Archive
Osso::Rabbit
So, back in 2007, I had the pleasure of seeing the just-named Osso String Quartet‘s worldwide premiere of Sufjan Stevens‘ electronic album Enjoy Your Rabbit songs arranged for strings. That show at the MusicNow Festival 2007 (full festival review) was utterly fantastic. Since that time, the band has been busy, including being the backing band for My Brightest Diamond‘s wonderful A Thousand Shark’s Teeth album.
Two and a half years will have passed since the worldwide stringed Rabbit debut to finally see the release of Osso’s full length debut… Run Rabbit Run, out October 6th:
- Year of the Ox (arr. Michael Atkinson)
- Enjoy Your Rabbit (arr. Michael Atkinson)
- Year of the Monkey (arr. Michael Atkinson)
- Year of the Tiger (arr. Rob Moose)
- Year of the Dragon (arr. Nico Muhly)
- Year of the Snake (arr. Olivier Manchon)
- Year of the Horse (arr. Rob Moose)
- Year of the Sheep (arr. Maxim Moston)
- Year of the Rat (arr. Olivier Manchon)
- Year of the Rooster (arr. Gabriel Kahane)
- Year of the Dog (arr. Rob Moose)
- Year of the Boar (arr. Michael Atkinson)
- Year of Our Lord (arr. Michael Atkinson)
Pre-order not available, yet. More info here: http://asthmatickitty.com/run-rabbit-run
~Dan – np: Dengue Fever – Escape from Dragon House
PS- Sigur Ros’s Jonsi & Alex’s Riceboy Sleeps debut has the deluxe edition officially on pre-order on their webpage (see here for more info).
No free download or torrents available here.
REVIEW: Skerik & McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene, OR – 7/8/09)
The Joe Doria led McTuff hit the stage at Sam Bond’s last night around 10pm. While Joe is the bandleader (and quite awesome), a large part of the draw seems to be for tenor saxophonist Skerik. The entire band is fantastic, and really put out a great groove last night. We stayed for a little over an hour, and caught “Seven Bullets,” “Arrow Tip,” Michael Jackson‘s “Human Nature” (identified by my wife) and some other unannounced songs/jams. The 3rd or 4th song (“Seven Bullets”) had some very klezmer-sounding melodies to me.
Last time I saw them, it seemed to be much more organ & sax (or maybe that’s just my poor recollection). This time, the guitarist (Andy Coe) also seemed to really break out. It was nice to hear him take some leads. Drummer D’vonne Lewis was also killin’ it. Great groove all around from the band. I’m glad they come around a couple times a year.
They’ve got their first record out, McTuff Volume 1, which I picked up last night. Check them out on the MySpaces: http://www.myspace.com/mctuffmusic
~Dan – np: Derek Webb – Stockholm Syndrome
JFJO hates me. Placebo loves me.
I’m either out of town, in town at another show, out of town at another show, or barricaded out of a show whenever Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey comes to town. Anyway, JFJO is back in Eugene on 9/18, and I’ll be up at Sunny Day Real Estate in Portland. Oh well, I guess I shouldn’t complain… JFJO comes through twice a year it seems… I’ll try again next time… :rolleyes: Tour dates below…
The Michael Jackson “memorial” service was yesterday (even though he is not dead)… JFJO & Friends did their own takes on some MJ on NYE 2008 and posted them to their website last week. You can download their live takes of “Billy Jean” and “Thriller” via the links (links from a recent JFJO email). Vocally, the MJ cover tunes… are… um… are they drunk? Anyway… they’re free.
JFJO Summer/Fall 2009 tour:
- Aug 8 | Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa, OK (ABOT Awards)
- July 10 | The Lizard Lounge | Boston, MA
- July 11 | The Lizard Lounge | Boston, MA
- July 14 | The Iron Horse | Northampton, MA
- July 17 | Downright Music & Arts | Collinsville, CT
- July 18 | Joe’s Pub | New York, NY
- Sept 2 | The Deli | Norman, OK
- Sept 3 | Granada Theater | Dallas, TX
- Sept 4 | The Parish | Austin, TX
- Sept 5 | Arts Festival Oklahoma | Oklahoma City, OK
- Sept 8 | Winston’s | San Diego, CA
- Sept 9 | Catalina Jazz Club | Los Angeles, CA
- Sept 10 | Kuumbwa Jazz Center | Santa Cruz, CA
- Sept 11 | Cafe du Nord | San Francisco, CA
- Sept 12 | TBA | Humboldt, CA
- Sept 17 | The Dojo | Ashland, OR
- Sept 18 | Jo Federigo’s | Eugene, OR
- Sept 19 | Jimmy Mak’s | Portland, OR
- Sept 20 | High Dive | Seattle, WA
- Sept 25 | The Marquee | Tulsa, OK
- Oct 22 | The Encore | Stevens Point, WI
- Oct 23 | Cranky Pats | Neenah, WI
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UPDATE (8/17): Placebo have canceled/postponed their North American tour due to Brian collapsing during a show in Japan.
Placebo is hitting Portland on their upcoming tour in support of Battle for the Sun. I shall be going. I last saw them in Cleveland (it was a miserable drive from Cincinnati and back in the same night, but a great show nonetheless). More Placebo 2009 dates as follows:
- Sep 12th 2009 – Roseland Theatre, Portland OR
- Sep 13th 2009 – The Show Box at Market, Seattle WA
- Sep 14th 2009 – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC
- Sep 16th 2009 – Murray Theatre, Murray UT
- Sep 17th 2009 – House Of Blues, Las Vega NV
- Sep 20th 2009 – Club Nokia Live, Los Angeles CA
- Sep 21st 2009 – SOMA, San Diego CA
- Sep 23rd 2009 – Gothic Theatre, Denver CO
- Sep 25th 2009 – La Zona Rosa, Austin TX
- Sep 26th 2009 – House Of Blues, Dallas TX
- Sep 27th 2009 – Beaumont Club, Kansas City MO
- Oct 2nd 2009 – House Of Blues, Chicago IL
- Oct 3rd 2009 – Newport Music Hall, Columbus OH
- Oct 4th 2009 – Sonar, Baltimore MD
- Oct 6th 2009 – Sound Academy, Toronto ON
- Oct 7th 2009 – Metropolis, Montreal QU
- Oct 10th 2009 – Northern Lights, Clifton Park NY
- Oct 11th 2009 – Terminal 5, New York City NY
~Dan – np: Deliverance – Camelot-in-Smithereens
Fiona Apple & Múm
Two unrelated music news items worthy of note…
Fiona Apple is back in the studio for the first time in three years. As SPIN reports, Fiona will contribute two new recordings to The Best Is Yet to Come, a forthcoming compilation honoring Cy Coleman, a composer whose most famous material was performed by Frank Sinatra. On the collection, Apple performs Coleman’s “Why Try to Change Me Now” and “I Walk a Little Faster,” which was popularized by Tony Bennett. Patty Griffin, Nikka Costa, Jill Sobule, and Missy Higgins are among the other artists who honor Coleman’s musical legacy on the album. No release date set, from what I can tell.
Here’s an audio YouTube of Fiona’s “Why Try to Change Me Now”…
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Icelandic band Múm (pronounced “moom”) is releasing another album and is touring the U.S. I received my ticket to the Portland show (Nov 4th) in the mail today. I figured it was related to an album, but hadn’t heard that until today (over on the BrooklynVegan blog). Musically, Múm are akin to Sigur Rós meets Frog Pocket. And for those not in the know about Frog Pocket… well, the prior sentence meant that Múm are like a glitchy-electronic Sigur Rós.
Honestly, I hadn’t looked, but I now find out that Múm’s new album (Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know) is due out in August 2009, but it has already been leaked. Oh, internets, when you you ever learn that in order for the arts to continue and flourish, you should pay for it!
Anyway, Múm’s 2009 tour dates are as follows:
- Jul 08 TEATRI DI VITA Bologna #
- Jul 11 Loop festival afterparty at Digital Brighton #
- Jul 12 Loop festival Brighton
- Jul 13 TabarnacleLondon
- Aug 14 SUMMER SUNDAE festival Leicester
- Aug 15 Studio 24 Edinburgh
- Aug 17 National museum of Wales Cardiff, Wales
- Aug 18 Norwich art center Norwhich
- Aug 27 Atomic CafeMunich (DE)
- Aug 28 Beatpol Dresden (DE)
- Sep 05 Lido Berlin (DE)
- Sep 06 Knust Hamburg (DE)
- Sep 07 Gebaeude 9 Cologne (DE)
- Oct 21 the Somerville Theatre Somerville, Massachusetts
- Oct 22 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Oct 23 Black Cat Washington DC, Washington DC
- Oct 24 Le Poisson Rouge NY, New York
- Oct 26 Le National Montreal, Quebec
- Oct 27 Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, Ontario
- Oct 28 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois
- Oct 29 McGuire Theater Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Nov 01 Marquee Room Calgary, Alberta
- Nov 02 Richards on Richards Vancouver, British Columbia
- Nov 03 Showbox at the Market Seattle, Washington
- Nov 04 Aladdin Theater Portland, Oregon
- Nov 05 The Independent San Francisco, California
- Nov 06 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, California
- Nov 07 Yost Theatre Santa Ana, California
# múm DJ set
~Dan – np: Davka – Davka Live 
Jónsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps
Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi Birgisson and his boyfriend Alex Somers have been working on visual art since 2003, and the Riceboys Sleeps is now hitting earbuds around the globe. Their song “Happiness” was on the Dark Was the Night compilation earlier this year, and their full-length self-titled album comes out on July 21st. It can now be pre-ordered on Amazon or the deluxe edition from http://www.jonsiandalex.com/. They’ve been giving away Boy 1904 for new people who sign up for their mailing list.
DOWNLOAD: Riceboy Sleeps – Boy 1904 (MP3)
Track listing:
1. Happiness
2. Atlas Song
3. Indian Summer
4. Stokkseyri
5. Boy 1904
6. All The Big Trees
7. Daníell In The Sea
8. Howl
9. Sleeping Giant
~Dan – np: Miles Davis – Aura
ha’fway 2009
Happy 233rd birthday, United States!
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(Sub)consciously prompted by these music blogs, here are my favs of the first half of 2009… it’s all bound to switch around by year’s end:
Artist – Album (label)
- Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion (Ohlone)
- Masada Quintet + Joe Lovano – Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 12 ~ Stolas (Tzadik)
- OSI – Blood (Inside Out Records)
- Wussy – Wussy (Shake It Records)
- Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy – Spirit Moves (Green Leaf Music)
- Wynton Marsalis – He and She (EMI / Blue Note)
- John Zorn – Alhambra: Love Songs (Tzadik)
- Regina Spektor – Far (Sire / Warner)
- Isis – Wavering Radiant (Ipecac)
- Zu – Carboniferous (Ipecac)
- Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings, really only the instrumental disc (Roadrunner)
- Jamie Saft – Black Shabbis (Tzadik)
- Madeleine Peyroux – Bare Bones (Rounder)
- Secret Chiefs 3 – Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini (Web of Mimicry)
- Ember Swift – Lentic :: 子玉 (Few’ll Ignite Sound)
I didn’t get a few that already came out this year… the new Green Day, U2, Placebo, Eminem, Dave Matthews Band, Fever Ray, Crank 2 soundtrack (by Mike Patton). I’m waiting for them to be cheaper used, but they may make it to the list at the end of the year.
The 2nd half of 2009 promises to bring some potential great ones, too… John Zorn’s O’o, Medeski Martin & Wood Radiolarians 3, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane (possibly by November), Secret Chiefs 3 Book of Souls (maybe), a new Sufjan Stevens (just speculating, since it’s been a while), Ani DiFranco always has something coming out, Jon Madof’s CircuitBreaker debut (maybe) & another Rashanim, The Tango Saloon’s Transylvania (stateside release?), new Tristeza, Over the Rhine Live from Nowhere IV, George Hrab ‘s 6th album Trebuchet, Derek Webb‘s Stockholm Syndrome, SFJazz 2009 with Dave Douglas & Joe Lovano and others, A Perfect Circle internet only single releases (as mentioned back here), and a new Tool record (they’ve worked on it some, but I doubt it’ll hit until 2010)… and I’m sure another dozen or more that I’ll dig from Tzadik.
~Dan – np: Cut Chemist – The Audience’s Listening
again… Happy 233rd birthday, United States!
This July 4th, celebrate Sarah Palin resigning as Alaskan governor!
Michael Jackson is not dead!
Michael Jackson is now a zombie.
Real zombie re-enactment of Thriller this weekend in Los Angeles…
Rest in Peace, Michael: 1958 – 2009
UPDATE (8/15/09): Michael Jackson fans, check this out!
Sunny Day Real Estate have also caught the reunion flu
File this under: awesome.
So, I saw Sunny Day Real Estate in 2000 on their The Rising Tide tour. It is probably one of the 10 or 20 best concerts ever for me, and I say that in that they aren’t one of my favorite 10 or 20 bands in my wheelhouse. Anyway, I dig their albums a plenty, but that tour was just fantasticly great. Even the opener, Euphone, was great (my first foray into post-rock).
Well, in the recent rash of get togethers that I care about (Faith No More and Galactic Cowboys being two notables), SDRE are getting back together with the original four members: Jeremy Enigk, Dan Hoerner, and recently Foo Fighters’ William Goldsmith & Nate Mendel. Call it a SDRE-union, if you will. Diary and LP2 will also be re-issued on Sub Pop. Read the full story over at Pitchfork and BrooklynVegan. Here are the 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
I plan on hitting the Portland show. That week is busy for me now… I’ve got Porcupine Tree on Wednesday, Wynton Marsalis on Thursday, and now Sunny Day Real Estate on Friday.
But it’s gonna rule! And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
~Dan – np: Miles Davis – In a Silent Way
GALACTIC COWBOYS Never Die.
GALACTIC COWBOYS, the heavy-hitting Houston, Texas band responsible for such classic albums as Space In Your Face, Machine Fish, and At the End of the Day, will reunite this August for three concert performances only in the group’s home state — in Houston, Dallas, and Austin. GALACTIC COWBOYS’ classic lineup of Monty Colvin (bass), Alan Doss (drums), Ben Huggins (vocals), and Wally Farkas (guitar) will hit the stage on August 13, August 14 and August 15.
The Houston show has just been booked and announced for Saturday, August 15, 2009 at Warehouse Live (813 St. Emanuel Street, Houston, TX 77003). More information may be found by contacting the venue at (713) 225-5483. The band is currently booking the remaining shows in Dallas and Austin. Details for these two nights will be forthcoming.
Commented Colvin: “[It’s] something we have talked about on and off over the years and now is the first time all of our schedules coincide to be able to do this. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we are really looking forward to reconnecting with the fans that have been asking about this ever since we broke up.”
GALACTIC COWBOYS released its debut album on Geffen Records back in 1991 on an unsuspecting public, combining progressive metal with a style of vocals influenced by THE BEATLES and the heavy playing style of thrash bands such as ANTHRAX. They have been described as “possibly the most melodic metal band ever.” The band called it quits in 2000 after a string of well-received albums on Metal Blade, a loyal cult following and years of successful tours with bands such as KING’S X, ANTHRAX, and DREAM THEATER.
For more information, visit www.galacticcowboys.com.
I’ve been a GC forever… ran an unofficial (but officially approved) website for them in college (back in the heyday of the internets). I wish I could make it down to Texas for these shows, alas, I’ll be in Idaho for work.
I hope the reunion bug bites harder and they decide to do something else together… an album or more shows.
In other, older Galactic Cowboys-related news… check out this about The Jibbs.
~Dan – np: TV on the Radio – Dear Science
Attack Attack!’s Stick Stickly
This is the best worst thing I’ve seen in a while. I kinda love it…
(Note: if the Vimeo video above doesn’t work,
let me know and I’ll refresh the link)
So amazingly, A+ horrible that it’s A+ good… poop squat guitarist moves, jumping around flipping guitar over head, death metal vocals, dance breaks, auto-tune vocals (a la Akon, Justin Timberlake, etc)… I mean… what’s not to love/hate/love again? No matter how seemingly painful, you can’t turn away.
And if you just wanna watch the silly pieces forever, here are some animated gifs of the Attack Attack! “Stick Stickly” action (click for larger, or right click to save):
~Dan – np: The Weepies – Hideaway
REVIEW: Hiromi’s Sonicbloom @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (Seattle, WA – 6/16/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Well, I’d never been to Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. It’s an amazing little room (maybe 200 seats) with dinner served if you show up early. Plus, in downtown Seattle, it offers free parking. Yeah, you read that correctly – free parking. :) Anyway, I showed up shortly after 6pm after fighting with traffic heading through Tacoma and into Seattle. I got seated right up front, which was also the benefit of showing up early for the dinner & show deal. Fantastic food, and wonderful staff! The venue earns an A+!! I hope they bring in some more choice acts… it was worth the trip.
Hiromi Uehara and Sonicbloom took the stage around 7:40. The band was Hiromi on piano (a Steinway & Sons, if I recall correctly) & keyboards (3 different keyboards/syths), Tony Grey on 6-string electric bass, Dave Fiuczynski on double-neck guitar (12 string on top, 7 string on bottom), and Mauricio Zottarelli on drums. Both Tony & Dave played on Hiromi’s two Sonicbloom records. Actually, Tony played with Hiromi on her last four records (not just the recent Sonicbloom moniker).
As a band, they were pretty tight. I liked Tony a lot on bass. He had a nice groove, and his “mouthing” of the solos was fun, too. Maurice was also great, but he was shielded from me for most of the night from an older “bigger hair” couple; so I didn’t catch many glimpses of him. Dave was good, too… but sometime he got too “noodley” versus what the band was doing. His solos weren’t great in my opinion, but when he was playing lead, his playing worked well. Maybe guitar in a jazz quartet wasn’t my thing this time around.
As far as setlist, no luck. Hiromi only announced one song from the stage: “Time Travel” from Time Control (the 2007 Sonicbloom record). I’m pretty sure that they didn’t play “XYZ” (or the variation “XYG”). That was a bummer, but not too much of a bummer – as the show was amazing all around.
They played a few standards, one that the name is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t for the life of me remember it. I can hear it still in my head (doo doo doo, doop doop doodle doop). Damn, there are too many songs in my head and barely any names. Hiromi also played a solo classical piece that was very familiar, but again, I’m drawing a blank. Regardless of song names, Hiromi’s handwork is amazing. I swear, I don’t know how she can pull off playing two different melodies at the same time with different hands. Anyway, the whole group was an amazing bunch of musicians. Most of the show was pretty jammy, but had elements of straight ahead jazz, and again some classical.
They’re playing again at the Jazz Alley as I type this… if anyone went tonight (June 17th), let me know how it went.
For the uninitiated to Hiromi, check out the video electronic press kit for Beyond Standard featuring “XYG“:
Or check out the video for “Time Difference“…
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Anakronic Electro-Orchestra – The Yiddish Part -EP-
HIROMI’s SONICBLOOM PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Portland Cello Project & Emily Wells @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – 6/13/09)
I first heard of Portland Cello Project via cellist Anna Fritz. Her 2005 album Wake featured a couple of songs with singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey guesting, of whom I had been a longtime fan already. Anyway, shortly thereafter, Anna Fritz was posting on her MySpace page about this new band that she was in, the Portland Cello Project. They kept playing around on times that I couldn’t see them… so last night was the first official time for me to see them, though I guess I’ve been a fan for a while.
We showed up around 8:30 to a beyond packed house. Oh crap, I underestimated the draw of the PCP on a Saturday night in Eugene. Emily Wells was into her set, and some of the PCP was sitting in on her set. Great stuff… enough to buy her Symphonies album. I hope she comes around Eugene or Portland again… I loved her sound.
The Portland Cello Project came on around 9:30. Their sound seemed very much standard “chamber music” until they hit the more energetic Pantera and Dave Brubeck pieces. PCP pulls off the “modern / alternative chamber music” sound pretty well without getting lumped into the sometimes cheesy Apocalyptica and the almost always cheesy “String Quartet Tribute to…” compilations. PCP had a mix of classical, jazz, rougher music, tween pop with John Brophy, and indie rock (the songs featuring Justin Power on guitar & voice)… seemed to be enjoyed by the very large, very diverse crowd…
Setlist: (per the PCP blog)
- Collaborations with Emily Wells
- The Batman Theme Song (by Danny Elfman)
- Turkish Wine (by Norfolk and Western)
- Denmark (by Gideon Freudmann)
- Mouth for War (by Pantera)
- Take 5 (by Dave Brubeck Quartet)
- A piece by Ashia
- Ashia and Justin Power playing Hungry Liars
- Two more Justin Power pieces!
- Toxic (by Britney Spears) featuring John Brophy
- What Goes Around…/…Comes Back around (by Justin Timberlake) featuring John Brophy
- Push-it (by Salt N Pepa) featuring John Brophy and Emily Wells
- 3 pieces collaborating with Run-On Sentence
- Encore: Transformation from The Dream: A Three Movement Suite for Cellos, Mallet Percussion, and Drum Set by Rachel Blumberg
We stuck around through the Justin Timberlake tune (it had been a long day). Great stuff all around. I was very impressed with Emily Wells set (never heard of her before), and the size of the crowd at Cozmic. I mean, seriously, I’ve never seen that many people packed in there. It was great to see so many people out there, but I’m wondering how they heard about it. Here I was thinking I’d show up at 8:30 and get right in…
Next time, I’ll know to show up early for PCP in Eugene.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Portland Cello Project Online
- Portland Cello Project on MySpace
- Emily Wells on MySpace
- Justin Power on MySpace
- Cozmic Pizza
~Dan – np: Flaregun – Ten Sundays
Porcupine Tree / Larry David & Woody Allen
UK progrockers Porcupine Tree have a new album coming out in September, and it now has a name: The Incident. It’s out September 21st on Roadrunner Records in the United States. It’ll be a double-album: first CD being the (cough) 55-minute title track. The 2nd CD being an EP-lengthed featuring these four songs: “Flicker,” “Bonnie The Cat,” “Black Dahlia,” and “Remember Me Lover.”
My fandom of Steven Wilson’s songwriting (examples: Stupid Dream & Lightbulb Sun) will probably lead me to gravitate to the 2nd CD, but we shall see. Their counterpart in the prog world, Dream Theater, can’t write their way out of a wet paper bag (when it comes to a “song”)… so at least Steven tends to do that every once in a while…
As previously reported, Porcupine Tree hits the road with King’s X and That1Guy this fall (two favorite artists of mine). I’ll be at the That1Guy-opened show in Portland, OR.
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Larry David is a busy man. As previously reported, the 7th season of Curb Your Enthusiasm is underway (and will host all major members of the Seinfeld cast). Larry’s feature movie from writer/director Woody Allen is hitting the streets this June/July. Here’s a trailer for Whatever Works:
~Dan – np: Celldweller – The Last Firstborn Remixes
tons of news
Nine Stories!
In this episode: The new Masada Quintet with special guest Joe Lovano, the Jenny Owen Youngs‘ video that I somehow missed, Nellie McKay‘s Election musical, Fanfarlo for $1, the deaths of JazzTimes & Jeff Hanson, the resurrection of Futurama, a new Wussy video, and Asthmatic Kitty’s most excellent Library Catalog Music Series…
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The new Masada Quintet with special guest Joe Lovano just came out for June on Tzadik Records. It’s the original Masada Quartet (John Zorn on alto sax, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on bass & Joey Baron on drums) plus pianist Uri Caine… plus special guest tenor sax Joe Lovano. Holy cow!!! It’s the first official studio release from the Masada Quartet since 1999’s י [Yod] (or 2005 if you count the unreleased/rarities compilation Sanhedrin). This album is bound to be at the top of my “best of” list for 2009.
This video from Jenny Owen Youngs came out in September 2007. How did I miss it? It’s a brilliant singer-songwriter cover of rapper Nelly‘s “Hot in Herre” (so take off all your clothes). I bought the iTunes single… great stuff:
Nellie McKay is writing a musical based on the book/movie Election. Read more about it over on Brooklyn Vegan blog.
Fanfarlo just put on their debut album, Reservoir, for $1. Fanfarlo is a London-based band founded by Swedish musician Simon Balthazar. Nice textured indie pop… think Sigur Rós meets Sufjan Stevens. The album, in full, is available for only $1.00 until July 4th, 2009 at http://www.fanfarlo.com/.
The economy took another print-media victim. This time it’s the death (or “temporary suspension”) of JazzTimes magazine. The 38 year old magazine couldn’t maintain readership in the new era of online content. It’s a sad day, as it was a great magazine. I hope it’s able to come back later in some form or another under new ownership, as mentioned in the Howard Mandel article.
Whispy singer-songwriter Jeff Hanson died last Saturday (6/5) after an accidental fall on his cement-floored apartment in St. Paul, MN. Jeff was known for his feminine vocal style and songwriting/sound similar to late indie rocker Elliott Smith (who also died young). He had three great albums out on Kill Rock Stars. I hate to sound selfish, but I’m bummed I missed him when he recently came through Portland. We lost another one, far too young…
In “Oh Sweet, Futurama’s On” News, the resurrection of Futurama is eminent. Much like Family Guy, the popularity soared even after being originally canceled. Futurama had some straight-to-DVD movies recently, and it will return with new 26 episodes on Comedy Central in the winter 2010.
A favorite band of mine from Cincinnati, Wussy, has a new “acoustic from an RV” video of “Maglite.” They recently put out their 3rd full length album, and it lives up to the quality and momentum in their prior two albums (plus 1 EP). Check out the video and then check out the album at Shake It Records:
Asthmatic Kitty’s most excellent Library Catalog Music Series just came out. The naming of the series sounds… boring. However, it’s really great instrumental music. There are three issues thus far: 900X: Music for Lubbock 1980, Law of the Least Effort: Music for Measurements, and Casey Foubert/James McAlister: Music for Drums. My favorite is the 900X one. Really, really good electronic, post-rockiness. If you liked a more “sane” version of Sufjan Steven’s Enjoy Your Rabbit, I bet you’d like the LCMS. Check it out at Asthmatic Kitty Records.
~Dan – np: Fanfarlo – Reservoir
REVIEW: King’s X @ Berbati’s Pan (Portland, OR – 6/8/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So… King’s X? Where do I start. They’ve been a band for 26 or 27 years. I’ve been a fan of theirs since 1994. I see them every time they come through my town (16th time in 15 years). I’ve seen them in 6 or 7 states (mostly Ohio), but this is first time to see them in Oregon for me. It was only last August that I saw them open up for Extreme in Cincinnati, and they haven’t put out anything new since that show. Honestly, though, it really doesn’t matter. It’s King’s X… Doug, Ty & Jerry. They are a must see show, any time, any place!!
I showed up late for the show; so I can’t speak to the rockin’ (or not rockin’) of the openers Orange Sky & Quandry. If history tells me anything, the openers were good but not phenomenal*. I had other work-related plans, and I couldn’t make it to the venue in time.
*– A good/great opener in days of yore is a band like Podunk. Also, re: “openers,” I wouldn’t put Galactic Cowboys in that category. They’re more like “peers”… and were always a great lead in to King’s X. For the most part, other openers for KX were OK, but usually just delayed KX starting time by more than I normally cared for… I mean that in no disrespect to the openers tonight. Had it not been a rough day of work, I’d have done my best to make it for your sets. Seriously.
I showed up right at 11pm, and King’s X were deep into their third song (per the door guy). So, for those keeping track at home, file that under “whoops… messed that one up.” My guess is that they started with “Groove Machine.” Regardless of my missing the intro, King’s X put on a great show, and I thoroughly enjoyed it… a little bit of feedback and a low ceiling’ed venue, but I got to move around a bit and snap some shots from several angles. No videos… I imagine it’d be too much feedback for the camera.
Setlist: thanks for the setlist additions
- Groove Machine {thanks, bishopjso}
- Pleiades {thanks, bn}
- Visions
- Move (*a fave of night*)
- What Is This?
- Black Flag
- Lost in Germany
- Pray (no offense, but a non-fave)
- Dogman (*a fave of night*)
- Go Tell Somebody (no offense, but a non-fave)
- Summerland
- Looking for Love (*a fave of night*)
- Over My Head
- Encore: It’s Love
- We Were Born to Be Loved (*a fave of night*)
Fantastic show… once again. Doug, Ty & Jerry are a joy to see. I hope they’re making music for many more years to come. Doug’s preachin’ during “Over My Head” had a new slant… “It’s a terrible thing to do what you don’t want to do for the rest of your life.” I’m glad that Doug didn’t get stuck being a choirboy for the rest of his life. Oh, and Ty’s “Over My Head” solo was smoking!!!! It was one of the few instances where I wish I had been taping…
Wishes for the evening… maybe switch out “GTS” and “P4M” with “Cigarettes” and “A Box.” But all in all, I’m glad that they’re still making music and still touring. I figure, beggars can’t be choosers. I saw a great show by some great musicians… yet again.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- King’s X Online
- King’s X on MySpace
- Doug Pinnick on MySpace
- Ty Tabor on MySpace
- Jerry Gaskill on MySpace
- King’s X & Extreme @ Union Center Blvd Bash – 8/10/08 Review (with pictures)
- Berbati’s Pan
How the screaming changes when the meaning hits your ears…
~Dan – np: dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion no torrent or free download here
KING’S X PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Rest of the King’s X Tour Dates (as of now)
6/09/2009 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
6/10/2009 Coeur d’Alene, ID @ The Grail
6/12/2009 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
6/13/2009 Denver, CO @ Owsley’s Golden Road
6/15/2009 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
6/16/2009 Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
6/17/2009 Lincoln, NE @ Knickerbockers
6/19/2009 Sioux Falls, SD @ Nutty’s
6/20/2009 Fargo, ND @ Venue At The Hub
6/23/2009 St Paul, MN @ Station 4
6/24/2009 Des Moines, IA @ People’s Court
6/26/2009 Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
6/27/2009 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
6/28/2009 Mt Clemmens, MI @ Freedom Festival
6/30/2009 Memphis, TN @ Newby’s
7/01/2009 Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s
8/07/2009 Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
8/08/2009 Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
8/09/2009 Pittsburgh, PA @ Pepsi Roadhouse
8/11/2009 Hartford, CT @ The Webster Theater
8/12/2009 Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
8/13/2009 Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
8/15/2009 Southbridge, MA @ ADC Performance Ctr.
8/16/2009 Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
8/17/2009 Virginia Beach, VA @ Peppermint Beach Club
8/19/2009 Charlotte, NC @ Amos’s
8/21/2009 Marietta, GA @ The Local
8/22/2009 Fayetteville, NC @ Jester’s
then they hit the road with Porcupine Tree in September 2009
REVIEW: Holy Fuck @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 6/4/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I love my job. I get to be in towns that quite often host artists I like to see… so I don’t have to drive up to make a special trip. Well, this time, it was for my second time seeing the instrumental, avant-groove, live electronic band from Toronto – – Holy Fuck. While their name may be offensive to some, their music is delicious. I tried to make the “gotta eat there while in Portland” stop at Blossoming Lotus, but downtown was PACKED – no parking to be found; so I crossed the River and checked out The Farm instead. Then I scuttled off to the venue to meet some Eugene friends and take in some great music.
Crocodiles went on first, and they played about a half hour. It was a singer & guitarist playing to a drum machine or tape. It wasn’t too shabby. Two man bands are usually more miss than hit, but these guys had some good songs and rocked out fairly well.
Holy Fuck took the stage around 10:15 and played a jam-packed hour or so. I forget how infectious these guys are, even when not playing something all that melodic (though they had plenty of groove last night as well). We got right up front, and I was able to snap some pics and a video or two (see below). I was glad to see the audience show up, too… at first, it was looking grim, like a 10 person crowd. By HF show time, the MFDF was filling up quite nicely. Much groove, much film scratchin’, oft screamin’ and looping, with a thumping rhythm section…
Songs are harder to distinguish when there are no vocals (i.e.- no official “setlist” here). I know they played The Pulse, Super Inuit, and Lovely Allen, and I’m pretty sure they played Milkshake, Safari, Frenchy’s, Jungle, maybe Royal Gregory. Those last five are just a guess, though. I do know that it was a bitchin’ show!! It’s great to see them in progressively bigger venues. First Newport, KY’s Southgate House “parlor” (i.e.- the very small room upstairs) to the real venue of Doug Fir Lounge as the headliner. A+… and I hope it’s not another 2+ years until I get to see them again.
Holy Fuck “The Pulse” @ Doug Fir Lounge, 6/4/2009
The videos are just “OK,” but not too shabby for a digital camera (not a digital video camera), if I do say so myself. Regardless of the video quality, quite frankly, this show is probably one of my favorite shows this year so far.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Holy Fuck Online
- Holy Fuck on MySpace
- Holy Fuck review & pics from Brooklyn Vegan <— *great shots*
- Holy Fuck interviewed by Joe Walker (YouTube link)
- Crocodiles on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Alhambra Love Songs
no torrent or free download available here
CROCODILES / HOLY FUCK PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Silverchair 2009
This little blurb in from the Llama Appreciation Society today (6/1/09)…
It is with great pleasure to confirm SILVERCHAIR have been back in the studio working on a bunch of new songs.
I expect this means… early 2010 for a new album? In any case… awesome news!!!
~Dan – np: Secret Chiefs 3 – Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini
no torrents or free downloads
How do you say “four” in Icelandic?
(Jónsi with Sigur Rós in Portland, Oct 2008)
Well, 2009/2010 is bound to be a good period for things Sigur Rós‘ related. I had heard about the first three, but just found out about the fourth item. It was the icing on the cake…
- Sigur Rós singer/guitarist Jónsi Birgisson and longtime partner Alex Somers are on the cusp of releasing the audio debut from their collaboration Riceboy Sleeps (they released a small arty booklet a year or two ago). The first leak was on the recent Dark Was the Night compilation (with Sufjan Stevens, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Iron & Wine, David Byrne, The Decemberists, etc). Read more about Riceboy Sleeps here.
- Jónsi also has a solo album in the works. While being called “ecstatic,” being the voice of Sigur Rós, I doubt it’ll fall too far from the tree. Read more about Jónsi solo here.
- Keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson also has his musical pen in the solo work well… he’s writing the score for the film Odine. Read more about Kjartan’s score here.
- And… Sigur Rós are in the studio working on their 6th (traditional) studio album, the follow-up to last year’s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Not much in as far as details, outside of it being “melodic but much less noisy and more ‘out there’ than previous albums.” This excites me, as I loved Takk and Med sud, I loved-loved-loved-loved the more “out there-ness” of Ágætis Byrjun & ( ). This album is expected sometime in 2010. This was originally posted on sigur-ros.co.uk.
~Dan – np: Dave Douglas Quintet – Live at Jazz Standard, 12/8/06 (Set 3)
Another Mike Patton Soundtrack
Mike Patton [Faith No More, Mr Bungle, Ipecac, etc] & Justin Broadrick [Godflesh] will contribute to the soundtrack for an upcoming Alan Moore photographic novel on Lex. This comes hot off the heals of Patton’s Crank 2 soundtrack…
Lex founder Tom Brown says that the deluxe release will include the book – which Brown describes as a “photographic novel” rather than a graphic novel like Moore’s “Watchmen” or “V for Vendetta” – as well as art prints, a two-hour audiobook recorded by Moore (possibly on a memory stick) and the soundtrack on vinyl. It is not yet clear if the soundtrack will get a separate release on CD or as a download, but Brown says he wants this to be a special release and was partly inspired by Radiohead’s deluxe version of “In Rainbows.”
~Dan – np: Death – Symbolic
REVIEW: Steven Bernstein’s Sex Mob @ Goodfoot Lounge (Portland, OR – 5/23/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Sex Mob is a downtown NYC jazz band made up of bandleader Steven Bernstein on slide trumpet, Briggan Krauss on saxophone, Tony Scherr on bass, and Kenny Wolleson on drums. For those keeping score, Steven Bernstein is one of my top 3 favorite (living) trumpet players [Dave Douglas & Wynton Marsalis being the other 2]. I got into Steven via some of his CDs on John Zorn’s label Tzadik and their Radical Jewish Culture series… then I found Sex Mob (and also Millennial Territory Orchestra). Steven Bernstein came through Ohio just shortly after I moved away; so last night was actually my first time to see him live. And for it to be a Sex Mob show made it much more special.
The opener, Trio Subtonic, was great. I saw them last fall at a small college, but this time it was nice to see them in a more intimate, non-auditorium setting. They played for 75 minutes or so, more than a normal opener. In fact, had they not been so good, I would have kind of been pissed. :) In my opinion, the best part of their set was when they ripped into an instrumental jazzy, slightly obscured cover of Radiohead‘s “Just” (the original has one of my favorite videos). I was singing along… Shortly thereafter, they were joined on stage by a saxophonist for about half of their set – which was a great addition. Maybe they should add him permanently and change their name to Quartet Subtonic.
Sex Mob came on around 11:45, and they started in on an avant-garde piece. I’d seen Sex Mob’s saxophonist Briggan Krauss play with NYC downtown avant-garde musicians Ikue Mori and Jim Black in March 2007; so I expected some avant-garde from this group of downtown NYC musicians. Sex Mob mixed it up a bit and jammed as well, but every corner had a bit of the avant-garde nature hiding in it. Maybe more of a halfway point between groove jazz and avant-garde jazz would be a good explanation – “raucous.” I think my favorite from their set was the tune whose opener reminds me of Dizzy Gillespie‘s “Salt Peanuts.”
Sex Mob Intro @ the Goodfoot, 5/23/09
Sex Mob #2 @ the Goodfoot, 5/23/09
I hope they come back again soon… and maybe start earlier (or play closer to me). :) I bailed around 1am to head back home to Eugene. All in all, a great night for jazz.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sex Mob’s official page
- Steven Bernstein’s official page
- Sex Mob on MySpace
- Trio Subtonic
- Trio Subtonic on MySpace
- The Goodfoot Pub & Lounge
~Dan – np: Isis – Wavering Radiant
no torrent here
TRIO SUBTONIC / SEX MOB PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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