Archive
recent spins
9 recent releases in random order…
Medeski Martin & Wood – Zaebos :: MMW had a song on 2003’s Unknown Masada compilation. That compilation is what I see to be the basis for the whole Masada Book Two set-up (other bands playing Zorn’s new Masada tunes). MMW don’t disappoint on the full-album workings of Masada tunes. While I think I like Secret Chiefs 3’s Xaphan and the Bar Kokhba Sextet’s Lucifer better from this year’s Masada Book Two crop, Zaebos does rocketh much. MMW also has something like 3 more CDs coming out this year… the 1st one due out today (Radiolarians 1) – – and I hope to pick it up at their Eugene gig in mid-November. I am curious about the sales numbers for Zaebos, as I think this is one of Tzadik’s more “mainstream artist” releases (very relatively speaking).
Ani DiFranco – Red Letter Year :: Glow in the dark moon on the front… nice. I also dig the chunky guitars in “Alla This,” a fav of mine from her concerts the past two years or so (recent review HERE). More band oriented, as well as a return to some horns on a few songs… a good move for Ani, IMO. I’ve only made it through the CD twice so far, but it doesn’t seem to have any filler. It’s good to hear the formerly only live tunes done up right in the studio. For a more in-depth review, check out my friend ZSS’s 8th Notes blog HERE.
SF Jazz Collective – Live 2008 :: SF Jazz Collective 2008 features Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, new MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón, and many other great modern jazz talents. The 2008 SF Jazz Collective features original compositions and compositions by Wayne Shorter. Originally planned as a 2-CD set to come out in July, it ended up being a 3-CD set getting bumped back to late Sept/early Oct. It was worth the wait… this is 3 hours of solid new jazz music and solid arrangements of Wayne Shorter’s classics. Favorites from each CD: “Aurora Borealis,” “Secrets of the Code,” and “Aung San Suu Kyi.”
Mitch Hedberg – Do You Believe in Gosh? :: A good remembrance of one of the funniest guys who used to like to stay at the hotel with the two trees. It’s only around 40 minutes, but it doesn’t contain many misses or duplicates from his prior offerings. Short, but sweet.
Hotel Lights – Firecracker People :: Darren Jesse (former drummer of Ben Folds Five) wrote one of the best songs on BFF’s final record (“Magic” from The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner). In Hotel Lights, he takes up the guitar, piano, and songwriting torch and delivers from indie pop brilliance. Much mellower than BFF material, but in line with the aforementioned “Magic.” This is the Hotel Lights 3rd release… they’re on the indie Bar-None Records. Support indie music.
George Carlin – It’s Bad For Ya :: While he is missed, his legacy lives on. Brutally honest, or funny, or both. He pulls no punches, even at 70 years young.
The Tiptons Sax Quartet – Laws of Motion :: Yay, the Tiptons are coming back to Eugene in December. I got into them late last year, right after they played here. Four sax players, drums, and some great jazz meets world songs. They are based in Seattle… and I think Amy Denio has ties to the Monktail Creative Music Concern and/or Eyvind Kang. Anyway, the Tiptons are in good company. Their Tsunami CD from 2007 made a late entry into my instrumental favs of the year. Laws of Motion has a great shot for this year as well. Indie music alert… support indie music. Check ’em out on CD Baby.
Ben Folds – Way To Normal :: While I wish I could have made it to the Ben Folds Five “Reinhold Messner” reunion show (sponsored by MySpace), I wish Ben Folds Five would just reunite for good. Alas, I suppose two albums by BFF alums in a span on one month isn’t so bad either (see Hotel Lights above). :) While this album is slightly not as solid as recent Ben Folds solo outings (or perhaps he’s just predictable for me nowadays), it’s still a good album. Maybe the super special edition b-sides from the overpriced special boxset fill the album in better. I wasn’t up for paying that kind of coin, though… I’m sure they’ll surface somewhere.
Yoshie Fruchter – Pitom :: One of the more “rock band” efforts in Tzadik’s “Radical Jewish Culture” series. Along with Zakarya & Jon Madof’s Rashanim, this is a welcome addition to the fold. Great guitars and great violin & viola as well. Grounded in Jewish music, yet soaring riffs. I’m looking forward to hearing more and more from this great band.
~Dan – np: Ani Difranco – Red Letter Year
new post-rock gems
AristeiA – How to Kill a King -EP- :: This band from Portland caught me by storm like the warrior’s prowess that their Iliadic name suggests*. This debut CD is truly great post-rock for fans of Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and others in that vein. My favorite track is “Feedback King,” and it’s all-in-all a solid outing. Their packaging of the CD is also quite unique… it’s a hand sewn golden pouch** with oversized liner cards and a paper sleeved CD. It doesn’t fit nicely in my standard rack (between Argyle Park & Arrested Development); but it definitely stands out and shows that they put effort into their record as a whole, not just the music. I’m excited about seeing them live in October when I’m up in Portland for work. Check them out at:
….http://www.myspace.com/aristeiaband
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Talkdemonic – Eyes at Half Mast :: Yet another band from Portland, but I got into them back when I lived in SW Ohio. I finally got a chance to see them live (review link) in February. They are a great two piece that is more on the subtler, gentler side of post-rock. Perhaps “electro-acoustic chamber rock” is their subgenre. :) Anyway, Eyes at Half Mast picks up where their past two records left off… nary a disappointment. I’ve been waiting for this record since they mentioned it as “upcoming” at their show in Feb…
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Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling :: Much more enjoyable to me than their recent tour (review link). I can control the volume… yay! I dig this record A LOT. This Scottish band, or band from Scotland (so all three bands are from places that end in “land”), has put out some consistently great records. This one bounces back from their mellower Zidane with more gusto, more power, yet still retaining the melody. You know… the melody that gets drowned out in their live show (::rolleyes::). Anyway, I think this record will stand up as one of the better releases in 2008.
2008 is a banner year for great instrumental music. Every year I get more and more instrumental music, but this year is shaping up to be the first year ever where instrumental music beats out vocal music on CDs making their way on my shelves (and it’s by a landslide at this point). These three records above are a good indication why I’m leaning towards the vocal-less preference lately.
~Dan – np: Ani Difranco – Red Letter Year
*– gotta love Wikipedia
**– though it is fraying a bit, they could have used some pinking shears***
***– gotta love Wikipedia
Photos Attack!
My favorite* Japanese-themed rock/metal band, God of Shamisen, has some rad new professional photos taken…
More pics from this photo shoot are HERE
http://www.godofshamisen.com/
http://www.myspace.com/gos
See my recent review (with pics) of their West Coast tour stop through Eugene on 9/11/08 is HERE…
~Dan – np: David Gilmour – Live from Gdańsk
*– Daikaiju is also a great Japanese-themed rock/metal band (from Alabama); so it’s not like GOS was running unopposed. :)
Daniel Johns + Luke Steele = Hathaway / Palmer?
Hey, Silverchair fans… check out this update (6/1/2009 news)… (click for update blog)
Silverchair & the Dissociatives frontman Daniel Johns has a new collaboration with Luke
Steele… now called Hathaway/Palmer. Yeah, I don’t understand the name either… As of now, there are no concrete plans to release the “acoustic pop” record, but Chairpage will post any news once they get it.
For people uninitiated with Daniel Johns… he and two school mates, Ben Gillies & Chris Joannou, started the band Silverchair at age 15. What were you doing at age 15?
(no, they’re not Hanson)
Silverchair grew out of their grunge & teen angst and by their third album (Neon Ballroom) started making more diverse music. Their last two albums (Diorama and Young Modern) are two of my favorite albums as of late. Daniel was also in a side project, The Dissociatives, with DJ/keyboardist Paul Mac.
Some choice Daniel Johns’ albums:
For those uninitiated with Luke Steele (like myself), apparently he’s the singer from the Australian band The Sleepy Jackson. His music seems like a good mix with Daniel’s… I’m excited for what’s to come…
From Luke Steele…
“Dan is William Hathaway and I’m Walter Palmer so it’s going to be Hathaway and Palmer,” Steele said. “It kind of started out a White Album thing because we don’t have a band, it was acoustics. And from there it kind of went a bit haywire. It’s pretty pop. I guess it’s quite low down, there’s country songs…”
~Dan – np: Mitch Hedberg – Do You Believe in Gosh? 
From the Top of the World
A Reminder
My Brightest Diamond‘s From the Top of the World -EP- is out today on iTunes. It’s the single for the title track plus 3 French songs. Here’s my original post about this release with all of the INFO…
$2.97 if you only want the new songs. But if you don’t have A Thousand Shark’s Teeth, you might as well get that one, too. You know you want to…
~Dan – np: My Brightest Diamond – From the Top of the World
Ani DiFranco on Daytrotter
Ani DiFranco‘s got song songs up on the good ol’ Daytrotter Sessions… Four songs, live in-studio… FOR FREE. Her new album comes out in about a week (Red Letter Year due out 9/30).
Go here for the free music:
http://daytrotter.com/article/1432/ani-difranco
1) Present/Infant 2) Coming Up 3) Subdivision 4) The Atom
http://www.rightesousbaberecords.com/
http://myspace.com/anidifranco
Past Daytrotter Sessions I’ve blogged about (and dug):
~Dan – np: George Carlin – It’s Bad For Ya
Anakronic Electro Orkestra
OK, I love Jewish music. I didn’t know I loved it until early 2006, when I got into John Zorn’s Masada, a great mixture of composed, yet improvisationally free jazz, grounded in Jewish melodies.
(Dave Douglas & John Zorn of Masada, photo courtesy of volume12)
Masada led to discovering many more great Jewish, Klezmer, and Slavic/Balkan music artists on John Zorn’s Tzadik label (and other labels):
……Electric Masada / Masada String Trio / Bar Kokhba Sextet (splinter bands from the Masada Book), Steven Bernstein (of Sex Mob), Jon Madof’s Rashanim & CircuitBreaker, Bester Quartet (formerly the Cracow Klezmer Band), Daniel Zamir & Satlah, David Buchbinder’s Jewban (or Cubish) cultural mash-up Odessa/Havana (and the similar mashups from Irving Fields and Roberto Rodriguez), David Krakauer’s Klezmer Madness, Jamie Saft, So Called, Balkan Beat Box, Slavic Soul Party!, Davka, Eyol Moaz, Jennifer Charles & Oren Bloedow’s La Mar Enfortuna (both from Elysian Fields), Koby Israelite, Marc Ribot’s Jewish music, Paul Brody’s Sadawi, Talat, Yoshie Fruchter, Z’ev, Zakarya, Klez-Factor, the Tiptons Saxophone Quartet, the Lithuanian Empire, the Alexandria Kleztet, Alex Kontorovich, et cetera…
Anyway, after I got into more John Zorn, I also got into more jazz and more Jewish music. There are many cross-overs between the two worlds (jazz and klezmer). Around that time, I was also getting into podcasts… and the only podcast that focused on klezmer music (that wasn’t always heavy on the vocals) was/is Keith Wolzinger’s Klezmer Podcast.
Recently, Klezmer Podcast #38 (from 9/3/08) focused on French record label, Jumu Music… and then had some clips from the Anakronic Electro Orkestra.
Wow… Anakronic Electro Orkestra is really fresh Jewish music, with a fun rock-meets-klezmer feel – – complete with accordion & clarinet. They don’t have an album out yet, but they’re hoping to have an EP out later in 2008 and a full-length in 2009. Check out some of their music on the MySpaces (“Why Is It Funny” is my favorite):
- http://www.myspace.com/anakronicelectroorkestra
- http://www.myspace.com/jumumusic
- http://www.myspace.com/anakronic
- http://www.anakronic.com/
~Dan – np: George Carlin – It’s Bad For Ya
Glen Phillips updates
Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips has new projects (now with names) with albums on the horizon:
The Plover record (project with Neilson Hubbard and Garrison Star) is done, and will be available in the next few months.
Also – The other band, the one without a name, now has a name. We are the Works Progress Administration. Go to WPAmusic.com for a taste.
He’s going on tour with Jonatha Brooke in late Oct / early Nov. Sean and Sara Watkins from Nickel Creek in late Nov. And Jonatha Brooke again in early December. I’ll be seeing him in early Nov in Portland (Aladdin Theater, 11/6), as I’ll be up there for work. His tour dates are not in an easily copy-n-pasteable format; so GO HERE for any of his tourdates.
~Dan – np: Piano Magic – Part Monster
free 6pntr
I heard about this through a Waterdeep mailing, but stumbled on a free (or as cheap as free) Sixpence None the Richer -EP- as well on noisetrade.com…
Good choices (that cost me a total of $3… for all of them): Waterdeep‘s Heart Attack Time Machine, The Khrusty Brothers‘ self-titled debut, and Sixpence‘s My Dear Machine -EP-. Another good choice (that I had via other methods, like derekwebb.com): Derek Webb‘s The Ringing Bell.
Ah, a philosophical agnostic / practical atheist, listening to Jewish music, blogging about Christian rock… WTF!?
~Dan – np: Oren Ambarchi & Z’ev – Spirit Transform Me*
*– Well, I guess it’s barely what’s normally considered “Jewish” music (i.e.- look Oren & Z’ev up on iTunes)
2/3 King’s X + 1/2 Galactic Cowboys = The Jibbs
Two-thirds of KING’S X and one half of GALACTIC COWBOYS have united as the new supergroup THE JIBBS. Influenced by flamboyantly shiny clothing and the most traditional of country music, THE JIBBS bring a new slant to non-popular music. After taking a hit from Houston’s Hurricane Ike, these four men banded together over a candle and car battery to produce their debut single, “Burns in the Rain”, from the possibly forthcoming album, “What Would Jibb Do?”
THE JIBBS are:
Wally Jibb (Wally Farkas) – Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals
Alan Jibb (Alan Doss) – Drums, Pedal Steel, Bass, Vocals
Ty Jibb (Ty Tabor) – Electric Guitar, Vocals
dUg Jibb (Doug Pinnick) – Vocals
Available for only $1.49, “Burns in the Rain” is a limited-edition MP3 download that will directly aid THE JIBBS. In addition to the high-quality MP3, the zip file includes cover art, credits and lyrics sheet.
For more information, go to www.myspace.com/kingsx.
I’m listening to it now… it’s not like either King’s X or Galactic Cowboys. It’s country themed with Wally on vocals & acoustic guitar, and backing vocals by the other three… different, but GREAT STUFF! I dig Wally’s solo stuff, and while he’s usually more in the Beatles and 60s/70s rock realm, this one seems to fit in his repertoire as well. I’m curious what a full The JIBBS album would be like. I hope it’s more than possibly forthcoming…
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/kingsx
- http://www.myspace.com/wallyfarkas
- http://www.myspace.com/dugpinnickpoundhound
- http://www.myspace.com/tytabor
- http://www.myspace.com/alandoss
~Dan – np: The Jibbs “Burns in the Rain”
REVIEW: Richard Crandell @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 9/13/08)
I had Richard Crandell‘s Mbira Magic (Tzadik 2004) back when I lived in Ohio. I had no idea that he was from Eugene, OR. I happened upon a listing of a performance he did earlier this spring at Saturday Market, but a day late. When I saw that he was playing yesterday at Cozmic Pizza for free… well, I jumped (and bike rode 2+ miles) at the opportunity.
Richard Crandell gave us a solid hour of full on metal. Well, fingers on metal. :)
mbira: the instrument of choice
He plays the mbira (a “thumb piano” pictured above), and he’s quite good. His compositions are very melodic, and his technique is quite fluid. It’s almost as if the instrument is part of him. He was carrying on a conversation with the sound guy when he ran into some technical difficulties, playing all the while.
Anyway, he played from around 1 to 2pm and played 9 songs… the ones he mentioned the names to are:
- Bells
- Missing in London
- Spring Steel (based on the Japanese pentatonic scale)
- Ghost Writers in the Sky
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
One of the songs that he didn’t mention the name had a mbira loop played behind his live mbira, and he used a guitar finger pick to create a nice additional percussion to the loop. His records are good as well (but mbira is more interesting to see live, IMO)… his most recent, Spring Steel, features Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista. Cyro’s fantastic… either with Beat the Donkey, Supergenerous, Electric Masada, Marc Ribot, or many of John Zorn’s pieces…
Richard Crandell’s records
His websites:
~Dan – np: Metallica – Death Magnetic
PS– whoa, completely unrelated, the new Metallica album, Death Magnetic, actually sounds… really… good. It’s been 20 years since that’s happened… too bad the album cover looks like they didn’t pay their invoices timely to the graphic artist. It’s crap, as has been expected with Metallica for the past 17 years. But when it comes down to the music, it’s finally not rubbish.
JZ’s The Crucible, The Dreamers, biography, and JFJO grumbles
Well, first.. I didn’t end up at the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (JFJO) show last night. Boo. Stupid Eugene Celebration blocking off within 60 yards of the art gallery where they were playing and wanting me to buy a wristband to see a show I’d have to pay for that’s not on a stage at Eugene Celebration. I think me skipping it was on principle, not on lack for wanting to see JFJO. Rassen frassen… but I hope to catch the free Richard Crandell show today at Cozmic Pizza. He’s a mbira player, and I have one of his composer series CDs on Tzadik Records. He’s from frickin’ Eugene and on Tzadik Records – – how cool is that?
Speaking of Tzadik… on to some upcoming Jay-Z news… and by Jay-Z, I mean John Zorn (founder of Tzadik).
Graphic design artist extraordinaire Heung Heung “Chippy” posted on her blog about some new design stuff that she’s been working on for Tzadik:
I’m designing a book jacket for John Brackett’s biography on John Zorn, published by Indiana University Press. Title: John Zorn Tradition and Transgression. Cover photo by Scott Irvine, Book Jacket Design by myself, Book Interior Design by Jamison Cockerham. It’s nearly done and looking pretty good. Please look for it and buy this first biography ever on one of New York City’s heroes.
FOR MORE JOHN ZORN MUSIC, we have many treats for you–he’s been releasing amazing FilmWorks CDs (yes, prolific), another one is on its way–this one is extra special, one I’ve been listening to everyday–very meaningful, touching upon so many personal levels. (The Last Supper, FilmWorks XXII).
For those who are eagerly waiting for The Crucible (Moonchild’s 4th CD), it is coming very soon. Expect more killer photography by Scott Irvine (Tzadik’s official photographer–thank you to all who voted for him this summer), design by myself. Powerful music. And yes, you can have your Mike Patton too.
And it doesn’t stop there. The Dreamers will be expanding like a Chippy dream come true. For you audiophiles, this is our first yet–can’t say now until I’m working on it. Expect limited edition. Speaking of Limited Edition–The Dreamers’ shirts–they will now be considered limited edition, so please get them at Zakka in Dumbo (childrens are only available there or through me) or http://www.tzadik.com Note: once these go and we reprint, the artwork will be different.
My recap in backwards order…
I imagine The Dreamers limited edition thing for audiophiles may very well be a vinyl issue. That’s my inkling and heretofore a rumor. Tzadik hasn’t done a vinyl yet, and what else for audiophiles is considered limited edition these days? Sweet… The Dreamers is a fantastic, exotica meets Electric Masada ventures out earlier this year on Tzadik. It’s one of my favs of 2008 so far.
The Crucible… yay! A 4th installment from the noisemetal Moonchild Trio of Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, and Joey Baron was inevitable.
I dig JZ’s Filmworks series… Sholem Aleichem: Filmworks XX is on its way to me now.
Additional info on the John Zorn biography… it’s due out in early 2009. It’s a book. With pages. Some probably graphic (just judging based on JZ’s Naked City album artwork and Dr. Brackett’s recent presentations at recent conferences).
~Dan – np: The Tiptons Sax Quartet – Laws of Motion
REVIEW: God of Shamisen @ Samurai Duck (Eugene, OR – – 9/11/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Well, before the show, I was kind of bummed, as Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco’s upright bassinator) was playing a show at Sam Bond’s in Eugene last night as well. GOS totally won, but Todd would have put on a great show as well. Anyway, I swung by Sam Bond’s before heading over to the Samurai Duck… to pick up Todd’s new CD, Tiny Resistors. I figured I might as well support indie jazz artists. Alas, the doorman told me that Todd had to cancel. Bummer… well, maybe he’ll reschedule, though I think he’s from New York; so maybe it’s just not meant to be this time around.
a great cartoon GOS by Rulo Barrera
On to the venue… hmmm… what to say about the Samurai Duck. Well, you can get fried pizza. Um… ick… I opted for a Blue Moon & a bag of pretzels. The rest of the menu was faintly “asian,” but nothing I’d really consider to be all that interesting. This place is definitely a dive metal bar, but they’ve got a decent stage, and the bands got set-up / switched over between sets really quick – which is a major plus, especially for a late night show.
The 1st opener, Deosyl, was really good. I had never heard of them, but they’re from Eugene. They were an instrumental rock/metal trio. They were all very good musicians. The guitarist seemed to have some great chops, in the vein of Dream Theater’s John Petrucci or Dimebag Darryl or a breed of the two. Great stuff…
I saw GOS’s Kevin Kmetz warming up with his shamisen in between the openers’ sets…
Shat came on next, around 11pm. I was a fan of their prior to this show. I mean, we go way back… we’re the bestest of MySpace friends. Or something. Well, I first heard of Shat via the (now defunct) Coma Lilies. They are connected to Righteous Gabe Records…
Which is absotively-posilutely supposed to confuse you with Righteous Babe Records. They make music very much unlike Ani DiFranco, though. :) Very much… crazy, spastic, turrets syndrome-induced rock. Oh, I think they’re also linked to the international smash hit “Tonight Tonight Tonight Tonight.” Or maybe just linked via Righteous Gabe… Anyway, they put on a lively show. They’re from Portland; so I’ll likely get to see them again.
God of Shamisen went on right around midnight. I was tired, but doing OK. I work right across the street; so I had popped over there to get a Coke. :) God of Shamisen is Kevin Kmetz on tsugaru-shamisen, Karl Schnaitter on guitars, Mark Thornton on bass, and Lee “ninja” Smith on drums. They played a great set, and it was well worth staying through a late night and two openers to see them play. I also got to pick up their new CD, Dragon String Attack. I’ve been listening to it today at work, and it’s great. My favorite track so far is “The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack!”
The CD (click the picture for more info):
The Set List: (with adjustments by Mark from GOS*)
- Traditional (Kevin solo)
- Bad Dog Attack
- The Prisoner (called “The Village Attack” on the CD*)
- Tar Bomb Attack (not recorded yet*)
- Ripe Fruit Attack
- Stacie’s Song (for Kevin’s s/o)
- Dragon String Attack
- Mary Jane (with Danyl Johnson)
- The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack
- Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls* (with Christian from Shat)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/gos
- http://www.godofshamisen.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/shaturdaynight
- http://www.myspace.com/righteousgabereocords
- http://www.myspace.com/deosyl
The Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is on for tonight. I’m excited. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a few years, but missed them when they came to Eugene in the spring, because I was at the Ani DiFranco/Judy Grahn/Animal Prufrock show down the street at the same night. Well, JFJO coming back to town 5 months later is a-OK with me.
~Dan – np: Jeff Ament – Tone
GOD OF SHAMISEN CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
God of Shamisen – a pimpin’ I shall do…
OK… God of Shamisen, great band, gonna get to see ’em on Thursday. They’ve got a new CD, Dragon String Attack. It’s their 1st CD. It’s out now. If you don’t happen to live near where they’re playing on this tour, you can order it online with the easy-peasy PayPals. This is directly from the artist to your ears. Support indie musics!! Check ’em out online: http://www.myspace.com/gos
The CD (click the picture for more info):
The Shirt (click the picture for more info):
The Tour:
Sep 8 2008 THE FUNHOUSE – w/ the Diminished Men Seattle, Washington
Sep 9 2008 DUNES – w/ SHAT and Circuit Breaking Silence Portland, Oregon
Sep 10 2008 JOHNNY B’s Medford, Oregon
Sep 11 2008 SAMURAI DUCK Eugene, Oregon
Sep 12 2008 CRUX ARTIST COLLECTIVE Chico, California
Sep 13 2008 THE FISHTANK – w/ Shamalamacord Oakland, California
Sep 14 2008 THE SCENE (new venue!) Glendale, California
Sep 16 2008 AUDIE’S OLYMPIC / CLUB FRED – w/ Brian Kenney Fresno and Foxycock Fresno, California
Sep 17 2008 BLUE LAGOON – w/ We Be The Echo and Happy Meal Santa Cruz, California
Sep 18 2008 RASPUTINS RECORDS free in-store Mountain View, California
Sep 19 2008 BOTTOM OF THE HILL – w/ We Be The Echo and Headshear San Francisco, California
If you live in Eugene, OR, see you on Thursday… if you know what’s good for you. :)
~Dan – np: Medeski Martin & Wood plays John Zorn’s Masada Book Two – Zaebos
Oregon Donor Needed
Sad news. This came through on the jazzpdx RSS feed yesterday…
The Oregonian has just published a breaking story highlighting the uncertain future of the Portland Jazz Festival after sponsorship troubles. Here’s a clip from the article:
The Portland Jazz Festival, strapped for cash after losing its title sponsor in April, plans to stop operating as of Sept. 15. Barring a “miracle” infusion of about $100,000, the February 2009 festival — previously slated to be the exclusive 70th anniversary celebration for seminal jazz label Blue Note — won’t happen. Nor, most likely, will there be any festivals after that.
I got to see two great acts in one night (Ornette Coleman and the Dave Douglas/Joe Lovano-led SFJazz Collective) last year. I’m hopeful some large-and-in-charge bigwig can front a $100,000 check for a great cause.
Please? Pretty please? It’s doesn’t even need to be someone from Oregon… that was merely a play on words. California? Idaho? Washington? Rhode Island? Got any love for continuing the Portland jazz scene?
~Dan – np: Ornette Coleman & Prime Time – Tone Dialing
O.S.I. #3
Updated (3/9/09): go here… https://jazzsick.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/more-osi-details/
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Well, I just checked chromakey.com and osiband.com just last week. No updates since 2006.
Now this from Blabbermouth…
OSI (OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INFLUENCE), the project featuring FATES WARNING guitarist Jim Matheos and ex-DREAM THEATER keyboardist Kevin Moore, has spent the past several months working on its third album. According to Moore, “Gavin Harrison (PORCUPINE TREE) is playing drums on this one; he’s nearly done tracking and it sounds great. Along with guitar, Jim is handling bass this time. I still get to sing but may get some help.”
For those not in the know, Kevin Moore‘s Chroma Key is my favorite band ever. This is not hyperbole. Dead Air For Radios is my #1 favorite album ever. O.S.I. is essentially a rockin’ continuation of Chroma Key for me.
(Kevin / CK promo shot)
I’m stoked. I don’t care that it snuck up on me. O.S.I. #2 snuck up on me as well… it makes for a happy present. Now, if I can only convince Kevin to tour Chroma Key or O.S.I.
I suppose watch this blog space for future news… or this one…
~Dan
In accordance with the prophecies…
…I lied about not posting for a few days. Two cool things: Jeff Ament (of Pearl Jam) with Doug Pinnick (of King’s X) -and- a free Michael Moore movie Slacker Uprising.
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First things first. In 2004, Doug Pinnick (bassist/vocals of King’s X) and Jeff Ament (bassist of Pearl Jam) wrapped up an album tentatively titled Montana. In 2004. At this point in time, Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy may come out first. Jeff & Doug have been friends for a while… at least since way back when King’s X opened up for Pearl Jam. During PJ’s MTV Unplugged session, Jeff had a big “King’s X” written on his hand (in 1992?).
Anyway, today on Blabbermouth it was dropped that Jeff Ament’s solo album called Tone (pictured above) comes out on Sept 16th via PJ’s Ten Club. It features Doug Pinnick as guest lead vocals on a track called “Doubting Thomasina.” It’s limited to 3,000 copies… CD only. I’m hoping this makes the 15-or-so track Pinnick/Ament album more likely to be released soon.
Here’s a trailer for the movie:
http://www.slackeruprising.com/ on Sept 23rd…
~Dan – np: Sunny Day Real Estate – The Rising Tide
REVIEW: Mogwai @ Music Fest NW (Portland, OR – – 9/3/08)
Opener the Fuck Buttons were pretty good. I’m bummed that I didn’t make it to the venue until 9:30pm and didn’t make it inside until about 9:40… as I only caught one of the FB’s set. They were loud, but sort of an electronic post-rock duo. Groove-oriented and somewhat repetitive, but the song I heard was enjoyable.
Mogwai hit the stage right around 10:30pm. And they are quite possibly the loudest band on the planet (outside of perhaps Testament on the Demonic Tour). Oy… I just don’t know why their live shows need to be so bloody loud. It’s quite unbearable. Their music suits a “normal” setting (unlike perhaps Testament). I mean, what are Mogwai trying to prove by being so loud? It wasn’t a one-time thing either… they were quite unbearably loud when I saw them in 2006 at the Wexner in Columbus, OH.
(from the Portland show)
I stayed for right about an hour. I’m not going to bother with posting a set list, as… well… they’re a post-rock band, and it’s hard to remember their song titles. Sorry, it was good, but I’ve got no song titles for y’all (UPDATE: setlist from fan photo).
Setlist:
- Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home
- The Precipice
- Ithaca 27ø9
- Thank You Space Expert
- Friend of the Night
- Scotland’s Shame
- Hunted By A Freak
- Ex-Cowboy
- Kids Will Be Skeletons
- I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead
- I Love You, But I’m Going To Blow Up your School
- 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
- Like Herod
- Batcat
I’m looking forward to their upcoming album, The Hawk Is Howling, out in 3 weeks. That way I can adjust the volume myself.
Luckily my hotel is literally 3 minutes away. And my ringing ears shall be in bed soon.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/mogwai
- http://www.mogwai.co.uk/
- Mogwai’s Tour Diary about Portland: USA_Tour_Diary_pt1
- http://www.myspace.com/fuckbuttons
- http://www.fuckbuttons.co.uk/
- http://www.musicfestnw.com/
No posts for a while (meaning a few days)… perhaps (I’ve been known to be a liar). Moving stuff this weekend to our new house. But look out… next week is God of Shamisen (9/11) and Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (9/12) in Eugene. Plus Ani DiFranco’s upright bassist, Todd Sickafoose, is in Eugene (unfortunately the same night as GOS – Thursday 9/11), but I may swing by Sam Bond’s to at least pick up his new CD, Tiny Resistors, before the GOS show.
~Dan – recently played: Sufjan Stevens – Come On Feel the Illinoise!
Voodoo Doughnut
On a lighter, fluffier note – – Voodoo Doughnut in downtown Portland (22 SW 3rd Ave) is rad… http://www.voodoodoughnut.com/
Mogwai show in 2 hours. Nooch!
~Dan
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News bulletin (posted up in here after the initial post, hence the lack of MMW subject line): Medeski Martin & Wood is touring the West in November:
MMW’s newest album Radiolarians 1 will be released on September 30th 2008. A limited number of signed copies are available for pre order through our Website
The final tour dates in the Radiolarian Series begin November 12th in Seattle Washington. Tickets are available for these shows starting today, Sept. 3rd 2008, Here
November 12 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theater
November 13 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
November 14 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
November 15 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater
November 16 – Arcata, CA – Van Duzer Theater
November 18 – Petaluma, CA – McNears Mystic Theater
November 19 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theater
November 20 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
November 21 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
November 22 – Sparks, NV – Celebrity Showroom
Sufjan Stevens & Kevin Smith
Unrelated news…
Sufjan Stevens (pictured befro) is lending some music to Natalie Portman‘s directorial debut, EVE, due out in early 2009. By “lending,” the Paste article probably means “exchanged the right for cold, hard cash,” which is quite different from the standard definition of “lending”… unless the whole banking scandal of ’07 created a rip in the space-time-webster’s-definitional continuum. Or maybe he really lent it. Speaking of Suffie, why hasn’t he released anything since the Xmas box of ’06? Is he wrapping up his eastern states dodeca-boxset?
Clerks’ silentman-director, Kevin Smith‘s got a new Seth Rogen / Elizabeth Banks, R-rated vehicle coming out in late October called Zach & Miri Make a Porno. Here’s the red-band trailer (click the pic to go to the website with the trailer)… don’t worry, outside of language & innuendo, there’s no “porno” in the trailer:
It comes out October 31st or some dcate along those lines…
~Dan
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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