorite frontman? Yes, please.
- Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 :: WOW Hall :: Eugene, OR {18 Mar} [review with photos] – I love Nigerian music, and anyone with the last name of “Kuti” should come with a mandate that you go to the show.
- “Weird Al” Yankovic :: Lane County Fairgrounds :: Eugene, OR {18 Aug} [review with photos] – A long, many be-suited set of songs. Saying it was a “fun time” would be an understatement.
- Over the Rhine :: The Triple Door :: Seattle, WA {17 Nov} [review with photos] – It had been too long since seeing Over the Rhine (a year). I got spoiled when I lived in Cincinnati; so now Ive got to get my OTR fix when I can. This was a gorgeous night.
- Levi Weaver :: my house :: Eugene, OR {16 Jul} [review with photos] – Going to an intimate house concert is great. I recommend it. Hosting an intimate house concert – doubly so!
- Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst :: 3 venues :: 3 Oregon cities {17-19 Oct} [recap with photos] – Story time from two stupendous singer-songwriters.
- Dan Deacon :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {25 Oct} [recap with photos] – Dancing some asses off.
- Sigur Rós :: Edgefield :: Portland, OR {9 Aug} [review] – This was my first time at Edgefield and also my first time seeing Sigur Rós in an outdoor venue. Plus side on a great venue, but a slight knock for loving how Sigur Rós works within a theater setting. A great show regardless of venue, though.
- Fiona Apple :: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall :: Portland, OR {26 Jul} [review] – A bit spastic, but a phenomenal performer. A mix of her new and old tunes, truly great show!
- Nellie McKay :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {2 Mar} [review with photos] – I saw her four times this year, and they all rank well. I’ll see Nellie any time she comes through. She’s always a delight!
- Portland Cello Project plays Radiohead’s OK Computer :: The Majestic Theatre :: Corvallis, OR {21 Sep} [setlist] – While I would have gone a different route than a men chorus for the vocal aspect (i.e. the one song with a regular vocalist was the best one), this was a very special night.
Runners-Up: My Brightest Diamond in Tacoma (Sep) – only because it was a short set, Penn & Teller in Vegas (Jan), Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity in Vegas (Jan), Trevor Dunn & Travis LaPlante at the Wandering Goat (Jan), and Skerik’s Bandalabra at Cozmic (Mar).
Disappointment: the absurd volume of Jack White at the Hult Center (May).
My favorite concert photos of 2012: (in chronological order)
(all images are free to use under a creative commons designation,
simply identify Daniel Temmesfeld with a
photo credit and link to pacificlectic.com.
Past Favorite Concerts Lists:
- Favorite Concerts 2011
- Favorite Concerts 2010
- Favorite Concerts 2009
- Favorite Concerts 2008
- Favorite Concerts 2007
Favorite music of 2012 will be coming in a few weeks (unless I can squeak them out sooner)… EPs/DVDs/etc, vocal albums, instrumental albums…
~Dan – np: George Hrab – Coelacanth
REVIEW: Sufjan Stevens presents the Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long: Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant On Ice @ Aladdin Theater (Portland, OR – 12/6/12)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I hate Christmas music. There are a few rare instances where it doesn’t make me cringe. Over the Rhine’s Darkest Night of the Year and Monk’s How Like A Winter are rare exceptions. One of my favorite artists, Sufjan Stevens, has put out Christmas EPs each year for his closest group of friends, and then they eventually make their way out to the public via now two EP boxsets (Songs For Christmas & Silver and Gold). While some of the more standard Christmasy songs from Sufjan make me cringe (it’s not his fault), he finds a way to have some experimentation and wild unique new songs that makes the boxsets fully enjoyable… even for a bah-humbug like me. And the boxsets also include cool arts and crafts…
Despite my dislike of Chrtistmas songs, when I found out that Sufjan was bringing his 2012 Christmas Sing-a-Long tour (the Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long: Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant On Ice) through Portland’s Aladdin Theater, I knew I needed to go.
His opener / tour co-hort is Sheila Saputo… the quirky comedic alter ego of singer-songwriter Rosie Thomas… see her trailer here.
Sheila put on a 20 minute set of fairly ridiculous, self-depricating humor.. partially eating a carrot throughout the set, making balloon “animals” (term used very loosely), and spelling out the important aspects of the acronym CAROLS: Carnal Treasures, Armageddon, etc (see photos at the bottom).
At 8:45pm, Sufjan and his band hit the stage (including the de-frocked Sheila Saputo/Rosie Thomas in a snowman suit). They started things off in front of the stage curtain with a gentle acappella version of “Christmas Time Is Here,” then… curtains up and behold the majesty of the Wheel of Christmas!!!
The set was obviously going to be full of Christmas songs. Some on their setlist and some chosen “randomly.” For many of the Wheel of Christmas Sing-a-Long tunes, they brought up members of the audience to spin for the selection. Near the end, some rigging of the wheel had to be done to fit in some we hadn’t done yet. I think we hit everything on the Wheel except for “Silent Night.”
They also threw in a few non-Christmas tunes throughout the set and at the encore…
Setlist: 2 hrs 10 mins
- Christmas Time Is Here (acappella) [Vince Guaraldi]
- Christmas Woman
- Come On! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!
- Do You Hear What I Hear?
- Justice Delivers Its Death*
- Joy to the World (Wheel of Christmas Sing-A-Long)
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Wheel)
- A Holly Jolly Christmas (Wheel)
- Jingle Bells (Wheel)
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Wheel)
- Vito’s Ordination Song*
- Put the Lights on the Tree
- How Shall I Fitly Greet Thee?
- I Am Santa’s Helper
- “Frosty” (improv rock, chant, Rosie cutting santa up with plastic chainsaw)
- Sister Winter*
- Ah Holy Jesus
- The Child with the Star on His Head*
- Sleigh Ride (Wheel, noted as “Slay Ride”)
- O Holy Night (Wheel)
- We Need a Little Christmas (Wheel)
- Auld Lang Syne* (Wheel)
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (Wheel)
- For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti*
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
- That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!*
- Christmas Unicorn*
- Encore: Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois*
- Futile Devices*
- Chicago*
- Come On! Feel the Illinoise!*
*– personal favorites from the night
I truly hate most Christmas music, but this was a FUUUUUUUUUUUUUN show! Sufjan and his band make the music fun, the original tunes (even if Christmasy) are spectacles of greatness or touching, gentler tunes, and the overall party factor of this tour is truly astounding. I’d hate to have been on the clean-up crew… confetti, streamers, popped balloons, and random blow-up animals and santas…
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sufjan’s Tumblr Site
- Sufjan’s Label – Asthmatic Kitty
- Sufjan’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Sheila Saputo’s WordPress
- Sheila Saputo’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter / Rosie’s twitter / YouTube
- Paste’s coverage of the Athens Georgia show
- Other Related Sufjan Reviews~
- Schnitzer (Portland – Oct 2010)
- Chris Young’s Portland Oct 2010 review on OMN (with my photos)
- MusicNow Fest 2007 (Cincinnati – Apr 2007)
- Brooklyn Vegan’s NYC Bowery Dec 2012 photos
- Aladdin Theater’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Charlie Hunter @ Mississippi Studios (12/7) and Antibalas @ Hawthorne (12/8).
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Rimbaud
SUFJAN STEVENS CHRISTMAS SING-A-LONG PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Sufjan Stevens Fall 2012 Tour Dates
- Fri Nov 23, 2012 – Philadelphia PA Union Transfer
- Sat Nov 24, 2012 – Washington DC 9:30 Club
- Sun Nov 25, 2012 – Saxapahaw NC The Haw River Ballroom
- Mon Nov 26, 2012 – Athens GA The Georgia Theatre
- Tue Nov 27, 2012 – Chattanooga TN Track 29
- Wed Nov 28, 2012 – Oxford MS The Lyric Oxford
- Fri Nov 30, 2012 – Dallas TX Granada Theater
- Sat Dec 01, 2012 – Austin TX Emo’s East
- Mon Dec 03, 2012 – Tucson AZ Rialto Theatre
- Tue Dec 04, 2012 – Los Angeles CA The Fonda Theatre (formerly The Music Box)
- Wed Dec 05, 2012 – San Francisco CA Great American Music Hall
- Thu Dec 06, 2012 – Portland OR Aladdin Theater
- Sat Dec 08, 2012 – Seattle WA Neptune Theatre
- Sun Dec 09, 2012 – Missoula MT Wilma Theatre
- Wed Dec 12, 2012 – Minneapolis MN Mill City Nights (Formerly The Brick)
- Thu Dec 13, 2012 – Milwaukee WI Turner Hall
- Fri Dec 14, 2012 – Indianapolis IN Deluxe @ Old National Centre
- Sat Dec 15, 2012 – Chicago IL Metro
- Sun Dec 16, 2012 – Cleveland OH Beachland Ballroom
- Tue Dec 18, 2012 – Buffalo NY Asbury Hall @ Babeville
- Wed Dec 19, 2012 – Providence RI Fete
- Thu Dec 20, 2012 – Boston MA Royale
- Fri Dec 21, 2012 – New York NY Bowery Ballroom
- Sat Dec 22, 2012 – New York NY Bowery Ballroom
REVIEW: Over the Rhine @ the Triple Door (Seattle, WA – 11/17/12)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
How many times can you see a band and finally get tired of them? I honestly can’t answer that question. After 50+ times seeing Over the Rhine over more than a decade, in various venues and cities and states, I’ll still drive 10 hours over a 30 hour period to go see them because they’re not playing anywhere closer.
I had seen Jeffrey Foucault in September at the Triple Door in downtown Seattle. At that time, I had never been there, and after seeing the set-up, tasting the menu, and witnessing their light-show, I viewed their calendar and noted that they had the sole Over the Rhine show in the PacNW this fall. I bought my OTR tickets via my iPhone during the Jeffrey Foucault intermission.
This show was billed as “An Acoustic Evening with Over the Rhine,” and it featured the husband-wife duo of Linford Detweiler (piano, guitars, vocals) and Karin Bergquist (vocals, guitars) with drums/percussive support from Nick Radina.
The set was heavily from The Long Surrender (the album from late 2010/early 2011, depending on how you got it). That record is a gem; so I didn’t mind its heavy presence on Saturday. They also threw in some new songs that should make their way onto their upcoming album, The Farm (GO HERE for more on how to support that 2013 album)…
Setlist: ~1 hr 45 mins
- Born
- All My Favorite People
- The Laugh Of Recognition
- Undamned
- Sacred Ground [new song]
- Earthbound Love Song (aka Johnny & June)
- Gonna Let My Soul Catch My Body [new song]
- The King Knows How
- Suitcase
- Blue Jean Sky [new song]
- Favorite Time of Light
- Let It Fall [new song]
- Little Did I Know
- Trouble
- All I Need Is Everything
- Encore: Rave On
- Watching the Wheels [John Lennon]
- Drunkard’s Prayer
- Latter Days
As far as the new songs, “Sacred Ground” seems like a classic favorite already. They debuted it last fall, and I loved it immediately. The chorus doesn’t seem like a “tradition OTR song,” but it really works well with both Karin & Linford singing. “Blue Jean Sky” had some nice imagery, as well as a repeated line of “kick ass beauty.” The main set and encore cappers from Good Dog Bad Dog made me happy as well… all in all, another gorgeous evening by two of my favorite musical friends.
more photos below
they’re a bit grainy when
you blow them up (sorry…
we were mid-crowd)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Over the Rhine’s Site
- Over the Rhine’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Aladdin Theater (Portland – Nov 2011)
- Aladdin Theater (Portland – Nov 2010)
- WOW Hall (Eugene – Nov 2010)
- Doug Fir Lounge (Portland – Sept 2007)
- Bogarts (Cincinnati – March 2001)
- Canal Street Tavern (Dayton – June 2000)
- The Triple Door’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at the Rose Garden (Portland 11/28).
~Dan – np: Isis – Temporal
OVER THE RHINE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
October 2012 Oregon concert recap
I feel so bad for not blogging as much this past month or so… busy at work and in real life. I have still gone to quite a bit of shows, especially in October – Aimee Mann, Nellie McKay twice, Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst three times, and Dan Deacon, I snapped a few iPhone shots (sorry for lower quality). I tracked most of the setlists, too. So, here’s a quick run-down.
Aimee Mann @ the Aladdin Theater, Portland, Oregon (Tu 10/2)
Aimee Mann put on a great show, a good mix of old tunes and ones from her brand new album, Charmer. Here’s what she played – 10/2 setlist. This was my second time seeing her, and I was not disappointed. She’s charming, smiles much more than her songs lead on, and is quite the jokester.
Nellie McKay @ the Shedd, Eugene, Oregon (Wed 10/10)
Nellie McKay @ the Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/11)
Two shows, back-to-back seems to be a habit for me when Nellie McKay swings through Oregon. The shows were fairly similar (Eugene setlist / Portland setlist) save for a few changes in songs. Both shows were great. She seemed for relaxed and vocally on-point in Eugene. In Portland, she had a few lyrical miss-steps, but she was as charming as ever. Any time she comes through, I’m excited to see her. No news on another album, yet (her last was 2010’s Home Sweet Mobile Home).
Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ the Majestic Theatre, Corvallis, Oregon (Wed 10/17)
Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ the Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/18)
Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ Tsunami Books, Eugene, Oregon (Fri 10/19)
Three shows, not one the same. Another artist I see every time he comes through, Peter Mulvey, brought his long-time musical friend Kris Delmhorst (wife of another singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault). The three of them are in a band Redbird with guitarist David Goodrich. Well, this Fall 2012 west coast jaunt was just Peter & Kris, doing a switch-off storyteller-type show. All of the shows were two sets, split with a short intermission. Peter changed up his set fairly well, and Kris mixed hers up some as well (Corvallis setlist / Portland setlist / Eugene setlist). I only had a few of her albums before this tour, but at the final show, I had to rectify that and pick up the rest of the catalog. It seemed based on their new material and various discussions that they were both working on new albums… for 2013?
Dan Deacon @ Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/25)
The openers were also odd (TEDtalk-styled humor from Alan Resnick), bombastic (two-piece rock powerhouse Chester Endersby), and truly enlightening (rock/rap from Height with Friends). For Dan Deacon‘s set, he played a lot from his latest album, America. This show was intense and amazing. He has an amazing way of getting people to step out of their shells. At one point, Dan was going to have us do a arm tunnel outside the venue (something he does at most of his shows). The bouncer and club management wouldn’t let him… so he complied and said,” we’ll just do something far more dangerous.” With a wide circle, he started with one guy running around, and with every revolution, he would bring one more person in to run around… 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, … after a very short time the entire audience was running in a circle… I had to pull myself out of it and grab some water… It was a very sweaty, dancey, fun-as-hell show. Truly inspiring how the seeming group of outcasts becomes a group of like-minded lovers of life.
I’ll try to do a better job of consistent concert reviews going forward, time permitting. A couple shows for me this week: The Dead Kenny G’s (Skerik, Matt Dillon etc) on 11/15 @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene) and Over the Rhine on 11/17 @ the Triple Door (Seattle).
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – Silver & Gold (Songs For Christmas) Vol. VI: Gloria!
REVIEW: My Brightest Diamond @ Pantages Theater (Tacoma, WA – 9/22/12)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Outside of a college football traffic-filled I-5 and a rainbow roll sushi before the show, there was no opener for My Brightest Diamond this weekend for me. She was the first after “dinner break” act for Tacoma’s 9/22-9/23 weekend Broadway Center Free For All. A free one-off show in the Pacific Northwest by one of my absolute favorite artists!! Well, free outside of the time and gas money… I wasn’t going to pass this up.
Dressed in colorful balls, spikes, and pipe cleaner, My Brightest Diamond (Shara Worden) started the show by coming out in a mask and dumping two large trash bags full of bright orange balloons on the stage.
She played a short set, but hit some great high-points from her three album catalog and switched around a lot on various instruments: ukulele, keyboards, mbira, electric guitar…
Setlist:
- We Added It Up
- Golden Star
- Escape Routes
- Be Brave
- Apples
- High Low Middle
- I Have Never Loved Someone
- Inside A Boy
Her quirkiness and fun-loving vibe shone through. This being a free show, I’m hoping she attracted some new followers with her charms. As far as what’s next for her? Well, she’s bound to show up on someone’s record here, or a collaborative single there, or a remix album over there, or a new album in a bit. She’s currently not specifically touring; so any chance she comes through your parts for a one-off show – check her out. You shan’t be disappointed!
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- My Brightest Diamond’s Website
- MBD’s record label: Asthmatic Kitty
- MBD music video compendium (non-exhaustive, but pretty chock full)
- My Brightest Diamond’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews & Links~
- MusicNow Fest 2007 (Cincinnati – April 2007)
- WOW Hall (Eugene – Nov 2008)
- Face Time with John Norris 2011 (20 minute interview video)
- Mississippi Studios (Portland – Nov 2011)
- Pantages Theater’s Site / Facebook
Next show for me… Chevelle at Crystal Ballroom on 9/25.
~Dan – np: Chevelle – This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)
My Brightest Diamond PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
PHOTOS & SETLIST: “Weird Al” Yankovic @ Lane County Fair (Eugene, OR – 8/17/12)
What to say about “Weird Al” Yankovic? Stunning musicians, crazy stamina, insane costume change schedule, immaculate performer! Here’s what he played a glimpse at his costuming for his recent show at the Lane County Fair in Eugene last Saturday…
Setlist: about 90 minutes
- Polka Face
- TMZ
- Interview w Eminem (video)
- Smells Like Nirvana
- Interview w Uma Thurman (video)
- Party in the CIA
- Weird Al movie trailer (video)
- Huge Medley:
- Beverly Hillbillies
- You Can Have Whatever You Like
- Tattoo
- eBay
- I Want a New Duck
- Rye or the Kaiser
- Spam
- My Bologna
- Spider-Man
- Lasagna
- Eat It
- Interview w Rob Pattinson (video)
- Amish Paradise
- Interview w Megan Fox (video)
- Craig’s List
- 30 Rock ending credits/Titanic (video)
- Perform This Way
- Interview w Jeff Bridges (video)
- White & Nerdy
- Dirt PSA (video)
- Fat
- Encore: The Saga Begins
- The Addams Family (intro on keys only)
- Yoda (with “Grim Grinning Ghosts” & Hawaiian War Chant)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Weird Al’s Site
- Weird Al’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Lane County Fair’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Pojama People (Frank Zappa cover band) with Ike Willis on vocals (!) at WOW Hall (8/31).
~Dan – np: Antibalas – Antibalas
REVIEW: Fiona Apple @ the Schnitz (Portland, OR – 7/26/12)
Fiona Apple in Minnesota (July 2012)
Poetic and pop-forward, yet jazzy on record, Fiona Apple turned out a full force band show at Portland’s Schnitzer last Thursday. She bounced around her back catalogue, only playing a handful from the new album
, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.
What to like about what she played?
Just about everything. The pain & hurt in “Shadowboxer,” the disappointment in “Paper Bag,” the anger in “Get Gone,” the positivity and whimsy in “Extraordinary Machine.” I would have loved to hear a live rendition (with vocal loops) of “Hot Knife” from The Idler Wheel, but overall, I was pleased with what she gave us…
Setlist: about 90 mins
- Fast As You Can
- On the Bound
- Shadowboxer
- Paper Bag
- Anything We Want
- Get Gone
- Sleep To Dream
- Extraordinary Machine
- Werewolf
- Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)
- Daredevil
- I Know
- Every Single Night
- Criminal
- Carrion
- Not About Love
- Encore: It’s Only Make Believe [Conway Twitty]
Fiona’s rocking band was helmed by Blake Mills on guitar (the show opener as well), and rounded out by Sebastian Steinberg on bass, Amy Wood on drums, and Zac Rae on keys.
Fiona is on the top of her game, and I just hope that it’s not another 7 years before we hear something new. But even if it is, I know it’ll be a delight.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Fiona Apple’s Site
- Fiona Apple’s Social Media Links (see below)
- PCPA/Arlene Schnitzer’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
She just ended her 2012 summer tour (dates below), but check out her TOUR PAGE for Fall dates that start in September.
Next show for me… Sigur Rós @ Edgefield (Portland) on Aug 9th.
~Dan – np: Celldweller – Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head, Volume 2
Fiona Apple — 2012 Tour Dates
6/19 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre
6/20 – Baltimore, MD – Lyric Opera House
6/22 – Mashantucket, CT – MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods
6/23 – Holyoke, MA – Mountain Park
6/24 – New York, NY – Governors Ball at Randall’s Island
6/26 – Washington DC – Warner Theatre
6/27 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
6/29 – Danbury, CT – Ives Concert Park
6/30 – Boston, MA – Citi Performing Arts Center
7/1 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
7/3 – Montreal, QC – Olympia Theatre
7/4 – Toronto, Ontario – The Sound Academy
7/6 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Cain Park
7/7 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
7/10 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
7/11 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
7/13 – Nashville, TN – The Ryman Auditorium
7/14 – St. Louis, MO – Peabody Opera House
7/16 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
7/17 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland by AMC
7/20 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
7/21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kingsbury Hall at University of Utah
7/24 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum
7/25 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
7/26 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
7/28 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
7/29 – Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium
REVIEW: Levi Weaver @ House Show (Eugene, OR – 7/16/12)
How did I get into Nashville-based singer-songwriter Levi Weaver?
Well, um… is “Yahoo! fantasy baseball league via twitter” a valid explanation? Well, it’s how it went down. After following him, he had posted something about his documentary String Theory, then I sent him a “hey next time you’re in Oregon let me know” message, and then he sent me a “well actually” message… and the rest is history.
This was only my 3rd house show to host and/or coordinate (Susan Enan & Peter Mulvey being the other two), but it went smoothly. Levi is a delight to work with, and he’s a true professional. He’s still in the midst of shooting the String Theory doc; so he had a two-person crew with him.
A little sparser attendance than I was going for due to being the Monday right after Oregon Country Fair, we still had a decent turnout for Levi’s lovely set. I’m still getting familiar with his music, but from his hour-long set he started with “String Theory” (on mandolin) then Radiohead’s “Idioteque” (with plenty of loops, bowed guitar and effects).
After my post-show delving into his music, other tunes played were: You Are Home, Which Drink?, Good From Evil, We’re Tornadoes When We Dance, Spirit First (I think?) and a few more. Here are some shots from the show… I had front row couch seats… (click for larger)
He has tons of fantastic music out there. Check it out on bandcamp (links below), support indie music, check him out when he swings by your town, and enjoy!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Levi Weaver’s Site
- Levi Weaver’s Social Media Links (see below)
- String Theory Documentary Site
- String Theory Doc Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Bad Mitten Orchestre at WOW Hall on 7/21.
~Dan – np: Tin Hat & e.e. cummings – the rain is a handsome animal
Double-REVIEW: Beck @ Les Schwab (Bend, OR – 5/27/12) and Jack White @ the Hult (Eugene, OR – 5/28/12)
It was a long Memorial Day weekend. But it was a musically fruitful weekend. I could have made it more fruitful by adding The Shins / Blind Pilot / Head and the Heart as well as the Tenacious D shows on Friday and Saturday in Bend, respectively; alas, I needed to save some time and energy for Beck in Bend on Sunday and Jack White in Eugene on Monday. It was still quite a great full weekend for my ears!
I had never seen either Beck or Jack White in concert. I was familiar with Beck’s music fairly well… having all of his stuff. I was completely unfamiliar with Jack White’s music – outside of some of the White Stripes and Raconteurs that I’d heard. Needless to say, I was equally excited about both shows.
Beck in Bend was the tail-end of a nice “Bend Ale Trail” weekend for me… sampling some new places for me: 10 Barrel Brewing & Good Life Brewing. Both highly recommended for their beer and their food! Bend also had some lovely weather and some odd rainbows in the clouds…
(not photoshopped… photo taken near Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR)
Metric was Beck’s opener… the Toronto indie rock quartet ripped through a dancey hour-long set. Their fifth album, Synthetica, comes out on June 12, 2012. If the way they had the Bend audience going is any indication, the new album should be a crowd pleaser as well.
Beck went on after a short set break… kicking the show off right with some Odelay goodness by way of “Devil’s Haircut.”
Among his two-hour long set, he bounced around his back and “recent” catalog (2008’s Modern Guilt) fairly well. Every era got some great representation. As mentioned, I had never seen him live before. I was pleasantly surprised with the great mix, especially the songs off of Sea Change…
Beck’s Setlist: about 2 hours
- Devil’s Haircut
- Loser
- Black Tambourine
- Soul of a Man
- Hotwax
- Sissyneck
- The Golden Age
- Lost Cause
- Sunday Sun
- Think I’m In Love
- The New Pollution
- Modern Guilt
- Paper Tiger
- “Song for Bend” [Improv]
- End of the Day
- Tropicalia [partial]
- Jack-Ass
- Gamma Ray
- Minus
- Girl
- Where It’s At
- Encore: Soldier Jane
- Looking Back
- Mutherfuker
- E-Pro
Next, on to Eugene…
I missed Jack White’s opener, Quasi. I’d heard of them before, and would have liked to have seen the show (I like Sam Coomes work with Elliott Smith). Alas, driving back from Bend and personal commitments made it so we skated into the venue right as Quasi was ending their set… d’oh!
Jack White’s show… what to say, what to say? Professional, yet muddy. Loud, yet not necessary. Thoroughly energetic, yet confusing. Quite enjoyable, yet painful.
The man writes hooky songs, and plays guitar and piano very well… yet, the sound was cranked through the roof. It lost so many of the lushness and subtlety that I think would have been suited for this show at the Hult Center.
Another thing that can’t go without mentioning, the “III” imagery abounding. Sure, rockstars should have iconic imagery. But a suffix namesake seems like an odd thing to so vehemently brand… unless you’re branding your ego or something.
Several times it seemed as if Eugene wasn’t stroking his ego enough… he quipped that if we didn’t want, they didn’t have to come back out (after their 45 minute initial set). He tried to get the crowd to do a sing-a-long on one song, but it seemed as if the song had ended already, and it was more of a confusing thing (or so it seemed to me).
The loudness, was, again… unnecessary. Fantastic musicianship and seemingly intricate things going on with fantastic players… completely lost in the brash, feedback-induced sound cloud. So many subtleties lost. So many subtleties lost.
Jack White’s Setlist: two sets, ~45 mins & ~35 mins
- Set 1: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground [The White Stripes]
- Missing Pieces
- Sixteen Saltines
- Love Interruption
- Cannon/300 Pounds of Joy [Howlin’ Wolf]
- You Know That I Know [Hank Williams]
- Hotel Yorba [The White Stripes]
- Weep Themselves to Sleep
- We’re Going to Be Friends [The White Stripes]
- Blunderbuss
- I Cut Like A Buffalo [The Dead Weather]
- Steady as She Goes [The Raconteurs]
- Set 2: Freedom At 21
- Trash Tongue Talker
- I’m Slowly Turning Into You [The White Stripes]
- Carolina Drama [The Raconteurs]
- Seven Nation Army [The White Stripes]
- Goodnight, Irene [Lead Belly]
(pro photos from Eugene will be posted at jwiii.com)
The bottom line… I really enjoyed the Jack White show. The flaws that I saw in the show are totally fixable. Who am I to say what he should do anyhow? :) I’m just thinking that something that shows off his musical chops, his writing prowess, his voice, his players, and his songs at the forefront – not clouded by sheer volume – could have been far, far, FAR more enjoyable… and probably far, far, far more enjoyable to more to others (not just me).
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Beck’s Site
- Beck’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Metric’s Site
- Metric’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- Les Schwab Amphitheater’s Site / Facebook / Twitter1 / Twitter2
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
- Jack White’s Site
- Jack White 2012 Tour Photos by Jo McCaughey
- Jack White’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Quasi’s Site
- Quasi’s Facebook / MySpace
- The Hult’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Emily Wells @ WOW Hall on 6/3.
~Dan – np: Sigur Rós – Valtari
REVIEW: Roger Waters presents Pink Floyd’s The Wall Live @ Rose Garden (Portland, OR – 5/22/12)
Above Photos: Roger Waters ‘The Wall Live’ at the Rose Garden on 5/22/12
by Kevin Tomanka (more at Oregon Music News)
FYI… my PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
The spectacle, the brilliance that is Pink Floyd & The Wall Live… I sadly never got a chance to see Pink Floyd perform together, but seeing Roger Waters bring The Wall to us 30+ years later was still quite the treat. It’s not my favorite album of theirs… I love Wish You Were Here, Dark Side of the Moon and Meddle a bit better, and before the show you’d have caught me saying things like “The Wall is quite overrated.” Well, after the show, I still think the album is a bit overrated, but my opinion has definitely appreciated.
And the live show… holy smokes! Amazing!!!
There was no opener; so the show started fairly promptly (8:15pm). Wide stage with the start of the wall, a tape intro, then BANG… In the Flesh with fire, sparks, projected graffiti animation on the walls, an airplane flying in from mid-crowd ceiling crashing and bursting into flames just beyond the wall… whoa! We were in for a SHOW!
The show featured several other blow up accoutrements… an evil schoolmaster during the school children song (local school children were used), a war pig, and another creature. The imagery from the original The Wall movie was used in addition to a lot of modernized imagery and animations. For “Mother,” Roger played with himself… a 1980’s Earl’s Court version of himself, that is.
The Wall went up slowly as the band went on… the second set, the band was primarily behind the wall, with Roger coming out to sing for a few tunes. At the end… huge explosion and down it came! They played The Wall in its entirety, no encore.
Setlist: just shy of 2 hours total
- Set 1: Outside the Wall [Tape]
- In the Flesh?
- The Thin Ice
- Another Brick in the Wall Part 1
- The Happiest Days of Our Lives
- Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
- Mother
- Goodbye Blue Sky
- Empty Spaces
- What Shall We Do Now?
- Young Lust
- One of My Turns
- Don’t Leave Me Now
- Another Brick in the Wall Part 3
- The Last Few Bricks
- Goodbye Cruel World
<<25 minute intermission>> - Set 2: Hey You
- Is There Anybody Out There?
- Nobody Home
- Vera
- Bring the Boys Back Home
- Comfortably Numb
- The Show Must Go On
- In the Flesh
- Run Like Hell
- Waiting for the Worms
- Stop
- The Trial
- Outside the Wall
No Encore
Brilliant show! Go go go go if you get the chance! It’s a brilliant display of excess, but it also has good points about government overreach and the ills of war. It’s a paradox and dichotomy.
Portland 5/22 The Wall photos:
(iPhone + 2 of Kevin’s pro shots)
Go to OMN for Kevin Tomanka’s pro shots
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Roger Waters’ Site
- Pink Floyd’s Site
- Roger Waters & Pink Floyd’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Rose Garden’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Beck @ Les Schwab (Bend) 5/27 and Jack White @ Hult (Eugene) 5/28.
~Dan – np: Beck – The Information
REVIEW: Glen Phillips @ Alberta Rose (Portland, OR – 4/12/12)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I got to the venue just in the nick of time as Jonathan Kingham was starting his opening set. I had seen him about four years ago in Eugene with Glen Phillips. I thought he was great last time, and he held up to that memory quite well on Thursday night. I think he’s matured a little bit in his songwriting, and still quite the charmer on-stage. Funny, witty, smooth voice, and slow jams. He played some new tunes, some tunes about food, a tune called “Satisfied” (about a poodle?), a cover of Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step” with an impressive improv rap, and ended the 45 minute set with “Grace” with Glen on backing vocals.
After a short break, Glen Phillips came out and dug right in. He played the first handful of tunes unaccompanied, then Jonathan joined him on guitar and backing vocals for the classic Toad song “Walk On the Ocean.” Jonathan stayed with him for the rest of the set, switching to piano partway through.
The things that draws me in to Glen are his voice and his poetic lyricism. Whether it be with his solo stuff, his side-projects, or with his first band Toad – his humor, wit and joy for life shines through. He played a great mix of songs throughout his career and even treated us to a couple brand new songs. No word on if these new songs will show up on an upcoming solo album, collaboration album, or the rumored upcoming Toad the Wet Sprocket album.
Setlist: ~90 mins
- The Next Day
- Crowing [Toad the Wet Sprocket]
- Thankful
- End This Now
- Return to Me
- Blood Pressurize [RemoteTreeChildren]
- Walk on the Ocean* [Toad]
- The One Who Got Away
- Always Have My Love
- Released
- Whatever I Fear [Toad]
- True
- Finally Fading
- Windmills [Toad]
- Golden Age [new song]
- Solar Flare
- Fred Meyers
- All I Want [Toad]
- Rise Up
- Encore: Rare Bird (new song)
- Brothers on a Hotel Bed [Death Cab for Cutie]
*J. Kingham guest on guitar for “Walk On the Ocean” through
“Whatever I Fear” & on piano from “True” through “Rise Up.”
A great show from two fantastic, silken-voiced singer-songwriters.
GLEN PHILLIPS PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Glen Phillips’ Site
- Glen Phillips’ Social Media Links (see below)
- Jonathan Kingham’s Site
- Jonathan Kingham’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Toad @ Bend Summer Fest (Bend – July 2011)
- Toad @ Crystal Ballroom (Portland – July 2010)
- W.P.A. @ WOW Hall (Eugene – Sept 2009)
- Glen solo @ WOW Hall (Eugene – Feb 2008)
- Alberta Rose Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Dan Deacon at the University of Oregon on 4/17.
~Dan – np: Boards of Canada – Twoism
REVIEW: Radiohead @ Key Arena (Seattle, WA – 4/9/12)
The last time I saw Radiohead was in a large outdoor amphitheatre (White River, Aug 2008), and I’ll say the move to indoors was much appreciated. This was my first time to Key Arena. Pretty basic arena… stage set up at end. I arrived just as the opening band was wrapping up… the TicketMaster/Radiohead paperless ticketing was great from a no-scalpers perspective, but it took a bit longer to file everyone in timely.
Radiohead started off the set with “Bloom,” featuring the double drum set-up with both Phil Selway and touring member Clive Deamer (from Portishead) in addition to Jonny Greenwood on a small drum kit. Jonny hit the mini-kit again (along with Ed O’Brien) for “There There” later in the set.
The light show was a LED wall behind the band with moving, suspended video screens (see photo above and slideshow below). The moving video screens had been slowly coming down on the band until they were under an archway of lights by the time “Airbag” came around. Ed make a half-hearted leap to hit the screen above him with his hand.
The band stuck to a lot of new stuff for this show, only digging into the first half of their catalogue a handful of times during their 23-song set. Some highlights were the wall of Thom eyes during Thom’s piano close-up on “You And Whose Army?,” the grandeur of “Lucky,” the wild strobe and raucous “Idioteque,” the subtler / gentler piano-driven “Daily Mail,” and Jonny’s bowed guitar combined with the piano intro to “Pyramid Song.” I’m still getting used to The King of Limbs, and while I don’t think the rockier songs worked (for me) live, the gentler stuff really hit the mark, especially “Give Up the Ghost” and the aforementioned “Daily Mail.” “Little by Little” seemed a little off at the beginning, but other than that, no major disappointments…
Setlist: about 2 hours
- Bloom
- 15 Step
- Airbag
- Little by Little
- Myxomatosis
- The Gloaming
- Morning Mr. Magpie
- Pyramid Song
- The Daily Mail
- These Are My Twisted Words
- Nude
- Identikit
- Lotus Flower
- There There
- Feral
- Idioteque
- Encore 1: How to Disappear Completely
- Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
- You and Whose Army?
- Lucky
- Encore 2: Give Up the Ghost
- Reckoner
- Everything In Its Right Place
Soundcheck songs were Supercollider, 15 Step, Identikit and Meeting in the Aisle, but I was not in attendance for those…
A few iPhone shots from
Radiohead Seattle 4/9/12:
Matthew Lamb’s Pro-shot concert photos here on Key Arena’s FB page.:
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Radiohead’s Site
- Radiohead’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Radiohead-related Posts~
- The Universal Sigh (RSD 2011, PDF download)
- White River Amphitheatre (Seattle-area – Aug 2008)
- Key Arena’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more RH tour dates below.
Next show for me… Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) in Portland 4/12.
~Dan – np: Tyler Fortier – Bang On Time
Radiohead North American Tour 2012
February 2012
Mon 27 American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL, USA
Wed 29 St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL, USA
March 2012
Thu 1 Philips Arena Atlanta, GA, USA
Sat 3 Toyota Center Houston, TX, USA
Mon 5 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Wed 7 Frank Irwin Center Austin, TX USA
Fri 9 Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO USA
Sun 11 Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO USA
Tue 13 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, CO USA
Thu 15 Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, AZ USA
April 2012
Mon 9, Key Arena, Seattle, WA – USA
Wed 11, HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA – USA
Thu 12, Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA – USA
Sat 14 Coachella – Indio, CA – USA
Tue 17 Foro Sol, Mexico City, Mexico
Wed 18 Foro Sol, Mexico City, Mexico
Sat 21 Coachella – Indio, CA – USA
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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