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ha’fway 2017
Happy 241st birthday, United States!
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Ah, the annual halfway through the year music recap where I rarely post an end of year recap. *eyeroll* Eh… I don’t blog much anymore… regardless, here goes for my Top 10 of 2017 so far…
Artist – Album (style)
- Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Mulhy & James McAlister – Planetarium (indie rock)
- Burning Ghosts – Reclamation (jazz metal)
- KXM (Doug Pinnick / George Lynch / Ray Luzier) – Scatterbrain (hard rock)
- Peter Mulvey – Are You Listening? (singer-songwriter)
- Sexmob – Cultural Capital (jazz)
- David Bazan – Care (indie rock)
- Ani DiFranco – Binary (singer-songwriter)
- Future Islands – The Far Field (indie pop)
- Mostly Other People Do the Killing (with Steven Bernstein of Sexmob) – Loafer’s Hollow (jazz)
- Incubus – 8 (rock)
Honorable mentions…
- Albums by Lydia Ainsworth, Alt-J, Brian Marsella Trio’s Masada Book Two, Aimee Mann, Dave Douglas’ Riverside, and Throttle Elevator Music (Kamasi Washington).
- EP – ANOHNI’s Paradise
- Live – ISIS’ Live VII: 2.25.2010
- Re-issues – Pink Floyd early years boxset(s), the Beatles Srgt. Pepper’s 50th, U2 The Joshua Tree 30th, Radiohead OK Computer 20th
- Novelty – A**l Trump’s If You Thought ********* **** Was a Lot of People, You Should Have Seen My Inauguration 5″ vinyl (in “Seth Putnam form,” shall we say).
What’s still to come in 2017…
Claypool-Lennon Delirium 12″ (RSD wider-issue), Spotlights, Antibalas, Steven Wilson, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Mogwai, Radiohead OKNOTOK (physical), Failure live vinyl, Lo Tom (David Bazan, TW Walsh & Starflyer 59 folks), Celldweller, The National, Secret Chiefs 3, Weird Al boxset, plus much more, I’m sure.
Will I continue with blogs in the future? I don’t know. :P
Dan – np: Critters Buggin – Muti -EP-
Favorite Albums & Concerts of 2016
- Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial (lo-fi indie rock) fave song: “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” (#6)
- Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) – Swallowed by the New (singer-songwriter) fave song: “Criminal Career” (#3)
- Sia – This Is Acting (pop) fave song: “Alive” (#2)
- Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool (rock) fave song: “Ful Stop” (#5)
- Wussy – Forever Sounds (lo-fi indie rock) fave song: “Dropping Houses” (#1)
- Holy Fuck – CONGRATS (groove electronic) fave song: “Tom Tom” (#2)
- Elliott Smith – Heaven Adores You (indie rock) fave song: “Plainclothes Man” (#6)
- Steve Taylor & the Danielson Foil – WOW to the Deadness -EP- coffin (indie rock) fave song: “Wow to the Deadness” (#1)
- Circle of Dust – Machines of Our Disgrace (hard industrial) fave song: “Machines of Our Disgrace” (#2)
- Lily & Madeleine – Keep It Together (singer-songwriter duo) fave song: “For the Weak” (#2)
- Charlie Hunter, Bobby Previte, and more – Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth (jazz) fave song: “No Money, No Honey” (#7)
- Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom – Otis Was a Polar Bear (jazz) fave song: “Fuster” (#1)
- David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) – Blanco (indie rock) fave song: “Little Landslide” (#7)
- Anna Tivel – Heroes Waking Up (singer-songwriter) fave song: “Black Balloon” (#2)
- The Jelly Jam –
ProphetProfit (prog rock) fave song: “Care” (#1) - Dave Douglas’ High Risk – Dark Territory (jazz with electronics) fave song: “Celine” (#1)
- Amendola vs. Blades – Greatest Hits (jazz) fave song: “Lima Bean” (#1)
- Damien Jurado – Visions of Us on the Land (indie rock) fave song: “Exit 353” (#11)
- Greydon Square – Omniverse : Type 3 : Aum Niverse (rap/hip hop) fave song: “Defiant” (#5)
- Elysian Fields – Ghosts of No (sultry indie rock) fave song: “Shadows of the Living Light” (#11)
- Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree) – 4 ½ -EP- (prog rock) fave song: “My Book of Regrets” (#1)
- Opeth – Sorceress (prog metal) fave song: “Will o’ the Wisp” (#4)
- Scandroid – Scandroid (keyboard electronic) fave song: “Aphelion” (#3)
- The Claypool-Lennon Delirium – Monolith of Phobos (weird rock) fave song: “Cricket and the Genie, Movement I: The Delirium” (#2)
- Kaada & Patton – Bacteria Cult (ambient experimental) fave song: “Immodium” (#7)
- {8 Apr} Peter Mulvey w/ Anna Tivel :: Alberta Rose Theatre :: Portland, OR
- {22 Apr} Sufjan Stevens, BØRNS, Parov Stelar, LCD Soundsystem & more :: Coachella 2016 :: Indio, CA
- {23 Apr} CHVRCHES, Guns N’ Roses, Gary Clark Jr., Ice Cube, GoGo Penguin & more :: Coachella 2016 :: Indio, CA
- {24 Apr} Sia, Kamasi Washington, Wolf Alice, Joywave & more :: Coachella 2016 :: Indio, CA
- {16 Jun} Holy Fuck :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR
- {25 Jun} Flight of the Conchords with Eugene Mirman :: Keller Auditorium :: Portland, OR
- {28 Jul} Ozomatli :: HiFi Music Hall :: Eugene, OR
- {29 Jul} Weird Al Yankovic :: Cuthbert Amphitheater :: Eugene, OR
- {13 Aug} Buster Keaton’s The General film with live score by Mark Orton, Carla Kihlstedt, Matthias Bossi, Todd Sickafoose :: Bohemia Park :: Cottage Grove, OR
- {29 Oct} Failure presents Fantastic Planet’s 20th Anniversary :: Star Theater :: Portland, OR
- {9 Nov} Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket :: Alberta Rose Theatre :: Portland, OR
- {17 Nov} Car Seat Headrest :: The WOW Hall :: Eugene, OR
ha’fway 2016
Happy 240th birthday, United States!
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Ah, the annual halfway through the year music recap where I never post an end of year recap. *eyeroll* Eh… I don’t blog much anymore… regardless, here goes for my Top 10 of 2016 so far…
Artist – Album (style)
- Sia – This Is Acting (pop)
- Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool (rock)
- Wussy – Forever Sounds (indie rock)
- Holy Fuck – CONGRATS (live electronic)
- Elliott Smith – Heaven Adores You (soundtrack) (indie rock)
- Steve Taylor & the Danielson Foil – WOW to the Deadness -EP- (indie rock)
- David Bazan – Blanco (indie rock)
- Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom – Otis Was a Polar Bear (jazz)
- The Claypool-Lennon Delirium – Monolith of Phobos (rock)
- Damien Jurado – Visions of Us on the Land (indie rock)
What’s still to come in 2016…
Chevelle, Peter Mulvey (it’s in the can), Alex Somers’ score for Captain Fantastic, John Zorn (about every month), TOOL (music done, lyrics nearing completion?), Sigur Rós (maybe 2017), Charlie Hunter, and based on kickstarters/pledgemusic that I’ve supported: Jeremy Enigk of Sunny Day Real Estate, Derek Webb‘s Mockingbird Remixed and Fleming & John, plus much more, I’m sure.
Will I continue with blogs in the future? I don’t know. :P
Dan – np: Auragami – Formation (single)
PHOTOS: Booker T Jones, Charlie Hunter & Carlton Jackson @ Soul’d Out Music Fest (Dante’s, Portland – 4/14/13)
The first time ever playing together, Booker T Jones (keys, voice, guitar), Charlie Hunter (guitar magic) and Carlton Jackson (drums) ripped up a 70 minute set at the Soul’d Out Music Festival last night at Dante’s in Portland. Booker T. actually played on many of, if not all of, the studio recordings of the classics played last night… such a legend!!
Here are some photos and the setlist:
Setlist: ~70 minutes
- Hip Hug-Her
- Melting Pot
- Born Under a Bad Sign (Albert King cover)
- Green Onions
- Oh Pretty Woman (Albert King cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding cover)
- Take Me to the River (Al Green cover)
- Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover)
- Time Is Tight
- I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (Otis Redding cover)
- Encore: Unknown (by me)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Booker T. Jones’ Site
- Charlie Hunter’s Site
- Carlton Jackson’s Site
- My Other Related Reviews/Photos~
- Charlie Hunter Trio @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene – Dec 2010)
- Charlie Hunter @ WOW Hall (Eugene – May 2010)
- Dante’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
- Soul’d Out Music Festival’s Site / Facebook
~Dan
REVIEW: John Zorn at 60 @ Walker Art Center & St. Mark’s (Minneapolis, MN – 4/6/13)
John Zorn turns 60 this coming September, and Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center wanted to throw a Zorn Fest of sorts. Since Zorn doesn’t like to travel, he wanted to keep it to a minimum: not a 3+ day fest, but hey, let’s do it all on one day! And thus “Zorn @ 60” at Walker Art Center was born!
Check out what 60 of Zorn’s contemporaries have said about him… Part 1 & Part 2.
There have already been a few great reviews already posted (Jazz Police / Walker Art / City Pages); so I’ll keep my write-up to my own personal reflections, and not as in-depth, per se. Here’s who Zorn had with him for this fest, in different assemblies… Cyro Baptista, percussion; Joey Baron, drums; Greg Cohen, bass; Chris Cunningham, guitar; Marc Feldman, violin; Eric Friedlander, cello; Michelle Kinney, cello; John Medeski, piano, Hammond B3; Ikue Mori, electronics; Marc Ribot, guitar; Joey Schad, electric keyboards; Kenny Wollesen, vibraphone, percussion, and drums.
Well, first off, due to documentaries, I know what Zorn sounds like… and I was getting off the elevator at my hotel and I heard a familiar voice. Then I looked up, and “whoa, John Zorn is getting on the elevator that I’m getting off of.” I almost wanted to act like I forgot something in my room and ride up with him. Alas, I wussed out. Then in the lobby, Marc Ribot was futzing around on his phone, and Greg Cohen’s massive upright bass case was blocking the front desk. It all added to my overall giddiness for the day…
John Zorn discussion w/ Philip Bither
The full day of Zorn @ 60 started at 3pm with a sit down with fest curator Philip Bither. Zorn is a lively, humorous, acerbic character. I kinda love him. Probably more f-bombs and frivolity than most Q&A sessions, the near hourlong session was highly interesting.
The first part of the discussion talked about Zorn’s age… as the fest was all about his experience and what got him to where he is now in the scene at 60. Zorn talked a little bit about other “60” celebrations he’s doing this year (of all things MySpace has the best list), and one that he’s doing at The Met (NYC) completely intrigued me… ten performances every hour on the hour in different galleries throughout the museum on September 1st (Facebook link). if I can swing a way to be in NYC for most of September, I’d be happy. Unlikely, though.
Some of the best quotes from the interview and Q&A (paraphrased from my scribbles):
[about turning 60]“You don’t have any more doubts.”
“They’ve been saying I’ve been playing ironically for decades… that’s bullshit. But they don’t believe me when I say that’s bullshit.”
“Ribot plays guitar like a mutha’fucka!”
“I live in a library [of books, LPs, CDs, DVDs]… I didn’t have a kitchen for over a decade, but I didn’t have cockroaches either!”
[on creativity] “There were probably Bach-types banging on logs [in the earliest times]. Creativity is mystical, spiritual, ineffable.”
[on his schedule for the day] “Eating is a drag… it’ll only slow you down.”
[on critics] “The secret to longevity is to stay away from negative people… all reviews are bad. We don’t need that bullshit.”
And while I write reviews (and perhaps this is one), I understand his take on the industry of critique.
Marc Ribot plays selections from The Book of Heads
(about 20 minutes)
First music of the day… Marc Ribot by himself with a guitar, some pedals, a violin bow, some balloons, and an intenseness in his eyes. The Book of Heads, an album of solo Etudes composed by Zorn, is a very difficult listen. It screeches, it hurtles into many different directions. It’s hard to follow, it’s hard to even want to listen to at some times. Seeing it live, though, was quite fascinating. It’s highly composed, but seemingly improvised. Just seeing Marc’s stern look at the sheet music showed the composition. He was intently following the haphazard that was on the page. When one of the greatest guitarists is using balloons as a key part of the music making process, you know things are weird. Weird but gripping.
Ribot played the following Etudes (not necessarily in this order): 13, 23, 9, 24, 22, 27, 7, 2.
Game Piece: Hockey with Kenny Wollesen & Erik Friedlander
(about 10 minutes)
The next piece was a trio game piece first created in 1978. Zorn’s game pieces are a strict set of rules and is a structured, improvisational collaboration between the artists. Hockey on record is OK to listen to, but like The Book of Heads and Cobra (below), it’s far more interesting in the live setting.
A game piece is…
As well as a sports game, a game piece may also be considered analogous to language: The performance is directed by a well defined set of rules (a grammar) but by no means fixed or predetermined (just as all sentences generated by the same grammar are not the same). The length of a piece may be arbitrary, just as a sentence can be of any imaginable length while still conforming to a strictly defined syntax.
This time is was Zorn on birdcalls, Kenny Wollesen on bird calls and percussion, and Erik Friedlander on cello. With Kenny and Erik looking intently at Zorn for his verbal and hand motion directions. The level of musicianship of these three players is amazing, and the game pieces are basically a way to stretch their creative musical muscles while making sounds that you’d never expect. It’s not for the casual listener.
Game Piece: Cobra (for 11 players)
(3 games; about 30 minutes total)
John Zorn heard off stage before Cobra started: “Just don’t make any mistakes!”
Cobra takes the game piece concept to whole new levels. The rules are more complex, and John Zorn doesn’t play but directs at the front. Based on the card he holds up and his verbal and non-verbal cues, the musicians go off on an adventure – never the same in any repeat performance.
With eleven players on stage (all listed at the top of this post), they played three games of Cobra. This was my first time seeing Cobra. It’s very interactive, starting with Zorn’s lead, but the players get room to lead things too. It’s improv, but still with a structure. Here’s a glimpse at the cue card structure:
Highlight for me: Joey Baron’s smile. I get such a kick out of watching him play. He’s probably the musician having the most fun ever on stage every time I see him.
Cobra was the end of the first program, and the fest broke for a couple hours.
Erik Friedlander plays selections from Masada Book Two: Volac
Masada String Trio, and
Bar Kokhba Sextet
(a little over an hour – total)
The second program was the chamber music segment (and also the part of the day where my notes have now gone missing).
I’d seen Erik Friedlander before (both solo with his own stuff and playing Volac), and it was a great warm up for the increasingly larger groups playing music from John Zorn’s Masada Book Two set of music. He played a gorgeous 20 minute selections from Volac.
Up next was the Masada String Trio made up of the aforementioned Erik Friedlander on cello, Mark Feldman on violin, and Greg Cohen on upright bass. While the music they played was composed (same with Bar Kokhba Sextet), John Zorn sat on the floor in front of them, conducting. They played about 20 minutes from their Masada Book Two set. Gorgeous players, gorgeous music!
Continuing in the chamber music written & conducted by Zorn, the Bar Kokhba Sextet found the Masada String Trio joined by Joey Baron on drums, Cyro Baptista on percussion, and Marc Ribot on guitar. This was probably the best part of the night for me – outside of the experience of seeing Cobra played for the first time. The group effortlessly brought Zorn’s Masada tunes some groove, and seeing both Baron and Baptista work together percussively was a delight.
John Zorn’s Nova Express & The Concealed
encore:
John Zorn playing to Wallace Berman’s film Aleph
with Kenny Wollesen & Greg Cohen
(about 75 minutes total)
At the beginning of the third program, someone yelled out from the audience, “where’s your horn!?” to which John Zorn yelled back, “at home mother fucker!” Irreverent and hilarious. Even though he was lying (he brought out his alto sax for the final piece).
Nova Express and The Concealed songs were played by Joey Baron on drums, show-stealer Kenny Wollesen on vibes, Erik Friedlander on cello, Mark Feldman on violin, Greg Cohen on upright bass, and John Medeski on piano. These are two of Zorn’s better albums in the recent three years’ output (of ~36 albums!!!!). Partly classical takes on Masada tunes (Nova Express), and partly mystical (The Concealed).
As mentioned, the only time John Zorn brought out his sax was for the visual installation piece Aleph – set to Wallace Bergman’s short cut-up film of the same name. Iit was a ripping, avant-garde piece in the dark, backlit by the film, with Zorn wailing on sax, Kenny Wollesen moving off of vibes on to the drums, and Greg Cohen on bass. Stellar!
John Zorn’s The Hermetic Organ (midnight) @ St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral
A special free midnight performance of John Zorn’s The Hermetic Organ was across the street after the final third program of Zorn @ 60. Most of the crowd piled over to St. Mark’s Cathedral to watch the contrasting and turgid organ piece. I stayed for about half of the 30+ minute set and then slowly started my 2 mile, midnight walk back to my hotel – content at the day’s musical gifts.
A brilliant, music-packed day! If you want to check out some videos of what went down, the French Zorn website le zornographe has linked to some performances posted from the Walker Art Center “Zorn @ 60” fest on YouTube:
Bar Kokhba Sextet “Sother”
The Concealed “Towards Kafiristan”
Nova Express “Between Two Worlds”
The Appropriate Linkage:
- John Zorn’s label Tzadik Records
- Tzadik Record’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Zorn’s Masada, Ikue Mori and other shows (New York – Mar 2007)
- Zorn’s Moonchild Trio (Seattle – Nov 2007)
- Medeski Martin & Wood (Eugene – Nov 2008)
- Erik Friedlander’s Block Ice & Propane (Portland – Sept 2009)
- Medeski Martin & Wood (Eugene – Feb 2010)
- Erik Friedlander plays Zorn’s Volac (Eugene – Jan 2011)
- Walker Art Center’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
Next show for me… Soul’d Out Festival’s Charlie Hunter with Booker T. Jones & Carlton Jackson (first time as a trio) @ Dante’s (Portland 4/14)..
~Dan – np: Ellery – Lying Awake
John Zorn @ 60 in Minneapolis (soon)
John Zorn @ 60 in Minneapolis was awesome… I’m still decompressing, but I should have a write-up posted this week sometime…
John Zorn @ 60 – McGuire Theater @ Walker Art Center :: Minneapolis, MN
John Zorn discussion w/ Philip Bither
Marc Ribot plays selections from Book of Heads
Game Piece: Hockey with Kenny Wollesen & Erik Friedlander
Game Piece: Cobra (for 11 players)
Erik Friedlander plays selections from Masada Book Two: Volac
Masada String Trio
Bar Kokhba Sextet
John Zorn’s Nova Express & The Concealed
John Zorn’s playing to Wallace Berman’s film Aleph with Kenny Wollesen & Greg Cohen
John Zorn’s The Hermetic Organ (midnight) @ St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral
2012 mix
Time for this year’s mix CD, except I decided to go CD-free again (like 2011’s mix). It’s still formatted to stay contained on one CD (21 tracks ~79 mins); so if you want to download the whole shebang and burn to a CD – go for it!
Check out prior year-based mixes: 2009 (CD) and 2010 (CD) and 2011 (digital). No major theme this time like some of my prior mixes (4 Elements & A-to-Z mixes)… the only rule I placed before myself was that everything is current (i.e.- released in 2012). A few of the songs were technically released in 2012, but the album will hit in 2013.
This year’s mix ended up poppier and/or melancholier than prior mixes. Sometimes that’s just how things shake out. I hope you enjoy.
The following songs were put on the mix from mostly lossless sources where possible and for promotional purposes only (read: free direct market advertising to people who decidedly love music). Most of the artists on this compilation are independent (put out the music themselves) or signed to smaller, independent labels. If you like what you hear, check out their music / support them with your wallet if you are able. The artists’ Webpage, Facebook, and Amazon links are available for each song below. I’ve also included concert review links if I’ve seen the artist recently.
Download the ZIP File (140M) available *HERE*, extract then drag & drop the mp3 files to your iTunes (or other playback software).
All Songs Streaming Playlist (click arrows to skip back & forth… for individual songs find them below.)
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01 Brian Borcherdt / Dusted “(Into The) Atmosphere” from Total Dust
Brian Borcherdt from Canadian live-electronic band Holy Fuck has done some singer-songwriter-y solo projects in the past, but this album in-between HF albums still held on to some electronics and keys versus the standard acoustic guitar fare. This lo-fi, melodic, and haunting affair hit me well this rainy Oregon fall.
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02 O.S.I. “Wind Won’t Howl” from Fire Make Thunder
The fourth album in the O.S.I. partnership of Kevin Moore (Chroma Key) and Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) isn’t a metal heavy as the other albums. I love how there’s a bit of rock in this track to offset the melancholy delivery of Kevin’s vocals. Guest drummer on the entire album is Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree. The album fits in with what I’d call “glitch prog,” to which Kevin liked my moniker. Organic/real drums cut up electronically alongside with prog rock keys & guitars. This album is easily one of my favorites of 2012.
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03 Peter Mulvey “Egg Radio (instrumental)” from The Good Stuff
04 Peter Mulvey “Green Grass” from The Good Stuff
Peter Mulvey is an American treasure. His lyrical storytelling, guitar prowess, and overall charm and earnestness make him a favorite artists of mine, period. With his recent album, he put together a band and re-purposed others’ music… “new standards” if you will. The instrumental “Egg Radio” is originally penned by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and “Green Grass” is from Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan.
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05 Levi Weaver “Talk Me Down” from I Am Only A Tiny Noise [EP]
Less than a year ago, I had no idea who Levi Weaver was. I joined a fantasy baseball league online (uncharacteristic of me) and met Levi via that. I had no idea he was a travelling musician until he mentioned on twitter something about a documentary being shot about him (String Theory). Then the cards fell in place for him to play a show at my house, and then I bought and fell in love with all of his records. Such is my musical addiction. Sometimes I luck into gems. Levi put out the Tiny Noise EP in 2012, but I also strongly urge you to check out his earlier work.
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06 Emily Wells “Instrumental (Lolo Remix)” from Mama Remixed
08 Emily Wells “Fire Song (Doctor Rosen Rosen Remix)” from Mama Remixed
Emily spans indie rock, chamber music, and hip-hop near flawlessly (check her cover of the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy“). With her latest album, Mama, she has continued in that vein… and then also released a remix album for free on Soundcloud.
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07 Kim Taylor “Save My Life (demo)” from the forthcoming album Love’s A Dog
Heartfelt Cincinnati singer-songwriter Kim Taylor successfully Kickstarted her forthcoming album. I loved this song so much; so here’s a glimpse in what is to come. Since the Kickstarter is officially done, keep in the loop via her webpage and Facebook for when it’ll hit regular retail outlets in 2013. Also, take a listen to her back catalog… her music has a special place in my heart.
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09 Sufjan Stevens “Alphabet St.” from Silver & Gold: Christmas Infinity Voyage [EP]
Five EPs of Christmas music released this year, and I find a non-holiday-forward Prince cover to break things up on this mix. This song is more indicative of things on The Age of Adz versus the rest of the Christmas EPs. Enjoy! Skip below for the other Sufjan track on my 2012 mix for something different…
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10 Digital Noise Academy “Melting Inside” from the forthcoming album DNA
Way back in 2006, the Los Angeles Digital Noise Academy (LADNA) did a couple of shared tracks… passing around pieces via the internet as they’re all busy musicians in their own rights. Back in those days, there was mention of releasing an album, but nothing ever materialized. Well, in 2012, they changed things up to just DNA and finally had enough momentum to get a Kickstarter going – which succeeded on its 2nd try. The album will come out in 2013. DNA is the cooperative of Ken Andrews (Failure, On, producer/mixer of tons of rock bands), Charlotte Martin (pop singer-songwriter), Sharky Laguana (Creeper Lagoon), Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck & NIN), Fernando Sanchez (popular hired gun), and Jordan Zadorozny (Blinker the Star).
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11 Aimee Mann “Labrador” from Charmer
I don’t have much to say about this song outside of that I love Aimee Mann, and the video for it was a shot-for-shot remake of the “Voices Carry” video from her ‘Til Tuesday days. Wacky and fun!
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12 The Album Leaf “Stretched Home” from Forward/Return [EP]
The Album Leaf is Jimmy LaValle, and he’s had some good success making some great keyboard-driven, organic post-rock. This EP almost escaped me, though, as the word on the street was faint. Jimmy has an upcoming project with Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon); so I guess I’ll have to keep my eyes & ears peeled better!
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13 Damien Jurado “Museum of Flight” from Maraqopa
Damien Jurado is one of those pure songwriters that hits me hard with his lyrics. This song has impacted me a lot this year, and I think I’ve listened to it more than 100 times, which knowing the amount of music I go through each year is saying something. Maraqopa is a gorgeous record, and it will end up high on my list for 2012.
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14 Glen Phillips “Still Carrying You” from Coyote Sessions
Glen Phillips (the voice behind Toad the Wet Sprocket) can bend my ear no matter what he’s doing. His latest self-release, Coyote Sessions (via bandcamp), is full of some old favorites that he’s done for a while in a live setting, but have never made their way onto formal releases. A must purchase for the pop singer-songwriter in me.
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15 Charlie Hunter & Scott Amendola “Not Getting Behind Is The New Getting Ahead” from album of the same name
The ease at which Charlie Hunter plays both the guitar and bass parts on his 8-string guitar makes witnessing him in concert confounding. Fuck that guy! He’s too damn good to be an actual human being. He’s been working with drummer Scott Amendola in several incarnations in the past (trios, quartets). For this recent album and tour, it was just the two of them. Stripped down, yet full of sound. Highly recommended guitar jazz.
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16 Ben Folds Five “Away When You Were Here” from The Sound of the Life of the Mind
One of the saddest days was when I heard that Ben Folds Five broke up. I kind of always hoped they’d get back together, but Ben Folds kept chugging away on his solo stuff… which was excellent, but not… you know, not “the same.” There was a glint of hope a handful of years ago when Darren Jessee and Robert Sledge joined forces with their pianist brother for some live shows. This year, they got back together for real in the studio! They’ll hit the road in early Winter 2013. I’ll be lucky to see them in Portland in February. When I saw them back in the late 90s/early 2000s, they blew me away. Truly a fun band to see live!
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17 Bad Veins “If Then” from The Mess We’ve Made
Cincinnati rock duo Bad Veins should own the world. Their 2nd full length is lush, hooky, and a perfect follow-up to their 2009 debut. With the lushness on this record, Ben & Sebastien are probably giving “Irene,” their reel-to-reel band member, a good workout. Hopefully they buy her new cords and oil her joints in between gigs.
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18 John Zorn “Pathway of Fire” from The Concealed
One of nine releases from John Zorn this year, this album is a jauntier, more accessible jazz compared to some of his other work. I desperately wanted to put on some screeching, grating stuff from Music & Its Double, but I spared you all. I was *that* close to doing it, too. You’re welcome! Anyway, The Concealed album features some excellent packaging – embossed white inks on white digipack with die-cut shapes in the front. Kudos to Tzadik’s designer Chippy for her always stunning work. The music was written by Zorn and performed by the usual suspects in his arsenal – the stellar cast of NYC jazz cats: Joey Baron on drums, Trevor Dunn on bass, Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello, John Medeski on piano, and Kenny Wollesen on vibes.
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19 Fiona Apple “Werewolf” from The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
It’s Fiona. What can I say? Great standout track on her stupendous new album. There’s “nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key.”
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20 Sufjan Stevens “Justice Delivers Its Death” from Silver & Gold: Christmas Unicorn [EP]
Sparse acoustic guitar and Sufjan’s angelic voice thrust this song into my head and heart like no other. I take its lyrics as disappointment in the temporary, which can also be a call to do more fruitful things while we’re here. Which I think is good advice for everyone. This song is also not too indicative of most of what you’ll find on the Christmas EPs. I don’t really like Christmas music, but I think Sufjan makes some wonderful art. And, whoa, his concert tour this year was amazing (see review with photos of the Portland/Aladdin show)!!!
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21 Au4 “So Just Hang On, Beautiful One” from the forthcoming album …And Down Goes the Sky
These Canadian soundscapers haven’t released music since 2006. I found them in the halcyon “MySpace days,” if that tells you anything. Their first album (On: Audio) is amazing and textured. Their 2nd album from which this song is from is out now (digitally) with an official release date in 2013. It’s also textured and gorgeous, with a little mixing up on the vocal duties. I’m still digesting it, but I can still very much recommend it!
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Let me know what you think… If you enjoyed what you heard, please support the music. Definitely feel free to pass the link the mix along:
~Dan – np: Au4 – On: Audio
there are no torrents, free mp3 or other downloads available
Dave Douglas – Be Still
My favorite living trumpet player is most definitely, without a doubt, the wonderful and talented melodic-lyricist Dave Douglas. Next on the docket for him is Be Still, a collection of “deeply personal hymns and originals” with his new quintet featuring Americana vocalist Aoife O’Donovan. It comes out on September 25, 2012, on Dave’s label – Greenleaf Music.
With Dave and (special guest) Aoife, rounding out the quintet is Jon Irabagon, Matt Mitchell, Linda Oh, and Rudy Royston. Dave will also go out on a 50-date U.S. Tour in 2013 to celebrate his 50th birthday. I hope to catch it, as it’s been a while since I’ve seen him.
More press on Be Still below…
Dave Douglas describes the title of his new release, Be Still, as “aspirational.” The continually evolving trumpeter and composer settles down for a ballad-like set that presents a series of hymns and folk songs with an intensely personal connection. Be Still brings out the most lyrical side of Douglas, and introduces both a newly configured Quintet, and an important new collaborator, vocalist and guitarist Aoife O’Donovan.
“Evolving” could easily apply to most of Dave Douglas’ releases, each of which seems to venture fearlessly into unexplored territory. This time, the journey is inward rather than outward, resulting in the most starkly personal album of his notable career. The intensity of Douglas’ focus on the music of Be Still is understandable given the album’s origins.
Douglas’ mother passed away last year after a three-year battle with ovarian cancer, and the hymns on this album appeared on a list she prepared for him to play at her memorial service. Douglas performed the music with his brass group at the service and an accompanying benefit concert. “Be Still My Soul” was one of those hymns, and the verses she chose to be sung felt to Douglas like a powerful imperative to go deeper with these church hymns and their meanings.
In the months after the service he continued to work with arranging the music, though initially reluctant to include the lyrics. On meeting O’Donovan in January of this year Douglas decided he had found the right vocal expression for the arrangements he wanted to make. The pieces on Be Still present a true marriage of folk song, congregational hymnody, sophisticated harmonies and rich rhythmic underpinnings.
When Douglas calls the album aspirational, he’s also referring to its title and the deceptively simple message it contains. “It’s a reminder to myself,” he says. “We are all so busy these days, and it’s a reminder to step back and reflect on creativity and depth of communication in the music. There are deep human interactions that go on in improvised music like this and they take time and patience to develop. Sometimes that means stepping away from the clutter of Twitter, Facebook, texting and traveling to focus on the essence of music in an intense way.”
Be Still marks the recorded debut of the new incarnation of the Dave Douglas Quintet, completed by four remarkably diverse musicians: saxophonist Jon Irabagon, pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Rudy Royston. They are joined on six songs by the expressive vocals of Aoife O’Donovan of the progressive bluegrass band Crooked Still. The repertoire mines the rich melodies of traditional hymns and folk tunes, which gain even greater depth through Douglas’ intricate arrangements.
While the material on Be Still comes from traditions that Douglas may not have explicitly evoked in the past, the album is hardly out of character. His work has always concentrated on direct communication, basic emotions couched in complex expression. “I’m always looking, even in my own composition, to find some way to make something that might be very sophisticated still have these roots in something very simple,” Douglas says. “Jazz, even at its most complex, always has its roots in the music of the people, in popular music. That’s one of the reasons that I connected with these songs.”
Folk music purists would undoubtedly be affected by the crystalline clarity of O’Donovan’s voice on the tender “Be Still My Soul” or the Appalachian stomp of “High on a Mountain.” But underlying that back porch folksiness are intriguing harmonies and clever soloing, embodied by Irabagon’s pitch-perfect countrypolitan sax solo on “High on a Mountain.”
In addition to the classic songs, Douglas penned three new compositions for the album in the same spirit. “Living Streams” is a completely new setting for a traditional Scottish hymn, while “Going Somewhere With You” is as lushly tuneful as the surrounding material. The quintet tour de force “Middle March” was written just after Douglas heard the news of the death of legendary drummer Paul Motian and possesses a free-floating lyricism familiar from Motian’s own compositions.
Be Still is merely the latest new direction in a career that has been full of them, all pointing forward. One of the most influential and inventive composers and trumpeters in modern jazz, Dave Douglas leads several creative ensembles: Keystone, which performs his music composed for and inspired by film; Brass Ecstasy, the eclectic brass band; and his latest, the Sound Prints Quintet with Joe Lovano, Lawrence Fields, Linda Oh, and Joey Baron. He has served as the artistic director of the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at The Banff Centre in Canada for ten seasons, an honor he recently handed over to pianist/composer Vijay Iyer. Dave Douglas is also co-founder and director of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2012.
This latest incarnation of the Dave Douglas Quintet fully lives up to its diverse and ground-breaking predecessors. Saxophonist Jon Irabagon’s unpredictable career has led him from the off-the-wall antics of Mostly Other People Do the Killing to his decidedly straightahead leader debut The Observer, released shortly after he won the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition. Matt Mitchell’s piano work strays from classical to the avant-garde, and lately has found him collaborating with innovators like John Hollenbeck and Tim Berne.
Chinese-Malay-Aussie bassist Linda Oh grabbed the jazz world’s attention with her self-released debut Entry in 2009, and further cemented her place as one of the music’s rising stars with this year’s Initial Here on Douglas’ Greenleaf Music. She reteams with her drummer from that album, Rudy Royston, in the Douglas quintet. Royston is best known for his long association with guitarist Bill Frisell, but his credits also include Ravi Coltrane, Jenny Scheinman, Jason Moran and Don Byron.
In the hands of these five musicians, these tunes are undeniably spiritual – but that’s less a result of their origins than the quintet’s deeply personal collective approach. “Music, in the way that I practice it, is my spiritual life,” Douglas says.
“My mother was pretty specific about the verses that she wanted sung, and as I started looking at them I realized I felt right at home here. You search a lot of places in your life. Especially from knowing so many evolved musicians I feel I’ve been exposed to many different traditions and different ways of viewing our place in the world. It’s amazing how all of them seem to lead back to the same place of unity and oneness. After working on this music and being in my mother’s church it felt like a return to the spiritual outlook I started out with, but with a deeper understanding and meaning for me. And now I don’t know, maybe that’s what she was really after!”
~Dan – np: Levi Weaver – The Letters of Dr. Kurt Gödel
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
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 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. :)
~Dan – np: TW Walsh – Songs of Pain and Leisure
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)
* Favorite Instrumental Albums of 2011 *
As I start this post, I will say that this is all very subjective and really put together for my own purposes. I’ll also state that, yes, some of the music below does have some vocals (i.e.- the Goddamn Electric Bill & Mike Patton CDs). For the most part, it’s sequestered to a track or two on a long CD of mostly instrumental goodness. My list, my rules, and/or my breaking of the rules. With that being said, all of the artists below tend to be in the jazz and instrumental frame of reference anyway.
As said before… I’ve been buying less music… or, at least a lot less mainstream (major label) music. This is also my fourth year now that I bought more instrumental CDs than vocal CDs. I think as I get older, I am drawn more towards jazz and other instrumental forms of expression. Hopefully my spilling out of music that I like finds interest with someone else. But if not, thanks for stopping by… check out the artists’ webpages, Facebox pages, yadda yadda yadda. Some of these also made it on to my 2011 Mix CD (free streaming/download).
OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year…
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 Cyro Baptista’s Banquet of Spirits plays John Zorn’s Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 17 (Caym) :: The Masada Book two series is some of my favorite music coming out of Tzadik. Banquet of the Spirits is the touring band of Latin percussionist Cyro Baptista, a long time Zorn collaborator. Each track touches upon a different world tradition, steeped in Zorn’s klez-jazz score. Lyrical and moving and fun!
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 Artichaut Orkestra – T For Teresa :: Featuring four young musicians from Toulouse, Artichaut Orkestra mix jazz, klezmer and classical music, blending rock energy with improv. This is their debut record, and I’m definitely looking forward to more coming from them in the near future. |
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 Curtis Macdonald – Community Immunity :: To be honest, this was an impulse purchase. One of my favorite record labels is Greenleaf Music – founded by my favorite living trumpet-player Dave Douglas. I was picking up some new music from DD and figured, “eh, what the hell!” I was impressed with Curtis’ melodic compositions and emotive alto sax playing. |
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 Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will :: Stunning double-disc set from post-rock’s Scottish kings. I’ll still probably forgo seeing them live again (too loud, beyond their needs), but they put out some amazingly beautiful music. |
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 John Zorn – Nova Express / At the Gates of Paradise / A Dreamer Christmas :: Three discs made the cut of the six Zorn releases in 2011. Nova Express combines quirky atonal classical lyricism with a touch of the cut up techniques of Naked City and virtuosity of the Masada songbook. Zorn scored this for Joey Baron (drums), Trevor Dunn (bass), John Medeski (piano), and Kenny Wollesen (vibes).  Paradise features the same band as Nova Express, brings some Medeski organ into the mix and adds more of Zorn’s “mystical” ambiance. The Dreamer Christmas album was an oddity for me. Why would a Jewish jazz musician put out a Christmas album? Because he can! The Dreamers is one of my favorite Zorn-assembled ensembles: Joey Baron (drums), Cyro Baptista (percussion), Trevor Dunn (bass), Marc Ribot (guitars), Jamie Saft (keys), and Kenny Wollesen (vibes). Very accessible, but not smooth jazz! Adventurous! Mike Patton joins them on the final track for a croon-y “chestnut roasting.” The holiday album was also put out as a 12″ vinyl and a 7″ single – both with gorgeous artwork and design by Chippy. |
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 yMusic – Beautiful Mechanical :: The yMusic Ensemble had a kickstarter earlier this year for their debut album – with songs composed by Son Lux, Annie Clark, Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond), Saraha Kirkland snider (who penned a favorite album Penelope last year), and Gabriel Kahane. Their string-heavy, indie chamber rock approach excites me. Being the musical backdrop for My Brightest Diamond’s All Things Will Unwind album (my #2 vocal album in 2011) doesn’t hurt. |
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 Peter Mulvey & David Goodrich – Nine Days Wonder :: Peter Mulvey has toured all over the US and the world for about 2 decades. Some of the first times I saw him in concert, he had “Goody” with him on backing guitar. They don’t get a chance to tour together much lately, but they did find some time to hole-up inside a studio to write and record some instrumental guitar duets. While I love Peter’s vocal storytelling, it’s nice to hear his and Goody’s instrumental interplay tell a different story. |
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 Goddamn Electric Bill – Jazz :: GdEB is the one-man brainchild of Jason Torbert. He hits the spot for organic electronic meets post-rock for me. Ambient at times, melodic other times. His latest work has featured some vocals, but he’s primarily a groove-induced soundscape kind of guy. Chirps and glitches, too. Excellent stuff! |
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 The Dead Kenny G’s – Operation Long Leash :: The Dead Kenny Gs is a duo started by saxophonist Skerik and drummer/vibes Mike Dillon in 2004. shortly thereafter, they started adding Brian Haas, keyboard genius, when he is able, as well as Brad Houser, bassist from another Skerik band – Critters Buggin. They push through the jazz/rock minefield to fight “injustice, cheese, and dishonesty in music, and society.” |
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 Talkdemonic – Ruins :: Portland-based chamber-indie-post-rock… goodness. So much sound from two people. If you’re in Portland, they’re playing a big NYE show tonight… if in Eugene, they’ll be through our way (at Sam Bond’s) on Feb 24th. Not to be missed! |
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 Mike Patton – The Solitude of Prime Numbers :: I had to put this album as #13. This chiefly instrumental album is a tribute to the book (by Paolo Giordano) and film of the same name. The score is 16 tunes spread out over a 53 tracks, with the only tracks with content being 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, and 53. *slow clap* Clever, Mr. Patton! For people who bought the CD, you can thank me for entering in the info to CDDB (t’was a pain). The score/album fits more with his prior score for A Perfect Place – more accessible when compared to Patton’s usual schizophrenic output. The packaging design is also brilliant – a gorgeous die-cut leaf that fold outwards. I’d always recommend getting physical releases from Ipecac versus the digital download version.
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 Garage A Trois – Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil :: Skerik, Stanton Moore, Marco Benevento (who replaced Charlie Hunter) and Mike Dillon make their way through Oregon quite a bit. They are a sight to see – you don’t know exactly what kind of show you’ll get, but it’s definitely a fun time. Fun, groove-oriented “new jazz.” |
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 Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care :: If not jazz, this list is also overtaken by post-rock. it’s a love of mine, and Explosions in the Sky are one of the best in that game. Epic, sweeping guitars crashing over a hearty drum & bass end. This is another album where I’d recommend the physical edition – the case can be unfolded to form a model of a house, where if viewed from the inside, the view from the door of the house is overlooking a tornado across a plain.
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 Erik Friedlander – Bonebridge :: I started 2011 seeing Erik perform his John Zorn-penned Volac album in its entirety… brilliant and moving. Later in the year, he came out with Bonebridge – a new band/concept that takes his Broken Arm Trio (with Trevor Dunn & Mike Sarin) and adds slide guitar player Doug Wamble to the mix. What you get is a perfect chamber-Americana-jazz album. I hope there are more where this came from… |
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 Kevin Moore – Shine (Küçük Kıyamet Soundtrack) :: Kevin Moore’s main projects are the trippy/sample-heavy Chroma Key & heavier prog collaboration band O.S.I. (with Jim Matheos). Shine is the soundtrack to the 2006 Turkish film Küçük Kiyamet (“Little Apocalypse“). It came out in early 2011 after a successful Kickstarter in 2010. The next album from O.S.I. comes out in February 2012 on Metal Blade. I can almost guarantee it will be my Top album of 2012, and I haven’t heard a shred of it yet. |
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 Reptet – At the Cabin :: This Seattle-based jazz sextet is fuuuuuuuuuun – both on record and in the live setting. I wish the distance on I-5 between me and them wasn’t 5-6 hours, as I’d see them far more often if I could.
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 Matt Chamberlain, Viktor Krauss, Dan Phelps – Modular: Sonic Explorations :: Gorgeous soundscapes from Matt Chamberlain, Viktor Krauss, and Dan Phelps. The Modular Project is the collaboration of the aforementioned musicians working together to “discover what the spontaneous and organic manipulation of sound can yield. Inspired by the world around them, they set out to discover what it might sound like when continents shift, clouds form, and roots push through soil.” The track, “Everest,” features one of my favorite cellists – Eyvind Kang (who has worked with Secret Chiefs 3, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Mike Patton). It’s a great mix of cello, vibes and soaring atmosphere. The album is only available digitally or on vinyl (it’s a luscious triple-gatefold!)… |
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 Dave Douglas – Three Views: GPS Series – Rare Metals, Orange Afternoons & Bad Mango :: Originally released as the “Greenleaf Portable Series” (download only), these three different releases in 2011 finally got a proper physical (boxset) release. Dave’s prolific writing comes out with different bands on each record: Rare Metals features Dave’s most recent band Brass Ecstasy; Orange Afternoons features a specially put together quintet with Ravi Coltrane, Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh, and Marcus Gilmore; and Bad Mango paired Dave’s trumpet with So Percussion’s marimba, drumset, glockenspiel, musical saw, toy bells, shruti box, crotales, and more. Three very different records tied together with Dave’s fantastic playing.
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 Tides From Nebula – Earthshine :: This Polish post-rock group won my heart in 2009 with their debut, Aura (in 2009). They continue to tease me with emails or news that says “tour” until I open and can’t pronounce the names of the cities that they’re hitting. Drat! At least their music will keep me company! Earthshine is perfect for those fans of Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, and the like… and seeing as it beat out both those groups on my 2011 list, well, that should tell you something as well.
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 Michael Kelsey – Submerged :: Michael Kelsey is a HUGE amount of what I miss from the Midwest music scene. He’s a musical genius – rarely paralleled on the frets. Seeing him live (which I did any chance I could) was a site to behold. His records do their best to capture his virtuosity, but they usually fail to capture his energy, too. Catching fire in a bottle is tough. Regardless, this one is a gem and also marks his first all instrumental affair. Check him out, and if you live within a state or two from central Indiana, I count you a lucky one. Go see him if he stops by your town.
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 Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 :: More riff-oriented and melodic compared to the prior drone doom albums, Earth bring a cello into the mix for the first time and create an ominous soundscape that is both elegant and dreadful. The follow-up, Angels & Demons 2, comes out in Feb 2012… and you can almost guarantee it’ll rise to the top of my list next year as well.
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Note: Ric Hordinski’s Arthur’s Garden (which made it on my 2011 Mix) is technically a 2012 release, hence its absence above.
Where do I get most of these jazz and other instrumental releases? My #1 favorite source for jazz is Downtown Music Gallery in New York. Manny and Bruce and their great staff are superb… and being the official distributor for John Zorn’s Tzadik doesn’t hurt my affection for them. I usually do a monthly Tzadik order (if the releases strike my fancy), and they have a ton of other non-Tzadik jazz and avant-garde releases as well.
And, no, I’m not affiliated, I don’t get a commission, and beyond my initial “big tax refund / gotta get caught up on Zorn order of 2005,” I haven’t gotten a discount with DMG. I just love and support what they do.
Enjoy the New Years’ weekend!! Be safe! See you in 2012.
My Other Favorites of 2011 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘11 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/DVDs/more of ‘11 are *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘11 are *HERE*
- Old Years:
- 2010: Instrumental, Vocal, EPs/etc, Concerts,
- Best of the 2000s Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25)
- 2009: Instrumental, Vocal, EPs/etc, Concerts
- 2008: Instrumental, Vocal, EPS/etc, Concerts
- 2007: Vocal, Instrumental, Concerts
- 2006 & 2005
~Dan – np: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2011 mix
Time for this year’s mix CD, except I decided to go CD-free this year. It’s still formatted to stay contained on one CD (20 tracks ~77 mins); so if you want to download the whole shebang and burn to a CD – go for it!
Check out 2009’s mix over here and 2010’s mix over here. No major theme this time like some of my prior mixes (4 Elements & A-to-Z mixes)… the only rule I placed before myself was that everything is current (i.e.- released in 2011). This year’s mix ended up mellower than most mixes from me. There are a few rock songs, but whilst re-listening, it’s definitely less rocky. I hope you enjoy.
The following songs were put on the mix from mostly lossless sources where possible and for promotional purposes only (read: free direct market advertising to people who decidedly love music). Most of the artists on this compilation are independent (put out the music themselves) or signed to smaller, independent labels. If you like what you hear, check out their music / support them with your wallet if you are able. The artists’ Webpage, Facebook, and Amazon links are available for each song below. I’ve also included concert review links if I’ve seen the artist recently.
Download the ZIP File (136M) available *HERE*, extract then drag & drop the mp3 files to your iTunes (or other playback software).
All Songs Streaming Playlist (click arrows to skip back & forth… for individual songs find them below. Note: Track 20 has explicit content.)
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01 Puscifer “The Green Valley” from Conditions of My Parole
Tool / A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan makes wine and makes other music in his time off from Tool and APC. I loved Puscifer’s debut and the subsequent EP, but this album tops it all. It’s a brilliant record, recorded in one of his wine cellars with his friends – featuring backing vocals from Carina Round. It’s self-released by Puscifer music with a small distribution partner (available in indie shops, primarily). While there are some rockers (maybe 1/3 of the album), this song is fairly representative of the feel of the album. It’s my #1 album in 2011.
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02 My Brightest Diamond “Be Brave” from All Things Will Unwind
Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond) took some time off since her last album – 2008’s A Thousand Shark’s Teeth. She put out some stunning collaborations in the past three years (including her first kiddo); so the lapse in studio work was a-OK. On this album, Shara teams up with NYC-based ensemble yMusic to create a lush backdrop for her gorgeous voice. It’s my #2 album in 2011. I can’t praise it enough!
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03 Ric Hordinski “My Pretty Bagatelle” from Arthur’s Garden
Guitarist extraordinaire Ric Hordinski (formerly of Over the Rhine – in their rockier days) has been a favorite of mine for a LONG TIME. He’s the kind of guitarist who is subtle and unassuming in his approach, but you end up wracking your brain how he gets such lush and complex sounds out of the frets. This album was part of a Kickstarter campaign, and while the physical manifestation hasn’t hit my mailbox yet, I was happy he sent it out to Kickstarter funders early. It’s such a great record… you can get it now on bandcamp!
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04 Goddamn Electric Bill “Sin” from Jazz
GdEB is the one-man brainchild of Jason Torbert. He hits the spot for organic electronic meets post-rock for me. Ambient at times, melodic other times. His latest work has featured some vocals, but he’s primarily a groove-induced soundscape kind of guy. Chirps and glitches, too. Excellent stuff!
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05 Radiohead “Codex” from The King of Limbs
I could probably put the “indie” icon next to Radiohead, too… I think technically they put TKOL out by themselves. But they’re a huge superpower of a band. I like this record, but I’ll admit that it’s still sinking in… I need to give it some more spins. This album spawned a seven 7″ vinyl remix set. The video for “Lotus Flower” also spawned a silly “Thom Yorke dancing” meme… one of my favorites being the tennis/fish and the “Single Ladies” editions.
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06 Garage A Trois “Assault on Precinct 13” from Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil
Skerik, Stanton Moore, Marco Benevento (who replaced Charlie Hunter) and Mike Dillon make their way through Oregon quite a bit. They are a sight to see – you don’t know exactly what kind of show you’ll get, but it’s definitely a fun time. Fun, groove-oriented “new jazz.”
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07 dredg “The Tent” from Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy
I love this band. I hate the album title, but I love the band. Modern progressive rock, tons of talent, thoughtful lyrics, none of that “prog wankery” that is generally detestable. While it’s hard for them to follow-up the stunning The Pariah The Parrot The Delusion, this new album does a hearty job of maintaining their quality rock standards.
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08 Tres Mts. “Makes Me Feel” from Three Mountains
Supergroup made up of dUg Pinnick of King’s X, Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, and Richard Stuverud of the Fastbacks. They jangle through about an hour of solid rock tunes… more closely resembling a soulful King’s X trajectory vs. Pearl Jam – mainly due to dUg’s vocal duties. This is a great trio that I hope isn’t a one-off. With King’s X on tour in 2012, I doubt we’ll hear more from Tres Mts for a while, though.
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09 Chamberlain/Krauss/Phelps “Everest” from Modular: Sonic Explorations
Gorgeous soundscapes from Matt Chamberlain, Viktor Krauss, and Dan Phelps. The Modular Project is the collaboration of the aforementioned musicians working together to “discover what the spontaneous and organic manipulation of sound can yield. Inspired by the world around them, they set out to discover what it might sound like when continents shift, clouds form, and roots push through soil.” This track, “Everest,” features one of my favorite cellists – Eyvind Kang (who has worked with Secret Chiefs 3, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Mike Patton). It’s a great mix of cello, vibes and soaring atmosphere. It’s only available digitally or on vinyl (it’s a luscious triple-gatefold!)…
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10 Jeffrey Foucault “Passerines” from Horse Latitudes
Jeffrey Foucault is a favorite Americana artist that I got turned on to by singer-songwriter/storyteller Peter Mulvey. Jeffrey and Peter work together in the band Redbird (with David Goodrich and Jeffrey’s wife Kris Delmhorst). I didn’t pick up Jeffrey’s albums until the past year and a half. He’s definitely more on the cusp of country than I tend to traverse, but I dig his authenticity, poetic wit and charm. He’s a delight on stage and a fantastic Prine-esque songwriter for the new generation.
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11 Peter Mulvey & David Goodrich “Drumlin Trail” from Nine Days Wonder
Peter Mulvey has toured all over the US and the world for about 2 decades. Some of the first times I saw him in concert, he had “Goody” with him on backing guitar. They don’t get a chance to tour together much lately, but they did find some time to hole-up inside a studio to write and record some instrumental guitar duets. While I love Peter’s vocal storytelling, it’s nice to hear his and Goody’s instrumental interplay tell a different story.
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12 Steven Wilson “Home in Negative” from Grace for Drowning
Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson is a hard worker. Whether he’s producing albums for others or making albums & touring with PT, Blackfield, No-Man, Storm Corrosion, or solo – he’s always busy each and every year. 
This year brought his second solo album and a small tour. The album is a bit more stripped down from his other projects. It is reminiscent of Pink Floyd in spots – specifically this song “Home in Negative.” He also rocks out a bit in the almost two hour double album… check out the video for “Track One” here (it’s a bit bleak then startling). Gorgeous work.
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13 Wussy “Pulverized” from Strawberry
Well, I was super happy when I found out that Wussy was putting out their fourth full-length studio album this year. They’re a fantastic rock quartet made up of Chuck Cleaver, Lisa Walker, Mark Messerly, and Joe Klug. They write catchy, poppy choruses and meld it perfectly with Midwest Americana-meets-indie-rock grit (or “Midwestern drone” as their press says). Vocal duties are traded off with Chuck (of Ass Ponys) and Lisa (of Magic Words).
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14 Pomplamoose “Telephone” from The Album You Bought At Our Show…
This is the song that got me into Pomplamoose. It’s a cover of the collaboration between 
Lady Gaga and Beyoncé (whose ridiculous but still kind awesome original video has 129 million hits as of Dec 2011). Pomplamoose does “video songs,” and this was the hook to lure me in. Click the image at the left to see their video of the song. The CD came out this year as part of their first tour ever… which I caught in Portland. Excellent, fun band!
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15 David Bazan “Wolves at the Door” from Strange Negotiations
Continuing in his solo expressions after the official ceasing of Pedro the Lion, David Bazan manifests wit, a sharp tongue, and a questioning mind into his DIY-indie rock. This year, he toured quite a bit, solo and with a band. An album last year (Curse Your Branches), an album this year, and another on the way. He’s slogging away, trekking all over the country, and making some great music on the way.
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16 John Zorn “Song of Experience” from At the Gates of Paradise
“Channeling the work of Romantic visionary William Blake and ancient Gnostic writings from the Nag Hammadi archives, At the Gates of Paradise is the newest installment in Zorn’s ever growing catalog of mystical works. The music is filled with bright light and a childlike innocence, and ranges from long form compositions with constantly shifting time signatures that unfold with a compelling inner logic to mysterious ballads and hypnotic moods.” The album features a quartet that I know and love from many jazz/avant outfits: drummer Joey Baron (Masada and many more), bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr Bungle, Fantômas, Nels Cline Singers), keyboardist John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood) and vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen (Sex Mob, Electric Masada, etc).
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17 Over the Rhine “Days Like This” from The Long Surrender
For those that don’t know Over the Rhine, they started out as a four piece in Cincinnati in 1989 and put out their “post-nuclear, pseudo-alternative, folk-tinged art-pop” indie debut ‘Til We Have Faces in 1991. After about a decade as a four-piece, Ric Hordinski (guitars) & Brian Kelley (drums) left. Karin Bergquist (vocals) & Linford Detweiler (keys) carried on the Over the Rhine flame throughout the years… moving away from a rockier feel to a more folky-pop-Americana thing. What I like about Over the Rhine is they continually change and evolve into a different band with each album and each outing. I’ve seen them rock out, I’ve seen them jazz it up, I’ve seen them happy, I’ve seen them somber, I’ve seen them celebratory, and I’ve seen them tell stories that will make you laugh and cry. This tune was written by fellow Cincinnati singer-songwriter Kim Taylor (it originally appeared on her 2008 EP The Greatest Story). I’d highly recommend checking her out as well.
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18 Elysian Fields “Sleepover” from Last Night On Earth
Brooklyn-based sultry art rockers Elysian Fields don’t really tour outside of NYC often. Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow find their way to Europe on occasion, but most U.S. fans only really have their studio albums to sate their musical desires. This is their sixth full-length album in their near 16-year career. Well crafted, well produced, lush vocals and folk meets dusky jazz.
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19 Kevin Moore “Hypnogogic” from Shine
This is a little palette cleanser for the mix CD – right before the end. Kevin Moore’s main projects are the trippy/sample-heavy Chroma Key & heavier prog collaboration band O.S.I. (with Jim Matheos). Shine is the soundtrack to the 2006 Turkish film Küçük Kiyamet (“Little Apocalypse“). It came out in early 2011 after a successful Kickstarter in 2010. The next album from O.S.I. comes out in February 2012 on Metal Blade. I can almost guarantee it will be my Top album of 2012, and I haven’t heard a shred of it yet.
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20 Childish Gambino “Heartbeat” from Camp (warning: explicit content)
I first heard of Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) like many people – via television. Donald plays Troy Barnes on NBC’s Community. I’ve heard a few of his albums, but this was his first full-length with a wide release. This song almost didn’t make the cut, but the melody in the chorus and the grinding keyboards just made it to difficult to ultimately cut from the mix. Brilliant song about the messiness of dating. If you’d like the “clean” version of the song, there is a “clean” version of the whole album on Amazon.
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Near misses from the mix: something from Earth’s Angels of Darkness Demons of Light 1 & Opeth’s Heritage (songs are too long) and Azealia Bank’s “212” (infectious as hell)… plus songs from several other albums that’ll still be on my Best of 2011 lists (coming soon).
Let me know what you think… If you enjoyed what you heard, please support the music. Definitely feel free to pass the link the mix along:
~Dan – np: Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials
there are no torrents, free mp3 or other downloads available
John Zorn – Composer Portrait Preview (NYC 12/9)
Avant-garde composer John Zorn has a “Composer Portrait” performance coming up at the Miller Theatre in NYC on December 9, 2011. Here’s a video composer portrait preview…
I always enjoy him talking about his process… of the “people who love what I do and people who hate what I do,” I’m in the love crowd. He’s definitely not for everyone. But if you dig avant-garde, experimental composed music and live near NYC – I’d highly recommend this show!
~Dan – np: Chevelle – Hats Off to the Bull
REVIEW: John Scofield Quartet @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – 10/26/11)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I showed up slightly late due; so came in right after they started their second song… and I hunkered down for some great music. John Scofield Quartet features John on guitars, Michael Eckroth on piano, Ben Street on bass, and Gregory Hutchinson on drums.
The band played a mix of slower ballads and more upbeat tunes. John’s latest album, A Moment’s Peace, is slower and gentler, and the lead-off track “Simply Put” was the first tune I caught in the set – fantastic jazz balladry. The quartet then moved into some covers, “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” (Charlie Parker) and “I Will” (the Beatles). I didn’t catch the name of the tune right after “I Will,” but it was SMOKIN’…
Other songs I caught during the Quartet’s long set were “My Foolish Heart,” “Hackensack” (Thelonious Monk), and “Green Tea.” John is a phenomenal guitarist. The show was a bit more reserved than I was going in expecting (compared to his work with Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood), but it was a treat to watch a master at work. They wrap up their mini-West Coast tour this weekend at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- John Scofield’s Site
- John Scofield’s Social Media Links (see below)
- The Shedd’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
~Dan – np: Under Byen – Samme Stof Som Stof
JOHN SCOFIELD QUARTET PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
John Scofield @ the Shedd (photos by the weekend)
UPDATE 10/29 – REVIEW POSTED
Brilliant show by the John Scofield Quartet last night at the Shedd in Eugene, Oregon…
Busy week for me at work, plus Pomplamoose tonight at the Doug Fir Lounge (Portland). Look for the Scofield Eugene photos and a review by the weekend.
Cheers!
~Dan
MINI-REVIEW: Gonzalo Bergara Quartet @ house concert (Eugene, OR – 10/23/11)
I love the Rolling & Tumbling house concerts. If you’re in Eugene and love good music in an intimate setting, head over to HERE and sign up for the mailing list. They host concerts about once a quarter, and it’s usually some interesting world music. The next one is January 15th… the Michael Winograd klezmer trio from NYC.
Last night’s show was the Gonzalo Bergara Quartet from Los Angeles via Argentina.
They were a hot band, playing primarily Django Reinhardt-influenced gypsy jazz guitar pieces, with a few variations (like bossa nova) added in. The frontman, Gonzalo Bergara, was phenomenal on guitar… truly worthy of following in Django’s shadow. His band was made up of Rob Hardt primarily on clarinet (and sax on occasion), Jeffrey Radaich on rhythm guitar (and vocals for “L.O.V.E.“), and Brian Netzley on upright bass.
They played an hour-long set, then we broke for snacks/intermission and they came back for a show-capping 45 minute set. They were humorous, graceful, and virtuosos. They played many unidentifiable tunes, but I do know they played these: Simplicated, Gonzalogy, August (new/unrecorded), L.O.V.E., Coquette, Nightmare #1, Octubre/Noviembre, La Muerte De Un Lobo Bueno, some more Django tunes, a bossa nova tune (possibly Elena’s Bossa).
(click albums below for sound samples)
They play all over the world. They played in Eugene a couple years ago; so they’re likely not back for a bit. Check out their tour dates to see if they’re coming to your neck of the woods.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Gonzalo Bergara Quartet‘s Site
- Gonzalo Bergara Quartet’s Social Media Links (see below)
Next show for me… John Scofield at the Shedd (Eugene) on 10/26, and then Pomplamoose at Doug Fir Lounge (Portland) on 10/27.
~Dan – np: Toad the Wet Sprocket – All You Want
Jason Ludwig’s 2 new albums / Dave Douglas boxset
This fall is turning into a flippin’ brilliant season for new music… My Brightest Diamond, Wussy, and Puscifer… all gems. Now some more…
Cincinnati-based singer-songwriter Jason Ludwig (formerly of Noctaluca) released two new albums last Friday. I’ve spent a few days with them, and I LOVE-love-LOVE them. I can’t say which one, Lost in Love or Tanglings, that I like more – but they’re both vying for a spot on my Best Albums of 2011 List. They’re only available as a digital download (mp3 or FLAC) via Jason’s bandcamp page, but the awesome part… they’re only $5 each.
Go to jasonludwig.com for samples and then buy them. Well-produced, well-arranged, creative singer-songwriter that reminds me of a cross between the pop of Glen Hansard (of the Swell Season and the Frames) and the creative of Daniel Johns (of Silverchair). If you don’t like them, I’d be surprised.
More new music news…
My favorite living trumpet-player/composer, Dave Douglas, started a new digital download music series this year on his record label, Greenleaf Music, called GPS (Greenleaf Portable Series). Greenleaf recently launched a cloud player with their entire catalog, they’re putting out an iPad/iPhone App, and they just announced that they’re going to put out the three GPS releases thus far (Rare Metals, Orange Afternoons, Bad Mango) as an extremely limited 3-CD boxset called Three Views.
More info coming soon from Greenleaf, but it’s expected before year’s end.
~Dan – np: My Brightest Diamond – All Things Will Unwind
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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