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MusicNOW Festival 2011
If you live in or near Cincinnati Ohio, this is a fantastic music festival for you – MusicNOW Festival 2011. I’m officially jealous, as I won’t be able to make it out this year. I went in 2007 when I still lived in Cincinnati, and it was amazing. Trust me, I thought about going back for this year’s line-up…
The National / Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) / Sharon Van Etten / Richard Reed Parry / Little Scream / yMusic / Owen Pallett / Megafaun
For info, go to: http://www.musicnowfestival.org/
Tickets will be on-sale Tuesday, March 15th at 10 am.
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
Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (pre-order)
Post-rockers Explosions in the Sky have a new album coming out called Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. It drops on April 26th, and it’s available for pre-order now. The packaging looks wicked cool…
(click for larger)
2. Human Qualities
3. Trembling Hands
4. Be Comfortable, Creature
5. Postcard From 1952
6. Let Me Back In
It’s available for pre-order on the Amazons:
Compact Disc
quad-gatefold LP (with download code)
digital mp3/FLAC (soon)
~Dan – np: Tres Mtns – Three Mountains 
Jonny Greenwood – Norwegian Wood (2011)
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood put out his most recent film score today on CD… Norwegian Wood. The mp3 version (out earlier this year) is on sale at the Amazon ($7.99):
The Nonesuch Records PR on Mr Greenwood…
Jonny Greenwood, while perhaps best known for his role as guitarist/multi-instrumentalist in the rock band Radiohead, was trained as violist, Greenwood had begun studies in music at Oxford University before leaving to concentrate full-time on touring and recording with Radiohead. Nonetheless, Greenwood has maintained a passion for classical music that began at least since his teens, particularly the work of French composer Olivier Messiaen. Since the early 2000s, and particularly in 2004 when he received his BBC appointment, Greenwood has slowly been building a body of work in the classical tradition, for groups ranging from string quartet to full orchestra.
~Dan – np: Colin Stetson w/ My Brightest Diamond – New History Warfare – Judges, Vol. 2
Medeski Martin & Wood – 20 Download
Medeski Martin & Wood have been around for 20 years. And to celebrate, they’re digitally releasing two new, never-released tracks each month (starting March 29th), for a total of 20 tracks by the end of the year.
You can pre-order the entire package now for only $9.90… right HERE. If you wait until after March 29th, the price per download is $0.99. So, act now, and get the new tracks for essentially half price.
With the pre-order, you will be alerted by email when the monthly 2 tracks become downloadable! The first two tracks will become available for download March 29th, 2011. See below for the release schedule for the remaining tracks:
4/26/11 – Tracks 3 & 4
5/31/11 – Tracks 5 & 6
6/28/11 – Tracks 7 & 8
7/26/11 – Tracks 9 & 10
8/30/11 – Tracks 11 & 12
9/27/11 – Tracks 13 & 14
10/25/11 – Tracks 15 & 16
11/29/11 – Tracks 17 & 18
12/20/11 – Tracks 19 & 20
If you happen to be in Oregon, specifically Portland, check John Medeski, Billy Martin & Chris Wood out TONIGHT at the Roseland Theater!
~Dan – np: Colin Stetson w/ My Brightest Diamond – New History Warfare – Judges, Vol. 2
Glen Phillips & Sean Watkins / WPA – “4×4” EP (2011)
Glen Phillips & Sean Watkins project Works Progress Administration just put out a new EP, entitled 4×4, with buddies Sebastian Steinberg and Jerry Roe.
1. Solar Flare 04:13
2. Don’t Say You Love Me 03:22
3. It’s Over Now 02:47
4. Wild Side 02:40
Four friends, four songs, most of a day, many tacos.
released 05 March 2011
Made by WPA
Mixed by Jerry Roe at Ed.
Glen Phillips – vocals, guitar
Jerry Roe – drums, vocals
Sebastian Steinberg – bass, vocals
Sean Watkins – vocals, guitar
$4, that’s all. http://wpamusic.bandcamp.com/
~Dan – np: Kaki King – Junior
Help 12-yo blues singer Savanna (Kickstarter) [3/6 update]
Savanna has less than a month left and is only about halfway there. If you have a spare $10, you can help her make this album. Every little bit helps!
http://tinyurl.com/coen-kickstart
~Dan
dUg Pinnick on Al Shire & the Henchmen’s new album
From Blabbermouth… in the realm of “when does dUg take time off?“…
dUg Pinnick of King’s X laid down guest vocals on the Al Shire & the Henchmen‘s song “Know Your Lie” from the new record, Fate Out of Tragedy, due out later this month. Al Shire is the guitar tech for King’s X’s Ty Tabor.
More info:
http://www.reverbnation.com/alshire
In related news, dUg will join Pearl Jam‘s Jeff Ament and Mike McCready on the debut Tres Mountains tour (I’m hitting the Seattle date). Read more about that tour and new album HERE.
~Dan – np: Charlie Parker – With Strings
REVIEW: Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin @ Alberta Rose/PDX Jazz Fest (Portland, OR – 2/25/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Despite Grammy-winner Esperanza Spalding going on at the same night as part of Portland Jazz Fest 2011, I wasn’t going to miss Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin. I got into Ronin with 2006’s Stoa. Nik’s way of creative a funky, piano-based jazz setting captured my attention. And being from Switzerland, the chances to see Ronin are few and far between (their U.S. Tour consisted of four dates: Oakland, Portland, Knoxville & New York). First, the opener…
First up was Portland’s own Blue Cranes. I had heard of them, and I was glad to make it to the club early enough to catch their set. Great reed-driven quartet. They started out with a guest sax player and a string trio (with Anna Fritz, whom I’ve seen/heard before). They were genteel at first, but also drove the tempo up with some raucous solos and melodies.
Songs I caught the names of their hour-long set (I missed the opening song’s name): Love Love Love (by Wayne Horvitz), Hated Because of Great Qualities (by Blonde Redhead), Grandpa’s Hands (featuring toy piano), Beware of the Pneumatic Nailer, Soldier (with strings), Ritchie Bros., and Maddie Mae. Sha from Ronin joined them on-stage for a number as well. They’re heading out on an 30-day Amtrack tour soon… kicking off March 19th @ Tony Starlight‘s in Portland.
RONIN is Nik Bärtsch on piano, Kaspar Rast on drums, Andi Pupato on percussion, Sha on the alto and bass clarinet, and Thomy Jordi on bass. Their latest album, Llyrìa, came out on ECM in October 2010 and features what Nik calls “moduls.”
A “modul” is an unnamed, but numbered musical entities that can be woven together. Per Nik (in his interview with Oregon Music News), “when a module combination makes dramaturgically and formally sense and creates a coherent piece, I give a number to it.”
Friday’s show was primarily pulled from the moduls in Llyrìa. Interwoven, interlocking, overlapping pieces played through the air as the dimly, strategically lit stage changed to fit the sounds. Color and music formed an fantastic audio and visual masterpiece. The moduls started with a slow rumble and grew and warped throughout their long set. Very much jazz-centric, but also many elements of rock, funk, and progressive music. The PDX Jazz Fest brought Nik to town in 2008, but I’m hoping it doesn’t have to be another three years before we get to see this amazing live act again in Oregon.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Nik Bärtsch’s Site
- Nik Bärtsch’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Blue Crane’s Site
- Blue Crane’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Dave Holland Quintet (PDX Jazz 2010)
- Pharoah Sanders (PDX Jazz 2010)
- Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy (PDX Jazz 2010)
- SF Jazz Collective (PDX Jazz 2008)
- Ornette Coleman (PDX Jazz 2008)
- Portland Jazz Fest’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
- Alberta Rose Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Damien Jurado & Viva Voce at Doug Fir Lounge on Friday, 3/4.
~Dan – np: Mike Patton – A Perfect Place
NIK BARTSCH PDX JAZZ FEST PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
Thom Yorke Smashes Dead Fish on Washer-Dryer
I could watch this on loop forever. Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke smashing a dead fish on washer-dryer, playing tennis, gettin’ slapped around… parody edit from the “Lotus Flower” video…
I could do without the fart sounds… kinda of takes away from the humor of the piece, IMO.
Watch the original video HERE. Find out about Radiohead‘s new The King of Limbs album HERE. Find more Thom Yorke crazy dancing memes on YouTube (Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies” and more)
~Dan – np: Mike Patton – A Perfect Place
King’s X – Charlie Sheen (from 2000)
Props to Jeff Kent for tweeting about this… I present to you, King’s X “Charlie Sheen” from 2000’s Please Come Home Mr Bulbous:
“I don’t want to hate you for what you’re not sorry for…”
Nik Bartsch’s Ronin review to be posted later today, PROMISE.
~Dan – np: Damien Jurado – Saint Bartlett
Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin (PDX Jazz Fest)
Last night’s Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin show at the Alberta Rose Theatre as part of the 2011 Portland Jazz Festival last night was amazing… due to work and other commitments, I won’t be able to edit and post the photos until probably Monday or Tuesday. UPDATE: the review is live now, sorry about the delay.
(more coming soon)
Check back sometime next week!
~Dan
Ipecac News (2/25) on AmericanNoise.com
Karina H did a great interview over at American Noise with Ipecac Records co-founder, Greg Werckman. Go check it out.
About 2/3 of the way down, stuff in the works with Mike Patton (Ipecac’s other co-founder). I don’t wanna spill the beans of Karina’s exclusive interview. Read more over at American Noise to find out about Fantômas New Years show, DVD, more Mondo Cane, Nevermen, Darkness II, and Lovage & Crudo with Dan the Automator. And there’s also info about the melvins, but that was already out of the bag.
~Dan – np: Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1
Dave Douglas – United Front (April 5th)
A glimpse of the new Dave Douglas release just popped up on Greenleaf Music’s blog…
United Front: Brass Ecstasy at Newport comes out April 5th, 2011. Stay tuned here or at Greenleaf Music for details as they emerge.
~Dan – np: Palo Alto – Palo Alto
Nik Bartsch’s Ronin @ PDX Jazz Fest (2/25)
If you missed your chance to get tickets to see Grammy-winning ‘Best New Artist’ Esperanza Spalding
on Friday, February 25th at the Portland Jazz Fest. Well, you’re out of luck – unless you can win some or find a reasonable scalper.
My choice for PDX Jazz Fest’s Feb 25th offering was always Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin anyway! That show is Friday, February 25th – 8:30pm, Alberta Rose Theater.
Nik Bärtsch is a Swiss pianist & composer. His albums with his band Ronin are more on the rock/funk side of the jazz continuum, and on record, it is stunning. I can’t wait to see him live.
Check out some Ronin sound samples on Amazon (click the album covers below):
And lucky for you, tickets are still available!! Find out how to get tickets HERE.
~Dan – np: Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin – Holon
Steven Wilson’s 2nd solo album (2/21 update)
More news to tack onto the original announcement (go here for that). This is also from Steven Wilson‘s facebook page:
Thanks for all the wonderful feedback regarding my new solo record! Sorry, but “Cut Ribbon” once again failed to make the cut – although the 12 tracks / 84 minutes of music I’ve selected for the main release is quite eclectic, it has in common a pretty organic feel, mostly inspired by the darker end of vintage progressive music and some… movie soundtrack stuff (Morricone especially). The sound palette is made up of things like strings, choir, woodwinds, mellotron, organ, piano, fender rhodes, jazz drums, and warmer guitar tones, so the shiny metal attack of Cut Ribbon just doesn’t fit. But the track is all mixed and finished and sounds good, so I’ll find somewhere to release it. Definitely the album will come out on double vinyl too. Love the new Radiohead album! Here’s another still from the work in progress films Lasse is working on to include on the blu-ray version of the album.
~Dan – np: Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1
Derek Webb – Democracy Vol 2
Enrollment / voting for Derek Webb‘s Democracy Vol 2 goes live today. Those who participate will not only receive the exclusive album, but will democratically decide what songs Derek will record.
Want Derek to record Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Megadeth, Slayer, or Mary Poppins? Well, sign up and vote…
Price for 2011’s volume is only $5 for 10 songs, one cover song each month from March through December 2011. You can still by the 2010 version (the 12 songs in Democracy Volume 1) for $8, or buy it bundled with Democracy Volume 2 for $12 – a steal for 22 songs. Nominations are immediate with Volume 2 upon purchase (after clicking through the purchase). Voting for Democracy nominations ends March 1st.
http://derekwebb.com/store/democracy
My nominations: Tori Amos “Crucify,” Lady Gaga “Telephone,” and Alice in Chains “Would?” – not favorite songs ever, but I’d be curious to hear Derek’s take on them. For a taste, here’s what he covered for us last year:
- January 2010: The Beatles – While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- February: Coldplay – Fix You
- March: Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’
- April: Gnarls Barkley – Who’s Gonna Save My Soul
- May: Sufjan Stevens – Chicago *a personal fave*
- June: U2 – Where the Streets Have No Name
- July: Huey Lewis & the News – Power of Love
- August: The Beatles – Eleanor Rigby *a personal fave*
- September: Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence
- October: Radiohead – Karma Police *a personal fave*
- November: Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah
- December: Robert Robinson – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Per Derek, he has a few rules imposed on himself…
- I do no preparation. A few of last years songs I had never heard before the morning I recorded them.
- I play all the instruments and do all the recording/mixing myself, in my studio.
- I only allow myself 24 hours from the start to the finish of each song.
~Dan – np: Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1
REVIEW: Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR – 2/18/11)
Video flickers “hope” on loop. Slow build with piercing tones presumably of guitar mixed with cello & screams in the violin pickups. The vapors turn into steam, the bowing more frantic, random percussive shakes. Eight minutes, the first hits on a high hat. The steam now turning into an impending waterfall. “Hope” still flickers. The impending waterfall never comes. The sounds fall away into sweepy hallways.
Clean guitars, gentle malleted vibes, as the guitar soars upwards with the violins. The screen text and numbers jumble. The pace expands and explodes, then stabilizes. Guitars are the backbone, the drums brisk, the xylo/vibes, on the other hand, are furious. Gasping. Grasping. They’re trying to escape. The drums take over, the other players fall to the side. A stringed étude tucks it away.
Violin warming up, workshop hammering percussion until the sounds become like a train leaving the station. This one built quicker than the prior pieces. More Mogwaian versus Sigurrósient. Churning turns into hints of melodic keys. Maybe they were just car keys… it’s turned more into a tumultuous rock instrumental. Rush.
That was the first forty minutes. The rest of Godspeed You! Black Emperor‘s two-plus hour set was full of highs and lows, and all the things that make post-rock so wondrous and confounding. Sweeping movements with The Anatomy of Melancholy text and images flashing above the band’s heads. I think sprinting away from convention is what makes this music so magical. Shying away from the press definitely adds to the mystery.
Setlist: (thanks Jason & others)
- Hope Drone
- Moya
- Albanian
- Monheim
- Dead Metheny
- (unknown)
- 09-15-00 (outro)
- Chart #3
- World Police & Friendly Fire
- Gathering Storm
- Blaise Bailey Finnegan III (aka BBF3)
Sorry for no photos from the show… t’was too packed, dark and I decided to hang back and enjoy anyway. My opinion of the opener in the comment section.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- GY!BE’s Site
- GY!BE’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Crystal Ballroom’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Nik Barstch’s Ronin as part of Portland Jazz Fest next weekend.
~Dan – np: Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Tourdates
February 2011
16 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Vogue Theatre
17 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox at the Market
18 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall
21 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Great American Music Hall
23 – Los Angeles, Calif @ Music Box at the Henry Fonda
March 2011
16 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Masonic Temple
17 – New York City, N.Y. @ Church of St. Paul the Apostle
19 – Philadelphia, Penn. @ Trocadero
20 Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
22 – Athens, Ga. @ 40 Watt Club
24 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Cannery Ballroom
26 – Chicago, Ill. @ Metro
27 – Chicago, Ill. @ Metro
29 – Detroit, Mich. @ Majestic Theatre
Radiohead *out now* and “Lotus Flower” video
So, the new Radiohead album The King of Limbs is out now (not tomorrow). They put it on their download servers early… so, if you bought it, go get it. If you didn’t, go buy it and get it! http://www.thekingoflimbs.com/
They also put out the video for “Lotus Flower”
Produced and Directed by Garth Jennings
Choreographed by Wayne McGregor
Director of Photography- Nick Wood
Editor- Leila Sarraf
The video features Thom Yorke as an “old man dancing”… :) The choreographer is a genius. Not because of his output… but because he was able to earn some income for services rendered to Radiohead. I mean, isn’t that style just called “Thom Yorke stage presence”…?
~Dan – np: Radiohead – The King of Limbs
File Sharing Policy: There are no free mp3 download or FLAC torrents for any albums on this blog (nor will there ever be). On occasion, there are links for songs for free download (legally provided by the artist). If you like music, support the artists. Buy it!!
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
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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