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REVIEW: Aimee Mann @ Aladdin (Portland, OR – 10/6/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I got into Aimee Mann after several promptings by my friend Bruce, and then eventually via her quite powerful role in the P.T. Anderson movie, Magnolia (1999). Her spot in that movie and her pervasiveness on that soundtrack made me pay attention. I’ve stuck with her through some great albums, including a doozy of holiday album (but I don’t blame her, I blame the general holiday music content). Her albums are always pretty damn consistent… consistently good. I just never got the chance to see her until now. I happened to be up in Portland for work; so I naturally found my way to the venue. :)
I really like the Aladdin Theater… it’s a classy theater, and every show I’ve seen here has been great (Jude and Yael Naim), and I plan on hitting the Aladdin at least 2 or three more times this year (Múm, the Swell Season, and maybe Stryper… but mainly for the humor aspect of that show).
The opener was Nick Lowe, who I didn’t know. Apparently I knew some of his songs, specifically “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding” (he wrote for Elvis Costello, and I’ve heard the A Perfect Circle version). Nick played about 50 minutes, and probably 15 songs. He had some very good, short pop songs. I can see why people like him. I mean, he kinda blended into the background to me, but he had a charm and lyricism that I can admire.
Aimee Mann came on around 9:20pm with two keyboardists. Throughout the set, they both swapped around many instruments… mainly keys, but also guitar, shakers, drums, recorder. She played a short 40 minute pre-determined set before breaking out into the audience request portion of the show…
Setlist: 2 hours
- The Moth
- Nightmare Girl
- Momentum *a fave of the night*
- Build That Wall
- Par For The Course
- Amateur *a fave of the night*
- This Is How It Goes
- Wise Up *a fave of the night*
- Save Me [false start – see comments below]
——————— - Real Bad News [start to the audience requests]
- Long Shot
- Looking For Nothing
- Freeway *a fave of the night*
- Jacob Marley’s Chain
- 4th Of July
- Mr. Harris
- Video *a fave of the night*
- Ghost World
- You Could Make A Killing *a fave of the night*
- Red Vines
- Invisible Ink
- Susan
- One (Harry Nilsson cover)
- Encore: Save Me *a fave of the night*
- Voices Carry
So, the first attempt at “Save Me” got an odd response from a few ladies… almost like the cheering as you’re going up a rollercoaster. Aimee pointed that out and countered it with how depressing and co-dependent-y the song was. Then she went into some really depressing (but funny) new lyrics for the song… which led into the giggles; so she couldn’t even finish the real version of the song. She came back to it later for the encore.
Aimee was really fun… much more fun than I thought she’d be. I mean, her songs really meander on the line of depressed, melancholic disappointment; however, she was quite bubbly, and giddy in spots. Her three-piece band really worked well together in a pinch. Great, long show… check her out if she swings by!!! She’s only a short West Coast tour this fall; see the remaining handful of dates below…
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Finger Eleven – Finger Eleven
Aimee Mann West Coast Tour 2009
- 10/2/09 UC Santa Barbara CA
- 10/3/09 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre
- 10/4/09 San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass FREE
- 10/6/09 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater …with Nick Lowe
- 10/7/09 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre with Nick Lowe
- 10/8/09 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
- 10/10/09 Coeur D’Alene, ID The Kroc Center
- 10/11/09 Boise, ID EgyptianTheatre with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/12/09 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/14/09 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/16/09 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern with Fountains of Wayne
AIMEE MANN & NICK LOWE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (7 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (24 Aimee pics, 6 Nick pics)
Music for Insomnia
I mentioned the Asthmatic Kitty Records‘ Library Catalog Music Series back here (yeah, buried amongst 8 other music stories). Anyway, 900X’s will likely not be my only multiple-spinnable one (sidenote: I just got the 900X album on vinyl… yay!).
Coming out in December are three more in the all-instrumental series…
- Lowell Brams: Music for Insomnia
- Yuuki Matthews: Music for Savage Tropical Imagery
- Roberto Carlos Lange: Music for Memory
Bryce Dessner (of The National) and Sufjan Stevens are all over the Lowell Brams: Music for Insomnia release. Find out more on the AK webpage.
PS– Aimee Mann at Portland’s Aladdin Theater tonight. Yay! Look for a review (and hopefully photos) later this week.
~Dan – np: Finger Eleven – Greyest of Blue Skies
Dave Douglas – A Single Sky
I got the SF Jazz Collective‘s Live 2009 CD in the mail the other day. It’s a smokin’ hot remembrance for me of the show they put on at The Shedd in February of this year. The SF Jazz Collective features Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon, and many more great musicians. The new SFJC CD set put my Dave Douglas 2009 music count up to 7 ¾ hours… that includes the excellent Brass Ecstasy Spirit Moves CD, the BE: On Stage Live series, the Masada Book Two’s New Masada Quintet (with Joe Lovano) playing Stolas, and the SFJC Live 2009.
Well, yesterday I logged in to my Greenleaf Music Subscriber page (as it’s a new month, and I wanted to see if they had any new treats), and they had some samples of the new Dave Douglas A Single Sky CD. I checked my email, and “bam!” there’s an email notifying me of pre-order status of the new album – due out October 27th (I must have been sleeping).
It features Jim McNeely and the Frankfurt Radio Bigband. The collaboration offers three new Douglas compositions alongside four works from the Douglas songbook reimagined by McNeely. Find out more HERE.
~Dan – np: Dave Douglas – “The Presidents” from A Single Sky
Re-Pete: Comeback
You’ve heard of re-tweeting, right? Well, here’s my re-posting of the lovely YouTube documentary unfolding real-time surrounding Peter Mulvey‘s Long Haul Bike Tour. Re-Peteing, as it were. The original blog (with words and video edited by Kathy Wittman):
Peter Mulvey: Comeback (Kathy’s blog)
Peter’s tour route was HERE (map). He rode with his show opener Brianna Lane. Check out Peter’s new record, Letters from a Flying Machine:
Keep up with Kathy’s road blog at:
http://www.kathywittman.com/mulvey/long_haul_blog/
Or via RSS at:
http://www.kathywittman.com/mulvey/long_haul_blog/rss.xml
~Dan – np: SF Jazz Collective (Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon, etc) – Live 2009
MxBx 3″
So, I got into Melt Banana (aka MxBx) when they put out a 5″ vinyl / 3″ CD split with Mike Patton’s Fantômas back in 2005 called “Animali in Calore Surriscaldati con Ipertermia Genitale / Cat in Red” on Italian label Unhip Records. MxBx are the Japanese noise metal cousin of Fantômas; so the split single as a marketing tool worked… I was hooked on Melt Banana.
They’ve got a new 3″ CD / 7″ vinyl coming out called “initial t.” on Init Records. Three songs were recorded in early 2008, and it allegedly picks up where their 2007 album Bambi’s Dilemma left off. The CD is packaged in a 3″ cardboard jacket. The vinyl’s first pressing is limited to 1,000 copies (200 on blue marble vinyl, 200 on mixed vinyl, 600 on black vinyl) and includes a download card for MP3’s of the record. Artwork on both the CD and vinyl is in “stunning full-color” by Aaron Horkey. It is expected to be available for pre-order from the Init website as of today, 10/1, and it ships in late October. They’re currently list as “coming soon”… so, if you’re one of the ones who wants to get a blue marble vinyl, keep your clicker finger warmed up.
They’ve swung through Eugene once since I’ve lived here, but I was unluckily out of town. Well, they’re playing Portland in December; so I’m there. Here are the rest of their US Tour dates for MxBx Lite (vocals guitar & drums):
- 10/29 Visalia, CA at Cellar Door
- 10/30 San Francisco, CA at Slims
- 11/01 San Diego, CA at Casbah
- 11/03 Tucson, AZ at Plush
- 11/04 Phoenix, AZ at Hollywood Alley
- 11/06 Denton, TX at Haileys
- 11/07 Austin, TX at FFF Fest
- 11/08 San Antonio, TX at Rock Bottom Bar
- 11/09 Houston, TX at Walters
- 11/10 New Orleans, LA at Republic
- 11/11 Pensacola, FL at Sluggo’s
- 11/12 Birmigham, AL at Bottle Tree Cafe
- 11/13 Athens, GA at 40 Watt Club
- 11/14 Gainesville, FL at Common Grounds
- 11/15 Tampa, FL at Crowbar
- 11/16 Orlando, FL at Back Booth
- 11/18 Columbia, SC at New Brookland Tavern
- 11/19 Chapel Hill, NC at Local 506
- 11/20 Washington, DC at Rock and Roll Hotel
- 11/21 Baltimore, MD at Ottobar
- 11/22 Philadelphia, PA at First Unitarian Church
- 11/23 New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom
- 11/24 Boston, MA at Middle East Downstairs
- 11/25 Hamden, CT at The Space
- 11/27 Buffalo, NY at Mohawk Place
- 11/28 Detroit, MI at The Pike Room at Crofoot Ballroom
- 11/29 Cleveland, OH at Grog Shop
- 11/30 Chicago, IL at Bottom Lounge
- 12/01 Minneapolis, MN at 7th Street Entry
- 12/02 Madison, WI at High Noon Saloon
- 12/03 Iowa City, IA at Picadur
- 12/04 Sioux Falls, SD at Nutty’s
- 12/05 Omaha, NE at Waiting Room
- 12/07 Denver, CO at Bluebird Theater
- 12/08 Salt Lake City, UT at Urban Lounge
- 12/10 Missoula, MT at Badlanders
- 12/11 Seattle, WA at Chop Suey
- 12/12 Portland, OR at Dante’s
- 12/15 Pomona, CA at Glasshouse
- 12/16 Los Angeles, CA at Troubadour
~Dan – np: SF Jazz Collective (Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon, etc) – Live 2009
David Bazan on Daytrotter / Nellie McKay album cover
The few websites that aren’t RSS feed-able that made it to my “must check every day” list… Daytrotter is great, and they hit us on Monday with a live in the studio session with David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion)… it’s his second live session with Daytrotter…
Go here for the free music:
http://tinyurl.com/bazan-daytrotter2
1) Hard to Be 2) Curse Your Branches 3) Bless This Mess
Past Daytrotter Sessions I’ve blogged about and dug (links and free music not guaranteed on these old blogs): Copeland, Bad Veins, Nellie McKay, Clare and the Reasons, My Brightest Diamond #2, Damien Jurado, Talkdemonic, Aimee Mann, Ani DiFranco, Bad Veins #1, Kaki King, Holy Fuck… and David Bazan, My Brightest Diamond, Erin McKeown.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nellie McKay‘s upcoming album on Verve, Normal As Blueberry Pie, finally has an album cover…
(out Oct 13th, 2009)
Cute! It’s out on vinyl as well as CD (and digital copies). But with something out on vinyl, why settle for crappy lossy mp3s?
She’s also hitting the road. Dates are trickling in… she’s playing Seattle’s Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley the same night as Ben Folds with the Seattle Symphony (Oct 20). I’m up there for work, too. I’m totally in a quandary.
~Dan – np: Fear Factory – Obsolete
Thom Yorke’s band rehearsals… add Flea…
So, Thom Yorke (of… duh… Radiohead) just blogged on deadairspace about getting a band together to rehearse the Eraser tunes to play a couple of gigs in Los Angeles. Flea (of… duh… Red Hot Chili Peppers) is part of the live Eraser band.
??????
hi
in the past couple of weeks i’ve been getting a band together for fun to play the eraser stuff live and the new songs etc.. to see if it could work!
here’s a photo.. its me, joey waronker, mauro refosco, flea and nigel godrich.
at the beginning of october the 4th and 5th we are going to do a couple of shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
we don’t really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz ..well …we haven’t got that much material yet!
but come and check it out if you are in the area. we’ve also got locals Lucky Dragons playing.
all the best
click here to get to get tickets>
Cool…
~Dan – np: Farmers Market – Surfin’ USSR
REVIEW: W.P.A. at the W.O.W. (Eugene, OR – 9/27/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Works Progress Administration
I’ve been a fan of Glen Phillips via Toad the Wet Sprocket since back in my “high school days”… Toad is one of the few artists to make it out alive from that period, remaining a cherished part of my collection. Glen’s voice is so evocative and honest and personable… it’s hard not to love just about everything he does. In fact, last year, he pulled a doozy, releasing two albums under different band monikers (without much warning) under Radiohead’s In Rainbows “pay what you want philosophy.” Both the Plover and RemoteTreeChildren cracked my Top 5 albums of 2008.
Well, this time, Glen decided to let us know about his new band and let some buzz build up… the Works Progress Administration (aka W.P.A. / WPA) is more or an Americana effort that is at its core made up of the trio of trio of Glen Phillips, Luke Bulla (from Lyle Lovett’s band), and Sean Watkins (from Nickel Creek). The Eugene show was with the extended band, not just the core trio of Phillips/Bulla/Watkins. It also included Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Bill Frisell), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing), and Don Heffington (Lone Justice… and I remember seeing him play with Over the Rhine at one point).
The first opener, Ehren Ebbage, put on a quick 20 minute set, four songs. He hails from Seattle. He was pretty good – he has the pop singer-songwriter vibe going on. He seemed like a good soul, funny personality. He got a opening slot due to “begging for it.” We didn’t walk out with his CD, unfortunately; but if he swings back through Eugene, I’ll give him another listen.
The second opener, Molly Jenson, stomped on the stage shortly after Ehren. I say “stomped,” as she had these killer heels with jingles fixed to them (see pictures below). Her first song in her 20 minutes, 4 song set was a song that showed that playing guitar, singing and stomping your foot in heels is probably more than I’d be able to handle physically. It’s gotta be much harder than patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Molly was pretty funny, she joked about the disco ball (and had the light guy turn it on). She also talked about how she and Sara Watkins rolled around the hall’s floor that afternoon in their rollerskates. Her sound was more in the country/folk singer-songwriter mold. She ended her set with “You Are My Sunshine.”
Molly Jenson released her Webisode #13 that included footage from the WOW Hall show. Check it out on YouTube.
WPA hit the stage around 9pm and jumped right into material from their new album. “Always Have My Love” is such a good lead-off track to their live show (and CD). It really features all aspects of this huge band. WPA overall is really hard to pigeonhole. They definitely fit in the folky genre, but they have many aspects of bluegrass, pop, rock. Lots of violin, steel guitar, great vocals. Vocal duties were shared by Glen, Luke, Sean and Sara. They played mainly songs from the debut CD, but they also played songs from each of the singer’s “main gigs / solo albums.”
Part way through the set, they invited Alex & Tatiana Hargreaves on stage. I had never heard of them, but they were well received by the crowd. They are both young and are quite the fiddle phenoms. They jammed on two songs with Sara, Luke & Sean – one instrumental and one with Tatiana singing lead on a song from her recent album.
Here’s what they played…
Setlist: 90+ minutes
- Always Have My Love (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- End This Now (Glen on vocals)
- Paralyzed (Sean on vocals)
- Cry For You (Luke on vocals)
- Solar Flare (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Rise Up (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- I Feel the Blues Movin’ In (Luke on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- I Go to Sleep (Sara on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Already Gone (Sean on vocals)
- Not Sure (Sean on vocals)
- Drive By (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Pink Triangle (Weezer cover, Sean on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Garfields (with Alex & Tatiana, instrumental)
- Sugar Babe (with Alex & Tatiana, Tati on vocals)
- Somebody More Like You (Sean on vocals)
- Remember Well (Luke on vocals)
- Long Hot Summer Days (Sara on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Good As Ever (Glen on vocals)
- A Wedding or a Wake (Glen on vocals)
- Encore: The Price (Glen on vocals)
- You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome (Bob Dylan cover, Sean on vocals) *a fave of the night*
Fantastic show. It’s amazing to see so many great musicians on the stage at the same time. They honestly looked like they were having a ball, too. It was also good to see Glen playing guitar again (after his pretty nasty glass table accident last fall). Luke Bulla and Nickel Creek, while already on my radar, made my list of “I should see them if they come through again.” Fantastic players all around…
I picked up the debut WPA CD at the show. It came out a week ago, but I wanted to wait until I saw them in person – you know, to make sure they got all the money, not shipping or some distribution middle-man like Amazon. You can order it directly from the WPA site (click the photo):
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Always Have My Love (live on WNCW)
Introducing W.P.A.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Works Progress Administration Official Site
- WPA on MySpace
- Glen Phillips Official Site
- Glen Phillips on MySpace
- Sean Watkins on MySpace
- Luke Bulla on MySpace
- Tatiana Hargreaves Online
- Alex Hargreaves Online
- Molly Jenson Official Site
- Molly Jenson on MySpace
- Ehren Ebbage Official Site
- Ehren Ebbage on MySpace
- WOW Hall
~Dan – np: Faith No More – Album of the Year
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
WPA’s tourdates:
- Sun 08/16/09 – Schwenksville, PA – Old Pool Farm
- Tue 08/18/09 – Exton, PA – Eagleview Concert Series
- Wed 08/19/09 – New York, NY – Joe’s Pub
- Thu 08/20/09 – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
- Sun 09/06/09 – Yosemite, CA – Camp Mather
- Wed 09/16/09 – Columbia, SC – White Mule
- Thu 09/17/09 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
- Fri 09/18/09 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
- Sun 09/20/09 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
- Fri 09/25/09 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
- Sat 09/26/09 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile Cafe
- Sun 09/27/09 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
- Tue 09/29/09 – Chico, CA – Manzanita Place
- Wed 09/30/09 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
- Sat 10/03/09 – Ventura, CA – The Lodge
- Mon 10/05/09 – Los Angeles, CA – Largo
- Thu 11/05/09 – New York, NY – High Line Ballroom
- Sat 11/07/09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Diesel Club Lounge
- Sun 11/08/09 – Charleston, WV – Cultural Center
- Tue 11/10/09 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage
- Wed 11/11/09 – Vienna, VA – Barns At Wolf Trap
- Thu 11/12/09 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne
- Fri 11/13/09 – Cambridge, MA – Passim Folk Music & Cultural Center
- Sat 11/14/09 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
- Sun 11/15/09 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center For The Arts
- Tue 12/01/09 – Cedar Rapids, IA – CSPS / Legion Arts
- Wed 12/02/09 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
- Thu 12/03/09 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
- Sat 12/05/09 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
- Sun 12/06/09 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School Of Folk Music
REVIEW: Alice in Chains @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 9/26/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
(the new Alice in Chains)
So, I could have seen Pearl Jam, but since I’d seen them (and they put on a freakin’ great live show) and I had never seen Alice in Chains. So, AiC won out in the battle of who to see tonight. Regardless of the lack of Layne Staley, I really dig guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell and the new lead singer (William DuVall) sounds pretty good. So, I’ll have to hold off on seeing Pearl Jam for a 2010 tour (?). This Alice in Chains show was billed as “An Evening With,” which makes me happy. Openers at rock/metal shows are usually for sucks.
Due to crappy Duck Football traffic, it took forever to get to Portland. I got to the Roseland Theater around 8pm, and the band hit the stage just after 8:30. It was a packed crowd, but I was able to move around a bit. No cameras again. Blerg. I’ll have to contact some people before Regina Spektor & Puscifer in this same venue to see if I can get photo access. We shall see. I took some iPhone photos, as that wasn’t expressly disallowed (like it was announced as prohibited for the Porcupine Tree show last week).
Jerry Cantrell was always a big part of their sound, on both guitar and vocals. He did quite a bit of vocals, and William really pulled off “the Layne sound.” It’s difficult coming into a band with a solid career and trying to replace a very distinct vocalist. While I wouldn’t say that William “has his own voice” with regards to the band, he’s definitely helping them carry on and make great music in the wake of losing Layne. Hopefully William’s own voice shines through on the upcoming record (out 9/29).
Here’s what they played…
Setlist:
- Rain When I Die
- Again
- Check My Brain *a new one – it was OK*
- Them Bones
- Dam That River
- A Looking In View *a new one – pretty good*
- We Die Young
- Nutshell *a fave of the night*
- Love, Hate, Love
- God Am
- Acid Bubble *new one – I’m kinda “meh” on this one for now*
- Angry Chair
- Man in the Box *a fave of the night*
- Would? *a fave of the night*
- Encore: Sludge Factory
- No Excuses *a fave of the night*
- Rooster
A great show… again, William does a great job filling Layne’s shoes. Jerry and the rest of the band were as tight as ever. Their setlist covered their career nicely. I’m looking forward to their new album, Black Gives Way to Blue, showing up on my doorstep (I ordered it with the new Megadeth & Nellie McKay). You can pre-order it below (it comes out on Tuesday):
Since my photos are only (subpar) iPhone photos… here are some professional photos from the Seattle show by Savoia Digital Concert Photography:
TONS MORE at Savoia’s Facebook photo album
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Fantômas – Fantômas (aka Amenaza al Mundo) 
ALICE IN CHAINS iPhone PHOTOS
(sorry in advance for the lower quality)
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
New Sufjan Song / Swell Season Tour
I Guess I’m Floating have a new live-captured Sufjan Stevens song “There’s Too Much Love.” Snag the free mp3 here:
Sufjan Stevens – There’s Too Much Love {external link mp3}
Or watch the video here:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Swell Season, comprised of Glen Hansard from The Frames and Marketa Irglova, is releasing their new album, Strict Joy, on 9/29. They’ve got a U.S. Tour on the map. I got my Portland tickets in the mail the other day…
November 2009
1 – Milwaukee, Wisc. @ The Pabst
2 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Clowes Memorial Hall
3 – Toronto, Ontario @ Massey Hall
4 – Montreal, Quebec @ L’Olympia de Montreal
6 – Boston, Mass. @ Berklee College of Music Performance Center
7 – Providence, R.I. @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
8 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Merriam Theater
9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
12 – New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
13 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live
14 – Dallas, Texas @ Palladium
15 – Austin, Texas @ Paramount Theatre
17 – Mesa, Ariz. @ Mesa Arts Center
18 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern
20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Paramount
22 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Paramount
24 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
25 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
27 – Boise, Idaho @ Egyptian Theatre
28 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Jeanne Wagner Theatre
29 – Denver, Colo. @ Ogden Theatre
30 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Uptown Theater
December 2009
3 – Chicago, Ill. @ Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
4 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
5 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ State Theatre
~Dan – np: Failure – Fantastic Planet
REVIEW: Raquy & the Cavemen @ Joe’s (Eugene, OR – 9/24/09)
In Cincinnati, we got to see Raquy Danziger, Liron Peled, and the rest of the Cavemen about twice a year due to the large tribal bellydance scene. Well, luckily, Raquy’s sister lives in Eugene; so we get a visit roughly once a year. They always put on a great show, full of wonderful percussive world rhythms.
I’d never been to Joe’s Bar & Grill… if I get a chance, I hope I’ll choose not to go again (or at least on a Thursday). You see, last night, besides the four different sources on the web with different start times and openers listed, was “ladies night.” So, during Raquy’s set, we got a nice dose of “two drunk ‘ladies’ shouting too loudly over the music.” One girl was literally explaining in a PhD dissertation-length exchange about how her phone was ringing, that she was going to pick it up, that she did pick it up, that she was going to talk on it, and then the volume didn’t decrease much when she was talking on it. It must have been listed as “classy ladies night” in the local paper.
Despite prior interweb research, the Ruins of Ooah (a local band) was not the opener, but rather the last band. We didn’t stick around for them, but I’ll try to catch them at another venue around town. Up first was Mood Area 52 (a local bohemian/gypsy-style band). They usually have a larger band, but last night was just accordian/vocals, cello, and double bass. The cellist, Amy Danziger, is actually Raquy’s aforementioned sister who is Eugene-local. I’ve seen MA52 several times, but usually in a more “secondary” setting… meaning, they happen to be playing I stop by for a few songs during a Saturday Market, art walk, or coffee shop visit. They played about 6 songs over 30 minutes. They weren’t mic’ed at all, but it didn’t seem to matter. They missed the loud lady convention that seemingly descended on the venue during Raquy’s set. MA52 was quite delightful, and I recommend them if they’re playing and you’re in town.
Raquy and the Caveman hit the stage around 9:45 or so. This time it was sans Nezih (only a Raquy & Liron duo band). We had caught their long-ish soundcheck, and due to it being a “school night” only stuck around until about 10:30 for their main set. They started out with several dual dumbek / dumset* songs… mostly fast, showing off both Raquy’s and Liron’s insane percussive skills. We left shortly after their song that featured Raquy on kemenche (a Persion stringed instrument) and Liron on a Liron-custom 11-string guitar (stringed and tuned with a saz in mind). A great performance by both of them… we wished we could have mustered up enough to stay longer. Next year, we shall!
*-The “dumset” is a small set-up by Liron with a dumbek set up to a kick pedal, a dumbek in hand, cymbals, riq, etc. It’s played like a regular drumset.
Raquy & the Cavemen’s fifth album, Bewitched, is out now. We picked it up at the show, and I look forward to spinning it today. Click the picture for more information on the new release:
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Raquy and the Cavemen’s Official Site
- Raquy and the Cavemen on MySpace
- Mood Area 52
- Mood Ares 52 on MySpace
- Ruins of Ooah
- Ruins of Ooah on MySpace
- Joe’s Bar & Grill
~Dan – np: Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Re-Pete: 7 more
You’ve heard of re-tweeting, right? Well, here’s my re-posting of the lovely YouTube documentary unfolding real-time surrounding Peter Mulvey‘s Long Haul Bike Tour. Re-Peteing, as it were. The original blog (with words and video edited by Kathy Wittman):
Peter Mulvey: 7 more (Kathy’s blog)
Peter’s tour route is HERE (map). He is riding with his show opener Brianna Lane. Check out Peter’s new record, Letters from a Flying Machine:
Keep up with Kathy’s road blog at:
http://www.kathywittman.com/mulvey/long_haul_blog/
Or via RSS at:
http://www.kathywittman.com/mulvey/long_haul_blog/rss.xml
~Dan – np: Failure – Fantastic Planet
Re-Pete: Vermont
You’ve heard of re-tweeting, right? Well, here’s my re-posting of the lovely YouTube documentary unfolding real-time surrounding Peter Mulvey‘s Long Haul Bike Tour. Re-Peteing, as it were. The original blog (with words and video edited by Kathy Wittman):
Peter Mulvey: Vermont (Kathy’s blog)
Peter’s tour route is HERE (map). He is riding with his show opener Brianna Lane. Check out Peter’s new record, Letters from a Flying Machine:
Keep up with Kathy’s road blog at:
http://www.kathywittman.com/mulvey/long_haul_blog/
Or via RSS at:
http://www.kathywittman.com/mulvey/long_haul_blog/rss.xml
~Dan – np: Orange Tulip Conspiracy – Orange Tulip Conspiracy
Tori Amos – Midwinter Graces
OK, so Tori Amos is putting out a holiday album. I really don’t like holiday albums. I can count on one finger-based peace sign how many contemporary artists’ holiday album that I like (Over the Rhine‘s Darkest Night of the Year & Monk‘s How Like a Winter). I say “contemporary artists’ holiday album” because I think Vince Guaraldi‘s falls into a different category whatsoever. With other artists I like, they tend to end up crap (Aimee Mann’s was dreadful) or bordering on boredom (Sufjan Stevens’ was passable and original but not something I’m pulling out a lot, Nellie McKay’s was in a similar bucket… the list could go on…). But it’s usually not the artist’s fault, it’s usually the material. Christmas music is just so laaaaaame most of the time. I don’t know…
With Tori Amos, I think it has the potential to go either way. I think she could maybe write some great original pieces, a la Over the Rhine, but she could also pile on the schlock a la Aimee Mann. My guess is that it’ll be middle of the road a la Sufjan & Nellie. The cover art looks cheesy as hell (see press release below).
Release date is November 10th. It’s available for pre-order over on the Amazons. So, we shall see soon enough…
Here’s the Official Press Release…
After nearly two decades writing and recording some of her generation’s most emotionally powerful music, Tori Amos will release her first seasonal album, Midwinter Graces, on November 10 via Universal Republic. A follow up to Tori’s critically acclaimed studio album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Midwinter Graces will find Tori reworking and expanding on classic carols as well as developing some of her very own seasonal tracks.
Midwinter Graces is an album that has been in the making for the past 40 years. Raised in the Baltimore area under the watchful eye of her Methodist minister father, Tori grew up playing holiday carols at Sunday services and Christmas Day celebrations in her father’s church. These were the songs that gave a young Tori her first taste of music, and now almost 40 years later Tori gets her own chance to reimagine the classics.
Tracklist:
What Child, Nowell
Star of Wonder
A Silent Night with You
Candle: Coventry Carol
Holly, Ivy, and Rose
Harps of Gold
Snow Angel
Jeanette, Isabella
Pink and Glitter
Emmanuel
Winter’s Carol
Our New Year(click for larger)
So, yeah… we’ll see, eh?
~Dan – np: Soulsavers with Mike Patton – Broken
REVIEW: Sunny Day Real Estate @ Crystal Ballroom MFNW (Portland, OR – 9/18/09)
(photo: Rebecca Blissett, from Vancouver show)
I saw Sunny Day Real Estate in Oct 2000 on the Rising Tide Tour (Bogart’s in Cincinnati), which would ultimately be their last. I had a few chances to see Jeremy Enigk solo or The Fire Theft, but the shows never meshed with my schedule. Seeing as I count the 2000 SDRE show as one of my favorite shows of all -time (Top 25 at least), I was soooooo stoked when it was announced that they were getting back together for a tour.
This was only my second time at McMennamin’s Crystal Ballroom. The room was packed with tons of Music Fest Northwest (MFNW) people; so I’m hoping the hardcore SDRE fans got in. The venue was set-up like most Portland venues with the odd barrier between the drinkers and the youngins’. This was one of the rare shows of late where I don’t think I saw anyone younger than 25.
The opener, The Jealous Sound, were pretty good. I listened to them on MySpace before the show and they seemed like a pretty good power pop/rock band. At the show, the sound was a little muddled, but I could still get a good feel for their groove. Maybe like a slightly less hooky Heatmiser? I don’t know… they’re definitely worth checking out.
No cameras were supposed to be allowed in the venue last night (I asked). Yet, when I get in (without my camera), I see a few people with cameras. Damn me for asking. :( Anyway, Rebecca Blissett’s photos from Vancouver will suffice as my pictorial show of the reunited SDRE…
SDRE’s set went by blisteringly fast. They played a solid hour plus before leaving for a short break before their 3 song encore. Jeremy’s voice was on top of its game, yet as indecipherable as usual. I think he ranks up their with Karin Bergquist of Over the Rhine as misheard lyric contributor. :) The rest of the band seemed really tight. The “muddliness” of the opener’s set seemed to be cleared up. And while Sunny Day haven’t been a cohesive unit for 8-9 years, they sure seemed like one tonight. It seems like they didn’t miss a beat at all.
Setlist: 80+ mins
- Friday
- Seven *a fave of the night*
- Red Elephant
- Song About An Angel
- Grendel
- Shadows
- Inscarabaid
- 47
- Theo B
- 10 [new song]
- 48
- Sometimes
- Encore: In Circles *a fave of the night*
- Spade & Parade
- J’Nuh *a fave of the night*
They only played material from their first two discs at this show (they have played at least “Guitar & Video Games” off of How It Feels to Be Something On on this tour), which was kind of odd. And I know, this may be heresy, but I really love their last album the best (2000’s The Rising Tide). It’s probably just a factor of when I got into them as a band. So, as far as the only downside, that was it. But the fact that they wrote a new song as recent as a week or so ago… well, that bodes well for future album(s) & tour(s).
Sunny Day Real Estate’s Diary & LP2 (aka Pink) have been remastered and re-released by Sub Pop in 2009 (click pictures for info). No word on a remaster of How It Feels to Be Something On, though… hmm…
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sunny Day Real Estate‘s Official Site
- Sunny Day Real Estate on MySpace
- Jeremy Enigk on MySpace
- The Fire Theft on MySpace
- Spin‘s SDRE – Vancouver Review(2nd reunion show, 9/17)
- The Jealous Sound
- The Jealous Sound MySpace
- Crystal Ballroom
- Music Fest NW
SDRE on Jimmy Fallon (9/29/09)
~Dan – np: Pearl Jam – Backspacer
no free download or torrent available here
SDRE Reunion Tourdates
09-17 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
09-18 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (MusicFest NW)
09-20 Murray, UT – Murray Theater
09-21 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater
09-23 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
09-24 Chicago, IL – Metro
09-25 Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
09-27 New York, NY – Terminal Five
09-28 Boston, MA – House of Blues
09-30 Washington, D.C. – 930 Club
10-01 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
10-03 Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage
10-05 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
10-06 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live – Ballroom
10-07 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
10-09 Tempe, AZ – Marquee
10-10 Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
10-11 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theater
10-13 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
10-15 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
10-16 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theater
REVIEW: Wynton Marsalis & LCJO @ Hult (Eugene, OR – 9/17/09)
Well, I got into Wynton Marsalis from Ken Burns’ (long ass) JAZZ documentary. I had heard of him, but never really heard him, and he was featured heavily in the movie. I came to find out that he was the artistic director & co-producer of the documentary series. Anyway, I love trumpet (Dave Douglas & Steven Bernstein being top of my other Top 3 living trumpeters). This year, I’ve had a chance to see all three of them… Yay!
I like the Hult. I saw Wynton’s brother Branford at the Hult around this time last year. I like the Hult this week in particular (due to it being a 4 concert week): I like that the show started early (7:30pm), ended on time (9:25pm), and I got home at a reasonable time. Double Yay!
Wynton and his near-double octet hit the stage after a short introduction. Wynton was position at the top center of the bandstand and went directly into announcing the first song…
Setlist:
1st set – 40 mins
- Free for All (Art Blakey) *a fave of night*
- Peace (Horace Silver)
- I Like to Take My Time (Mr Rogers)
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Up from Down (Gardner) *a fave of night*
2nd set – 45 mins
- Weary Blues (sextet band, ragtime tune) *a fave of night*
- Joe Turner’s Blues (septet, Wynton sang impromptu)
- Tattooed Bride (Duke Ellington)
- Portrait of Mahalia Jackson (Duke) *a fave of night*
The first set started off with “Free for All” which had some great solos… sax, trombone and trumpet. The entire night was filled with some great solos, and “Free for All” kicked it off right. For the second set we moved to some open seats near the center… right by the very energetic soundman. He was humorous. While I dug the first set a lot, the second set was smokin’ hot. More ragtime and New Orleans street jazz in spots versus the more held back, big band vibe from the first set. The first two songs of the second set were a stripped down cast (sextet and the septet before the rest of the band re-joined them for the Duke tunes. I think my favorite tune of the whole night was “Weary Blues, ” which was really hoppin’. Seem ironic that the entire crowd (of largely white hair) was just idly sitting in their seats. :)
All in all, a great evening of great jazz.
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Fima Ephron – Soul Machine
REVIEW: Porcupine Tree w/ That1Guy @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 9/16/09)
Rarely do two bands you like happen to tour together. Porcupine Tree is touring with King’s X on this U.S. Leg… well… ok, starting in a week in Ohio. This West Coast leg, though gets That1Guy (another musician I like a lot). I’m bummed I’m missing a KXC/PT show, but That1Guy is a fun live act as well.
I guess I’ll have to get used to the Roseland, as I imagine I’ll be seeing more and more shows here over the years. It’s an “OK” venue… a basic stand-y rock club. They do have a nice food menu, though… and I got as Zappa veggie dog (I heart the PacNW). The band had a ban on cameras, outside of the officially selected photographer for the Incident tour blog; so no photos from me this time.
That1Guy played a short set. Pretty much the same set as the last time I saw him in Feb, but just cut short. I was kind of bummed that he didn’t play “Buttmachine” or “Mustaches.” Maybe he was trying to be “more serious” for the prog fans. I don’t know. I think “Buttmachine” is one of his catchiest songs, regardless of its ridiculous lyrics. Watch the video here. Overall his set & jams were a bit redundant / repetitive, but he’s still fun to watch.
Setlist: about 40 mins
- Intro Jam
- Jigsaw
- Weasel Potpie leading into Instrumental Jam
- Heaven or Heck
- Dig (with the magic boot)
- Outro Jam (T1G’s credit card jam with snippets of “Smoke on the Water”)
That1Guy’s 2007 album, The Moon is Disgusting, aged well. I’m still digging it a bunch, and wish he would have played more off of it outside of “Jigsaw” and “Dig.” You can listen to samples of the album HERE.
Next up, Porcupine Tree, whose new album, The Incident, arrived to my earbuds last weekend (thanks to Demonoid) but also hit my hands in a the lush limited edition on Tuesday. Wow… it’s freakin’ excellent. Great packaging in the deluxe edition. I think the limited edition is sold out, but the standard CD is available worldwide now.
Porcupine Tree hit the stage around 9:15 and played a first set entirely made up of The Incident‘s 1st disc. They didn’t stray from the album in scope or sound. It was very great being in the same room as Steven again. He’s truly a great musician and songwriter, which is a hard moniker to assign to a progressive rock musician (most of them can’t write a song to save their lives). Their set…
Setlist:
- The Incident (in its entirety)
I – Occam’s Razor
II – The Blind House
III – Great Expectations
IV – Kneel and Disconnect
V – Drawing the Line
VI – The Incident
VII – Your Unpleasant Family
VIII – The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train
IX – Time Flies
X – Degree Zero of Liberty
XI – Octane Twisted
XII – The Séance
XIII – Circle of Manias
XIV – I Drive the Hearse
2nd Set - The Start of Something Beautiful
- Buying New Soul
- Anesthetize Part 2
- Lazarus
- Strip the Soul
- .3
- Bonnie the Cat
- Encore: Way Out of Here
- Trains
Great show for their fantastic new album. They played right around 2 hours total. The Incident is easily the best album they’ve done since In Absentia, IMO. This was only the 2nd show of their tour, and it didn’t really show. I mean, they were on top of their game. Steven mentioned that they were a little nervous at the Seattle show the day prior. Somehow I’m skeptical of that. They probably roll out of bed and could play these songs blindfolded. :)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- PorcupineTree.com
- The Incident on Tour (official blog)
- Another Portland 9/16 Review (by Mark Colman)
- Porcupine Tree on MySpace
- That1Guy & the Magic Pipe
- That1Guy on MySpace
- Roseland Theater
~Dan – np: Patton Oswalt – My Weakness is Strong
Further U.S> Porcupine Tree Tour Dates (as of now)
Tue 15 Sep SEATTLE, WA MOORE THEATER [opener: That1Guy]
Wed 16 Sep PORTLAND, OR ROSELAND [opener: That 1 Guy]
Fri 18 Sep SAN FRANCISCO WARFIELD [opener: That 1 Guy]
Sat 19 Sep LOS ANGELES CLUB NOKIA [opener: Big Elf]
Mon 21 Sep CLEVELAND, OH HOUSE OF BLUES [opener: King’s X]
Tue 22 Sep CHICAGO, IL VIC THEATER [opener: King’s X]
Thu 24 Sep NY, NY TERMINAL 5 [opener: King’s X]
Fri 25 Sep BALTIMORE RAM’S HEAD [opener: King’s X]
Sat 26 Sep PHILLY ELECTRIC FACTORY [opener: King’s X]
Sun 27 Sep BOSTON, MA HOUSE OF BLUES [opener: King’s X]
Tue 29 Sep MONTREAL METROPOLIS [opener: King’s X]
Wed 30 Sep TORONTO QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE [opener: King’s X]
Sufjan’s The BQE
So… I’ve heard the new CD from Sufjan Stevens, called The BQE. (Thanks Asthmatic Kitty for the pre-release download.) Wow. No vocals, but very much a Sufjan album, though. The instrumentation borders on classic Sufjan instrumentals from Illinoise and Michigan (specifically the flute trills) mixed with more conservative chamber music (piano, strings, horns, tympani, et al). It also jumps into a very Enjoy Your Rabbit moment with “Movement IV – Traffic Shock.”
AK DOWNLOAD: Sufjan Stevens – Movement VI–Isorhythmic Night Dance with Interchanges (FREE MP3)
The BQE tracklist
- Prelude on the Esplanade (2:56)
- Introductory Fanfare for the Hooper Heroes (1:07)
- Movement I–In the Countenance of Kings (5:19)
- Movement II–Sleeping Invader (4:34)
- Interlude I–Dream Sequence in Subi Circumnavigation (3:33)
- Movement III–Linear Tableau with Intersecting Surprise (4:09)
- Movement IV–Traffic Shock (3:24)
- Movement V–Self-Organizing Emergent Patterns (3:45)
- Interlude II–Subi Power Waltz (0:28)
- Interlude III–Invisible Accidents (0:54)
- Movement VI–Isorhythmic Night Dance with Interchanges (3:17)
- Movement VII (Finale)–The Emperor of Centrifuge (3:51)
- Postlude–Critical Mass (2:59)
I think it fits very well within Sufjan’s oeuvre. A fan of his instrumental tunes interspersed within his State’s records should truly enjoy The BQE. The limited edition, which is on order for me, has presumably a lush packaging with a full-color booklet accompanying the vinyl. I can’t wait to crack it open…
It’s available for pre-order from Amazon and Asthmatic Kitty (and other eTailers):
Amazon CD/DVD ~ LINK
Amazon limited edition vinyl ~ LINK
AKitty CD/DVD ~ LINK
AKitty limited edition vinyl ~ LINK
~*~*~*~*~
And a complete side-note, Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt is planning releasing a Nick Drake-ish acoustic solo album (Blabbermouth link). Man, I love music. Seriously. Frank was right. It’s the best.
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
no free downloads or torrents here
Re-Pete: Day 5
You’ve heard of re-tweeting, right? Well, here’s my re-posting of the lovely YouTube documentary unfolding real-time surrounding Peter Mulvey‘s Long Haul Bike Tour. Re-Peteing, as it were. The original blog (with words and video edited by Kathy Wittman):
Day 5: To Canada (Kathy’s blog)
Peter’s tour route is HERE (map). He is riding with his show opener Brianna Lane. Check out Peter’s new record, Letters from a Flying Machine:
Keep up with Kathy’s road blog at:
http://www.kathywittman.com/mulvey/long_haul_blog/
Or via RSS at:
http://www.kathywittman.com/mulvey/long_haul_blog/rss.xml
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
no free download or torrent here
Two from Jónsi of Sigur Ros
New video of Jónsi Birgisson & Alex Somers for their piece entitled “Sometimes I Get Scared“…
(warning, it’s not like Sigur Rós or Riceboy Sleeps… at all…)
“We started the video sometime in 2004 and forgot about it for a long time, then discovered it later and finished it. So don’t worry, we’re not going in a new direction of all crazy distortion songs or anything! We’ve always flirted with dirty sounds, but dirty sounds that are still very melodic. In this one we really let ourselves make something aggressive but still melody based… It was different and fun…”
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
New song “Kaleidoscope (featuring Jónsi)” (available on iTunes and other eTailers) with DJ Tiësto… listen to it HERE for free (streaming).
~Dan – np: Eminem – Relapse
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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