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SETLIST: David Bazan @ Gutenberg College (Eugene, OR – 4/24/13)

25th Apr 13 (Thu) Leave a comment

David Bazan at Gutenberg College, EugeneDavid 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

David Bazan at Gutenberg College, Eugene

Some Bazan-related news…

David Bazan and friends - Overseas1) 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:

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
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

http://www.undertowstore.com/artist/overseas

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

REVIEW: Sarah Kirkland-Snider’s PENELOPE featuring Shara Worden & FearNoMusic @ Alberta Rose (Portland, OR – 2/2/13)

4th Feb 13 (Mon) Leave a comment

Sarah Kirkland-Snider (L) & Shara Worden (R)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.  PENELOPEPenelope 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:

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
Tomahawk - Oddfellows

Categories: Classical, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Favorite Concerts of 2012

31st Dec 12 (Mon) Leave a comment

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:

  1. 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. :)
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. “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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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!
  10. Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst :: 3 venues :: 3 Oregon cities {17-19 Oct} [recap with photos] – Story time from two stupendous singer-songwriters.
  11. Dan Deacon :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {25 Oct} [recap with photos] – Dancing some asses off.
  12. 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.
  13. 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!
  14. 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!
  15. 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 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
George Hrab - Coelacanth

Categories: Concert Photos, Hip-hop, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Lists & Favorites, Metal, Post-rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter, World Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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)

7th Dec 12 (Fri) 5 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Sufjan's 2012 hristmas Sing-a-long Tour

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…

Sheila Saputo (aka Rosie Thomas)

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:

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

REVIEW: Over the Rhine @ the Triple Door (Seattle, WA – 11/17/12)

21st Nov 12 (Wed) 1 comment

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:

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)

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

October 2012 Oregon concert recap

12th Nov 12 (Mon) 1 comment

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!

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

REVIEW: My Brightest Diamond @ Pantages Theater (Tacoma, WA – 9/22/12)

24th Sep 12 (Mon) 3 comments

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…

Product Details Product Details Product Details

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:

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)

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

REVIEW: Fiona Apple @ the Schnitz (Portland, OR – 7/26/12)

30th Jul 12 (Mon) 1 comment

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:

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

Categories: Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Levi Weaver @ House Show (Eugene, OR – 7/16/12)

19th Jul 12 (Thu) 2 comments

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!

Civil War Between My Heart and Mind cover art You Are Never Close To Home, You Are Never Far From Home cover art The Letters of Dr. Kurt Gödel cover art
Twenty Thousand Miles cover art I Am Only a Tiny Noise cover art

The Appropriate Linkage:

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

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

Double-REVIEW: Beck @ Les Schwab (Bend, OR – 5/27/12) and Jack White @ the Hult (Eugene, OR – 5/28/12)

30th May 12 (Wed) 7 comments

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:

Next show for me… Emily Wells @ WOW Hall on 6/3.

~Dan – np: Sigur Rós – Valtari

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

REVIEW: Glen Phillips @ Alberta Rose (Portland, OR – 4/12/12)

16th Apr 12 (Mon) Leave a comment

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:

Next show for me… Dan Deacon at the University of Oregon on 4/17.

~Dan – np: Boards of Canada – Twoism

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

PHOTOS: Drive-By Truckers @ Skip’s CD World (Eugene, OR – 3/18/12)

18th Mar 12 (Sun) Leave a comment

“One third” of the alt-country indie rock group Drive-By Truckers (Patterson Hood & Jay Gonzalez) stopped Skip’s CD World in Eugene, Oregon, for a 30 minute in-store session ahead of their show tonight at McDonald Theatre…

all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)



Of the songs I could identify… “Betty Ford,” “Polly Anna,” “Old Timer’s Disease,” “Margo and Harold,” and “Mercy Buckets.”

Drive By Truckers: SITE / Facebook / Twitter

Skip’s CD World: SITE / Facebook / Twitter

~Dan – np: The Blood Brothers – Crimes

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

REVIEW: Nellie McKay’s ‘I Want To Live!’ in Oregon @ the Shedd & Alberta Rose Theatre (Eugene 3/2/12 & Portland 3/4/12)

6th Mar 12 (Tue) 2 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOWs at the BOTTOM

I’ve seen Nellie McKay quite a bit since moving to Oregon.  She plays two-week residencies in New York on occasion (lucky!!), but she rarely hit the Midwest when I lived there.  Now that I’m here in the Northwest, I’m glad that she tried to swing by at least annually.  This time was for her new project, yet to be released officially in any form… I Want To Live! – a story of Barbara Graham, the third woman to be executed in the State of California (via the gas chamber at San Quentin).  It’s loosely based on the 1958 film of the same name.

This death row theme shouldn’t be a shock for fans of McKay.  She’s never been afraid to push boundaries – hitting political hot-button issues right out of the gate with her debut album, Get Away From Me (“Sari,” “It’s a Pose,” “Won’t U Please B Nice,” et cetera), and some of her non-jazz-standard followups Pretty Little Head (“Cupcake” and “The Big One”) and Obligatory Villagers (“Mother of Pearl”).

In person, though, she’s as lovable and jovial as some of her adorable, campy press photos suggest.  She’s also a great thinker, great interpreter of classics & standards, and a great artist in her own right.  She may have been “born in the wrong era” (her words), but she’s doing the best with her love of the classics by making a great mark and not giving in to the current trends in what a jazz/pop “woman and a piano” should sound or act.

The first hour of the I Want To Live! tour makes up the story of a woman who falls in with the wrong people, gets caught up in a crime, and – whether innocent or not – is found guilty of murder.  Nellie plays all of the emotions perfectly.  Love, mystery, joy, pain, frustration – all while weaving in standards and her own tunes to tell Barbara Graham’s story.  While she hints at Graham’s fervor for being innocent, Nellie leaves her opinion about guilt or innocence out of the musical.  She also leaves her opinion of the death penalty out of it, which – quite honestly – was shocking that she didn’t add some of her thoughts on it, specifically due to her past as being very politically opinionated.  Perhaps that will show up in the liner notes if this gets released as an CD or DVD some day…

 

I Want To Live! setlist: about an hour (both nights)

  • Billie’s Bounce [Charlie Parker]
  • Purple Haze [Jimi Hendrix]
  • Swingin’ On The Reservation [Ella Fitzgerald]
  • Please
  • Pity The Downtrodden Landlord [Woolf/Clayton]
  • April Showers [DeSylva/Silvers]
  • Isn’t It A Lovely Day [Irving Berlin]
  • They Say It’s Spring [Blossom Dearie]
  • Some Other Spring [Billie Holiday]
  • I Only Have Eyes For You [Warren/Dubin]
  • Don’t Worry Be Happy [Bobby McFerrin]
  • The Down Low
  • Call The Police [Nat King Cole]
  • Twinkle In Your Eye [Burl Ives]
  • Song For Troy Davis
  • I’m So Tired [The Beatles]
  • There You Are In Me
  • Small Day Tomorrow [Landesman/Dorough]
  • Chelsea Bridge [Billy Strayhorn]
  • Genius Of Love [Tom Tom Club]
  • Ah! The Sweet Mystery Of Life [from Naughty Marietta operetta by Young/Herbert] (gorgeous operatic chops on Nellie for this one)
  • Straight To The Top [Tom Waits]
    I think I got all of the cover tunes identified, if not, please comment& I’ll correct.

Eugene setlist, post-IWTL! (3/2): about 30 mins

  • One’s On the Way [Shel Silverstein]
  • Midnight Sun [Ella Fitzgerald]
  • ¡Bodega!
  • Clonie (audience request)
  • Sari (audience request)
  • Encore: A Wonderful Guy [Doris Day]
  • The Dog Song

Portland setlist, post-IWTL! (3/4): about 30 mins

  • The Dog Song
  • In a Sentimental Mood [Duke Ellington] (with false start)
  • Caribbean Time
  • I Will Always Love You [Whitney Houston] (snippet)
  • Encore: One’s On the Way [Shel Silverstein] (dedicated to Rick Santorum)
  • Mother of Pearl (with Michele Bachmann tagline at end)
  • I Wanna Get Married

Two wonderfully entertaining nights in Oregon.  Nellie and her band are excellent performers and entertainers.  Through wardrobe changes, police chases, drug addiction, and working in different musical genres – the band was on point.  At one point, the saxophonist mimics a crying baby simply with his mouth as the instrument, and it drives you mad how amazing he pulls it off without a talkbox or effects.

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… Adam Carolla @ the Newmark (3/11) and Puscifer @ the Schnitzer (3/14).

~Dan – np: Steven Wilson – Catalogue / Preserve / Amass (live in Europe)

NELLIE McKAY PHOTOS
Eugene (53 pics) then Portland (32 pics)
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Nellie’s 2012 Winter/Spring Tour Dates (so far)

  • 1/25 & 1/26 – Minneapolis, MN Dakota
  • 2/9 – Lafayette, IN Duncan Hall
  • 2/10 & 2/11 – Elgin, IL Elgin Community College Arts Center
  • 2/12 – Louisville, KY Bomhard Theater
  • 2/25 – Park City, UT Eccles Center
  • 2/28 & 2/29 – San Francisco, CA Rrazz Room
  • 3/2 – Eugene, OR Shedd Institute
  • 3/3 – Kirkland, WA Kirkland Performing Arts Center
  • 3/4 – Portland, OR Alberta Rose Theatre
  • 3/7 – Chico, CA Laxson Auditorium
  • 3/8 – Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa Jazz Center
  • 3/9 – Hollywood, CA Catalina Jazz Club
  • 3/20 to 3/31 – New York, NY Feinstein’s at Loews Regency
    ^^^^ “SILENT SPRING – It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature”
  • 4/26 – Alexandria, VA The Birchmere Music Hall
  • 5/19 – Denver, CO Swallow Hill
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Nellie McKay – Oregon reviews coming by Tuesday

4th Mar 12 (Sun) Leave a comment

Nellie McKay’s I Want To Live! show in Eugene on Friday was brilliant! Portland is tonight.  Here’s a small taste from Eugene…

More photos, reviews and setlists for both Oregon shows will be up by Tuesday early morning.

~Dan

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

REVIEW: David Bazan @ House Show (Portland, OR – 2/15/12)

16th Feb 12 (Thu) 1 comment

David Bazan is a busy man… he just got done with a 40+ date band tour in Nov/Dec 2011, and now he’s off and running with another near-40 date living room tour in Feb/Mar 2012.  His proximity (Seattle) to me (Oregon I-5 corridor) means I get to take in a lot of his shows.  Even though I just saw him with his band at Sam Bond’s in December, the living room tours are so fun and intimate.  I had to hit the Portland show last night…

He arrived about an hour late… first night of tour, and got stuck in traffic coming out of Seattle.  The good thing: hanging out in someone’s living room and kitchen sippin’ a beer is waaaaay better than hanging out at a stinky club playing LMFAO on loop.

After setting up his small cube amp, he kicked into his set…

Setlist: about 70 minutes

  • Cold Beer and Cigarettes
  • Wolves at the Door
  • Hard to Be
  • Q&A #1
  • Priests and Paramedics [Pedro the Lion]
  • Transcontinental [Pedro the Lion]
  • Shit Talker [Headphones]
  • Q&A #2
  • Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box [Radiohead]
  • Options [Pedro the Lion]
  • Virginia
  • Bearing Witness
  • Q&A #3
  • Strange Negotiations
    No Encore

A little shorter set than in the past, but I think that may have been due to running late.  The original “everyone needs to be out time” was 10pm, but he didn’t get going until 9:15pm.  So, for the rest of the living room tour, don’t judge the set length on Portland.  Despite the shorter set, I think it was a pretty good show… David was in a great mood and quite chatty as usual.

The somber take on “Wolves at the Door” was excellent… slower and a bit haunting compared to the version the band was belting out last year.  Another favorite was the return of the Radiohead cover that he played last year.  First three notes and goosebumps.  Such a great song.

There weren’t any new tunes played, which was a bit striking – as David is working on a new album, and it might even be done and to the label (Barsuk) by the beginning of May.  He said it could come out in August/September, but a lot of that depends on delivery to the label.

The Appropriate Linkage:

This was his first date of this tour… check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… MEDGE (bellydancing) at Cozmic Pizza (2/17) and then post-rockers Talkdemonic at Sam Bond’s Garage (2/24).

~Dan – np: John Zorn’s The Dreamers – O’o

David Bazan – Winter 2012 House Show Tour

2/15 – Portland, OR
2/16 – Sacramento, CA
2/17 – Oakland, CA
2/18 – Los Angeles, CA
2/19 – Long Beach, CA
2/20 – Orange, CA
2/21 – Carlsbad, CA
2/22 – Phoenix, AZ
2/24 – Clinton, OK
2/25 – Denton, TX
2/26 – Dallas, TX
2/27 – Austin, TX
2/28 – Houston, TX
2/29 – Baton Rouge, LA
3/02 – Orlando, FL
3/03 – Jacksonville, FL
3/04 – Altanta, GA
3/05 – Nashville, TN
3/06 – Asheville, NC
3/07 – Charlotte, NC
3/09 – Charlottesville, VA
3/10 – Baltimore, MD
3/11 – Philadelphia, PA
3/12 – Brooklyn, NY
3/13 – Brooklyn, NY
3/14 – Boston, MA
3/15 – Buffalo, NY
3/16 – Cleveland, OH
3/17 – Three Rivers, MI
3/18 – Chicago, IL
3/19 – Madison, WI
3/21 – Minneapolis, MN
3/22 – Lincoln, NE
3/23 – Lawrence, KS
3/24 – Denver, CO
3/25 – Salt Lake City, UT
3/26 – Boise, ID
3/27 – Spokane, WA

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

Favorite Concerts of 2011

27th Dec 11 (Tue) 4 comments

Well, this year was once again good to the Pacific Northwest on the concert front… 365 days, 67 shows, 132 artists, many long nights driving home, and a lot of photos…

My favorite concerts of 2011:

  1. Puscifer :: Paramount Theater :: Seattle, WA {7 Nov} [review with photos] – brilliant new album, fantastic stripped down/meets over the top tour!
  2. U2 & Lenny Kravitz :: Qwest Field :: Seattle, WA {4 Jun} [review with photos] – one of the biggest tours ever doesn’t disappoint
  3. My Brightest Diamond :: Mississippi Studios :: Portland, OR {6 Nov} [review with photos] – Shara’s gorgeous voice works well even in a solo setting
  4. Peter Mulvey :: three shows :: Eugene/Creswell/Corvallis, OR {10-12 Nov} [3-show review with photos] – yes, I’m an addict, but I can’t pass up any chance to see Peter in my neck of the woods…
  5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor :: Crystal Ballroom :: Portland, OR {18 Feb} [review, no photos] – surreal and amazing!
  6. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl):: The Woods :: Portland, OR {28 Jan} [review with photos] – pure pop brilliance, Sean takes after his father…
  7. Nels Cline Singers :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {30 Jan} [review with photos] – avant garde guitar experimentation…
  8. Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam) & Glen Hansard (of The Swell Season) :: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall :: Portland, OR {14 Jul} [review with photos] – Glen is a great singer-songwriter, and Eddie is an amazing performer (this time, mainly on ukelele)…
  9. Explosions in the Sky / MusicFest NW :: Pioneer Courthouse Square :: Portland, OR {10 Sep} [no review] – I had to scuttle from this show to a follow-up MFNW show, but this was definitely a highlight…
  10. Pomplamoose :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {27 Oct} [review with photos] – the youtube stars make good with a real tour… A+!
  11. Over the Rhine :: Aladdin Theater :: Portland, OR {17 Nov} [review with photos] – OTR will always be a favorite
  12. Opeth :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {16 Oct} [review with photos] – no cookie monster screams, I missed them, but Opeth still doesn’t disappoint.
  13. Erik Friedlander plays John Zorn’s Masada Book Two (Book of Angels, Volume 8: Volac) :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {8 Jan} [review with photos] – an amazing cellist playing a amazing book of melodies
  14. Toad the Wet Sprocket :: Downtown Bend Celebration :: Bend, OR {8 Jul} [review with photos] – anytime Toad or lead singer GLen Phillips are playing in my radar, I’m going!
  15. Jeffrey Foucault :: Cozmic Pizza :: Eugene, OR {20 Oct} [review with photos] – Jeffrey is quickly becoming a favorite songwriter of mine, full of grit and charm…

Runners-Up: Reptet at Luckey’s (Jan), Elton John at Matthew Knight Arena (Feb), A Perfect Circle at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (June), The Dead Kenny G’s at Sam Bond’s Garage (July), and Jason Webley & Mood Area 52 at WOW Hall (Oct).  Even after honorable mentions, I cut some GREAT ones… 2011 was a great year.

My favorite concert photos of 2011: (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 music of 2011 will be coming soon… EPs/DVDs/etc, vocal albums, instrumental albums…

~Dan – np: Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra – MTO Plays Sly

Categories: Concert Photos, Hip-hop, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Lists & Favorites, Metal, Post-rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: David Bazan Band @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – 12/14/11)

15th Dec 11 (Thu) 4 comments

If anything is certain in life, the move from the Midwest to the West Coast has been good for my David Bazan tour in-take.  Being only a short hike from his homebase in Seattle, we get the treat of the former Pedro the Lion frontman in our neck of the woods several times a year.

Many times, he trots out on his own… which is usually more intimate.  But the chance to see Bazan with a backing band shouldn’t be passed up.  He’s really able to let the rock come forth in his songs.  His doubtful, questioning, reflective lyricism work just as well behind a dirty, loud guitar as it does with just him and a guitar in a living room.

Last night at Sam Bond’s, after delightful indie-rock quartet opener Shay Roselip’s short set, Bazan came on to do what I thought was just sound check.  Nope… boom goes the dynamite, his mighty three-piece kicked into a tune from Pedro the Lion’s Control… “Second Best.”

Setlist: ~85 mins

  • Second Best [Pedro the Lion]
  • Wolves at the Door
  • Bless This Mess
  • How I Remember
  • I Do [PTL]
  • Of Up and Coming Monarchs [PTL]
  • Q&A #1
  • Gas and Matches [Headphones]
  • Eating Paper
  • Magazine [PTL]
  • Climb That Hill [Tom Petty]
  • Bearing Witness
  • Q&A #2
  • Virginia
  • People
  • Cold Beer and Cigarettes
  • Big Trucks [PTL]
  • Criticism as Inspiration [PTL]
  • Q&A #3 with lifetime pass drawing
  • Strange Negotiations
    No encore

The setlist was similar to other shows on this tour… a great mix of Pedro the Lion tunes, a Headphones tune, a Tom Petty cover and a lot from his two solo albums & EP.  Strange Negotiations, this years effort, will definitely be somewhere on my Best of 2011 list (still formulating).

Being the last stop of the 40+ date tour across the country, his voice showed some wear – especially on the “right on” part of “Cold Beer and Cigarettes.”  He powered through it, dropping the notes to a more suitable weary-throat range.  His band, made up of Alex Westcoat on drums and Andy Fitts on bass, blistered away with David.  Despite the aforementioned vocal strain, their musical chops were evident last night.

They were driving through the night to make it home to Seattle by sun-up.  If you missed them on this tour, David hinted at a new album being done by March 1st, with it coming out sometime in 2012.  So the chance of more tours in 2012?  High possibility!

The Appropriate Linkage:

This was the last date of the tour… see other dates below.  I’m sure David will be out again in the Spring…

Next show for me… Cellophoria private house concert on 12/18.

~Dan – np: Marketa Irglova – Anar

David Bazan + Band Tour – Fall 2011

11/01 Tue – Spokane WA – A Club
11/02 Wed – Boise ID – Neurolux
11/04 Fri – Colorado Springs – The Black Sheep
11/05 Sat – Lawrence KS – Bottleneck
11/06 Sun – Omaha NE – The Waiting Room
11/07 Mon – Iowa City IA – Blue Moose Taphouse (upstairs)
11/09 Wed – Milwaukee WI – Cactus Club
11/10 Thu – Indianapolis IN – White Rabbit Cabaret
11/11 Fri – Newport KY – Southgate House
11/12 Sat – Grand Rapids MI – Ladies Literary Club
11/13 Sun – Pittsburgh PA – Brillobox
11/14 Mon – Hoboken NJ – Maxwell’s
11/15 Tue – Baltimore MD – Ottobar
11/17 Thu – Charlottesville VA – The Southern
11/18 Fri – Norfolk VA – Jewish Mother
11/19 Sat – Charlotte NC – Evening Muse
11/20 Sun – Columbia SC – New Brookland Tavern
11/21 Mon – Knoxville TN – Pilot Light
11/26 Sat – Athens GA – Caledonia Lounge
11/27 Sun – Nashville TN – Mercy Lounge
11/29 Tue – St Augustine FL – The Original Cafe Eleven
11/30 Wed – Tampa FL – Crowbar
12/01 Thu – Tallahassee FL – Engine Room
12/02 Fri – Oxford MS – Proud Larry’s
12/03 Sat – Memphis TN – Hi Tone
12/04 Sun – Norman OK – Opolis
12/06 Tue – Albuquerque NM – Low Spirits
12/07 Wed – Tucson AZ – Solar Culture
12/08 Thu – Las Vegas NV – Beauty Bar
12/09 Fri – Costa Mesa CA – Constellation Room
12/10 Sat – Santa Cruz – Crepe Place
12/11 Sun – Sacramento CA – Blue Lamp
12/12 Mon – Arcata CA – Jambalaya
12/14 Wed – Eugene OR – Sam Bond’s Garage

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

RECAP: Glen Phillips @ Stageit Sofa Sundays (Santa Barbara, CA – 11/27/11)

27th Nov 11 (Sun) Leave a comment

Glen Phillips (from Toad the Wet Sprocket & Works Progress Administration) has been doing what he calls “Sofa Sundays” on Stageit.com for a couple months now.  I didn’t know what it was all about until the last one (after it happened).  He sits down in his living room and plays (at least) 30 minutes of music directly to his computer-connected audience.  His shows thus far have cost only $3, and you can pay more (in tips) – but it’s limited to the first 250 people who buy tickets.  You can make requests and also chat with others in “attendance.”  Here’s what he played…

11/27/11 Setlist: ~50 minutes

  • Train Wreck
  • Nanci [Toad the Wet Sprocket]
  • The Next Day
  • Back On My Feet
  • I Still Love You
  • Cry For You [WPA]
  • I Will Not Take These Things For Granted [Toad]
  • Don’t Need Anything [fast version]
  • Thankful
  • Rainbow Connection/I’m Going To Go Back There Someday [teasers only]
  • End This Now
  • Good Intentions [Toad]
  • Redemption Song [Bob Marley]
  • Windmills

Easily the best $3 plus tip I’ve ever spent for live music.  From here on out, if I’m around, I’m IN.  He mentioned after “Train Wreck” in response to some requests, that he’ll do a show in the near future that’s more request oriented on songs that he doesn’t necessarily know off hand (i.e.- he’ll practice).

Stay tuned… the next Sofa Sunday might even be next week!

The Appropriate Linkage:

~Dan – np: Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

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

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

20th Nov 11 (Sun) 4 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Prior to the show, we fought against the horrid Portland traffic, dodged rain and ducked into a fine meal at Portobello Trattoria, a creative vegetarian establishment that is fast becoming my new favorite SE Portland dinner spot.  Their cocktail list is impressive (apple-infused vodka ginger hot toddy), their bottle list is impressive (Russian River… yum), and their menu is the kind that is frustrating due to having too many things you want and one that a meat-eater wouldn’t even notice or care.  Check it out sometime.

After dinner, we got to the venue a little bit before the opener… we had a little bit of time to catch up with Kentucky-based friend / Over the Rhine photographer Bill Ivester.  He’s helping them out on this tour with merch and social media, and photography.  After briefly catching up, we found some seats for the opener…

The Milk Carton Kids were a fantastic guitar duo.  Based on their name, I was going in hoping it wasn’t going to be a repeat of “The Children’s Hour” opener for Over the Rhine a score ago.  Well, I was greatly pleased.  They played about a half hour set of mellower folk songs.  Fitting for fans of Paul Simon.  Excellent guitar chops and quite humorous between songs, as well.  They also have all of their recorded music available for free mp3 download (go here for free music).

Over the Rhine hit the stage at 9pm.  Karin & Linford had Nick Radina with them again on drums/percussion/cuatro, as well as a slide guitar player Jason Goforth.

The set seemed somewhat similar to last year’s tour, a lot of The Long Surrender tunes.  But this time, the album was officially out.  It was nice to hear those tunes more in a live setting.  I get thrown off that it’s technically a 2011 release, I think I’ve had it too long.  Anyway, it’s a beautiful record, and it’ll wind up somewhere at the top of the pile for 2011, for sure.

Setlist: 1 hour 45 mins

  • The Laugh Of Recognition
  • Rave On
  • Undamned
  • The King Knows How
  • Suitcase
  • I’m on a Roll
  • Infamous Love Song
  • Only God Can Save Us Now
  • Latter Days
  • “On The Sacred Ground” (new song, currently untitled)
  • Jesus in New Orleans
  • Trouble (with drum solo)
  • All My Favorite People
  • Encore: Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen]
  • Born
  • Drunkard’s Prayer

My favorite tunes of the night were “Trouble” and “Latter Days,” and the lead-in of “Laugh…” through “Undamned” is a great start to the show as well.  The new currently untitled song is great… it seemed quite poetic and moving.  Karin was about to give out a tentative title, then stopped.  I’ll go with “On the Sacred Ground” for now, but I doubt that’s it.  I wish I had more listens to digest it.

They’re wrapping up a few more dates this year, culminating in the annual Taft Theatre show in Cincinnati.  Catch ’em if you can!  Oh, Karin also mentioned that they recorded a Portland Session when they were here.  Keep an eye out on the Portland Session Vimeo & Facebook pages for that to be posted in the future (HERE NOW).

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… Dan Deacon at the Branx in Portland on 12/3.

~Dan – np: Sigur Rós – Inní (live)

OVER THE RHINE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Fall 2011 Tour Dates

  • Fri, 2011-11-18 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
  • Sat, 2011-11-19 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
  • Sun, 2011-11-20 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
  • Fri, 2011-12-02 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
  • Sat, 2011-12-03 New York, NY (le) poisson rouge
  • Sun, 2011-12-04 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere
  • Mon, 2011-12-05 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live!
  • Wed, 2011-12-07 Columbus, OH The Lincoln Theatre
  • Thu, 2011-12-08 Kent, OH The Kent Stage
  • Fri, 2011-12-09 Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College
  • Sat, 2011-12-10 Chicago, IL Old Town School Of Folk Music (7:00 PM)
  • Sat, 2011-12-10 Chicago, IL Old Town School Of Folk Music (10:00 PM)
  • Sat, 2011-12-17 Cincinnati, OH The Taft Theatre
  • Sun, 2011-12-18 Norwood, OH Sunday Soiree @ St. Elizabeth’s
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More Radiohead Remixes & Over the Rhine photos soon…

18th Nov 11 (Fri) Leave a comment

Three more Radiohead The King of Limbs Remixes are out (“Separator” by Anstam, “Magpie” by Nathan Fake and “Bloom” by Jamie xx).  Sadly they didn’t make it onto the TKOL 1234567 vinyl or CD issues, but they’re available streaming now and will be available for purchase/download HERE on Monday.

I saw Over the Rhine play a beautifully gorgeous set last night at the Aladdin Theater in SE Portland, including a brand new untitled song (I’ll call it “On the Sacred Ground” for now).  I should have a review up tomorrow with photos & setlist…

~Dan – np: Megadeth – Th1rt3en

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