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SETLIST: David Bazan @ Gutenberg College (Eugene, OR – 4/24/13)
David Bazan is off on another jaunt of a 40+ house concert tour. Last night’s show at the McKenzie Study Center at Gutenberg College wasn’t technically a “house,” but it still had that living room feel.
He showed up a tad late, but after quickly setting up, he entertained a few questions and then kicked into his set…
Setlist: about 75 minutes
- Q&A #1
- Hot Girls [Headphones]
- Fewer Broken Pieces
- Big Trucks [Pedro the Lion]
- Man In Me [Bob Dylan]
- Q&A #2
- “I write it down for what it’s worth” [new song, no title mentioned]
- Hard To Be
- Virginia
- Shit Talker [Headphones]
- Q&A #3
- Wolves At The Door
- Selling Advertising
- Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives [Pedro the Lion]
- Q&A #4
- The Fleecing [Pedro the Lion]
- Cold Beer and Cigarettes
- Q&A #5
- Strange Negotiations
No Encore
Some Bazan-related news…
1) His newest side-project Overseas is up for pre-order now. If you pre-order it, you get a download of the full album immediately. I got it a couple weeks ago, and I dig it. Overseas is David Bazan, Will Johnson, Matt Kadane and Bubba Kadane…. and in the 2nd Q&A I asked if they were going to tour. He said that they will likely do a limited set of dates: a few Texas dates, New York area dates, and then a limited West Coast run (LA, SF, Portland, Seattle).
2) On this tour, though he didn’t have them available last night, is a art print that comes with a download code for a Covers EP. He didn’t have them last night, but noted that we could buy it online (soon) without shipping fees. He should have them soon on some of the other dates on this tour. He mentioned the Bob Dylan cover, Radiohead’s “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box,” and a few others will be included.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- David Bazan’s Site
- David Bazan’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- House Show (Portland, OR – Feb 2012)
- Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – Dec 2011)
- House Show (Eugene, OR – Sep 2011)
- Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – Mar 2010)
- Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – Nov 2009)
- House Show (Eugene, OR – Jul 2009)
- The Indigo (Eugene, OR – Dec 2007)
This was his second date of this tour… check out more tour dates below (sorry, many are already sold out).
Next show for me… Infected Mushroom at McDonald Theater (4/25).
~Dan – np: Pet Bottle Ningen – Non-Recyclable
David Bazan – Spring 2013 House Show Tour
04/23/13 Tue – Portland OR – SOLD OUT
04/24/13 Wed – Eugene OR – SOLD OUT
04/25/13 Thu – Redding CA
04/26/13 Fri – Sacramento CA – SOLD OUT
04/27/13 Sat – San Francisco CA – SOLD OUT
04/28/13 Sun – Hollister CA
04/29/13 Mon – OFF
04/30/13 Tue – Los Angeles CA – SOLD OUT
05/01/13 Wed – Costa Mesa CA – SOLD OUT
05/02/13 Thu – Riverside CA – SOLD OUT
05/03/13 Fri – San Diego CA – SOLD OUT
05/04/13 Sat – Tucson AZ – SOLD OUT
05/05/13 Sun – Phoenix AZ – SOLD OUT
05/06/13 Mon – OFF
05/07/13 Tue – Graham TX
05/08/13 Wed – San Antonio TX – SOLD OUT
05/09/13 Thu – Houston TX – SOLD OUT
05/10/13 Fri – Baton Rouge LA
05/11/13 Sat – New Orleans LA – SOLD OUT
05/12/13 Sun – OFF
05/13/13 Mon – Orlando FL – SOLD OUT
05/14/13 Tue – Jacksonville FL – SOLD OUT
05/15/13 Wed – Augusta GA – SOLD OUT
05/16/13 Thu – Atlanta GA – SOLD OUT
05/17/13 Fri – Columbus GA
05/18/13 Sat – Birmingham AL – SOLD OUT
05/19/13 Sun – Memphis TN
05/20/13 Mon – OFF
05/21/13 Tue – St Louis MO – SOLD OUT
05/22/13 Wed – Kansas City MO – SOLD OUT
05/23/13 Thu – Tulsa OK – SOLD OUT
05/24/13 Fri – Oklahoma City OK – SOLD OUT
05/25/13 Sat – Lubbock TX
05/26/13 Sun – Los Alamos NM
05/27/13 Mon – Prescott AZ
05/28/13 Tue – Las Vegas NV
05/29/13 Wed – OFF
05/30/13 Thu – Davis CA
05/31/13 Fri – Chico CA – SOLD OUT
06/01/13 Sat – Phoenix OR (Medford)
06/02/13 Sun – Portland OR – SOLD OUT
Call for Entries – Concert Photos and Poster & Album Art Show (U.Oregon)
Sorry for the late announcement, as the deadline approaches… but…
Concert Images – Call for Entries:
Seeking photography that features live music performance, musicians, music festivals or concerts for exhibit in the Aperture Gallery located in the Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon.
The exhibit, which runs 5/8/2013 – 5/19/2013, will coincide with the Willamette Valley Music Festival May 11, 2013.
Please submit up to five (5) .jpg images, with original dimensions, for consideration to gallery@uoregon.edu by 4/25/2013.
Poster and Album Art Show – Call for Entries:
West Coast Gig – Independent Music Poster and Album Art Exhibition 5/10 – 5/22
Seeking independent album art and concert posters from west coast bands, promoters or venues from 1990 and later for an exhibit at the Buzz Coffeehouse Gallery in the Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon.
Please submit pdf or jpg images of posters, with original dimensions, to gallery@uoregon.edu by 4/25/2013
Accepted works will be reproduced and installed by the UO Cultural Forum during the Willamette Valley Music Festival May 11, 2013, in the Buzz Pub Stage Area.
The exhibit will run 5/10/2013 – 5/22/2013
October 2012 Oregon concert recap
I feel so bad for not blogging as much this past month or so… busy at work and in real life. I have still gone to quite a bit of shows, especially in October – Aimee Mann, Nellie McKay twice, Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst three times, and Dan Deacon, I snapped a few iPhone shots (sorry for lower quality). I tracked most of the setlists, too. So, here’s a quick run-down.
Aimee Mann @ the Aladdin Theater, Portland, Oregon (Tu 10/2)
Aimee Mann put on a great show, a good mix of old tunes and ones from her brand new album, Charmer. Here’s what she played – 10/2 setlist. This was my second time seeing her, and I was not disappointed. She’s charming, smiles much more than her songs lead on, and is quite the jokester.
Nellie McKay @ the Shedd, Eugene, Oregon (Wed 10/10)
Nellie McKay @ the Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/11)
Two shows, back-to-back seems to be a habit for me when Nellie McKay swings through Oregon. The shows were fairly similar (Eugene setlist / Portland setlist) save for a few changes in songs. Both shows were great. She seemed for relaxed and vocally on-point in Eugene. In Portland, she had a few lyrical miss-steps, but she was as charming as ever. Any time she comes through, I’m excited to see her. No news on another album, yet (her last was 2010’s Home Sweet Mobile Home).
Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ the Majestic Theatre, Corvallis, Oregon (Wed 10/17)
Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ the Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/18)
Peter Mulvey & Kris Delmhorst @ Tsunami Books, Eugene, Oregon (Fri 10/19)
Three shows, not one the same. Another artist I see every time he comes through, Peter Mulvey, brought his long-time musical friend Kris Delmhorst (wife of another singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault). The three of them are in a band Redbird with guitarist David Goodrich. Well, this Fall 2012 west coast jaunt was just Peter & Kris, doing a switch-off storyteller-type show. All of the shows were two sets, split with a short intermission. Peter changed up his set fairly well, and Kris mixed hers up some as well (Corvallis setlist / Portland setlist / Eugene setlist). I only had a few of her albums before this tour, but at the final show, I had to rectify that and pick up the rest of the catalog. It seemed based on their new material and various discussions that they were both working on new albums… for 2013?
Dan Deacon @ Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon (Th 10/25)
The openers were also odd (TEDtalk-styled humor from Alan Resnick), bombastic (two-piece rock powerhouse Chester Endersby), and truly enlightening (rock/rap from Height with Friends). For Dan Deacon‘s set, he played a lot from his latest album, America. This show was intense and amazing. He has an amazing way of getting people to step out of their shells. At one point, Dan was going to have us do a arm tunnel outside the venue (something he does at most of his shows). The bouncer and club management wouldn’t let him… so he complied and said,” we’ll just do something far more dangerous.” With a wide circle, he started with one guy running around, and with every revolution, he would bring one more person in to run around… 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, … after a very short time the entire audience was running in a circle… I had to pull myself out of it and grab some water… It was a very sweaty, dancey, fun-as-hell show. Truly inspiring how the seeming group of outcasts becomes a group of like-minded lovers of life.
I’ll try to do a better job of consistent concert reviews going forward, time permitting. A couple shows for me this week: The Dead Kenny G’s (Skerik, Matt Dillon etc) on 11/15 @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene) and Over the Rhine on 11/17 @ the Triple Door (Seattle).
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – Silver & Gold (Songs For Christmas) Vol. VI: Gloria!
PHOTOS & SETLIST: “Weird Al” Yankovic @ Lane County Fair (Eugene, OR – 8/17/12)
What to say about “Weird Al” Yankovic? Stunning musicians, crazy stamina, insane costume change schedule, immaculate performer! Here’s what he played a glimpse at his costuming for his recent show at the Lane County Fair in Eugene last Saturday…
Setlist: about 90 minutes
- Polka Face
- TMZ
- Interview w Eminem (video)
- Smells Like Nirvana
- Interview w Uma Thurman (video)
- Party in the CIA
- Weird Al movie trailer (video)
- Huge Medley:
- Beverly Hillbillies
- You Can Have Whatever You Like
- Tattoo
- eBay
- I Want a New Duck
- Rye or the Kaiser
- Spam
- My Bologna
- Spider-Man
- Lasagna
- Eat It
- Interview w Rob Pattinson (video)
- Amish Paradise
- Interview w Megan Fox (video)
- Craig’s List
- 30 Rock ending credits/Titanic (video)
- Perform This Way
- Interview w Jeff Bridges (video)
- White & Nerdy
- Dirt PSA (video)
- Fat
- Encore: The Saga Begins
- The Addams Family (intro on keys only)
- Yoda (with “Grim Grinning Ghosts” & Hawaiian War Chant)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Weird Al’s Site
- Weird Al’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Lane County Fair’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Pojama People (Frank Zappa cover band) with Ike Willis on vocals (!) at WOW Hall (8/31).
REVIEW: Levi Weaver @ House Show (Eugene, OR – 7/16/12)
How did I get into Nashville-based singer-songwriter Levi Weaver?
Well, um… is “Yahoo! fantasy baseball league via twitter” a valid explanation? Well, it’s how it went down. After following him, he had posted something about his documentary String Theory, then I sent him a “hey next time you’re in Oregon let me know” message, and then he sent me a “well actually” message… and the rest is history.
This was only my 3rd house show to host and/or coordinate (Susan Enan & Peter Mulvey being the other two), but it went smoothly. Levi is a delight to work with, and he’s a true professional. He’s still in the midst of shooting the String Theory doc; so he had a two-person crew with him.
A little sparser attendance than I was going for due to being the Monday right after Oregon Country Fair, we still had a decent turnout for Levi’s lovely set. I’m still getting familiar with his music, but from his hour-long set he started with “String Theory” (on mandolin) then Radiohead’s “Idioteque” (with plenty of loops, bowed guitar and effects).
After my post-show delving into his music, other tunes played were: You Are Home, Which Drink?, Good From Evil, We’re Tornadoes When We Dance, Spirit First (I think?) and a few more. Here are some shots from the show… I had front row couch seats… (click for larger)
He has tons of fantastic music out there. Check it out on bandcamp (links below), support indie music, check him out when he swings by your town, and enjoy!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Levi Weaver’s Site
- Levi Weaver’s Social Media Links (see below)
- String Theory Documentary Site
- String Theory Doc Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Bad Mitten Orchestre at WOW Hall on 7/21.
~Dan – np: Tin Hat & e.e. cummings – the rain is a handsome animal
Double-REVIEW: Beck @ Les Schwab (Bend, OR – 5/27/12) and Jack White @ the Hult (Eugene, OR – 5/28/12)
It was a long Memorial Day weekend. But it was a musically fruitful weekend. I could have made it more fruitful by adding The Shins / Blind Pilot / Head and the Heart as well as the Tenacious D shows on Friday and Saturday in Bend, respectively; alas, I needed to save some time and energy for Beck in Bend on Sunday and Jack White in Eugene on Monday. It was still quite a great full weekend for my ears!
I had never seen either Beck or Jack White in concert. I was familiar with Beck’s music fairly well… having all of his stuff. I was completely unfamiliar with Jack White’s music – outside of some of the White Stripes and Raconteurs that I’d heard. Needless to say, I was equally excited about both shows.
Beck in Bend was the tail-end of a nice “Bend Ale Trail” weekend for me… sampling some new places for me: 10 Barrel Brewing & Good Life Brewing. Both highly recommended for their beer and their food! Bend also had some lovely weather and some odd rainbows in the clouds…
(not photoshopped… photo taken near Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR)
Metric was Beck’s opener… the Toronto indie rock quartet ripped through a dancey hour-long set. Their fifth album, Synthetica, comes out on June 12, 2012. If the way they had the Bend audience going is any indication, the new album should be a crowd pleaser as well.
Beck went on after a short set break… kicking the show off right with some Odelay goodness by way of “Devil’s Haircut.”
Among his two-hour long set, he bounced around his back and “recent” catalog (2008’s Modern Guilt) fairly well. Every era got some great representation. As mentioned, I had never seen him live before. I was pleasantly surprised with the great mix, especially the songs off of Sea Change…
Beck’s Setlist: about 2 hours
- Devil’s Haircut
- Loser
- Black Tambourine
- Soul of a Man
- Hotwax
- Sissyneck
- The Golden Age
- Lost Cause
- Sunday Sun
- Think I’m In Love
- The New Pollution
- Modern Guilt
- Paper Tiger
- “Song for Bend” [Improv]
- End of the Day
- Tropicalia [partial]
- Jack-Ass
- Gamma Ray
- Minus
- Girl
- Where It’s At
- Encore: Soldier Jane
- Looking Back
- Mutherfuker
- E-Pro
Next, on to Eugene…
I missed Jack White’s opener, Quasi. I’d heard of them before, and would have liked to have seen the show (I like Sam Coomes work with Elliott Smith). Alas, driving back from Bend and personal commitments made it so we skated into the venue right as Quasi was ending their set… d’oh!
Jack White’s show… what to say, what to say? Professional, yet muddy. Loud, yet not necessary. Thoroughly energetic, yet confusing. Quite enjoyable, yet painful.
The man writes hooky songs, and plays guitar and piano very well… yet, the sound was cranked through the roof. It lost so many of the lushness and subtlety that I think would have been suited for this show at the Hult Center.
Another thing that can’t go without mentioning, the “III” imagery abounding. Sure, rockstars should have iconic imagery. But a suffix namesake seems like an odd thing to so vehemently brand… unless you’re branding your ego or something.
Several times it seemed as if Eugene wasn’t stroking his ego enough… he quipped that if we didn’t want, they didn’t have to come back out (after their 45 minute initial set). He tried to get the crowd to do a sing-a-long on one song, but it seemed as if the song had ended already, and it was more of a confusing thing (or so it seemed to me).
The loudness, was, again… unnecessary. Fantastic musicianship and seemingly intricate things going on with fantastic players… completely lost in the brash, feedback-induced sound cloud. So many subtleties lost. So many subtleties lost.
Jack White’s Setlist: two sets, ~45 mins & ~35 mins
- Set 1: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground [The White Stripes]
- Missing Pieces
- Sixteen Saltines
- Love Interruption
- Cannon/300 Pounds of Joy [Howlin’ Wolf]
- You Know That I Know [Hank Williams]
- Hotel Yorba [The White Stripes]
- Weep Themselves to Sleep
- We’re Going to Be Friends [The White Stripes]
- Blunderbuss
- I Cut Like A Buffalo [The Dead Weather]
- Steady as She Goes [The Raconteurs]
- Set 2: Freedom At 21
- Trash Tongue Talker
- I’m Slowly Turning Into You [The White Stripes]
- Carolina Drama [The Raconteurs]
- Seven Nation Army [The White Stripes]
- Goodnight, Irene [Lead Belly]
(pro photos from Eugene will be posted at jwiii.com)
The bottom line… I really enjoyed the Jack White show. The flaws that I saw in the show are totally fixable. Who am I to say what he should do anyhow? :) I’m just thinking that something that shows off his musical chops, his writing prowess, his voice, his players, and his songs at the forefront – not clouded by sheer volume – could have been far, far, FAR more enjoyable… and probably far, far, far more enjoyable to more to others (not just me).
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Beck’s Site
- Beck’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Metric’s Site
- Metric’s Facebook / MySpace / Twitter
- Les Schwab Amphitheater’s Site / Facebook / Twitter1 / Twitter2
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
- Jack White’s Site
- Jack White 2012 Tour Photos by Jo McCaughey
- Jack White’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Quasi’s Site
- Quasi’s Facebook / MySpace
- The Hult’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Emily Wells @ WOW Hall on 6/3.
RECIPE: Carrotcake Cupcakes with Ninkasi double-IPA buttercream frosting
A blogpost by Eugene-Oregon bottle shop & taphouse Sixteen Tons recently mentioned the great flavor combination of carrot cake and India Pale Ale. I immediately exclaimed, “by golly (radio edit)… I’m going to make some carrot cake IPA combo… somehow!!” And thus this recipe was born…
Ginger Carrot-cake Cupcakes
.
with IPA buttercream frosting
…
Cupcake Ingredients:
makes about 12 cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups peeled, grated carrots
- 2 tsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
Frosting Ingredients:
makes about 12 cupcakes
- 2/3 cup Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA (or any other hoppy beer of your choosing)
- 4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 12 oz. low-fat cream cheese, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- candied ginger for garnish
Steps:
Cupcakes~
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Insert 12 cupcake liners into a 12-muffin tin.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves.
- In a large bowl, stir together granulated sugar, unsweetened applesauce, and canola oil until thoroughly combined. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add grated carrots and grated fresh ginger. Stir to combine.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each liner about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting~
- In a saucepan, add the IPA and place over LOW-medium heat. Reduce the beer by half (until it measures approximately 1/3 cup). It will be a darker caramel color from the original beer.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the cream cheese and butter. Beat with a whisk attachment until light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar and beer reduction. Whip again until fully combined, and the finished product is light and fluffy.
- Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour.
- If the frosting seems too thin when you remove from the fridge, add more powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches desired consistency.
- Frost when the cakes are at room temperature and garnish with candied ginger.
Enjoy!
Seeing as Ninkasi Tricerahops comes in a 22oz bottle, you still have about a pints-worth of the beer to pair with a cupcake… well, if you didn’t drink it while you were baking.
Speaking of cupcakes…
Just around the corner is the 2nd annual Eugene Beer Week, and one of the events on Thursday, May 10th is a beer & cupcake tasting (FB event). Join 16 Tons and Divine Cupcake at the Supreme Bean Coffee Company (2864 Willamette, Eugene, OR 97405) for this unique event. They’ll be serving up 5 different pairings with Divine Cupcakes and a great flight of specialty beers:
- Boneyard’s Hop Venom IPA with IPA frosting carrotcake
- Widmer’s Imperial Stout with Death by Chocolate
- Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Ale with Salted Caramel
- Elysian’s Avatar Jasmine IPA with Tao of Green (matcha green tea cake)
- Elysian’s The Peste Chocolate Chili Beer with The Swizzle (Mexican Chocolate Cake)
Cupcakes served 5:30pm-10pm on Thursday, May 10th. Free Entry, $3 per 3oz Beer + Mini Cupcake. Free Widmer Glass to first 60 people. Full Food, Beer, Wine, and Coffee Menu offered. All ages welcome.
Bon appetit!
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes at THIS LINK. For specific “cooking with beer” links, go here:
PHOTOS: Skerik’s Bandalabra @ Cozmic (Eugene, OR – 3/20/12)
Seattle-based jazz/groove saxophonist Skerik brought his new band Bandalabra through Eugene’s Cozmic Pizza on their debut tour / West Coast CD release. The quartet made up of Skerik (sax), Dvonne Lewis (drums), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass), and Andy Coe (guitar) played two sets (over two hours) full of loops, noises, experimentation, funk, jazz and groove. Their debut CD, Live at the Royal Room, can be purchased at shows and probably soon via Skerik’s website.
SKERIK’S BANDALABRA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Skerik’s Critter’s Buggin’ Site (no official Bandalabra site yet)
- Skerik’s Bandalabra on Facebook
- Skerik on Twitter
- My Other Related Reviews~
- The Dead Kenny G’s @ Mt Tabor Theatre (Portland – Oct 2010)
- McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – July 2009)
- McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – Oct 2008)
- Maelstrom Trio @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene – May 2008)
- Cozmic Pizza’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Ani DiFranco at the Roseland (Portland) on 3/31.
~Dan – np: Silver Mt. Zion – Born Into Trouble As the Sparks Fly Upward
Skerik’s Bandalabra Spring 2012 Tour Dates
- Thursday March 15 – Conway, WA @ Conway Muse
- Friday March 16 – Olympia, WA @ Olympia Ballroom
- Saturday March 17 – Seattle @ Nectar
- Sunday March 18 – Bend @ Players
- Monday March 19 – Welches @ Skyway
- Tuesday March 20 – Eugene, OR @ Cozmic
- Wednesday March 21 – Applegate @ Applegate Lodge
- Thursday March 22 – Arcata @ Jambalaya
- Friday March 23 – Sacramento @ Harlow’s
- Saturday March 24 – San Francisco @ Boom Boom Room
- Sunday March 25 – Los Angeles @ Bacchanal
- Monday March 26 – Los Angeles @ The Mint
- Tuesday March 27 – San Diego @ Winstons
- Thursday March 29 – Portland, OR @ Goodfoot
REVIEW: Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 3/18/12)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I have to be honest, part of me loves afrobeat due to it originating from my country of birth – Fela Kuti brought it to the forefront in Nigeria in the 1970s (I was born in Jos, Nigeria in the mid-70s as well). Another part of me loves afrobeat due to how straight-up awesome that it is… blending and stirring folk, jazz, funk, rock, and world music into a brilliant, bubbling, oozing-through-your-pores musical and political form of expression. It represents the struggle alongside the joy… and it’s got a funky beat I can dance to…
Sadly, I missed Femi Kuti (elder son of Fela) when he came through a few years back. But I love the music, and didn’t want to miss that opportunity again. I got into the style via NYC-based Antibalas. When I saw that Seun Anikulapo Kuti was coming to Eugene, I had to go…
had. to.
The opener was California based instrumental afrobeat band Afromassive. The crowd was sparse at first, but near the middle of the set, the WOW Hall was beginning to fill out…
They played a 45 minute set of instrumental afrobeat songs and a James Brown cover… definitely fun and danceable. They were an 8-piece band on this tour – lighter on the horns than what was to come, but definitely a horn-centered funky vibe.
They were a perfect warm-up for Sean Kuti and the Egypt 80… The Egypt 80 was Fela Kuti’s band that Seun started singing in as a young boy. After his father died in 1997, Seun took over the band when he was only 14! Many of the members in this 15-piece (!) touring band were active in the band when Fela was alive and kicking.
The set kicked off with singer / trumpeter Muyiwa Kunnuji (in purple below) getting things going on vocals for “Giant of Africa.” During this song, each member of the horn section got a chance to come out and show off their chops with a solo…
Sean came out during the 2nd song with backup singers/dancers and his sax in tow. He took over the bulk of the lead vocals duties, but most of the band pitched in for the shouts and choruses…
The band played a spirited set of anthems with large swaths of stunning musicianship. The band, presumably the same from the album’s liner notes (as the album photo appears to be the same people), was made up of the aforementioned Seun on sax & vocals, Muyiwa on vocals and trumpet, Bidemi Adekunle on baritone sax, Gdabe Okunade and Lekan Animashaun on trumpets, Oyinade Adeniran on tenor sax, David Obayendo and Gbenga Alade on guitars, Kunle Justice on bass, Ajayi Raimi on drums, Kola Onasanya on percussion, Okon Iyamba on shekere, Wale Toriola on keyboards, and Iyabo Adeniran and Yetunde Ademiluyi on backing vocals and dancing.
Setlist: 90+ mins
- Giant of Africa
- African Soldier
- Kalakuta Show [Fela Kuti]
- Zombie [Fela Kuti]
- African Problems
- Rise
- Mr. Big Thief
- The Good Leaf
- You Can Run
No Encore (despite “Mosquito Song” listed)
Seun was drinking hot tea during part of the set… which couldn’t have helped with the heat on the packed stage. His voice had been giving him troubles; so they ended their set without the listed “Mosquito” encore, despite the many cheers for an encore from the nearly-danced out crowd. This was only the band’s fourth show on a 2-month long tour (full tour dates at the bottom). I wish Seun rest and many large mugs of tea!
I picked up their most recent record, From Africa With Fury: Rise. I dig it. It’s available in CD or 12″ double-vinyl at the show… or over on the Amazons. And next time a Kuti or other afrobeat band comes to town… get there. You won’t be disappointed.
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Seun Kuti’s Site
- Seun Kuti’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Afromassive’s Site
- Afromassive’s Facebook / MySpace
- My Other Afrobeat Reviews~
- Antibalas @ Berbati’s Pan (Portland – July 2010)
- Antibalas @ Southgate House (mini-review) (Cincinnati – Apr 2007)
- WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… well, as I write this, it’s in a few hours… Skerik’s Bandalabra @ Cozmic Pizza (3/20). After that, it’s Dan Bern @ Cozmic (3/27) and Ani DiFranco @ Roseland (3/31).
~Dan – np: Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 – From Africa With Fury: Rise
SEUN KUTI & THE EGYPT 80 PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 – Spring 2012 U.S. Tour Dates
3/15 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/16 – Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
3/17 – Mt. Tabor Theater – Portland, OR
3/18 – W.O.W. Hall – Eugene, OR
3/21 – Center for the Arts – Grass Valley, CA
3/23 – Moe’s – Santa Cruz, CA
3/24 – Mateel Cultural Center – Redway, CA
3/28 – Belly Up – Aspen, CO
3/29 – Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO
3/30 – Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS
3/31 – Englert Theater – Iowa City, IA
4/1 – House of Blues – Chicago, IL
4/4 – Variety – Atlanta, GA
4/5 – Duke Performances – Durham, NC
4/6- Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
4/7 – Club Helsinki – Hudson, NY
4/8 – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY
4/12 – UW Madison – Madison, WI
4/13 – Rhythm Foundation – Miami, FL
4/14 – The Cedar – Minneapolis, MN
4/15 – Coachella – Indio, CA
4/16 – Campbell Hall – Santa Barbara, CA
4/18 – UC San Diego – San Diego, CA
4/19 – Zellerbach Hall – Berkeley, CA
4/20 – UCLA Royce Hall – Los Angeles, CA
4/22 – Coachella – Indio, CA
4/24 – KTAOS Solar Center – Taos, NM
4/25 – Albuquerque Museum Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
4/27 – New Orleans Jazz Festival – New Orleans, LA
4/29 – Houston International Festival – Houston, TX
5/2 – House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
5/13 – Lake Eden Arts Festival – Black Mountain, NC
Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 in Eugene [photos soon]
Youngest son of afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, Seun Anikulapo Kuti & the Egypt 80 hit Eugene’s WOW Hall on Sunday night… it was an amazing show!
More photos, setlist and review of the show to be posted by Wednesday morning are posted here.
~Dan
PHOTOS: Drive-By Truckers @ Skip’s CD World (Eugene, OR – 3/18/12)
“One third” of the alt-country indie rock group Drive-By Truckers (Patterson Hood & Jay Gonzalez) stopped Skip’s CD World in Eugene, Oregon, for a 30 minute in-store session ahead of their show tonight at McDonald Theatre…
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Of the songs I could identify… “Betty Ford,” “Polly Anna,” “Old Timer’s Disease,” “Margo and Harold,” and “Mercy Buckets.”
Drive By Truckers: SITE / Facebook / Twitter
REVIEW: Nellie McKay’s ‘I Want To Live!’ in Oregon @ the Shedd & Alberta Rose Theatre (Eugene 3/2/12 & Portland 3/4/12)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOWs at the BOTTOM
I’ve seen Nellie McKay quite a bit since moving to Oregon. She plays two-week residencies in New York on occasion (lucky!!), but she rarely hit the Midwest when I lived there. Now that I’m here in the Northwest, I’m glad that she tried to swing by at least annually. This time was for her new project, yet to be released officially in any form… I Want To Live! – a story of Barbara Graham, the third woman to be executed in the State of California (via the gas chamber at San Quentin). It’s loosely based on the 1958 film of the same name.
This death row theme shouldn’t be a shock for fans of McKay. She’s never been afraid to push boundaries – hitting political hot-button issues right out of the gate with her debut album, Get Away From Me (“Sari,” “It’s a Pose,” “Won’t U Please B Nice,” et cetera), and some of her non-jazz-standard followups Pretty Little Head (“Cupcake” and “The Big One”) and Obligatory Villagers (“Mother of Pearl”).
In person, though, she’s as lovable and jovial as some of her adorable, campy press photos suggest. She’s also a great thinker, great interpreter of classics & standards, and a great artist in her own right. She may have been “born in the wrong era” (her words), but she’s doing the best with her love of the classics by making a great mark and not giving in to the current trends in what a jazz/pop “woman and a piano” should sound or act.
The first hour of the I Want To Live! tour makes up the story of a woman who falls in with the wrong people, gets caught up in a crime, and – whether innocent or not – is found guilty of murder. Nellie plays all of the emotions perfectly. Love, mystery, joy, pain, frustration – all while weaving in standards and her own tunes to tell Barbara Graham’s story. While she hints at Graham’s fervor for being innocent, Nellie leaves her opinion about guilt or innocence out of the musical. She also leaves her opinion of the death penalty out of it, which – quite honestly – was shocking that she didn’t add some of her thoughts on it, specifically due to her past as being very politically opinionated. Perhaps that will show up in the liner notes if this gets released as an CD or DVD some day…
I Want To Live! setlist: about an hour (both nights)
- Billie’s Bounce [Charlie Parker]
- Purple Haze [Jimi Hendrix]
- Swingin’ On The Reservation [Ella Fitzgerald]
- Please
- Pity The Downtrodden Landlord [Woolf/Clayton]
- April Showers [DeSylva/Silvers]
- Isn’t It A Lovely Day [Irving Berlin]
- They Say It’s Spring [Blossom Dearie]
- Some Other Spring [Billie Holiday]
- I Only Have Eyes For You [Warren/Dubin]
- Don’t Worry Be Happy [Bobby McFerrin]
- The Down Low
- Call The Police [Nat King Cole]
- Twinkle In Your Eye [Burl Ives]
- Song For Troy Davis
- I’m So Tired [The Beatles]
- There You Are In Me
- Small Day Tomorrow [Landesman/Dorough]
- Chelsea Bridge [Billy Strayhorn]
- Genius Of Love [Tom Tom Club]
- Ah! The Sweet Mystery Of Life [from Naughty Marietta operetta by Young/Herbert] (gorgeous operatic chops on Nellie for this one)
- Straight To The Top [Tom Waits]
I think I got all of the cover tunes identified, if not, please comment& I’ll correct.
Eugene setlist, post-IWTL! (3/2): about 30 mins
- One’s On the Way [Shel Silverstein]
- Midnight Sun [Ella Fitzgerald]
- ¡Bodega!
- Clonie (audience request)
- Sari (audience request)
- Encore: A Wonderful Guy [Doris Day]
- The Dog Song
Portland setlist, post-IWTL! (3/4): about 30 mins
- The Dog Song
- In a Sentimental Mood [Duke Ellington] (with false start)
- Caribbean Time
- I Will Always Love You [Whitney Houston] (snippet)
- Encore: One’s On the Way [Shel Silverstein] (dedicated to Rick Santorum)
- Mother of Pearl (with Michele Bachmann tagline at end)
- I Wanna Get Married
Two wonderfully entertaining nights in Oregon. Nellie and her band are excellent performers and entertainers. Through wardrobe changes, police chases, drug addiction, and working in different musical genres – the band was on point. At one point, the saxophonist mimics a crying baby simply with his mouth as the instrument, and it drives you mad how amazing he pulls it off without a talkbox or effects.
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Nellie McKay’s Site
- Nellie McKay’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- The Shedd full band (Eugene – Oct 2010)
- Berbati’s Pan (Portland – Mar 2010)
- Jazz Alley full band (Seattle – Sept 2009)
- Doug Fir (Portland – Aug 2008)
- The Shedd (Eugene – Oct 2007)
- The Shedd’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
- Alberta Rose Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Check out more tour dates below.
Next show for me… Adam Carolla @ the Newmark (3/11) and Puscifer @ the Schnitzer (3/14).
~Dan – np: Steven Wilson – Catalogue / Preserve / Amass (live in Europe)
NELLIE McKAY PHOTOS
Eugene (53 pics) then Portland (32 pics)
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Nellie’s 2012 Winter/Spring Tour Dates (so far)
- 1/25 & 1/26 – Minneapolis, MN Dakota
- 2/9 – Lafayette, IN Duncan Hall
- 2/10 & 2/11 – Elgin, IL Elgin Community College Arts Center
- 2/12 – Louisville, KY Bomhard Theater
- 2/25 – Park City, UT Eccles Center
- 2/28 & 2/29 – San Francisco, CA Rrazz Room
- 3/2 – Eugene, OR Shedd Institute
- 3/3 – Kirkland, WA Kirkland Performing Arts Center
- 3/4 – Portland, OR Alberta Rose Theatre
- 3/7 – Chico, CA Laxson Auditorium
- 3/8 – Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa Jazz Center
- 3/9 – Hollywood, CA Catalina Jazz Club
- 3/20 to 3/31 – New York, NY Feinstein’s at Loews Regency
^^^^ “SILENT SPRING – It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature”
- 4/26 – Alexandria, VA The Birchmere Music Hall
- 5/19 – Denver, CO Swallow Hill
Nellie McKay – Oregon reviews coming by Tuesday
Nellie McKay’s I Want To Live! show in Eugene on Friday was brilliant! Portland is tonight. Here’s a small taste from Eugene…
More photos, reviews and setlists for both Oregon shows will be up by Tuesday early morning.
~Dan
Nellie McKay in Oregon *this* weekend
Nellie McKay plays the Shedd in Eugene on Friday, March 2nd and the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland on Sunday, March 4th. Tickets are still available for both Oregon shows… so, get on it. You won’t be disappointed! I’ll have a review with setlists and photos of both shows posted early next week (likely by Tuesday).
I Want to Live! a musical death row revue, conjures the life story of “a woman of dubious moral standards often a guest in seedy bars.”
New York Times’ Stephen Holden writes, “Inspired by the 1958 movie of the same name, I Want to Live! combines Nellie McKay’s virtually unlimited gifts as a singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, ukulele player, mimic, satirist and comedian into a show that is much deeper than its surface might suggest. In the most lighthearted way they evoke a heartless environment of social injustice in which people who fall through the cracks are invisible to everyone else.”
“Pretty darned unique,” adds Michael Musto of the Village Voice.
“The McKay voice is a knife edged with honey. Which is good, because the words she writes are razor sharp beneath a homespun mantle.” – Tony Gieske
It’s a rare treat to have Nellie in our neck of the woods; so I’ll be at both the Eugene and Portland shows. :)
REVIEW: Trevor Dunn & Travis Laplante @ Wandering Goat (Eugene, OR – 1/31/12)
PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW AT THE BOTTOM
I’ve been a fan of Mr Bungle/Fantômas/John Zorn collaborative bass player Trevor Dunn for a while. When I get a chance to see him, especially within biking distance, I go. From Trevor Dunn’s website, the “Double Solo” tour was noted as a “West Coast spit-roasting agenda. I’ll be playing a 30 min solo bass piece & Travis [Laplante] will play a set for solo tenor saxophone.” Ah, a night of avant-garde jazz… yum!
Ryan A. Miller from Portland was up first… he played about 30-40 minutes on solo acoustic guitar. A lot of loops, noises, and a little bit of what might seem like “futzing around,” but I dug it. There were definitely some odd parts, but I definitely thought his set was more interesting than not. You could tell he had skills, just couldn’t tell how they were going to evolve and manifest. Update 2/8/12: Ryan’s band (U SCO) was the opener for the Secret Chiefs 3 show in Portland the very next week. U SCO is a wicked, rad schizophrenic proggy, jazzy rock trio. Excellent stuff!
Travis Laplante (Battle Trance) took his spot on the floor just off stage and gave us an initial onslaught of loud, raucous alto sax. His first piece reminded me of Peter Evans solo trumpet show from 2008. Ballistic, unfocused melodically, intense… what avant-garde jazz is meant to be. His second piece was gentler and more melodic at first. It was contained but not necessarily restrained before he finally let loose at the end. His third and final piece was a dronier delight.
Trevor Dunn played last and gave us the 30-minute piece that he’s tentatively calling “The Pentagram.” He dedicated it to Pisces. It definitely had a “composed” feel to it (later confirmed with Trevor), but it was open and free enough to let him explore where it could go. He plucked, he scraped, he bowed, he played below the bridge, he played with clothespins on the strings. To sum it up in a word: fascinating. You’ve gotta love it when he makes a few of his other bands (Mr Bungle/Fantômas) seem “too mainstream.”
Update 2/7/12: Check out this East Bay Express write-up of the Oakland show by Rachel Swan… waaaaaay better write-up (she’s a journalist and rightfully gets paid for it). Gives you a better feel for the Dunn piece as a whole.
Trevor and Travis are wrapping up this tour this coming weekend… tonight in San Francisco, then Friday in Oakland, Saturday in Los Angeles and Sunday in Santa Cruz. Check his Tour Page for more info.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Trevor Dunn’s Site (bass)
- Travis Laplante’s Site (sax)
- Ryan A. Miller’s Site (guitar)
- My Other Trevor Dunn-Related Reviews~
- Nels Cline Singers @ Doug Fir (Portland – Jan 2011)
- John Zorn’s Moonchild @ Moore Theatre (Seattle – Nov 2007)
- Wandering Goat’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Thee Silver Mt. Zion (splinter group from Godspeed You! Black Emperor) at Mississippi Studios on 2/4.
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Them Or Us
TREVOR DUNN & TRAVIS LAPLANTE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Cellophoria @ House Concert (Creswell, OR – 12/18/11)
House concerts are the best… especially when your $$ goes straight to the artists and you get a smorgasbord of awesome food! Super thanks to hosts Jenny & Mike (same place I co-hosted the Peter Mulvey show last month)!
Last afternoon’s show was by Cellophoria – a cello quartet made up of Eugene Symphony musicians. Dale Bradley, Jeffrey Eaton, Ann Grabe, and Anne Ridlington all play with the Eugene Symphony. They also have vast non-ES experience with the Eugene Opera Orchestra, Oregon Mozart Players, the OSU/Corvallis Symphony, Oregon Bach Festival and many varied teaching and playing opportunities. They obviously keep busy, which made their ability and willingness to set aside a foggy afternoon for us into a true treat!
Their gorgeous set in a gorgeous setting…
Setlist: about an hour
- Slavic Dance [Dale Bradley]
- Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4 [Frederic Chopin, arr. Laszlo Varga]
- Four Scottish & Irish Tunes [arr. Dale Bradley]
….Arran Boat Song
….Road to Lisdoonvarna
….Star of the County Down
….Skye Boat Song - Every Breath You Take [Sting, arr. John Reed]
- Ashokan Farewell [Jay Ungar, arr. David Faulkner]
- Gagliarda del Principe di Venosa [Carlo Gesualdo, arr. Árpád Pejtsik]
- Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D Minor For Unaccompanied Violin, BWV 1004 [J.S. Bach, arr. Laszlo Varga]
- Bagatelle No. 5 from Bagatelles for 2 Violins, Cello and Harmonium, Op. 47 [Antonin Dvorák, arr. Rosalynn Heuer]
- Generations [Dale Bradley]
- Eleanor Rigby [Lennon/McCartney, arr. B. Lanier]
- All Through the Night [arr. Dale Bradley]
The sound in the high, vaulted wood ceiling living room was superb. Full from good food and good music, it was a splendid late Fall/lazy Sunday afternoon.
That was presumably my last show of the year (unless something pops up between now and 12/30). 2011 year-end concert and album “best of” recaps coming up soon. Next show for me… Pojama People play the music of Frank Zappa with FZ vocalist Ike Willis at Sam Bond’s on 1/7.