Archive
Sigur Rós photos (Portland 10/6/08)
Sigur Rós pictures from the Portland show on Monday, October 6th are now posted over at my review of the show:
https://jazzsick.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/sigur-ros-pdx2008/
REVIEW: Trio Subtonic @ Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR – – 10/9/08)
Quick review… I didn’t make it to Jo Fed’s in Eugene a few weeks ago to see Portland jazz group, Trio Subtonic. Alas, they were playing in Portland last night, and I was in town for work.
(camera phones are kinda pointless)
Trio Subtonic are a piano/bass/drums jazz trio… in the same vein as Medeski Martin & Wood (to give you a frame of reference). What I’ve heard on record is really groove oriented jazz with keys, samples, etc. Last night was more organic, acoustic jazz (i.e.- still a nice groove, but with acoustic piano). They were recording the show at Lewis & Clark College for a future release. I stayed through the first break (about an hour), and of the songs that they announced, I caught: Not There, Subtronics, Why Are the Mountains Crying, and Kaleidoscoping. They played three or four others of which I didn’t catch the names.
Catch them if you’re in Portland or if they swing through your town… they were quite enjoyable. Check out their music below:
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan
REVIEW: Sigur Rós @ Arlene Schnitzer Hall (Portland, OR – – 10/6/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
This was my third time to the Arlene Schnitzer Hall. It’s a great venue, and while I thought I would have gotten a better ticket via ordering from Klink (the Sigur merch site)… well, I was further to the back and left than I would have liked. It was still a good spot for pics and hearing some wonderful music.
The opener, Parachutes, is a band I got into sometime in 2007 due to a linkage to Sigur Rós via the MySpaces. I was excited to see them on the bill. They were obviously influenced by Sigur Rós. I mean… obviously. But in my world, that’s not a bad thing. They had 8 or 9 players, and at one point I know 10 people were playing with them. Again, very Sigur Rós-y, slow build, xylophone, strings, bombastic drums, keys, soft vocals. They played about 40 minutes, and I enjoyed them very much. I picked up their EP for $5 (usð)… i.e.- a steal. Unfortunately, my pics of theirs didn’t come out, as they didn’t have as much light on stage as Sigur Rós.
Now on to Sigur Rós…
Sigur Rós was… Sigur Rós. This was my 5th time seeing them, and while some may consider there to be the law of diminishing returns, with Sigur Rós the diminishments are such minutae that it’s not even diminishing anymore. Their shows are like taking a nap on a cloud during a rainstorm… or something. It’s completely surreal, mesmerizing, powerful, gentle, sublime, and… shiny.
(not my pic… obviously)
It’s funny to me, that with their non-English song names and their non-English singing… I still knew about half of the song titles within the first few chords. I think it’s osmosis or something, as I’ll admit that I don’t listen to them all that often (or often enough to know all of their song names). Anyway, thanks to the SR forum, I was able to fill in the remainder of the setlist (see below)…
10/6/08 Portland Setlist: (as noted on the SR forum)
- Svefn-g-englar *fav of show*
- Glósóli
- Ný batterí *fav of show*
- Fljótavík *
- Við spilum endalaust *
- Hoppípolla *fav of show*
- Með blóðnasir
- Inní mér syngur vitleysingur *
- Svo Hljótt
- Heysátan
- E-bow – on setlist, not played
- Viðrar vel til loftárása – on setlist, not played
- Sæglópur
- Festival *
- Gobbledigook * *fav of show – confetti kaboom*
- encore: All Alright *
- Popplagið *fav of show*
* For pronunciations of the songs and album name from their most recent album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, go HERE (blog link with audio).
Overall, this was an amazing time. Every time I see Sigur Rós, I am blown away. This was their 2nd to last date on the North American tour (and their last date in the United States for this tour); so they’ve been getting a lot of practice lately. They were on top of their game, and put together an amazingly mesmerizing show
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/
- http://www.myspace.com/sigurros
- http://www.myspace.com/parachutesmakesongs (the opener)
- Sigur Rós @ NYC MoMA (46 minute pro-shot concert video)
- Official Video for “Gobbledigook” (1st single – video contains nudity)
- Official Video for “Inní mér syngur vitleysingur” (2nd single – from concert footage)
~Dan – recently played: Yoshie Fruchter – Pitom
SIGUR ROS CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
REVIEW: Branford Marsalis & Philarmonia Brasileira @ Hult Center (Eugene, OR – – 10/2/08)
I first got into (Grammy Award-winning saxophonist) Branford Marsalis when I sat through the 10-disc (20 hour) Ken Burns JAZZ documentary that I got from the University of Oregon Library. Let’s just say that I spent a lot of rainy spring weekends watching these discs and getting more into the roots of jazz when there wasn’t anything to do outside. Prior to this, my jazz experience was more on the avant-garde side of things (with John Zorn), with occasional listenings of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, et cetera. The JAZZ documentary series opened my eyes to many more beautiful jazz greats, both past on as well as those still alive and kicking.
Branford’s brother, trumpeter/band leader Wynton Marsalis, was prominently featured in that documentary as a historian of sorts as well as a leader in the current jazz movement. Branford also popped up in several spots. That set up my familiarity with the “Marsalis” name… then I started getting more into Wynton’s music, as well as picking up some Branford here and there. When I saw that Branford was coming to Eugene with a Brazilian music meets jazz concert – – well, I jumped at the tickets.
This was my first concert at the Hult Center (and thus the Silva Theater). I
t’s a very gorgeous facility, and I hope I can make it here for a Eugene Symphony Orchestra or other great show in the future. The Silva Theater at the Hult is similar to venues like the Aronoff in Cincinnati or the Palace in Columbus (i.e. – a great big, ornate concert hall). I also got to check out the Mayor’s Art Show at the Jacob Gallery. It had some great stuff in it, but alas, no jewelry art. I’m still wondering why my wife and her co-worker’s great pieces didn’t make it in the show.
The musical program for tonight was Branford and the Philarmonia Brasileira conducted by Gil Jardim, celebrating the music of Heitor Villa-Lobos 49 years after his death. It was Branford & the PB’s first show of the 40-day tour. They had met only the day (or two) prior. With that being said, it was unnoticeable. They were ON…
A Heitor Villa-Lobos celebration! Program
(the following was a change from the printed program – updates from the Hult Program Director)
- Philarmonia Brasileira only playing Abertura Concertante: dedicated to Aaron Copland (by Camargo Guarnieri)
- Philarmonia Brasileira joined by Branford Marsalis playing Fantasia for Saxophone (soprano) and piano or orchestra (1949 by Heitor Villa-Lobos) *a fave of the night*
i. Animé
ii. Lent
iii. Trés Animé
- La Creation du Monde, op 81 (1923 by Darius Mihaud)
i. Overture
ii. The Chaos Before Creation
iii. The slowly lifting darkness, the creation of trees, plants, insects, birds and beasts
iv. Man and woman created
v. The desire of man and woman
vi. The closing section (coda) the man and woman kiss
< < intermission > >
- Bachianas Brasileiras no 9 (1945 by Heitor Villa-Lobos)
i. Prelude: Vagaroso e mistico
ii. Fugue: Poco apressado - Scaramouche for Saxophone (alto) and Piano op. 165c (1937 by Darius Mihaud) *a fave of the night*
iii. Vif
iv. Modere
v. Brazileira - Bachianas Brasileiras no 5 (1938 by Heitor Villa-Lobos)
i. Aria (Cantilena)
ii. Dança (Martelo)
——————— - Encore #1 (title not given)
- Encore #2 (title not given)
The Philarmonia Brasileira was quite amazing. They swapped out members and instruments for each piece, and all 8 pieces of the night had a different feel. It was much more enjoyable than I was expecting (and I was expecting it to be quite enjoyable to start). Several of the pieces were a full orchestra, several were more string-oriented, some with piano & orchestra, one with just piano and Branford, and some with more of an exotica with Brazilian percussion. Branford was also quite great / amazing. This was definitely a more classical sax setting, but he did break loose in a more “jazz way” on the song with just him and piano. I hear he comes through often (from a Veg Club friend); so I hope to see him again in the future.
All in all = A-freakin-plus.
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Medeski Martin & Wood play John Zorn’s Masada Book Two – Zaebos
The Rest of the Branford Marsalis & Philarmonia Brasileira Tour
October 2008
03 – Seattle, WA – Benaroya Hall
05 – Stanford, CA – Stanford Memorial Hall
06 – Modesto, CA – Mary Stuart Rogers Theater
08 – San Bernardino, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium
09 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Christopher Cohan Center
10 – Los Angeles, CA – Royce Hall Auditorium/UCLA
11 – Orange County, CA – Segerstrom Concert Hall
13 – Santa Fe, NM – Lensic Theatre
14 – Albuquerque, NM – Popejoy Hall
16 – Lufkin, TX – Angelina Center for the Arts
18 – Fayetteville, AR – Walton Arts Center
19 – Overland Park, KS – Yardley Hall Carlsen Center
20 – Conway, AR – Reynolds Performance Hall
22 – Milwaukee, WI – The Kuttemperoor Auditorium
23 – Detroit, MI – Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
24 – Wheaton, IL – Edman Memorial Chapel
25 – Minneapolis, MN – Orchestra Hall
26 – Winona, MN – Winona Middle School Auditorium
28 – Storrs, CT – Jorgensen Auditorium
30 – Ithaca, NY – Bailey Hall Auditorium/Cornell
November 2008
01 – Bronx, NY – Lehman Center for the Performing Arts
02 – Stony Brook, NY – Staller Center for the Arts
05 – Newport News, VA – Ferguson Center for the Arts
06 – Durham, NC – Page Auditorium/Duke
07 – Rockville, MD – Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center
09 – Birmingham, AL – Stephens Center for the Performing Arts
The Roster for the Philarmonia Brasileira
Conductor
Gil Jardim
Violin
Esdras Silva
Cinthia Zanco
Daniel Stein
Flavio Meyer
Gilberto Paganini
Maria Brandào Neto
Natalia Visona
Paula Vazquez
Pedro Gobeth
Viola
Glesse Colleti
Mariana Jelen
Cello
Marisa Silveira
Ji Shim
Doublebass
Neimar Dias
Flute
Maria Carvalho
Clarissa Andrade
Clarinet
Marcos Junior
Marcelo Silverio
Bassoon
Erick Ariga
Horn
Michael Alpert
Flavio Faria
Oboe
Alexandre Ficarelli
Trumpet
Wellington dos Santos
Ismael Brandào Neto
Trombone
Sidnei Borgani
Piano
Nahim Marun Fo
Percussion
Vinicius Barros
Glaucia Vidal philharmonic filharmonia brasil brazil brazilian brasilian
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.
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
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!
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 
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
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):
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
REVIEW: Bill Mallonee of the Vigilantes of Love @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 7/14/08)
I showed up just as the opener, The Old Believers, was going on. Their first few songs were just a girl-n-guy folk thing. Later they added two friends (one on keys, one on bass). They branched out into a very fun, very catchy quirky folk ensemble. Great for fans of Sufjan Stevens or Daniel Smith (ie- Danielson Familie). They played right around 30-40 minutes. I gave all of my remaining cash to Bill Mallonee/Muriah Rose; otherwise I’d have picked up one of their CDs. Anyway, The Old Believers… GREAT STUFF. Formerly from Alaska, currently from Portland, OR. Check ’em out on MySpace… The Old Believers (not just Old Believers).
Bill Mallonee and his wife Muriah Rose came on around 10pm… and they played for about an hour (which was a good amount for a Monday night). This was my 9th time seeing Bill (sometimes with a band, Vigilantes of Love, sometimes solo, and sometimes as a solo artist with a band – not VOL). I’d primarily seen him in the Midwest (OH, KY, IL, IN). Probably my favorite time seeing him was on the 1999 Audible Sigh tour with Kenny Hutson on slide guitar and Jake Bradley on bass (and some fuzzy dude on drums, I’m forgetting his name). Anyway, last night’s show, while way stripped down, had a really good intimate feel. This is probably due to it being my first time seeing him with his wife play with him (she sang backing vocals and played keyboard). They had good chemistry, and they played a great mix of songs.
Oh, for any VOL-heads, there’s now a 4th version of Audible Sigh :) I didn’t pick it up, as I think I had everything from it (Room Despair -EP- plus demos from the AS sessions & maybe some live from the era). He sure knows how to milk that record, but at least it’s one of my fav Bill/VOL albums (along with Blister Soul, Welcome to Struggleville & Slow Dark Train). Heck, I have three different versions of the Audible Sigh album on my CD rack. :).
The setlist: (about an hour of tunes)
- Solar System (*great tune*)
- Goes Without Saying
- High and Lonesome
- Nothing Like a Train
- Bottoming Out
- Skin (**my fav of the night**)
- Bank (“unintentionally acoustic” after amp blew out unexpectedly… Bill came down into the crowd to finish the song off)
- Resplendent (*great tune*)
- Flowers
My only disappointment for the night? They didn’t play “Bearin’ the Load.” ;).
Well, great show. I hope he can make it back to Oregon again (from his home of Georgia). I won’t hold it against him if he doesn’t. That’s a lot of gas money. I’ll be grateful if he does make it back, though.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/billmallonee
- http://www.billmallonee.net/
- http://www.myspace.com/oldbelievers
- http://www.oldbelieversmusic.com/
- http://www.cozmicpizza.com/
Taking dead aim at preachers…
~Dan – np: R.E.M. – Accelerate
REVIEW: EARTH & Jesse Sykes @ W.O.W. Hall (Eugene, OR – – 6/23/08)
Prior to the show, I stopped by Cozmic Pizza for a chai muffin… two wonderful singer-songwriters were playing, Breanna Paletta and Justin Bennett. I caught a few of their songs (3-4). Great stuff. They’re from Portland. Maybe when I have more time, I’ll check out one of their full sets. OK, now on to the main event…
After some much stupid hesitance, I went to go see Earth at W.O.W. Hall last night. Much stupid hesitance in that… I won’t hesitate to go see Earth again. Holy rusted metal, Batman… they’re a great live band!
I hadn’t heard of Earth, the band, until last month when I went to see Stebmo (Earth’s keyboardist) open for Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio (review of that show here). Anyway, a possibly inaccurate Wikistory on Earth, the band… signed a million years ago to Sub Pop Records, and Dylan Carson (founder and linchpin to Earth) was a friend of Kurt Cobain. Kurt Cobain wrote Burger King jingles (or maybe he sold bicycles), I think. Anyway, Kurt hated Burger King (or bicycles), shot himself, and later Dylan bought the shotgun.
Side step to 2008… Earth are now spawn to several tribute bands (in style, not content) – – Sunn 0))) and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine (per Wiki). Their style is ambient, doom, drone, post-rock, or something of a mix of all of that. I’ve heard of Sunn 0))), dig ’em. Listened to some Earth, and didn’t like it with vocals, but loved it without vocals (clip below):
Then I decided to go to the show…
For a local club, I like W.O.W. Hall. I’ve seen a couple shows there this year. I hope to see more in the future. If anything, I like the fact that it’s a not-for-profit venture (they don’t seem to act like cacks like the clubs with bouncers and whatnot). The opener was Parade of Storms. I showed up a little late, but if they went on on-time, they played about 45 minutes. Fuzzy metal with keyboards. Pretty powerful wall-of-sound, and a very good group. The next to play was Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter. She also played around 45 minutes and was very good. Only a few songs were catchy/hooky, primarily she would fit into a dark americana rock meets singer-songwriter realm. The W.O.W. write-up called it country-noir. I suppose that fits.
Earth came on about 11:15. I stayed for the first hour (I don’t know how much beyond that they may have played. Here’s at least a partial set list:
- Omens and Portents II: Carrion Crow
- Hung from the Moon
- Engine of Ruin
- The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull (Stebmo played trombone at the beginning)
- Junkyard Priest
- …
After the first song, some wise-ass yelled out “slow it down.” I think most people got a good chuckle out of that. I did at least. :) Great hour of music… definitely drone rock / metal. Captivating, especially if you’re into ambient / drone instrumental music. As for the sound, I thought Earth had the best sound of the night. The drums (specifically) sounded pretty darn great. The band for last night’s show was Dylan Carlson on guitar, Steve Moore (Stebmo) on keyboards, Don McGreevy on bass, and Adrienne Davies on drums. Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell guests on three tracks of their 2008 release, The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull.
(photo from the band’s webpage)
GREAT SHOW!! Go see Earth, the band, if they come by your woods’ neck:
Jun 26 2008 Eagles Hall – Olympia, Washington
Jun 27 2008 Doug Fir – Portland, Oregon
Jun 28 2008 Tractor Tavern – Seattle, Washington
Jul 13 2008 Supersonic – Birmingham
Jul 14 2008 Whelans – Dublin
Jul 15 2008 Black Box – Belfast
Jul 16 2008 Stereo – Glasgow
Jul 17 2008 Scala – London
Jul 18 2008 Patronaat – Haarlem
Jul 19 2008 Cafe Glocksee – Hanover
Jul 20 2008 Dour Fest – Dour
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/earthofficial
- http://www.thronesanddominions.com/ (Earth’s non-Rupert Murdoch webpage)
- http://www.myspace.com/stebmo
- http://www.stebmo.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/jessesykes
- http://www.myspace.com/yersiniapestismusic (Parade of Storms MySpace)
- http://www.myspace.com/wowhalleugene
- http://www.wowhall.org/
they’re taking over
I don’t mean to make this a Sigur Rós-centric blog, but here’s Stereogum‘s great report from Bonnaroo 2008:
They (i.e. Barbara Streisand) say people who need people are the luckiest people. But you know who really are the luckiest people? People who have a ticket to see Sigur Rós this summer. It’s not that I haven’t seen ’em before, but it’s been 24 hours and I’m still paralyzed from the 1AM bliss fest of their set Saturday night in That Tent. Here’s why you should sell all your possessions to secure a ticket to see them right now:
- The current setlist is a catalog-spanning beast, showcasing hallmark moments from each of the band’s style shifts, from the dark and dank Ágætis byrjun, to the slowest-of-core unpronounceabilites of the ( ) stuff, to the triumphant Takkisms. (Saturday brought “Svefn-g-englar” [the “it’s you-oooo” song], “Njósnavélin” [the “yu-silo” song], “Olsen Olsen,” “Hoppípolla,” “Glósóli,” and non-album crowd fave “Hafsól” [the drumstick-on-the-bass song]).
- The Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust stuff crushes it live, comes with lots of horns, ups the band’s overall joy quotient, and really seems to have loosened them up, as people, even more. Last night these included “Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur,” “Godan Daginn,” “Vid Spilum Endalaust,” “Festival,” “All Alright” (the one in English!) and of course “Gobbledigook.”
- Umm, “Gobbledigook.” Which winds up having 12 people on stage (fully clothed, sorry), a drumline powered by amiina, confetti guns, and, most notably, a wildly grinning Jonsi.
- The mariachi band that parades the stage during “Sé Lest” has a pretty great outfit.
- They are the best band in the world.
Read the entire Stereogum Bonnaroo entry **HERE**, plus check out some YouTube videos from the show there as well…
~Dan – np: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog – Party Intellectuals
REVIEW: Bill Frisell, Eyvind Kang & Rudy Royston @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – – 6/7/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Last night was my first time seeing all three gentlemen: Bill Frisell, Eyvind Kang, and Rudy Royston. I hope it is not my last.
I’m a big fan of Eyvind from his work with Secret Chiefs 3, Mr. Bungle, solo works on Tzadik & Ipecac (and other indie avant labels). On the upper right of every page on this blog, I have a quote attributed to Eyvind Kang: “I believe that music should be grown on trees, to be plucked like a fruit without the extravagance of harvest.” There’s just something about jazz (and the show last night) where this is most appropriate. Sure, much of Bill Frisell’s music is structured, melodic, and hinting at a modicum of “harvest,” as it were. However, it definitely lives and breathes and is open for exploration within the structure.
Probably the best proof of this with regards to last night’s show was that Eyvind (viola) and Rudy (drums) had only met 4 or 5 hours prior to the show. This was the world premiere of the Frisell/Kang/Royston trio. Judging by how they played so well together, I would have thought they met at least 7 hours prior. ;) No, seriously, they seemed like long-time jam partners. It was great to see the immediacy of the musical “fruit plucking.”
The trio played just over 90 minutes straight-through (with one short break prior to an encore piece), probably anywhere between 6 or 8 pieces. They started with 5 minutes or so of experimental flexing, bordering on avant-garde. By the next piece, Bill Frisell began laying down the melodies that worked well with this trio setting. Many times Eyvind and Bill mirrored each other’s melodies, but Eyvind still was able to cut loose on his own. Rudy knew how to play subtly, but he did let loose a few times as well, especially near the end of their set.
I just got Bill’s new one (History, Mystery); so I don’t know if the songs were from that or not, or just base melodies with improvisation. The set as a whole was very melodic, yet explorative. At several times, Bill pulled out what I thought was an e-bow, but it ended up being a music box that he was playing near his guitar pickup then through an echoplex-type looping device. Very harmonic tones… which would have been intriguing to have gotten from using guitar harmonic picking and an e-bow… alas, I was wrong.
Odd note: again, this was my first time seeing Bill Frisell. Does he always avoid facing the audience? He seemed to be facing towards Eyvind the whole night (so slightly away from the crowd). I never saw his hands or the front of the guitar all night. Odd, but at least the sound was sublime.
This was Bill’s fourth show at The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts over the years. That’s a good indication that he’ll be back. To that I say, “yay!” I hope he brings Eyvind and Rudy with him.
The appropriate links:
- http://www.myspace.com/billfrisellofficial
- http://www.myspace.com/floratone (recent collab with Bill, Eyvind, Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine, et cetera)
- http://www.billfrisell.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/eyvindkangeyvind
- http://www.myspace.com/rudyroyston
- http://theshedd.org/
In completely unreleated to Frisell/Kang/Royston news, but posted here since I didn’t want to add another post to “the pile”… you can listen to Sigur Rós‘ upcoming album (Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust) streaming here before it comes out in a couple of weeks: medsud-dot
Enjoy!
~Dan – np: Ken Laster – Jazz & Beyond podcast (link)
FRISELL / KANG / ROYSTON PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
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REVIEW: JUDE Christodal @ Aladdin Theater (Portland, OR – – 6/6/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Before I begin… any tapers at the PDX show? If so, email me.
OK, well, I try to see Jude Christodal every time he comes by. Trouble is… the last time I saw him was at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN, around Memorial Day in 1999. That was, in fact, the first time I saw him, too. He was opening up for Ben Folds Five… and he blew me away (just as BFF did), and I went to Best Buy and bought his Maverick debut, No One Is Really Beautiful, the very next day.
Anyway, he’s now pretty much 100% independent in the U.S. (and on Naïve Records in France). Being from L.A. and on a French record label, he seems to either only tour the West Coast or France. He also writes for TV shows and whatnot… you, all, and everybody may have heard his song on LOST (the… um… pretty bad “poppy rock song” by the hobbit’s band) and his song on the City of Angels soundtrack (“I Do”)…
“You All Everybody” ain’t his normal fare, mind you. His normal fare is oft-dramatic, oft-comedic, oft-falsetto, oft-witty, oft-poetic singer-songwriter extraordinaire. He’s on the short list* of acoustic singer-songwriters who’ve broken through this metal heart… in short, Jude rocks. If you haven’t heard him, you’re doing yourself an injustice, IMO.
*-others on the singer-songwriter shortlist: Elliott Smith, Peter Mulvey, Glen Phillips, Sufjan Stevens,… and some Cincinnati locals like Ash, Ryan, Jason, Kim, Kelly…
Living in the Midwest up until last fall, I didn’t get a chance to see him again… until last night. I made the ~2 hour drive up to Portland from Eugene last night to the lovely Aladdin Theater (SE side of PDX). It’s a quaint old movie or play house… old, but still cute… not in total disrepair like many of these types of venues I’ve witnessed. Great concessions, too… goat cheese, mushroom & sundried tomato pizza and Fat Tire Amber, Deschutes Mirror Pond & Pyramid heff on tap (score!).
The opener, Ryan Andrew (from Castella), was good. He didn’t get warmed up himself until about the third song. Good voice and interesting songs. He played about 30 minutes, which consisted of:
- I Ain’t Comin’ Home Tonight
- It Hurts Like Hell
- The Only One (fav of set)
- When She’s Gone (guessing on name)
- Wonderwall (great version of Oasis tune… another fav of the set)
- The First Time
JUDE came on just after 9pm, and played with basically no break until about 11:15 and then came back out for a 4 song encore, wrapping up around 11:30… two and a half hours of quality Jude…
One of the funniest things (and there were many) was a girl named Molly brought up a sequined duck to the stage as a gift for Jude. “The prettiest thing a stripper ever owned,” gasped Jude. Then he quickly back-peddled, as to not seem unappreciative. “I mean at some point the dresses don’t fit anymore… I’m gonna sequin ducks.” He even serenaded it with a song later in the night (see pics below).
The crowd was very lively / rowdy / talkative / chatty / request-y. Jude fulfilled most of the requests. Some, though, he just couldn’t remember (his own “Charlie” and the chords to Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy“). He played over 30 songs, 2.5 hours, great concert all around. He also had many crowd interactive sing-a-longs. The best was the “drunk singing choir” for “Everything’s Alright.” It was hilarious… because it was true.
“The Minnesota people” were a bit too loud, but eh… it was all fun.
Oh, and Jude mentioned that the long-promised Cuba CD is on its way. Finally!! Apparently, it’s already done, in the can, what have you…
Here’s what he played:
- Out of L.A.
- I’m Sorry Now
- Mayfair Market
- Indian Lover (here’s where the duck was gifted)
- Break Up Song
- Run to My Room
- Rick James
- I Know (one of the best songs of the long night)
- In Between
- I Do
- Distance contest: Eastern Washington was the winner after a few disqualifications… namely Detroit (Oregon) and Minnesota (moved here from, not travel for show)
- Gay Cowboy (he wrote this before Brokeback Mountain… but check out this unofficial video)
- Prophet
- toying with “Crazy“
- Brad and Suzy
- Everything’s Alright (I Think It’s Time)
- Black Superman
- The Asshole Song
- Baby Ruth in Atlanta
- You Mama You
- Madonna (another one of the best songs of the long night)
- Love Letters / Ain’t No Sunshine (or maybe Love, Love, Love / Ain’t No Sunshine… or maybe all 3 songs…)
- Calling All Friends
- End of My Rainbow
- Cuba
- Fallen Angel (aka Fly Again)
- Money
- Your Eyes
- Encore: On the Dance Floor
- I Want a Duck (improv)
- Paper Towel
- Taking More and Giving Less
Note: I’ve got some pics from the show at the bottom of this blog post. Some of them are “artistic” (meaning: fuzzy).
Go check out his music on iTunes, Amazon… or CDBaby (you can sample songs there, too). My fav albums of his (though all are good) are Sarah (4th album, blue cover) and No One Is Really Beautiful (2nd album, greenish cover).
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.judemusic.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/judechristodal
- http://cdbaby.com/cd/jude2
- http://www.naive.fr/
- http://www.myspace.com/ryanandrewsmusic
- http://www.officialcastellaband.com/
- http://www.aladdin-theater.com/
I’m going to the Bill Frisell & Eyvind Kang show tonight in Eugene (I’m stoked)… that’s all for now…
professional teller machine user,
~Dan
np: Various Artists – You Gan’t Boar Like an Eabla When You Work With Turkrys
JUDE CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger on photos below)
OK, judefuzz04 isn’t my photo… ::blush::
REVIEW: Stebmo & Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – – 5/31/08)
Well, last night started out with a stuffed helping of veg food from our mostly monthly Veggie Supper Club here in Eugene. No FBI agents were in attendance… or were they… hmmm… we made biscotti, sweet potato gnocchi with mondo bizarro sauce. They was also fine wine, eggplant tapenade, flatbread pizzas, a nice chard dish, polenta lasagna, and a freakin’ amazing chocolate dessert. Oh no, my stomach a’splode!
Anyway, I hobbled/waddled over to Sam Bond’s Garage for a night of jazz afterwards. Good thing I was full, too… Sam Bond’s got some killer veggie grub (surprisingly killer for bar food). Before the show I picked up Stebmo’s self-titled CD (with Eyvind Kang, Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine, Todd Sickafoose, etc) and one of Skerik’s CDs (with Eyvind Kang, Tim Young, etc). Skerik, running the merch at that time, noticed my Secret Chiefs 3 shirt. \m/
Stebmo (aka Steve Moore) started the night around 10pm. I had heard some of his samples from CDBaby; so I knew a little about his sound. Apparently he’s also played in recent live versions of Sunn O))) & worked with Sufjan Stevens & Bill Frisell… or so says his bio. Though he also plays trombone, his set was comprised of keyboards and electronics/loops. He played 40 minutes and had a good mix of experimental and groove-oriented pieces. Perhaps a bit like the organic/melodic elements of the Album Leaf mixed with the building nature of an Explosions in the Sky set mixed with a heaping handful of electronic jots & tittles like those that may have hit the Kid A cutting room floor. I found his set thoroughly enjoyable, as did most of the packed house (80-100 people is my guess).
Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio is Skerik on tenor sax (from Seattle), Brian Coogan on Hammond B-3 Organ & Simon Lott on drums/trumpet (both from Baton Rouge). I’ve heard of Skerik many times via various NYC downtown scene musicians. The Trio went on around 11pm… I stayed for over an hour of their set (12:15am or so). I wish I could have stayed, but I was BEAT.
Anyway, they started out in the experimental / free jazz realm, but didn’t stay there the whole night. Their set was a plethora of sounds… much of it very groove oriented (probably due to the Hammond B-3 throughout). They seemed to be having fun playing together, too – – which ain’t bad to see. :)
Simon (on drums) was fun to watch… he worked well in both the groove and grooveless/experimental compositions. He also pulled out a tiny trumpet for one of the songs which mixed well with Skerik’s sax. Skerik’s sax sound was nice a full (I guess I’m more familiar with alto sax), and he (again) played a good mix of groove and free jazz. On one of the songs he played what I think was a talk box through his sax which was unique to my concert going experiences thus far. Many a guitar talk box, but nary a sax talk box. Fun stuff…
(not from last night’s show)
Great show! I’m glad they stopped by, and I hope they stop by again in some form or another.
Where they’re heading next?
Jun 3 2008 Lion’s Lair [Stebmo opens] Denver, Colorado
Jun 4 2008 Trilogy Wine Bar [Stebmo opens] Boulder, Colorado
Jun 5 2008 Aggie Theatre [Stebmo opens] Fort Collins, Colorado
Jun 6 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (Fly Me to the Moon Saloon) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 7 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (McCoy Tyner Stage) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 7 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (Fly Me to the Moon Saloon) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 10 2008 The Mint [opening for Rebirth Brass Band] Los Angeles, California
Jun 11 2008 The Mint [opening for Rebirth Brass Band] Los Angeles, California
Jun 12 2008 Kuumbwa Jazz Center [Stebmo/Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3) also on bill] Santa Cruz, California
Jun 13 2008 Boom Boom Room [Stebmo opens] San Francisco, California
Jun 14 2008 Hopmonk Brewery [Stebmo opens] Sebastopol, California
Jun 15 2008 Red Fox Tavern [Stebmo opens] Eureka, California
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/43304272 (Skerik)
- http://www.myspace.com/maelstromtrio
- http://www.myspace.com/syncopatedtaint
- http://crittersbuggin.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/stebmo
- http://www.stebmo.com/
- http://sambonds.com/
Upcoming shows: Or Not to Be (Hamlet Zombies), Jude Christodal in PDX, Bill Frisell/Eyvind Kang/Royston in Eugene… and maybe a JoFederigo jazz show (I’ve got a free dessert coupon; so why not?)…
~Dan – pp: The Book Show – Episode 14 with Richard Dawkins
np: Bar Kokhba Sextet – Masada Book Two: Lucifer
PS- this was posted to Skerik’s MySpace:
“Kickin it with Origami Barack Mandela!! from Tomo in Eugene!!“
mini-REVIEW: Michael Franti & Spearhead @ the Cuthbert Amphitheater (Eugene, OR – – 5/24/08)
WOW! Fantastic show at the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Eugene, OR, last night… it was beautiful day, then it rained for the show… but it was a BLAST!
Openers: Lilla D’Mone Trio with My G – great musicianship in a hip-hop, funk soul rock realm. The lyrics were a little lacking in my opinion… they seemed to mean well but fall short. Alas, it’s probably why I gravitate to more instrumental bands anyway. Good pop lyricists are too few and far between. If I had to grade ’em… a B. Blue Scholars – a DJ & MC duo from Seattle. They were good, but I spent most of their set in the long and slow coffee line. Hmph. What I heard, I enjoyed (B+). The Coup – they were a very good act. Sort of a rap funk rock thing going on. Played for an hour, very enjoyable (solid A). Too many openers for my taste, but they were pretty good (all things considered).
Michael Franti and Spearhead put on a GREAT show. I had never heard them outside of their samples on MySpace, but my wife (and her boss) wanted to go… and the vibe I heard was good; so what the heck. Anyway, amazing show… good mix of rock, reggae, and hip-hop. I didn’t know the names of the songs, but I liked ’em… and even in the rain, it didn’t stop people from dancing in the aisles (and on the chairs). Oh, he did play a song I knew… Nirvana‘s “Come As You Are.”
I’m a fan of his music now… great stuff.
The Appropriate Linkage:
mini-REVIEW: Midnight Serenaders @ Cuthbert Amphitheater (Eugene, OR – – 5/18/08)
It was a little bit cooler today than yesterday… so I decided to head out for some FREE music at the Willamette Valley Music Festival at Cuthbert Amphitheater (near Autzen Stadium & Alton Baker Park in Eugene, OR).
I was really going to see one band… I had heard them previously on their MySpace page, and they struck my fancy… they were Midnight Serenaders from Portland. They’re a hoppin’ sextet made up of ukulele/vocals, guitar/vocals, hawaiian steel slide guitar, upright bass, trumpet, and clarinet/saxophone.
They played about 45 minutes of ’20s & ’30s speakeasy-type tunes (some covers / some originals). Fun stuff, kinda like the Ditty Bops (to give you a frame of reference). Songs I know they played…
- Dirt Dishin’ Daisy
- Everybody Loves My Baby
- You Gotta Give Me Some
- The World’s Jazz Crazy
Some of the songs were kinda naughty… teehee… the little kids in the audience probably were wondering why the lady kept going to the butcher to get some more of his meat… oh my.
Anyway, they put on an enjoyable set… great fun tunes and great musicianship. I hope they come through here again soon!
Check ’em out…
http://www.midnightserenaders.com/
http://www.myspace.com/midnightserenaders
http://cdbaby.com/cd/mserenaders
~Dan – np: Richard Dawkins – The Lava Lizard’s Tale
REVIEW: Peter Mulvey & Patty Larkin @ W.O.W. Hall (Eugene, OR – – 5/1/08)
This was my fourteenth (14th) time seeing Peter Mulvey play… and I never get tired of his great guitar style, funny story-telling, and strong-yet-unassuming voice. Last night’s show was no exception to the “never get tired” statement. He’s a treat, and I’m glad he makes it to Eugene occasionally…
* If Love Is Not Enough (complete with Hall and Oates & KC and the Sunshine Band snippets)
* Black Rabbit (aka “The Milkmaid’s Buxom Nephew“ ;-) it’s a gorgeous solo guitar piece originally on his 1992 release Brother Rabbit Speaks… see YouTube video below…)
* The Knuckleball Suite (makes my wife & I want to kick back some Sandeman Port… delish…)
* Dynamite Bill *new* (nice guitarwork and classic Mulvey low-end)
* Shirt (a personal fav)
* Mailman *new* (written for Chris Pureka who sent him a book of poems)
* Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (and Faraway from Home) (another personal fav)
The story leading up to “Sad, Sad…” was about his experience of playing inside of a cave in West Virginia for 100 high-school science geniuses (genii?). I’d never heard that story… wild stuff. I wonder how he got that gig?
After a short break, Patty Larkin came on. I hadn’t heard her before this show.. Peter was the main reason to get a ticket. Anyway, Patty didn’t disappoint either. She’s got a great guitar style… not the usual singer-songwriter style. She knows how to play “more than just a few chords.” I don’t know any of her songs, but they were interesting, usually storytelling pieces. She played a little over an hour, and she was thoroughly enjoying. She hails from Boston, MA; but actually went to the University of Oregon (here in Eugene) for her undergrad studies. Go Ducks!
Peter Mulvey came on a played backing guitars for one of her songs, too. Oh, and she “pulled a Jónsi” later in her set… playing her guitar with a bow…
Great stuff all around…
The Appropriate Linkage:
http://www.petermulvey.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pattylarkinofficial
http://www.pattylarkin.com/
http://www.wowhall.org/
The Trouble with Puppies… is they lick too much…
~Dan – np: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey – Lil’ Tae Rides Again
I also found the video for “Shirt”
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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