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REVIEW: Jeffrey Foucault @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – 10/20/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I’ve been to many shows at Cozmic Pizza in downtown Eugene, but this was my first time in their newly remodeled place. Great new ordering queue/system, same great beer & pizza, great new stage, great new sound system. I can’t recommend the new digs enough!! On to the show…
I got there right after sound check… chatted with some folks, ordered some grub, an settled in for the opener. Jeffery Martin, from Eugene, played about a half hour set. His sound fit well with Jeffrey Foucault’s… Jeff #1 had an earthy, folky, Americana storyteller vibe. He didn’t necessarily “jump out” at me, but many singer-songwriters can bore. Bottom line: I’d see Jeffery Martin again. He was solid at his craft. He’s local; so I’ll most likely get a chance to see him again soon.
Jeffrey Foucault hit the stage shortly after 9. He had slide guitarist Jay Carter (?) with him for most of the set. They had just met / played together for the first time at the Seattle show. Despite their newness, they worked well together. The set contained a lot of the material (8 songs) from Jeffrey’s latest album, Horse Latitudes (samples via image to the right). Jeffrey showcased his gritty, superb storytelling in his lyrics and was in a good jokey spirit in between songs.
Foucault’s Setlist: about an hour
- Last Night I Dreamed of Television
- Goners Most
- Starlight and Static
- Pretty Girl in a Small Town
- Passerines
- Horse Latitudes
- “Statesboro Blues” [Chris Dombrowski poem]
- Twice I Left Her
- Mesa, Arizona
- Sixteen Tons [Merle Travis]
- The Bluest Blade
- Idaho
- Everybody’s Famous
- Encore: I Won’t Back Down [Tom Petty]
The encore was dedicated to Tom Petty – as his birthday is October 20th. The only disappointment of the night (well, once the loud couple was told to shut up by a fellow audience member) was that Ryan Adams was playing down the street at the Shedd at the same time as Foucault’s gig. I actually had a ticket to see Ryan Adams, but when I found out about Jeffery playing, I sold it (the heart wants what the heart wants). Jeffrey’s audience was a little sparse due to that scheduling coincidence (I think there’s some good crossover between the two artists).
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Jeffrey Foucault’s Site
- Jeffrey’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Jeffery Martin‘s Facebook
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Mulvey & Foucault @ The Woods (Portland – Oct 2010)
- Mulvey & Foucault @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – Oct 2010)
- Cozmic’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check Jeffrey’s remaining 2011 tour dates below.
Next show for me… a house show with Gonzalo Bergara Quartet on 10/23 Sunday in Eugene.
~Dan – np: Puscifer – Conditions of My Parole
JEFFREY FOUCAULT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Jeffrey Foucault Fall 2011 Tour
- 10.18.11 Seattle, WA Fremont Abbey With Danny Barnes
- 10.19.11 Portland, OR The Woods Shelley Short opens
- 10.20.11 Eugene, OR Cozmic Pizza Jeffery Martin opens
- 10.21.11 Arcata, CA Arcata Playhouse Rorey Carroll opens
- 10.24.11 Felton, CA Don Quixote’s International Music
- 10.25.11 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord Kate Gaffney opens
- 11.05.11 Fall River, MA Narrows Center for the Arts Support to Rosanne Cash
- 12.01.11 Portland, ME One Longfellow Square Seven Curses with Mark Erelli
- 12.02.11 Brooklyn, NY Union Hall Seven Curses with Mark Erelli
- 12.03.11 Pawtucket, RI Stone Soup Coffeehouse Seven Curses with Mark Erelli
- 12.08.11 Evanston, IL SPACE
- 12.13.11 Marshfield, WI Vox Concert Series Hayward Williams opens
REVIEW: Opeth @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 10/16/11)
This tour was primed to be a Swedish metal onslaught… combine the dire, bleak sound from opener Katatonia with the melodic, progressive power of Opeth, and you have a tour combo made in Heav… um… Hades…
Katatonia played about an hour… I was jonesin’ for some thrash, and was initially disappointed by their slower, doom metal sound. It grew on me by the end, but knowing that Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt wasn’t breaking out the growls for this Heritage tour, I felt a little slighted…
Well, that, and the mix-up in the “photo pass situation“… all I was able to get was a few iPhone shots of Opeth.
Opeth went on around 9:45pm and led off with the opening song from their latest album, Heritage. Mikael’s lyrics are almost always poetic, but sometimes straight to the point as with “The Devil’s Orchard” and its Nietzschesque anthemic chorus “God is dead, God is dead.”
Mikael toyed with us several times… the first being the first non-Heritage song… “this one is from Still Life…” and then they play probably the only slow song on Still Life – “Face of Melinda.”
Oh, the crowd, ever wanting them to bust out into the heavy stuff – the band, ever restrained.
Mikael joked with crowd a bit. He’s going to grow his beard back. He’s only mustache’d now, and apparently he got hit on while taking a swim in Portland. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
After breaking out the acoustic guitar (yes, at an Opeth show!), Mikael remarked fondly of seeing an acoustic set from Winger. Some crowd members booed. He retorted, “well, Winger is better than your band.” Followed by “Winger is better than this band.” The crowded booed again and Mikael followed up with, “I’m glad you don’t agree” before starting into their acoustic set…
Opeth’s Setlist: just under 2 hours
- The Devil’s Orchard
- I Feel the Dark
- Face of Melinda
- Porcelain Heart [with drum solo]
- Pyre
- The Throat of Winter [acoustic]
- Patterns in the Ivy II [acoustic]
- Closure [acoustic]
- Slither
- A Fair Judgement
- Hex Omega
- Encore: Folklore
Probably the most cruel moment was during the acoustic set…
This one goes back to the Blackwater Park days!
*crowd roar*
Don’t get excited. This wasn’t actually on the album.
All said and done… no growls, no cookie monster vocals… but a fucking amazing Opeth show. The tour is really showing off that Opeth is more than just “Swedish death metal.” They’re great performers, great musicians. They can be melodic and still rock our faces off. Sure, I’d love a “The Leper Affinity” appearance, but I enjoy the more subdued Damnation/Heritage sound that they put forth this time out. Accessible? Maybe. Quality? Definitely!
iPhone photos… all I got… *sadface*
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Opeth’s Site
- Opeth’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Katatonia’s Site
- Katatonia‘s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Opeth & Enslaved @ Roseland (Portland – May 2009)
- Roseland’s Site / Facebook
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene) on 10/20 [yeah, I’m skipping Ryan Adams]…
~Dan – np: Tool – Lateralus
Opeth/Katatonia 2011 North American Tour Dates:
- Sep. 19 – The Palladium @ Worcester, MA
- Sep. 20 – Webster Theater @ Hartford, CT
- Sep. 21 – Webster Hall @ New York, NY
- Sep. 22 – Webster Hall @ New York, NY
- Sep. 23 – Trocadero @ Philadelphia, PA
- Sep. 26 – Newport Music Hall @ Columbus, OH
- Sep. 27 – Expo Five @ Louisville, KY
- Sep. 28 – Cannery Ballroom @ Nashville, TN
- Sep. 29 – Amos’ Southend @ Charlotte, NC
- Sep. 30 – Center Stage @ Atlanta, GA
- Oct. 01 – House of Blues @ Lake Buena Vista, FL
- Oct. 03 – Warehouse Live @ Houston, TX
- Oct. 04 – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater @ Austin, TX
- Oct. 05 – Granada Theater @ Dallas, TX
- Oct. 06 – The Beaumont Club @ Kansas City, MO
- Oct. 07 – First Avenue @ Minneapolis, MN
- Oct. 08 – Burton Cummings @ Winnipeg, MB
- Oct. 10 – Edmonton Events Centre @ Edmonton, AB
- Oct. 11 – MacEwan Hall Ballroom @ Calgary, AB
- Oct. 13 – Commodore Ballroom @ Vancouver, BC
- Oct. 14 – Knitting Factory Concert House @ Spokane, WA
- Oct. 15 – Showbox SoDo @ Seattle, WA
- Oct. 16 – Roseland Theatre @ Portland, OR
- Oct. 18 – The Warfield @ San Francisco, CA
- Oct. 19 – Mayan Theatre @ Los Angeles, CA
- Oct. 20 – House of Blues @ San Diego, CA
- Oct. 21 – The Fox Theater @ Pomona, CA
- Oct. 22 – Marquee Theatre @ Tempe, AZ
- Oct. 24 – The Complex @ Salt Lake City, UT
- Oct. 25 – Ogden Theatre @ Denver, CO
- Oct. 27 – The Rave @ Milwaukee, WI
- Oct. 28 – Vic Theatre @ Chicago, IL
- Oct. 29 – St. Andrews Hall @ Detroit, MI
- Oct. 30 – Guelph Concert Theatre @ Guelph, ON
- Oct. 31 – Mr Smalls Theatre @ Millvale, PA
- Nov. 01 – Rams Head Live! – Baltimore, MD
REVIEW: Melt Banana @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 10/1/11)
Melt Banana started off their two month U.S. tour with an initial stop at the WOW Hall in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday. Their last time through Oregon, the Tokyo-based screamo/noise metal band didn’t stop here, and the freezing rain & severe winter fog kept many Ducks who wanted to trek up to Portland away. Not so this time… and I made it there just in time to catch their blistering set.
Agata shredded up the guitars, making dental exams seem pleasant. Yako was a sandstorm of power and unexpectedness on vocal duties… and charming in between songs. The drum & bass battery (presumably Takiya & Rika) propelled the blasts of music forward.
It’s one thing to hear this band on record, it’s quite another to see them live. They’re going all over the U.S.A. from now until late November! Catch them (dates below). They’re also working on a new album, out in 2012.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Melt Banana’s Site
- Melt Banana’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Other Related Reviews~
- Jeff Matarrese’s photos in ODE (Eugene 10/1)
- WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next shows for me… Chromeo & Opeth at the Roseland (Portland) in a couple of weeks!
~Dan – np: John Zorn – At the Gates of Paradise
MELT-BANANA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
MxBx 2011 U.S.A. Tour Dates
- 10/1/2011 WOW Hall Eugene, OR
- 10/2/2011 Star Theater Portland, OR
- 10/3/2011 Chop Suey Seattle, WA
- 10/4/2011 The Badlander Missoula, MT
- 10/6/2011 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
- 10/8/2011 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
- 10/9/2011 The Record Bar Kansas City, MO
- 10/10/2011 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE
- 10/11/2011 The Mill Iowa City, IA
- 10/12/2011 Nutty’s Sioux Falls, SD
- 10/13/2011 Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN
- 10/14/2011 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI
- 10/15/2011 Cactus Club Milwaukee, WI
- 10/16/2011 Subterranean Chicago, IL
- 10/17/2011 Cicero’s St. Louis, MO
- 10/18/2011 The Bishop Bloomington, IN
- 10/19/2011 The Historic Southgate House Newport, KY
- 10/20/2011 Mac’s Bar Lansing, MI
- 10/22/2011 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH
- 10/23/2011 The Haunt Ithaca, NY
- 10/25/2011 Wrongbar Toronto, ON
- 10/26/2011 Il Motore Montreal, QC
- 10/27/2011 T.T. The Bear’s Cambridge, MA
- 10/28/2011 The Space Hamden, CT
- 10/29/2011 Santos Party House New York, NY
- 10/31/2011 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
- 11/1/2011 The Red Palace Washington, DC
- 11/2/2011 Ottobar Baltimore, MD
- 11/4/2011 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
- 11/5/2011 The EARL Atlanta, GA
- 11/06/2011 The Engine Room Tallahassee, FL
- 11/08/2011 Backbooth Orlando, FL
- 11/09/2011 Crowbar Tampa, FL
- 11/10/2011 Double Down Gainesville, FL
- 11/11/2011 Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL
- 11/12/2011 Caledonia Lounge Athens, GA
- 11/13/2011 The End Nashville, TN
- 11/15/2011 BottleTree Birmingham, AL
- 11/16/2011 Alabama Music Box Mobile, AL
- 11/17/2011 Fitzgerald’s Houston, TX
- 11/18/2011 The Prophet Bar Dallas, TX
- 11/19/2011 The Mohawk Austin, TX
- 11/20/2011 Jack’s Patio Bar & Grill San Antonio, TX
- 11/22/2011 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
- 11/23/2011 Hollywood Alley Mesa, AZ
- 11/25/2011 The Bunkhouse Las Vegas, NV
- 11/26/2011 Soda Bar San Diego, CA
- 11/27/2011 Echoplex Los Angeles, CA
- 11/28/2011 Harlow’s Night Club Sacramento, CA
- 11/29/2011 Bottom Of The Hill San Francisco , CA
REVIEW: David Bazan @ House Show (Eugene, OR – 9/29/11)
Wave 2 of the David Bazan 2011 Living Room tour… I missed the last swipe through in Corvallis, but was destined to see him in my home town again. It was held at the same house from 2009 (that review here). Thank you so much to the super great hosts!
No opener this time. David kicked into it just after 8pm with the lead off track to his new album, Strange Negotiations. It’s a great record, and rumor has it that he’s working on a new one already – but there was no mention of that last night…
Setlist: ~80 mins
- Wolves at the Door
- Cold Beer and Cigarettes
- June 18, 1976 (Pedro the Lion)
- Hard to Be
- Q&A 1
- Foregone Conclusions (Pedro the Lion)
- Shit Talker (Headphones)
- Virginia
- Q&A 2 on old blues guitarists
- Fewer Broken Pieces
- Slow and Steady Wins the Race (Pedro the Lion)
- Q&A 3
- Transcontinental (Pedro the Lion)
- Q&A 4
- Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box (Radiohead cover for Elliott Smith)
- Won’t Let Go
- Curse Your Branches
- Q&A 5
- Strange Negotiations
- No Encore
David’s playing Sam Bond’s Garage in about 2 1/2 months with a full band (Dec 14th for those wanting to know); so Eugene will be lucky to see his beardy face grace our presence once again.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- David Bazan’s Site
- David Bazan’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- The Indigo (Eugene, OR – Dec 2007)
- House Show (Eugene, OR – Jul 2009)
- Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – Nov 2009)
- Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – Mar 2010)
Check out the now-almost-all-done tour dates below. Woodinville, Washington tonight – then he’s back to his own bed until the band tour hits in the late Fall…
Next show for me… Melt Banana at WOW Hall on 10/1.
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Feeding The Monkies At Ma Maison
Bazan’s 2nd wave of Living Room Tour Dates 2011
Mon 9/5 – Bozeman, MT
Tues 9/6 – Salt Lake City, UT
Wed 9/7 – Fort Collins, CO
Thurs 9/8 – Topeka, KS
Fri 9/9 – Winona, MN
Sat 9/10 – Wheaton, IL
Sun 9/11 – Champaign, IL
Mon 9/12 – Lexington, KY
Tues 9/13 – Scott Depot, WV
Wed 9/14 – Wilmington, OH
Thurs 9/15 – Cleveland, OH
Fri 9/16 – Rochester, NY
Sat 9/17 – Wilkes-Barre, PA
Sun 9/18 – Williamstown, NJ
Mon 9/19 – Oakton, VA
Tues 9/20 – Charlottesville, VA
Wed 9/21 – Simpsonville, SC
Thurs 9/22 – Birmingham, AL
Fri 9/23 – Shreveport, LA
Sat 9/24 – Tulsa, OK
Mon 9/26 – Payson, AZ
Tues 9/27 – Aliso Viejo, CA
Wed 9/28 – Santa Rosa, CA
Thurs 9/29 – Eugene, OR
Fri 9/30 – Woodinville, WA
REVIEW: Eddie Vedder & Glen Hansard @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 7/14/11)
MY PHOTOS NOW POSTED (see bottom)
Last night in Portland showed two stripped down musicians, parting ways from their “main gig” and creating some delightful energy despite the solo nature of it all. First up was Glen Hansard of The Swell Season (see the Once movie) and The Frames (who essentially became the backing band for the Swell Season)…
(not from GH’s July 2011 Portland gig – this shot from Nov 2009)
Glen played a 45 or so minute set. Among stories of getting drunk and staying out until 5am viewing women only wearing feathers, he played some tunes that featured his powerful voice.
Glen’s Setlist: 45 minutes
- Pennies in the Fountain
- Leave
- Lucia
- You Will Become
- Love Don’t Keep Me Waiting (with “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” tag)
- In These Arms
- Astral Weeks [Van Morrison] (with “Death Metal” solo)
- Song of Good Hope
After a short set change, Pearl Jam front-man Eddie Vedder came out. He was dressed as expected… Seattle casual – complete with flannel. Shocking, I know…
The stage was set up with a sparse bungalow living room feel. Some chairs, a reel to reel, antique lamps, guitars and shelving strewn about. While this was billed as the Ukulele Songs tour, Eddie started out on acoustic. He played a wandering and energy filled set: some stripped down Pearl Jam tunes, some Into the Wild tunes, some ukulele numbers, some covers. While his casual flannel may make him seem like stuck in the 90s slacker movement, Eddie is anything but a slacker. He delivered 2 hours of music…
Eddie’s Set: 2 hours
- Walking The Cow [Daniel Johnston]
- Can’t Keep
- Sleeping By Myself
- Without You
- Goodbye
- Blue, Red And Grey [The Who]
- I Am Mine
- Thumbing My Way
- Just Breathe
- Far Behind
- Long Nights (with Glen Hansard)
- Setting Forth
- Guaranteed
- Rise (dedicated to Gerry Lopez)
- Immortality
- Unthought Known
- The End
- Arc
- Encore 1: If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out [Cat Stevens]
- You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away [The Beatles]
- Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
- The Golden State (with Corin Tucker) [John Doe]
- Tonight You Belong To Me (with Janet Weiss) [Billy Rose & Lee David]
- Sleepless Nights (with Glen, off mic, a cappella, gorgeous) [Gram Parsons]
- Society (with Glen) [Jerry Hannan]
- Falling Slowly (with Glen on lead vocals) [The Swell Season]
- Porch
- Encore 2: Hard Sun (with Glen, Corin & Janet) [Gordon Peterson]
- Dream A Little Dream [The Mamas & the Papas]
Eddie has such passion for what he does. He doesn’t do things half-assed. While I’d say he isn’t in my short list for “best singers,” he is on the short list for “most passionate singers.” He’s a gritty and emotive rockstar, definitely – all while being down to earth. I also find his voice to be distinct, despite the copycats of the 90s.
Eddie shared a funny story about a party with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell trying to help Eddie create the perfect “evil ukulele” sound. Too much wine brought on Chris hurling over the balcony… “the ukulele won.”
The session of duets Corin Tucker (from Sleater-Kinney/CT Band) and Janet Weiss (from Sleater-Kinney/Quasi/etc) was fantastic. The absolute highlight for me was when Glen came back on for the encore and played three songs with Eddie… the first being a stunning off-mic, a cappella version of “Sleepless Nights” and the third being “Falling Slowly” (from Glen’s band The Swell Season).
This tour ends tonight in Seattle…
One question of note: why were the roadies dressed in white lab coats?
more EV photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Eddie Vedder/Pearl Jam Site
- EV/PJ’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Glen Hansard’s Swell Season Site
- Glen Hansard’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- Other Related Reviews~
- The Swell Season @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene – Nov 2009)
The tour dates below… all done tonight in Seattle.
~Dan – np: Garage A Trois – Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil
EDDIE VEDDER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Eddie Vedder & Glen Hansard – Summer 2011 Tour Dates
June 15: Providence, R.I. (Providence Performing Arts Center)
June 16: Boston, Mass. (The Wang Theatre)
June 18: Hartford, Conn. (The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts)
June 21: New York, N.Y. (Beacon Theatre)
June 22: New York, N.Y. (Beacon Theatre)
June 25: Philadelphia, Pa. (Tower Theatre)
June 26: Detroit, Mich. (Fox Theatre)
June 28: Chicago, Ill. (The Chicago Theatre)
July 1: St. Louis, Mo. (Fox Theatre)
July 2: Minneapolis, Minn. (Orpheum Theatre )
July 5: San Diego, Calif. (Copley Symphony Hall)
July 6: Long Beach, Calif. (Terrace Theater)
July 8: Los Angeles (The Wiltern)
July 9: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara Bowl)
July 11: Oakland, Calif. (The Paramount Theatre)
July 14: Portland, Ore. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall)
July 15: Seattle, Wash. (Benaroya Hall)
Eddie Vedder @ Schnitz (Portland 7/14)
Stupendous show last night at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall from Eddie Vedder & Glen Hansard. I should have my review up with photos later this weekend.
Updated ~ Review & setlist posted: HERE (photos still to come)
The highlight for me was the duets set capped with a Eddie/Glen duet on The Swell Season’s “Falling Slowly.”
~Dan
PHOTOS: Toad the Wet Sprocket @ Bend Summer Festival (Bend, OR – 7/8/11)
Toad the Wet Sprocket dug through their catalog and delivered a long set full of their hits, as well as a couple brand new Toad songs, during their evening capping set at the Bend Summer Festival on Friday night. John Kingham joined them on keyboards. There are rumors (per a Facebook post about the Washington show) that a new studio album may be out by years’ end.
Here’s what they played in Bend…
Setlist:
- Something’s Always Wrong
- Whatever I Fear
- Fly From Heaven
- Crowing
- Good Intentions
- Way Away
- Inside
- Torn
- Windmills
- Is It For Me
- The Moment [new song]
- Friendly Fire [new song]
- Come Back Down
- Nightingale Song
- Finally Fading
- Crazy Life
- All I Want
- Brother
- Fall Down
- Encore: Sister Christian teaser [Night Ranger]
- Come Down
- Walk on the Ocean
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Site
- Glen Phillips’ Site
- Toad & Glen’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Toad @ Crystal (Portland – July 2010)
- W.P.A. @ WOW Hall (Eugene – Sept 2009)
- Glen solo @ WOW Hall (Eugene – Feb 2008)
Next shows for me… the Dead Kenny G’s @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene) on 7/13 and then Eddie Vedder & Glen Hansard at the Schnitzer (Portland) on 7/14.
~Dan – np: Silverchair – Diorama
TOAD THE WET SPROCKET PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: A Perfect Circle @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 6/29/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
A Perfect Circle [APC] is a beautiful collaboration between music-writer Billy Howerdel (Tool guitar tech, Ashes Divide frontman) and lyricist Maynard James Keenan (Tool & Puscifer frontman, winemaker). Their first album, Mer de Noms, took the artistic approach that is also in Tool’s world into a more mainstream hardrock setting. They dug deep into addiction-themed lyrics on their follow-up, The Thirteenth Step, and then got really politically bent on eMOTIVe (which was released on the day we failed as Americans by electing George W Bush for a 2nd term). WTF!? Anyway, sorry for my personal injection… here is their oeuvre to peruse if you are unfamiliar:
Their last full-length studio album (the aforementioned eMOTIVe) also showed less songwriting and way more covers… Lennon, Costello, Marvin Gaye, Zeppelin, Devo, Black Flag, Joni Mitchell, Depeche Mode, and more. Its political nature was maybe a last “rock the vote” push in the 2004 Presidential election? Well, the peace and war and political conflict from 2004 is still here in 2011. It’s different, but alas it’s still here. I think that album is still very relevant… while APC plans on releasing some new material in the near future (digital format initially), the first thing I noticed when I showed up at the Schnitzer on Wednesday night was their stage setup: camouflage curtains, ammo boxes, and military-like gear littered the stage.
This was their first show of the six-week tour… Was the show going to be a musical battle-zone? Maynard has been quite theatrical with his live shows lately (see my Puscifer Nov ’09 review links below), but APC tends to be a different beast… Maynard in Puscifer is the outgoing one, in APC is a bit reserved, and in Tool is many times cloaked and hidden for 75% of the show.
Before digging into APC’s set, the opener…
The opener was a Japanese noise-pop hardrock trio Red Bacteria Vacuum. The reviews I’ve read have really dissed them. I’m a fan of this type of thing (poppy Tsu Shi Ma Me Re & noisy Melt Banana); so I dug them plenty. Plus they were cute a button when exchanging words with the crowd… “please… to… eat you.” Nice 30-minute sugar punk from Japan. I didn’t have my photo pass issue sorted out for their set. Photo above courtesy of Meats Meier.
Well, the 90 minute set from A Perfect Circle seemed less like a battle zone than the stage lead us to believe. Not as much energy as the props suggested (a generally more subdued Maynard sticking to his perch, etc). As far as song selection, they played a decent mix of their originals material, but the night was really heavy on the covers. While I like their “making the song theirs” in the approach, I was hoping for more of the rawness and angst from their original tunes…
Setlist: 90 minutes
- Annihilation [Crucifix] (false start)
- Imagine [John Lennon]
- Weak and Powerless
- The Hollow
- What’s Going On [Marvin Gaye]
- People Are People [Depeche Mode]
- The Outsider (lyric flub)
- (What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? [Nick Lowe/Elvis Costello]
- When The Levee Breaks [Led Zeppelin]
- The Noose
- 3 Libras (All Main Courses Mix)
- Gravity
- Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie [Black Flag]
- Orestes
- Passive
- Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
- The Fiddle and the Drum [Joni Mitchell]
- By and Down [new song]
No encore
I was hoping for “Judith” and perhaps the Failure cover “The Nurse Who Loved Me,” but it was still a highly enjoyable night. While there were a few flubs, it was their first tour date in a while, and they pulled off quite an entertaining show. Maynard explained, “I’m closer to 50 than 40” in an attempt to get some forgiveness. The band didn’t talk much, outside of a few brief apologies from Maynard and the band introductions. The band was Maynard on vocals, guitarist/co-founder Billy Howerdel, guitarist/keyboardist James Iha, bassist Matt McJunkins, and drummer Jeff Friedl (filling in for Josh Freese who is currently out with Weezer).
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of Maynard’s bands. This year promises some new music & tour from Puscifer, some new music from A Perfect Circle, and potentially some Tool (they’ve been in a writing phase, but they take longer). If APC is hitting your next of the woods, do your damndest to make it out to the show…
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- APC’s Site
- APC’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Red Bacteria Vacuum’s Site
- Red Bacteria Vacuum’s Facebook / MySpace
- Other Related Reviews~
- Oregon Music News APC 6/29/11 review (with my photos)
- SPIN magazine APC 6/29/11 review (with some more professional shots)
- Puscifer Night 1 (Portland – Nov ’09)
- Puscifer Night 2 (Portland – Nov ’09)
- The Schnitzer’s PCPA Site / Facebook
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Portland Cello Project at Alton Baker Park / Art & the Vineyard on 7/4.
~Dan – np: Klezmerson – Siete
A PERFECT CIRCLE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld / Pacificlectic,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
APC 2011 Tour Dates
- May 22 – Columbus, OH @ Rock on the Range
- June 29 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
- June 30 – Kent, WA @ Showare Center
- July 2 – Gibbons, AL @ Boonstock Festival
- July 4 – Winnipeg, MB @ Centennial Concert Hall
- July 6 – St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
- July 8 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
- July 9 – Toronto, ON @ Edgefest
- July 12 – Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
- July 13 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
- July 15 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
- July 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier
- July 17 – Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
- July 19 – Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
- July 20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
- July 22 – San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
- July 23 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre
- July 25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
- July 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheater
- July 29 – Sacramento, CA @ Memorial Auditorium
- July 30 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre
- August 1 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kingsbury Hall
- August 2 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
- August 8 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbent
- August 9 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
- August 10 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theatre
- More information & more dates: http://www.aperfectcircle.com/
APC setlist (6/29/11)
Brief post with A Perfect Circle’s setlist from tonight (Portland, OR, 6/29/2011 @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall). Any help on the two missing songs, let me know… my photos and longform review to be posted by the weekend…
UPDATE 7/1: review & photos posted HERE.
Setlist: 90 minutes
- Annihilation [Crucifix] (false start)
- Imagine [John Lennon]
- Weak and Powerless
- The Hollow
- What’s Going On [Marvin Gaye]
- People Are People [Depeche Mode]
- The Outsider (lyric flub)
- (What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? [Elvis Costello]
- When The Levee Breaks [Led Zeppelin]
- The Noose
- 3 Libras (Remix)
- Gravity
- Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie [Black Flag]
- Orestes
- Passive
- Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
- The Fiddle and the Drum [Joni Mitchell]
- By and Down [new song]
No encore
REVIEW: U2 & Lenny Kravitz @ Qwest Field (Seattle, WA – 6/4/11)
photo by Soren McCarty (Denver show)
U2 is one of the biggest rock bands in the world. They’ve been a band for almost 35 years – all the same four guys. Sit back and think about that for a minute. Sure, they haven’t been without struggles, but they’ve been a solid force in rock music for a long, long time. Saturday night was my third time to see them (PopMart 1996, Elevation 2001), and based on the reviews and photos I had seen, I knew I was going to be blown away…
Qwest Field started being configured for U2’s 360º Tour earlier that week. The 360º Tour features the largest concert stage structure ever and a 360-degree staging/audience configuration that allows fans to surround the stage from all sides. The large parking lot full of semi-trucks wasn’t just for Bono’s sunglasses supply. Check out the GeneStout.com media recap of the stage build out (with Mike Savoia’s photos – more from Mike below, too). See a time-lapse build-out of the Denver show (FB video link).
We positioned ourselves at near the north side of the outside of the loop for the show – as we hadn’t gotten there early enough for the inner loop. After running into a bad batch in the crowd (i.e.- drunk as hell d-bags), we backed off and watched from a nice safe distance. Opener Lenny Kravitz hit the stage around 7:30 and played a solid 50 minutes set. One new song, and a cadre of his hits. Cindy Blackwell was not on drums – that was the only noticeable absence. Lenny had some ear-monitor issues near the end, which was frustrating him, but he put on a great show regardless.
Lenny’s Setlist: 50 minutes
- Come On Get It [new song]
- Mamma Said
- It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over
- Let Love Rule
- American Woman [The Guess Who]
- Fly Away
- Are You Gonna Go My Way
After a short break, the David Bowie tape intro started, and U2 walked out onto the stage…
U2’s Setlist: 2+ hours
- Space Oddity [tape intro, David Bowie]
- Even Better Than The Real Thing
- I Will Follow
- Get On Your Boots
- Magnificent
- Mysterious Ways
- Elevation
- Until The End Of The World
- All I Want Is You
- Stay (Faraway, So Close!) [acoustic]
- Beautiful Day with NASA video* & Space Oddity snippet (*video below)
- Pride (In The Name Of Love)
- Miss Sarajevo
- Zooropa
- City Of Blinding Lights
- Vertigo
- I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight with Discothèque and other snippets
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Scarlet
- Walk On
- Encore 1: Aung San Suu Kyi Message [tape]
- One
- Where The Streets Have No Name
- Encore 2: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
- With Or Without You
- Moment of Surrender
They rocked out, and from our vantage point it was like watching alien TV. Some of the best moments for me… The kick-off “Even Better Than the Real Thing” followed by the throwback “I Will Follow” (this show was going to be all over their catalog). The NASA Commander Mark Kelly video intro to “Beautiful Day” (from space – video below). The snippet of “Discotheque” was excellent (POP is a great, under-appreciated album). Bono swinging out on his lit-up microphone during “Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me.”
Oh, and Zoo-fucking-ropa. The expanding televisions caught me off guard… it was a circus of sights and sounds.
A massive spectacle from a massive band. A truly entertaining experience. U2 blows about any other live show out of the water as far as sheer force, light, power, and energy.
My Photos from the show:
(really, just shots of the TV… sigh…)
Mike Savoia’s Pro-shot Photos:
(used with permission)
check out the links to Mike Savoia’s work below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- U2’s Site
- Amnesty International
- One Campaign
- U2.com splash page for Seattle show (with photos & video)
- U2’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Lenny Kravitz’s Site
- Lenny Kravitz’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- Mike Savoia’s Digital Photography from the Seattle Show (6/4/2011)
Check out more tour dates below. #U2360SEA
~Dan – np: Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire
U2’s rescheduled 2011 North American dates:
- May 21 Denver, CO Invesco Field (formerly June 12/10)
- May 24 Salt Lake City, UT Rice Eccles Stadium (formerly June 3/10)
- June 01 Edmonton, AB Commonwealth Stadium (formerly June 23/10)
- June 04 Seattle, WA Qwest Field (formerly June 20/10)
- June 07 Oakland, CA McAfee Coliseum (formerly June 20/10)
- June 17 Anaheim, CA Angels Stadium (formerly June 6/10)
- June 18 Anaheim, CA Angels Stadium (formerly June 7/10)
- June 26 East Lansing, MI Spartan Stadium at MSU (formerly June 30/10)
- June 29 Miami, FL Sun Life Stadium (formerly July 9/10)
- July 05 Chicago, IL Soldier Field (formerly July 6/10)
- July 08 Montreal, QC Hippodrome (formerly July 16/10)
- July 09 Montreal, QC Hippodrome (formerly July 17/10)
- July 11 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre (formerly July 3/10)
- July 14 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field (formerly July 12/10)
- July 20 East Rutherford, NJ New Meadowlands Stadium (formerly July 19/10)
- July 23 Minneapolis, MN TCF Bank Stadium (formerly June 27/10)
REVIEW: Mankind & Kari Spohn @ Wandering Goat (Eugene, OR – 4/29/11)
On Friday, Eugene photographer Kari Spohn and Eugene “post-something” band Mankind hit the Wandering Goat with two very different artistic openings. Kari’s black & white photography was throughout the coffee shop… her opening starting at 5:30pm. I dig her work – very “beauty in the everyday” and nice use of lines in concrete and steel in my opinion.
Delightful bites of caprise bread slices and sounds from the espresso machine’s froth fuzz soon gave way to the post-rock / post-metal bombast from Mankind at 6pm…
photo by Wes Hurd
Mankind is a great find for post-rock fans in Eugene. They played a fairly tight set of some fantastical heavy instrumental music that sucks you in. Mankind is James Madson on bass, Joe Harvey & John Hurd on guitars and Courtney Stubbert on drums. For fans of Explosions in the Sky, think a touch heavier. “Explosions in the Isis” perhaps. Definitely recommended for fans of Explosions, Isis, Mogwai, et cetera. And I’m glad Mankind are in Eugene. I look forward to seeing them play a show where they can stretch their legs – the Goat’s stage is a bit small!
And don’t worry… the sonic takeover of the art opening wasn’t intended as a clash. It was a compliment to the photography (Kari and Mankind are kindreds).
Over at Bandcamp, you can download (for free) the first batch of demos from Mankind. You won’t be disappointed:
http://mankind.bandcamp.com/The Appropriate Linkage:
- Mankind’s Site
- Mankind’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Kari Spohn’s Flickr / Twitter
- Wandering Goat’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… possibly Tin Hat at the Mission Theater (Portland) on 5/19 or Blackfield at Aladdin (Portland) on 6/1. Or, I assume some other stuff will pop-up in May…
Breaking news as I was writing this review up… Barack Obama announced that a special force killed Osama bin Laden! Mission Accomplished (for real this time)! I’m not celebrating the death, but rather the justice.
REVIEW: Ani DiFranco @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR – 4/12/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Ani DiFranco comes through Eugene on just about every West Coast tour – which is always a delight. The crowd seemed a tad sparse… perhaps due to the lack of new Ani material out there recently. She’s prolific, but hasn’t put out an album since 2008’s Red Letter Year. She hasn’t even put out any new official live bootlegs since 2009. With that lack of apparent new music on the shelves (CD World or iTunes), one might think she’s taking a break. Well, as you’ll see from the setlist below, no break has occurred with her songwriting proliferation…
Super busy week; so I apologize in advance… I didn’t catch the opener Animal Prufrock this time. I saw her back in 2008 with Judy Grahn & Ani D. I enjoyed Animal’s raucous energy, but again… twas an uber-busy week, and I couldn’t make it to the McD for the early opener start time (Animal @ 7:30, Ani D @ 8:30!).
I got into the venue about 30 seconds before Ani and band hit the stage. Whew, perfect timing! Her band this time was the same as her prior Eugene gig… Andy Barger on drums, Mike Dillon on percussion, and Todd Sickafoose on contrabass. Fantastically gelled band… I love watching these guys play. In fact, I’ll be seeing Mike Dillon play again next week in Eugene. At the end of the Ani tour, he’s hitting the road with Skerik and the rest of the guys with Garage A Trois.
Tons of new stuff was played…
Setlist: around 90 minutes pre-encore
- Anticipate
- Angry Any More
- Unworry (newish – she played it at Eugene 2009)
- Paradigm
- Promiscuity (new)
- Gloating (new)
- W.O.W. (new)
- J (new)
- I Know This Bar
- See See “Still in Love with You” (new)
- The Atom
- Everest
- If You’re Not (new)
- Untouchable Face
- Which Side Are You On?
- Encore: Overlap
- Angel from Montgomery
Due to a hectic week, I had to bail right before the encore. Based on other reports from this tour, she also played a few older tunes and maybe the newer tune “Mariachi.” Anyone with a good memory or notes throw a little help on what she played after “Which Side…” for an encore?
As far as the new stuff, I dug it… especially “Gloating,” “Jay,” and “W.O.W.” I will say one of the best things of the night was the main line to “If You’re Not”…
If you’re not getting happier as you get older, you’re fucking up.
A lot of new stuff to digest… I usually need some more time for the new material to kick around my brain. Perhaps with this glut of new material, she’s heading into the studio soon for studio album #18(!). Anyone catch her Crystal Ballroom show in Portland? Any major difference in setlist?
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Ani DiFranco’s Site
- Ani DiFranco’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Ani-Related Reviews~
- McDonald Theatre (Eugene – Oct 2009)
- McDonald Theatre (Eugene – Apr 2008)
- McDonald Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Skerik, Mike Dillon, Marc Benevento and Stanton Moore are Garage A Trois @ Sam Bond’s 4/21.
~Dan – np: Todd Sickafoose – Tiny Resistors
ANI DIFRANCO PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Madeleine Peyroux @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – 4/5/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Madeleine Peyroux has a new album coming out called Standin’ On the Rooftop. The album, coming out June 7th on Decca, features Marc Ribot on guitar/banjo along with Me’shell Ndegeocello on bass. No word on tracklist for the full-length, but she just released a preview EP called The Things I’ve Seen Today, which features the title track co-written by violinist Jenny Scheinman and a delightful cover of The Beatles’ “Martha, My Dear” (click picture to the right for samples).
This show in Eugene was her second time through in as many years. I don’t recall if the band members were the same as last time, but regardless, they were all fantastic musicians. While Ribot/Ndegeocello/Scheinman were not in the live band, all four band members created a vibe conducive to taking in Madeleine’s golden vocal chords.
They played a fairly jazzy set, and Madeleine’s lush vocals bounced around in more of a jazzy singer-songwriter feel than I remembered her from before. As you’ll be able to see from the setlist below, she played a lot of the new material from the forthcoming album – much of it I was unable to unidentify. If you have any assistance on the setlist, let me know in the comments.
Setlist: over 90 minutes
- unknown
- The Things I’ve Seen Today
- Martha, My Dear [The Beatles]
- “Muddy Mississippi”
- You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go [Bob Dylan]
- “seen my reflection underneath the moon”
- “here we are… I’m only human”
- Don’t Wait Too Long
- Don’t Pick a Fight With a Poet
- “Meet me in Rio”
- “involuntary pass/past(?)”
- Dance Me to the End of Love [Leonard Cohen]
- unknown love song
- Instead [with band introductions & solos]
- Encore: J’Ai Deux Amours
- “I hear music” [with band solos]
Fantastic show. Madeleine was fairly chatty and in a great mood. The Eugene crowd was fairly subdued, except for a particular “amateur comedian” named George who interacted a bit with Madeleine – which at one point said she should have him open for her. :)
Be on the lookout for her new album in June. She’s hitting a few more West Coast & Canada dates (as well as a NYC date) between now and the end of June. Check out more tour dates below.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Madeleine Peyroux’s Site
- Madeleine Peyroux’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- The Shedd (Eugene – March 2009)
- The Shedd’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… quite possibly Ani DiFranco at McDonald Theatre in Eugene (4/12).
~Dan – np: Platypus – When Pus Comes to Shove
MADELEINE PEYROUX PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Madeleine Peyroux Spring/Summer 2011 Tour Dates:
3/31-4/02 – Seattle, WA @ Jazz Alley
4/03 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
4/05 – Eugene, OR @ Shedd Institute for Arts
4/06 – Santa Rosa, CA @ Wells Fargo Center
4/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts
4/09 – Los Angeles, CA @ Luckman Theater
4/11 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Lobero Theatre
4/13 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
6/17-19 – New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
6/22 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
6/24 – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada @ Royal Theatre (Victoria
International Jazzfest)
6/25 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada @ Centre for the Performing Arts
(Vancouver International Jazz Festival))
6/26 – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada @ Winspear Centre for Music (Edmonton Int’l
Jazz Festival)
6/28 – Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada @ Theatre Granada
6/29 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada @ Theatre Maisonneuve (Fest Int’l De Jazz De
Montreal)
6/30 – Quebec, Canada @ Raoul-Jobin Hall (Palais Montcalm)
REVIEW: The Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR – 3/16/11)
I hadn’t heard the Punch Brothers prior to the show, outside of a few clips on their webpage… but what I did hear, I knew I’d love it. I have also been a fan of frontman Chris Thile’s mandolin work with Nickel Creek; so I knew what to expect from at least his performance.
The show started with a delightful set from local fiddler prodigy Tatiana Hargreaves (backed by Scott Law on guitar). I had seen Tatiana play (with her brother Alex) during Works Progress Administration’s show at the WOW Hall in 2009 – which is a side project from Glen Phillips and Sean & Sara Watkins (from Nickel Creek as well)… so her opening for the Punch Brothers made perfect sense. Her set was a great warm up for what was to come (sorry, no photos came out of Tatiana & Scott, my camera was acting up).
The Punch Brothers went on shortly after Tatiana’s set. No flashy stage set-up or lights, just five guys and their instruments. The Punch Brothers are Chris Thile on mandolin & vocals, Gabe Witcher on fiddle/violin, Noam Pikelny on banjo, Chris Eldridge on guitar, and Paul Kowert on bass. They played a hour and a half or more with a great split between rollicking bluegrass vocal numbers and more stretched out instrumental pieces.
The overall musicianship in the entire group was evident early on. They were a quite tight five piece string band, and the lack of drums was barely noticeable – their use of rhythm duties amongst the strings was more than enough to keep the jammy, progressive instrumental movements rolling along. Since I don’t know their material all that well, I can’t really help out on the setlist front. I know they played “Rye Whiskey,” the Beatles “Paperback Writer,” a stunning mandolin-centric version of Radiohead “Paranoid Android,” and Chris Thile did a riveting Bach piece on solo mandolin.
Also, per Serena from the Register Guard, they covered the Strokes and Josh Ritter as well.
Fantastic show, and I shall get to know their music before they swing through again. Their latest CD is 2010’s Antifogmatic (pictured to the right).
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Punch Brothers’ Site
- Punch Brothers’ Social Media Links (see below)
- Chris Thile’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- Tatiana Hargreaves’ Site / MySpace / Twitter
- McDonald Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… probably Lawn Gnomes & Upstate Trio @ Cornucopia (3/25) or Pojama People (an Oregon Frank Zappa cover band) @ Sam Bond’s Garage (3/26).
~Dan – np: David Bazan – Fewer Moving Pieces
THE PUNCH BROTHERS PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Kaki King @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 3/9/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Kaki King burst into the music scene in 2003 with her exquisite fretwork and primarily instrumental pieces. “Playing With Pink Noise” (from 2004’s Legs to Make Us Longer) thrust her more in the indie rock spotlight, showcasing a guitar that she played as if it were trying to run away from her. The video for “Pink Noise” was simply a white backdrop with Kaki effortlessly plucking and slapping away among randomly timed pink rose petals and balloons. It helped land her hands on the silver screen — as the up-close guitar “stunt double” for Freddie Highmore, who played a guitar prodigy in 2007’s August Rush. Later that year, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her score for Sean Penn’s Into the Wild (alongside Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder).
With her fifth album, Junior, a more mature songwriter has emerged. She still brings the famous fretwork to her songs, but Junior brings vocals more to the fore. Kaki woos us with the subtle and intricate pop of “Spit It Back In My Mouth,” the drive of “Falling Day,” the indie pop feel of “Communist Friends” and the hard rock of “Death Head.” The vulnerable and heartfelt “Sunnyside” brings the album to a close and shows off her more personal side. Kaki King is for fans of the indie rock of Sleater-Kinney and Tegan & Sara, or for those who like a bit more virtuoso musicianship mixed in with their lush pop melodies.
Kaki came through Eugene last May, and blew us away with her rockin’ band. For this go-round, it was just going to be her and her guitar. Or, shall I say… guitars… this is dubbed her “Guitar Traveling Freak Show” tour…
kaki king’s “band” on this tour
Before Kaki hit the stage, Washington went on. (Megan) Washington is an Australian singer-songwriter, who I hear is quite popular down under. She actually started her set with a joke about an odd fellow from Arcata, CA, who brandished a sword in front of her the day prior. She told us that she normally plays guitar, but due to obvious reasons wouldn’t be tonight. Her sound reminded me of a slightly grittier Regina Spektor (specifically from a vocal side of things). She definitely had some songwriting chops. She played about an hour… sometimes dreamy piano pop, sometimes more sullen indie rock. She didn’t have anything to sell us (no shirt, CDs, etc)… probably too difficult to manage hauling it to this hemisphere. I’d recommend checking out her records, especially How to Tame Lions and I Believe You Liar.
Kaki hit the stage at 8:30pm for this early show. She played almost entirely an instrumental set… with vocals only on “Life Being” and “Communist” (if I remember correctly). She switched between her trusty six string, a smaller than usual 12-string (Irish?), a banjo-guitar hybrid, an interestingly “koto”-style modified bridge guitar, a harp guitar, and probably a few I’m missing.
Setlist: about 90 minutes
- Bone Chaos in the Castle
- I Need A Girl Who Knows A Map
- Doing the Wrong Thing
- unidentified… possibly “Ingots”
- Life Being What It Is
- Playing With Pink Noise
- unidentified… possibly “Carmine St”
- My Girl the Horse [Fences]
- Andecy [Andrew York]
- Because It’s There [Michael Hedges]
- Nails
- unidentified… possibly “Magazine”
- unidentified… new song for Megan Washington
- unidentified… possibly “Bowen Island”
- Encore: unidentified… with Dan Brantigan on trumpet
- unidentified… “world premiere” drunk guitar song
- Communist Friends
Kaki is the kind of guitar player that makes non-guitar players want to learn how to play. She’s also the kind of guitar player who makes current guitar players want to throw away their axe. And despite her focused brilliance with her instrument, she has quite a humorous and awkwardly delightful stage presence. She’s charming, she’ll jokingly cuss the audience out, and then she’ll be self-deprecating. She’ll act playful and humble, and then she’ll smoke the 6 to 12 strings in front of her without much trouble. There’s no doubt that she belongs on stage and that you belong watching her.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Kaki King’s Site
- Kaki King’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Washington’s Site
- Washington’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Kaki & An Horse @ WOW Hall (Eugene – May 2010)
- Kaki in-store @ CD World (Eugene – May 2010)
- Not a review… but Kaki meets Tupac…
- WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Chris Thile‘s Punch Brothers at McDonald Theatre on 3/16.
~Dan – np: Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin – Llyrìa
KAKI KING PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
KAKI KING – 2011 TOUR DATES
Feb 23 Museum of Modern Art: Celeste Bartos Theatre New York, New York
Feb 26 Salon Vive Cuervo Mexico City, Mexico
Feb 28 The Loft – UC San Diego San Diego, California
Mar 2 Largo at the Coronet West Hollywood, California
Mar 3 College of the Sequoias Theatre Visalia, California
Mar 4 Yoshi’s San Francisco, CA
Mar 5 Ashkenaz Berkeley, California
Mar 6 Harlows Sacramento, California
Mar 8 Jambalaya Arcata, California
Mar 9 WOW Hall Eugene, Oregon
Mar 10 Mississippi Studios Portland, Oregon
Mar 11 The Triple Door Seattle, Washington
Mar 12 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Mar 24 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 25 Space Evanston, Illinois
Mar 26 The Old Rock House St. Louis, Missouri
Mar 28 Southgate House Newport, Kentucky
Mar 29 The Birchmere Alexandria , Virginia
Mar 30 World Cafe Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 1 Center for the Arts Natick, Massachusetts
Apr 2 Iron Horse Northampton, Massachusetts
Apr 3 Infinity Hall Norfolk, Connecticut
Apr 7 City Winery New York, New York
Apr 8 City Winery New York, New York
Apr 9 Binghamton University Binghamton, New York
Kaki King @ WOW Hall in Eugene 2011
Full review with more photos of Kaki King & Washington to be posted by Saturday… UPDATE: GO HERE
~Dan
REVIEW: Elton John @ Matthew Knight Arena (Eugene, OR – 2/17/11)
Vancouver 2011, photo by Adrian Lam, Timescolonist.com
The newly built Matthew Knight Arena, nestled at the University of Oregon in lovely Eugene, Oregon, hosted a supreme pop-star last night… the multi-million record selling Sir Elton John. He’s been releasing records and trotting the globe for over 5 decades, he has a countless (or at least monumentally difficult to count) list of awards and sales records. His tribute to Princess Diana (the “Candle in the Wind 1997″ single) sold 37 million copies alone. He’s been brash & counter-culture, but more often than not, he’s been a shaper of pop culture and pop music.
So, why Eugene, Oregon for his kick-off U.S. date on his 2011 winter tour? eh, maybe he’s a Ducks fan? Regardless of the reason, we were glad to host him and his band. His band last night was Davey Johnstone on guitar, Nigel Olsson on drums, Bob Birch on bass, John Mahon on percussion, Kim Bullard on keyboards, and a quartet of backing singers.
This was my first time to the Matthew Knight Arena (aka Matt Arena or Matt Court). It is a gorgeous facility. I tend to see artists play in much smaller venues, but it’s good to see a new venue in town to draw bigger arena acts. I am in Portland a lot, but if I can stay in town for someone like the Foo Fighters, Leonard Cohen, Pearl Jam, Tool, etc – I will.
The show was, as expected, a “Greatest Hits Live” show with a handful of new tunes…
Setlist: about 3 hours
- Funeral For A Friend
- Love Lies Bleeding
- Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
- Levon
- Madman Across the Water
- Tiny Dancer
- Philadelphia Freedom
- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
- Daniel
- Rocket Man
- I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues
- Hey Ahab
- The Best Part Of The Day
- Gone To Shiloh
- Monkey Suit
- When Love Is Dying
- Sad Songs
- Piano Solo/Take Me To The Pilot
- Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)
- Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
- Candle in the Wind
- Burn Down the Mission
- Bennie and the Jets
- The Bitch Is Back
- I’m Still Standing
- Crocodile Rock
- Encore: Your Song
- Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Check out photos from the Eugene show over at Eugene Weekly‘s blog:
http://blogs.eugeneweekly.com/content/elton-john-live-matt-knight-arena-21711
Elton John’s show was full of energy. I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest Elton John fan, but there were many songs that I knew. With that many records and hit songs, even an avant-garde jazz & metal fan is bound to know more than half of the songs. The band was tight – pretty much nailing the progressive rock parts on “Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding,” but the stage was set to let Elton shine. He didn’t just sit back and let his backing band take charge.
Things I could have lived without… the crazy texters surrounding us, the people who whipped out their cellphones to take pictures and/or videos (from the nose bleeds), and well, yeah, the keyboard horn section. Oh, and the crazy or drunk lady who eventually got ejected during “Candle in the Wind.”
Short and sweet: Elton put on a fantastic show, and I’m excited for more big events here in Eugene!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Elton John’s Site
- Elton John’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Matthew Knight Arena’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Godspeed You! Black Emperor tonight in Portland (Crystal Ballroom). Look for a review later this weekend…
~Dan – np: Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Elton John 2011 North American Tour Dates
- 14-Feb-2011 Victoria BC Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
- 15-Feb-2011 Victoria BC Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
- 17-Feb-2011 Eugene, OR Matthew Knight Arena
- 19-Feb-2011 Reno, NV Event Center
- 24-Feb-2011 Kahului, HI Maui Arts & Cultural Center
- 25-Feb-2011 Kahului, HI Maui Arts & Cultural Center
- 11-Mar-2011 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
- 12-Mar-2011 Worcester, MA DCU Center
- 16-Mar-2011 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
- 18-Mar-2011 Norfolk, VA Ted Constant Convocation Center
- 20-Mar-2011 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
- 23-Mar-2011 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
- 25-Mar-2011 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
- 26-Mar-2011 Baltimore, MD First Mariner Arena
- 27-Mar-2011 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center
- 06-Apr-2011 Bismarck, ND Civic Center
- 08-Apr-2011 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena
- 09-Apr-2011 Boise, ID Taco Bell Arena
- 10-Apr-2011 Billings, MT Matra Park
- 22-Apr-2011 Wilkes-Barre, PA Mohegan Sun Arena
- 23-Apr-2011 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
- 06-May-2011 Duluth, MN Amsoil Arena
REVIEW: Sean Lennon/Charlotte Kemp Muhl’s Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger @ The Woods (Portland, OR – 1/28/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Sean Lennon‘s last studio album, Friendly Fire, was brilliant. Not only was it chock full of great pop songs, but it also came with a DVD with a full album’s worth of cinematic music videos… for the entire album. Back in 2008, his new band Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (with Charlotte Kemp-Muhl) had a presence on MySpace… and put out some songs that eventually blossomed into the debut album – Acoustic Sessions (out in late 2010). They hit the road this past December & January, winding up with their last few shows here on the West Coast.
Opener Laura Gibson is a Portland local who has been the support on this recent GOASTT tour. Of all the venues on the tour, she said she could have “roller skated to this venue” (The Woods in the Sellwood neighborhood). She played 45 minutes with her drummer / multi-instrumentalistSean Ogilvie. Their set was quite wonderful: a folky, poppy duo… similar to the Weepies with a bit more charm, and very reminiscent in some of her vocal delivery to Maery Lanahan (from Seattle via Dayton, OH). Charming, well-crafted songs… and with anagram nicknames like “Albino Sugar” and “Eagle Vision,” you simply can’t go wrong with Laura Gibson & Sean Ogilvie!
After what seemed like a long-time, Sean, Charlotte & horn-player C.J. took the stage. They dug right into a new song, the only song I didn’t previously know… Sean rattled off the song name quickly. I didn’t catch it, except for they did sing “she’s got a meanstreak” a few times throughout. They played mostly everything from their Acoustic Sessions album except for “Robot Boy,” and also threw in a couple covers and a great song from Sean’s Friendly Fire album.
Sean sang and played guitar & drums. Charlotte also sang, played bass, accordion, toy piano/xylophone, melodica and other percussion. We never really got the real name of the horn-player, but “C.J. Calamari” played french horn and trumpet. He used several foot pedals to run the horns through effects processors… giving it a jazz-fusion sound that reminded me a lot of NYC-trumpet player Dave Douglas‘ Freak In album. It was a great electronic-rooted-in-brass timbre that really worked well with Sean & Charlotte’s poppy, eclectic-folky sound.
Setlist: 90 minutes
- new song “she’s got a meanstreak”
- Rainbows In Gasoline
- Jardin du Luxembourg
- Lavender Road
- Shroedinger’s Cat
- Dark Matter, White Noise
- Songs For James
- Girl From The North Country [Bob Dylan]
- Candy Necklace
- Dead Meat [Sean Lennon]
- The World Was Made For Men [false start x3 / giggle fest]
- Bennie and the Jets [Elton John]
- The World Was Made For Men
When they announced “Lavender Road” as being their “rocking song,” I internally chuckled, but wow… they tore it up at the end with guitar, drum and horn solos that truly rocked out.
Throughout the night, the band joked a lot in between songs, many times to the point of inability to hold back the laughter (both the crowd & band). You’d think this was a comedy tour instead of a music tour. There were stories of bar fights at Tex-Mex restaurants. Sean added a silly little impromptu “reggae rap” at the end of “Candy Necklace.” And the “worldwide venereal disease of tuning / history of world music” from Sean after Charlotte pulled out the accordion for “Song For James” was quite piece of stagecraft with many bad accents.
The 90 minutes they were on stage flew by far too quickly. They spared us the “ruse that is the encore,” but when they couldn’t get past the first 15 seconds of “The World Was Made For Men” due to a giggle fest from both Charlotte & Sean, they rocked into a seemingly impromptu “Bennie & the Jets” with the house piano on stage, and then finally hit “The World” again with a giggle-free completion and many cheers!
I’ve been privileged with many shows, but this was one of the best shows in a while – definitely for the year. Great songs, great people, great humor, great musicianship, great souls… and you could tell that they were having fun on stage. Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger plays Seattle tonight before heading back home. Check out their album Acoustic Sessions… it’s bueno!
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- GOASTT’s Site
- GOASTT’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Laura Gibson’s Site
- Laura Gibson’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- My Related Reviews~
- Sean Lennon w/ Nels Cline Singers (Portland – Jan 30, 2011)
- The Woods’ Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Nels Cline Singer and Yuka Honda on 1/30.
~Dan – np: GOASTT – Jardin du Luxembourg 7″ vinyl
GHOST OF A SABER TOOTH TIGER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
GOASTT 2010/2011 Tour (backwards order)
- Saturday 1/29/11 – The Crocodile, Seattle WA
- Friday 1/28/11 – The Woods, Portland OR
- Tuesday 1/25/11 – Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco CA
- Saturday 1/22/11 – Pappy & Harriets, Pioneertown (Joshua Tree) CA
- Friday 1/21/11 – Club Congress, Tucson AZ
- Wednesday 1/19/11 – Cactus Cafe, Austin TX
- Tuesday 1/18/11 – Dan’s Silver Leaf, Denton TX
- Saturday 1/15/11 – The Earl, Atlanta GA
- Friday 1/14/11 – Melting Point, Athens GA
- Thursday 1/13/11 – Evening Muse, Charlotte NC
- Wednesday 1/12/11 – Local 506, Chapel Hill NC
- Tuesday 1/11/11 – Ioata, Washington D.C.
- Saturday 1/8/11 – Rockwood Music Hall, New York NY
- Friday 1/7/11 – Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia PA
- Thursday 1/6/11 – Great Scott, Boston MA
- Friday 12/17/10 Bercy, Paris, France (with -M-)
- Thursday 12/16/10 Bercy, Paris, France (with -M-)
- Wednesday 12/15/10 Bercy, Paris, France (with -M-)
- Tuesday 12/14/10 Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Monday 12/13/10 Frannz Club, Berlin, Germany
- Saturday 12/11/10 MOD, Hasselt, Belgium
- Friday 12/10/10 Zenith, Saint Herblain, France (with -M-)
- Thursday 12/9/10 Zenith, Saint Herblain, France (with -M-)
- Wednesday 12/8/10 Grand Hall, Tours, France (with -M-)
- Tuesday 12/7/10 Zenith d’Orleans, Orleans, France (with -M-)
- Friday 12/3/10 Arena de Montpellier, Montpellier, France (with -M-)
- Thursday 12/2/10 Nikaia, Nice, France (with -M-)
- Wednesday 11/17/10 Largo, Los Angeles, CA
GOASTT @ The Woods (coming soon)
Setlist, photos & review from last night’s The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Ono Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl) at The Woods in Portland, Oregon, will be posted later today… Update: GO HERE
~Dan
GOASTT
REVIEW: Derek Webb @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 1/20/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I’ve been a fan of Derek Webb ever since seeing him in Caedmon’s Call in the mid-90s. His voice and lyricism is something I connect with, regardless of my now-differing beliefs. He’s a genuine artist & thinker, and I think he’s a Christian that I think really “gets it”… or is at least trying to “get it” (we’re all a work in progress)…
His last two albums, 2009’s Stockholm Syndrome and 2010’s instrumental Feedback, have some of the best material he’s put out, in my opinion. Since I went into a long-ish discussion about my connection and thoughts about Webb & Christianity in my review of the Jennifer Knapp tour in the Spring 2010 and my thoughts about Feedback, I’ll keep this review shorter and sweeter…
We showed up a little after the early start time… I got a chuckle out of Derek’s tweet about it being a “Christian seated show” (with photo) and took in the last half of opener Anna Gilbert‘s set…
Anna is an Oregonian, went to the University of Oregon, lives in Portland, and has a handful of delightfully sonic pop albums. Her third CD, Your Love My Medicine, was produced by none other than knob-wizard Charlie Peacock (his wiki). Anna’s sound… poppy, singer-songwriter. Nice positive songs.
After a short break and a beer, Derek hit the stage at 8pm…
Great set, a mix of songs from his solo albums, a couple of Caedmon’s tunes… and one lonely cover song. Based on my prior experience with Derek, and his recent Democracy covers series (now heading into Volume 2), I figured he’d hit us with another cover or two.
The acoustic version of the mostly electronic Stockholm Syndrome songs worked well. “What Matters More” is a favorite, and while the studio version is full of electronics, the stripped down version still remained one of my favorites from the night. For other Derek fans (or Derek himself), have the Stockholm songs ever been played out live with keyboards and/or a full band (Joshua Moore, etc)? That would kick ass.
Setlist: about 90 mins
- The End / The Very End
- The Spirit Vs. The Kick Drum
- New Law
- I Hate Everything (But You)
- Freddie, Please
- A Love That’s Stronger Than Our Fears
- I Love/Hate You
- God’s Hometown [Caedmon’s Call]
- I Just Don’t Want Coffee [Caedmon’s Call]
- Wedding Dress
- Heaven
- What Matters More
- She Must And Shall Go Free
- (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding [Nick Lowe]
“Spirit vs. Kick Drum,” “Love/Hate,” and the Caedmon’s “Coffee” were some other favorite selections from the night. His banter was charming as usual. I was surprised he didn’t talk about Shawn Colvin being on his flight to Eugene… alas, perhaps he was distracted by Delta not being as gentle with his guitar as he’d have liked… assuming his guitar makes it back to Nashville with him, he needs to get a few things checked out (loose screw or something).
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Derek Webb’s Site
- Derek Webb’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Anna Gilbert’s Site
- Anna Gilbert’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Aladdin Theater w/ Jennifer Knapp (Portland – April 2010)
- WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
He’s playing Seattle, WA, tonight (1/22 @ the Q Cafe). Check out more tour dates at http://derekwebb.com/.
Next concert for me… Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp-Muhl’s Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger on 1/28.
~Dan – np: No-Man – Returning Jesus
DEREK WEBB PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
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-Frank Zappa
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