Archive
O.S.I. “For Nothing” video premiere
One of mellow tracks from O.S.I.’s latest album, Fire Make Thunder, now has a video…
“For Nothing“
Directed by Jimmy Ahlander
Threatening smoke, odd beings and glorified body parts, create dark poetry in this twisted, visual representation of OSI’s melancholic tune.
~Dan – np: O.S.I. – Fire Make Thunder
Fiona Apple announces 2012 summer tour
Fiona Apple has a new album coming out – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do on June 26th. She also just announced a summer tour…
Fiona Apple — 2012 Tour Dates
6/19 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre
6/20 – Baltimore, MD – Lyric Opera House
6/22 – Mashantucket, CT – MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods
6/23 – Holyoke, MA – Mountain Park
6/24 – New York, NY – Governors Ball at Randall’s Island
6/26 – Washington DC – Warner Theatre
6/27 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
6/29 – Danbury, CT – Ives Concert Park
6/30 – Boston, MA – Citi Performing Arts Center
7/1 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
7/3 – Montreal, QC – Olympia Theatre
7/4 – Toronto, Ontario – The Sound Academy
7/6 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Cain Park
7/7 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
7/10 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
7/11 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
7/13 – Nashville, TN – The Ryman Auditorium
7/14 – St. Louis, MO – Peabody Opera House
7/16 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
7/17 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland by AMC
7/20 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
7/21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kingsbury Hall at University of Utah
7/24 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum
7/25 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
7/26 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
7/28 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
7/29 – Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium
Finally, I’ll be able to check her off my “to see” list…
~Dan – np: Tyler Fortier – Bang On Time
‘Downtown Express’ (film) with Nellie McKay & Philippe Quint
Downtown Express is a new film by David Grubin. Check out the trailer below:
Set in the world of Russian immigrants living in New York City, Downtown Express uses music to explore the clash of old world values against the lure and excitement of a new country. Under the watch of his loving but overbearing father, virtuoso violinist and Juilliard student Sasha (Grammy nominee Philippe Quint) prepares for a critical recital meant to launch his career.
Yet, he is increasingly drawn to the rhythms of the streets of New York, and when he meets singer-songwriter Ramona (acclaimed recording artist Nellie McKay), he joins her band, falls in love, and begins to lead a double life, careening frantically between two worlds. As his classical debut nears, Sasha must decide whether or not to break with his father, forging his own destiny.
And, per the film’s webpage…
[Nellie McKay’s] fifth album is due this September.
Downtown Express opens April 20th 2012 at the Quad Cinema in New York City.
http://downtownexpressfilm.com/
~Dan – np: Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel… (album art/details)
As previously reported, Fiona Apple’s upcoming album The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do is due out in late June. The official release date is now June 26, 2012. We now have the album art and tracklist…
TRACKLIST:
01″Every Single Night”
02 “Daredevil”
03 “Valentine”
04 “Jonathan”
05 “Left Alone”
06 “Werewolf”
07 “Periphery”
08 “Regret”
09 “Anything We Want”
10 “Hot Knife”
(via Fiona’s FB page)
~Dan – np: Radiohead – OK Computer
Regina Spektor’s new album, video & Tom Petty tour
Piano pop-songstress Regina Spektor has a new album (out May 29, 2012), a new video (“All the Rowboats“), and an opening slot for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers! Everything’s coming up Milhouse!
What We Saw From the Cheap Seats
1. Small Town Moon
2. Oh Marcello
3. Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)
4. Firewood
5. Patron Saint
6. How
7. All The Rowboats
8. Ballad of a Politician
9. Open
10. The Party
11. Jessica
Regina Spektor and Tom Petty Tour Dates
April 2012
18/19 – Broomfield, Colo. @ 1 Bank Center
21 – Little Rock, Ark. @ Verizon Arena
24 – Albuquerque, N.M. @ Tingley Coliseum
26 – Wichita, Kan. @ Intrust Bank Arena
29 – Alpharetta, Ga. @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park
May 2012
1 – Estero, Fla. @ Germain Arena
3 – Orlando, Fla. @ Amway Center
5 – Austin, Texas @ Frank Erwin Center
The Atlanta (Alpharetta) date is convenient for a work trip of mine… yay!
~Dan – np: Ani DiFranco – Which Side Are You On?
Sigur Rós new album ‘Valtari’ (late May 2012)
Updated with official notice, sample tune (Ekki Múkk) that you can buy/download & video trailer from Sigur Rós (below).
Update 4/4/12 with cover art done by Jónsi’s sisters, Lilja and Inga Birgisdóttir (incidentally, Inga was the baby on the band’s first album cover, Von.)
As reported by Q, 24bit and Paste, Sigur Rós’ new album is called Valtari and due out on May 28th (Europe) or May 29th, 2012 (US). At first, this looked like an elaborate pre-April Fool’s Day joke to me, simply based on this call out quote. I bounced an email off of Peter at 24Bit, and he seemed to have vetted it a bit.
Simply based on the fact that I know Sigur Rós was in the studio working on new material, I’ll give my skepticism kudos but I’ll also give this news the benefit of the doubt. Here’s what was reported on 24bit…
Following up a stunning solo LP and film score, Jónsi is back with the great Icelandic quartet Sigur Rós for a full-length successor to 2008′s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Due out on May 28th and titled Valtari, the 7-track effort features “more electronic stuff than before,” bassist Georg Hólm told Q Magazine (via). “But don’t worry,” he added, “we haven’t made a dance record.”
Aside from track titles, the release date, and a few non-specific adjectives (“beautiful,” “dreamy,” “introverted,” etc.), Hólm and Jónsi offered their own differing images of what to expect:
Hólm: “…this I’d compare to looking at an old landscape painting.”
Birgisson: “…like an avalanche in slow motion.”
It sounds like — as with most of the Sigur Rós oeuvre — we’ll have another cinematic set left gloriously open to interpretation. While we wait, the pair shared these track titles for cuts recently mixed with co-producer Alex Somers below:
Valtari Tracklist
- Ég Anda
- Ekki Múkk
- Varúð
- Rembihnútur
- Dauðalogn
- Varðeldur
- Valtari
- Flogur Piaro (?)
No official word on the Sigur Rós news page, but I imagine it’ll be forthcoming soon if true.
Nevermind… it’s legit!
Pre-order featuring exclusive merchandise coming soon!
~Dan – np: Skeleton Key – Gravity is the Enemy
PHOTOS: Skerik’s Bandalabra @ Cozmic (Eugene, OR – 3/20/12)
Seattle-based jazz/groove saxophonist Skerik brought his new band Bandalabra through Eugene’s Cozmic Pizza on their debut tour / West Coast CD release. The quartet made up of Skerik (sax), Dvonne Lewis (drums), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass), and Andy Coe (guitar) played two sets (over two hours) full of loops, noises, experimentation, funk, jazz and groove. Their debut CD, Live at the Royal Room, can be purchased at shows and probably soon via Skerik’s website.
SKERIK’S BANDALABRA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Skerik’s Critter’s Buggin’ Site (no official Bandalabra site yet)
- Skerik’s Bandalabra on Facebook
- Skerik on Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- The Dead Kenny G’s @ Mt Tabor Theatre (Portland – Oct 2010)
- McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – July 2009)
- McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – Oct 2008)
- Maelstrom Trio @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – May 2008)
- Cozmic Pizza’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Ani DiFranco at the Roseland (Portland) on 3/31.
~Dan – np: Silver Mt. Zion – Born Into Trouble As the Sparks Fly Upward
Skerik’s Bandalabra Spring 2012 Tour Dates
- Thursday March 15 – Conway, WA @ Conway Muse
- Friday March 16 – Olympia, WA @ Olympia Ballroom
- Saturday March 17 – Seattle @ Nectar
- Sunday March 18 – Bend @ Players
- Monday March 19 – Welches @ Skyway
- Tuesday March 20 – Eugene, OR @ Cozmic
- Wednesday March 21 – Applegate @ Applegate Lodge
- Thursday March 22 – Arcata @ Jambalaya
- Friday March 23 – Sacramento @ Harlow’s
- Saturday March 24 – San Francisco @ Boom Boom Room
- Sunday March 25 – Los Angeles @ Bacchanal
- Monday March 26 – Los Angeles @ The Mint
- Tuesday March 27 – San Diego @ Winstons
- Thursday March 29 – Portland, OR @ Goodfoot
new music from Nellie McKay & My Brightest Diamond
Jazzy, piano-pop songstress Nellie McKay just got done with a stint of tour dates for her death-row musical review I Want To Live! (double Oregon show review here).
Now she’s off with a new show entitled SILENT SPRING – It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature, a tribute to trailblazing environmentalist, Rachel Carson (Nellie made up as Rachel to the right).
She is currently amidst her Silent Spring residency at Feinstein’s in NYC. The show runs March 20 to 31, 2012. No word on if Silent Spring will make it out of NYC for a tour, but this seems similar to the path that I Want To Live! took… so, who knows, maybe we’ll see Silent Spring out West in late 2012/early 2013?
Listen to Nellie’s version of the song “Rio de Lua (Moon River)” below:
Shara Worden / My Brightest Diamond has recorded a guitar-based version of “I Have Never Loved Someone” for a limited release (1000 hand-numbered copies) as a 7″ through Holland-based Nowhere Fast Records. For the B-side, Shara has sung Leonard Cohen’s “Bird On A Wire” with guitar accompaniment by Marc Ribot. The album is set for release on Record Store Day (21 April 2012), and it will be available in Europe, the UK and the US markets.
~Dan – np: Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children
REVIEW: Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 3/18/12)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I have to be honest, part of me loves afrobeat due to it originating from my country of birth – Fela Kuti brought it to the forefront in Nigeria in the 1970s (I was born in Jos, Nigeria in the mid-70s as well). Another part of me loves afrobeat due to how straight-up awesome that it is… blending and stirring folk, jazz, funk, rock, and world music into a brilliant, bubbling, oozing-through-your-pores musical and political form of expression. It represents the struggle alongside the joy… and it’s got a funky beat I can dance to…
Sadly, I missed Femi Kuti (elder son of Fela) when he came through a few years back. But I love the music, and didn’t want to miss that opportunity again. I got into the style via NYC-based Antibalas. When I saw that Seun Anikulapo Kuti was coming to Eugene, I had to go…
had. to.
The opener was California based instrumental afrobeat band Afromassive. The crowd was sparse at first, but near the middle of the set, the WOW Hall was beginning to fill out…
They played a 45 minute set of instrumental afrobeat songs and a James Brown cover… definitely fun and danceable. They were an 8-piece band on this tour – lighter on the horns than what was to come, but definitely a horn-centered funky vibe.
They were a perfect warm-up for Sean Kuti and the Egypt 80… The Egypt 80 was Fela Kuti’s band that Seun started singing in as a young boy. After his father died in 1997, Seun took over the band when he was only 14! Many of the members in this 15-piece (!) touring band were active in the band when Fela was alive and kicking.
The set kicked off with singer / trumpeter Muyiwa Kunnuji (in purple below) getting things going on vocals for “Giant of Africa.” During this song, each member of the horn section got a chance to come out and show off their chops with a solo…
Sean came out during the 2nd song with backup singers/dancers and his sax in tow. He took over the bulk of the lead vocals duties, but most of the band pitched in for the shouts and choruses…
The band played a spirited set of anthems with large swaths of stunning musicianship. The band, presumably the same from the album’s liner notes (as the album photo appears to be the same people), was made up of the aforementioned Seun on sax & vocals, Muyiwa on vocals and trumpet, Bidemi Adekunle on baritone sax, Gdabe Okunade and Lekan Animashaun on trumpets, Oyinade Adeniran on tenor sax, David Obayendo and Gbenga Alade on guitars, Kunle Justice on bass, Ajayi Raimi on drums, Kola Onasanya on percussion, Okon Iyamba on shekere, Wale Toriola on keyboards, and Iyabo Adeniran and Yetunde Ademiluyi on backing vocals and dancing.
Setlist: 90+ mins
- Giant of Africa
- African Soldier
- Kalakuta Show [Fela Kuti]
- Zombie [Fela Kuti]
- African Problems
- Rise
- Mr. Big Thief
- The Good Leaf
- You Can Run
No Encore (despite “Mosquito Song” listed)
Seun was drinking hot tea during part of the set… which couldn’t have helped with the heat on the packed stage. His voice had been giving him troubles; so they ended their set without the listed “Mosquito” encore, despite the many cheers for an encore from the nearly-danced out crowd. This was only the band’s fourth show on a 2-month long tour (full tour dates at the bottom). I wish Seun rest and many large mugs of tea!
I picked up their most recent record, From Africa With Fury: Rise. I dig it. It’s available in CD or 12″ double-vinyl at the show… or over on the Amazons. And next time a Kuti or other afrobeat band comes to town… get there. You won’t be disappointed.
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Seun Kuti’s Site
- Seun Kuti’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Afromassive’s Site
- Afromassive’s Facebook / MySpace
- My Other Afrobeat Reviews~
- Antibalas @ Berbati’s Pan (Portland – July 2010)
- Antibalas @ Southgate House (mini-review) (Cincinnati – Apr 2007)
- WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… well, as I write this, it’s in a few hours… Skerik’s Bandalabra @ Cozmic Pizza (3/20). After that, it’s Dan Bern @ Cozmic (3/27) and Ani DiFranco @ Roseland (3/31).
~Dan – np: Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 – From Africa With Fury: Rise
SEUN KUTI & THE EGYPT 80 PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 – Spring 2012 U.S. Tour Dates
3/15 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/16 – Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
3/17 – Mt. Tabor Theater – Portland, OR
3/18 – W.O.W. Hall – Eugene, OR
3/21 – Center for the Arts – Grass Valley, CA
3/23 – Moe’s – Santa Cruz, CA
3/24 – Mateel Cultural Center – Redway, CA
3/28 – Belly Up – Aspen, CO
3/29 – Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO
3/30 – Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS
3/31 – Englert Theater – Iowa City, IA
4/1 – House of Blues – Chicago, IL
4/4 – Variety – Atlanta, GA
4/5 – Duke Performances – Durham, NC
4/6- Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
4/7 – Club Helsinki – Hudson, NY
4/8 – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY
4/12 – UW Madison – Madison, WI
4/13 – Rhythm Foundation – Miami, FL
4/14 – The Cedar – Minneapolis, MN
4/15 – Coachella – Indio, CA
4/16 – Campbell Hall – Santa Barbara, CA
4/18 – UC San Diego – San Diego, CA
4/19 – Zellerbach Hall – Berkeley, CA
4/20 – UCLA Royce Hall – Los Angeles, CA
4/22 – Coachella – Indio, CA
4/24 – KTAOS Solar Center – Taos, NM
4/25 – Albuquerque Museum Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
4/27 – New Orleans Jazz Festival – New Orleans, LA
4/29 – Houston International Festival – Houston, TX
5/2 – House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
5/13 – Lake Eden Arts Festival – Black Mountain, NC
Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 in Eugene [photos soon]
Youngest son of afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, Seun Anikulapo Kuti & the Egypt 80 hit Eugene’s WOW Hall on Sunday night… it was an amazing show!
More photos, setlist and review of the show to be posted by Wednesday morning are posted here.
~Dan
PHOTOS: Drive-By Truckers @ Skip’s CD World (Eugene, OR – 3/18/12)
“One third” of the alt-country indie rock group Drive-By Truckers (Patterson Hood & Jay Gonzalez) stopped Skip’s CD World in Eugene, Oregon, for a 30 minute in-store session ahead of their show tonight at McDonald Theatre…
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Of the songs I could identify… “Betty Ford,” “Polly Anna,” “Old Timer’s Disease,” “Margo and Harold,” and “Mercy Buckets.”
Drive By Truckers: SITE / Facebook / Twitter
Skip’s CD World: SITE / Facebook / Twitter
~Dan – np: The Blood Brothers – Crimes
REVIEW: Puscifer @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 3/14/12)
Fourth time seeing Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer. Always a treat! I opted out of the hassle of doing the photo pass on this 2nd leg, as I wanted to catch Carina Round’s set and not miss the intro video or any of the Puscifer set like I had to back at the 1st leg kick-off in Seattle in Nov 2011. Thus… ALL PHOTOS posted on this review are from the official Puscifer photographer and/or Meats Meier (see FB photo album).
I did the VIP soundcheck & wine tasting again (I’m a sucker for that)… Soundcheck performance was again stripped down acoustic on both songs – “The Chain” [Fleetwood Mac] and the personal favorite “The Humbling River” (with Carina Round on banjo).
For the wine, this time we tried the Arizona Stronghold’s Mandala (2010) & Mangus (2010) and the Caduceus Cellars’ Nagual de la Naga (2010). The Mandala was nice, had a very sweet and somewhat tart nose, but definitely a dry/balanced finish. It’s still young, but was an interesting viognier white wine blend. The next two were reds, and I liked them more. The Mangus was very drinkable. It was a “super Tuscan” primarily sangiovese blend – sweet, fruity, a little buttery in the mouth-feel. My favorite of the night was the Nagual de la Naga. It would have been perfect with a rich meal… this cabernet savignon, merlot, and sangiovese blend was only bottled a week before the tour started; so it was definitely a young wine. Despite its age, it was full bodied and beautiful to drink now.
Carina Round opened the show. She’s a great rocker singer-songwriter who also backs Maynard on vocals during the Puscifer set… she seemed more comfortable than the last tour go around. Her band was made up of a majority of the Puscifer live band. She had a lot of energy, and a high kick near the end of the set gave those of us in the front rows a special treat. She left the stage, and shortly thereafter the video intro started with Billy D (played by Maynard), Hildy, Cherry Piles, Peter Merkin, and other odd characters.
The show started out the same as Seattle… with Maynard wheeling out a small airstream camper. He set up some tables and chairs and talked about sustainability and what they’re trying to do with Puscifer (listen to the Fall 2011 monologue from NC).
The show overall was very similar to last year’s leg, which is fine with me… it’s a great set of songs, a fantastic light show, and a paradox of high technology with a stripped down feel. The song selection was also quite similar, except for the middle of the set we got “Potions” and “Mama Sed” instead of “Polar Bear” and “Indigo Children”…
Setlist: about 90 minutes
- Maynard Monologue while setting up camper/stage
- The Green Valley
- Tiny Monsters
- Vagina Mine
- Dozo
- Toma
- The Rapture (Fear is a Mind Killa Mix)
- The Weaver
- Rev 22:20 [Carina Round on lead vocals]
- Potions
- Momma Sed
- Oceans
- Monsoons
- Horizons
- Conditions of My Parole
- Man Overboard
- Telling Ghosts
- The Undertaker
- Tumbleweed
No Encore
This is a brilliant tour for a brilliant album. The western feel also fits extremely well with the newer mellower songs… tumbleweeds blowing by, fake campfire, and a dazzling electrical storm…
Don’t have Conditions of My Parole yet? I think you should go buy it if you haven’t yet. It’s at the top of my pile for 2011 releases (by far).
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Puscifer’s Site
- Caduceus Cellars (Maynard’s wines)
- Puscifer’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Carina Round’s Site
- Carina Round’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Puscifer @ Roseland #1 w/ wine tasting (Portland – Nov 2009)
- Puscifer @ Roseland #2 (Portland – Nov 2009)
- A Perfect Circle (Portland – June 2011)
- Puscifer @ Paramount w/ wine tasting (Seattle – Nov 2011)
- PCPA/Arlene Schnitzer’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below… the dates are winding down; so if you missed it, you’ll have to try next time!
Next shows for me… Seun Kuti @ WOW Hall (3/18) and Skerik’s Bandalabra @ Cozmic (3/20).
~Dan – np: John Zorn – IAO: Music in Sacred Light
Puscifer Winter Tour 2012
February
23 Austin, TX – Long Center for the Performing Arts
25 Baton Rouge, LA – River Center Theatre
26 Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre
28 Nashville, TN – Andrew Jackson Hall
29 Louisville, KY – Brown Theatre
March
1 Pittsburgh, PA – Byham Theatre
3 Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
4 Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
6 Kansas City, KS – Kansas City Music Hall
7 Omaha, NE – Omaha Civic Auditorium
10 Edmonton, AB – North Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
11 Calgary, AB – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
13 Vancouver, BC – The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
14 Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
16 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts
17 Riverside, CA Fox Performing Arts Center
18 Escondido, CA – California Center for the Arts
Guano Padano’s 2 featuring Mike Patton
No word on when this will hit the US market, but Italian band Guano Padano is releasing their 2nd album, 2, on March 13, 2012 (today!). It doesn’t show up in the US Amazon store (yet), but the whole album is streaming on Rolling Stone Italy. The track “Prairie Fire” features Mike Patton on vocals…
~Dan – np: John Zorn & Bobby Previte – Euclid’s Nightmare
REVIEW: Adam Carolla @ Newmark Theatre (Portland, OR – 3/11/12)
Adam Carolla had a busy weekend. The most recently fired celebrity on Donald Trump’s NBC Celebrity Apprentice, the former co-host of Loveline with Dr. Drew, the former co-host of The Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel, and the #1 podcaster in the world (with the Guinness World Record to show for it) played Seattle on Friday night, Spokane on Saturday night, and Portland’s Newmark Theatre last night.
I don’t always agree with what he says. He’s middle-of-the-road politically – not claiming alignment with any party. He’s quite in favor of many good social issues (gay rights, sex education, women’s reproductive issues, etc), but he’s staunchly conservative on fiscal and immigration concerns. But in all honesty, how many times do you agree with everything even your loved ones say? While some people may have “something for everyone to like,” Adam may very well fit into having “something for everyone to hate” or at least “have issue with.” Eh, I still fall into the “love camp”…
His sharp wit, funny stories and quirky-yet-still-grounded sense of humor make coming back to listen daily a treat. His Monday to Friday daily podcast is one of my favorites and it quickly goes to the top of my queue (subscribe iTunes). His ACE podcasting network is also growing and excellent things abound: Penn Jillette’s PennSundaySchool, Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend (the funny & charming news gal), Ace on the House (home improvement), CarCast (I’m not even a gear junkie, but this is a fascinating show), et cetera… all great!
I thought comedian/songwriter Josh Gardner was to open the show. However, they played the title track to Mr. Stinkfinger via laptop and then Adam came out. Josh’s comedy albums are available now… Mr Stinkfinger EP and Winter Bush:
Adam’s stand-up shows are basically 90-minutes. They are sometimes free form, but this one seemed a little more planned, with a little thrown in as far as what happened to him this past weekend.
He walked out with an oatmeal cookie… with dried cranberries in it. This opened up into a rant about the adding shit to shit and why we keep fucking good things up. Next on his complain list was “Spring Forward,” and he went through a funny USA Today bit about what people would do with their extra hour (back in the fall).
He got off complaining for a bit to talk about a Leno show appearance with Queen Latifah. She had been going on about “limin’,” which apparently is what they call “chillin'” in the Caribbean. Adam’s bit after her was about children’s toys at Christmas, and how you need lineman dykes to cut the toys out of their boxes. Apparently people got in a huff because they thought he was calling “Queen” a “limin’ dyke.” Ah, good times.
Up next, a little bit about his NBC Celebrity Apprentice experience with a few clips from last night’s show (where he got fired). Apparently Buick didn’t like his jokes. Oh well… now once Penn Jillette gets fired, I can quit watching that rubbish.
Next he played a cartoon rendition of “Gay Eyes,” a made up movie that Adam worked up during a 2009 podcast with Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston. I can’t find the cartoon-version on line anywhere, but I remember hearing it when it went down. Here is the audio.
The next 45 minutes… what Adam is known for… more complaining. No “what can’t Adam complain about” requests from the audience, but some pre-loaded hyper vigilance rants that hit on many topics: tagging the landscape in Los Angeles, buttons on car keys, shower handles in hotels, key cards in hotels, toys under sofas, custom shoes, WC Field’s smoking & drinking poster in the doctor’s office, L.A. ice cream truck, recumbent cyclists, Click-It or Ticket, auto flush toilets, the L.A. “river,” rescue dogs, and how Mexicans grieve.
He ended the show with a stroll through memory lane via his Social Security Statement. From an astonishing $1k to $9k/year of earnings for most of the 80s to stardom in the mid 90s. His “money can’t buy you happiness” was a nice, uplifting non-rant about applying yourself to work towards doing what you want to do.
Some of his stories were ones we’d heard before via the podcast or radio show… he was playing to his audience; so it was all good. Adam is a busy guy… ever turning logs in the fire. Keep up to date with him via the links below… and by all means, if you like to listen to podcasts, make room in your queue for what I consider to be one of the best / funniest ones out there.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Adam Carolla’s Site / the Podcast (iTunes)
- Adam Carolla’s Tour Dates
- Adam Carolla’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Newmark Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Maynard James Keenan’s PUSCIFER on 3/14 in Portland.
~Dan – np: John Zorn – IAO: Music in Sacred Light
Molken’s retro-live King’s X album benefit for Jerry Gaskill
As reported and updated HERE as news comes in (updated as of 3/21/12), King’s X drummer Jerry Gaskill suffered a heart attack on February 26th. This forced King’s X to cancel the planned tour that was to kick off at the end of March. Jerry has been getting better and better every day, but as you can imagine, his medical bills are starting to pile up. Here’s where you can help out… the album is $20, and there’s also info where you can send a check directly for Jerry’s medical bills as well.
See the press release below from Molken Music.
4/4/12 update video from Jerry…
~Dan – np: King’s X – Burning Down Boston: Live at The Channel 6.12.91
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Burning Down Boston: Live at The Channel 6.12.91 is a special MP3 download-only title out on Molken Music. 100% of the proceeds from this release will go directly to Jerry to help offset mounting medical expenses. A big THANK YOU goes out to everyone for the outpouring of concern and love.
This release was edited and mastered from a stereo front of house (FOH) recording. While the audio is far from perfect sonically, the performance documents yet another magical night on tour while supporting the Faith Hope Love album. While many of the song titles are familiar, the band expands many of the cuts featured here, including performances that are blistering (“Moanjam”), heavy and funk-laden (“We Are Finding Who We Are”), beautiful (“The Burning Down”), and truly transcendental (“Over My Head”).
A few songs from the show were omitted due to tape damage. However, we have included three bonus tracks (an additional 15 minutes) from the same show that were not presented in the main track listing.
All recordings previously unreleased.
14 songs. 89 minutes.
http://molkenmusic.com/store/shop/details.php?id=50
Dear Friends, in addition to the gift with this download, please let anyone who wants to further make a personal gift to Jerry to help him with his medical bills know that they can send a check made out to Jerry Gaskill. Mail it to: Jerry Gaskill, c/o World Entertainment Inc., P.O. Box 3095, Sea Bright, NJ 07760. 100% of your gift goes to Jerry Gaskill to help him defray his medical bills. Jerry Gaskill is an individual and not a charity. Any funds given to him would be a gift and no further tax deduction for charitable contributions would be coming from him. We appreciate your help.
Details:
Track Listing:
We Are Finding Who We Are (6:33)
Mission (4:17)
Far Far Away (4:44)
We Were Born to Be Loved (4:57)
It’s Love Intro (3:36)
It’s Love (5:28)
I’ll Never Get Tired of You (3:51)
Visions (7:27)
Over My Head (12:47)
Moanjam (10:19)
The Burning Down (9:53)
Talk to You (Bonus Track) (4:44)
Fall on Me (Bonus Track) (4:13)
Power of Love (Bonus Track) (6:02)
DOWNLOAD CONTENTS
MP3 – 320kbps – 219MB* (Very large file – please be patient)
Artwork (jpg): Cover art, credits
Promotional video commercial (MPG4)
Total Audio Playing time: 88:42
Peter Mulvey – new streams from ‘The Good Stuff’
Each day or so, until presumably they’ve all been streamed, Midwest singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey is releasing tracks from his upcoming album, The Good Stuff.
Here’s the first one – “But I Do” a standard written by Bobby Charles & Clarence Henry:
(notice: this is linked from PM’s site & may only be available for a short time)
For further streams, visit: http://www.petermulvey.com/
Pre-ordering of the album will be live the week of March 20th (and it comes out March 27th). He’s in my “buy every time without question” club… a perpetual favorite. Do yourself a solid and add him to your collection!
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Ipsissimus
STORM CORROSION from Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) & Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)
STORM CORROSION, the hugely-anticipated new project from Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt and Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson, is releasing their debut album on May 7th. The self-titled album, which comprises six compositions, is available now for pre-order…
The first option includes a double LP set of the self-titled album with exclusive artwork, etched into 180g black virgin vinyl in gatefold jacket. You’ll also get a digital download of high quality FLAC files of the album and a tasty 24″ x 36″ fold-out poster of exclusive artwork.
They also have a DVD/Blu-ray version… things take a step up with this package. You get all the contents of the Collector’s Edition Double-LP Set (above), plus a digital download of the album the day BEFORE release, 5.1 audio mix of the album, two exclusive demo tracks and five instrumentals, and the full album on CD – all in a package containing over 2.5 hours of music!
The artwork…
You can click here to pre-order these packages now.
Click here to find Storm Corrosion on Facebook.
~Dan – np: John Zorn’s Moonchild trio + Marc Ribot – The Crucible
Fiona’s new album & Sufjan’s RSD 7″ with Rosie Thomas
Fiona Apple has a new album that’s about to pop (late June 2012 on Epic) – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do. Here it is written out, presumably in her own pen, from her FB page…
So, hunch… we’ll just call it The Idler Wheel…
or… The Screw And Whipping…? ;)
Much like When the Pawn being adopted for the much longer named 2nd album – When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king what he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight and he’ll win the whole thing ‘fore he enters the ring there’s no body to batter when your mind is your might so when you go solo, you hold your own hand and remember that depth is the greatest of heights and if you know where you stand, then you know where to land and if you fall it won’t matter, cause you’ll know that you’re right.
Some more new music news… Sufjan Stevens and Rosie Thomas are putting out a collaborative 7″ vinyl single for Record Store Day 2012 (4/21/12). The A-side of the single is a re-imagined version of “Where Were You?,” a song from Thomas’s album With Love. On the B-side, Sufjan offers up an answer song called “Here I Am!” Sufjan recorded and mixed both tracks, and both artists show up on both songs.
The new version of “Where Were You?” is streaming below:
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Moonchild: Songs Without Words
Sufjan/Son Lux/Serengeti “Museum Day” & Björk “Hollow (video)
As previously announced, Sufjan Stevens will team up with Anticon artists Son Lux and Serengeti under the name s / s / s for an EP, Beak & Claw, that will drop on March 20th (the vinyl is available for pre-order now).
Yesterday, they posted a song from the release called “Museum Day,” a slow-building jam with some big, auto-tuned hooks from Sufjan.
Hear it below:
Yesterday also saw the release of the official music video for Björk’s “Hollow” (from Biophilia)…quite colorful and science-y… HD video below:
Talking about the video, Björk says:
It’s just the feeling when you start thinking about your ancestors and DNA that the grounds open below you and you can feel your mother and her mother, and her mother, and her mother, and her mother 30,000 years back. So suddenly you’re this kinda tunnel, or trunk of DNA… All these ghosts come up so it ended up begin a Halloween song and quite gothic in a way… It’s like being part of this everlasting necklace when you’re just a bead on a chain and you sort of want to belong and be a part of it and it’s just like a miracle.
Which is what we were all thinking, of course.
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Moonchild: Songs Without Words
REVIEW: Nellie McKay’s ‘I Want To Live!’ in Oregon @ the Shedd & Alberta Rose Theatre (Eugene 3/2/12 & Portland 3/4/12)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOWs at the BOTTOM
I’ve seen Nellie McKay quite a bit since moving to Oregon. She plays two-week residencies in New York on occasion (lucky!!), but she rarely hit the Midwest when I lived there. Now that I’m here in the Northwest, I’m glad that she tried to swing by at least annually. This time was for her new project, yet to be released officially in any form… I Want To Live! – a story of Barbara Graham, the third woman to be executed in the State of California (via the gas chamber at San Quentin). It’s loosely based on the 1958 film of the same name.
This death row theme shouldn’t be a shock for fans of McKay. She’s never been afraid to push boundaries – hitting political hot-button issues right out of the gate with her debut album, Get Away From Me (“Sari,” “It’s a Pose,” “Won’t U Please B Nice,” et cetera), and some of her non-jazz-standard followups Pretty Little Head (“Cupcake” and “The Big One”) and Obligatory Villagers (“Mother of Pearl”).
In person, though, she’s as lovable and jovial as some of her adorable, campy press photos suggest. She’s also a great thinker, great interpreter of classics & standards, and a great artist in her own right. She may have been “born in the wrong era” (her words), but she’s doing the best with her love of the classics by making a great mark and not giving in to the current trends in what a jazz/pop “woman and a piano” should sound or act.
The first hour of the I Want To Live! tour makes up the story of a woman who falls in with the wrong people, gets caught up in a crime, and – whether innocent or not – is found guilty of murder. Nellie plays all of the emotions perfectly. Love, mystery, joy, pain, frustration – all while weaving in standards and her own tunes to tell Barbara Graham’s story. While she hints at Graham’s fervor for being innocent, Nellie leaves her opinion about guilt or innocence out of the musical. She also leaves her opinion of the death penalty out of it, which – quite honestly – was shocking that she didn’t add some of her thoughts on it, specifically due to her past as being very politically opinionated. Perhaps that will show up in the liner notes if this gets released as an CD or DVD some day…
I Want To Live! setlist: about an hour (both nights)
- Billie’s Bounce [Charlie Parker]
- Purple Haze [Jimi Hendrix]
- Swingin’ On The Reservation [Ella Fitzgerald]
- Please
- Pity The Downtrodden Landlord [Woolf/Clayton]
- April Showers [DeSylva/Silvers]
- Isn’t It A Lovely Day [Irving Berlin]
- They Say It’s Spring [Blossom Dearie]
- Some Other Spring [Billie Holiday]
- I Only Have Eyes For You [Warren/Dubin]
- Don’t Worry Be Happy [Bobby McFerrin]
- The Down Low
- Call The Police [Nat King Cole]
- Twinkle In Your Eye [Burl Ives]
- Song For Troy Davis
- I’m So Tired [The Beatles]
- There You Are In Me
- Small Day Tomorrow [Landesman/Dorough]
- Chelsea Bridge [Billy Strayhorn]
- Genius Of Love [Tom Tom Club]
- Ah! The Sweet Mystery Of Life [from Naughty Marietta operetta by Young/Herbert] (gorgeous operatic chops on Nellie for this one)
- Straight To The Top [Tom Waits]
I think I got all of the cover tunes identified, if not, please comment& I’ll correct.
Eugene setlist, post-IWTL! (3/2): about 30 mins
- One’s On the Way [Shel Silverstein]
- Midnight Sun [Ella Fitzgerald]
- ¡Bodega!
- Clonie (audience request)
- Sari (audience request)
- Encore: A Wonderful Guy [Doris Day]
- The Dog Song
Portland setlist, post-IWTL! (3/4): about 30 mins
- The Dog Song
- In a Sentimental Mood [Duke Ellington] (with false start)
- Caribbean Time
- I Will Always Love You [Whitney Houston] (snippet)
- Encore: One’s On the Way [Shel Silverstein] (dedicated to Rick Santorum)
- Mother of Pearl (with Michele Bachmann tagline at end)
- I Wanna Get Married
Two wonderfully entertaining nights in Oregon. Nellie and her band are excellent performers and entertainers. Through wardrobe changes, police chases, drug addiction, and working in different musical genres – the band was on point. At one point, the saxophonist mimics a crying baby simply with his mouth as the instrument, and it drives you mad how amazing he pulls it off without a talkbox or effects.
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Nellie McKay’s Site
- Nellie McKay’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- The Shedd full band (Eugene – Oct 2010)
- Berbati’s Pan (Portland – Mar 2010)
- Jazz Alley full band (Seattle – Sept 2009)
- Doug Fir (Portland – Aug 2008)
- The Shedd (Eugene – Oct 2007)
- The Shedd’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
- Alberta Rose Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Adam Carolla @ the Newmark (3/11) and Puscifer @ the Schnitzer (3/14).
~Dan – np: Steven Wilson – Catalogue / Preserve / Amass (live in Europe)
NELLIE McKAY PHOTOS
Eugene (53 pics) then Portland (32 pics)
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Nellie’s 2012 Winter/Spring Tour Dates (so far)
- 1/25 & 1/26 – Minneapolis, MN Dakota
- 2/9 – Lafayette, IN Duncan Hall
- 2/10 & 2/11 – Elgin, IL Elgin Community College Arts Center
- 2/12 – Louisville, KY Bomhard Theater
- 2/25 – Park City, UT Eccles Center
- 2/28 & 2/29 – San Francisco, CA Rrazz Room
- 3/2 – Eugene, OR Shedd Institute
- 3/3 – Kirkland, WA Kirkland Performing Arts Center
- 3/4 – Portland, OR Alberta Rose Theatre
- 3/7 – Chico, CA Laxson Auditorium
- 3/8 – Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- 3/9 – Hollywood, CA Catalina Jazz Club
- 3/20 to 3/31 – New York, NY Feinstein’s at Loews Regency
^^^^ “SILENT SPRING – It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature”
- 4/26 – Alexandria, VA The Birchmere Music Hall
- 5/19 – Denver, CO Swallow Hill
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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Creative Commons
This blog and concert photos therein are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Available with Attribution for Non-Commercial, Non-Derivative Use.
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