Archive
Drumcorps / Animosity – Altered Beast
I first heard of Drumcorps last year via a noise / experimental artist An Endless Contortionist (not for everyone). Anyway, I got Drumcorps’ Grist via Lala, and I totally dig it.
Drumcorps is a Berlin-based one man wrecking crew, Aaron Spectre. The music is grindcore, breakcore, noisecore, noise metal, or whatever you might call a brutal onslaught of your ears and mind. In other words… awesome, but not for everyone.
The Altered Beast LP is music by Animosity and remixed by Drumcorps. The music is all free online… you can get it 100% free as (great quality) 320kbps mp3 or (better/CD quality) FLAC:
*freemusic* http://drumcorps.cc/alteredbeast/mp3 *freemusic*
*freemusic* http://drumcorps.cc/alteredbeast/flac *freemusic*
01 Thin Retro God
02 A Profit on Greediness
03 Mobs Over, Rob Me
The main thing about this blog was to mention how gorgeous the vinyl editions are… wholly cow… It’s an etched & foil stamped 10″ vinyl, in four different color variations, some of which are ultra-mega-deluxe and come with 22-color hand-screenprinted and letterpressed jackets.
The vinyl is all limited edition, and based on the pictures above, I can see why. When I ordered, the Birthday Cake style was out already (only 100 made); but the Cupcake (200 made), Wealthy Eggplant (300 made), and Moldy Cheese (400 made) styles were all available HERE at Man Alive! Records.
~Dan – np: Drumcorps / Animosity – Altered Beast
iRandom {28 Aug 08}
Some random listening this morning from the iPod’s shuffle option…
- Mogwai “Kappa” from Government Sessions
This was fortuitous, as I’m going to see Mogwai in Portland next week. :) The Government Sessions was my first experience with Mogwai.
- John Scofield “Whatcha See is Whatcha Get” from Up All Night
A little bit too hotel lobby jazz for me compared to some of J.Sco’s other stuff… but great for reading through employee benefit audit guidance.
- Frank Zappa “The Moon Will Never Be the Same” from Joe’s Xmasage
More of the avant-garde meanderings from FZ. Short, but not sweet.
- Sigur Rós “Bíum Bíum Bambaló” from Angels of the Universe
This is easily my favorite track from this soundtrack / score.
- Silverchair “No Association” from Freak Show
Ah, from their good ol’ gah-rung-ah era…
- The Sheds “Rootwings” from You’ve Got a Light
Cincinnati quirfolk duo… but one of their more straight forward songs… they haven’t put anything out lately, I don’t think. I may have to poke by their website when I get home tonight. http://www.theshedsmusic.com/
- Tim Sparks “Where Are You My Lover?” from Tanz
Gentle guitars on this overall beautiful Tzadik release.
- Frank Zappa “Flakes” from Beat the Boots #7: Saarbrücken
Two FZ tunes in the 10-song spin… what are the odds? Well, actually, they are 1,110 available FZ songs out of 14,678 non-replacing permutations (all songs currently on my iPod) would be a 0.57% chance for 2 FZ to land somewhere in the first 10 spins (unless I did the math incorrectly – which is highly likely, as my stats book from last term was borrowed from a colleague). Anyway… fun song, complete with a pretty bad, but funny, Bob Dylan impression.
- Caedmon’s Call “I Just Don’t Want Coffee” from I Just Don’t Want Coffee -EP-
This one has different lyrics from the Warner debut version. It’s one of the more compelling, and thankfully not Jebusy, Derek Webb-penned early Caedmon’s tunes. Derek Webb is a great songwriter. Even though I have philosophical differences with him, I still love him and his music.
- Yann Tiersen “Soir de fête” from Rue des Cascades
Yann, you wiley devil. Great instrumentalism with the grounded feel of folk music, but the fun of a circus parade.
Well, I shant type robustly about the 11th and so on shuffled tune… even thought I want to (#11 was Estradasphere and #12 was Isis). Anyway, that’s just a peak inside my ears this morning… check any of them out on iTunes or the Amazon.
~Dan
You down with OTC?
Jason Schimmel, from Estradasphere (and the recent Secret Chiefs 3 live incarnation), has a lovely new album out now… Orange Tulip Conspiracy. It’s available directly from Web of Mimicry (SC3’s label), but oddly not yet from Lobefood (Estradasphere’s distro) or Amazon (a large women & rainforest wholesaler). I picked it up at the Portland SC3 gig, and I absolutely LOVE IT. Behind SC3’s Xaphan, it’s probably my #2 album of 2008 so far.
Well, apparently the OTC is going to tour. YAY! The tour is going to feature Jason Schimmel (guitar/ keys), John Whooley (sax, an original Estradasphere member), Dan Robbins (bass), Zach Cline (guitar/ keys) and Lee Smith (drums).
Here are the dates and cities (subject to change):
Saturday Nov 15- Seattle, WA @ Rendezvous
Sunday Nov 16- Portland, OR @ Dante’s
Monday Nov 17- Eugene, OR @ Samurai Duck :)
Tuesday Nov 18- Sacramento, CA @ On the Y
Wednesday Nov 19- Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
Friday Nov 21- Los Angeles, CA @ The Knitting Factory
http://www.myspace.com/orangetulipconspiracy
http://www.myspace.com/estradasphere
Jason needs help with opening band slots and additional venues in or around the cities above. If you are in a band or know of any good venues, contact him through either the OTC or Estradasphere MySpace pages (above).
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Trance-Fusion
Even More Brightest Diamond
UPDATE (9/1/08): She’s playing 11/21 @ WOW Hall in Eugene. Yay!
Though not listed on her tourdates page (yet), yesterday’s email from the Doug Fir Lounge (in Portland, OR) mentioned… Thursday 11/20, My Brightest Diamond (Shara Worden). Yay! \ 0 / I’m still holding out hope that she’ll play The Shedd (in Eugene), as it’d be a great venue for her. But a PDX gig ain’t a bad option.
Oh, and Portland, Maine… you know what you can do? You can go to… see her on October 30th.
This will be the first time seeing her out on her own. My last few times seeing her were as an opener for Sufjan Stevens, with Sufjan’s band, or as part of a music fest with Sufjan. I guess I’ll miss Sufjan, but Shara’s got her own good thing going on. String quartet OSSO will be My Brightest Diamond’s backing band on this tour. I saw them play chamber arrangements for Sufjan’s Enjoy Your Rabbit electronic album (as mentioned in the music fest review link above). Clare & The Reasons are the openers.
Also, here’s the new, minty fresh video from “From the Top of the World” from her latest album, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth:
She performs “Padam Padam” and “The Gentlest Gentleman” here:
More of her tour dates (from Pollstar, as her tour dates page is not in an easily copy-n-paste format – all dates subject to change)
Mon 09/15/08 London, UK Soho Arts Theatre
Fri 09/19/08 Isla Cristina, ESP Auditorio del Parque
Sun 09/21/08 Amsterdam, NET Melkweg
Mon 09/22/08 Hamburg, GER Molotow
Tue 09/23/08 Berlin, GER Lido
Wed 09/24/08 Schorndorf, GER Manufaktur
Fri 09/26/08 Vienna, AUT B72
Sat 10/04/08 Groningen, NET De Oosterpoort
Mon 10/27/08 Hamden, CT The Space
Tue 10/28/08 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
Thu 10/30/08 Portland, ME SPACE
Fri 10/31/08 Fall River, MA Narrows Center For The Arts
Sun 11/02/08 Buffalo, NY Big Orbit Soundlab Space
Mon 11/03/08 Oberlin, OH Oberlin College
Wed 11/05/08 Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College
Thu 11/06/08 Danville, IN Royal Theatre
Fri 11/07/08 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
Sat 11/15/08 Salt Lake City, UT The Paladium
Wed 11/19/08 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
Thu 11/20/08 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Fri 11/21/08 Eugene, OR W.O.W. Hall update
.
http://www.mybrightestdiamond.com/
http://www.mybrightestdiamond.com/tourdates/
http://www.myspace.com/mybrightestdiamond
http://www.myspace.com/ossonyc
http://www.myspace.com/claremuldaur
.
In rumor mill squashing, Shara didn’t help Barack Obama choose Joe Biden as his VP running mate.
.
~Dan – np: Medeski Martin & Wood play John Zorn’s Masada Book Two – Zaebos
REVIEW: Radiohead @ White River Amphitheatre (Auburn, WA – – 8/20/08)
Well, first off, I wasn’t going to attempt to take my own pictures of the show… I’m an amateur, I was far away, outdoor venue, yadda yadda. For a great review (of the Boston show 8/13) with pictures & video, check out this review.
The venue was White River Amphitheatre (outside of Auburn, WA)… bleh. Not far enough away from Seattle to avoid traffic. Two lane road going in and out of the venue. Crappy gravel parking. No food within 6 miles. Crappy sound. I don’t think I’ll ever go back there… unless there is a Pink Floyd reunion, a Faith No More / Mr Bungle reunion tour… or Chroma Key plays there. All of those events are highly unlikely.
The opener (Liars?) got completely missed. I heard them playing their last song as I was walking from my car. Oh well…
Radiohead came on just after 9pm… and played for a long time. They played a good mix of songs, but the sound at this venue (as alluded to above) was pretty much crap for any of the louder songs. The quieter songs sounded really good, but the big rock songs were mush (not the good kind of mush). Now, the lighting… holy crap. Fun / cool / awesome lighting.
(from the Boston show – Courtesy of Cole Kinsler)
Jonny Greenwood has ever so gently been eeking up in my favorites list, and I think he’s officially taken over as my favorite Radiohead (and body). He’s the anti-guitar hero. He plays with artistic conviction and an “I don’t care if you like it or if it looks cool, this is what I’m doing now” demeaner. I can dig it.
I was also lazy in the “write down the setlist” department, as I know Radiohead has their many minions. Here’s what I got over at the atease blog (thanks to Flaaneuse who submitted it & the descriptions in italics):
Radiohead’s Setlist:
- 15 Step
- Reckoner
- Optimistic
- There There
- All I Need (a fav from the night)
- Pyramid Song
- Talk Show Host (holy crap!! 90s era b-side… one of my favs from the night)
- The National Anthem
- The Gloaming
- Videotape
- Lucky (another fav from the night)
- Faust Arp [Thom messes up lyrics several times, starts singing Neil Young’s “Tell Me Why”; Jonny tries to follow along but can’t quite get the chords. Phil comes out and drops an American dollar bill out in front of Thom and Jonny and runs away laughing. Thom and Jonny crack up completely to loud cheers. Thom tries again, says “Fuck it!”, but then continues and finishes the song.]
- Jigsaw Falling Into Place
- Climbing Up The Walls (another fav from the night… I love this melody)
- Dollars and Cents
- Nude
- Bodysnatchers
- Encore 1: How to Disappear Completely
- Arpeggi/Weird Fishes
- Idioteque
- In Limbo [Tambourine accompaniment by Nigel Godrich. Thom, ‘This is Nigel’, Ed, ‘He makes our records.’]
- Street Spirit (another fav from the night… I love this melody)
- Encore 2: You And Whose Army? [Thom dedicates to the people who demonstrated against the WTO in Seattle in 1999]
- No Surprises (would have likely been a fav from the night; alas, I was on the road – starting my 4 hour trip home)
- Everything In Its Right Place
The Appropriate Linkage:
Good show… it’s a pleasure to see Radiohead just about any time. This time was in the “OK/Good” category, but not their fault. I just think I’m getting too picky to go to the big outdoor venues…
~Dan – np: John Zorn‘s The Dreamers 
More Brightest Diamond
I saw this on the Asthmatic Kitty website…
I don’t know if it’s a new CD, new vinyl, new iTunes, or new multi-platform release… regardless, it’s Shara / My Brightest Diamond -and- MORE SONGS. :)
The info…
While Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond retains a French vocabulary more comparable to that of an African Grey Parrot than to Victor Hugo, oh how she does love to sing French songs from the 1930s. Borrowed melodies from Worden’s favorite French sparrow, the inimitable Edith Piaf, “Adieu mon Coeur,” and “Hymne A L’Amour” have become standard concert repertoire for My Brightest Diamond in recent years.
After having fled Germany to escape the Nazi’s in 1933, composer Kurt Weill penned the music for “Youkali:Tango Habenera”. Years later, Roger Fernay added lyrics describing a vagabond trip to an island of bliss called Youkali, whereupon landing a fairy would act as one’s personal tour guide. Youkali is a land of happiness and fulfilled desire, a place where all the stars shine brighter. But the dreamy mists dissipate in the second verse of Fernay’s piece, as life progresses only tediously while poor human souls seek to escape to the mysterious utopia in vain.
With the help of co-producer / ear candy man Zac Rae, a longstanding Diamond collaborator, these recordings take new flight with his host of reversed pianos, paint can snares, and warbling theramins.
1. From the Top of the World
2. Youkali: Tango Habanera
3. Hymne Á L’Amour
4. Adieu Mon Coeur
My Brightest Diamond’s From the Top of the World is out Sept 23rd, y’all.
~Dan – np: Orange Tulip Conspiracy – Orange Tulip Conspiracy
GOS Tour -and- MMW+Z
Japanese world-metal band God of Shamisen are making a run through the West Coast. I’ll be at the Eugene gig, fo’sheezy.
Sun Sept 7 – Seattle WA – Kevin Kmetz solo traditional performance @ ENMA 2008 Aki Matsuri
Mon Sept 8 – Seattle WA @ the Funhouse (with Diminished Men)
Tues Sept 9 – Portland OR @ Dunes (with SHAT)
Wed Sept 10 – Medford OR @ Johnny B’s
Thurs Sept 11 – Eugene OR @ Samurai Duck *yay*
Sat Sept 13 – Oakland CA @ the Fishtank
Sun Sept 14 – Glendale CA @ The Scene (with Foxycock)
Tues Sept 16 – Fresno CA @ Audie’s Olympic (with Foxycock & Brian Kenney Fresno)
Wed Sept 17 – Santa Cruz CA @ Blue Lagoon
Thurs Sept 18 – Mountain View CA Free in-store performance @ Rasputins Records
Fri Sept 19 – San Francisco CA @ Bottom of the Hill
http://godofshamisen.com/
http://www.myspace.com/gos
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Three-degrees of separation (GOS’s Kevin Kmetz > Estradasphere > Secret Chiefs 3 > John Zorn), the Medeski Martin & Wood album of John Zorn’s Masada Book Two songs is now out on Tzadik Records. It’s called Zaebos (album cover & tracklist below). I haven’t had a chance to hear it yet (and probably won’t order it yet, as I’m moving in two weeks). But, I tell you what, once I’m moved, DMG‘s gettin’ a big order from me…
1. Zagzagel
2. Sefrial
3. Agmatia
4. Rifion
5. Chafriel
6. Ahaij
7. Asaliah
8. Vianuel
9. Jeduthun
10. Malach ha-Sopher
11. Tutrusa’i
Billy Martin: Drums
John Medeski: Keyboards
Chris Wood: Bass
all songs written by John Zorn
arranged by MMW
~Dan – np: Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane – Live in Holland
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – – 8/15/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Early shows are problematic, especially if you have to drive 2 hours to get to them. Oh, and also if the artist thought they started later. Blame for this goes squarely to the Doug Fir Lounge, in my opinion. Double-booking a night is horrible. Horrible. Nellie McKay* would have likely played much longer, had she been allowed to… argh.
*– for the newbies, her last name rhymes with “McPie”
Anyway, the opener Amorèe Lovell started right at 7pm, and played a stellar 40 minutes. She is from Portland, and plays a mean piano with quirky lyrics and fun banter. I’d say she fits in with the likes of Regina Spektor & Nellie McKay with a touch of Tori Amos. She also brings her own charm & style. She was very entertaining. She played mainly originals, but also threw in some Tom Waits, Johnny Cash & David Bowie. On to Nellie…
Nellie‘s start time was supposed to be 8pm. She didn’t hit the stage until nearly 8:30, due to a mix-up with her start time. Most of the crowd was getting antsy (myself included), as the late show had a “doors open” time of 9:30. Yikes. With that being said, Nellie came on and put on a great just shy of an hour show. She seemed more comfortable and confident, and she was as funny / spunky as usual.
Nellie’s Setlist:
- Toto Dies
- Old Enough
- Mother of Pearl [on uke]
- story about prince chunky, the 44 pound cat
- The Dog Song (a fav of the set)
- Real Life
- Tipperary
- Don’t Fence Me In [on uke]
- Vote for Mr. Rhythm [with Obama tag at the end]
- Sari (a fav of the set… with Dylan impression at the end)
- Feed the Birds
- Politan
- Don’t Fence Me In [false start… she remembered she already did it] :)
- Me Gusta Mañana [on uke.. a silly spanish song]
- explanation about her NPR song “Cavendish”… she didn’t have time to brush up on it, but sometime soon
- Zombie (a fav of the set)
- Encore 1: Really
- Encore 2: Ding Dong
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/prettylittlehead
- http://www.nelliemckay.com/ (official)
- http://www.nelliemckay.org/ (fan site)
- http://www.myspace.com/amoreelovell
- http://www.amoreelovell.com/
- http://www.dougfirlounge.com/
- My blog reviewing Nellie in Eugene, OR 10/5/07
- My blog about Nellie @ TEDtalks
- My blog about Nellie’s Project Song on NPR (where she wrote “Cavendish” in 48 hours)
Next show for me? Radiohead next Wednesday at White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, WA (up near Seattle). Woot!!
I was a pageant gone bad…
~Dan – np: Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins
NELLIE MCKAY CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
The Bad Veins’ Daytrotter Session
In pre-Bad Veins news… Seth Green (aka Oz aka Scott aka Chris Griffin aka Robot Chicken) is going to be in the upcoming Heroes season as a comic book geek (or so says Paste’s blog).
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
OK, now on to the lovely Daytrotter Sessions news… The Bad Veins, a fantastic lofi-meets-songwriter, indie rock duo from Cincinnati, is the latest installment from the Daytrotter in-studio sessions. Four songs, live in-studio… FOR FREE.
Go here for the free music:
http://daytrotter.com/article/1386/bad-veins
1) Fake Baby 2) You Kill 3) Found 4) The Lie
http://www.badveins.net/
http://www.myspace.com/badveins
A bunch of interview vlogs on Uncensored Interviews
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing The Bad Veins a couple of times when I stomped around Cincinnati. Very fun songs, well written, indie cred… the may blow up soon, if their suitors in NYC or elsewhere come through…
Past Daytrotter Sessions I’ve blogged about (and dug):
REVIEW: King’s X & Extreme @ Union Center Blvd Bash (Cincinnati, OH – – 8/10/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
My wife thinks I’m crazy. I think I agree. I used SkyMiles to fly from Eugene, OR, to Cincinnati, OH, to see two rock bands. I don’t do this often (fly somewhere for a show). Anyway, this time it was for two bands I’ve liked for 15-20 years: King’s X and Extreme. While I love King’s X, I’ve seen them a bunch and they tour a bunch; so the main reason to fly was to see Extreme* – – who broke up 12 years ago.
*– Extreme is much more than that “More Than Words” band (or that “Beethoven jamming in the mall on Bill & Ted’s” band). They wrote great rock songs, great guitars & insightful lyrics, and bordered on art rock in many cases, i.e.- the IIIrd Side (unofficially) starting with “God Isn’t Dead?” and moving into the 23-minute, three-part with orchestration, epic “Everything Under The Sun” on III Sides to Every Story. “Everything Under the Sun” is most likely my 2nd favorite song ever written (Kevin Moore’s “Space-Dye Vest” being #1).
The closest this double-bill tour was coming to me (in Eugene, OR) was Las Vegas… which would mean expensive ticket, expensive hotel, expensive meals, and a city that I find kinda boring (unless you add an expensive Cirque du Soleil show). With that being said, a FREE show with a brother within 2 miles of the festival with a FREE bed to sleep in made this one too good to pass up. [Thanks, David & Alicia!]
The day started with a yummy vegan biscuits & gravy brunch at MELT in lovely Northside and ended with Nuno Bettencourt wailing on guitar in West Chester (home of the Union Center Boulevard Bash). Well, on to the show…
This was my 15th time seeing King’s X. Did I mention I like them? The only thing that’s kept me away from one of their shows within a 200 mile radius would be a wedding. My own wedding. :) Anyway, they put on a great show tonight. Doug Pinnick, Ty Tabor, and Jerry Gaskill are the epitome of a power trio. They put out a wall of sound, heavy, chunky, yet melodic. They were scheduled to play 45 minutes (the ills of a free festival opening slot), but they got a good hour and change to play. Great crowd response, and kudos from Nuno & Co later in the evening. They put on a great set, as usual. And a friend from Nashville texted me unexpectedly while at the show. [It was great to see you, WalruSteve!]
(Doug, Ty, Jerry – not my pic, obviously)
King’s X Setlist:
- Groove Machine
- Alright
- Rocket Ship
- Black Flag
- Move
- Dogman (one of my favs of the set)
- Pray (with Doug on 12-string bass)
- We Were Born to Be Loved
- Go Tell Somebody
- Looking for Love (one of my favs of the set)
- Over My Head
- Encore: King
The spiritually searching lyrics to “Looking for Love” has been a mantra of some sort for me since way back in ’96; so it’s always good when that’s in the set. Doug seemed to be in pretty good spirits. Ty’s hair kept blowing in his face, but that didn’t stop him shreddin’ up the frets. Jerry was killin’ the skins, as usual. The sun was beatin’ down on the band, but they muscled through. Here’s hopin’ this Extreme tour helps them bring some new fans on board.
As for Extreme… This was my 2nd time seeing them. I saw them on their Waiting for the Punchline Tour in 1995 (@ Bogart’s in Cincinnati). They broke up shortly afterwards, as Nuno Bettencourt went on to do some solo stuff and Gary Cherone went on to join Van Halen (which turned out to be a poor choice… as, you know, Van Halen sucks ass). Anyway, when Extreme broke up, it was truly amicable. The band had run its course, the landscape of music wasn’t all that into hardrock with solos (but rather flannel and apathy rockin’ the suburbs), and the guys in Extreme all had different opportunities. A reunion was always a possibility, it was just a function of time…
They had their new CD (Saudades de Rock) at the show… even though it doesn’t come out until Tuesday. Only $10, too. Rock on!!
(Pat, Gary, Nuno, KFigg – not my pic, obviously)
Extreme ripped up the stage for almost two hours, playing a good mix of old songs, new songs, hits, fan favs… KFigg did a great job filling in Paul Geary’s drum “shoes.” Pat Badger’s bass playing was superb. Gary’s voice was on. Nuno was Nuno (i.e.- God) — meedley-meedley-meeeeeeeeeeee (Strongbad Email link)…
Extreme X Setlist:
- IIIrd Side Intro Music (strings)
- Decadence Dance
- Comfortably Dumb (new one)
- Rest In Peace (one of my favs of the set)
- Star (new one, with Star-Spangled Banner outro)
- Tell Me Something I Don’t Know
- 1989 medley: Kid Ego /
Little Girls /
Teacher’s Pet /
Play With Me (Nuno’s solo ripped — one of my favs of the set) - Midnight Express (instrumental — one of my favs of the set)
- More Than Words
- Ghost (new one, Nuno on piano)
- Cupid’s Dead
- Take Us Alive
- Am I Ever Gonna Change? (one of my favs of the set)
- Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee (Nuno’s guitar-only take on Tchaikovsky — one of my favs of the set)
- Get the Funk Out (one of my favs of the set)
- Encore: Hole Hearted (one of my favs of the set)
- Communication Breakdown [Led Zeppelin]
Overall… fuppin’ awesome! I am crazy for music, but I love being crazy. :) Being crazy is what keeps me sane.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.kingsxrocks.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/kingsx
- http://www.myspace.com/dugpinnickpoundhound (bass/vocals)
- http://www.myspace.com/tytabor (guitar/vocals)
- http://www.myspace.com/jerrygaskill (drums/backing vocals)
- http://www.extreme-band.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/extreme
- http://www.myspace.com/garycherone (vocals)
- http://www.myspace.com/nunobettencourt (guitar/backing vocals)
- http://www.myspace.com/pbadger (bass/backing vocals)
- http://www.myspace.com/kfigg (drums)
- http://www.unioncentreblvdbash.com/
Yeah, that’s a lotta links… I took a bunch of pictures of both bands. I hope to have them up soon, once I get back home to Oregon and have a chance to edit and upload ’em…
~Dan – np: Extreme – Saudades de Rock
KING’S X (24 pics) & EXTREME (70 pics) CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click to enlarge)
King’s X Band (6):
More band shots: #3, #4, #5, #6
Doug Pinnick (8):
More Doug shots: #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8
Ty Tabor (8):
More Ty shots: #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8
Jerry Gaskill (2):
Sorry, no more Jerry shots.
Extreme Band (19) + Gear (2):
More band shots: Mourning Widows racks, Drums, Band #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, Bow #18, Bow #19
Gary Cherone (7):
More Gary shots: #3, #4, #5, #6, #7
Nuno Bettencourt (21):
More Nuno shots: #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21
Yeah, I’m a bit obsessed with Nuno. :)
Pat Badger (2):
Sorry, no more Pat shots.
Kevin Figueiredo (4):
Gary & Nuno (10):
More Gary & Nuno shots: #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10
Nuno & Pat (5):
did he just say Masada Book THREE?
Happy 8/8/8…
Jazz trumpeter/composer/bandleader Dave Douglas posted this on his Greenleaf Music blog today:
In the months since the “Final Acoustic Masada” appearances[1], there have been a number of developments in John Zorn’s presentation of the Masada material. This past week saw a few shows in Europe reflecting this new phase. John’s preference at this point seems to be exposing multiple facets of the Masada music in one night or over the course of a week: from solos to string trio or guitar trio, from various quartets up to sextets and larger, sometimes with electronics. It’s an approach that gets at the real variety and depth found in the book, showing not only how many different kinds of pieces are in it, but how many ways it can be played.
This week saw the first shows of what feels like a whole new band: the Masada acoustic quartet (John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Greg Cohen, Joey Baron), plus Uri Caine on piano and Cyro Baptista[2] on percussion. There was an incredible amount of electricity for what is essentially a totally acoustic band. The new tunes (Book 2, Book of Angels) drive the music in unexpected new directions and provoke unusual instrumental combinations. And the old tunes exploded into completely new territory, each one we played reinventing itself with new improvisational dimensions. At this point I’ve lost track of how many tunes there are. No matter, apparently there is a third book coming[3].
Hells yeah… I may get a chance to see Zorn/Douglas/Cohen/Baron + Caine/Baptista eventually… :D
~Dan – np: Elsiane – Hybrid
[1]– referring to the acoustic quartet, of which I got to see twice… once at Duke University, once at Lincoln Center in NYC.
[2]– Cyro’s a wicked good, fun percussionist.
[3]– um… fuck yeah…
Greydon Square, Ani DiFranco & Steven Wilson
Atheist rapper Greydon Square comes back strong on his latest album, The CPT Theorem. This is his third album, though his debut (Absolute from 2004) is long out-of-print… so it’s only the 2nd album of his that I am lucky to own. His album The Compton Effect was one of my favorite albums in 2007. This album branches out more beyond the primarily atheist lyrics, more about his life and other topics (to some extent). I’m on my 2nd time through, and I’m diggin’ it. Fav track thus far… “Cubed.” The album is on some internet stores, specifically iTunes. Give it a listen… as well as his last one (The Compton Effect), too…
In non-atheist rap news, Ani DiFranco‘s got a new song posted to her MyScpae page*. The song is called “Smiling Underneath.” I dig its more “band-oriented” sound. Her new (20th studio) album, Red Letter Year, comes out on 9/30/08.
Yep, 20 albums in, what, 18-19 years?! Crazy… but I dig just about all of ’em.
Regarding Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson, of whom I posted a news bit 2 weeks or so ago, there’s a YouTube trailer for his upcoming solo album, Insurgentes:
Coming up this weekend for me… King’s X and Extreme playing on the same stage. Woot! How’s that for diverse music in one post: atheist rap, hipster folk, progressive rock, the founders of grunge, and a hair band. :)
~Dan – np: Jude – Cuba
*– MyScpae is a new networking site for people who can’t tuckin’ fype.
REVIEW: Secret Chiefs 3 @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – – 8/3/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
The Doug Fir Lounge is an excellent venue in Portland. Pretty good sound, big enough stage, and a weird/comforting log cabin motif… a tout les monde aime l’arbre…
Primer: Secret Chiefs 3 was an offshoot from Mr. Bungle (but have now outlived MB). They play middle-eastern-influenced world/progressive metal musics. Secret Chefs 3 (no “i”) is a band that one might say is an homage to the Chiefs, and they play world music/avant-garde songs with instruments made from ordinary household items (see Ken Jacobson‘s creations in the Chefs’ MySpace photos).
1st opener… The Secret Chefs 3 (again, no “i”) is made up of Steve Parris (bass paddle), Julie Baldridge (crutch fiddle), Scott Adams (kettlevina / percussion), Rick Isotalo (drums), and Ken Jacobson (paddle / percussion). They were pretty damn good, but played far too short of a set (20-25 minutes). The drums were trash cans and water jugs. The bass and guitars were oars. There was a violin made from a crutch. Per Ken Jacobson, a string broke on it; so Julie had to switch to a regular violin for the rest of the set. The Chefs were more avant-garde than I was expecting… which was thoroughly entertaining. Trey and many of the other Chiefs came out to watch the Chefs’ set as well.
Secret Chefs 3 Setlist: (per their pre-show MySpace blog)
- Ritual of the Bowls
- Advieh (the Spice)
- Kettlevina Sadaqa
- Book of Tea: Lapsang Souchong
- Discotheque at the Gates of Jahannam
- Fruit of the Zaqqum
2nd opener… Diminished Men were quite good as well. They started out as a trio (guitar, bass, drums) and were joined by a saxophonist for about half of their set. I guess I’d describe their sound as rock instrumental with a heavy touch of exotica/surf guitars. Nice sound, but I couldn’t hear the sax too much in the mix. It may have been due to where I was standing, but I wandered out for a few minutes and didn’t notice much change. They played for about 45 minutes of smoke-machine filled fury… I was right by the guitarist, and got a face full of smoke/steam most of their set. At least it smelled pretty much like water. Great sound, despite the smoke. :)
The Closer… The Secret Chiefs 3 (led by a very bearded and cloaked Trey Spruance of Mr. Bungle “fame”) were fantastic. This was my second time seeing them, and my first time seeing them play a full “headliner” set. WOW… they played without much stopping for around 75-80 minutes. They started out with Jason (bass), Trey (sas) and Peijman (drums) playing “Medieval.” And they didn’t let up much until the ender “Renunciation”… the lineup for the SC3 this time around was Trey Spruance (sas, guitars), Timb Harris (violin, guitar, keys, trumpet), Jason Schimmel (bass, keys), Rich Doucette (sarangi, bass, guitar), Jai Young Kim (keys), and Peijman Kouretchian (drums). Timb and Jason are in a Web of Mimicry/SC3 brother band, Estradasphere. I picked up Jason’s new side-project (as well as the Chefs -EP-), Orange Tulip Conspiracy. Wow… it’s rad.
Secret Chiefs 3 Setlist:*
- Medieval
- The 15
- Vajra
- Personnae: Halloween
- Zulfikar
- The 4 (Great Ishraqi Sun)
- Bereshith
- Castle of Sand
- Fast
- Assassin’s Blade
- Dolorous Stroke
- Brazen Serpent
- The 3 (Afghan Song)
- Encore: Renunciation
*– Outside of a few songs, I’m shit for remembering their song titles. Luckily, I was close enough to Timb’s setlist to take a picture and scrawl the info down.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/secretchiefs3
- http://www.webofmimicry.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/secretchefs3
- http://www.myspace.com/diminishedmen
- http://www.dougfirlounge.com/
- My blog about SC3’s Xaphan
- My blog review of SC3 in NYC (Mar 2007)
Great show, all around… if you want to hear some Secret Chiefs 3, check them out on iTunes. I recommend all of their stuff, but I guess for newbies, I could limit it to: Ship of Fools (Stone of Exile), Renunciation, The 4 (Great Ishraqi Sun), Book T: Exodus, Assassin’s Blade, Zulkifar / Zulfikar / Zulfiqar III, Jabalqa / Jabarsa… or check out their Xaphan album on other music shops that may have samples (it’s not on iTunes, yet). Xaphan is my fav CD of 2008, so far.
~Dan – np: Greydon Square – The CPT Theorem
SECRET CHEFS 3 (6 pics), DIMINISHED MEN (6 pics)
& SECRET CHIEFS 3 (34 pics)
CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
Jude’s Cuba CD
It is now officially available from CD Baby…
http://cdbaby.com/cd/jude4
1 Cuba
2 Beautiful Bleached-Out Blonde
3 The Rider Comes
4 The Rider Comes 2
5 In The Country
6 Everybody Party On the Dance Floor
7 Helmut Dance
8 One of These Days
9 Outside My Window
10 Prima Ballerina
11 G-Blues
12 My Bonnie
Yes, honey*, I got the Gaiananda Band‘s Live CD, too…
~Dan
*- No, Steve K., I’m not referring to you as honey… this time…
more Nellie McKay
Here’s a video from TEDtalks with Nellie McKay singing “Mother of Pearl” and “If I Only Had You”…
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/nellie_mckay…
You can also download the video and audio. Check the links in that page (multiple file formats, plus podcast links). The audio version is over 19-minutes and includes more content…
- The In Crowd (a serious song in a cute voice)
- Dog Song
- Mother of Pearl
- If I Only Had You
- “Goodbye” (guessing on title)
- Clonie
Ani DiFranco – Red Letter Year (9/30/08)
This just in from Righteous Babe Records…
Ani’s last album was released in 2006, which kinda feels like a decade ago, given her tendency to spoil us with an album (or two) a year. But never fear, DiFrancolytes, for a brand new Ani record will be released on September 30, 2008.
It’s called Red Letter Year, and it’s more than worth the wait. These 12 songs have benefited from a couple years of tender loving care, under the watchful eye of Ani and her co-producer/partner Mike Napolitano. And if you’ve caught an Ani show recently, chances are you’ve been treated to a couple of ’em. This is focused, layered, joyful music, starring the Little Folksinger, her inventive three-piece band and a cavalcade of guest musicians.
“I feel like I’m back again,” Ani shares. “I’m out in the world and back in my happy self, ready to have a party.
“Come September, she’ll be passing out the ultimate party favor: Red Letter Year.
Be on the look out for updates concerning the new release, such as new tracks, photos, and videos, all to be posted right here and on the rest of the interweb over the next few weeks.
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Now she’s at 9.38 months between CD releases (and 6.62 months between releases if you count the “official bootlegs”). Yep… she’s prolific (and I’m an accountant). :)
Well, it’s off on “vacation” for me… have fun. I won’t be posting until probably Sunday the 27th, and that’s only if there’s some cool music news…
~Dan – np: Ani DiFranco – Little Plastic Castle
What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?
Some say your nose
Some say your toes
But I think it’s YOUR MIND
A continuation from this post 4+ months ago… Lagunitas Brewery’s Frank Zappa beer #4… is in my hands (and mouf)…
Behold, the We’re Only In It For the Money Belgian-style Triple Ale… a tribute to the 40 year anniv of the album of the same name… WOIIFTM was actually FZ album #3 (and Lumpy Gravy was #4). Beer crafters got a date wrong? Too much beer on the job? I forgive ’em… :)
Yum. Triple yum, actually. And, yes, the cover of the album (and beer) is a spoof of Sgt. Pepper’s.
FZ beer 1 was Freak Out! Ale
FZ beer 2 was Kill Ugly Radio Ale (aka for the album Absolutely Free)
FZ beer 3 was Lumpy Gravy Ale
FZ beer #5 should be Cruisin’ with Ruben and the Jets, by my count… we shall see.
~Dan – np: Chroma Key – Dead Air for Radios
Glen Phillips & Jonatha Brooke
Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) and Jonatha Brooke (of The Story) are going out on the road together this fall.
I’ve seen Glen a multitudinous amount of times, and it’s ALWAYS a treat. My latest outing of his was reviewed here (2/21/08 WOW Hall, Eugene-OR). I saw Jonatha Brooke back in April 2001 (I love Plumb and 10 Cent Wings). It was with a girl who I eventually married, and while Jonatha didn’t start anything with our relationship – – her show was a good excuse for a date with this cute girl I had recently met.
Anyway, as luck would have it, they’re playing the fabulous Aladdin Theater in SE Portland on Thursday, November 6th. I saw Jude there last month. I’m up in PDX for work that week (tentatively); so it’s shaping up to be a good concert week (Ozomatli & Chali 2Na are at Crystal Ballroom the next day, Friday the 7th).
Glen Phillips & Jonatha Brooke Tour Dates (so far per Pollstar)
10/16/08 Boston, MA – Wilbur Theatre
10/17/08 Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
10/18/08 NYC – The Concert Hall
10/19/08 Fairfield, CT – FTC Stage One
11/02/08 Alexandria, VA – Birchmere
11/06/08 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
11/09/08 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
11/12/08 Los Angeles, CA – Largo
11/13/08 Agoura Hills, CA – Canyon Club
11/14/08 San Diego, CA – Anthology
12/02/08 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
12/03/08 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
Steven Wilson’s Rad Self
Steven Wilson is a musical hero of mine. He’s the guitarist/singer/songwriter for Porcupine Tree, Blackfield (with Aviv Geffen), and No-Man (with Tim Bowness). He’s produced several other artists, most notably Swedish metal band Opeth. He’s got several other solo or collaboration side-projects like Bass Communion, I.E.M., and a song on the debut Office of Strategic Influence record (with another hero of mine — Kevin Moore & Jim Matheos). He’s a veritable berry farm harvest of prolificity… er… um… or something.
Per his web’s splash page, now he’s got a “proper solo album” in the works:
Niiiiice…
While “TBD” at this time, knowing SW’s prior output level, Insurgentes will likely be out by year’s end.
http://www.swhq.co.uk/ (Steven’s webpage)
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In unrelated news, Ozomatli (SoCal Latino rock/hip-hop outfit) & Chali 2Na (baritone rapper from Jurassic 5) are teaming up for a tour. Chali 2Na and Cut Chemist (also from J5) were the “hip-hop angle” on Ozo’s 1st album (in 1998). Cut is not on this tour (he’s been busy with DJ Shadow). Ozomatli & Chali 2Na will be in Portland (Crystal Ballroom) on Friday, Nov 7th – – and I’m currently scheduled to be up at a client that week… hmmm… here’s the rest of their tour plans (as of now):
10/26: Voodoo Music Experience – New Orleans, LA
10/27: Warehouse/Numbers – Houston, TX
10/29: Stubb’s – Austin, TX
10/30: House of Blues – Dallas, TX
10/31: Liberty Hall – Lawrence, KS
11/1-11/2: Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO
11/5: Wilma Theatre – Missoula, MT
11/6: Big Easy – Boise, ID
11/7: Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
11/8-/11/9: Showbox – Seattle, WA
11/12: Senator Theatre – Chico, CA
11/13: Crystal Bay Casino – Crystal Bay, NV
I really dig Chali 2Na… he’s my fave rapper from J5 (though Marc7, Akil & Soup are great as well). He’s done a lot of stuff recently with jamband Galactic that’s worth checkin’ out, too.
http://myspace.com/ozomatli
http://www.myspace.com/chali2na
~Dan – np: Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins
Dr. Horrible’s School of Rock 2
Three mostly-unrelated motion picture entertainment awesomenessess from this week…
Joss Whedon‘s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog is now live. Act 1 was online (and on iTunes) on July 15th, Act 2 came out yesterday (July 17th), and the endcap Act 3 comes out tomorrow (July 19th)… all episodes are in the 13-minute range (40-ish minutes total). It features Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.) and Nathan Fillion (Capt. Tightpants from Firefly / Serenity). It’s great so far… I’m looking forward to how it turns out tomorrow…
Wil Wheaton likes it; so you know it’s gotta be grood. I mean good… and great. It’s a fun, musical romp a la Joss‘s Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling musical episode.
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Next up… Jack Black and School of Rock 2. Per this Paste Magazine blog, the plans for a sequel are underway. Woot.
Oh, and in other Jack Black news (and Ben Stiller / Robert Downey Jr)… Tropic Thunder looks like it’ll be a fun (but quite silly) movie…
~Dan – np: Probot – Probot
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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